MacBeth's Opinion

Deeper Nature Study: The Winogradsky Columns of Others (Video edition)

2012-02-05T15:32:00.000-05:00

There are plenty of videos on Winogradsky columns...this one is pretty good.

Funny thing, though: All the videos use the same procedure. One if the great things about these columns is that there is no correct way to do it. A variety of procedures may produce a variety of results. Why not change it up a bit, like we did?

Seems they do them at Bronx Science, too, but again, with the same procedure. See how this terribly easy project is made to seem so difficult. But the girls are amusing:

Deeper Nature Study: Winogradsky Update

2012-02-04T18:20:00.002-05:00

Last time, we had just set up our columns, and were waiting patiently to see what would grow. 5 days into the project, and here are the before and after photos for A and P's jar:

Day 1

Day 5

As you can see, things are growing! The muck is blacker, and the blackness has spread to the gravel just below the muck level. Surprisingly, the egg yolk is not attracting much growth--yet--though the egg shell has a fine black mist over it. The water at the top of the jar is a bit cloudy.

Check back in a few days for more. Hey, and if you have a Winogradsky column of your own, send along a few shots, and I'll put them on!

And speaking of things growing in jars...I just made my first batch of cranberry/pomegranate "wine" using this kit:

Hey, it worked! The results are less dramatic, but much tastier.

It Matches my Car

2012-02-01T16:30:00.002-05:00

It's the newest Nikon...

Can't see the image? Click here. (Amazon link).

Oh, my.

It's all about the zoom. And the color.

Deeper Nature Study: Winogradsky Columns

2012-01-31T17:57:00.000-05:00

In the great gold room there were some teenagers

and some gritty sand

and some jars full of sand

and two little boys who didn't use chairs

and some jars and a ghost

and some sprouts, but no toast!

But really, we were winding down from our Winogradsky project. Yes, you at home can grow lovely pet bacteria in your own jar. It's easy--so easy that when the teens finished, and the younger kids were totally interested in setting up their own columns.

Winogradsky column (with very watery top) day 1.

We started out at the beach, collecting some samples: Shells for calcium, water for--well--water, muck for bacteria (we hope!), red sandstone for iron, and some sand for substrate. Back at the house, Alice had boiled an egg for sulfur...but we were not quite ready to go home yet...

Oh, can't quite see the Storm Trooper.

As we were driving back from the beach, we passed a farm-stand that was closed, and a field that reeked of unharvested Brussel sprouts rotting on the stalk. Luckily, the ever-stealthy Mr P. had his Storm Trooper Hoodie with him. He zipped it up so no one would notice him, and stole into the field with his colorfully-dressed friends, plucking a small rotten sprout and a leaf for our nefarious purposes (will it be a better source of sulfur than an egg?).

Back in Alice's Test Kitchen, we sorted our samples, and added a few ingredients: Sea salt (coarse), cloves (will they inhibit growth?), fresh water, a magnet to attract magneto-bacteria, and foil for those who want to see samples grown in the dark.

The procedure is simple:

Layer all ingredients in the jar, with an ample supply of cellulose (we used the cardboard from an empty 18-egg box, torn into bits by industrious children). We started with gravel and sand, added cellulose, egg or Brussel sprout, egg shell or sea shell (crushed), muck from the low tide zone (any black muck or topsoil will do), and odds and ends...a pocket of sea salt, a pocket of pepper, a pocket of ground cloves (anything you can think of!). And we s-l-o-w-l-y added water, fresh or salt. Some left lids loose, some tightened their lids. Some covered the columns with foil for darkness, while some left them in full or dim light.

Since I was busy with the teens doing the project, most of the photos are taken with a younger bacteriologist modeling the process. Here's Miss C's work:

Note aforementioned ghost.

Isn't it amazing how everything looks delicious in Alice's Test Kitchen, even the muck?

Mr. N and his Winogradsky column--he added a pocket of sea salt in hopes of growing a pink halophile colony.

Youngest boy found the banana a more interesting subject.

What happens next? We wait and see what grows. Check back, and see!

Water the Birds

2012-01-21T15:25:00.000-05:00

Silly robins. They love my yard in winter, and now I understand why. I left the outside faucet dripping, and fresh water is as important as food when it comes to attracting birds, especially when the weather is freezing.

I Was a 5th Grade Unschooler

2012-01-12T00:25:00.000-05:00

Problem was, I went to school.

This past Christmas, my mother brought over a pile of my childhood stuff, and my 5th grade report card was in there. I was in a gifted program, but you would not know it from my grades: I got a C in literature. Is that possible? It seemed unlikely that I deserved it, because most of what I recall from 5th grade was literature (and that dismal sewing class where I made a garment that my girls refer to as "that dress-thing"). Even French class was literature; our teacher read Les Miserables aloud to us. In French, bien sûr.

I recall spending hours at my best friend's house reading and talking about books. We read and reread Narnia and Little House, drawing pictures and maps, and affirming each other in choosing "Peter" or "Laura" for the names of our yet-unborn children. I walked to school most mornings, uphill in both directions (there was a hill between home and school), as the sun rose on frosty winter mornings, singing Tirian's marching song in my head as I stomped through snow. Once that year I brought The Last Battle to Symphony Hall and read during Seiji Ozawa's inaugural season, while the Boston Symphony played Flight of the Bumblebee and Bolero. It was a school trip, and someone ratted me out to the teacher for reading, so I know she knew I was reading.

As a class, we read Animal Farm, and chanted "Four legs good; two legs bad" together, until someone screamed "two legs better" and we all laughed. Each student was assigned a Newbery Award book, and each gave a presentation to the class. We cried as Lori described the possessed sister in The Bronze Bow. We all longed to hear the Heynal with its broken note when Mark told us about The Trumpeter of Krakow. When Richard reenacted the scene with molten silver spilling over Johnny Tremain's hand, we all stared in amazement at his talent, until we discovered that Richard had actually fainted, and had to be taken away by ambulance (he was fine, and returned to school the next day). After everyone had given a presentation, we all traded books until everyone had read through the list.

During a unit on pirates, we each put on a puppet show based on the life of a real sea raider. I chose Captain "Red Legs" Greaves, a pirate with a heart of gold, who was fleeing captivity when he joined a band of bloodthirsty buccaneers. We watched the 6th graders' performance of The Taming of the Shrew, and sang "Brush up your Shakespeare" in the schoolyard. And we wrote our own (rather bad, I'm afraid) plays based on classroom shenanigans, like the time the bus broke down on the way to Old Sturbridge Village, and John put a toad down Mary's shirt as we waited by the side of the road for a replacement bus. Gosh, it should have been a better play, with material like that.

So, why was my grade so mediocre? We were required to write weekly book reports, and I simply didn't bother to write them. To this day, I find book reports intrusive, as well as formulaic and dull, and I never require them of my children. Like many unschoolers, we read and talk about books, sharing quotations, passages and impressions. When they were younger, my kids made maps and invented their own stories. They challenged each other with impromptu trivia quizzes. We took field trips to visit settings (or places very like the settings) of our favorite books. And we parents stepped back, giving the kids the freedom to be Swallows or Bastables or Hobbits.

Looking back, I now realize that my friends and I did the same in 5th grade. Maybe I deserved a C, but I unschooled an A's worth of memories.

My Favorite Catholic Things: Rosaries

2011-11-28T17:04:00.001-05:00

There are few things more self-indulgent than a blog. Here, I can express my opinion, and if no one cares, it's no big deal. If someone disagrees, I can delete his comments. The name of the blog, after all, is "MacBeth's Opinion" and nothing more ought to be expected.

The name itself is a joke, after my brother Pete's appreciation of film critic Leonard Maltin. Maltin's Movie Guide is often referred to as "Pete's Opinion" in the family; when we want to know about a film, we consult "Pete's Opinion." The idea so amused me that I took it for the blog in honor of a stupid joke. I know, that's absurdly stupid, too, as there is no critic whom I consult. Yet, here, my opinion is actually what you'll find...only, this is actually my own opinion. Still with me?

Now, to the point. Oprah has episodes of her show that reveal her favorite things. I have favorite things, too. So here is the first post of my Favorite Catholic Things.

Still here? Read on.

+++++++++++

Favorite Catholic Thing: The Holy Rosary

I love my fingers. There are ten of them; they are quite flexible. They are beginning to resemble my mother's fingers, but I guess that's just the way of things. They are great as a wake-in-the-middle-of-the-night rosary. But, you know what? I like real rosaries better. And I like beautiful ones. Sure, it's really all about the prayer, but we are tactile and visual people. A lovely set of beads is a help...and I need all the help I can get.

It just so happens that in the wonderful world of social media, one finds lots of like-minded people. Fortunately, one also finds lots of quite skilled people. Some of my friends actually make gorgeous, inspiringly beautiful rosaries. If you have a chance, take a look at these sites and see some real beauty.

From Jennifer's site: (this lovely bead had me interested immediately)

From Ruth's site:

From Anne's site:

And check out Darlene's friend's site.

Sometimes, the beauty of the rosary is in the intention of the makers...Divine Twine provides twine and instructions for making knots, for the cause of Autism Awareness. The beauty is in the colors, the task of knotting, and the prayers, of course.

More information on the Rosary.

My favorite online virtual rosary site.

Rosary for Android
Rosary for iPhone

I Love Lewis!

2011-11-22T11:57:00.001-05:00

Today, on the anniversary of his death, I would like to share some favorite lines, not from his more popular books, but from some many folks might not have read.

"In Greek, I have started to read Homer's Illiad, of which, of course, you must often have heard. Although you don't know Greek & don't care for poetry, I cannot resist the temptation of telling you how stirring it is. Thos fine, simple, euphonious lines, as they roll on with a roar like that of the ocean, strike a chord in one's mind that no modern literature approaches." from The Collected Letters Of C.S. Lewis. It's rather like a spell to induce one's students to read Homer, don't you think?

"No lawgiver, inner or outer, gives laws in a vacuum; he always has real or supposed facts in mind, an idea of what is, which influences his rulings about what ought to be. Thus the outer lawgiver ceases to make new statutes against witchcraft when he ceases to believe in it, and does not make vaccination compulsory till he thinks it will prevent smallpox. It is the same with the inner lawgiver." from "Conscience and Conscious" in Studies in Words (Canto).

"The knight is a man of blood and iron, a man familiar with the sight of smashed faces and the ragged stumps of lopped-off limbs; he is also a demure, almost a maidenlike, guest in hall, a gentle, modest, unobtrusive man." from "The Necessity of Chivalry" in Present Concerns.

"You can eat the local food and drink the local wines, you can share the foreign life, you can begin to see the foreign country as it looks, not to the tourist, but to its inhabitants, You can come home modified, thinking and feeling as you did not think and feel before. So with the old literature." from De Audiendis Poetis" in Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature (Canto)

And my personal favorite Lewis quote: "Are you looking for an ashtray? Use the carpet." from an interview, "Unreal Estates" in Of Other Worlds: Essays and Stories (a wonderful and eclectic collection).

I wanted to add quotes from Reflections on the Psalms and Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, but it seems as though someone has borrowed them (I suspect daughter #1). Perhaps next year.

And a little advice to my children seeking spouses: Ask a potential mate in which order the Chronicles ought to be read. If he or she replies, "The order in which they were published," you have an excellent match. If the answer is, "The order in which they were written," it will work out well. An answer of, "Chronological order," means some couples' counseling will be in order. But if the answer comes quickly, "It doesn't matter," run for the hills.

RIP, Jack.

...Under my Roof...

2011-11-20T20:28:00.001-05:00

I heard some folks complaining about the new translation of the Roman Missal. Certain passages seem to be sticky bits that make some people (including, unfortunately, bishops) squint and squall and wonder why we are changing anything. I have even heard some people point to this specific phrase, "under my roof," and joke that it refers to the roof of ones mouth. Yet, I was delighted when I heard the whole revised prayer:

Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under my roof,
but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.

I had heard it before. It is from my very early memories of Mass; I remembered that I did not understand what that meant, so I asked an adult (my father's aunt). She told me the story from Matthew 8, the Centurion's servant:

And when he had entered into Capharnaum, there came to him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, and is grieviously tormented. And Jesus saith to him: I will come and heal him. And the centurion making answer, said: Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst enter under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority, having under me soldiers; and I say to this, Go, and he goeth, and to another, Come, and he cometh, and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. And Jesus hearing this, marvelled; and said to them that followed him: Amen I say to you, I have not found so great faith in Israel. (D-R)

(Faith like that always makes me pause and gasp.)

So, here's a cool thing that happened then, and it can now happen again: A passage is interesting enough for a child to ask an adult what it means, and the adult has the story to tell off the top of her head. How great an opportunity is that?

But, who will answer the child today? Do Mom and Dad have the knowledge? The catechetics of felt banners and happy-smiley photos has never had to answer questions like this. Have we lost that opportunity through 40 years of poor translation? Fortunately, we have more resources than ever to fill in the gaps. We have scripture, and we can find passages in seconds using the internet. Let's not let questions like this go unanswered.

Hooray for the new translation!

The Very Model of a Modern Diabetic

2011-11-14T15:59:00.001-05:00

I wanted to post this yesterday, but college apps got in the way. [Apologies to any expecting more poetic wit--post-app brain fry varies in duration, and renders the writer prosaic.]

My grandmother was a diabetic, and as a young child I was fascinated by the whole thing, from her reusable glass syringe, to the little bottles of insulin, to the process of injection. I also learned that she had a special diet, from which she never deviated. Nonetheless, she sometimes fell ill, and would have to be taken to the hospital. It even happened on vacation once, and it was sometimes frightening.

Grammy, 1988 (such a tan for an Irishwoman!)

I know that Grammy was diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes as a young woman. She told me that one day she did not have the energy to climb the stairs of her church, even trying on her hands and knees. Doctors quickly discovered the problem, but insulin therapy was experimental, and only crude animal derived insulin was available then, and for much of her life, until synthetics became easy to manufacture. Despite following every protocol and instruction to the letter, her blood sugar was erratic. But because she did exactly as she was told, she became a great resource for those researching pancreatic function and insulin reactions. I understand she has been cited in numerous papers (anonymously). Pretty cool.

Despite these ups and downs, she lived into her nineties, with all her extremities intact, though she did lose sight in one eye. She was a daily communicant, and knew everyone in her parish. She sat in the front pew, sang boldly out of tune, and always wore a hat. She worked in a yard-goods shop, made all our clothes when we were little, always knit argyle socks for my grandfather, and quit smoking her Lucky Strikes cold turkey. A glass of wine before her nap, and a cup of black coffee after dinner were the only things I remember her drinking. She kept a glorious flower garden, which had a swing entwined with morning glories. And she made great apple pie and blueberry pancakes.

Grammy never complained about her diet or injections. But one day, when we were at the mall, she saw the candy counter and paused. She pointed to a particular candy, and said, "Those are my favorite, but I can't have them." It wasn't a mournful, but a thoughtful comment. She smiled. "But," she continued, "I know what they taste like. I feel sorry for anyone who has never tried one." (I tried one, and didn't like it at all!) One does wonder how much of health is attitude, eh?

Deeper Nature Study: Bacteria at Yellowstone

2011-11-02T13:58:00.001-04:00

I know this is a field trip that won't happen for my small group of homeschooled bacteria hunters anytime soon, but we traveled to Yellowstone a few years ago with my own family, and have photos to prove it. This was taken before our bacterial-hunting days, but it's a fine photo of hyperthermophilic bacterial (archea) growth patterns, demonstrating iron oxidation (rust colored sediment).

Margarita Pear Tart

2011-10-25T16:01:00.000-04:00

My friend Maria (who makes lovely earrings!) boasted of a pear tart in her oven today, and I wished I were at her house! Suddenly, I remembered the bag of too-long-forgotten pears in the fridge. Well, they were pretty soggy pears, I realized as I examined them. What to do? I cut off the bad parts, and looked at her recipe. I then despaired, having no buttermilk for the crust...

Heh...but started to think...

OK, I cheated on the crust. I had some prepared pie crust in the fridge, and it was fine, and not at all soggy. I look around at a few different recipes for tarts, considered the ingredients on hand, and thought about what spices might taste fine with pears. Then I saw the word "roasted" and moved ahead!

Basically, I cored and sliced up the pears thinly, and placed them on a broiler pan, and added about 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, and grated fresh ginger over the lot. I put them under the broiler until the edges of the pears were browning, and threatening to turn black.

Meanwhile, I took 2 tablespoons loosely packed brown sugar, a shot of tequila, and the juice of a lime and heated it to dissolve the sugar. I grated more ginger into the mixture (the kitchen smelled amazing at this point--I thought someone was burning a seasonal candle!), and added a bit of flour for thickening, so I could use the mixture to coat the roasted pears. And that's what I did next. All the pears went into the pot, and I stirred it about gently (the pears were pretty delicate by now). I sprinkled a bit of flour on the crust, and poured in the whole mixture, which was juicy, but not runny. I turned the edges of the crust over the pears at the edges, leaving the tart mostly open. Baked at 375 til the edges turn brown--you know--like crust...35 minutes? More or less?

Pear tart!

Ingredients:

4-5 overripe pears with the bruised and bad bits removed, peeled and cored, sliced thinly
1/4 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 slightly short shot of tequila
juice of one lime
2 tbs brown sugar
a tsp of flour+a bit for dusting the crust before adding the pear mixture
more ginger, more clove...maybe a pinch of salt
some kind of crust in some kind of pie tin or tart plate

Yummm.

Deeper Nature Study: Stalking Bacteria in the Wild Part 1

2011-10-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

Nature study is the core of many a homeschooler's science studies. Nature study for the younger set is often simple and un-directed; the children find what they can find and bring it to Mother for examination, or home to observe and preserve. The child and parent try to identify specimens, and often learn how to use a field guide together. It's fun and informative for the younger children, but what about older kids? Just as highschoolers can benefit from intensive copywork using great books and technical articles, so a high school student can get laboratory credit for nature study that is specific and directed towards a more quantitative goal.

This year, I chose a few victims (I mean students, of course) to try out an addition to our biology curriculum using more advanced living books. This is the first in a short series of blogs on "Deeper Nature Study."

A few years ago, I came across a terrific book called A Field Guide to the Bacteria by Betsey Dexter Dyer. Dyer is a biology professor at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and has recorded a Modern
Scholars lecture series on this same topic called Unseen Diversity, which is top-notch and available from Audible. Both are fine alone, but combined they make a formidable mini-course in bacteriology that is easily used by homeschoolers. You will be relieved to hear that Prof. Dyer suggests that we not grow things in petrie dishes in our kitchens, so we won't; instead, we take our search outside. In the wild, we have been able to discover evidence of bacteria everywhere. And we are only 1/3 the way through the outdoor portion of the course.

The best thing about this short series of hikes is that it can be done anywhere, almost any time, with little modification. Since bacteria are plentiful everywhere, and very few are pathogens, it's a safe and nearly fail-proof study. You can study bacteria where you are, because they are there, too.

We began with a brief lecture on different kinds of bacteria, and the environments in which each thrives. A quick version--cold, temperate, and hot are three measurable but wide temperature ranges for bacterial growth (one can get way more specific, and we did, but I don't really want to write out the entire lecture, and Prof. Dyer does it in more depth). pH is another variable for determining the types of bacteria we are likely to discover. The third environment we are exploring varies in oxygen content. We could also add salt, and more, but these are the basics. After my brief lecture we went outside and found some regular every-day common clover to examine. We dug up the roots to find nodules of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the root system. These are terribly EASY to find! We found some lichen, that combination of fungus and bacteria that grows so well on rocks and tree trunks. And we found some cyanobacteria growing in patches large enough to identify by color alone. Then we hopped into the car and took a quick field trip to the local Quaker cemetery, where the old tombstones yielded more evidence of bacteria at work. And that was day 1! NB: It is very difficult to pry teens out of graveyards...go figure.

Day 2 brought us to a local swamp, where quick running water, deep muck, and hard trails all had perfectly detectable bacteria for our viewing--and sometimes smelling--pleasure:

The light leaf litter smells fresh even though it is full of bacteria.

Miss A. is encouraged to take a deeper sample...it will have a different odor.

Right along the trail are worm castings, full of bacteria fresh from the gut of worms. Slugs approve.

Intrepid Miss B. strives for the best sampling spots, mid swamp!

OK. Crossing the swamp by log is just fun for Miss B., Miss C., and A.

Slow, clear water reveals a nice bacterial mat, with large air bubbles!

Miss C. discovered that the faster running water was cold.

Yet, who could resist? Neither P nor Miss B.

Bubbly beer-like bacteria!!

Ha-ha! Miss M. captures millions of bacteria.

Tempting...but no, she didn't. ;)

Next stop? The salt marsh...

Yes, it is YOUR Homework, Too

2011-10-12T23:01:00.002-04:00

I have a great religion class this year! There are 6 students in my 4th grade; each is a very interesting person, and each is interested in the class. Today we discussed posture at Mass (and viewed the very fun That Catholic Show video Sit, Stand, and Kneel). The students know what posture is appropriate for each part of the Mass, so that was an easy part of the class. We discussed what happens during each part of the Mass, and even touched on the Real Presence. A discussion of sin and forgiveness followed, providing the first entry on our Old Testament timeline.

Each week, in addition to the main lesson, we begin the class by writing the psalm verse for the upcoming Sunday. This gives the students who arrive early something to do while waiting for the latecomers, and gives them all the answer to one question on the homework.

Ah...the homework. For the past few years I have been using the Mass worksheets from CatholicMom.com. For the mostly 9-year-olds in the class, I use the worksheets for the 7-10 year old level.

Those of you who know me, STOP laughing...it's true that I hate worksheets, but they work for this classroom format. And the worksheets are easier to complete if the children go to Mass. The worksheets are very easy, and the kids enjoy them.

And no parent has ever complained. Until today.

She caught me in the parking lot, this Disgruntled Mother (she told me on the first day that she pulled her kids out of the last CCD program because the people were "snooty" so I guess I have to be non-snooty if I want to keep her kids in the program). The conversation went something like this:

Disgruntled mom: Do they still have to do those worksheets with the stuff from Mass?
Me: Yes. That is the format of the homework every week. The answers are all found at Mass...
DM: Well, we missed Mass this week (I stopped listening there...the kids had told me the reason). So I had to look up the answers.
What snooty-me wanted to say: There are 5 Catholic churches within a mile of ours. Our own parish offers 8 Masses every weekend. You could not make any of them?
What I actually said: The answers are also online on the USCCB website, in case you miss Mass.
DM: Well this is becoming MY homework, not theirs.
What snooty-me wanted to say: Yes, and so it should be, if you need a refresher!
What I actually said (laughing in the nicest way): Yeah, but it's not that hard for the kids once they get in the habit of...
DM: Is it OK if I take a missal home from Mass? The priest won't mind?
Me: I'm sure he'd be happy to know you were taking a second look at the readings! So, have a good week!

Ack.

Jewel Weed's Jewel

2011-10-11T01:03:00.002-04:00

The younger kids visited Thomas More College during the open house this weekend. They had an opportunity to stay overnight in the dormitories, eat and chat with students, and attend classes. While they did that, Don and I had a pleasant time in Nashua. Later, Don went to find cheap gas with supermarket gas points...he paid $1.09. Woohoo!

Meanwhile, I explored the grounds of the college. I must admit, I was quite surprised by the small size of the campus, and the wooded area surrounding the buildings. The flora and fauna are typical NH...it smelled of pine!

Behind the library, I found some jewel weed. It has a pretty orange flower that sometimes attracts hummingbirds (though I saw none today). Most of the plant had gone to seed, but a few blooms were left.

Jewel weed flowers

The real jewel of the weed is not the flower, though. There are a few tales of how the weed got its name, but I like to think the seed hidden inside a spring-loaded pod is the reason. Here's the pod on a small branch:

A few leaves with a seed pod

And here is the pod after I touched it (some people call the plant a touch-me-not). As the sides of the pod peel suddenly away, the seeds shoot away. If you release it correctly (I hold my hand around it) you will catch a seed or two. The mature seed is covered with a green or brown coat.:

The seed revealed, with the pod peeled away

The small seed is less than a cm long, but if you carefully peel the coating off...

The jewel!

A tiny blue-green "jewel" of a seed is revealed. Then, you can eat it! It tastes a bit like an almond.

Steve Jobs and One Christmas Eve

2011-10-06T17:08:00.003-04:00

No, this isn't a post about the cool Apple products I own. In fact, I do not own any Apple products, though my daughter has an old iPod that she loves. But I have always admired Apple products. Instead, this is a blatant pro-life post.

By now, most people have read his story, along with his birth mother's story, and the story of his adoption as well as his path to success. If you haven't, do so here; it's beautiful. And it reminds me of a Christmas eve back in the 80s...

I was working at a medical laboratory, a BIG one, in the accessioning department. In case you have not heard of such an occupation, accessioners are the first folks who sort the specimens when they arrive from doctors' offices. Basically, the doctors leave the specimens in a lock box (you've seen them outside closed offices), and drivers from the various labs collect the specimens and bring them to the lab where accessioners send tubes of blood, bottles of urine, and specimens of other sorts to the appropriate departments for testing.

I worked evenings with some fun people. There was always music. We took breaks in the garage and laughed and joked with the drivers. Most of the drivers were men, and many had interesting pasts. Some were divorced dads working nights so they could spend days with their kids. Some were recently paroled prisoners. Many were immigrants. They were always quick with a joke, or a story of traffic, life, or family stuff.

Those of us who were young and without children worked with a small skeleton crew on holidays so our coworkers could be with their families. One Christmas eve, I volunteered to work with a few of the twenty-somethings until midnight. Work was light, and we played Christmas carols, and shared our plans for the next day. We were surprised when one of our favorite drivers, "Louie," came in crying. Louie was an immigrant, right "off the boat" as they say, from Italy. He did not speak much English, and we were never really sure he knew what was going on, or what we were all gabbing about. On that Christmas eve though, he figured something out. He brought in boxes of large bottled "specimens" that night, and through his tears we heard names as he gestured towards them. "Einstein!" he cried in his thick Italian accent, adding vowels as needed to the end of each phrase. "Edison! Galileo! Tesla! The babies!! On Christmas!!" He broke down; we suddenly understood every word.

The "specimens" he had brought in on Christmas Eve, were called "POC" on the forms we filled out--Product of Conception. Louie had just had an epiphany that night (and so did I, and several friends): As a driver for that lab, he was collecting aborted fetuses from "clinics" and delivering them for examination, so the lab could assure doctors they had gotten it all. He was crying for the lost geniuses. He was crying for souls. He was crying for the mothers who would do such a thing. He was crying for the love and mercy of God on Christmas eve.

I imagine that Louie might add "Jobs!" to his cries if he were driving tonight. But Jobs, Einstein, Galileo, and Tesla all lived to enhance our knowledge, change the world, and make our lives better. The babies aborted that Christmas Eve were not so lucky. Maybe a Steve Jobs was aborted that day. Or, maybe just a Louie. Either way, our world lost someone wonderful that Christmas Eve; may they all rest in peace.

Crazy Homeschooling Meme

2011-09-23T13:27:00.001-04:00

Tagged by Lindsay at My Symphony, who has great answers of her own--go see!

One homeschooling book you have enjoyed...
So many. How about, the first homeschooling book I enjoyed: Better than School by Nancy Wallace.

One resource you wouldn't be without...
The library.

One resource you wish you never bought...
The set of 36 plastic counting bears in 3 sizes. We were renting a house on the eastern end of Long Island for the summer, and I am pretty sure that every one of those bears is still in the air conditioning vents of that house.

One resource you enjoyed last year...
Teaching Textbooks Algebra...changed things up a bit.

One resource you will be using next year...
This year, as it has started already. Teaching Textbooks Geometry!

One resource you would like to buy...
More bookshelves.

One resource you wish existed...
I wish more mid-century elementary science books were still in print.

One homeschool catalog you enjoy reading...
Not necessarily just for homeschooling, but I do enjoy Dover's catalogs.

I know I am suppose to tag folks...but everyone has done this, I think. If you haven't, consider yourself tagged. ;)

Painted and Petrified

2011-09-20T15:56:00.003-04:00

A few more photos from our journey out west...Libby's choices for places to stop were beautiful.
(My favorite stop was a 7-11 in Albuquerque, which served the BEST coffee I have ever had.)

This doesn't look petrified.

This looks painted. Those pink hills are far away.

L sits safely on the wall.

T assures me it is not a sheer drop.

Other colors.

Evidence of water run-off.

A beautiful formation.

Where the petrified wood is.

Scenic Overlook.

There's some.

And more.

Examining scraps of a former forest.

Look happy, L!

That's better!

Just sitting on a petrified log.

Pretty amazing.

Admiring the rings.

This would make good outdoor furniture.

Camouflage fail.

Our last view before finding the back exit.

Autumn (Originally from MacBeth's Opinion)

2011-09-20T14:01:00.001-04:00

Anyone home?

"Copses, dells, quarries and all hidden places, which had been mysterious mines for exploration in leafy summer, now exposed themselves and their secrets pathetically, and seemed to ask him to overlook their shabby poverty for a while, till they could riot in rich masquerades..."--The Wind in the Willows

Have a Delightful Autumn Read!

Moominvalley in November

(Funny Fall Fantasy from Finland. Click on the link to read a few pages.)

Nature journaling favorites:

Start your school year off right with this book: Keeping a Nature Journal by Clare Walker Leslie. In it you will find more suggestions to make you nature study permanent--by keeping the ultimate nature notebook! Other books for inspiration: Leaf Bird Days and Firefly Nights, A Life in Hand, and Making Handmade Books. And for crafty ideas, try Nature's Art Box

Looking for a way to kick off your time outdoors? Try The Squirrel Project, perfect for large groups of children of all ages.

Enhance your nature study with bird watching! Birding is a terrific pastime for all ages, and can even be done inside, with a bird feeder set at just the right window. Use a variety of seed to attract a variety of birds. A good guide to who eats what is the Backyard Birdfeeder's Bible. Find a field guide that's right for your area. I prefer to use Peterson's Guides. These are available for Eastern Birds, Western Birds, Mexican Birds, and Advanced Birding. Handfeeding Backyard Birds is a one of a kind how-to book. Feeding wild birds by HAND will change your view of birds forever. Kids love this! They all look like little St. Francis statues while feeding the birds.  Get a closer look at owls with an online owlcam. If your family is very interested in birding, you can participate in Cornell University's annual bird count, Project Feederwatch.

Of course, you'll want some great living books about birds to fill out your ornithology program this fall. Here are a few of our favorites:

There's an Owl in the Shower is about a family that adopts an owl. Lots of information on owls and conservation.
Arnie: The Darling Starling by Margaret Corbo (out of print--check the library!) This is about a woman who raises a "pest bird," the starling, in Texas. The bird learns how to talk! See the Talking Starling page! (off site)
Make Way for Ducklings  (picture book) The Mallards have landed in Boston, but where will they nest? Turns out, they choose an island right near the Community Sailing boathouse where I learned to sail!
Owls in the Family  What is it about owls and families? This is another great book, this time set in Canada, about a family that adopts 2 owls.
The Coot Club It's an English summer story, but is a fine tale of bird conservation and adventure, honesty and judgment. Vacationing boaters threaten a nest of coots, and the Club tries to save them.
The Pigeon Post Another English summer story, but filled with homing pigeons!
Great Northern? finds the Ds looking for loons!
The Tarantula in My Purse  There are enough birds in this book to qualify. Visit Jean Craighead George's house, and get to know its exotic inhabitants!

Song of the Swallows (Picture book) A boy and a gardener at the mission of San Juan Capistrano enjoy the swallows.
The Story About Ping (Picture book) A duckling is lost and travels the Yangtze river.
My Side of the Mountain A classic survival adventure set in the NY Catskills. Falconry.
Harry's Mad by the Dick King-Smith (author of Babe). A boy inherits a parrot that can really talk--too funny!
The Trumpet of the Swan A boy finds a mute trumpeter swan.

How tiny we seem among the trees.

Crisp was the air, and bright was the sun,

Brilliant and clear dawned this October day:

Flinging out pennons of victory won,

The trees stood flaming in gala array.

--Helen Hawley

Preserving Leaves
(modified from Victorian Family Celebrations by Sarah Ban Breathnach)
Select large branches when leaves have first turned color. Split the stems of your branches about three inches from the bottom; stand them in a bucket of warm water for several hours. If some of the leaves begin to curl, remove them. Prepare a solution of glycerin (available in the laxative section of your local pharmacy) and water by combining two parts water to one part glycerin. Bring the solution to a boil, simmer gently for 10 minutes, and let sit until completely cooled. Cut the bottom of your branches at a very sharp angle and stand your branches in the mixture, storing the container in a cool, dark place until all the glycerin mixture has been absorbed. This will take about a week to 10 days. When you first notice tiny beads of glycerin forming on the leaves, remove them from the solution, wipe down the leaves with a damp paper towel, and dry thoroughly. They may last several seasons!

This is the best time of year to--

Collect wild edibles (to get started, see Wildman Steve Brill's book: Identifying and Harvesting Edible and Medicinal Plants in Wild (And Not So Wild) Places We have had more fun with this book than any other. Brill not only includes accurate descriptions of the edible plants, but also includes folklore and personal anecdotes. This book is so easy to use you'll be eating your lawn in no time.

Bake bread with wild nuts and berries (recipes are in Wildman's book)
Cook outdoors
Hike an old trail
Hike a new trail
Learn the Beaufort scale
Track animals
Collect dried wildflowers (make sure you have permission, and that the flowers are not endangered)
Press flowers (see above)
Build a "survival shelter" from fallen branches and leaves
Sleep in your survival shelter :)
Dig up some pond muck and see what's hiding in it--how do animals live through the winter?
Turn that compost pile and see what's hiding there
Visit a county fair
Go pumpkin picking
Record the temperature daily
Watch clouds
Picnic at an old mill, castle, estate, garden--some place with history--or a shrine.
Breath deeply
Listen to Vivaldi's "Autumn" from The Four Seasons (listen to Amazon samples here)

More living books and "how-tos" for fall:
Flower Fairies of the Autumn Poems and lovely illustrations will help you learn the fall flowers.
Birches by Robert Frost will inspire you to climb trees and get to know them.
Autumn Across America by Seymour Simon, with great photos, and lots of visual information.
Every Autumn Comes the Bear Follow the bear as he searches for a winter den.
When the Frost is on the Punkin' James Whitcomb Riley's poem beautifully illustrated.
Looking for ways to make that "Not-back-to-school" time of year special? Try a few good books with "not-back-to-school" flavor:
Prince Caspian The Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy think that they are on their way back to school, but Aslan has other plans--terrific outdoor adventure.
The Castle of Llyr The Princess is supposed to be taught how to be a lady, but is kidnapped and the adventure begins.
The Hobbit I know it begins in summer, but this book is one I like to read in the fall.
I Am a Home Schooler Photo essay of a homeschooling family.

The Squirrel Project

2011-09-20T13:48:00.000-04:00

The Gray Squirrel Project

A few years ago I was asked to put together a squirrel study for elementary school students. Here's the project I wrote. We have used it in our family and with homeschooling groups with fun and success.

Eastern Gray Squirrel Project (may be modified to work with other squirrels, too)

Read A Squirrel's Tale and The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (Potter) with the younger children, and information on squirrels from or Anna Comstock's handbook for older kids. Discuss squirrel behavior, especially feeding and nut storage.

Research Gray squirrels on the internet.

(According to my research, gray squirrels bury acorns or other nuts randomly, and often don't find them, but may find those buried by others. Those they don't find may become trees!)

The Activity:
This works well as a large group activity. Have each child find 10 acorns or other wild hard-shelled nut (beech or hickory). Mark each child's stash with a different color (nail polish works well). Have the children hide the acorns randomly around a large lawn or park. Leave the area for the next activity.
Find some squirrels, if possible, and observe them for a while, quietly. What are their most common behaviors? Are they fighting? Chasing? Eating? Walking? Foraging? For younger children, you might make up a chart of behaviors, with pictures if necessary, and have the kids check off the behaviors they see. Bring the group together to see which behaviors were noticed most often.

Return to the nut-hiding site. Have the kids collect as many nuts as they can--they may collect other children's nuts, so prepare young ones for this. Sometimes a child might get upset if he doesn't find any, or if another child finds his. At the end of a given time period (about the same time it took to hide the nuts), have the kids show how many of theirs they found, and how many of someone else's they found. If older kids help the younger kids, ask them if they think a real squirrel would do the same.

Discussion:
How many acorns did you find in total? Is that more or less than the group had to start? How many did each child find of his own? Of others? Did you find any unmarked? Who is most likely to survive ? What happens to the nuts that no one finds?*
Add your own questions, and have fun!

Other Squirrel ideas:

Feed the squirrels with their own feeder

Put up a large nest box for squirrels in winter and breeding season

Research other kinds of squirrels

Find out why squirrels are sometimes considered "pests" or "invaders"

Visit a wildlife refuge and talk to the rehab people about rearing young squirrels

Research squirrel behavior

Keep a squirrel notebook

Research squirrel predators (hint: examine owl pellets for squirrel remains)

Squirrels are rodents. Are there any other rodents native to your area?

Even though they are called "gray squirrels," some are black. Are there any black squirrels in your neighborhood? (I have seen them here in Bellerose NY, Toronto, Amherst MA, and the Bronx...)

*Don't store acorns for a long period of time--acorn grubs are in most acorns...either toss them back into the wild, or, if they are white oak acorns, make acorn pancakes before the grubs grow (recipe from Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad and other Wild Recipes by Jean Craighead George). Acorns taste nasty until processed, though!
Copyright 2001 MacBeth Derham

Internet Otter-trawl

2011-09-19T21:38:00.000-04:00

Fishy finds and treasures from the 'net.

Education:
5 Reasons to get Rid of the Dept. of Ed. from Doug Ross
Character without Values from CMR
Vouchers in Indiana from Pajamas Media

Politics:
Coercive Liberalism from First Things
Why Obama was Never Going to be the next FDR from The Atlantic

Religion:
Psychology of DaVinci Code Enthusiasts from Insight Scoop

Radically Silly:
A Report from the Occupation of Wall Street from The Awl
Day of Fail from Zombie (the best political photo essays on the 'net; language warning)

Does Our Education System Spawn Genius?

2011-09-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

Has it ever?

I read two "if only" posts today on EdWeek-affiliated blogs. The first, Who Will Be Our Next Walt Disney? takes a look at schools and innovations in education, including science and technology initiatives. The blogger's conclusion, in part:

What can students who do not live near a STEM or magnet school do to find creativity? [Homeschool!] Many of us spent our seasons playing outside in the woods or on child-made baseball fields where we played baseball for five or six hours. Our winters were spent sledding down big hills and making snowmen in freezing temperatures and we lived to talk about it as older adults. Sometimes disconnecting from the internet allows us to reconnect with our larger world. It is possible to find creativity within our own thoughts without the distraction of the internet and television.

As a homeschooler, of course, I have long given up the idea that any school reform might work, and I read the above with interest. Time out of doors! It seems that it is a remedy for nearly every problem that ails schoolchildren. Anthony Esolen's wonderful book, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child describes this remedy in more depth, and it's a great read. Treat yourself. I also recommend a good biography of Walt Disney, like Walt Disney: An American Original. Or, if you want some brief info now, check out the wiki page. Walt got his art training on Saturdays at the Kansas City Art Institute, and at the Chicago Art Institute by taking evening classes, not at school. In fact, as is true of so many geniuses...he was what we might unkindly call a "drop-out."

Will building time in to school schedules promote Disney-esque creativity, as the blog author suggests? I doubt it. No matter how much time they use for creative pursuits, schools cannot duplicate the events in the life of a creative genius. Will we send children to France to drive an ambulance in post war Europe? Will our 16 year old children drop out of school to work in factories? Will they suffer rejection, time after time, when seeking employment? Many factors hone innate genius; schooling is only one of those factors, and very often, it is not the most important.

The second article, America's Strength: An Innovation Economy, actually refers back to an op-ed, China's Rise Isn't Our Demise, by non-genius Joe Biden. The blogger quotes Mr. Biden:

"The United States is hard-wired for innovation. Competition is in the very fabric of our society. It has enabled each generation of Americans to give life to world-changing ideas—from the cotton gin to the airplane, the microchip, the Internet. We owe our strength to our political and economic system and to the way we educate our children—not merely to accept established orthodoxy but to challenge and improve it... Our universities remain the ultimate destination for the world's students and scholars."

Well, he's half right. America's unique political and economic systems are conducive to innovation, and our colleges do draw applicants from all over the world. But the way we educate our children? Maybe a time long ago, before compulsory high school, when being a "drop-out" wasn't stigmatized...for our list of American geniuses is comprised of those who could not or would not succeed within the system. Eli Whitney, inventor of that cotton gin Mr. Biden uses as an example, was not in school at age 14, but was running a small manufacturing business. When Whitney wanted to go to college, he prepared for Yale at a private school. He was not a product of a compulsory, standardized education. Neither of the Wright Brothers graduated from high school. Jack Kilby, Nobel prize-winning physicist, was one of many in a long line of innovators who brought the microchip to us, and not all of them were American. He took college classes while in high school to supplement his public education. And Robert Noyce, the microchip's co-inventor, was building dangerous backyard toys (like a functioning personal airplane) at age 12; I suspect this was not a school-sponsored project. As for the inventor of the internet...the less said about him, the better. But go beyond Biden's short list of great American innovations, and pick some wonderful inventions at random. Very often, an unconventionally educated individual is responsible.

If there is any correlation between innovation and our educational system, it is that we have had, in the past, great freedom to use it, or not, as we see fit. We have never really had a unified national system like so many other countries have. Is that a good thing? Yes! But as we creep towards a centralized curriculum, and give government more control over choices in education while taking those choices away from parents, and as we continue to stigmatize those who "drop-out," hold GEDs instead of traditional diplomas, and homeschool, mightn't we be guilty of curtailing the very freedoms that have nurtured innovation in the past?

My favorite educational reform movement (aside from homeschooling) is the Children and Nature Network, and the ongoing effort of this group to get children outside by informing teachers and parents about the deep need for time spent out of doors. But then, the worst happened...the government got involved, with the introduction of a "No Child Left Inside" act. Sure, it's bi-partisan. Sure, it is well-intentioned. But has government ever, EVER co-opted a great grass-roots idea and turned it into a disaster? Once or twice? Um...let's keep this movement out of the hands of the government school bureaucrats.

Let's allow freedom in education to spawn the next generations of innovators, just as it has in the past.

Who knows what time outside exploring might inspire?

A broken tree might inspire a materials scientist to invent more flexible compunds.

A hike at low tide might inspire new energy systems.

Tossing leaves off a bridge might inspire a better parachute design.

Hiking along a sea wall might inspire better coastal hurricane protection.

Merchant of Venice Highlights

2011-09-18T17:20:00.001-04:00

Can it be that I forgot a blog post on Merchant? Here are a few photos from the Front Lawn Players' 2011 production:

High School Astronomy Books (because a friend asked)

2011-09-08T15:48:00.000-04:00

Originally from MacBeth's Opinion website.
(Most links are to Amazon...you know the drill. Links are for convenience. Most books are available in the library. Some are available on Kindle! If you buy a book, Amazon gives me a tiny bit of dough towards books for my homeschool--no pressure, ever).

"And behold, the star that they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly." (Matthew 2:9)

"At the dead of night, two noble planets, Tarva and Alambil, will pass within one degree of each other. Such a conjunction has not occurred for two hundred years." --Dr. Cornelius in Prince Caspian

"Dear old leopard." --Lucy in Prince Caspian, admiring the Narnian constellations

As a spine: Astronomy: A Self-teaching Guide

365 Starry Nights : An Introduction to Astronomy for Every Night of the Year by Chet Raymo (astronomy lessons night by night) .

For the more advanced astronomy student:

With a good back yard telescope, and not too much effort, this is one fun book: The Year-Round Messier Marathon Field Guide : With Complete Maps, Charts and Tips to Guide You to Enjoying the Most Famous List of Deep-Sky Objects by H. C. Pennington (whew!) The Messier objects (about 100 of them) were catalogued in the 1700's by Charles Messier, a comet hunter who was annoyed by "fuzzy objects" that were not comets in the sky. He catalogued them to get them out of the way! His list includes star clusters and galaxies, all fairly easy to find (even with 1700's technology).

Need information about tonight's sky??

Online, Sky and Telescope magazine is the best source for finding out what planets can be seen from your location and when they rise and set. It also includes meteor showers, comets, etc.

And some good theory books for high school and beyond?

Brother Astronomer: Adventures of a Vatican Scientist by Guy Consolmagno This is such a great book! Find out just why the Vatican keeps an astronomer in this Jesuit's biography. Journey with him to Antarctica to hunt for meteorites. Enlightening! Also by Brother Consolmagno: Turn Left at Orion will help the back-yard astronomer find 100 objects in the night sky through the year 2006.
Seeing in the Dark The truth is out! Most great astronomical discoveries are made by amateur astronomers! Be inspired to join their ranks!

Diversions for discussion:
God and the Astronomers by Robert Jastrow delves into the design of the universe.
The Creator and the Cosmos : How the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Century Reveal God
by Hugh Ross
The Sun in the Church : Cathedrals As Solar Observatories by J. L. Heilbron
Star Names Their Lore and Their Meaning by Richard Allen

Check out NASA's Photo of the Day!

Unschooling: Between Always and Never

2011-09-06T16:17:00.000-04:00

We always never have a first day of school.

When the kids were very young and at the beach, they made some friends who were amazed that they had never been to school.
"How do you learn things?" they asked.
My oldest, probably around 8 or 9 at the time, replied, "Well, we are always learning things. Don't you learn things outside of school?"
The blunt reply was, "No, never. Why would we want to do that?"

We always never separate life and lessons.

Clearly, there was a communication gap. The other kids equated learning with lessons in a classroom. And that was something they did not want to do all the time.

But that's not what learning really is, as homeschoolers find out rather quickly. Learning is an ongoing process; it happens everywhere and all the time. We don't have a set school time every day in our house, nor do we have activities or books or lessons which are "school" things specifically, only to be used for lessons at a desk. Oh, I suppose the kids would point to the several math books that float around as the most schooly books in the house, but even they are always never opened at a specific hour.

I have been homeschooling for 18 years, and my view of homeschooling has changed dramatically. Full of enthusiasm after my first conference, I brought home tons of books and supplies and manipulatives, and other things that would make my homeschool ultimate. Most were lost or never used as intended, especially the busy work from a popular curriculum provider. I understand that curriculum providers and umbrella schools are a wonderful and necessary resource for many families. But none is a good fit for us, so we (since that first year) always never use one. Even those who use these resources know that learning is bigger than the box the books are shipped in.

And we always never use desks.

I once bought a school desk at a yard sale. A desk!! It has never been used for lessons, but has alternately held a printer, ink and paper, or has served a just-another-horizontal-place-to-put-stuff. Mostly, it has just been in the way.

I quickly learned that the most important piece of furniture in my homeschool is the couch (or a comfy chair, as the kids get older and spread out). The most important resources are those the kids love--good books, online resources, good people we know, and most of all, the great outdoors. I began collecting real books, and gave the school books away.

The oldest child is always the guinea pig, suffering through all of the mistakes. Fortunately, my oldest was also my best teacher, and she frequently let me know what wasn't working. The others followed, each with his own way of learning. These were lessons for me, and I was quickly learning that learning happens all the time, to all of us.

I always never fail to learn from the kids. Usually.

A friend once asked T* how he learned geography. He replied, "I have maps on my walls, and I look at them." This year, on his way to college, he did most of the driving and all the navigation between here and California. We never had a lesson on "how to get across the country" or even, "Which way is California?" The same boy, at 17, planned and executed a three-day solo bike ride up the Hudson River Valley, passing through Manhattan, over bridges, and even sleeping outside, completely on his own (though he was aided and greeted at his destination--he is blessed to have good friends in far-away places!!).

Corollary: We never always know what are kids are capable of doing unless we let them try.

That is not to say that lessons always never happen. Sometimes a kid needs help with learning to read (but we don't have to do reading daily at 9am), or learning to measure (why not do that while baking a cake?), or with visualizing glacial geology (time for a hike!). As my kids can tell, you, I can certainly lecture when necessary. I try not to bore, and I pray I am successful.

So, when the bells ring in the school yard a few blocks away, we won't jump to our books. For us, there is no first day of school. We don't have to start learning, because we never stop; we are always learning. And somewhere, between always and never, the kids grow up, find their own way, and their own interests...and leave for college.

I always hope they never forget they are learning all the time.

*Quick disclaimer: T did go to high school. I have not held that against him, nor does that preclude him from being a homeschooler...once a homeschooler, always never not a homeschooler.

Clucking in Church

2011-09-04T21:36:00.000-04:00

We walked into the chapel at TAC for a look and a prayer. There was one student kneeling in a pew, and the three of us, T, L and I, instinctively sat on the other side so as not to disturb her. We chose a pew in the Catholic way...not too close, but not too far, and knelt for our own silent prayers....

I think I heard the other person leave.

Suddenly, in the quiet of that place, I got an urge. Oh, I tried to suppress it, I really did, but the desire grew in my mind. In that very silent space, hearing nothing but the sound of my silly mind, I had the urge to make a clucking sound with my tongue...you know, just to test the acoustics. I am sure you will all be happy to hear...

I resisted.

Suddenly, next to me (and I won't say which of my offspring it was who did it), I heard a "cluck."

The chapel has great acoustics.

Angelic guardians of the acoustics.

I hope the confessionals are soundproofed.

That Visit to Meteor Crater

2011-08-30T14:46:00.002-04:00

A few years ago we "accidentally" visited Meteor Crater while driving along I40 in Arizona. I say accidentally, because my dear husband did the road trip planning, and it's not the kind of place he would notice. Hoover Dam? Yes. Impact crater? No. But when I saw the sign, I knew we had to stop. And it was so much fun that T and I decided it was worth revisiting with L as we headed out to California.

Last time we visited, it was 15 minutes before closing. There were no tours left, and we pretty much had the crater viewing area all to ourselves. While a bit rushed, it was amazing to see the sun set over the rim!

This time, we planned to get there in the afternoon and have lunch at Subway (in the visitors' center) before we set off for the final leg of our journey. The day was glorious, and the crater was just as we remembered it. For L, it was her first look at the big hole in the ground. We watched the brief film and caught a tour with Edwardo, who gave us an overview of the history and geology. He was terrific.

We took a few photos:

Sign of a Crater

The Crater looms ahead

Pay to enter

Edwardo

Crater...see the hawk? Dead center? Click to zoom!

crater

bottom of crater

T preparing to take a photo

L preparing to take a photo

L and T compare impressions

The three intrepid travelers!

The near rim of the crater

The far rim of the crater

Above the visitor center

Struggling up the stairs...blah.

Looking down on the lower viewing station

By the time I was done climbing back up the stairs, I was craving the margarita that Edwardo offered in jest. Some things you just oughtn't joke about, Edwardo. ;)

BTW, when Google maps says it's 10 hours from Meteor Crater to TAC, they are right on the money.

Tie a Yellow Police Line 'Round the Old Oak Tree

2011-08-28T15:20:00.000-04:00

Or, you really need to walk around the neighborhood to find what the storm really did.

The Forgotten Pages: India

2011-08-28T14:53:00.000-04:00

Well, sort of. I compiled a set of recommended books for a study of India a few years ago, but thought that it had disappeared from my MacBeth's Opinion when I decided to go back to the free (and ad-laden) basic website. Instead, I discovered a browser issue: The page just doesn't load for Chrome. So, I am transferring this list of my favorite books on India and Indian culture to the blog, right here! I hope it is useful to someone, and my apologies to the friend who was looking for books on India one day, and I dropped the ball.

My interest in India I get from my father, who studied eastern philosophy with Sahakian in college. My father never traveled to India, but told me of a friend and classmate who did; the poor fellow got off the plane, looked around, and got right back on and returned to the US. (I am not sure if this classmate changed his major, and the only other thing I remember about him is that he had a cat with horrid scars from going through the dryer accidentally.)

My first teacher was an Indian woman (a Buddhist married to a Brit) who ran an excellent pre-school in Boston. I was but three years old, but remember the school vividly; it was wonderful. Thank you, Mrs. Renfrew!

In addition to the books here, I recommend rounding out a study of India with a visit to an Indian restaurant or grocer. We do, often...Remember this post about Paul's discovery of Sweet Paan? That was a fun thing to try (once).

Picture books:

A Curly Tale

Magic Vessels

Hiss Don't Bite

Eyes on the Peacock's Tail

One Grain Of Rice

Folktales from India

The Ninth Jewel of the Mughal Crown ...

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi

Savitri

Aani & the Tree Huggers

Monsoon

The Brave Little Parrot

Rama and Sita

The Story of Divaali

The Little Brown Jay

The Monkey and the Crocodile

Seven Blind Mice

I Once Was a Monkey

Buddha Stories

The Wisdom of the Crows and Other Bu...

Twenty Jataka Tales

How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head

Novels:

Kim

The Jungle Book

Gay Neck

Siddhartha (high school)

Non-fiction:

Mother Teresa

Come and See

Hindu Festivals Throughout the Year ...

Look what comes from...India

Disclosure: As usual, these books are available in most library systems. The Amazon links are provided for convenience, and I do make an absurdly small profit from your purchase (which in turn is spent on books for my own homeschool...)

This ought to be an ad for cell coverage

2011-08-27T00:10:00.000-04:00

Alcohol and Hurricane Preparedness Round-up

2011-08-26T20:33:00.001-04:00

"We're going to ride this out with granola bars and Jameson," vowed a visitor to NYC. I can't imagine that combination, but if I were desperate for processed grain snacks, I guess those would be good choices.

Or perhaps the whiskey is for medicinal purposes.

U.S. News reminds us, "Time's running out for east coasters to grab their beer and bread and brace themselves for Hurricane Irene..." So, I'm baking a loaf right now. Wouldn't want to be caught unprepared.

Here's a suggested "hurricane kit" including milk, cookies and wine. Makes sense. Makes more sense than buzzing down to the beach to surf.

For those of you in Boston, the Back Bay Patch has this tip (and others): Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale is now on shelves. Yep. Priorities, folks. I'm glad to see the BB Patch is on top of the real needs of its readers, just like our local version. And I see the locals in my old neighborhood are going to party out the storm. “It’s not like people will think ‘Oh no, I can’t go out,’” said a beer manager at a store in Allston.

In New Jersey? No different. They can't find batteries anywhere, but this resident found all she needed: “Alcohol, soda and water. Ice, bread and junk food,” she said. “Got peanut butter, making sure we have flashlights.”

But I have been noticing that many of my friends are putting wine on their lists of "must have" items for hurricane preparedness. I'll get some tomorrow. I wonder if Hurricane Ridge Cab will be available?

So, what are you getting at the store? ;)

On Lewis and Librarians

2011-08-24T11:46:00.001-04:00

As a child, I spent a good deal of time in the Brighton Branch of the Boston Public Library. It was (and still is) a "modern" building, built in 1969 to replace a venerable old brownstone. The link above includes a slideshow of the old facility and its patrons, as well as still photos of the new facility, with a teen cafe-style lounge, and reading nook (and I note that the old interior photos always seem to include folks reading books, whereas the new photos show no patrons...odd). I can't help but think the older building had a charm and warmth that I never felt in the newer one. Still, the children's librarian was cheery, and I soon discovered that she had a special place in her heart for C. S. Lewis.

I had discovered Lewis in 2nd grade, under the influence of a young teacher who came in as a maternity replacement halfway through the school year. My school was a public school, so she never mentioned any Christian themes in the Chronicles of Narnia as she read them aloud to the class. After that introduction, I read them and reread them over again, always thinking there was some message just out of reach. A few years later, while sitting in the library's children's reading room, I overheard some of the 6th graders from the local parochial school asking the librarian for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Somehow in the conversation I overheard her say the name "Jesus" and the whole message dawned on me. How could I have been so dense?

Imagine my delight, then, when visiting the library at Thomas Aquinas College last week, and seeing a well-stocked Lewis section.

L immediately reached for the books she so loves. We looked at the covers of older editions of his works, and tried to find which were the oldest copies. It's a book thing, I guess. T, meanwhile, was reading through his first assignment, which was Lewis' essay, "Learning in Wartime."

As we left, we passed the checkout desk to pay for a book (they were having a discard sale) that L picked up on Danish literature. We were delighted to find this admonition:

A bit later in the day we were back in the library for a tour with the librarian, the very amazing and enthusiastic Viltus Jatulis. L whispered to me (it was a library, after all) that it would be worth going to TAC just to enjoy her company in the library. High praise. I wish I had taken a video of her presentation and tour of the rare book collection; her tour should be on the TAC website so students get an idea of the kind of place this really is--a place where learning is cherished. I could spend years in that room alone, perusing the medieval manuscripts!

The Biggest Thing I Hit This Time

2011-08-23T21:19:00.001-04:00

Signs Along the Way

2011-08-23T20:33:00.000-04:00

Shovel ready!

Could that be his real name?

A tempting stop.

That creature offering me coffee is a bit of a nightmare.

Not.

Caves are cool!

Lots of Indians selling things.

AH!

Caves are good hideouts.

That's innovation.

Do they Bar-B-Q Hicks?

Looking for him all my life.

Biggest bra billboard I have ever seen. Only bra billboard, too.

Running bourbon?

Must be...

Unitarian Universalists must exit.

I bet this place sucks.

This sign should be more widely displayed.

CANDY!!! (Yes, we stopped!)

A Quake!

2011-08-23T14:33:00.001-04:00

So I dropped T in California on Thursday, and sent Libby to San Francisco this morning, and both miss the very strong quake that just hit the northeast.

Hey, speaking of quake, remember Quake Cereal? Yeah, Quisp was better.
I guess it's a good day to break out the Earthquake books.

And here's a research project for your older kids today...why is Seismology (the study of earthquakes) often called the Jesuit Science? Map the quake from its epicenter. Check for tsunami warnings. What kind of waves propagate from the epicenter? Record the impact it had on your area. Compare with the large destructive quakes which have hit New Zealand, Japan, Chile and Haiti over this past year. Keep an eye on the USGS website. Download the earthquake app for android! It's free (but it will drive you crazy; earthquakes are happening all around us).

Ma'am, I'm Going to Have to See Your Apples

2011-08-23T01:17:00.000-04:00

So, T was driving when we arrived in California. Up ahead of us we saw a road block...immigration check, we wonder? No. It's the food police. Seriously. The California Dept. of Ag. was stopping every car coming in on I40 and asking if there are fruit or vegetables in the car.

"Where are you coming from today?" the Ag. officer asked.
"New York," I replied cheerfully. I did not feel cheerful. I thought he was going to ask for all our I.D.s to make sure we were citizens. Or something.

"That's a long haul," he said with all the bureaucratic charm he could muster.

"Yes!"

"Ma'am, this is an agricultural stop. Do you have any fruits or vegetables in your vehicle?"

I stared wide-eyed. They stopped me for this? "Um...I have some apples in the cooler."

"Ma'am, I'm Going to Have to See Your Apples."

Could my bleary, sleep-deprived eyes grown any wider, they would have. I hopped, or, rather, stiffly lurched, out of the car, opened the back, and took a half-empty bag of golden delicious apples out of the cooler. One fell out of the bag and rolled away. The nice Ag guy watched as the apple rolled towards him, and looked up at me. I felt as though I had just dropped a bit of contraband. In fact, I have never felt so guilty about apples.

"Those appear to be Washington State apples, Ma'am. Those are fine."

I was so relieved as he confirmed his guess by looking at the label on the bag. Yes. I had returned the apples 3000 miles to the west coast. He continued. Really.

"Ma'am, just for future information, we want you to know that we encourage you to eat fruits and vegetables." More relief.

"Just so you know, you cannot bring certain fruits into the state of California. Those fruits include blueberries and strawberries." I gave him a funny glance. "I mean, blueberries and cherries, not strawberries. Strawberries are fine."

My normally scientific brain, having rigorously read the road for nearly 3000 miles, turned completely off as he freely offered an explanation. All I heard next was "Blah blah fruit flies blah blah inspection blah blah."

"OK," I said, "that's good to know."

"And Ma'am," Would this never end? "If you bring apples into California again, just slice them. We will not require inspection if you have cut them up into small slices and put them in a zip-lock bag."

I blinked like an idiot. Several times.

"OK," I said again. Gosh, what else could I have said? I mean, here the guy was telling me that I could have avoided all this trouble had I only pre-processed my fruit? Really? And next time, if stopped, I could claim my apples were sliced, and drive right on through? Could this be real, or was it all an odd dream devised by my sleep-deprived brain? No. L and T confirmed that it actually occurred. In fact, L said it was all she could do to keep herself from laughing at the way I stared at the Ag guy.

"Ma'am, may I assume you don't want the dropped apple?"

"Yeah, no." I left the apple. He set it on the table next to the pile of potential paperwork he had set up for unsuspecting blueberry smugglers. I got back in the car, and T pulled carefully away from the Dept. of Ag. stop.

********************

Want more apple stories? Try some Apple Books, just for fun (Amazon affiliate link; no slicing necessary).

Libby and Friends Play Ravel

2011-08-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

Maud Muller: A Portrait of my Great-great-grandmother

2011-07-28T19:02:00.006-04:00

I have this print hanging in my living room. It is the work of my great-great-grandfather, J. Howard Collier (see his Little Bo Peep and a print of the BVM "after J. Howard Collier." More of his original work is privately owned, much by my family). The model is his wife, Nancy. The title of the portrait is "Maud Muller." It was chosen by Whittier as the first prize winner in an illustration contest in 1863. Interestingly, there was some sort of Act of Congress involved according to the text on the print--perhaps copyright matters? One would think Congress too busy that year for matters as trivial as art. Or, perhaps, Congress understood its true limited function. In any case, despite Google searches, this is the only image of this Maud Muller I could find, and it predates the others. And I rather like it.

I just realized that it reminds me of Annika in As You Like It:

This image is more common:

Several of the other prints of Maud do include that rake that leans behind her. I do not think that my great-great-grandfather got the perspective of his rake quite right, but his wife will always be the Maud Muller to us.

Here is the poem:

Maud Muller, on a summer's day,
Raked the meadow sweet with hay.

Beneath her torn hat glowed the wealth
Of simple beauty and rustic health.

Singing, she wrought, and her merry glee
The mock-bird echoed from his tree.

But when she glanced to the far-off town,
White from its hill-slope looking down,

The sweet song died, and a vague unrest
And a nameless longing filled her breast,—

A wish that she hardly dared to own,
For something better than she had known.

The Judge rode slowly down the lane,
Smoothing his horse's chestnut mane.

He drew his bridle in the shade
Of the apple-trees to greet the maid,

And ask a draught from the spring that flowed
Through the meadow across the road.

She stooped where the cool spring bubbled up,
And filled for him her small tin cup,

And blushed as she gave it, looking down
On her feet so bare, and her tattered gown.

"Thanks!" said the Judge; "a sweeter draught
From a fairer hand was never quaffed."

He spoke of the grass and flowers and trees,
Of the singing birds and the humming bees;

Then talked of the haying, and wondered whether
The cloud in the west would bring foul weather.

And Maud forgot her brier-torn gown
And her graceful ankles bare and brown;

And listened, while a pleased surprise
Looked from her long-lashed hazel eyes.

At last, like one who for delay
Seeks a vain excuse, he rode away.

Maud Muller looked and sighed: "Ah me!
That I the Judge's bride might be!

"He would dress me up in silks so fine,
And praise and toast me at his wine.

"My father should wear a broadcloth coat;
My brother should sail a painted boat.

"I'd dress my mother so grand and gay,
And the baby should have a new toy each day.

"And I'd feed the hungry and clothe the poor,
And all should bless me who left our door."

The Judge looked back as he climbed the hill,
And saw Maud Muller standing still.

"A form more fair, a face more sweet,
Ne'er hath it been my lot to meet.

"And her modest answer and graceful air
Show her wise and good as she is fair.

"Would she were mine, and I to-day,
Like her, a harvester of hay:

"No doubtful balance of rights and wrongs,
Nor weary lawyers with endless tongues,

"But low of cattle and song of birds,
And health and quiet and loving words."

But he thought of his sisters proud and cold,
And his mother vain of her rank and gold.

So, closing his heart, the Judge rode on,
And Maud was left in the field alone.

But the lawyers smiled that afternoon,
When he hummed in court an old love-tune;

And the young girl mused beside the well,
Till the rain on the unraked clover fell.

He wedded a wife of richest dower,
Who lived for fashion, as he for power.

Yet oft, in his marble hearth's bright glow,
He watched a picture come and go;

And sweet Maud Muller's hazel eyes
Looked out in their innocent surprise.

Oft, when the wine in his glass was red,
He longed for the wayside well instead;

And closed his eyes on his garnished rooms
To dream of meadows and clover-blooms.

And the proud man sighed, with a secret pain,
"Ah, that I were free again!

"Free as when I rode that day,
Where the barefoot maiden raked her hay."

She wedded a man unlearned and poor,
And many children played round her door.

But care and sorrow, and childbirth pain,
Left their traces on heart and brain.

And oft, when the summer sun shone hot
On the new-mown hay in the meadow lot,

And she heard the little spring brook fall
Over the roadside, through the wall,

In the shade of the apple-tree again
She saw a rider draw his rein.

And, gazing down with timid grace,
She felt his pleased eyes read her face.

Sometimes her narrow kitchen walls
Stretched away into stately halls;

The weary wheel to a spinet turned,
The tallow candle an astral burned,

And for him who sat by the chimney lug,
Dozing and grumbling o'er pipe and mug,

A manly form at her side she saw,
And joy was duty and love was law.

Then she took up her burden of life again,
Saying only, "It might have been."

Alas for maiden, alas for Judge,
For rich repiner and household drudge!

God pity them both! and pity us all,
Who vainly the dreams of youth recall.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

Ah, well! for us all some sweet hope lies
Deeply buried from human eyes;

And, in the hereafter, angels may
Roll the stone from its grave away!

Someplace Warm

2011-07-23T17:46:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday, the hottest day in 10 years, I took Annika to visit Wheaton College in Norton Massachusetts. Wheaton is one of those small liberal arts colleges that are so common throughout New England, and is also a former women's college. (Frankly, I think women's colleges are a good thing, in general, but there are few left, and most colleges do offer some housing options for women only.) Despite its origins as a women's seminary (like Mount Holyoke), Wheaton is quite secular. But we were charmed, nonetheless. Everyone smiles, and the presentations from current students, career services (they gave Annika a fun t-shirt), and a professor of art history (one of Annika's interests) were all excellent and informative. I believe she will be applying.

Well, probably. She really wants to go "someplace warm." But, honestly, Dear, this was the hottest school I have visited since the University of Kansas in the summer of 1980. "Haha" was pretty much the response I got from her.

"Twisted Sisters"--large art on campus

But still, she did like it. On the way up and back, we listened to a lecture series by their resident medieval and Tolkien scholar Prof. Drout, which was really wonderful. And the art history lab demo during the tour was fun and informative, guided by the affable and lively Prof. Staudinger who demonstrated infectious enthusiasm for her work on French medieval cathedrals. Plus, they offer ancient Greek to satisfy their language requirement.

The campus is beautiful, if rather typical of the NE LA colleges--a mixture of Georgian and modern architecture, a small pond (featuring a great blue heron), a central college green, a multi-purpose chapel--and is surrounded by a quaint New England village, including the cliched former Congregationalist churches which are now Unitarian and probably mostly empty. The Catholic church in town is a nearly 2 mile walk along the same street as the college, and is, of course, the ugliest building in town, but Mass is offered in the chapel on Sundays. I did not see any evidence of a Newman club, or any Catholic outreach. But with relatives less than an hour away, I guess it'd be fine.

Afterwards we went up to Auntie Rose's house and had a swim in the pool. The pool was 85 degrees, and hardly refreshing, but it was better than nothing. And the company was wonderful (my mom was visiting my aunt!). Back home by 11pm...and it was still hot.

The Forgotten Pages: Geography

2011-07-21T23:06:00.001-04:00

From MacBeth's Opinion website:

Geography, like literature, is a living subject. Avoid the temptation to use a text! It has a history and a future, and is beautiful and fascinating, when presented in an engaging manner. Here are some ideas and books to help you draw your children into the world of geography.

Start simply, with directions

Left, right, backwards, forwards--Don't forget up and down!

Show the children the 4 cardinal directions, north, south, east and west

Learn to use a directional compass

Set up a treasure hunt using a compass, or simple directions for younger kids

When in the car, going somewhere familiar, have the children tell you where to turn

Have older kids write directions (to a store, or friends' houses) for younger kids

Let the kids help plan your next trip, with maps and guide books

Keep a geography center, including:

Maps, both physical and political

a globe

books

National Geographic Magazine (includes at least 5 maps per yearly subscription)

compass (both kinds)

pencils and paper

ruler, protractor

markers

dough recipes for geological features (see Glues, Brews and Goos)

discovery timeline

Reference Books for Geography

Kids' Road Atlas From Rand McNally, this is a real road map, with games and ideas for young travelers

National Geographic Atlas of the World Simply the best; large format, and well worth the money

NGS Student Atlas of the World Get the School and Library binding, not the paperback!

The American Road Trip Planner big and beautiful, from NGS

Blank Map Outlines: United States and World

How the Heather Looks (using British Children's books for geography)

Storybook Travels (using children's books for geographic travels)

Use Non Fiction and Journals:

Dove (a boy's journey around the world alone; wonderful for older high school students)

Voyage of the Beagle

Kon-Tiki

Use Literature to learn geography, and make it a living subject!

World Geography:

Homesick (an American girl lives in China)

Around the World in 80 Days

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (click here for the wonderful audio version)

Islands:

Secret Water (from the Swallows and Amazons series; great living book with map-making)

Island of the Blue Dolphins (Alone on an island; descriptive passages with geographic features)

The Cay (history and geography during WWII in the Caribbean)

Rivers:

Paddle to the Sea, also available on audio!

Minn of the Mississippi

Going West:

For the youngest (rhyming books about the west by Verla Kay)--Gold Fever and Covered Wagons, Bumpy Trails

Tree in the Trail

The West

Little House Books

West from Home: The Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Explorers (please e-mail me with your favorites!):

Brendan the Navigator:

The Brendan Voyage

Brendan the Navigator

Columbus:

A Picture Book of Christopher Columb...

Where Do You Think You're Going, Chr...

Leif Eriksson

Magellan

To the Edge of the World

Silly stuff for learning fun:

Animaniacs Terrific geography songs!
Click here to Play Geography Games!

Thanks to Jen for reminding me. :)

YA: Romancing the Misery

2011-07-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Last May, at the Book Expo here in NY, I was struck by Sarah Dessen's frank admission (and her free whoopie pies!) about becoming the author of Young Adult books by accident. It seems that when she wrote her first book, she the audience she intended to address was adult, meaning, "grown up," not teens. I have never read a book by Ms. Dessen (though she was a delightful and engaging speaker), but I was amused by her admission. And it got me wondering, just what is a YA book? After looking around the expo, booklists, and library, I came to the shocking conclusion: YA books, for the most part, were books I didn't want my YAs reading. Self indulgent books about drugs, sex, suicide, and every dark thing you can imagine...

Yet, books that deal with all of these matters are not new; "adult" books on these themes have existed since...well, earliest writings, including the Bible. But there is a curious crudeness about the genre. These books seem to, with rare exception, hit one over the head bluntly with bitter misery. Do they enlighten? Do they enrich the YA's life? Or do they just bog teens down in a morass of murky, muddy self pity?
...

When I began this post several weeks ago, I anticipated reading a few of the worst titles in the genre. Since then, this article and this follow-up in the Wall Street Journal and Erin Manning's terrific take (start here) on YA have made my thoughts rather a perfunctory addition to the chatter.

Read all the above, but read this article, as well, on a book about teen suicide that "saves lives" (how does one quantify that assertion?). A follow-up interview with the author of that book is here. I had to laugh as he accused Gurdon (the WSJ book reviewer): "...the tone in her article was very confrontational..." Perhaps he should write a YA book about how to deal with people who disagree with you.

Debate is welcome here, as always.

This Photo from Libby's French Adventure...

2011-07-16T14:31:00.001-04:00

(I know it's dark, but take a good look...it was not edited at all)

reminds me of this cover of a certain book by C. S. Lewis:

The Magician's Nephew

Book cover look-alikes are a favorite pastime of mine. Check out these.

Free Science PDFs from National Academy Press

2011-06-05T12:06:00.000-04:00

This just in:

The National Academies—National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, Institute of Medicine, and National Research Council—are committed to distributing their reports to as wide an audience as possible. Since 1994 we have offered “Read for Free” options for almost all our titles. In addition, we have been offering free downloads of most of our titles to everyone and of all titles to readers in the developing world. We are now going one step further. Effective June 2nd, PDFs of reports that are currently for sale on the National Academies Press (NAP) Website and PDFs associated with future reports* will be offered free of charge to all Web visitors.

Check it out and see if anything will help with your homeschool! http://www.nap.edu/

Outside the Window

2011-06-04T14:33:00.001-04:00

A balanced diet.

Thanks to T for calling me to the window. We saw the baby first, blending in, perfectly still. Then the parent came by with a bright red berry. Yum.

Taste Test: Civet Cat Coffee

2011-05-28T15:24:00.000-04:00

Setting the Set for Merchant of Venice

2011-05-14T01:43:00.000-04:00

It's modular.

Weedwhacker of the Apocalypse

2011-05-10T14:54:00.001-04:00

(or, How MacBeth Spent Her Afternoon)

I went to whack the weeds, I went
With weedwhacker in hand,
I planned to whack down all the weeds
Across my patch of land.
But when I saw the violets,
so green and lush and full,
I pulled the weeds around them out
But these I could not cull.

I docked the dock, took pokeweed down
and trimmed the side and drive.
I stopped and spied the work of mice,
And wasps (a paper hive!).
The mice had eaten cherry stones
And left them on the slate;
The wasps were eating clothespin wood--
My clothesline was their plate.

The dandelions lost their heads;
I let daylillies grow.
I also let a flower stay
(It's name I do not know).
I trimmed around the tree until
Tart sorrel's yellow bloom
Defeated me; I had to stop
And grab the dusty broom.

(Click on photos for a closer look. Copyright 2011.)

Yeah, But Look What they Did to MY God!

2011-04-21T12:06:00.001-04:00

I was sitting in the car in the fire zone at the supermarket waiting for one of the kids to come out with a few groceries, when a car pulled in front of us. It was a minivan equipped with one of those rear seat "entertainment" packages. I could clearly see a child's cartoon through the windshield, and tried to figure out what was on. An Indian man got out of the driver's seat, and I suddenly realized that the show was an episode from Hindu mythology.

Most of us are familiar to some extent with the Greek and Norse gods, but the stories of the Hindu gods are often unfamiliar to westerners. Like the western myths, these are stories of love and wonders, wars and atrocities. The gods themselves are often beautiful, gentle, fierce and hideous at the same time. Many of us think of blue skinned four armed Kali, goddess of destruction, when we think of Hindu gods. Her image, often decked with the heads or skulls of those she has killed, is enough to frighten anyone. Even comical and good-natured Ganesh, the god with the elephant head, has a horror story behind his creation, though it is also a story of love and sacrifice.

So as I am watching this cartoon, wherein some great battle occurs, and multi-armed deities wield weapons to defeat hoards of mighty foes, I wonder who could possible think this was an appropriate story for little children.

Then I thought of the crucifixion.

I am no expert on Hindu culture, and I do not know if modern practitioners of that religion believe that these stories are true. But I do know that Christ, God, was crucified, here, on earth, by humans not too long ago. Really. Is there any horror in any mythology that can match that? And no mythology, anywhere, any time, can beat this truth for love and sacrifice.

And we tell this true story to our children, again and again.

Last week I enjoyed listening to a lecture series on C. S. Lewis by Professor Timothy Shutt. This secular account of the works of Lewis was quite good, and worth a listen (it is available via Audible). During the discussion of The Last Battle, Shutt wonders, since he did not read it as a child, just how children react to this story of the destruction of a beloved world. I was thrown back to my own childhood; I read the book as an 8 year old, and I must say, that though it was sad, I never lost hope that Everything Was Going to Be Fine. As we head into the Triduum, I think the same thing. The horrible truth will resolve into glory, and all things shall be made new.

Updated: Be sure to read: Should I let my Children Watch the Passion?

Gossiping Girls Gone Good

2011-03-19T14:49:00.001-04:00

I dared not look directly at them as we were seated in the last available table in the restaurant, but there in the corner next to us was a table full of giggling teen girls. We were in one of those Long Island towns known for mansions, parties, luxury cars, and wealthy, idle teens. The girls were loud; one could not help but overhear the conversation. I braced my self for the usual screechy rants about who was sleeping with whom, every word interspersed with "like" or worse, and for finding out just what a "b****" Tiffany was.

But I could not help laughing out loud when the first offensive party I heard (one could not help but overhear, did I mention that?) described was "the worst person in the world" because she didn't own a library card. It seems that the victim of this rich gossip had outstanding fines at several local libraries, and thus had been banned.

In fact, that was about the worst of the conversation. When the girls walked by us as they were leaving, after making plans to go to a friend's house, I saw that they were not in the typical clothes that one might expect on a warm Friday night in the north shore suburbs...they were in lovely spring dresses with pretty sweaters. They was really quite a sweet group and they were clearly having fun without resorting to the vapid vitriol of the typical teen outing.

Update: Contrast this with an observation from the "Why do We let them Dress Like That?" in the WSJ.

If you Ad-Lib the Mass...

2011-03-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Open memo to guest celebrant:

If you make up your own words, you might distract the organist. He will forget to play the music for the Agnus Dei. The cantor will lean over and remind him...but he is deaf in one ear, and he will not understand. She will have to tell him in a louder voice. The organist will become flustered, stumble onto the bench, and begin to play in an odd key. The cantor, in her turn, will be distracted, and sing the wrong line...the choir will hold its collective breaths. Then, suddenly, everyone will fall back into the normal setting, and the Mass goes on as it should.

God bless your next mission, Father!

Europa in Your Yard

2011-02-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

As February winds to an end this snowy winter, and nights are still frosty in much of the country while days are warming, and the hearts of the young in the northeast turn towards drilling holes in the trunks of maple trees for the collection of sap, those who have left kiddie pools out in the snow all winter in the hope of a sunny warm day can simulate the surface of the moon Europa!

Ice rafts on Europa (photo from JPL)

If you are not so careless about your kiddie pool, or if your kids have outgrown the small wading pool stage, you can use any shallow basin. Fill it with the remnants of the latest snow storm, and let it melt a bit in the shade and freeze again overnight. It should be a bit bumpy on the surface, and may be still unfrozen below the surface. Toss a small stone onto the surface. If nothing happens, try a larger stone, until the impact breaks the surface and the stone falls through the ice. Watch the water well up from beneath the ice, and check it the next day (after a decent overnight freeze), and you ought to see a similarity to the young surface of Europa. (Compare with our moon: A young surface on our moon is smooth from relatively recent lava flow.)

If the temperature conditions are just right, you might even get a fine crater-shaped hole in the ice, complete with a ridge and ejecta debris. As long as the cycle of freezing and thawing continues, you can continue to experiment.

What Makes a Toy?

2011-02-22T21:19:00.000-05:00

There in the supermarket--you've seen them before--was that harbinger of spring: the giant rack of inflatable, colorful, 99 cent balls. And there, staring up in awe, was a very tiny person of about three years, craning her neck, trying to decide which one would be hers to take home . I recalled the hours of fun, the imaginary play, the simply joy, that comes from owning one of those balls, as I once did. Remember the joy of that new ball smell? A ball can be kicked in a game of backyard soccer, thrown in a game of dodgeball, and tossed in the air just for fun. They don't sink in the pool, so they make great floats for those shipwrecked in mock battle. Ah, but that was when a simple ball was all one needed. And we ought to remember that even a supermarket ball is merely a prettified version of a goat bladder, after all.

Lenore Skenazy's reflections on the New York Toy Show (hey, there's a show for everything in NYC) remind us of a time when "a ball was just a ball." If it ever was just a ball, it seems it is no longer. She writes on her experience in the WSJ:

Now [a ball] is a tactile stimulating sensory aid that helps develop gross motor skills.

....

Hand-eye coordination, I quickly discovered, is the go-to claim for any product that can't find anything else to say for itself. ("Develops spatial awareness" is a distant second.)

At one booth I asked the salesman if there's anything on earth that doesn't promote hand-eye coordination: "Like, if you're a baby and you grab something, even a toe, aren't you developing hand-eye coordination automatically?"

"Would you rather we not create toys?" he huffed back.

Hm. Perhaps. Are those our only choices?

A contrasting view of the Toy Show came into my inbox today from the School Library Journal:

This year, there were plenty of kid lit characters to be found among the 1,100 exhibitors. Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline was well represented at the Briarpatch booth, where she and characters Fancy Nancy and Frog and Toad have been translated into assorted games and puzzles.

So this gets me thinking outside the ball. Is a stuffed literary tie-in character like Pooh or Paddington better than, let's say, Big Bird? How does a licensed character compare with some crazy nightmare of an educational infant toy when it comes to encouraging imagination, creativity, growth, goodness, college admission, success in life, a strong marriage...?

I must admit, I do enjoy visiting my niece and nephew and trying out all the new toys they have. Buttons to press, lights and sounds to hear and see, and all the colors you can imagine are great fun. And some of them even have that new ball smell. But that's bad, isn't it?

Liberal Arts for Broadcasters and College Professors

2011-02-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

I just heard a broadcaster complain that she had taken courses in her field in college (communications, political science) but missed taking classes in the liberal arts. What a shame. Liberal arts classes ought to be required. I suspect that a good grounding in the liberal arts would make her a better broadcaster for one simple reason: her grammar would be better. It often requires two hands to count the number of subject/object errors made by this particular online hostess in a single one hour broadcast. Local columnists in our print media make the same error as frequently. Are there no grammar books? Are there no copy editors?

Perhaps a class in grammar, specifically, should be required for those majoring in communications and journalism. Now that the SAT includes a writing component (I hear that many colleges don't consider this section) grammatical weaknesses ought to be obvious to colleges, and ought to be addressed immediately.

Speaking of colleges, this same radio program interviewed a college professor who also struggled with grammar as he was speaking. He, too, complained that he had not been required to study the liberal arts. His errors made me reconsider sending my child to that college. Are my standards too high, or should all college professors, no matter the field, be required to have mastered basic English grammar?

On Ramen and Responsibility

2011-02-18T13:51:00.001-05:00

So representative Gwen Moore thinks one is better off aborted than eating ramen noodles.

As an animal welfare advocate, I once interned at a wildlife refuge and rehabilitation center, which provided workers with housing, but not food. My parents gave me $25 for the month-long internship. I survived on ramen noodles and cranberry juice concentrate. Sometimes, a local bakery would deliver day-old bread for the animals, and we interns would share a loaf. Thus we did not starve, and we kept the animals in our care well fed and clean. There were days--12 hour work days--when we were tired and cranky, and felt the responsibility of all those animals was just too much. Sometimes the young animals cried all night. Sometimes they refused to eat. Some of them tried to bite us, or peck out our eyes. We were scarred from the scratches of sharp talons, and we smelled as though we had been mucking out cages and compounds...because we had. There were flies and maggots and wounds and death and other horrors to deal with.

And every day, after work, there was a steamy bowl of ramen noodles. Yum.
*********
Ms. Moore doesn't think much or ramen, or unborn babies. Yet, she is big on accepting responsibility. From Wiki (emphasis mine):

Moore's son, Sowande Ajumoke Omokunde, aged 26, was arrested in connection with the November 2, 2004, (election day), tire-slashing of Republican party vehicles in Milwaukee; he was charged with a felony in connection with the event on January 24, 2005, but agreed, on January 20, 2006, to plead no contest in exchange for a sentencing recommendation ofrestitution and probation.^[3] However, on April 26, 2006, Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Michael Brennan threw out the plea deal and sentenced Omokunde to serve four months in prison and to pay $2,305 in fines and restitution. In response, Moore said, "I love my son very much. I'm very proud of him. He's accepted responsibility."

An ongoing theme here, on the subject of abortion, has been one of young men and responsibility. It's easy to take responsibility for something you've done that's wrong, as long as that's the end of it. Fathering a child presents a life-long responsibility, and that's just too much for some young men to bear. For women also, especially politicians like Ms. Moore, responsibility seems to have its limits. An unplanned pregnancy, with all the consequences, including feeding a child for 18 years on a limited budget, is just too much responsibility. Better to abort than ever risk the possibility of feeding a child a 20 cent bowl of noodles.

Really, Ms. Moore? Really?

My Dad Died Last Month

2011-02-17T14:09:00.001-05:00

And that was all I was going to write about that. Day after day, I thought I might just post that and let it sit.

Then I thought I'd post Milne's King John's Christmas, but it's quite long (thus, I chose a link instead) as a sort of tribute to my father. Like the king in the poem, my father had an odd relationship with people, but loved toys.

I keep thinking of things I'd like to tell him.

I keep recalling very funny things we enjoyed together. My dad was an animal lover, and, since we were not allowed pets in Boston, he often acquired animals for my cousins. My favorite were the two small alligators he bought and kept in the bathtub overnight. He told tales of the snapping turtle he kept as a kid, and was eventually forced to release in the Neponset River.

We had German shepherds when I was a teen. I loved going to dog shows with him.

RIP Dad.

Tail of the Christmas Duck

2011-01-05T21:32:00.000-05:00

Bet you thought this might be a recipe. Nope.

When our dog Indy was a pup, he has a toy rooster that would make that annoying rooster noise whenever anyone went near it. He loved that toy, and it lasted for years, until he finally tore it up one day after a seam split.

Circe, our three year old "puppy" (Indy is nearly 10 years her senior) had no such toy, but as Christmas approached, I grew nostalgic for dog toys of old. I searched in vain for an identical rooster, but, alas, no rooster was to be found. Instead, I found this charming AKC approved duck. I thought that this might be fun for Circe, and perhaps even for us all, as Circe is a sweet, good-natured dog who loves to play. But Circe was terrified.

Now, the duck was not a formidable thing at all, and really did not resemble an actual duck in any way. For one thing, it was smaller. It had artificial fur, rather like that of a teddy bear, fur and fabric wings, and yellow bill. It sported feet of bright orange felt. When squeezed in just the right way, in the general vicinity of its pelvis (if it had one), it would faintly rasp out a sound that was supposed to be a "quack" or something. Yet, the very mention of the duck would send Circe cringing to a corner, or under a table, far from the offending imitation anseriform. (I'd say she would tuck her tail, but as she is an Australian shepherd, she has none to tuck.) She even sought refuge with T, who, bless him, is the one person in the house of whom she is a bit wary (she is a wise dog). When T was of no use, she climbed behind him--all 45 pounds of her--up onto the the back of his recliner to escape the vicious newcomer.

Later that day, things changed. Circe suddenly loved the duck. It became her puppy. She carried it everywhere, hid it from us, and licked it constantly. The duck became a sopping mess of dog drool. Parental love lasted about three days.

Then, we discovered two small felt feet on the floor. The feet had been chewed neatly off and left together. The wings were next, first the right, later the left. Stuffing was everywhere. The duck's "vocal" apparatus, a series of plastic bits and gauze that resembled trachea tubes, was released from its fluffy bondage. Don took one of the tubes and blew through it (it sounds more authentic when not muffled in the body of the duck), and we now have a perfectly usable dog calling device.

And Circe always responds.

Prosaic Post-New Year Post

2011-01-02T15:34:00.001-05:00

Resolutions?

I followed through on a resolution. Once.

Still, why not try? And why not try a few?

1. Lose weight and excersize, eat better, etc. (not just prosaic, but trite).
2. Learn to spell excersixe (it just gets worse each try and spell check refuses to give me any hints).
3. Read more (finish books I have started and put aside that are now under a pile of other books that I am actually reading).
4. Keep up with chores.

Pretty much. Sorry to bother you all with a post.

Oh, and Happy New Year! ;)

Most Fun Christmas Gift This Year

2010-12-30T16:10:00.004-05:00

For the kid who has everything plugged into her computer? This was just perfect. It's a tiny fish tank (think betta, goldfish or maybe one neon tetra...) that is powered by a USB connection. I think it is best not used when connected to a laptop (which might be moved without a thought for the tank), but for a desktop computer, this accessory is perfect. It even has lights and special nature sounds, as well as a pencil holder, clock and alarm. Here is Annika's short video of the tank, with Vladimir the fish on display.

Oh, when Annika opened this gift, she exclaimed that finally she would have a pet. What she failed to recall at that moment is that every pet we get seems to cling to her as "master" no matter for whom the pet was intended. I suppose it was about time we got her a pet of her own.

Merry Christmas!!

Slàinte mhòr, and St. John!

2010-12-27T17:54:00.008-05:00

A took a turn at shoveling

T gets power for the electric shovel. Note Jayne Cobb hat.

The lights come on in our village.

In the bleak midwinter...or, not so bleak. It was pretty, but we all needed to work to get the snow out of the way. We got well over a foot, though the drifts are deceptive. It was not too heavy, but it was not too light, either. Poor snow for a snowball fight, yet it stayed put when shoveled. And the young ones reminded me last night to put the car nearer to the street than to the garage, for to minimize the clearing of the driveway.

They got the job done, and T drove the car into the street. He had never driven in snow before that moment, and getting the car back into the driveway proved too much, so Don took care of it, demonstrating his greatest skill--driving uphill in reverse. T's Jayne Cobb hat, made by his mother (who rarely knits) kept the cold off the head wound T acquired at school (which is quite nicely healed). More on T soon. Big changes to his plans are in the works.

Meanwhile, I was inside fixing a beef stew for the shovelers' dinner. And since today is St. John's I opened a bottle of wine--a glass for the stew, and a glass for the cook. Tonight we drink slàinte mhòr and St. John!

Last night, a friend came over from his house, three blocks in the direction in the photo, during the snowfall. Somewhere between there and here, he dropped his iPhone. We have yet to find it. St. Anthony?

So, Christmas is lovely here in NY, just outside the City, and all the kids are home, at least for now.

The First Tree in the Greenwood...

2010-12-27T15:24:00.000-05:00

The view from under our holly

A Very Derham Christmas

2010-12-25T18:47:00.000-05:00

Staples successfully removed from T's head.

A and M enjoy the day.

The umbrella from Blade Runner has a light on the handle for safety.

P will be cooking dinner.

T with "Jayne" hat.

A little music!

In Defense of Goodnight Moon

2010-12-18T14:07:00.003-05:00

[Note: Typical me--didn't notice the spelling mistake (since corrected) in the title. I am sure the Brits didn't even notice.]

When a new mom asks for a book recommendation, the first book I think of is Goodnight Moon. But it has come to my attention lately that some people just don't appreciate a literary bowl full of mush the way I do.

Of course, I like it because of the science: The room darkens as night takes over (astronomy), a fire burns in the hearth and dries the mittens (chemistry and physics), there is a telephone (electricity and acoustics), a comb and a brush are potential sources of static (electricity), the colors red and green are part of the visible spectrum (see how they fade as the room grows dark!), kittens romp (animal behavior) and the old lady sits in a rocking chair (momentum). And how long can that bowl full of mush endure (mycology)?

Well. Not really.

Actually, there are plenty of reasons for me to dislike Goodnight Moon. It has all of the annoying problems that I frequently bemoan when I read children's books. For one thing, the poetry doesn't quite work, and the lack of scheme makes the occasional rhyme more of a surprise in this book than in a poem with measurable meter. It has a miserable commonplace vocabulary. And it really doesn't go anywhere, but rambles on sleepily in a stream of bedtime consciousness. And yet...I love it.

Perhaps I love it most for the bedtime routine. There is the usual going to bed ritual, including the obligatory goodnights. The rabbit child (for it is not a human child living in that room with kittens and mice--something I never noticed in my youth!) delays sleep by wishing goodnight to everything in the room, even, in a last sleepy effort to delay the inevitable, "goodnight nobody!" which was always my favorite line when I was a child. (In fact, the concept of a lapine nobody reappears with gleeful charm in the character of A. A. Milne's Rabbit, as he attempts to fool visitors by pretending to be nobody at home.) Now, the occasional rhyme gallops excitedly, making one think that there might be a reprieve from the inevitable sleep, but, alas, the old lady always whispers, "Hush." Then, even the world quietens.

The room in the book resembles, in my mind, the room we stayed in when we visited my grandparents' house, though that room was neither great nor green. When I was a child, the idea of a bedroom with a phone was unusual, but my grandparents had a phone in that spare room, and we children thought that was a marvel, playing with the dial, receiver in cradle, for hours. There we had no fireplace, and no kitten; balloons were reserved for special occasions. We had mittens, of course, and they were dried on racks like the one in the book. If we had a mouse, it was usually dead in a trap. The was a doll house, and a rocking chair, and my grandmother was always whispering Hush! At night, that room became very, very dark.

I suppose, then, that my affection for the book may be as unique as it is personal. And perhaps, readers of my age, with similar memories and taste, might purchase the book for young mothers, who, confused by the abundant accolades for Goodnight Moon might wonder, upon a first reading, "what's so great about this book?" and turn instead to the latest Elmo pablum. But I hope not, for, as I recall, a bowl full of mush is so much more substantial.

Smart Stuff on Imagination, plus Books for Parents and Others

2010-12-16T17:25:00.001-05:00

First, whet your appetite with a few lectures of interest, and a discussion of the fate of the picture book.

And now...
Finally, released for your reading pleasure!

Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of your Child.

Anthony Esolen's new book describes the ways in which society and schooling are harming our children. Yes, I know you have heard that before. So have I, and I have seen it both as a student and a teacher. But of the many, many books, magazine articles and lectures on the matter with which I have become familiar, this book sums up my thoughts most completely, and rather more eloquently (he even shares my distaste for the term "play date"). It's one of those books that I fill with scrappy bookmarks and quickly scribbled margin comments. Professor Esolen's playful reversal--like Lewis' Screwtape, the author expounds upon the worst of imagination-killers as though they were the most worthy methods--reminds us of our own complacency, of how the unnatural has become the norm and the natural the enemy, unnoticed. Read this and see if you agree. (I suspect I have much more to say about this, and I may discuss this in depth here at a later date. Stay tuned!)

Even if you have no children, don't miss Professor Esolen's wonderful Ironies of Faith. I think it would be an excellent guide for a small book club reading group. Ah, to have the time and company!

Also, fans, new and old, of Professor Esolen's work may also enjoy the quite wonderful Touchstone magazine, and the companion blog, Mere Comments.

More published anecdotal thoughts on raising children:

Saving Childhood by movie critic Michael Medved

Weapons of Mass Instruction by education critic John Taylor Gatto

Why Gender Matters by Dr. Sacks (I don't agree with everything here, especially his ideas on giving "mature" teens birth control, but overall his observations on gender differences are sound).

And for the young man, grown and introspective: The Compleat Gentleman by The Catholic Thing (website) editor Brad Miner.

'Twas the Night...

2010-12-09T12:56:00.000-05:00

Grasshopper Jars or Store Bought Pet Habitats?

2010-12-07T13:37:00.000-05:00

Under the sink, Nana kept clean glass jars. There were all sorts of jars--jars which had once held jelly or pickles or mayonnaise, or even gefilte fish. And the jars were of all sizes; piled beside the jars were lids of steel or aluminum, I guess, but never plastic.

Clean and plentiful, the jars were there for the taking, and during grasshopper season, we took quite a few. We had to find the correct lid, but it only took a minute or two. One of us--my brothers and cousins and I spent hours outside in the summer heat--would sit on the hill along the side of the house, holding a prized grasshopper between gently pinched fingers, watching it make a drop of "tobacco juice" between its mandibles, while waiting for the others to return with the jar. We would run out of the house with a glass jar in hand and stuff a few tufts of grass into the jar before releasing the insect into its new habitat. For one unlucky grasshopper, there would be a bit of soapy water left in the jar from its last washing, and the poor thing would adhere, hopelessly struggling, to the inside of the jar, and we children would learn a lesson about checking the jars for moisture. But now, a luckier grasshopper would find a dry bottom, and plenty of food (we thought). Then, someone would point out that without air, the grasshopper would surely suffocate.

"They breathe through their legs," someone would say, and we would all nod knowingly. (This is not true; but it seemed plausible at the time. The truth is nearly as fun--they breath through spiracles (openings) in the thorax and abdomen.) We needed to do something to let the air into the jar, or our merciful natures would force us to release our captive.

So we would do what most children did at that time: We sought a hammer (a large stone would do) and an awl (a screwdriver would do) and began to pound holes through the lid. The lid, of course, would be on the jar, and only great skill prevented us from breaking the glass while venting the lid. The holes could never be so big that the grasshopper would escape, so we would make many small holes.

Then, in the warm afternoon sun, lying on the hill, we would admire our new pet while chewing on the "sugar tips" of grass ourselves. If it was good enough food for the grasshopper, it was good enough food for us.

Today, if one can find a glass jar, the lids are often plastic, and they crack when one tries to punch a hole. But never fear. Rather than build a habitat for a pet with what-you-can-find-around-the-house, you can buy an insect house, plain or fancy, but risk free, and keep your pet safely. I laughed when I saw that one does not even have to touch the insects one finds. With a bug vacuum, one may catch small arthropods safely, which I guess is fine if you wish to catch and observe scorpions or hornets or black widows; but most insects are quite harmless.

Which brings me to the point: Have we lost something? Is there some value in finding an insect by accident, tracking and hunting it in tall grass, holding it in a bare hand and feeling it tickle ones palm as it walks, or seeing it squirm as it struggles to escape, all while one is scrounging for a creative place to keep the bug-de-jour? If instead we give the child the box and instruct him to take the bug vacuum and find something, are we not taking away that tiny creative moment and replacing it with ready-made purpose, precise instructions and a right way to do it? Is it any wonder that, surrounded by pretty plastic things with switches and lights, the child cries boredom? When we remove a step--e.g.: figuring out where to put the bug after one has caught, it as it sits in ones hands--we remove a creative purpose that stimulates the intellect and stretches the imagination. Egads. What have we done?

So save some jars; if you fear your young entomologists might handle something dangerous, suggest he figures out a way to make a net or a trap. Let him find things spontaneously, and scrounge for the right materials. Some interesting specimens will escape, but let that strengthen the resolve of the child to solve the problem in his own way.

NASA Tries To Remain Relevant

2010-12-04T14:41:00.000-05:00

...by finding alien life on earth.

OK. Not the best headline (that honor goes to blogger Michael at Deeps of Time, surely!), but with more interesting goals moved to the back burner, and the burden of being a government entity, a NASA press conference on astrobiology (a field, my astronomy professor told me, that was a bit limited, when I expressed an interest) caused a good deal of speculation on the 'net. Just google for some of the speculations...life on Titan, life on Mars (there is legitimate research going on to study both environments), and, of course, there are folks like this (youtube link) who know they are out there.

But it turns out that a bacterium in a lake on earth can use arsenic instead of phosphorus when it needs to do so. That's interesting. As a biologist with an interest in exobiology, I love this sort of thing. But I also feel a bit cheated by NASA. I mean, they let the rumors fly; it just seems a bit unprofessional.

Do read the synopsis at Deeps of Time. It's a Catholic blog worth a book mark.

Can I possibly post on this without a few book recommendations (just for fun)? Not likely. ;)

Red Planet
Starman Jones
Dune
Out of the Silent Planet
Rendezvous with Rama

How to Catch Space Dust in the Snow (from MacBeth's Opinion)

2010-12-02T13:17:00.000-05:00

Every day, the earth gathers 100 tons of dust from space! You can easily catch an observe some of this minute invasion force, using simple household items--a coffee filter, oven, and a microscope (a magnifying glass may do, as space dust is fairly large), and a magnet. Since much of space dust is made up of iron, it is very magnetic! Even if you don't find space dust, you may be surprised by the amount of regular old dust in snow--even fresh clean snow!

Procedure:
Take a bit of fresh snow and place it on a coffee filter inside a cup (cone filters work best). Allow the snow to melt away, and let the filter dry (you may use a warm oven to aid this process). Examine any dust left behind.
How much is there? Can you see any large "dust?" Use a magnifying glass of a microscope to examine the specks. Space dust is roughly spherical, having melted on its journey through the atmosphere. Sometimes, space dust has a tiny "tail." Sometimes, especially if the dust contains nickel, it looks like Mickey Mouse--a tiny sphere with "ears." Use a magnet on the dust to determine if it contains iron.
Older students may wish to quantify the observation, by weighing the dust collected (use a fine, digital scale, available from Science Kit). Even earth dust is heavy, and while snow is naturally dusty, sitting snow will have an increased volume of dust. How much more concentrated does the dust sample become in one-day-old, two-day-old or week old snow? Cover some snow to protect it from gathering "new" dust. Does the volume of dust increase as the volume of snow decreases? Why?

Winter Hike (from MacBeth's Opinion)

2010-12-02T13:08:00.002-05:00

The winter nature hike is a glorious thing! Pull on your boots and jackets, and don't forget your hat! Here are a few hiking ideas, and some ideas for your winter back yard:
Hike a beach, lakeshore, or river bank (carefully!)
Visit the forest right after a snowBe the first to hike a field after a snow
Make snow angelsLook for tracks near water sources
Try Nordic skiing
Go bird-watching early in the morning
Take an evening hike
Star-gaze
Take a "listening" hike--what do you hear?
Examine snow flakes (take your microscope outside so the flakes stay frozen)
Look for the "skeletons" of last summer's plants
Dig for tubers and roots:Jerusalem artichokes wild carrot (caution! must be positively identified)leeks evening primrose wild potatochicory onions field garlic ground nuts anise root sassafras wild gingercurly dock
Taste fresh snow
Winter orienteering is a challenge! Try it!
Play "fox and geese," a game like "tag," on a circular, spoked track in the snow (directions in A Prairie Boy's Winter)
Make snow-shoes, and walk with them!
Look for winter berries--who eats them? Which berries are eaten last?
Look for last summer's nests
Cook outside and eat there too!
Learn fire building (read London's To Build a Fire)
Step outside during a blizzard (step inside quickly!)
Identify local trees by bark aloneTurn over your compost pile
Take the temperature of your yard--near the house, away from the house, the soil surface, under the soil, in the compost pile...Hang different bird-seed types in different places--who likes what?
Hang suet for birds, too!
Provide shelter from elements for wildlife--bird houses, bat houses, brush piles, old logs, etc.
Keep a record of the weather
Tap maple trees in late winter--boil the watery sap into thick sugary syrup, and pour it on ice cream, pancakes, or even snow!

Snow Books (from MacBeth's Opinion)

2010-12-02T13:02:00.001-05:00

Interested in Snow? Want to know more about it, find things to do in it, or find things to do with it? You have come to the right place!

Here's a list of recommended reads for young snow-lovers everywhere, with natural history of the north, and a bit of fantasy thrown in for good measure:

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
White Snow, Bright Snow
Katy and the Big Snow
Building an Igloo
The First Snow
Snow Riders
Wild Horse Winter
The Tomten
The Tomten and the Fox
Snowflake Bentley
Snowmen
Snowmen at Night
Sugar Snow
Dear Rebecca, Winter Is Here
All You Need for a Snowman
The Snowy Day
The Big Snow
The Polar Express
When Winter Comes
Snow Ponies
Winter Moon
When Will It Snow?
The Snow Lambs
Snow Comes to the Farm
Annie and the Wild Animals
Alaska's Three Bears
The Polar Bear Son
Little Daughter of the Snow

Updated: And let's not forget Owl Moon (as I did!)

After the Kinderhike: Fall Books for Toddlers

2010-12-02T12:53:00.000-05:00

In November

Hello Harvest Moon

Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Water Dance

Autumn Across America