While you’re decorating the front yard, putting the finishing touches on costumes, and planning your route for trick or treating, give one of these Halloween-themed activities a try.

No, you don’t have to bring up current events or any specific political figures in order to chat about politics with a young mind. Start with fun activities like these, that deal with bigger concepts, and as your child gets older, they’ll have a good, solid foundation for more detailed, complicated discussions.

There are so many big questions that surround creativity, innovation, and motivation. What if you asked a bunch of creative people how they navigate these things?

How does your little thinker learn? It’s tempting to focus on what they’re learning, but have you ever really watched to see how their mind works, how their personality mingles with the way they study the world around them?

Even tiny wee kids have big thoughts about plants and trees, and there’s certainly no lack of inspiration to be found in their surroundings. Encourage your little thinker to branch out with their ideas, and you won’t be-leaf how your conversations with them will blossom.

Our latest release takes a fun look at how other creatures deal with uncertainty and all-around weirdness, and then gently reminds us that we have other tools at our disposal. Oh yeah, and it rhymes too.

Here’s the thing we, as adults, overlook: doing philosophy feels far riskier to us than it does to younger thinkers. Kids, especially little ones, don’t balk at taking these kinds of risks. Big questions aren’t daunting, jumping into conversations isn’t a big deal, and potentially looking a little silly doesn’t really phase them.

In our minds, there’s no better group to which a writer or publisher can devote their time and energy. Along with these challenges come many, many rewards.

Yes, even with a clicky-flashy device in hand, a kiddo can (and should) be taught to slow down, and there are “slow apps” out there that are more than just frantic flash and sparkle, and that are still engaging and exciting.

Our kids need to be well-rounded, adaptable, and innovative in order to thrive in this our current circumstances. They need social-emotional intelligence and global awareness, as well as the ability to question and problem-solve. Fostering an appreciation and fondness when our kids are little means that they’ll be more likely to keep at least a toe or two dipped in the humanities as they grow, so they can enjoy the benefits.

Right about now, it seems as though empathy, compassion and connection are in short supply. If there’s a way to help our kids keep these things at the front of their minds, why not make it a priority? If it helps us grown-ups to recapture some of our sense of “we”, then all the better!

Changing our minds is about being open to new ideas or ways of doing things. It’s being curious and flexible enough to give new ideas a chance, while still being critical and skeptical before accepting and adopting them. Changing our minds involves being nimble, adaptable, and willing to see and evaluate all kinds of possibilities. It’s knowing when it’s justified to hold onto something, and when it’s necessary to let go of it.

Believe it or not, doing philosophy with your kids is an amazing way to help these moments to happen. It’s true that philosophy is incredibly effective in helping kids develop essential thinking skills and equipping them for their adventures out in the world, but it’s also true that it can bring incredible connection and closeness with children.

To all the little (and big) thinkers who read, listened to, watched, and played with our materials, a big, warm thank you! More than ever, the world needs you to keep asking big questions and having wonderful conversations about them. However you celebrate, we wish you the very best of the season, and a new year positively brimming with new ideas.

Peace is something we long for all year round, really, but it seems to be baked into the holiday season. With current world events, it’s even more prominent in our minds, and at times like these, it feels like it’s in short supply. If it’s difficult for an adult to get their head around a huge concept like peace, we can imagine how a kid feels.

There’s no better way to keep ourselves feeling young than to think like a young person. It’s not only okay to give ourselves permission to be “childish” once in a while, but it’s good for inquiring minds of all ages.

Featuring a very savvy, skeptical young thinker, this book explores all the tall tales we’re told as kids, and gives readers the chance to pull them apart, and maybe sling a few of their own.

Most kids are grateful for and enthusiastic about being included in important conversations. They can handle difficult information if it’s presented in the right way. The long and the short of it is that kids don’t just want to know, they need to know.

Our kids seem fine with them, even delighted by them. Well, we’re supposed to be the smart ones, the ones in charge, the ones who always know what’s what and what to do. That’s an awful lot of pressure, and perhaps an unattainable goal. Maybe we should open ourselves up as thinkers, give ourselves a break, and set an example for our littles. And maybe wonderful adventures in thinking will happen.

We love this time of year! The weather cools off, the trees burst into colour, and we get to be part of some pretty amazing events. In the process, we get to connect with a whole bunch of cool little thinkers and their families.