Podcasts about audrey for

Interested in positive strategies for happier children, adolescents, and families? Check out Sunshine Parenting Coaching! Show notes & links available here. In this episode, Audrey's guest is Jim Burns, President of HomeWord and the Executive Director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. Jim speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has close to 2 million resources in print in 30 languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of HomeWord which are: Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books include: Confident Parenting, The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage, and Closer. Jim and his wife, Cathy, live in Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi; two sons-in-law, Steve and Matt; and two grandchildren, James and Charlotte. The aim of Jim (and Homeword)'s work is to strengthen and equip parents, couples and families. They believe in strong marriages, confident parents, and empowered kids. Big Ideas Our kids (no matter their age) need us to be their biggest cheerleaders. Sometimes our kids need tough love, which is not meanness. Our adult children really need us to listen. When our kids become adults we have to make some changes in our parenting role. Becoming independent can be an awkward, painful process, but we can support our kids through it. Today’s young adults “meander” towards independence compared to previous generations and that changes parents’ roles, too. Your role as a parent changes throughout your child’s life. We need to have healthy boundaries and refrain from coddling our adult children. Quotes Jim Burns: But the truth of the matter is what brings them back is setting a tone of what I call awe, affirmation or affection, warmth and encouragement...I want to be the top cheerleader in their life. Jim Burns: Even if they've not launched or they're not doing so well or if they violated values, the bottom line is they're asking this question, do you still love me? And I really believe that our kids need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt, Hey, I still love you and we're going to get through this process together in that. I think that's the best thing. We as parents can offer our kids at the same time know we do have to set boundaries and hold expectations but in a way very different than when they were children. Jim Burns: I had to realize that experience is a better teacher than advice. Jim Burns: Unsolicited advice is taken as criticism. Audrey: Even if they're doing things that are crazy or not right, you can still affirm them and be their biggest fan. Audrey: It is cool at camp that other adults can pour into kids and see that in them. Audrey: For our kids, if we can just focus on the strengths that we see and help them grow those, it's remarkable. It will help them throughout childhood and adulthood. Jim Burns: If we have somebody who believes in us, that is just huge. Jim Burns: Tough love is not meanness. Tough love is saying they're going to have to experience some of the consequences for them to learn. Audrey: I think part of what parents struggle with, and I know that you find this too, is just the fact that when you're becoming independent, it's kind of a painful, awkward process. So it's not this smooth line where you go to college and suddenly you're mature or you get a job and you're suddenly mature. It's painful and there's two steps back, one step forward. It's a lot of ups and downs. But what I like about your book is it's very much what, as a parent, we need to do help the process. Audrey: The truth is that none of us are ever really ready for something we haven't done, even adulthood. And we have to remember that when we started doing things, we weren't ready either. Jim Burns: So they go away and they are more ready than we are ... Not totally ready, because there are some bumps along the way. But you know, I think part of it is a process of us getting ready and us realizing that we have to reinvent the relationship. Audrey: Be comfortable with a little bit of discomfort or sometimes a lot of discomfort, which is when your child's going through a difficult time trying to do something on their own. You know, the innate desire as a parent is to jump in and rescue. That's not what they need. Audrey: I do want to encourage parents to read your book and I think it's good to read as early as you can, even during adolescence or sooner to kind of prepare yourself emotionally for the journey so that you're ready for it. But even if you have already a 30 year old, you could still read it and get some great insights from it. Jim Burns: You help them launch by sometimes showing empathy, showing care, but not necessarily giving them the answer unless they ask you. Resources & Links Homeword Doing Life With Your Adult Children: Keep Your Mouth Shut & The Welcome Mat Out Understanding Your Teen: Shaping Their Character, Facing Their Realities Confident Parenting Doing Life With Your Adult Children Online Video Course Related Ep. 75: Begin with the (Parenting) End in Mind 9 Secrets for Raising Kids Who Become Thriving Adults Ready for Adulthood Check-List for Kids Ep. 122: How to Connect with Your Teen with Chris Thurber One Simple Thing: Post a Quote or Mantra Each summer at camp, we select ten positive, inspirational quotes and post them on the doors of our bathroom stalls. Campers often offer the quotes, word for word, as something they learned at camp. Why not create some positive messages in your home to help remind your family about the positive practices that will enrich each of your lives? Repetition and reminders in the form of signs, notes, and postings are a great way to reinforce important lessons. If you have a favorite quote or mantra, tell your kids about why you like it and post it in a prominent location. I guarantee your kids will remember it (even if they make fun of you for posting it!). Here are some of my favorite quotes: Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.  -Mother Teresa A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle. James Keller People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. Maya Angelou We rise by lifting others. Robert Ingersoll Throw kindness around like confetti. If you want more kindness in the world, put it there. A great attitude becomes a great day which becomes a great month which becomes a great year which becomes a great life. Maybe you’re not meant to fit in. Maybe you’re supposed to stand out. Please don't hide your inner awesome. The world needs it. Be the reason someone smiles today. If you decide to post a quote or mantra, I'd love for you to share it with me.  My Favorite The Dibble Institute: Free Resources "The Dibble Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that promotes relationship training for youth—especially in the context of dating and romantic connections. Our goal is help to young people build a foundation for healthy romantic relationships now, and for lasting, positive family environments in the future." Explore all the great free resources at The Dibble Institute, including their series of Tip Sheets which include: Guiding Teens & Young Adults in Developing Healthy Romantic Relationships Tips for Parents: Coping During the Coronavirus Pandemic Listener Question This week's listener question came in via email. If you have a question you'd like me to cover on a future episode of the podcast, email me or record a voice message!   Do you have any suggestions for how to start doing family meetings? Family meetings are a great way to make sure you have a set time to talk as a family, plan ahead, and communicate about values and other things that are important to you. Most of us didn't experience family meetings growing up, so it might feel awkward at first calling your family together for a meeting. In our jobs, we know that regular communication, often in the form of weekly or monthly meetings, is vital to keeping people informed and up-t0-date. The same holds true for our families. Even if you start with just one meeting per month, it's a great way to open up communication about topics that don't normally come up in day-to-day life. In the resource section of my book, Happy Campers (p.230-231), I offer some suggestions for how to format your family meeting. You can get a A PDF version of the resource by signing up below.

Show notes & links available here. In this podcast episode, I interview college professor and author Dr. Jennifer Etnier about the importance of having a positive impact on kids when coaching youth sports. Her book, Coaching for the Love of the Game: a Practical Guide for Working with Young Athletes, outlines simple strategies that coaches can use to be sure that a kid's experience is positive, while also promoting sports and continued physical activity. As a sport and exercise psychologist, Jenny works in youth sports alongside athletes, other coaches and is a coaching educator. She is also a parent of two 13-year-old sons and one 15-year-old daughter. Big Ideas Youth sports are huge! More than 20 million children in the U.S. are involved. Their coaches range from professional coaches to casual, part-time coaching volunteers, like parents or former players. Kids need good coaches. Training to be a coach is typically not required or provided and so unfortunately for many kids, their experience in sports can be negative and even harmful. We need to ensure that the people who are volunteering to coach have the necessary education to create a positive sports experience for our youth. Coaches need to create a climate where it's about each player's personal improvement and not about the outcome. Players should always be treated with respect, compassion, and empathy. When coaches aren't positive, kids quit. Statistics show that 70% of kids will drop out of sports before the age of 13. If the experience is bad, they don't want to go back to that sport. Kids need to be physically active. Involvement in sports should be a positive experience. Kids should have fun, develop as individuals, and grow to love the game. When kids aren't active in sports, they have a much harder time becoming physically active as adults. Studies show that children who exercise during the school day do better on various measures of cognition, memory tests, and problem-solving. Being physically active helps with executive function. If kids can't participate in organized sports, especially as they get older, there are other ways to be active. They can hike, run, try a spin class or yoga with friends. Parents need to be more supportive. Active parents are associated with active kids. Making an activity (walks, bike rides, tennis) part of your family routine is a great way to connect with kids and just have fun. For the vast majority of kids, the youth sports experience is merely a way for them to be physically active and to socialize, not to become a professional athlete. Out of over 7 million high school athletes, 150,000 will get NCAA scholarships. Of those, 1400 are going to play a sport professionally. Our dialogue around youth sports should shift away from scores and winning and instead focus on what the kids learned and how much fun they had. Kids want their parents to cheer for everyone at their games. Try to offer praise and empathy and quit being critical. Quotes Jenny: "I'm passionate about improving the youth sports experience. Instead of trying to help individual coaches solve individual problems...I wrote this book hoping to have a more pervasive positive effect on the sports experience." Audrey: "A lot of times people get into coaching because they love the sport themselves but they don't really have any training in communicating with kids, developing positive relationships with kids, and some of these important things that really help them create that positive experience." Audrey: "Sometimes the coaches that people see on TV are not always modeling the practices that great coaches really practice." Jenny: "'Great coaching' doesn't mean we won state championships. 'Great coaching' means we had an incredibly positive experience and we felt moved toward our potential as athletes and as young people. When I think of a great coach, I'm not thinking of the winningest coach. I'm thinking of the coach that had the biggest, most long-lasting, positive impact on the largest number of kids." Jenny: "We want (kids) to develop their character, to develop friendships, to learn how to be their best selves in competitive settings and how to deal with victory and defeat. We don't put them out there to be yelled at, to have the pressure of winning. And sometimes we forget that." Audrey: "Sometimes we get really caught up in scores, test metrics, and all this stuff when in the bigger picture, character development and becoming a fully-formed, happy human being are more important goals." Audrey: "It's those great coaches who really build kids up, help them learn skills, and develop a love of the game, that end up probably winning more anyway. Because it's the backward path that is actually a better path than threatening, demeaning, and making people feel bad." Audrey: "Whether you win or lose doesn't really matter. Nobody remembers that game when you were eight years old, but you will remember having a lot of fun with your team and having the pizza party afterward." Jenny: "If you ask children, they know how to define fun.  Fun for them means that the coach cares about me. It means that the coach develops a practice that keeps me active and helps me improve my skills." Jenny: "It's the coach who makes every kid feel like they're valued and who meets every kid exactly where they are. Your job is to make every one of those children feel like they're the most important player on the team. If you do that, then you're the best coach ever." Jenny: "The coaches have already demonstrated their commitment to these children. They've already demonstrated their commitment to the sport. Now I think these coaches just need to have in their hands a toolkit that allows them to work effectively with kids to make sure that they all have a positive experience." Audrey: "The important stuff for me was always being in the van with my friends, going to games and stuff. I loved the social aspects of sports." Jenny: "In the country of Norway, there's a national policy that says nobody is going to care about keeping score until you're a teenager. Before that, the priorities are safety, friendship, and enjoyment. Actually they're not priorities, they're rights." Jenny: "Unfortunately, the vast majority of kids in youth sports end up having some negative experience that chases them out of the sport. It's partly this mistaken notion that winning matters." Audrey: "Exercise and activity are so important for mental health, physical health and just wellbeing in general, our happiness. Organized sports are a good way to get kids regular exercise." Jenny: "People who are physically active as children have stronger or better self-regulatory skills, which allows them to be better decision-makers. The physical activity behavior sets the stage for more positive choices in terms of a healthy lifestyle." Audrey: "For adults and kids, getting your heart pumping, a little bit of activity, just clears the cobwebs,  makes you better at everything else." Jenny: "If children are dropping out of youth sports, and we're not offering physical education in the schools to the extent that we used to, and as we all know, the pressures in our society are such that we're becoming increasingly sedentary, then where are they going to be physically active?" Jenny: "It's almost a public health imperative that we ensure that our youth sports experience is positive because we actually have huge numbers of the kids when they're little but then we don't cherish that opportunity to make sure that they all have a positive experience and stick with it. If we could, if we could crack this nut, it would solve all kinds of challenges that we have in this country." Jenny: "The best coach is the coach who truly loves those children and values every moment that they have to have an impact on that kid." Jenny: "If your child is engaged in youth sports, take a minute to ask them, 'When I come to your games, how do you want me to behave? Children say they want parents to be at the game, but they want us to be silent and attentive. If you're going to cheer, then cheer for both teams. Cheer for everybody. Cheer positive feedback to everybody at appropriate times. Offer praise and empathy--that's it." Jenny: "Parents have got to be supportive. Quit being critical. Quit telling kids what to do. Sit back, relax and enjoy the game. Tell them how much you enjoyed watching them play. And that's it." Coaching for the Love of the Game More than 45 million children play youth sports in the United States each year, and most are coached by parent volunteers with good intentions but little training. This lack of training and an overemphasis on winning often results in stress and frustration for coaches and players alike, which can discourage young athletes so much that they walk away from sports altogether. With this new guide for amateur parent coaches, Jennifer Etnier, author of Bring Your 'A' Game, aims to change that. Etnier offers a system of positive coaching that can be applied to any sport, from the beginner level to high school athletics, and explains that good coaching requires working with young athletes at their developmental level and providing feedback designed to keep children engaged and having fun. Etnier gives easy-to-understand guidance on important aspects of successful coaching—including information on the development of children's motor skills, communication with a young athlete's parents, and nurturing a growth-oriented mindset—making this a critical resource for youth coaches of all experience levels. About Dr. Etnier Dr. Etnier’s research focuses on the cognitive benefits of physical activity. She is a Fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Kinesiology (FNAK# 525) and has received the Health and Human Performance Teaching Award, UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award, School of Health and Human Sciences Teaching Excellence Award, School of Health and Human Sciences Graduate Mentoring Award, and the UNCG Graduate School´s Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award. Dr. Etnier is Member-at-Large of NAK and a member of five editorial boards for peer-reviewed journals. She was formerly the President of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and Editor of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity. She is the principal investigator of the Physical Activity and Alzheimer’s Disease 2 study (PAAD-2). To learn more, go to Go.UNCG.edu/PAAD2. Dr. Etnier has also written two books for the lay public titled Bring Your ‘A’ Game and Coaching for the Love of the Game. Coaching for the Love of the Game by Jennifer L. Etnier, Ph.D. Official Trailer JENNY ETNIER, PH.D. Julia Taylor Morton Distinguished Professor 262 Coleman jletnier@uncg.edu UNC Press site   Resources Aspen Institute - Project Play Norway's Policy - Children's Rights in Sport Being Your Kid’s Social Skills “Coach” Related Ep. 25: Sports Camps and Competitive Athletics with Susan Reeder and Steve Proulx Is Your Child’s Sport Their Passion or Yours? Ep. 44: #RaisingAthletes with Kirsten Jones Ep. 24: The Danish Way of Parenting with Jessica Alexander Ep. 78: The Danish Way of Parenting (Part 2) Ep. 84: The Book of Mistakes with Skip Prichard

In this episode, I'm talking to Debbie Reber, creator of TiLT Parenting, the host of the TiLT Parenting Podcast, and the author of Differently Wired: Raising and Exceptional Child in a Conventional World. While this book was written mainly for parents that need extra support, I think it will resonate with all parents of all kids. Big Ideas Every child deserves to be understood and accepted for who they are. We are all wired differently. Some differences are more visible than others. Each kid needs different tools to thrive in life and we can help them figure out what they need for their individual journey. When parents and children communicate their needs and explain their differences to others, people are more understanding and accepting. 3 Key Take-Aways: Find a community and resources Find the right kind of support (parent coach, couples counselor, online communities) Embrace and accept kids' strengths; teach them to articulate their needs. Gifted kids also have special needs that can be addressed and supported in schools and at home. As a parent, set aside what you think your child's (social, academic, physical) life should look like, and respect your child's own timeline. Quotes Audrey: "Sometimes people are just kind of under the radar. Maybe they aren't diagnosed with something, but their parents just sort of know that they don't move through life the same way that other people do." Debbie: "Many of the kids in my community may not have a formal diagnosis but a lot of them are extra sensitive, have heightened anxiety and are more tuned in and the world is an intense place for them." Debbie: "I wanted to cast a wide net and include any sort of narrow atypicality because there are so many of us. But when we stay in our little buckets, we don't get to tap into the collective and recognize the power in our numbers and why things really do need to change." Audrey: "Sometimes our biggest challenges become our biggest gifts." Audrey: "You did this journey together with your son, learning how to help him navigate the world and then how to help you navigate the world as a parent. You figured out how to embrace your son and all of his strengths and his uniqueness and help him become his best self. And you helped him be able to articulate to the world who he is and what he needs." Audrey: "I've always loved delving into all the personality type inventories that just help us learn how the way we see the world or react to things is different from other people and being a little more empathetic and understanding of that as opposed to thinking it's wrong." Debbie: "We're really looking at this person as an individual human on their own incredible journey. I think it can be really hard when we're just kind of on this treadmill of life, doing what everybody else is doing. Take a conscious step back and say, 'wait a minute--who is this kid and what do they need to do to really thrive?'" Debbie: "It's not easy to take that pause and to really shift your focus." Audrey: "Even for people with different interests, the concept that there is one path is so flawed. Kids who aren't academically inclined or school isn't their thing are left feeling like they don't fit in. Often, it beats them down to the point where they don't have the opportunity to explore their interests." Audrey: "The impact of not letting kids be who they really are and exploring that is coming out in the rise of mental health disorders, substance abuse, and suicide among adolescents and young adults. All of these things can be traced back to the same idea that if you don't fit into some prescribed thing, the world is hard." Audrey: "We all have a lot of parental shame, insecurity, guilt, worry and often loneliness when we are kind of embarrassed by our kids' behavior or confused or just don't get it." Debbie: "There's a lot of judging in parenting. It's pervasive and it's really harmful. It hurts us and when people are judging it is triggering their own insecurities. I think it's so important to find safe spaces to connect and to share." Debbie: "It's important to get clear and remember what the core goal is and that is to support these kids in becoming who they are." Debbie: "One of the ways we can bolster our foundation is to surround ourselves with people who fully support our family. When we do this, we relax, our kids relax, and we all get to go about our business from a place of confidence. Community changes everything. It lifts us up. It deepens our well of resources. It fuels our bravery. It allows us to be our authentic selves. It reminds me that we and our children are not alone. It's time we ditched the doubters, skeptics, and those will never get it and instead surround ourselves with our people." (Differently Wired, pg. 217) Debbie: "Part of the process is for us to speak openly, without fear or shame or worry. That's part of the accepting process of knowing that there is no one way to be normal." Debbie: "I imagine we are going to create a more accepting society if we stop shaming certain behaviors, ostracizing people, or making them feel like they're aberrations when really it's just a different way of being." Debbie: "One of the biggest gifts we can give a kid is the opportunity to truly know themselves and understand how their brain works and what's going on and then how to advocate for themselves, how to speak up." Debbie: "When people understand, it changes everything. People are afraid of what they don't understand. In a society that puts so much weight on conforming and fitting in, when we don't understand something, we tend to make up stories about it or push it aside." Audrey: "For more typically-wired kids, it teaches them super important character traits like kindness, empathy, and compassion." Debbie: "As parents, we can really spin out and get concerned if what we're seeing in our own family isn't matching our idea of what this should look like. Every child is on their own timeline. Everyone is growing in strengths and may have some lagging skills but they even out eventually. If we can keep our eye on the goal to raise a responsible human being who knows themselves, who understands what they need and has the tools to reach their potential, that's what we're going for." Resources The Miracle Morning Learn more about Debbie Reber and TiLT Parenting: TiLT Parenting on Facebook TiLT Together Facebook Group TiLT Instagram http://www.twitter.com/tiltparenting Related Posts/Podcasts If you liked this episode, listen to Ep. 104: Know and Love Yourself AND Your Kids 4 Ways to Focus on our Kids' Strengths Ep. 71: Growing Your Child’s “Bushy Broccoli Brain” Ep. 30: How to Raise a Durable Human with JJ Madden 10 Friendship Skills Every Kid Needs

At its core, the Enneagram helps us to see ourselves at a deeper, more objective level and can be of invaluable assistance on our path to self-knowledge.- The Enneagram Institute Website In Episode 104, I'm chatting with my daughter Meredith who--like me--enjoys learning more about herself and other people. The tool we discuss most is the Enneagram, which Meredith discovered last year through her employer and introduced to me and the rest of our family. Big Ideas It is important for parents, and anyone who works with kids, to be self-aware. Understanding personality types can help us to create healthier relationships because it affects the way we view the behavior of others, as well as our own reactions in different situations. Empathy increases when we are more aware of other people's tendencies. Each relationship is unique based on personality types. It is the parent's responsibility to adjust and to figure out where the child is coming from. Noone can be defined by one personality test or type but learning about the different characteristics and identifying with types can be extremely informative. We can't accurately assess other people's types just by observing their behavior. Personality test results are personal and best used for self-reflection. Being self-aware helps us identify our weaknesses and strengths in relation to achieving our goals and in our relationships with others. The Nine Enneagram Types in their Family Roles Ones: family perfectionists Twos: family helpers Threes: family stars Fours: Shed light on family problems Fives: family experts Sixes: move between building family unity and rebelling against the family unit Sevens: family cheerleaders Eights: family protectors Nines: family peacemakers   Quotes Audrey: "The theme of this podcast is about the importance for parents and anyone who works with kids to know themselves because your own self-awareness has a huge impact on how you view the behavior of others." Audrey: " You can have more compassion when you understand where other people come from and it changes your view of why they do something that may annoy you or that kind of thing." Audrey: "As parents, we are different with each of our kids because our kids each have different personalities. It's our responsibility to adjust and not our kids." Meredith: "I do think that the Enneagram, and with most personality quizzes once you find out what you are, you sometimes don't want to be that. I think its easier to focus on the downsides of that personality type and look at the good sides of other personality types." Audrey: "Remember, 'Comparison is the thief of joy.'" Audrey: "The more I've read about my type, the more it has freed me from some of my frustrations with myself. It has given me a better understanding of why I've done some of the things I've done and why I am the way I am. It actually makes me feel a little better." Audrey: "I like the whole idea that there are some things that just make me kind of unique and just because I don't do something the same way or view things the same way, it's still okay." Audrey: "I just think that self-awareness is a really important part of social intelligence and a lot of us don't have it. I really don't think I did until a few years ago when I started doing more strengths testing, this Enneagram, and the four tendencies. It's like all this stuff kind of comes together like a puzzle of self-awareness." Meredith: "It's a tool for yourself and maybe for your close family members and friends so that they can understand you better. It's not something that you go around asking people, 'What's your Enneagram number?' because sharing your numbers, sharing how you think, your weaknesses, the different lies you believe about your self, is actually quite personal." Audrey: "You really have to read the book to understand for sure the one (type) you are because oftentimes depending on how healthy you are and what you're doing, you may look like a different number." Audrey: "You really can't tell about someone else because you don't know what's going on inside of them." Meredith: "Being aware of Enneagram numbers has helped me to empathize with the way other people were thinking and for them to understand me, as well. It has made me more aware of myself and for example, how I can come off to others, even when I don't think I'm coming off as critical." Meredith: "It is helpful to be aware of the way my brain is wired, that I need to actively work to give myself grace, to be aware of my thought patterns so that I can see when I'm starting to be in a state of stress or a state of health because I'm taking on those qualities." Audrey: "For me, I'm prone to not rest in my emotions long or deep enough and that came out in the last few years with problems in my body. Like in my shoulder, my knee, I would always have some huge pain and it was because I had internal pain that I wasn't dealing with." Meredith: "Read an introductory level book. It's most helpful to read the descriptions in-depth and identify with one. I think that's more helpful than just taking a quiz and having it spit out an answer for you." Meredith: "You move around on the Enneagram a lot, sometimes to lots of different ones depending on if you're in a state of stress or security. So it's not like your number is locked in. You move around to your wings and then to other numbers too. It's normal to identify with lots of different qualities, but I think it's when you really identify with one number, you found the right one." Audrey: "It's fun to take them because any little insight that you gain is just more self-awareness." Meredith: "You have to give yourself grace because it's not like you can know what Enneagram or personality types all your kids or family members have, especially when kids are changing and forming in different ways. I think it's good just to be aware, but don't be too hard on your self." Audrey: "There can be certain personalities that may bring out your not-great parts, like when your kid has a personality that's so different from yours or one that clashes with yours. That can be really hard as a parent." Audrey: "A lot of parents have pain when they don't feel their relationship is really strong with one of their kids. But there is always reparation, especially if you take the time to learn a little bit more about each other and figure it out."   Books We Discussed     Different Personality, Strengths, and Tendencies Assessments The Enneagram is one of many different assessments that can give you more self-awareness. Here are some other popular options: Myers-Briggs Read more about Gretchen Rubin's Four Tendencies or take her quiz to find out yours! Related Posts & Podcast Episodes Ep. 28: Focusing on our Kids' Strengths 4 Ways to Focus on our Kids' Strengths Celebrating Strengths Ep. 75: Begin with the (Parenting) End in Mind Ep. 59: 5 Ways to Help Kids Thrive during their School Years and Beyond Ep. 97: Parenting the Challenging Child #oneword My One Word for 2019: Focus Want More Sunshine? Subscribe to my email newsletter to keep up with my podcasts, events, book club & resources, including favorites like my Ready for Adulthood Checklist. “It is remarkable to witness what happens when kids think and talk about a strength, often for the first time identifying it in themselves, and then learn how they can use that strength in different settings. When given a name to a part of themselves they recognize and intuitively know, kids gain a vocabulary to talk about themselves more positively.” #happycampersbook

600 BCE - 600 CE Early Americas: Skylar - The Mayan Civilization is one of the longest lasting civilizations in world history. It is believed that the Mayan Civilization began as early as 2000 BCE . The first city-states started as soon as 750 BCE. These city-states not only had a political leader but also a spiritual leader. In the north there was the Yucatan Peninsula and to the south  the Sierra Madre Mountain range. The Mayan civilization was where modern-day southeast Mexico is. The calendar the Mayans came up with was actually more accurate than the calendar Julius Caesar came up with. Ella - Around 250 in the common era, there was a time known as the classical period. Around this period a lot of big cities came into place like Tikal and Calakmul. We believe that these cities had around 50,000 to 100,000 people at their best. Supposedly they were not one empire, but it was more separate like the greek city states, but still the bigger cities might have influenced some of the smaller states decisions.  Gabe - Back to the calendar so the Mayan calendar actually said the earth started on August 11, 3114 bc and ended on december 22, 2012 and since we are now in 2018 it obviously didn't end and it didn't end because it was like a odometer so it rolls over from 000000 to 999999 and then back to 000000 so most people thought the world was going to end december 22, 2012 because that's when the Mayan calendar ended but it didn't end on August 11, 3114 bc the calendar was set at 000000 and on december 22, 2012 it changed back to 000000 so instead of ending it just reset Emma - Between 300 and 600 AD a huge and extremely complex city called Teotihuacan existed northeast of what is now Mexico City. The name Teotihuacan was given to it by the Aztecs when the discovered it long after its fall. We actually have to written records or art from the city itself though through other archeological methods historians were able to determine that it likely was inhabited by around 200,000 people. People believe that it held direct power over the surrounding 10,000 square miles and used armies to colonize as far as 600 miles away. 5.Hunter- The Maya, group of people who lived in Mesoamerica after the Olmec, lived in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador. Large Mayan cities started to rise throughout these areas, the local lords struggled for power and access to trade routes and goods. Audrey - Something that is different about the America’s from other civilizations is that in western South America now where Peru is wasn’t based around a river. Instead they had the humble current and the water had a bunch of nutrients so there were lots of fish for the people to eat and they could grow food. Ben - The Nazca civilization was also a very interesting part of western america, around southwest peru. The nazca are famous for drawing things in the ground around a third of a kilometer in size (or over nine hundred fifty feet), these things were named the “Nazca Lines”. This was around 200 BCE. Ethan - The early Andes were based around modern day Peru and Bolivia. Their society faced problems including that the mountain-based structure of the Andes was.   600 BCE - 600 CE Empires in India: 1.Ella - The Maurya Empire was one of the greatest empires of world history. It emerged because a man by the name of Chandragupta Maurya conquered the nanda empire, many territories formerly conquered by Alexander the Great, and a large amount of land from the Greeks. Chandragupta eventually left his empire in the hands of his son bindusara.     2.Skylar - I’m going to talk about the Gupta dynasty. The gupta dynasty was started by Sri Gupta around 240. But didn’t become i guess you could say popular until about 320 when Chandragupta the first took over. Chandragupta was given some of the Gupta dynasty to control because he married princess Kumaradevi. (if someone has anything more to add on please do, didn’t want to take all the info) Gabe - I'm going to continue on the Maurya Empire bindusara ruled from 297 bc to 272 bc when he died this led to war bindusara's sons both wanted to be king Ashoka one of bindusara's sons won taking the empire and later on becoming the most successful and powerful ruler of the Maurya dynasty       Emma - The Mauryans had a huge army consisting of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 Calvary, and 9,000 war elephants. This was the largest and strongest military force in the world in its time. This army was a great recourse for the Mauryan Empire And was a big factor in their ability to expand their territory and defend themselves from those who tried to attack. Audrey - Unlike many other empires the Gupta Empire’s big thing wasn’t that they conquered a bunch of land it was because they could conquer and obtain that territory they had the power to sponsor a culture with art. This was called the Golden Age of India. Ben - A few different important historical figures of the Maurya empire are Kalidasa and Aryabhata. I’ll start with Kalidasa, he was a incredibly skilled writer of the time and was mostly known for being the best writer that ever used Sanskrit. (the language they used) And Aryabhata was one of the first scientists that was able to calculate 5 digits of pi. He also knew that the earth rotated on an axis based on how he saw the sky move every day. He predicted how the moon reflected light from the sun. Hunter- The large army was made possible slightly through the intricate web of administration. One of Chandragupta’s advisors instituted some detailed procedures which Ashoka inherited. Ashoka started a capital at the walled city of Pataliputra, which served as a centralized hub for the empire. Officials made decisions about how to collect taxes for the central treasury, which funded the military and other government jobs      600 BCE - 600 CE Early Hinduism: Gabe - Hinduism was a polytheistic belief which is where they believed in more than one god a few hindu gods were agni indra shiva brahma vishnu and ganesha which these are regarded as the most important gods shiva is seen as the god of destruction and vishnu the god who creates stuff from shiva's destruction Emma - Historically speaking, Hinduism is different from many other religions because there is no clear origin or originator of the practice of the religion. We do know that it started kooas a tradition in the upper class of the Aryan empire, which made it difficulta to access for the lower classes. However it was made more accessible and popular over time. Ella - there was a civilization called the Indus Valley Civilization and it eventually collapsed for an unknown reason. It may have been a change in the weather that they couldn’t handle, or drying up of there water source that they relied on. Other possibilities are natural disasters or influence from surrounding civilizations. Audrey - Hinduism is one of the oldest religions beginning about 5000 years ago. It shows some of the elements practice in the Indus Valley civilization and is still a practiced religion today. 5.Hunter- During the Gupta empire from about 320 to 550 CE emperors used hinduism as a linking religion to link the nations together, in which also helped popularise it by creating hindu educational systems; they also gave land to the brahmins. The Gupta emperors helped make Hinduism one of the most popular religions in the indian subcontinent.   Ben - There are a lot of connections between languages that formed english and sanskrit. A lot of english words can be traced back to the ancient sanskrit language.   600 BCE - 600 CE Early Buddhism:  Gabe - Siddhartha Gautama the founder of buddhism was born 563 bce into a wealthy family he rejected his life of riches and embraced a lifestyle of asceticism, or extreme self discipline after 49 days of consecutive meditation he became the enlightened one which is the buddha he made this announcement in public got some people to train as buddha monks and taught his teachings throughout the world    Emma - Buddhism was based around a group of guiding principles called the four noble truths. They were as follows; “there is suffering in life”, “the cause of suffering is desire”, “ending desire means ending suffering”, and “following a  controlled and moderate lifestyle will end desire”. A strong component of this religion was that everyone was responsible for their own happiness. Audrey - Buddhism and Hinduism were founded it on similar things. One of the things Buddhism was founded on was something that Siddhartha (or Buddha) said, and that was to pretty much stay in the middle ground to not go with either extreme of so much physical self-pleasure or mistreating yourself. Ella - Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama, was born in Ludini. His aunt took care of him because his mother died not long after he was born. His father was a chieftain and he was able to give Gautama a good protected childhood away from all the bad things of the world like sickness and poverty. He eventually got married and had a kid. 5.Hunter-Buddhism also also gained support from the state. In 260 BCE, king Ashoka adopted Buddhism after war against the feudal of Kalinga. He wanted to renounce violence and publicity so he turned to Buddhism to achieve this. He may have also turned to Buddhism as a unitive religion. Ben - At the age of 29 Siddhartha was actually allowed to leave the land of the wealthy and once he left he saw sickness and poverty that he’d never seen before at any point in his life. So he leaves and goes into the woods for six years, leaving everything he had behind him. He eventually travels to Gaya and meditates under a sacred fig tree for seven whole days before he eventually reaches enlightenment. He then disappeared for 49 days, and later went to spread his knowledge with the world   600 BCE - 600 CE Syncretism:  Gabe - Syncretism is where so the merchants travel and trade goods but they also trade beliefs and religions and faiths so as you catch word of christianity and buddhism and both kind of morph together in a town you get syncretism which is why there is a christian grave in central asia with a chinese zodiac on it Audrey - There were these “great thinkers” of the Hindu ascetic tradition, that Alexander the Great actually brought philosophers to meet with, called Gymnosophists. The word Gymnosophists means “the naked thinkers”, and they were called this because they were so devoted to the study of philosophy that they fasted and wore little to no clothing because they felt it got in the way on their pursuit to knowledge and wisdom. Ella - The Christians at the time took advantage of the trade routes that were being made. Preachers and missionaries could spread these messages beyond the mediterranean region they lived in. They were successful because in the eleventh century one third of the worlds christians lived in Asia. Ben - The Nestorian Stele was a big tablet of rock and stone that was buried at an estimated year of 845 (but it was thought to be made in 781).  It had written on it a kind of early depiction of christianity in china. It was discovered in 1623. 5.Hunter- Early christians managed to turn the roman infrastructure to their advantage: missionaries used the vast land and roads to preach the good news of god further outside of the mediterranean region. By the eleventh century CE, fully one-third of the world’s christians lived in Asia. Emma - The open practice of Christianity was not actually legal in Rome until the fourth century. At this time the current emperor, Constantine the first, said that he had a religious vision and made it legal. Near the end of the century, the emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of Imperial Rome.   600 BCE - 600 CE Women and families:  Gabe - in the classical era of 600 bc to 600 ce many systems and institutions were hard of Women and families Women didn't have all the rights men did this was true but there freedoms varied on the empire   Audrey - During the civil war in Rome, that occured after the Ides of March when Julius Caesar was assassinated, the triumvirs decided to tax 1400 of the wealthiest women to fund the war. One of these women, Hortensia, wrote a speech on how unfair this was and she pretty much said, why should the women pay taxes when they don’t get a share in things like the government. Ella - In most societies, woman raised kids and managed households. How the woman carried out these things depended on the woman's kinship, or a word for family relationships, religion, and marriage. For example, in Han China a woman's power was based off her relationship with her husband.   Ben - Life for women varied depending on what religion the area was most dedicated to. For example, Confucianism had women in a place of submissiveness and didn’t allow them to do nearly anything outside their home. On the other hand Daoism the gentleness and humbleness of women was respected and seen as a positive thing. In Daoism, women could even be a teacher or a priest. 5.Hunter- In many societies, women’s lives was mainly about motherhood and managing a household. While women in different places and different times had this in common, there were significant differences on how women performed these roles depending on kinship relationships. skip me i realize i didn’t read right Emma - In Han China, kinship was a part of a girl or woman’s life from the beginning. When she was young, her status and role were dependant on that of her father’s. At the time she got married, it was dependant on her husband. After her husband’s death, it was dependant on her oldest son.   600 BCE - 600 CE The Silk Road:  Gabe - the Silk Road was a trade route connecting eurasia and north africa but is was called the Silk Road because Silk was transported a lot through this route Audrey - For trading you obviously have to give something in return so, some of the items China would get for their silk were horses, which were good not only for transport, being human or goods, but also for wars. They would get gold from Europe, cotton from India, and the list goes on. Ella -  Trade routes would carrie things like food, materials, beliefs and customs but also diseases.  Two of the most significant diseases were measles and smallpox. Both of these were believed to have come from asia and the middle east. Ben - But as people were moving from place to place, culture was also “traded” as christianity and buddhism spread very quickly. They did this through missionaries and trading. Later on in the first century CE silk had become a problem, it was becoming thinner and wearing out, eventually becoming so thin and transparent that in 14 CE they banned people from wearing it. 5.Hunter-One cause of expandable trade was because of the growth in imperial power. Near the end of the second century BCE, Emperor Wu of Han mounted multiple campaigns against the nomadic Xiongnu people, because of Xiongnu horse riders raided chinese settlements along the northern border for many years.   Emma - Silk was not the only item that was traded, at least in the minds of those people, too much. Ferghana horses, or heavenly horses as they were known, were strongly desired in China. They imported so many of them that the Dayuan people who owned the Ferghana valley refused to sell any more of them. This caused the War of the Heavenly Horses which lasted three years. That’s all the time we have for today. THank for joining us outside of the box that is learning.

600 BCE - 600 CE Early Americas: Skylar - The Mayan Civilization is one of the longest lasting civilizations in world history. It is believed that the Mayan Civilization began as early as 2000 BCE . The first city-states started as soon as 750 BCE. These city-states not only had a political leader but also a spiritual leader. In the north there was the Yucatan Peninsula and to the south  the Sierra Madre Mountain range. The Mayan civilization was where modern-day southeast Mexico is. The calendar the Mayans came up with was actually more accurate than the calendar Julius Caesar came up with. Ella - Around 250 in the common era, there was a time known as the classical period. Around this period a lot of big cities came into place like Tikal and Calakmul. We believe that these cities had around 50,000 to 100,000 people at their best. Supposedly they were not one empire, but it was more separate like the greek city states, but still the bigger cities might have influenced some of the smaller states decisions.  Gabe - Back to the calendar so the Mayan calendar actually said the earth started on August 11, 3114 bc and ended on december 22, 2012 and since we are now in 2018 it obviously didn't end and it didn't end because it was like a odometer so it rolls over from 000000 to 999999 and then back to 000000 so most people thought the world was going to end december 22, 2012 because that's when the Mayan calendar ended but it didn't end on August 11, 3114 bc the calendar was set at 000000 and on december 22, 2012 it changed back to 000000 so instead of ending it just reset Emma - Between 300 and 600 AD a huge and extremely complex city called Teotihuacan existed northeast of what is now Mexico City. The name Teotihuacan was given to it by the Aztecs when the discovered it long after its fall. We actually have to written records or art from the city itself though through other archeological methods historians were able to determine that it likely was inhabited by around 200,000 people. People believe that it held direct power over the surrounding 10,000 square miles and used armies to colonize as far as 600 miles away. 5.Hunter- The Maya, group of people who lived in Mesoamerica after the Olmec, lived in what is now southern Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, and El Salvador. Large Mayan cities started to rise throughout these areas, the local lords struggled for power and access to trade routes and goods. Audrey - Something that is different about the America’s from other civilizations is that in western South America now where Peru is wasn’t based around a river. Instead they had the humble current and the water had a bunch of nutrients so there were lots of fish for the people to eat and they could grow food. Ben - The Nazca civilization was also a very interesting part of western america, around southwest peru. The nazca are famous for drawing things in the ground around a third of a kilometer in size (or over nine hundred fifty feet), these things were named the “Nazca Lines”. This was around 200 BCE. Ethan - The early Andes were based around modern day Peru and Bolivia. Their society faced problems including that the mountain-based structure of the Andes was.   600 BCE - 600 CE Empires in India: 1.Ella - The Maurya Empire was one of the greatest empires of world history. It emerged because a man by the name of Chandragupta Maurya conquered the nanda empire, many territories formerly conquered by Alexander the Great, and a large amount of land from the Greeks. Chandragupta eventually left his empire in the hands of his son bindusara.     2.Skylar - I’m going to talk about the Gupta dynasty. The gupta dynasty was started by Sri Gupta around 240. But didn’t become i guess you could say popular until about 320 when Chandragupta the first took over. Chandragupta was given some of the Gupta dynasty to control because he married princess Kumaradevi. (if someone has anything more to add on please do, didn’t want to take all the info) Gabe - I'm going to continue on the Maurya Empire bindusara ruled from 297 bc to 272 bc when he died this led to war bindusara's sons both wanted to be king Ashoka one of bindusara's sons won taking the empire and later on becoming the most successful and powerful ruler of the Maurya dynasty       Emma - The Mauryans had a huge army consisting of 600,000 infantry, 30,000 Calvary, and 9,000 war elephants. This was the largest and strongest military force in the world in its time. This army was a great recourse for the Mauryan Empire And was a big factor in their ability to expand their territory and defend themselves from those who tried to attack. Audrey - Unlike many other empires the Gupta Empire’s big thing wasn’t that they conquered a bunch of land it was because they could conquer and obtain that territory they had the power to sponsor a culture with art. This was called the Golden Age of India. Ben - A few different important historical figures of the Maurya empire are Kalidasa and Aryabhata. I’ll start with Kalidasa, he was a incredibly skilled writer of the time and was mostly known for being the best writer that ever used Sanskrit. (the language they used) And Aryabhata was one of the first scientists that was able to calculate 5 digits of pi. He also knew that the earth rotated on an axis based on how he saw the sky move every day. He predicted how the moon reflected light from the sun. Hunter- The large army was made possible slightly through the intricate web of administration. One of Chandragupta’s advisors instituted some detailed procedures which Ashoka inherited. Ashoka started a capital at the walled city of Pataliputra, which served as a centralized hub for the empire. Officials made decisions about how to collect taxes for the central treasury, which funded the military and other government jobs      600 BCE - 600 CE Early Hinduism: Gabe - Hinduism was a polytheistic belief which is where they believed in more than one god a few hindu gods were agni indra shiva brahma vishnu and ganesha which these are regarded as the most important gods shiva is seen as the god of destruction and vishnu the god who creates stuff from shiva's destruction Emma - Historically speaking, Hinduism is different from many other religions because there is no clear origin or originator of the practice of the religion. We do know that it started kooas a tradition in the upper class of the Aryan empire, which made it difficulta to access for the lower classes. However it was made more accessible and popular over time. Ella - there was a civilization called the Indus Valley Civilization and it eventually collapsed for an unknown reason. It may have been a change in the weather that they couldn’t handle, or drying up of there water source that they relied on. Other possibilities are natural disasters or influence from surrounding civilizations. Audrey - Hinduism is one of the oldest religions beginning about 5000 years ago. It shows some of the elements practice in the Indus Valley civilization and is still a practiced religion today. 5.Hunter- During the Gupta empire from about 320 to 550 CE emperors used hinduism as a linking religion to link the nations together, in which also helped popularise it by creating hindu educational systems; they also gave land to the brahmins. The Gupta emperors helped make Hinduism one of the most popular religions in the indian subcontinent.   Ben - There are a lot of connections between languages that formed english and sanskrit. A lot of english words can be traced back to the ancient sanskrit language.   600 BCE - 600 CE Early Buddhism:  Gabe - Siddhartha Gautama the founder of buddhism was born 563 bce into a wealthy family he rejected his life of riches and embraced a lifestyle of asceticism, or extreme self discipline after 49 days of consecutive meditation he became the enlightened one which is the buddha he made this announcement in public got some people to train as buddha monks and taught his teachings throughout the world    Emma - Buddhism was based around a group of guiding principles called the four noble truths. They were as follows; “there is suffering in life”, “the cause of suffering is desire”, “ending desire means ending suffering”, and “following a  controlled and moderate lifestyle will end desire”. A strong component of this religion was that everyone was responsible for their own happiness. Audrey - Buddhism and Hinduism were founded it on similar things. One of the things Buddhism was founded on was something that Siddhartha (or Buddha) said, and that was to pretty much stay in the middle ground to not go with either extreme of so much physical self-pleasure or mistreating yourself. Ella - Buddha, or Siddhartha Gautama, was born in Ludini. His aunt took care of him because his mother died not long after he was born. His father was a chieftain and he was able to give Gautama a good protected childhood away from all the bad things of the world like sickness and poverty. He eventually got married and had a kid. 5.Hunter-Buddhism also also gained support from the state. In 260 BCE, king Ashoka adopted Buddhism after war against the feudal of Kalinga. He wanted to renounce violence and publicity so he turned to Buddhism to achieve this. He may have also turned to Buddhism as a unitive religion. Ben - At the age of 29 Siddhartha was actually allowed to leave the land of the wealthy and once he left he saw sickness and poverty that he’d never seen before at any point in his life. So he leaves and goes into the woods for six years, leaving everything he had behind him. He eventually travels to Gaya and meditates under a sacred fig tree for seven whole days before he eventually reaches enlightenment. He then disappeared for 49 days, and later went to spread his knowledge with the world   600 BCE - 600 CE Syncretism:  Gabe - Syncretism is where so the merchants travel and trade goods but they also trade beliefs and religions and faiths so as you catch word of christianity and buddhism and both kind of morph together in a town you get syncretism which is why there is a christian grave in central asia with a chinese zodiac on it Audrey - There were these “great thinkers” of the Hindu ascetic tradition, that Alexander the Great actually brought philosophers to meet with, called Gymnosophists. The word Gymnosophists means “the naked thinkers”, and they were called this because they were so devoted to the study of philosophy that they fasted and wore little to no clothing because they felt it got in the way on their pursuit to knowledge and wisdom. Ella - The Christians at the time took advantage of the trade routes that were being made. Preachers and missionaries could spread these messages beyond the mediterranean region they lived in. They were successful because in the eleventh century one third of the worlds christians lived in Asia. Ben - The Nestorian Stele was a big tablet of rock and stone that was buried at an estimated year of 845 (but it was thought to be made in 781).  It had written on it a kind of early depiction of christianity in china. It was discovered in 1623. 5.Hunter- Early christians managed to turn the roman infrastructure to their advantage: missionaries used the vast land and roads to preach the good news of god further outside of the mediterranean region. By the eleventh century CE, fully one-third of the world’s christians lived in Asia. Emma - The open practice of Christianity was not actually legal in Rome until the fourth century. At this time the current emperor, Constantine the first, said that he had a religious vision and made it legal. Near the end of the century, the emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion of Imperial Rome.   600 BCE - 600 CE Women and families:  Gabe - in the classical era of 600 bc to 600 ce many systems and institutions were hard of Women and families Women didn't have all the rights men did this was true but there freedoms varied on the empire   Audrey - During the civil war in Rome, that occured after the Ides of March when Julius Caesar was assassinated, the triumvirs decided to tax 1400 of the wealthiest women to fund the war. One of these women, Hortensia, wrote a speech on how unfair this was and she pretty much said, why should the women pay taxes when they don’t get a share in things like the government. Ella - In most societies, woman raised kids and managed households. How the woman carried out these things depended on the woman's kinship, or a word for family relationships, religion, and marriage. For example, in Han China a woman's power was based off her relationship with her husband.   Ben - Life for women varied depending on what religion the area was most dedicated to. For example, Confucianism had women in a place of submissiveness and didn’t allow them to do nearly anything outside their home. On the other hand Daoism the gentleness and humbleness of women was respected and seen as a positive thing. In Daoism, women could even be a teacher or a priest. 5.Hunter- In many societies, women’s lives was mainly about motherhood and managing a household. While women in different places and different times had this in common, there were significant differences on how women performed these roles depending on kinship relationships. skip me i realize i didn’t read right Emma - In Han China, kinship was a part of a girl or woman’s life from the beginning. When she was young, her status and role were dependant on that of her father’s. At the time she got married, it was dependant on her husband. After her husband’s death, it was dependant on her oldest son.   600 BCE - 600 CE The Silk Road:  Gabe - the Silk Road was a trade route connecting eurasia and north africa but is was called the Silk Road because Silk was transported a lot through this route Audrey - For trading you obviously have to give something in return so, some of the items China would get for their silk were horses, which were good not only for transport, being human or goods, but also for wars. They would get gold from Europe, cotton from India, and the list goes on. Ella -  Trade routes would carrie things like food, materials, beliefs and customs but also diseases.  Two of the most significant diseases were measles and smallpox. Both of these were believed to have come from asia and the middle east. Ben - But as people were moving from place to place, culture was also “traded” as christianity and buddhism spread very quickly. They did this through missionaries and trading. Later on in the first century CE silk had become a problem, it was becoming thinner and wearing out, eventually becoming so thin and transparent that in 14 CE they banned people from wearing it. 5.Hunter-One cause of expandable trade was because of the growth in imperial power. Near the end of the second century BCE, Emperor Wu of Han mounted multiple campaigns against the nomadic Xiongnu people, because of Xiongnu horse riders raided chinese settlements along the northern border for many years.   Emma - Silk was not the only item that was traded, at least in the minds of those people, too much. Ferghana horses, or heavenly horses as they were known, were strongly desired in China. They imported so many of them that the Dayuan people who owned the Ferghana valley refused to sell any more of them. This caused the War of the Heavenly Horses which lasted three years. That’s all the time we have for today. THank for joining us outside of the box that is learning.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For many schools, finding money in the budget for upgrades can seem impossible, especially if it means coming at the expense of the education offered and other necessities. Higher learning institutions across the country have been struggling with how to stretch this money as far as possible, and it’s no different for the United States’ 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). MELISSA GRAY BROWN, Manager, Multicultural Marketing, Home Depot joins me with information about The Home Depot Fourth Annual “Retool Your School” HBCU GRANT PROGRAM.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For many schools, finding money in the budget for upgrades can seem impossible, especially if it means coming at the expense of the education offered and other necessities. Higher learning institutions across the country have been struggling with how to stretch this money as far as possible, and it’s no different for the United States’ 105 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). MELISSA GRAY BROWN, Manager, Multicultural Marketing, Home Depot joins me with information about The Home Depot Fourth Annual “Retool Your School” HBCU GRANT PROGRAM.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For many people, trouble falling asleep at night is nothing new. But it might surprise you to hear that out of several common causes of sleeplessness, aches and pains were cited as the #1 reason – according to a recent survey. Just in time for the clock change of Daylight Saving’s Time, widely renowned sleep doctor and clinical psychologist DR. MICHAEL BREUS joins me to explain the top causes of sleeplessness and has tips to help you get a better night's sleep.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For many people, trouble falling asleep at night is nothing new. But it might surprise you to hear that out of several common causes of sleeplessness, aches and pains were cited as the #1 reason – according to a recent survey. Just in time for the clock change of Daylight Saving’s Time, widely renowned sleep doctor and clinical psychologist DR. MICHAEL BREUS joins me to explain the top causes of sleeplessness and has tips to help you get a better night's sleep.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For more than 20 years, USA WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light have joined together to sponsor Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service takes place on the 4th Saturday in October each year. This year an expected 3 million Americans are rallying to help others. Joining me to tell us all about it, PAM BROWN – Senior Editor at USA WEEKEND Magazine.

This week on TALK! with AUDREY: For more than 20 years, USA WEEKEND Magazine and Points of Light have joined together to sponsor Make A Difference Day, the largest national day of community service takes place on the 4th Saturday in October each year. This year an expected 3 million Americans are rallying to help others. Joining me to tell us all about it, PAM BROWN – Senior Editor at USA WEEKEND Magazine.