Finding Learning in the LOLs

I have always maintained that learning is possible anywhere. Some of our best learning has happened in the most unusual places. If you take a look at the links in my sidebar, you may be surprised that I add sites like Cake Wrecks and LOLcats. It just so happens that you can learn a lot from sites like these. (As always, you may want to preview these sites before sharing them with the kids.) Cake Wrecks takes bakeries and grocery stores to task for selling poorly decorated cakes. Many of these cakes make you wonder if the decorators were blindfolded with both hands tied behind their backs. Just by studying the pictures, you could start conversations about proportion, color scheme, the importance of planning ahead and, of course, spelling.

LOLcats often has gems among the LOLs. News lols have gotten us talking about various political and economic issues. We've questioned poorly designed graphs and Venn diagrams. And many times we will find a dog or cat LOL that mentions a scientific or mathematical concept or adapts a famous quote. Another favorite site of ours, Shmoop, also noticed the quotes scattered among the LOLs.

Learning doesn't happen in a vacuum. Being open and aware of opportunities brings learning to every situation. I figured this out when Marina was a toddler. She would freak out if we passed an exhibit sign in the Botanical Garden or the zoo without reading it to her. It seemed as if she was afraid she would miss something important if she didn't know what the sign said. It is important to nurture and encourage that inquisitiveness, to follow those rabbit trails of learning. I want my children to wonder about everything. Even if it is as simple as a quote translated into LOLcat.

Musical Learning Playlist

I've noticed a lot of renewed interest in Tom Lehrer's The Elements song because a certain boy wizard sang it recently. While Daniel Radcliffe did a great job, I think I still prefer the original, which my kids have been trying to sing for years. Hey, you try singing lines like this to the tune of "Modern Major General":

And iron, americium, ruthenium, uranium,
Europium, zirconium, lutetium, vanadium,
And lanthanum and osmium and astatine and radium,
And gold and protactinium and indium and gallium

Anyway, all of the excitement got me thinking of all the wonderful songs I know that have helped us sing our way through various subjects. I decided to list a few of the songs and albums, just in case anyone is interested.

English

Grammar Rock: When Marina was young, I designed our entire English language curriculum after these videos. They fun to listen to, fun to watch, and they actually did help her grasp the concept of everything from nouns and pronouns to subjects and predicates. My all time favorite is the Interjections song.

Silent E: If you thought Tom Lehrer only covered science and math subjects, here's a cute little song about silent E.

Math

Multiplication Rock: OK, so I have a thing for Schoolhouse Rock. I still love singing along to Three is a Magic Number and Ready or Not, Here I Come (the five table). Also good are many of the Money Rock tunes, although my son thought Tax Man Max was creepy. Just a note, I'm linking to Schoolhouse Rock's site here, which has the lyrics to all of their songs. You can probably find the videos on YouTube as well, I'm just too lazy to link everything.

New Math: Also from Tom Lehrer, but easier to sing along to, this song not only helps with understanding subtraction (kind of), it also gives a taste of base eight. Other math songs by Tom Lehrer include That's Mathematics and The Derivative Song.

Science

The Elements Song: This is the Tom Lehrer version, which a librarian introduced me to about five or six years ago. There are many YouTube animations of this song. Look in the YouTube sidebar if you want to find a different one. There were a couple I liked, one strobed too much, this one seemed the most child-friendly.

Meet the Elements: For a slower paced introduction to elements, They Might Be Giants has this song. The video I linked to is also wonderful, by Boing Boing Video.

Science Rock: Again, by Schoolhouse Rock.

The Universe Song: This song by the Animaniacs is now slightly outdated (poor Pluto)

Brainstem: Pinky and the Brain teach about the parts of the brain.

Pump Your Blood: Not too long ago, I talked about this song from Happy Days. It's still stuck in my head.

History

Yakko's World: The Animaniacs were very good at educating us in a fun way. Challenge for this song--which countries does he mention that are no longer considered countries? (I'm just putting that out there, don't ask me for an answer.) Also check out Wakko's 50 State Capitals and Yakko's Presidents. The Presidents song is also out of date now. We need to add lyrics for George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

America Rock: Not a fan of all of these, since some are oversimplified, but they are a good starting point for American history. And everyone in my history class knew the Preamble to the Constitution thanks to Schoolhouse Rock.

Big Bang: Barenaked Ladies song that is now the theme song for the show Big Bang Theory. Wasn't sure whether to put it here or in science, but since there are a lot of historic references in the song, I chose history.

Beethoven's Wig: Love these songs, and many give a smattering of history in lyrics set to classical music. You can find the lyrics to the song Kings and Queens of England here. It's set to Purcell's Trumpet Tune.

I know there are a lot more out there, but I only have a limited amount of writing time today. Please let me know if I broke any of the links. Feel free to add some of your own favorites in the comments.

Various Resources in One Post

I thought I would share some of the resources I've found over the years that proved helpful in our homeschooling/unschooling.
I hope no one feels intimidated. These are tools I've used over 10+ years and is actually only a partial list. I've added links where I thought they might be useful, fun or interesting.

(Note: Not all of these worked for all of my kids, so it's good to try to borrow the books or DVDs from the library whenever possible to test them out. I originally found many of the books and DVDs through our library system.)

General:
-The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise
-Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar by James Marcus Bach (my son just read this, it has an unschooly feel)
-Teach Your Own by John Holt
-Freedom to Learn blog
-TED Talks
-Brainpop (many free featured videos on this site)
-Free Rice (mini quizzes on various topics)
-Random Facts (facts on different topics--this is a new one I just found out about that will be very useful)

English and Reading:
-Guys Read
-Starfall (Online reading program)
-Schoolhouse Rock's Grammar Rock
-Where Do You Get Your Ideas? by Sandy Asher (on writing)
-Rose, Where Did You Get That Red? by Kenneth Koch (on writing poetry)
-Nitty Gritty Grammar by Judith P. Josephson and Edith H. Fine:
-Elements of Style by Strunk and White
-Barron's Painless Grammar and Painless Junior Grammar
-Vocabulary Cartoons series by Sam, Max and Bryan Burchers

Language:
-Muzzy Spanish
-Laugh 'n' Learn Spanish by Lynn Johnston and Brenda Wegmann
-Minimus by Barbara Bell (for Latin)
-TuTubusLatinus (many lessons in Latin, we use the Aeneid of Virgil, where the Aeneid is translated in a series of videos)

Math:
-Sir Cumference series by Cindy Neuschwander
-The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics by Norton Juster
-Singapore Math
-Murderous Maths series by Kjartan Poskitt
-Khan Academy (site offers video help with math and physics)
-Algebra Unplugged by Kenn Amdahl (good for readers)
-Barron's Painless Geometry
-Geometry Success in 20 Minutes a Day

Science:
-Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock
-The Usborne Complete First Book of Nature
-eBird
-Exploratorium
-Best of Beakman's World DVD
-Delta Education's Science in a Nutshell kits (expensive, but worth it if you have several children or worry about doing experiments)
-My First Body Book by Melanie and Chris Rice
-Adventures with Atoms and Molecules by Robert C. Mebane and Thomas R. Rybolt
-The Physics of Superheroes by James Kakalios (there are great videos at his website)

History:
-Horrible Histories series by Terry Deary
-Various biographies by Mike Venezia
-Wicked History biographies
-The Kingfisher Complete Book of World History (this one may be out of print)
-The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia Of World History
-American Girl series

Grabbing an Opportunity

When opportunity knocks, you need to answer it. When it knocks a second time, you sometimes have to make a mad dash for the door so that you don't miss it.

Yesterday I had an opportunity to see John Astin read poetry and talk about his life at a fundraiser for the Visible Theater. The tickets were not what I would call cheap. In fact, I asked my husband, "How can I justify spending this much to see John Astin?" I desperately wanted to go and bring Marina with me.

I need to give some background here. Several years ago, John Astin had done a one-man-show at my old college about the life of Edgar Allen Poe. I went to see that show with my mother but I decided against taking Marina, even though she had read a bit of Poe's poetry. She was young (seven or eight?) at the time, and I wasn't sure if a play about a poet could hold her attention. I always considered that a missed opportunity. John Astin WAS Edgar Allen Poe. The play was funny and sad and filled with poetry I knew well but had never heard read as this actor reads it. I waited around after the show to tell him how much I loved it and spent years waiting for the show to come around again so that I could take Marina. In the meantime, I gushed about how wonderful the show was.

We had learned about the mysterious circumstances regarding Poe's death when we visited Poe Cottage back in June. This year was the 160th anniversary of Poe's death and 200th birthday. In honor of that, Baltimore gave Poe a proper funeral. Marina read an article about John Astin reading poems at the event and it mentioned he was going to be in our area, so I jumped online to see if there were still tickets. Normally I would have sighed and dismissed the idea because of the cost, but I really wanted to take Marina to hear Mr. Astin read. My husband suggested it could be an early birthday present for me. Marina suggested she could pay for her own ticket. I ordered the tickets and last night I drove through a downpour with Marina to see the show.

John Astin was wonderful! I think hearing him read The Raven in person fully justifies the price of admission. He read a number of poems and excerpts by various writers and then answered questions from the audience. During this part of the evening we learned some interesting facts about his life. He spoke of how he got his first acting job. Someone had left a copy of the Daily News on a seat in the subway, and a friend of his picked it up and saw an ad for auditions for The Three Penny Opera. His friend called, told him and they went together. Out of all the actors at the audition, he was picked out and the others were sent away. He tells this much better than I do, but long story short, that first role in The Three Penny Opera was the start of his career. He played the role on and off for eight or nine years. He spoke about cause and effect. If that newspaper hadn't been left behind on the train he would never have known about the audition.

Mr. Astin also spoke about his life. His mother encouraged him to read his first book by Poe. She helped him with the hard words in The Purloined Letter when he was six. She sounded like an amazing woman. An avid reader, he could never stump her on the definition for a word. She had enough grounding in Latin and Greek that she could figure out what any word meant. He spoke of his life as a university professor at Johns Hopkins and got into a discussion with one audience member about why kids today aren't as well read. (I had to smirk there. Many of the books he mentioned had already been read by Marina.) I felt like I should have taken notes because he mentioned so many great books and authors that I would love to have my kids read. I hope Marina's memory is better than mine.

I grew up watching the Addams Family and loving the relationships among the quirky family members. I don't think I realized until I was an adult how much the show impacted my life. There is even an episode where you learn that the children aren't going to school because Grandmama teaches them at home. I wonder if watching Gomez Addams reading his monthly yoga magazine while twisted in various poses set me on the path to practicing yoga. I went to see John Astin that first time because I loved him as Gomez and he rekindled my interest in Poe. This time he was very much a professor. And he is always John Astin, a very approachable, passionate person with a joie de vivre. (heh! I spoke French!)

I'm glad I had a second chance to take Marina to see John Astin. I wasn't brave enough to ask questions during a Q&A, but I did pull her up to meet him after the show. He advised her to read Poe out loud. He also signed our programs, which had a picture of him as Gomez. All in all, we had a wonderful night out!

Links:
John Astin reading The Raven-I was happy to find this. I think he recites it even better now, but this is how I remember it from his one-man-show.

The Addams Family Goes to School-The episode I mentioned is on Hulu! I know the Addams Family isn't for everyone, but they had some wonderful lines. Gomez to the assistant principal: "If we wanted them to be happy, we would have let them stay home."

Naturally Nice

I read an interesting article today about a study that was done to see if nature makes us nicer. I love reading about studies like this, since they tend to confirm ideas I already had. I grew up on the edge of NYC in the Bronx, across the street from a park and we had a large picture window in the living room that faced the park. This gave us beautiful views of sunsets over the trees. My father had (still has) this window filled with tropical and other houseplants. I don't think I could live in a house without plants, although I limit myself to plants that are low care. We also had a backyard where I spent a lot of my childhood daydreaming.

Contrast this to the city. I spent a lot of time in the city in my teens and twenties. Just getting into Manhattan meant taking the car onto the highway and through nature-desolate areas of cement and steel with the occasional scrubby tree. Taking the subway limited your nature experience even further, unless you enjoyed seeing that rat walking along the tracks and into the tunnels. More recent experiences with the NY Subway system has shown me that little has changed in twenty years, although I admit they are trying. There is much less graffiti and stations are cleaner, even though I think the smell is there for good. Elevated stations near my parent's house now have decorative stained glass, while some downtown underground stations sport murals or mosaics. But it's still the subway, still packed trains at rush hour and angry people that just want to get from here to there. The same can be said for the roads.

If you want to see New Yorkers at their best, you go to the parks. Parks slow people down and offer respite to an otherwise hectic city life. I've had the opportunity to take some out of town friends to Central Park this summer. My family spends a lot of time at the Bronx Zoo and the New York Botanical Garden. I'm hoping for a chance to see the new High Line park that was built along the old elevated train line on the lower West Side. It always feels good to walk among the trees after the subway, as opposed to coming out in midtown where you are greeted with buildings stretching up around you. The only way I can deal with buildings is to look for the more beautiful stone facades amid the glass and steel skyscrapers. I can't think of where I saw it, but I remember reading about how flowers were used in the facades to help people through the winter. Seeing the stone flowers was a reminder of the warmer days of spring and summer. Which only proves to me that city dwellers have always looked for that connection to nature. We need it as much as we need sunlight and laughter!

A friend of my mother's called an appreciation of nature a gift. I believe it is a gift that can be learned. I'm sure my own appreciation of nature came from my parents' love of the natural world. My mother's father used to point out cloud formations while they drove along and have her take pictures of them. My children are definitely nature-oriented because of me and my husband. They have all grown up with the homeschooling nature class, going to parks and the Botanical Garden, biking on trails and spying on the animals that visit our yard. Marina often sketches the plants outside and has her own garden. Sierra has started doing this as well. We have a tree that doubles as a reading perch. We feed the birds and relocate toads when the lawn is being mowed.

I challenge my busy friends to take a moment from your hectic schedule to notice something natural. Perhaps you can find some flowers growing where you didn't expect them. Maybe you will notice a flock of birds flying overhead. Listen for the cicadas and crickets. Start a journal for your daily observations. You may soon find it difficult to avoid seeing the nature around you!

And I would love to hear some of your nature observations!

A Post on Seemingly Unrelated Topics, with Links

Well, it's that time of year again. The time when life becomes so incredibly busy I seriously don't notice May until it's almost over. Tomorrow is my father's birthday, which is the warm-up to birthday month. May is our month of cake. Sierra's birthday (May 3), Mothers Day (May 10), Marina's birthday (May 15), and Chase's birthday (May 20). Bonus this month, Sierra has her first dance recital on May 24th, so in between baking cakes I get to take her to rehearsals. Fun! And all I want to do is play in my garden.

Speaking of being outside, the Carnival of Homeschooling: No Child Left Inside edition, has started at Corn and Oil. This is a wonderful excuse to avoid everything you are supposed to be doing. It's important to connect to other homeschoolers, where ever they may be.

And where might they be? Last February, my oldest homeschooler was in Italy. She took lots of pictures. We posted them on Flickr. We were contacted by the fine people at Schmap, who asked if they could use her picture of the Verona Arena in their Verona travel guide. We were contacted again and another of Marina's pictures is now on the Venice Schmap!

Anything with a "shm" sound in it has to be good, don't you think? That's why I was very excited to find Shmoop through my local library's website. Shmoop has study guides for literature, US history and poetry, kind of like Cliff Notes, but much more fun. Now if I need help explaining the many facets of Hamlet, or the politics behind Dante's Inferno, I can turn to Shmoop. It's an excellent resource for older homeschoolers. And it's fun to say.

I hope everyone enjoys the links! Wish me luck, May is almost upon me!

Links for Chocolate Lovers

St. Valentine's Day always sets me thinking about chocolate. True, most holidays make me think about chocolate, but it was as good an excuse as any to look up quotes and information about this versatile treat. Chocolate is almost as good as water in that it can be enjoyed as a liquid or solid. I believe it is only a matter of time before we find a way to make it a gas. Imagine the marketing possibilities: Chocolate Mist! Satisfy your cravings without the calories and fat!

I've used the Exploratorium before when doing chocolate research. They have a wonderful site for children, including a fun activity for learning how to temper chocolate. For history buffs, you can also explore the history of chocolate at the Field Museum's website. Speaking of chocolate history, here is an interesting quote:

"I was upwards of a year in that country without ever being induced to taste this beverage, and when I passed through a tribe, if an Indian wished occasionally to give me some, he was very much surprised to see me refuse it and went away laughing. But subsequently, wine failing, and unwilling to drink nothing but water, I did as others did. The flavor is somewhat bitter, but it satisfies and refreshes the body without intoxicating: the Indians esteem it above everything, wherever they are accustomed to it."
Girolamo Benzoni, describing cocoa beans.
History of the New World (1565)

For lovers of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, perhaps you would like to tour a chocolate factory? The Family Education website has links for many chocolate factories you can explore. Learn about Milton Hershey at the Hershey website. Stick around for their video factory tour. Or if you prefer, explore Ghirardelli's Chocopedia.

There are wonderful chocolate quotations at Dan's Chocolates. My son also enjoyed reading the chocolate trivia section.

I hope this satisfies your craving for chocolate knowledge!

Where Has My Money Been?

I was teaching Sierra how to count her money the other day when we came across an interesting dollar bill. It had an ink stamped message "See where I've been, track where I'm going, please register me at www.WheresGeorge.com." Curious, I went online and discovered the Where's George? bill tracking site.

This is an interesting idea. You enter the serial number and series of your bill and find out where your bill has been. According to its tracking report, Sierra's stamped bill started off in New Hampshire and traveled 179 miles in 154 days, 9 hours and 34 minutes, an average speed of 1.2 miles per day. You even get a little map that traces your bills route. The tracking report also shows the flags of the states where your bill has been. I tried registering a few more bills, but the stamped dollar was the only one with a history.

The only problem now is convincing Sierra not to keep this special dollar. It has to stay in circulation to track it, after all. She wasn't keen on trading for one of my dollars because this was HER dollar bill. It would have been so much easier if I had found the bill in my wallet. No money stays in there very long!

If you happen to come across a bill with a Where's George? stamp on it (Where's Willy in Canada) be sure to register it. It's an interesting lesson for the children. While your there you can check out their cool links about money.

Carnival of Homeschooling 129 at Apollos

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Apollos Academy. This week's theme is Let's Go to the Movies! Sounds like I may need some popcorn for this one. There are links to some interesting reads as well as links and ideas for free or inexpensive family movies. Which reminds me, if anyone is near a National Amusements, they also have a summer movie program that starts soon. Each movie costs one book report for kids and parents/guardians get in free.

Have fun at the carnival!

A Carnival and other Interesting Finds...

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling is happening At Home With Kris. There are some thought provoking articles on various topics this week, ranging from grammar to thoughts about the California homeschooling case. Be sure to read some of it!

In related news, the second phase has begun in the Carnival of Homeschooling graphics contest.
Please take the time to go over and vote for a medium size and whatever size graphic.

In other news, last week, I was pleasantly surprised to come across an ad for the Circus Arts Camp. If you look at the website, the graphic below the telephone number is my design! I designed it while I was working at the camp many years ago. I don't know how expensive the camp is, but if you live in the area, I highly recommend it. The instructors are top notch performers and it was an honor to work with such talented people.

My sister was researching distance learning degrees and came across this interesting article on open courses at MIT and Yale. Anything free is worth investigating.

"Serious" Art

I want to thank Spinneretta for the ht of the EDM art challenge. I have pulled out one of my old sketchpads and started with Challenge #1. I chose to draw Sierra's sneaker, because it happened to be on the floor.

Attention Google Searchers...

I'm so grateful for all the Google searchers out there , you've really upped my site count. I figure I should try to answer the top three searches I've been getting lately.

For the record, the Wintuk show is about 2 and a half hours including one intermission. I'm sorry I didn't mention that in my original review. You should also tack on an extra hour because Madison Square Garden wanted people to arrive an hour early to assure you are seated on time.

If you have a Krazy glue problem my only advice is keep a bottle of nail polish remover on hand whenever you use your super glue. The longer that stuff stays on your fingers, the harder it is to remove. And never try to hold the open bottle of glue while you are trying to repair something or you might end up pouring half the bottle of glue into the palm of your five year old's hand. I learned that the hard way.

As for juggling costumes, stay away from billowy sleeves and pants unless you are really confident with your behind the back and under the leg tricks. Props tend to get tangled up in the fabric. Soft leather soled shoes like acrobatic shoes or jazz shoes are best so that you have freer movement. Nothing kills a good pirouette ending like sneakers. And unless you do hat manipulation, don't wear a hat. They just get in the way. If you do a lot of ball manipulation I would opt for colors that contrast with your props, your audience will see what you're doing better.

I hope that helps! Good luck in your searches!

This Old Gingerbread House?

Here is a useful site that was pointed out to me today on the 4 Real forums. Bobvila.com, well known for helping do-it-yourself-ers with home renovations, has instructions for building a gingerbread house. To coin a phrase of another famous Bob, "Can we build it? Yes we can!"

We've made many gingerbread and cookie houses over the years. We even have a mold for building a chocolate house. This year, we're considering something a little rustic. Marina baked the gingerbread logs last night, so if all goes well (fingers crossed), we'll have a nice little gingerbread log cabin this year. I'll let everyone know how that works out.

Make Use of my Sidebar

I want to take some time to point out my sidebar. I've been adding some links that I hope others will find as interesting and/or useful as I do. In particular, I would like to point out the Internet Safety and Tech Advice section. I don't know about you, but I've been getting a lot of suspicious e-mails and spam lately. Millers and the Urban Legends (snopes) sites have been very useful for keeping me out of trouble when Tech Support isn't home to help me. I've managed to avoid various phishing (personal information gathering) schemes disguised as e-mails from credit card companies and Amazon.com. Today I had a new one from a place that said "someone" had sent me an e-card and I could click on the link to pick it up. As a rule, I do not click on links until I verify who sent the e-mail. This particular link tricks you into installing spyware on your computer and sends messages to everyone in your address book.
I also linked with Webmonkey. It had a very good parents' guide to internet safety with a list of rules for kids to follow when they are in cyberspace. This same website has a tutorial that introduces kids to the basics of web design. I'm reading it because it is helping me understand the mysteries of things like html. I don't care if it talks to me as if I were a child. I need that.
Blogging Basics 101 is another good site for answering my technical questions as I trip along in the blogging world. I wish I had found it when I started blogging. This site has a wonderful section on blogging etiquette as well. I'm so glad someone is writing about that, because I always wondered about things like listing other blogs (should I add them if I only lurk there), maintaining privacy, and proper dress while commenting (kidding).
That said, I probably won't have time to post entries next week. Family commitments will be keeping me occupied.
So make use of my sidebar. And if you enjoyed something, let me know.

But How Do You Butter It?

All the fun you can have with a bagel.

Marina and I have been watching the Joy of Thinking series from the Teaching Company. In the episode "A Twisted Idea: The Mobius Band," Prof. Starbird explained how to cut open a bagel so that it all stays in one piece. Frankly, we just enjoy hearing Professor Starbird say "mobius."



Hard to explain, but if you were to trace around this bagel, for example, with butter, you would find that it only has one side. It took 2 bagels and 2 donuts before Marina figured out how to cut it. And then figure out how to cut it without having a section break when she pulled it open. I'm so proud.

For those of you interested in making your own Mobius bagel, first you cut straight down from the top, and then as you work your way around the bagel you twist the knife so that it is eventually coming in from the side. Continue twisting as you cut until you are cutting up from the bottom and meet your original incision. Think of it as cutting a spiral. Marina's tip: Always keep your cut centered or thin sections may fall apart when you open it.

Ladle Rat Rotten Hut

This is hysterical! See if you can figure it out without peeking. There are lot of other neat activities on this site as well. I've listed it in the sidebar under Links for Laughs and Learning.

Hers a fear duffer bee bard woof?

Balloons and Fairies

I found this balloon in the garden today. I wonder where it came from? And how will customers know what the manager's special is if the balloon is in my front yard?

As soon as the weather warms, the fairy houses start appearing around our yard. Marina helped Sierra build this one. The lucky fairy who moves in here will have a branch-reinforced tulip petal roof and a rock table already set with acorn cap bowls.
If you would like to learn more about building fairy houses, I recommend this wonderful site www.fairyhouses.com Tracy Kane's books and movie have inspired mini homes in every yard and park we visit.
Remember the rules when building your fairy house! Use only what nature provides, the house should be so natural it is almost hidden, and be careful not to use or disturb anything that is living, including mosses and grass. I've found that last rule has protected my flowerbed through many fairy house seasons.

Books I'm Reading

I was tagged by callmekate to tell about what I’m reading. I think she meant besides picture books. This was hard since I usually only have time for the comics page and the editorial letters of the newspaper. I like responding to editorial letters. I have a folder of newspaper clippings with my published letters and a news feature about a juggling club we used to run. If you would like to make sure you get your 15 minutes of fame, learn to juggle.

I did just finish a book about a month ago called The Tao of Pooh. I loved how Christ-like the taoist principles are. After I finished, I picked up The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh to read with Sierra. I could see how the author chose his examples for the book, but I could also see how it is very easy to interpret anything to your opinion if you pull it out of context. I could probably write my own book about opportunism in the Hundred Acre Wood.

I’m also slowly making my way through Body Clutter by Marla Cilley (the Flylady). I already knew many of the principles, having received her e-mail reminders for years, but I’m very impressed by the sections on learning about why we eat the way we do. I love watching my teachers grow in wisdom, and Marla has done a lot of growing over the four years I’ve read her morning musings. She is an incredible woman and I have a lot of respect for her, even if I have fallen off the Flywagon lately! (At least my laundry and sink are clean!)

My mouth waters for fantasy. I finished my friend Appleleaf’s trilogy Quenarden and I am glad I took the time to have them shipped from Australia. She is a wonderful storyteller. The story is gripping and I found myself moving quickly from one book to the next in anticipation. She’s promised a fourth book. I’m waiting. Note to Paula: I couldn't reach the link through your blog. You might want to check it.

Speaking of waiting, I’m also waiting for Harry Potter’s final book. I know many consider this a straightforward good vs. evil fantasy with a smattering of mystery, but I also saw many parallels with the rise of the Third Reich and Nazi Germany. These stories give me an impression of a second rising of the Nazis. You have the supposedly pureblood wizards who think they’re better than everyone. The muggles, who are the scapegoated Jews. I’m not sure what character Harry is, but Lord Voldemort is definitely Hitler. Everyone assumes Voldemort is dead and are taken completely off guard by his return (sorry if I’ve spoiled the book for anyone). His followers are in hiding. The only difference here is that the Death Eaters are the ones with the tatooed arms to remind them of the past. Makes you think, doesn’t it?

Peeps Show

Easter's coming. Anyone have a fondness for Peeps®? Make sure you check out their official website Marshmallow Peeps. There is a virtual factory tour, a history of the Peeps® and fun facts. Go look up how long it took to make one Peeps® chick in the 1950's! And in case you were wondering, there are now sugar-free Peeps®! Isn't that exciting?

Don't have a fondness for Peeps®? Check out the Peeps experiments here. And might I add that this site does an excellent job of showing the scientific method. Our family's personal favorite is separating the conjoined quintuplet Peeps.

Zoo Tycoons

I have become addicted to Zoo Tycoon. How did this happen? I remember after their trip to Virginia my husband told me how much Chase had enjoyed playing the computer game Rollercoaster Tycoon and how impressed hubby was with it. Cool. We hadn't had any good educational games in a while. I'll look for it for Christmas.
That was how I found Zoo Tycoon. Same concept, except with animals. You have to design habitats and create your own zoo. Cool, Marina will like it too. But wait, there's more. The one I found included two expansion packs, Dinosaur Digs and Marine Mania. Chase loves dinosaurs. He could tell a T-Rex from an Allosaur when he was six. I plunked down my 19.95.
Now I must stress, I took over one of their first attempts. At this point, they both have amazing zoos. Marina's current zoo is running a multi-million dollar profit. She gets thousands of little virtual people daily who apparently stay in the zoo for months, because if you follow one of them around and watch the month button at the bottom it seems like they've stayed from June to September. No wonder they get tired!
Chase's current zoo has had its problems. In his enthusiasm to place his favorite animals he now has a T-Rex that ate its scientist/keeper. He smartly sold the spinosaurs that kept escaping and terrorizing visitors.
My zoo was thousands of dollars in the red when I took it over. The kids named it the Poor, Poor Us Zoo. I had to start by firing most of the staff (I felt like Donald Trump) and selling off animals from all but two exhibits, the saber tooth cats and the triceratops like animals whose name escapes me. To my credit, I've managed to bring it back up into the black--most of the time--and I've added ice age turtles and wooly rhinos, kentrasaurs, and caudipteryxes (bird like reptiles). I figured out how to budget toward marketing, research and conservation, and every time a little happy face rises from my animals, I just feel proud. The mammals and the turtles tend to breed like rabbits. That's caused problems, because if I sell an extra saber tooth to prevent overcrowding, little red angry faces appear over all the other saber tooths. But expanding their exhibit plummets me back into the red. What's a zoo manager to do? And the guests! They're hungry, they're thirsty, they need a restroom, they're tired, and the biggest insult: "I don't like this zoo, I'm going to an AMUSEMENT PARK!!!!"
And now, every time I drive around, I find myself thinking "Gee, that sidewalk looks about $500 long" and "Wow! A coniferous rock formation! The Lambeosaurs would have loved that!" (They died of old age).
And did I just see a happy face over the cats when they were fed?