Newsletter 39

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A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life - Charles Darwin

SOONVolume 38 - July 2010IR Home

St. Luke's

Seriously Optimistic Online NewsletterSeriously Optimistic Online Newsletter

In this volume...

• Jigsaws

• Girltopia

• Yoga

• Puppets

To contribute to SOON email us at: [email protected] With such a large

range of colourful and attractive cards in our repertoire, and with so many images designed to speak to children, it was predictable that someone would ask about jigsaws.We have had several jigsaws in the past and we recently sent a new range of images off to be cut into jigsaw pieces (above).We have also taken delivery of a new printer that will enable us to run off any of your favourite

IR images and have them transformed into a jigsaw puzzle.It will be great to

get some of our new

Strength in Teams characters made into jigsaws. The circus images have become favourite with everyone who has seen them and should transform beautifully into jigsaws - perhaps a more complex one.The Innovative Resources jigsaws pictured are from the Strength Cards for Kids edition (40cm x 28cm) and the Koala Company cards series (28cm x

28cm). They

are 12-piece jigsaws on a

plywood backing and are handmade here in Bendigo. They retail for $25 plus GST.Here’s a thought, we could get a great big jigsaw, say a meter wide, made up of the Strength in Teams circus characters and establish a brand new market in childcare centres, or something like that.Anyway, just thinking out loud, if your interested in IR’s jigsaws you can order them from the website or email us at [email protected]

JigsawsYES VIRGINIA WE DO

St. Luke’s

All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ever wanted to create another world?

The 70 cards in the Girltopia set create a world of luscious plants, soulful animals and quirky architecture. A place in which girls and women are honoured for who they are and where they’re at; where exploring the risky edges of conversation and feeling is lively, supported, and very often a great adventure; The Girltopia cards will naturally lead where conversations can focus on such territory as ‘Who I am’ and ‘Who are we?’ and ‘How can I feel at ease in my own body?’

Girltopia is a world where girls do stuff, tell stories, explore their identity, discuss what they think and feel about things, and generally explore the bridges of maturity—in supported, healthy and intentional ways.

The Girltopia cards provide a tool that can be used by people such as teachers, parents, school nurses, psychologists, counsellors, youth workers and parents to build conversations with girls. The Girltopia cards encourage a spirit of enquiry, non-judgement, acceptance, curiosity, reflection and celebration. In truth, it’s difficult to have too many of these conversations during puberty and adolescence!

Such conversations can also be part of strategies for working with issues facing many girls and young women, such as body image, self-esteem, depression,

eating disorders, sexualisation and bullying, Each card in the Girltopia set features a key word or phrase. Questions, quotes, fun and quirky comments by animals and insects are also scattered throughout the cards. These elements are powerful triggers for stories, reflection, curiosity, awareness and learning which can help to name, heal and perhaps even prevent many health and wellbeing issues.

The author of Girltopia is Jane Bennett—a counsellor, author of three books, and educator in the field of natural fertility management. Jane also runs workshops for mothers and daughters celebrating girls’ approaching first period (menarche); for dads on how to handle these changes and stay close to their daughters; and for older girls

wanting to understand and manage their maturing bodies and relationships.

‘In working with girls I have discovered the magic of asking questions and creating

A World ofReal Conversations for Real Girls

Coming soon from IR

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Doing

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Body

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Us

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Me

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Me

glrltopia

© Jane Bennett, R

obyn Sp

icer & St Luke’s Innovative R

esources 2010

Feeling

All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on - Henry Ellis

opportunities for their natural wisdom to emerge. This in itself builds self-esteem and resilience. In addition, girls get to hear each other’s views and ideas, stories and expectations as they talk,’ said Jane.

The artwork for these cards was created by Robyn Spicer who meticulously hand cut delicate Japanese papers to create the stunning collages featuring the insects, plants, flowers and animals that make up the Girltopia world. The packaging includes dividers to keep the five different suits of cards in place.

While the Girltopia cards have been specifically created for girls aged 10 to 18 they can be used with women of any age. As human beings we are in an ongoing process of exploring identity and relationships, defining who we are and what we stand for. During adolescence this process is especially intense and dynamic as we traverse powerful inner and outer changes, profound vulnerability and test our new capacities, awareness and responsibilities.

These cards are suitable for classrooms and will be a valuable resource for studying human development, social and emotional literacy, health and wellbeing, ethics, and identity. The Girltopia cards may also be a useful exploration and preparation tool for groups of parents, teachers, youth workers, health workers, counsellors, mentors, retreat facilitators and pastoral care workers, in fact anyone who works with girls.

As with any tool, facilitators and teachers are encouraged to preview the set before using, so they can choose whether to use the whole set or make a selection of cards, depending on the appropriate developmental stage of their group.

There are five suits in the Girltopia card set:Me (8 cards)

The ME suit draws on the power of telling stories. Using simple sentence starters and delightful design, participants are invited to tell stories about themselves and to hear those of others. In telling our stories we communicate our sense of who we are, where we are from, and how we are similar to, and different from, those around us.

Doing (11 cards)

The DOING cards are intended to draw out conversations with girls about their actions and activities. In seeing themselves as active, with the power to choose and create, girls can build an appreciation of their own skills, preferences and individuality, as well as those of others.

Feeling (21 cards)

The FEELING cards are designed to foster emotional intelligence, assisting girls to name, communicate and consciously navigate feelings. As this awareness grows, girls have more choice about how they want to respond and the outcomes they want to achieve.

Body (17 cards)

The BODY suit cards create opportunities for girls to deepen their understanding and appreciation of their changing female bodies—through questions, conversations and sharing experiences.

Us (13 cards)

The US suit cards are designed to prompt thought, discussion and exploration about girls’ social life and relationships. Through questions and other conversational prompts girls are able to explore many of these complex and potent arenas,

sharing wisdom and developing understanding and strategies, often before tricky social situations arise.

Girltopia, a world of Real Conversations for Real GirlsFive suits of cards: Me, Doing, Feeling, Body, Us.Author: Jane BennettIllustrator and Designer: Robyn Spicer Cat Number: 4150ISBN: 9781920945497

Price: $6250

Inc. GST

Available in November

PRE-ORDER NOW

CLICK HERE

Any idiot can face a crisis - it’s day to day living that wears you out - Anton Chekhov

10 Greeting Cards

A random selection of everything from inspiring

quotes to quirky art. Some were $5.00 each.

10 cards NOW $15.00

Babar’s ABCBy De Brunhoff

Oversized pages contain illustrated scenes for

each letter. In addition, words that start with the showcase letter in bold.

NOW $18.00

Counsellors Conversation KitNine IR resources that

make up the Counsellors Conversation Kit chosen for their ability to create important conversations. KIT PRICE $317.36

Biography and Autobiographyy

By one of today’s leading biographers, features excerpts from Michael

Holroyd’s lectures, essays, and reviews.

NOW $15.41

DON'T FORGET OUR SPECIALS BUTTONYes, at the top right of our web page we have a little button marked Specials' with some value

packs, backlist stock and end of run items like:

qyoga education resources

edna reinhardt

They’re here, they’re here, .... at last

Yes, as promoted in SOON 38, Edna Reinhardt’s new book, Creative Yoga for Teenagers has arrived from the printer and is ready to ship.

We have some back orders to fill but then turnaround should be quick and easy.

Remember the deal for the book, the card set and the relaxation CD, pictured left. Normally $104.95 as individual purchases.

Available for $89.21 as a value pack - CLICK HERE

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact - William James

PUPPETS

Just as a follow up to our last newsletter, we are in the process of collating and packing the Ups and Downs cards and they seem even harder to get out of the tins than before.

We have asked the designer to create a polypropylene box, as used on most other IR resources, and we will make it available to anyone who wishes to repack their Ups and Down cards in a more convenient box.

Recently IR ran a display at the Play Therapy conference in Sydney and people shared their frustrations over the Ups and Downs tins. As much as people love the cards, the tins are a pain.

We will let you know as soon as the box has been printed and you can ease your frustrations by replacing the tin.

Like puppets?

Well we’ve got puppets!We have a large range of puppets including the very popular mouse in the vest and others from Folkmanis. Take one to a conference or display, and it’s like honey to a bee.

One of the puppets is the boy with ginger hair from Folkmanis. The puppet has sleeves that you can put your hands in and it has been used in sign language situations.

We introduced a new range early this year in the Flat Friends range. This includes anatomically correct boy and girl puppets and a series of cultural people and occupational people puppets

Of course there are any number of cute little animal puppets including the ever-popular caterpillar puppet that when turned inside out becomes a beautiful butterfly.

OOPS!