What do Alice Guy-Blaché, Carmen Herrera, and Claudia Rankine have in common? They are all exceptional women in the new book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World. This third installment in the popular Rebel Girls book series allows young girls to travel the globe and be home by bedtime. It also teaches tolerance and sparks important conversations about immigration. What Does it Mean to be a Rebel Girl? The book contains one hundred biographies of immigrant women who left their birth countries for a multitude of reasons: some for new opportunities, some out of necessity. From chefs and surgeons, to musicians and politicians, to champions of judo and chess, these extraordinary stories will inspire girls everywhere to follow their dreams, no matter where they lead. Seventy female illustrators worked on the book to beautifully depict the women celebrated. In its preface, Rebel Girls founder Elena Favilli shares she herself immigrated to the United States from Italy. Favilli also writes, “People often ask me what it means to be a Rebel Girl, and there can be many definitions—just like we are all different from one another. At her heart, a Rebel Girl is someone who tries to make the world better for herself and the people around her, no matter the risks.” The book’s age range is five to ten-years-old. Rebel Girls Podcast Favilli created the first two volumes of the Rebel Girls books with Francesca Cavallo. The Rebel Girls brand prides itself on throwing out forced stereotypes, breaking down barriers and emphasizing the inherent value …

It’s safe to say a lot of us are doing porch drop offs this year when it comes to gifts. Why not spruce up your present for a special girl with one of these free printable Powerful Girl Gift Tags?!? There are eight different gift tag designs included in the printable. Just print, cut, and write to and from on the back and you’re good to go! Click to download Free Printable Powerful Girl Gift Tags Things you should know before downloading: Girls That Create printables are for PERSONAL USE ONLY You may NOT modify, re-sell, redistribute, or claim the design as your own If you’d like to share this project, credit must be given to Girls That Create and linked back to this post For best results, print the gift tags on cardstock paper. More Girls That Create posts: Self-Esteem Activity for Girls: What I Like About Me and Picture Books With Women and Girl Main Characters www.girlsthatcreate.com

The good folks over at Teaching Tolerance have made 33 powerful posters (from The One World series) free to download. Originally featured in Teaching Tolerance Magazine, the posters are 11″ x 17″ and high resolution. Educators can easily print and then place them to inspire both students and teachers in classrooms. In addition to posters, Teaching Tolerance offers lessons, learning plans, teaching strategies, student texts, film kits and more on their website. The organization also produces several podcasts: The Mind Online Queer America Teaching Hard History Go to the Teaching Tolerance website to download any of the 33 poster works. Click the thumbnail for an image file, suitable for your device wallpaper or using in your teaching materials. Or click the ‘Download PDF’ link for a high resolution version suitable for printing these 11″ x 17″ posters at school or your local office supply store. Five of The One World Posters Frida Kahlo Summer 2018 Illustration by Luis Pinto   bell hooks Fall 2004 Illustration by Antoaneta Demireva Ruby Dee Fall 2015 Illustration by Tanamachi Studio Harvey Milk Summer 2017 Illustration by James Victore Kay Ulanday Barrett Spring 2020 Illustration by Lisa Quine About Teaching Tolerance The mission of Teaching Tolerance is to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. The organization provides free resources to educators—teachers, administrators, counselors and other practitioners—who work with children from kindergarten through high school. Educators use their materials to supplement curriculum, inform practices, and to create civil and inclusive school communities where …

“If you could see yourself the way I see you.” I often think about this saying when witnessing girls being way too hard on themselves and doubting their value. How can we help girls see their strengths? That is the question I sent to Career Coach and Dream Strategist Kyla Martin. For the past 25 years, Martin has guided new college grads, entrepreneurs, full-time moms, individual contributors, managers and executives at Fortune 500 companies to maximize strengths and pursue passion. Often called the “Purpose Whisperer,” her strength is helping women uncover and apply their purpose in life, including overcoming limitations and creating an actionable roadmap to live the life they always imagined. She graciously wrote the following post for Girls That Create.  How to Help Your Girl See Her Strengths I remember vividly when my niece was about 2 years and she began (what we referred to as) “quiet” temper tantrums. She would lay face down on the floor in the middle of the kitchen, and not respond to anyone or anything until she processed her feelings. At age 5, she began experimenting with fashion. Her very colorful, mismatched choices reflected her quiet determination to express herself. My sister gently offered other options, but she would simply look away – resolute in her choice. As she approached her 9th birthday, she wrote in a school paper that she could “feel” her friend’s feelings. As a coach, I was fascinated that she knew this about herself – and had a language for it. She clearly was quietly observing. Today, …

Looking for a wonderfully quirky indoor planter to shower with creativity? Then the Face Plant is perfect for you. When my oldest daughter and I saw a picture of this little square of joy, both of us knew we needed one to live permanently at our home (full disclosure, 30 Watt sent me a sample of the planter to review). Planter With a Happy Face So what separates this planter from the thousands of others out there on the market? You can personalize it with facial expressions and messages using any dry erase marker. I also love the minimal design and its built-in nose and ears. Those little details mean you can store favorite sunglasses, eyeglasses or simply change the planter’s mood for the day. The girls and I have had fun dressing ours up: At $16, this little planter is a great gift. It is made of 100 percent ceramic and has a drainage hole in the bottom for proper plant care. The Face Plant is available online at www.30Watt.com. The company prides itself on manufacturing unconventional products and gifts that empower people to be clever. Happy creating and planting! More Girls That Create posts: Make Your Young Girl An Art Space and Unique and Thoughtful Gifts. www.girlsthatcreate.com

How do we help our kids who fear failure? It’s a question many parents grapple with as they watch their youngsters grow up and try new things. Luckily, Dr. Michele Borba has written this guest post on how we can help girls overcome life’s early stumbles. Dr. Borba is a globally-recognized educational psychologist and parenting, bullying and character expert whose aim is to strengthen children’s empathy and resilience, and break the cycle of youth violence. She has delivered keynotes and workshops to over 1,000,000 participants and authored 24 books translated into 14 languages. Helping Kids Who Fear Failure One of the inevitable facts of life is that everyone makes mistakes. Granted, some mistakes are more significant than others and harder to get over, but they are a part of life. How individuals deal with those mistakes is significant to their self-esteem. Children with high self-esteem appear much better at coping with their errors. Watching children with positive self-perceptions deal with an error is always a magnificent sight. These children literally stand up, brush off their knees, and say, “Well, I blew it. What should I do differently next time?” They recognize that a mistake was made and admit the error. Most importantly, these children also develop a strategy to change the mistake and not do the same thing again. What they do, in reality, is leam from their errors. The process of making and learning from mistakes is an extremely valuable life skill because learning involves risking. Every time children risk, they will not always …

A wordless picture book is a great tool for developing a child’s love of storytelling. Free of reading levels, there is no wrong way to read these works by five talented women illustrators. The tales have the ability to teach story structure and further vocabulary development. When reading with your child, allow her to examine the pictures and tell you what SHE is seeing in the story. You might just be surprised by the answers. Five Wordless Picture Books by Women Illustrators Flora and the Flamingo by Molly Idle Molly Idle considers herself both an author and illustrator; she is living the best of both worlds. Flora and the Flamingo, about the budding relationship between an awkward young girl and a graceful flamingo won the 2014 Caldecott Honor. There are several more Flora adventures, including Flora and the Peacock (see video below). The Red Book by Barbara Lehman In school author Barbara Lehman used to stare at maps and wish she could look right into a map itself and be able to see the actual places they represented and the people who lived there. This book is about a very SPECIAL book that takes readers on a magical journey without a single word. The Red Book is a 2005 Caldecott Honor Book and dedicated to Lehman’s father. She credits him with giving her a love of books. Wonder Bear by Tao Nyeu Tao Nyeu is the creator of Wonder Bear, which won the Founder’s Award from the Society of Illustrators and a Marion Vannett Ridgway Award Honor. The book follows …

The number one furniture item for kids art space is a table. Credit Maria Montessori with introducing child-sized furniture into learning environments. The concept gives kids more access to learning materials and greater opportunities to explore. Plus, having a table specifically for your kids means you’re less likely to find marker streaks across the heirloom dining room table. Here are five kids art tables with storage ideas that will give your kids space for their creativity to bloom. This post contains affiliate links. Five Kids Art Tables With Storage Aspen Table & 4 Chairs Set This high-quality birch wood table and set of 4 chairs in a durable clear finish adds a fun touch to any play area. Table measures 23-1/2″L x 23-1/2″W x 19″H Chair measures 12-1/2″L x 11-3/4″W x 21-3/4″H with an 11″H seat Assembly required Star Table and Chair Set with Bins Perfectly proportioned and kid-sized, the natural wood rectangular table has built-in storage bins in blue, green, red, and yellow. Bins are conveniently tilted for easy access and are easy to reach from either end of the table. Two chairs are finished in a combination of natural wood and red and blue lacquer. Table and chairs have whimsical star cutouts. Table is 30 1/4″L x 22 1/4″W x 20 1/4″H Chairs are 12″L x 11 3/4″W x 20 1/4″H and seat is 11″H Assembly required Our Spot Table & Chair Set (this is the table I used with my girls) The unique “x” leg design provides great stability. High quality and …

I have been a fan of Kid Made Modern for years and love their mission to create the next generation of creative thinkers. Here are some of the fantastic products they’re offering to make your family’s world even more colorful. FYI affiliate links are used in this post. Kid Made Modern Art Supplies 1) Tired of kiddos running off with your paper for their latest masterpiece? Set them up with Studio in a Box. It has canvas boards, watercolor paper, mixed paper and more. You can also pick up some plain paper Artist Pads (48 sheets). 2) Do you have paintbrushes that suffered a sad fate because someone forgot to wash them? Consider the Brush Library. There is also a Washable Paint Set (set of 12) that includes brushes and paper. 3) Up your craft stash with the Arts and Crafts Supply Library or Rainbow Craft Kit. For youngest crafters, consider My First Arts and Crafts Library. 4) Are the crayons the way to your kiddo’s heart? Then she’ll love some Giant Crazy Crayons, Confetti Crayons or a Crayon Gem. I am also a fan of the Gem Jackpot Crayons. 5) If you have an aspiring jeweler in the household there are several kits, including Mystic Jewelry Kit, Petal Party Jewelry Making Kit and Rock Star Jewelry Making Kit. Kids Made Modern also has free projects on their Go Make Stuff Blog. Kid Made Modern Free Activities and Printouts: Cardboard Rainbow Craft Gratitude Letter Coloring Sheet Unicorn Crown – Free Printout DIY Cardboard Rocket Ships Printable Happy Birthday Poster DIY Happy creating …

Acclaimed actress Angela Bassett is joining her colleagues as a reader for Storyline Online. The platform streams videos featuring celebrated actors reading children’s books alongside creatively produced illustrations. Bassett is bringing to life the true story of New Orleans musician Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews in Trombone Shorty. Written by Andrews and illustrated by Bryan Collier, this vibrant 2016 Caldecott Honor book is a tale of music, cuisine, culture and family. “Some of the kids that read my book don’t even realize that I’m a real person. They see themselves in these characters that are their age, and then when they see me perform live, they can’t believe I’m the same person as the kid in the book,” Andrews explains. “I’m very proud of the book, it’s a personal story about coming up as a young musician playing in New Orleans, and I wanted to reach kids. One of the best rewards is when a kid comes up to me after a show and says they play trombone because they read my book. It’s great when it all comes full circle like that because it shows that music and following your heart can lead you to so many of the places you dream of.” In 2013, Andrews founded The Trombone Shorty Foundation whose mission is to transform young lives through the power of music while also passing down the unique musical culture of New Orleans to the next generation. Why Angela Bassett Chose the Book Bassett chose the book because it shows how the talent and perseverance of …