Every important ambition for your life is best served by treating your attention with the conservation it deserves. I learned I could outwork people who were better than me, provided I converted my passion into work.

An Introduction to Philosophy for Children - The School Of Life

A fun, funny, no-BS guide to finding new ideas and finishing them. Instantly useful.”– Ramez Naam, author of the Nexus Trilogy The focus of these chapters are incredibly meaningful, some of my favourites include ‘People are unhappy, not mean’, ‘Learn to say what s on your mind’, ‘Good things are (unexpectedly) hard’ and ‘Politeness matters’. The book has been written by the fantastic School of Life and it is suggested for curious minds aged 9+. I think most adults would also find these ideas incredibly helpful to reflect on; who doesn’t need reminding that when someone is angry, maybe it’s not you who is responsible?” Louise Treherne, Role Models Admitting you need help and asking for it often requires more courage than trying to do it on your own. If you want to find your passion, put yourself in different situations, with different people, and see how it makes you feel. Pay attention to your own sense of excitement, not others, and write down your responses. Some of what you try will bore you, some of it you'll hate. You may notice you take pleasure in something, but its the approval of others that's the source, and not the activity itself. But with each experience you'll have a growing sense of who you are, what you actually care about, and what you're good at doing. To make a difference you simply need to question the value of what you're doing and do something about your answers.Although Big Ideas for Curious Minds is aimed at children I have got a lot from it too and I wish I had read it myself as a child... This book has taught me, and LP, new ways of thinking and new ways of being." What the Redhead Said This is a collection of Scott Berkun's essays and it's... okay to decent. And ended on an up for me, so that's a positive. Throughout the book LP and I have read about learning to know yourself, learning to say what’s on your mind, trying to work out what we really want at various times in our life, understanding that you are not always the reason for the way other people are feeling and that often people are not being mean they are purely unhappy. The book functions as an ideal introduction to philosophy, as well as a charming way to open up conversations between adults and children about the biggest questions we all face. Creativity is the nature of the mind. It is our birthright and our gift. The Dance of the Possible, beautifully, reminds us of how to open it.”– Sunni Brown, author of Gamestorming and The Doodle Revolution

Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds - Goodreads Mindfire: Big Ideas for Curious Minds - Goodreads

Here, the theoretical is mixed with the everyday, as when the book explains wise and unwise responses in terms of the challenge of a friend not being nice. Such clarity makes applying the book’s conclusions a natural next step. There are spaces for responses and self-reflection throughout, with activities like listing things you’d like to learn more about, comparing examples of nagging versus teaching, and thinking of creative solutions for broken objects. In all fairness, Scott Berkun has talent. He writes very well and has a very good explanatory style. With a different subject, I imagine that he would be absolutely brilliant. Highly recommended for anyone whose employment just might depend on the quality of their next idea.”– Todd Henry, author of The Accidental Creative If all you know is judgement, that's all you'll express even when you're trying to love, and on it goes. On pool) He'd watch me miss easy shots because I tried to force them in with authority. I chose speed and power over control, and I usually lost.

Many people face big questions about personal identity, right versus wrong, and what it means to be a good person for the first time in middle school. That age brings a thirst for understanding and a desire to make up one’s own mind. Instead of echoing typical dismissive responses to such questions, this book distills deep thinking in a way that will help such middle grade readers build their capacities to reason. Some call this wisdom, in that the wise know what to be thinking about, whereas the merely intelligent only know how to think. The focus of these chapters are incredibly meaningful, some of my favourites include 'People are unhappy, not mean', 'Learn to say what's on your mind', 'Good things are (unexpectedly) hard' and 'Politeness matters'. The book has been written by the fantastic School of Life and it is suggested for curious minds aged 9+. I think most adults would also find these ideas incredibly helpful to reflect on; who doesn't need reminding that when someone is angry, maybe it's not you who is responsible?" Louise Treherne, Role Models Good criticism generally comes with some degree of humility and respect for the other equally valid points of view. The better the critic, the more holistic their sense of how their own perspectives and tastes fit into the diverse pool of informed opinion. I can't stop reading and talking about this book with others. It is easy to follow and great for an introduction to philosophy for kids. Well written, great illustrations, ideas and clever how it relates the philosophers' ideas to the lives and issues that children have. 5 stars!” Thomas Leesa

Big Ideas for Curious Minds - Foreword Reviews Big Ideas for Curious Minds - Foreword Reviews

My biggest disappointment with this book was that it wasn't at all useful. The idea behind reading BIG IDEAS is that they will be useful. These ideas were not exactly big and were not at all useful. Well, not unless you wanted to worship at the altar of Berkun's intellect. I can’t stop reading and talking about this book with others. It is easy to follow and great for an introduction to philosophy for kids. Well written, great illustrations, ideas and clever how it relates the philosophers’ ideas to the lives and issues that children have. 5 stars!” Thomas Leesa

You'd have to risk all you care about to explore a new belief, which is scary. It's safer to avoid questions, or to pretend and keep your beliefs to yourself. Mindfire makes a big title promise - big ideas for curious minds. In my opinion, Scott Berkun falls far short of that promise. A better title would have been: Very Well-Written Essays by Someone Who is Smart and Pretentious.