Roy G. Biv is a Colorful Man

LESS TALK, MORE MONKEY: Morning math was a chatty affair - so much so that I had to invoke the, "Less Talk, More Monkey" rule. (That phrase is emblazoned on the side of one of MPA's favorite haunts, Archie McPhee.) The kids knew what I meant immediately and while there was still some monkey business, there was a lot more math getting done. And the talk that happened actually had to do with math (imagine that!).

At one point Annabelle said, "If you took 1 away from 0 it would be 0."
"Actually, it would be negative 1," CJ corrected her.
"CJ's getting better at math," Bee acknowledged.

Shortly thereafter CJ declared, "16 minus 9 is 7, right?"
"How did you know that?" Annabelle marveled.
"Just because. I'm getting better," he reminded us.
"Now he's getting better at higher numbers! Wow -he's really good," raved Annabelle.

I love overhearing (and recording for posterity) these exchanges.

PILGRIM-O-RAMA: We were back at the Scholastic Web site with a vengeance today, checking out their many, many wonderful Thanksgiving-related resources. We learned that 102 pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower, which had 6 sails. The voyage took just over 60 days, almost all of which was spent below deck. It was cold, dark, boring and there was no privacy (even when they were using a chamber pot!) and they were thrown around the hold a lot - many were injured enroute to the new land. We learned about the daily life of pilgrim settlers, as well as the daily life of the American Indians (Wampanoag) in the area near Plimouth.

FUNNY FOTOS: For our visual arts, we borrowed an idea from a bulletin board at the Magnolia Community Center, where photos of staff members' heads were affixed to Thanksgiving-themed bodies. We scoured the Internet for clip art that would work, and finally wound up on the Microsoft Office site (which is really where I should have started). We picked a girl getting a piggy back ride from a turkey for Annabelle and a pilgrim with a platter for CJ. We enlarged them and printed them out and then measured the space where the heads would go, so we knew how big to make Annabelle and CJ's mug shots. We photoed them and sized them in Photoshop, printed 'em and then the kids cut out the clip art and their mug shots. Meanwhile, I printed a Thanksgiving background. They glued themselves to the background and we mounted it on poster paper. They were pretty darn pleased with the result and we left it on Christian's keyboard for him to find when he got home today (before us, as the kids had yoga).

TALKING TURKEY: At different points today, each of the kids asked me specifically why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving and when that tradition started. (It's nice to know they're actually processing this holiday info we're poring over.) The answer isn't super short/tidy, but I found an article on Slate that does a nice job covering the bases.

"LIBRARY" VISIT: I recently signed up to receive email updates from the Library of Congress (I know, exciting! she says breathlessly.) But seriously, it's this ginormous resource and now more accessible than ever. For instance, I learned that we can now find LoC on ITunes U, including historical videos from the Library’s moving-image collections, such as original Edison films (we watched a couple - so fascinating), a series of 1904 films from the Westinghouse Works, and original videos (author presentations, lectures from the Kluge Center and the "Journeys and Crossings" series of discussions with curators). We didn't have time to really browse today, but I can't wait to see the treasures that await.

OFF, OFF BROADWAY: Today we began an experiment. I'm curious to see how long it takes the kids to memorize the lyrics to a brand new (to them song) and maybe even include a little choreography (hey, they've watched SYTYCD and Dancing With the Stars!). I introduced a tune to them today and had 'em sing it four or so times. So far, CJ is catching on to the words quicker than Bee, but she's light years ahead of him when it comes to movement. Who knows what tomorrow will bring. ...

GOBBLING UP BOOKS: Today we read a couple of Thanksgiving themed books. The kiddos really enjoyed both of them. One was a book of poems, "It's Thanksgiving!" by Children's Poet Laureate Jack Prelutsky. The other was a farcical tale called "The Know-Nothings Talk Turkey" where four, well, idiots don't understand why the turkey they serve (as in hand it a plate of mashed potatoes and gravy) on Thanksgiving isn't down with the program.

MEDIA BLITZ, PART DEUX: This morning I awoke to an email letting me know that a gentleman (who is currently living 'in exile in France' [?!]) considers a photo of CJ flying a kite the picture of success (interesting ...) and a request from a mental health agency in The Netherlands who would like to use an image of mine on their holiday card (of course, have at it). Go mental health!!!

MEANWHILE, UP IN SPACE: We checked in on the astronauts of Atlantis today. The kids can't believe they're still up there - it seems like forever to them. We're looking forward to their safe return the day after Thanksgiving. The bright sun greets the International Space Station in this Nov. 22 image, taken from the Russian section of the orbital outpost and photographed by the STS-129 crew. The 11-day STS-129 mission installed a number of station upgrades and prepared the station for the Installation of Node 3, which is slated for another mission.Image Credit: NASA

DINNER MUSIC: After dinner we watched a few music videos on YouTube, including "Roy G. Biv," a favorite from "Here Comes Science" by They Might Be Giants. It's a catchy tune infused with valuable real world knowledge.