January is International Creativity Month. I'm a big fan of creativity and think we should encourage our kids to be creative in any way we can. Have you ever stopped, though, to consider just exactly what creativity is?  If you were asked to define creativity, what would you say?

Is creativity the ability to write good stories? Compose great music? What exactly is it? It turns out that it's not all that easy to define. But there are some traits that many experts believe are necessary for creativity. It also turns out that creativity exists in all fields, not just the arts. 

What do you think?

Do you WOW?  WOW refers to the Webinars on Wednesdays offered by the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). This winter's sessions are about to start so be sure to check them out.

If you aren't familiar with WOW, I can tell you that these webinars are excellent ways to get information about gifted children and gifted education. While many of the sessions are geared toward educations, some are also designed with parents in mind, and even those meant for educators can be quite useful for parents.  After all, don't we want to know what kinds of educational strategies are available for our kids and how they are best implemented?

The first session is on January 18, at 7 pm. And it's FREE!  The title of this session is "State of the Nation: Effective Advocacy Resources in a Challenging Climate."  This session will provide you with tips and resources you can use to advocate for your child and for gifted education. Other sessions are just $29 ($19 if you register for three webinars), which is quite a bargain considering you hear from leaders in the field, and don't have to pay any traveling expenses (you can even attend in your jammies).

Be sure to visit the WOW Web site to read the descriptions of all the sessions offered this season. There are 12 webinars altogether, the last one being on April 18th. Don't wait too long, though; you do have to register for these webinars, even the free one.

Maybe I'll see you there!

January 3rd is JRR Tolkien day. You know Tolkien, right? Just in case you don't, Tolkien is the author of The Lord of the Rings. After the appearance of Peter Jackson's movie adaption of the trilogy, LoTR became more popular than it ever was. But I'm not sure everyone understands all of what Tolkien accomplished. He essentially created a new mythology.

Previously in ancient mythology, the hero was one who took on the task of claiming or reclaiming some object (like the Golden Fleece). He willingly set off to obtain the object and as far as everyone could tell, he was strong and nearly invincible. Quite often, though, he was hampered by some fatal flaw, an "Achilles heel," that either made his task take longer or caused him to fail.

In The Lord of the Rings, however, the hero was an unwilling one and one no one thought capable of completing the task set before him. Not only was little Frodo an unlikely hero, his task was not to get something, but to put it back!

Something else most people don't realize is that Tolkien was a linguist. His interest was in creating different languages, and he did that for the different "races" in the LoTR. He built his mythology around those races, and the races he created are now part of a good majority of fantasy games: elves, orcs, dwarves, wizards, and of course, humans.

If you and others in your family are Lord of the Ring fans, you might want to play some games with a Lord of the Ring twist.  And when you play, remember the incredible influence Tolkien has had on our culture and modern mythology.

Happy birthday, JRR Tolkien!

Need some ideas to keep your child entertained on New Year's Eve? Why not have her make some crafts?  A good one is the countdown clock. Of course, your child may have enough crafts to make on New Year's Eve if she wants to create some noisemakers and hats, but what about the next day?

After all the celebrating on New Year's Eve, we're all ready for a rest on New Year's Day. You may enjoy watching bowl games on TV or maybe sitting down to read a good book. However, New Year's Day is also a great time for the whole family to have some fun with New Year's crafts.

Most of the crafts your child can do on his own or with just a little help from you, but they are much more fun when the whole family gets involved. For instance, think about what everyone might do with a time capsule! Your child can do all the decorating, but the whole family gets to put different items in it.

Encouraging your child to make some crafts not only can create some quality family time, it can also nurture that creative streak!