"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw

This week is a special week, and that deserves two fantastic interviews with two inspirational people. 

Join me for my chat with the truly amazing Ivan Brett. Ivan is a primary school teacher who’s made the big time - book deals, podcasts...and cycling across the USA!  Ivan’s book The Floor is Lava is a collection of games to play anywhere, anytime. It’s fun, family-friendly, and what’s more it’s ideal for helping children learn everything from grammar to oracy skills.
 

We talk about:

- games and play, naturally!

- introducing fun into the national curriculum, the classroom, and life,

- how to chase your dreams and being ok with changing your passions, 

- the positive side of video games, 

- using games to support oracy and grammar

 

Skip to 23:00 to watch us demonstrate a couple of games (and to see me realise I need to brush-up on my conjunctions!)

 

Web: https://www.ivanbrett.com 

Twitter: @IvanBrett

Ivan will be joining me on this week's tea@2.  So make a date to tune in, and join in the chat about achieving anything, creativity and more.  

Follow Ivan and all he does here: 

Website
Twitter
 

"Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I'M Possible" - Audrey Hepburn

Growth mindset is a term that’s been used in education for several years.  Some years it’s in favour, others it's out.  But it’s like mindfulness, when the principles behind it are understood and taken in context it really does make a lot of sense.  It’s when people try to over-analyse it that we start to see flaws within it that have been externally implied.

Essentially, Carol Dweck (the first person to coin the phrase) who is a psychologist interested in people’s beliefs about learning and intelligence sees it there as being 2 mindsets: fixed and growth.

A fixed mindset believes what we are born with is what we get.  Our intelligence, talents and basic qualities are fixed, and we can do nothing to change them.

A growth mindset believes what we are born with can be improved through dedication, and hard work.  Our intelligence, talents and basic qualities are a starting point, and we decide how far we’re going to take them by how hard we are prepared to work.
 
What does this have to do with achieving anything we want?  Well, it goes to show us 2 things:

1. We have to believe we can achieve anything we want,
2. That’s not enough on its own, we have to work for it…hard.

 
There are many articles and website for helping you learn to grow a growth mindset.  But for me, it boils down to these 5 key points:

• Believe in yourself
• Embrace failure
• Learn to ask for help
• Know the power of the word ‘yet’
• Reflect often

"Do not try to bend the spoon.  That's impossible." - The Matrix

Why do people’s plans fall short or fail?  Well, there could be any number of reasons but one of the most common is thinking too big.  Patrick Geddes first coined the phrase ‘think globally, act locally’ in 1915 and the principle holds true whenever we plan big in life.  In order to give our plans the best chance of success we don’t think about the end goal on a day-to-day basis, that seems too overwhelming and out of reach. Instead we think about the little things we can do each day to get there.

What does that look like in action?  Well, it’s about backwards planning.  Once you’ve settled on a dream work backwards to see all the things you need to achieve to get there, until you see what your day-to-day goals need to be.  

Let’s take planning a holiday as an example and work it through…

Imagine you want to take a £1000 holiday in 12 months time.

Step 1 – You need to save around £83 per month
Step 2 – Assume you currently spend £15 per week on takeaways.  This can be saved by:
Step 3 – Ensure you have enough food in each night of the week so you don’t need ‘impulse takeaways’.  This can be achieved by:
Step 4 – Regular shopping slots booked online/diarising shopping trips as you would a meeting.  These trips will be successful by:
Step 5 – Meal planning in advance and writing a thorough list of what’s needed.  This can be achieved by:
Step 6 – Setting aside the same time each week to write the list, and sticking to it like you would a meeting in your diary.
Step 7 – That leaves £23 per month to save.  Assuming you drive to work this could be saved by switching to cycling 2-3 days per week.
 
This is a very broad example, but hopefully shows how little actions (like setting aside a little time each week to write a list) can eventually build to affording that break away you’ve dreamed of.

What's your dream?  How are you making it come true?  Tag @NathanwhiteMCA on Twitter and use the hashtag #dreambig to share

"Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to the result." 
- Bob Proctor

Accountability means to be responsible for your actions, and the best way to do this is to make other people aware of your intentions.  When you announce to other people what your plans and dreams are it creates the psychological feeling of being accountable to others.  You begin to feel that should you miss your target not only will you be letting yourself down, but you’ll be letting others down, or even feeling a little embarrassed to have to admit it to them.  Knowing this is what’s happening doesn’t change the impact, so why not use this trick of the brain to your advantage?

Once you’ve decided on your target and made your plan, tell a loved one.  They’re the ones most likely to be supportive of you.  If you want maximum pressure, post your goal on social media.  The more people that know what your plan is, the harder it is for you to find ways to break the plan.

Next, step up.  This is the tough love section here, don’t make excuses.  Take Arthur Boorman; 297lbs, knee braces, back braces, 2 walking canes, and 15 years of being told he’d never walk again unassisted.  Did that stop him from striving for his goal?  Not at all. Just watch the video above to the end and see what it’s capable of us to achieve when we throw everything we’ve got at our goal.  Inspirational

What's your dream?  How are you making it come true?  Tag @NathanwhiteMCA on Twitter and use the hashtag #dreambig to share

Looking for more advice on children's wellbeing?  Try one of these links:
 

You can let us know each week how you're looking after your wellbeing using the following hashtags on Twitter:

#wellbeing
#mindset
#toppingup

Each Wellbeing Wednesday we'll consider a different aspect of wellbeing that we can all share some tips on with each other.  This week, what's your dream? Together we can achieve anything, what are you aiming for?
  
#dreambig #toppingup

Weekly Wellbeing Class Chats - Every Friday

Together we can... catch up with our friends and share something we’re proud of.

YN - Fri 1.30-1.50

YR - Fri 2.00-2.20

Y1 - Y5 - Fri 2.15-2.45

Y6 - Fri 9.00-9.30

A chance for us to share a story, then move into smaller groups and have time for the children to chat to each other, not just to their teacher.

A Playful Approach to Anxiety - Online workshop from Katie White (from our newsletter on laughter and happiness).  For parents to support their primary school aged children with anxiety.  - Thursday 4th March, 7:00pm - 8:30pm £10 (see flyer below - booking link click here)

Monday 8th March - Return to School

Remote Learning has its benefits, but long days of screen time is not one of them. So what do we do to counter this?

This brilliant video highlights and shares the importance of screen breaks in order to balance the day. Class Teachers have very carefully managed your remote timetables to ensure you have plenty of opportunities for rest, fresh air and exercise. It is very important that you take full advantage of these breaks to stand up and stretch. Thank you very much to Mr White for making such a fantastic and useful film.