Category: Extra-Curricular

The Rodeo’s Coming! – “Where Weird meets Western”

Have you ever been to the Austin Rodeo? Did any of you brave the cold to attend the Cowboy Breakfast this morning?

It’s full of events to fit everyone’s style: music, contests, ranch animals galore, not to mention the good ol’ hometown carnival an’ cookin’! This year it’ll be March 14-28, 2015 at the Travis County Expo Center, 9100 Decker Lake Road, Austin, TX 78724. It’s even gonna be on t.v., well, YouTube that is, on “RA TV” – Rodeo Austin TV, so you don’t have to miss a thing. There are videos there to check out from last too.

Willie Nelson & Family perform for Rodeo Austin 2015.
Willie Nelson & Family perform for Rodeo Austin 2015.

Since we’re in the Live Music Capital of the World, let’s start with the Live Music, in order of appearance. Austin Rodeo will have main stage performances by:

Willie Nelson & Family, Dwight Yoakam, Eli Young Band, Panic!At the Disco, The Beach Boys, Randy Rogers Band, Joe Nichols, Turnpike Troubadours, Lorrie Morgan & Pam Tillis, Tyler Farr, Boyz II Men, Sublime with Rome, Martina McBride, Lee Brice, and Kevin Fowler.

Continue reading “The Rodeo’s Coming! – “Where Weird meets Western””

Play is Vital to Education

Play is the Highest Form of Research - Albert Einstein

Many articles are out there on the benefits of playing as a way to learn. One website, the Alliance for Childhood, lists several researchers, articles, videos, and even conferences, all encouraging young children to play, and in many cases, to play more. Even people from several countries agree.; Wales and Brussels in particular are mentioned on the AC website.

We recently spoke with a soon-to-be Texas public school teacher and mother of school children who told us that their school district is taking a field trip to the Netherlands to explore this very notion. It appears that the Netherlands are now the top-ranking country in the world for best-performing students. Their explanation – they incorporate plenty of playtime at school. In the lower grade levels, students play between every subject.  In fact, the go outside to play, getting the added benefits of fresh air and sunshine.

Sound familiar, Baby Boomers? This adage was once common in America too, but somehow lost its appeal. Unfortunately that lack of plenty of fresh air and sunshine, combined with a lots of play, is one of the factors that has led to the current demise of the American educational system.

What’s YOUR take on this? What do you know about the amount of time spent playing vs. “in the books”?

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