Dream On

KISS OFF: Still in his PJs, this morning CJ announced, "When I'm a man, I'll kiss you goodbye and be a scientist and make stuff. I'll make a sign that says KEEP OUT when I'm making an experiment."

No doubt picturing him just playing video games behind those closed doors, Annabelle asked, "How do we know you're making an experiment?"

"I'll put a sign out to tell what I'm doing," CJ replied matter-of-factly.

"But what if we don't believe the sign?" the suspicious sister pressed.

"I'll make a sign that says 'I'm making an experiment right now,' and when I'm done with the experiment, I'll put out a sign that says 'I'm done,' " he clarified.

That seemed to snuff out Annabelle's skepticism.

TAKE A SEAT: On Monday when we were learning about Martin Luther King Jr. four of the five books we read referenced Rosa Parks (the correlation being that Dr. King led the Montgomery Improvement Association, a group that was instrumental in the Montgomery bus boycott staged following Parks' arrest).

I'd spied a couple of items of interest about her on the BookFlix site, so today we reviewed those.

Parks' story really drives home the fact that one simple act by an "ordinary" person can have such far-reaching reverberations. My favorite line from the Weston Woods video based on Nikki Giovanni's book "Rosa" noted, "She had not sought this moment, but she was ready for it."

The book and video were wonderful teaching tools. They both certainly gave me a better understanding of who Parks was and what she did. "Rosa" really painted a picture of what that fateful bus ride was like, included who was seated where and how other riders reacted. (I learned that the back of the bus was designated for blacks, the front for whites and in the middle there was an area that either whites or blacks could sit in. Parks was in the middle section of the bus.)

After the read-along book ("Rosa Parks" by Wil Mara) and the "Rosa" video, the kids completed related vocabulary and chronological order exercises.

EYE SPY: During a morning snack break, CJ and Annabelle enjoyed the latest issue of the High Five magazine. They scanned pictures for differences and hidden objects.

YOU MAY SAY I'M A DREAMER: Using printouts from Education.com, I had the kids take turns reading some excerpts from King's "I Have a Dream" speech and asked them to draw something they thought would illustrate a dream of King's.

While they worked on drawing a dream, I streamed John Lennon's "Imagine" through my computer speakers.

CJ decided to draw "two white boys and two black girls" holding hands. He wasn't so thrilled with the execution. "I know my hair drawing doesn't look very good. ... Oh I forgot their smiles," and then soon after, "I know that smile looks creepy on the tall boy." When he had his (stick) figures drawn, I asked him if he could maybe add some elements to his drawing - like the sky or something. He immediately countered: "I planned for them to be in the middle of nowhere." I couldn't help but laugh.

In keeping with our "dream" theme, I read the kids a library book: "Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan." It's both beautiful and awful, featuring photos of Afghan children living in poverty and in the middle of a war zone. Alongside were first-person paragraphs in which the children shared their dreams. Those profiled ranged from a pair of homeless 10-year-old pickpockets to 11-year-old Nadira, who has never been to school. Instead, she makes carpets with her family from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

EGGSELLENT EXPERIMENT: It's been waaay too long since we've done an experiment, so I decided that today we'd start one I found in "Science in a Bag," one of the many books given to us by neighbor Bob. The experiment I chose is called "Remove an Egg's Shell Without Cracking It," a title that captured the kids' interest immediately. The purpose of the experiment is to show how the acid in vinegar can dissolve calcium carbonate, the main material in an egg's shell.

Per instructions, we rounded up a self sealing plastic bag, an uncooked egg, white vinegar and a glass.

When Annabelle spied the vinegar, she said, "It's going to have an odor. Maybe we should have nose plugs!"

I assured her it the smell wouldn't be that gawd awful.

Following instructions, CJ carefully put the egg in the plastic bag and then held the bag while I poured vinegar in. Almost immediately, bubbles - carbon dioxide gas, just like the bubbles in soda pop - appeared on the egg's shell. The book explains that the gas is given off as the vinegar reacts with the shell. We carefully slipped the bag into a small glass jar and watched even more bubbles appear.

The book tells us that tomorrow we should lift the bag out of the glass and gently squeeze the egg. We can't wait to see/feel if a change has taken place. The kids stopped to peer in the jar at several points throughout the afternoon and evening, and were intrigued by the foam floating atop the vinegar. ...

DAMN MOUSE: CJ has been on this big Chuck E. Cheese kick as of late. Every time an ad for the place comes on the TV (which is, approximately every 6.3 minutes), it's as if it's the Voice of God speaking DIRECTLY TO HIM, ordering him to the restaurant.

I think Bee and CeeJ have been to C.E.C. once in their lives. It was a birthday party for one of CJ's classmates, so CJ was all of 3 and Bee was probably just barely toddlin' around and probably doesn't even remember it. For me, once in a lifetime there would be enough, but clearly the kids don't agree. ...

So, this morning I went to the Chuck E. Cheese Web site to see where the nearest Mouse House of Pizza Horrors is. While there, I discovered some Cheese E. deals - a homework calendar that the kid would each get 15 free arcade tokens for filling out, as well as other coupons for food and token deals. "I'll cut these money saving coupons out!" CJ said excitedly, scrambling to find scissors. His enthusiasm even prompted him to do some math. "Fifty plus 30, that's 80 tokens! That equals more lots (sic) of tokens!" Why yes, that is more lots, CJ. So, I suppose a pilgrimage is in our future. I half think (and definitely hope) that if we went, the mystery would be gone and it wouldn't seem like such a Nirvana.

DEN DESERTED?: After checking local news blogs for coyote sightings and learning that "our" wily duo may have made their way to Queen Anne, I felt a little more comfortable taking the kids and Kirby to the park at the end of the block. I still kept a close eye out for gray canines whilst there, though.