Yoga for Kids on the Farm

06/05/2025

10/15/2024

According to the show 6O Minutes:
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09/07/2024

Jane Addams -- the pioneering social reformer and women's rights activist who became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize -- was born on this day in 1860. The co-founder of the famous Hull House, a settlement house in Chicago, Addams was instrumental in bringing the needs of mothers and children to greater public awareness and is recognized as the founder of the social work profession in the United States.

Born in Illinois in 1860, Addams was a voracious reader as a child and was inspired by Charles Dickens' writing on the lives of the poor to spend her life helping those in need. As an adult, she learned about the settlement house movement -- a social reform movement that began in the late 19th century to provide education and healthcare resources to the urban poor. After visiting the world's first settlement house, Toynbee Hall in London, Addams was inspired to open Hull House in 1889. Hull House offered an adult night school; clubs for older children; a gym and bath house; music, theater, and art lessons; and an employment center, among many other services; at its height, 2,000 people a week walked through its doors.

Addams encouraged women to become “civic housekeepers," working for the betterment of their communities. At one point, in 1894, she served as the first woman appointed as sanitary inspector and, with the help of the Hull House Women's Club, made over 1,000 reports of health department violations. She was also a vocal advocate of women's suffrage as she recognized that human welfare concerns would not be given adequate attention by the government without the voices and votes of women.

A staunch supporter of Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party, Adams was elected president of Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom in 1915. In this capacity, she headed a commission which organized the first significant international effort to mediate between the warring nations. As a pacifist, she faced severe criticism once the US entered the war, and was even branded as unpatriotic. Following the war, however, President Calvin Coolidge and the public at large supported Addams and the WILPF efforts in the 1920s to ban poison gas -- which was achieved in 1925 with the signing of the Geneva Protocol.

Addams was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1931 -- the second woman in history to receive the honor -- for her pioneering social reform work and her leadership of WILPF's peacebuilding efforts. Remembered as an individual who had transformed the lives of so many, especially women, Addams once said that the “[o]ld-fashioned ways which no longer apply to changed conditions are a snare in which the feet of women have always become readily entangled.” Thanks to her tireless efforts for suffrage and women’s rights, there are fewer snares in all of our paths.

To introduce kids to Jane Addams' inspiring story, there are two wonderful picture books: "The House That Jane Built: A Story About Jane Addams" for ages 5 to 9 (https://www.amightygirl.com/the-house-that-jane-built) and "Dangerous Jane" for ages 6 to 10 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dangerous-jane)

For tweens and teens, she is one of the courageous changemakers profiled in "She Did It! 21 Women Who Changed the Way We Think" for ages 10 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/she-did-it) and "She Takes A Stand: 16 Fearless Activists Who Have Changed The World" for ages 12 and up (https://www.amightygirl.com/she-takes-a-stand)

Adult readers may enjoy Jane Addams' classic book about the history of the remarkable institution she founded: "20 Years at Hull-House" at http://amzn.to/1wcTHrG

There are also two excellent biographies for adult readers: "Jane Addams: Spirit in Action" (https://www.amightygirl.com/jane-addams-spirit-in-action) and "Citizen: Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy" (https://www.amightygirl.com/citizen)

To inspire children and teens with more stories of real-life girls and women who fought for change and stood up for justice, check out our blog post, "50 Books About Women Who Fought for Change," at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14364

06/28/2024

Keep this in mind when you hear an alternate opinion than your own.

Hmmmmm, Can both sides be right?

06/20/2024

"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, “We’ve always done it this way.” -- Grace Hopper

A trailblazer in the world of computing, Rear Admiral Grace Murray Hopper is the person who taught computers to "talk". Her desire to make computers more accessible led Hopper to invent the compiler in 1952, which allowed for the use of English instructions as opposed to numerical code that had to be interpreted by a computer. She also co-invented the Common Business Oriented Language (COBOL), the first universal computer language used in business and government.

Considered by many “the first lady of software,” Grace Hopper was a visionary who consistently demonstrated her interest in pushing boundaries and exploring new territories. As journalist Morley Safer, who interviewed Hopper for 60 Minutes in 1983, observed: "She is more than just a superb mathematical talent; it was Grace Hopper who helped teach the machines a language, stopped them from speaking in undecipherable numbers, enabled them to speak in English or French or German or whatever language you choose." Dr. Hopper was also a mathematics professor during a time when such careers were highly unusual for women and was actively involved with the U.S. Navy for over 40 years.

To inspire kids with Grace Hopper's incredible story, we highly recommend the picture book, "Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code” for ages 5 to 9 at https://www.amightygirl.com/hopper-queen-of-code

She is also featured in a fun activity book about pioneering women in technology, which includes a variety of hands-on STEM projects: "Gutsy Girls Go for Science: Programmers" for ages 8 to 11 at https://www.amightygirl.com/gutsy-girls-programmers

For adult readers, we recommend the two excellent biographies on this technology trailblazer, we recommend "Grace Hopper: Admiral of the Cyber Sea" (https://www.amightygirl.com/grace-hopper-cyber-sea) and "Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age" (https://www.amightygirl.com/grace-hopper-information-age)

For a fun way to celebrate this pioneering computer scientist, she is among several women of science featured on the "Greatest Women in Science Socks" for teens and adults at https://www.amightygirl.com/greatest-women-in-science-socks

For toys and kits designed to encourage your Mighty Girl of all ages in programming, visit our blog post: "Code Like A Mighty Girl: 50 Toys & Books To Inspire Mighty Girl Coders" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=16049

05/20/2024

For World Baking Day, we're celebrating Collette Divitto, a 34-year-old woman with Down syndrome, who after repeated job rejections for not being a "good fit" decided to strike out on her own and start her own cookie company! Nine years after she founded Collettey's Cookies, Collette has sold over 400,000 cookies and now employs 15 other people, including several with disabilities. "It is such a great feeling. I am so proud," she says. But Collette knows there is still a lot of work to do, especially to achieve her dream of helping more people with disabilities find employment. "My biggest challenge is reading all my emails," she says. "[There are] so many emails from people needing jobs so bad, and I want to help them now."

Collette perfected her craft in her family's kitchen for over ten years but, when she tried to make her love of baking into a career and applied for jobs at local bakeries, she was turned down countless times year after year. Finally, Collette, who said "it was really hurtful and I felt rejected a lot," had enough -- she started her own cookie company, Collettey’s Cookies, selling her signature cinnamon-dipped chocolate chip Amazing Cookie. She started out making 100 cookies per week for a local grocery store, but after a story by CBS Boston went viral, the surge of support allowed the young entrepreneur to move from a home-based business into an industrial kitchen in Boston. She vastly expand production and, over the years, built her company into the thriving business it is today. Collette also hopes to inspire other people with disabilities to pursue their dreams and find their own paths to success. "Don’t let people get you down, and never give up," she asserts. "If you find a road block, then find another road."

To learn more or order cookies, you can visit Collettey's Cookies website at https://www.colletteys.com/shop

For books that show Mighty Girls there are no limits to what she can be, we highly recommend "ABC What Can She Be?" for ages 2 to 5 (https://www.amightygirl.com/abc-what-can-she-be) and "Dress Like A Girl" for ages 3 to 7 (https://www.amightygirl.com/dress-like-a-girl)

You can also find books, games, and other resources to teach kids of all ages about entrepreneurship, saving, and spending in our blog post "Manage Money Like A Mighty Girl" at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=14495

For an excellent guide on how to make and manage money for girls ages 9 to 12, we recommend "A Smart Girl's Guide: Money" at https://www.amightygirl.com/smart-girls-money

There is also a helpful guide for teens on how to start their own businesses, "The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting A Business," at https://www.amightygirl.com/young-entrepreneur-s-guide-to-business

A great way to make socialization easier for kids with disabilities is to ensure that they are represented in children’s literature! For a selection of books featuring characters with disabilities for all ages, visit our blog post “Many Ways To Be Mighty: 35 Books Starring Mighty Girls with Disabilities” at https://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=12992