Learning: Simplified and Inspired

We live in a high tech, over-scheduled, complicated world where both adults and children most of their waking hours in busy, demanding environments where they are overscheduled, and technology driven as a way to be productive and accomplish things, yet our true creativity, missions, and passions develop when we have calm moments.

Creativity, joy, and a balanced life come from simplifying and enjoying those things that are most important to you. At Gingerbread.Studio that is the focus. I want to bring you ideas to simplify and enjoy this amazing ride that we call life.

As an educator and curriculum designer, I’ve found that true meaning, creativity, and real learning come from time where we can really focus. I design curriculum to allow students to put their own meaning into assignments and learn things that are important and meaningful to them. I’ve designed and taught curriculum from early childhood through college. Engagement is the same at all ages. We all need some forms of simplicity, creativity, and time to enjoy the amazing life we have. I want to share ideas with you to help simplify and enjoy: life, learning, and business too.

Environment is Everything:

Creating environments that are simple, uncluttered, relaxing, and promote the life we want are the beginning of setting up a simplified world. I’m not a minimalist. I love pictures on the walls, books to read, and way too many kitchen accessories.

So how do we simplify? Create an environment with things you love. Minimize and remove those that aren’t truly important to you. Having things you don’t need means more things to take care of and takes away from simplifying. As an early childhood specialist, I love the beauty and simplicity of the Montessori method and the creativity of the Reggio Emilia method. These beautiful methods make life and learning better. They don’t have to be reserved for children or education. The simplicity and joy from calm, simple, and creative environments should be for everyone.

Technology: This is such a big one. I love my technology too. Having the phone tools to work, have contacts, manage communications is so productive and makes life simpler … until it doesn’t. Balance is the key. We have to set times to put the phone away and do things that are simple and let our minds relax. We need “brain breaks”. What are the things that you enjoy that do not include televisions, phones, videos, etc. Find the simple things and carve out some time for those things.

You often hear that creativity is lost somewhere in the processes as children grow. Why does this happen? How do we get back the simple joy of creating, learning, and doing things that we love in a way that makes us whole. We aren’t leaving our busy world, but together we can carve out moments of beauty, calm, simplicity, and joy for a more balanced and more beautiful life.

Join me and together let’s create a world where simplified and inspired is a regular part of life and you feel revived, happy, and have that balanced life that so many are searching for.

Dr. Andrea