One Semester Spanish Love Song
Posted by fabricpile Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:04:00 GMT
Kira saw this in school today:
Muy comico! O “muy divertido” . . . . she’s only had a half semester of Spanish.
Stop! Henry Time.
Posted by fabricpile Thu, 21 Dec 2006 13:36:00 GMT
Overheard during this morning’s math lesson:
Dad: What time is it six hours after nine p.m.?
Henry: (Struggling to figure it out)
Dad: Well, if three hours after nine p.m. is midnight, what is three hours after that?
Henry: Dad, I actually don’t know because that’s the middle of the night!
Free the Mouse?! Free Bill Nye!!!
Posted by fabricpile Sat, 28 Oct 2006 01:35:00 GMT
Or at least make him affordable!
Bill Nye the Science Guy is 0wned by Disney.
Disney can charge whatever they want for their stuff, but they are clearly torpedoing their market around here, because nobody can afford $49.95 for each 26 minute episode. Of course, you can save by purchasing the entire 100 episode set for a measly $3,249.
Bill Nye is great stuff. I’d love to be able to purchase this series for the Otterbein Library. Presumably Disney is selling to the portion of the education market overflowing with Federal pork.
Whether legal or not, he pops up on Youtube. Thanks, Stephen for linking to this great commentary on astrology.
HEY YOU GUYS!
Posted by fabricpile Thu, 05 Oct 2006 01:46:00 GMT
The first volume of the best of The Electric Company is now available on DVD.
This was the Children’s Television Workshop’s follow-up to Sesame Street, created to teach children to read. (Remember when Sesame Street used to try to teach children to read?!) I used to watch the show when I was a kid. There is nothing comparable in children’s programming today.
The kids have all heard the story of their mom as a second grader believing that she was home alone and singing a song from the show at the top of her lungs when her dad started laughing in the next room. He had come home from work ill that day.
I was so embarrassed at having been overheard by my dad that I never forgot that silly song (not one of their better sketches, now that I’ve seen it again!) So when I brought the DVD set home last week, Kira and Mark were prepared for “a cheesy, retro 70’s show.”
Okay, so it’s a cheesy, retro 70’s show, but it remains one of the best educational programs I’ve ever seen. Emma and Henry love it, and Kira and Mark admit that it’s a really funny, creative show.
Volume 2 will be available on November 14. It’s gonna give us the power! Right on!
Learning and Playing
Posted by fabricpile Mon, 21 Aug 2006 12:54:00 GMT
It’s no secret that children learn and retain more if they are interested in the subject. Home schooling has worked well for us through the years as we recognize what the kids are interested in and allow them to pursue those subjects to their fullest.
This doesn’t mean that we “unschool.” We still expect a certain regimen which involves studying appropriate basic subjects each day. While we eschew the forced schedule of traditional schools, we don’t believe that whim-worship properly prepares a child for adulthood. Beyond the basics, though, the kids happily seek knowledge in a lot of different areas.
Part of Henry’s daily Saxon Math includes simple exercises to help him learn how to use a calendar. He has spent the last week going way beyond the assigned work. He pores over his Star Wars calendar, calculating all sorts of things from the all-important number of days until his birthday to the days between the summer and winter solstices. He has identified patterns and other things about the calendar all on his own.
He got up extra early with me this morning, and finished all of his school work before 9 am. Lately, his spare time has been spent by kicking all of our butts in Star Wars Monopoly. The little Jedi tycoon doesn’t even realize how much he has learned about addition and subtraction while raking in all that rent!
Learning is a fun and natural phenomenon. We work hard (and play hard) to keep it that way.
In Pursuit of Happiness
Posted by joek Wed, 17 May 2006 13:30:00 GMT
If you visit us and don’t find yourself listening to and reciting poetry, you might end up doing Lego Math or possibly even discussing Lego Metaphysics.
Aside from being one of the best props for teaching fundamental mathematical concepts, Legos are fantastic fun. All those people who are worried about the global baby bust should quit speculating about government subsidies for having children and start advertising that children are the perfect excuse to play with Legos!
A big part of the reason Legos are so enthralling is that the Lego Group really gets it:
Though we make toys, we are not just a toy company. Though we are famous for our product, we are defined by our philosophy. Our name comes from the combination of the Danish “leg godt”, which means to “play well.” It is both our name and our nature. We believe that play is the essential ingredient in a child’s growth and development. It grows the human spirit. It encourages imagination, conceptual thinking and creation.
I do believe that this is the best corporate “mission statement” I’ve ever come across. I think all companies would benefit from deciding where fun and happiness fit into their own raisons d’etre.
Kira's Hitlist for 2006
Posted by kiwibug Thu, 04 May 2006 00:49:00 GMT
My Dad has been keeping a booklist online for a couple of years.
Now I’m posting my own list of books that I’ve read so far this year.
My plan is to read an average of ten books per month—hopefully totalling over 120 books this year. I choose whatever books look interesting and add them to my “to-read” list. My list changes as I find new books and genres that I like—after reading The Da Vinci Code I realized how much I like thrillers and intrigue.
Although I’ve read a lot, I still have far more to go. I have a list of thirty-four books I plan to read still ahead of me—and I’m sure I’ll just keep on adding to the list. “So many books, so little time!” Right, Grandma?
Camera Action
Posted by joek Sat, 29 Apr 2006 20:28:00 GMT
Our Nikon Coolpix 990 digital camera has served us well for several years. Up until a few days ago, that is. The camera has one serious design flaw: the mechanism to secure the battery compartment door is awful, and the springs that hold the batteries in place are over-tensioned, compounding the problem with the door.
Earlier in the week, the inevitable happened: the plastic tabs securing the door finally broke completely off the frame. After a few moments of agony, Max and I set about trying to fix it. There were several accounts of broken Coolpix battery doors on the net, and we eventually found the part we’d need to replace. But much disassembly was required… It wasn’t difficult, but it was traumatic not knowing whether we’d be able to get all the pieces back together. And we were kept in suspense waiting for the part to ship.
We’d been interested in using the Nikon for some macro photography when it failed. Rather than wait and worry, we decided to see what we could accomplish with Max’s Vivicam 3750 and a little added cleverness. We certainly surprised ourselves. Here are two shots taken with our home-made macro lens:
Our technique? Position a Bausch & Lomb 10x Hastings Triplet, the magnifying lens prized by field geologists, in front of the Vivicam’s objective lens:
We’re happy to report that this picture of the Vivicam/Triplet was taken with our now resurrected Coolpix.
Leo, Kira, and Andrei
Posted by joek Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:08:00 GMT
Kira has been reading We the Living and was inspired to render the main characters Leo Kovalensky, Andrei Taganov, and her own namesake Kira Argounova in the spirit of her life-long favorite The Lion King.
You’ll find plenty of new Fan Art on Kira’s page. Don’t miss the clever mashup of Lion King and Invader Zim. Believe it or not, she’s drawn these images with nothing more than Appleworks and a mouse.
Family Reading
Posted by fabricpile Thu, 23 Mar 2006 02:11:00 GMT
Joe and I used to dream about lounging around with our children reading books. Now that everyone in the family is literate, the dream is real!
Just yesterday, I finished reading Kate Di Camillo’s new book The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane aloud to the kids. We highly recommend it to everyone. It’s a wonderful book.
Here are some other books recently finished and currently being enjoyed in our cozy cabin:
Joe: Just completed The Baldwin Locomotive Works, 1831-1915 by John K. Brown. Currently reading George Chapman’s translation of The Odyssey.
Anastasia: Recently finished The 10th Circle, Jodi Picoult’s new novel. Currently reading: Children of the Lamp: The Akhenaten Adventure by PB Kerr, and The Camel Club by David Baldacci.
Kira: Currently re-reading Laura Ingalls Wilder’s series, and Lynne Rae Perkins’ Criss Cross.
Max: Reading Cornelia Funke’s Inkspell and just finished Louis Sachar’s latest, Small Steps.
Emma: Currently reading The Hidden Stairs and the Magic Carpet by Tony Abbott.
Henry: Still reading (and re-reading) Star Wars: The New Essential Guide to Characters, Weapons & Technology & Vehicles & Vessels, by W. Haden Blackman and Ian Fullwood.
What are you reading?
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