I just read two great posts about letting children solve their own problems. I have actually seen a picture of a brain scan showing a child who had a parent do everything for them. It showed little brain activity in the frontal lobe (your problem solver). Do you want your 16 year old to have little brain activity in their frontal lobe? Read this great blog post at Aunt Annie's childcare and this post at The Corner on Character .
An old blog about all things educational, you will find Kindergarten and 2nd grade ideas along with information on Whole Brain Teaching, Daily 5 and working smarter. Anything goes! Also check out my teacher mom blog at I'm a mom too!