Let’s test if "Friday the 13th" actually has any power over our household items. Gather Your Gear: A coin, a pair of dice, or even just a deck of cards. Get Started: 1. The Hypothesis: Ask your child, "Do you think the 'unlucky' energy of today will make us roll more low numbers?" 2. The Play: Perform 13 trials of a random event (13 coin flips, 13 dice rolls, or drawing 13 cards). 3. The Goal: Track the results. Did you get more "bad" outcomes than "good" ones? 4. The Logic Flip: If you did get a lot of low numbers, try to "break the curse" by changing one variable (e.g., "Roll with your left hand" or "Stand on one foot"). Does the math change, or does the probability stay the same? The Special Twist: The "Unluckiest" Win. In this game, the person who rolls the lowest numbers or gets the "worst" luck is the winner. By celebrating the "bad" rolls, we take away the fear and turn the superstition into a comedy. For Older Kids (12-17): The Law of Large Numbers Challenge them to look up why insurance companies actually care about Friday the 13th. Does the data show more accidents? (Spoiler: Usually, there are fewer because people are more cautious). Discuss how human behavior can actually change the "math" of a day. Your Turn: What was your "luckiest" unlucky moment today? Did the math prove the superstition wrong in your house?

One of the most powerful tools for resilience is having a "Strong Narrative Identity." This is the ability to look at the events of your life, the wins, the losses, and the messy middle and weave them into a story that makes sense. Research shows that kids who know their family stories and understand that life has "ups and downs" are more emotionally resilient. When we help our kids tell their own stories, we move them from being "products" of their environment to being the authors of their lives. Literacy is the tool they use to claim that authority. Have you shared any of your story with your kids? It’s not always easy, especially if you grew up in a challenging environment. What’s one story you would share?

Hopping on the gif train. Pick 3-4 gifs that highlight your week. Let’s play!

I don’t know what your childhood was like, but my kids’ childhood was certainly more structured than mine. Of course, my kids also chose the competitive athlete route, which by its very nature requires more rigor. Have you noticed similar differences in your own home? This brings me to a recurring theme I’m seeing among those close to me and the community at large: children often feel like "passengers." Their schedules are curated, their hobbies are rigid, and their goals are often set by adults. This lack of agency is a major contributor to the rise in childhood anxiety. It’s worth reflecting on our own childhoods. Most of us grew up with more "white space", hours where no adult was checking a clipboard. We had the freedom to be bored and to make our own choices. Play is how our kids reclaim that steering wheel. By stepping back and letting them lead, we show them that their ideas carry weight, independent of any grade or trophy. What differences have you noticed from your childhood compared to kids today?

I just added a new Classroom resource: Game Night Playbook (Ages 3–11), a library of ideas to help you answer the question, “What should we play tonight?” without turning it into a production. What's Inside: - Age-based game ideas (3–5, 6–8, 9–11) - Options for Calm & Cozy, Wiggle, Kitchen → cooking, Outdoor, and Co-op - Simple connection scripts you can use in the moment (Invite • Connect • Repair) - Quick layered learning add-ons (SEL, literacy, math, executive function) that stay playful How to use it (2 minutes): 1. Go to Classroom → Game Night Playbook 2. Pick your child’s age band 3. Choose the vibe (calm / wiggly / co-op / kitchen / outdoor) 4. Try one round and stop on purpose if you need to Your turn: Drop your best game-night ideas in the comments. - What’s your child’s age (3–5 / 6–8 / 9–11)? - What kind of game do they love right now (calm, active, silly, strategy, co-op)? - Any “family favorite” games we should add to the playbook? When you try something, come back and tell us: what changed, more laughter, more calm, or more cooperation? @Mukkove Johnson, @Catherine McDowell, @Betty Jo Winters, @Erica Sisco-Dube, @Shelma Erikson, @Yu-Tzu Huang I had you in mind when I was building this :)