Paper-free Friday

DONNING THE TINFOIL HAT: Not sure what you were doing at 8 this morning, but Annabelle was doing the robot. Just before bedtime last night, Christian had helped her fashion a robot body out of a cardboard box. First thing this a.m., we covered it in aluminum foil. She rooted around in the closet and found the headpiece from an old astronaut uniform and voila!

The sun was streaming in our eastern-facing windows and Annabelle was absolutely glowing! She dubbed herself the Sunshine 3000, noting that she's a solar powered robot.

Later this morning, Sunshine 3000 spent some serious time accessorizing her chassis with stickers, including sea creatures and fuzzy critters. She said they're buttons and if you push them, Sunshine 3000 acts like that animal.

MUSICAL NOTES: Are moving right along in accompanying songs from Musikgarten CD. They're also getting their ears attuned to the different sounds of flat and sharp notes (though they're not calling them flat and sharp yet). Teacher Nancy explained the rationale behind not calling them sharp and flat yet, and it made sense when she said it, but I know I'd butcher it if I tried to paraphrase it.

One of the things Muskigarten is great for is teaching the kids all about orchestra instruments. Today they learned a catchy little ditty that goes, "Clarinet, oboe, bassoon and the flute, all woodwind instruments, toot-toot-toot-toot."

ALLEY OOP: While I made a valiant (and bloody) effort to keep the neighbor's blackberries and rose vines from taking over the alley, the kids played "Team Razor." It was some kind of action/adventure game that involved riding their Razor scooters up and down the alley They definitely had more fun out there than I did.

CASTLEVANIA, THE MUSICAL: This afternoon, the kids were upstairs and they magically turned the Thomas the Tank Engine train table into a Castlevania scene. For those wondering, Castlevania is a video game from 1986 that CJ is minorly obsessed with at the moment (for reasons we may never know). Anyway, their play evolved into a musical/light opera, and they were singing lines to one another. It is moments like this that I really wish I had a digital camcorder to capture the action.

WORKSHEETS? WHAT WORKSHEETS?: As I review today's actions, it occurs to me that today was all about the arts, imagination, and physical activity. We didn't so a single worksheet. OMG!!! My children will never go to college!!!!!! So are we hardcore "unschoolers" or what? (Interestingly enough, an "unschooling" conference is going to be held in good ol Vancouver USA this May.

THE SCENIC ROUTE: For today's run/jog/shuffle/pedal, we loaded the bikes up in the car and headed to our neighboring neighborhood, Queen Anne Hill. We made our way around the southwest and south sides, enjoying a beautiful sunset over Puget Sound and the vibrant nighttime colors of downtown twinkling to the nightlife.

We sure are lucky to live in Seattle.

the sunny day

GUEST BLOGGER: FYI - today's title is courtesy of Annabelle who conceived it and typed it. Annabelle is a fairly regular reader of this blog, and often suggests content. :)

NAME THAT TUNE: Some glockenspiel action was in order today. Though they have exercises to follow - and we do get to those - I think it's important that a kid actually enjoys messing around with the instrument. Heaven forbid it becomes all scales and drudgery.

I suggested the kids take turns playing a song of their choosing, while the audience member listens and guesses what's being played. We used the sand timer to determine the length the musician gets to play. CJ played first. Amazingly, Annabelle recognized the tune as a theme song from a favorite video game of his. He was happy she got it, but lamented, "The Megaman X Intro song sounds kind of cool and strong - but not on this." I had to agree with him. Their tiny glockenspiels sing and ring, but they're not powerful percussion instruments.

THINKING LINCOLN: Though President's Day has come and gone, I figure any day is a good day to learn about Abraham Lincoln.

We watched a short video on BrainPOP Jr. about the 16th president of the United States. It told a little bit about his childhood, his education, his presidency and his assassination. The assassination part didn't set well with CJ. Regarding John Wilkes Booth, CJ said, "I'll go back in time and make him shoot himself. I'll have him close his eyes and then I'll turn the gun toward him and then, kablooey - big surprise!"

After the video they took a couple of online quizzes about what they'd learned, played a related game, and then completed an activity - constructing mini stovepipe hats.

When they were done with the hats, I remembered that we own a gorgeous book about Lincoln - specifically a first edition (1947) of "Lincoln's Gettysburg Address" with designs by James Daugherty. It's printed on heavy stock and the powerful illustrations (reproductions of oil paintings) each span two pages. (An aside - I found this book at the bottom of a bin in the Goodwill outlet. I knew it was a gem - it's just so striking. I think we paid a quarter for it. I just looked it up on Amazon. The one copy available is listed for $97!)

The book's illustrations feature excerpts from Lincoln's famous speech. At the end is a reproduction of the speech, in Lincoln's original handwriting.

CJ scanned it and said, "We've got to fix this writing!" I told him there wasn't anything wrong with the lettering, it is cursive, and that's the way many people - especially adults - write. CJ was insistent it needed to be fixed, because (to my surprise) he wanted to pretend he was Lincoln and give the Gettysburg Address!

Fortunately, the front of the book had a version of the speech in block lettering, so CJ donned his mini Lincoln hat, and read the entire speech to Bee, Kirby and Me.

Not to be outdone by her brother, Annabelle insisted on a turn as the orator. Pretty cool!

COUNTING CARDS: CJ and Annabelle were thrilled to get Valentine's Day cards from grandparents. The cards have been on display for a few days now, and today we finally had a conversation about their contents. They each received two thoughtful cards, and each had a dollar inside. G&G sent $1 bills, and N&B sent coins totaling $1 (and CJ and Annabelle each had a different combination of coins). So we talked about all the different ways you can get to one dollar.

PARKING LOTS: This afternoon meant another trip to the park to play with a former classmate. This time it was CJ's favorite friend (and future wife, according to him) from his kindergarten year at John Hay. They exchanged Valentines and had a ball tearing around the park for two full hours on a beautiful, sunny afternoon.

And late this afternoon, we went for a run and the kids got more park time - this time at Lawton, on the north end of Magnolia.

"DID YOU KNOW 'beep' is an onomatopoeia?" Annabelle just informed.

Herding Turtles

SUPER SORTERS: I decided to leave the workbooks on the shelf this morning and have the kids do some "real world" math. And let me tell you, it doesn't get any more real than Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. :)

I grabbed a backpack full of action figures (saved from Rick and Ken's youth) and dumped them on the dining table. I asked the kids to think of different ways they could sort them. They came up with "Villains" and "Good Guys" immediately. Other obvious categories were the Turtles themselves (we have multiple variations of Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Donatello).

So they separated them into the preset categories. They had to call a big brother for a consult at one point. It took Ken awhile to figure out what CJ was talking about when he asked, "Is the panda from Ninja Turtles a good guy or a bad guy?"

With the sorting done, it was time to take inventory. While one counted items in a group aloud, the other recorded that count using tally marks in a table. When that was done, they (without prompting!) started analyzing the data, noting which category they had the most of (villains), and even which of the Turtles they had the most (Michelangelo) and the least (Raphael) of.

Of course, all this hands-on Turtle action led to a protracted play session with the figures afterward.

We did return to the table in the late afternoon for some reading comprehension practice. Together the kids read a few fact-filled paragraphs about sharks and then answered some multiple choice questions.

SPECIAL DELIVERY: We combined Kirby's midday walk with a neighborly deed- taking a piece of mail (it looked to be a card) that had accidentally delivered to us down to a neighbor's place. It was a good chance to reinforce the importance of knowing how to read an address, and helping improve CJ & Annabelle's sense of direction.

The address was for a house on 22nd Avenue, so as we approached street signs, I had the kids look for 22nd Avenue. Once we found that, we checked house numbers. CJ immediately deduced which direction to head, which I thought was cool. Mission accomplished.

ON TOP OF MAGNOLIA: We finally got together with preschool pal Connor today. We haven't seen him in awhile, so it was a happy reunion. The kids tore around Ella Bailey Park for over an hour. It was sunny but c-c-cold because of a brisk wind. But the sun and sky-scouring wind made for a even-better-than-usual view.

They slid, they climbed, they swung, they Star Wars-ed (that's a verb, isn't it?).

Click on the Mt. Rainier (or any photo) for a larger view.

Goin' Green

LOOPIN' THE LAKE: Last night, Christian and I decided that the kids were ready to navigate the 2.8 mile path around around Green Lake. I knew they had the stamina to do it - we've gone on lots longer treks - but I was finally confident they had the agility to do it on their bikes. (The path is VERY busy, packed with walkers, joggers, skaters, runners, bikers, dogs, and strollers galore. It is NOT a path to navigate if you're not adept at riding a bike.) Thousands of people visit the 323 acre park daily.

After making the 10 minute drive out to the lake, we gave the kids the rules of the road reminders, including to always stay to the right, except when passing. And when passing, you should always say 'on your left' as warning to the person(s) you're overtaking.

We made our way around the lake counterclockwise, stopping at a few points of interest, the first being the Green Lake Small Craft Center, on the southwest "corner" of the lake. The center offers rowing, canoeing, kayaking, and sailing classes - things CeeJ and Bee might be interested in checking out in the not-too-distant future. There's even a small grandstand adjacent to the craft center. It probably fills up in summer months, when racing season is in full swing. The micro stadium had some cool architectural touches.

Here's Annabelle admiring the view from the lake's east bank ... And CJ, Christian, and Kirby taking a look while parked along the north shore ...
In and around the lake we saw lots of birds, including mallards, Canadian geese, coots, and seagulls. Dogs we encountered along the path were a corgi, a pack of greyhounds, a bunch of retrievers, lotsa terriers, pit bulls, a bulldog and a dozen-some mutts.

Near the end of our journey, we came across the cute little Seattle Public Theatre at the Bathhouse. They stage plays there (of course!) and they also have an educational program that I'm seriously thinking about signing the kids up for ("The Stinky Cheese Man" sounds especially appealing to me/us!).

Today, we found the answer to a question the kids and I have often asked aloud: "Why's it called Green Lake?" Thanks to the magic of Wikipedia, we now know that the lake was named by David Phillips, who surveyed the area in September 1855 for the United States Surveyor General. Phillips' notes referred to it as "Lake Green" because the body of water is prone to algae blooms.

DINERS, DRIVE-INS and DIVES: After the morning workout, and having skipped breakfast this a.m., we figured we'd earned brunch. We decided to finally make a pilgrimage to Beth's Cafe, just west of Green Lake. Beth's has been a Seattle landmark since 1954.

It's a hot spot, open 24 hours a day. The place is tiny and it's packed. On weekends the line snakes out the door dozens of people deep. It's a favorite haunt of college "kids" and those with hangovers (clearly, two groups whose boundaries blur).

We were lucky to score a table right away, but the wait for a server was more than a few minutes. (Maybe that's why she's called a WAITress!) But we were OK hanging out - there was lots to look at. Past customers' crayon drawings covered every square inch of the walls, and Elvis and Jimi blared from the jukebox.

As you might surmise from its name, Beth's is not haute cuisine. It's definitely more in the "greasy spoon" family. Which is precisely what makes it a perfect place to a get ridiculously huge breakfast. :) . In fact, Beth's was featured by a Travel Channel program showcasing the best places in the country to "pig-out" and it has been on Guy Fieri's Diner's Drive Ins and Dives. Niiiiiiiice!

CeeJ and Bee each went with a not-so-aptly named "mini" breakfast. It was a pancake the size of a platter, a couple of strips of bacon (nice 'n' crispy, the way CJ likes 'em) and an egg.

CJ made his pancake disappear in what seemed like seconds (all that bike riding will do that to a guy, I guess). Three quarters of the way through, he complained his chest hurt. (That would be a bolus, dude - from eating too fast.)

Before we left, Annabelle added some artwork to Beth's collection. It's of Roy G. Biv. He's a colorful man.
CJ v. PAPER: While we were at the restaurant, I told the kids to take good note of their food and surrounds, as they'd be writing a restaurant review later.

Once we got home, we got down to business. On the white board, we reviewed the elements that one would expect to find in a restaurant review. Specifically, the restaurant's name and location. It would include what you ate there and how it was. You'd also likely have a list of things you like (I asked them to give a list of three) and perhaps something you didn't like. I told them that ratings often have a scale they use to rate something - be it numbers or stars. For our exercise, I asked them to give something one star "if it was really crappy and you'd never eat there again" on up to five stars if they thought it was terrific.

Annabelle got right to the task. CJ, well not so much. There was a problem. His paper was terrifyingly horrible blank. That, coupled with the fact that he doesn't know how to spell every word perfectly, makes CJ a sad panda. Now know this - he is NOT expected to spell each word perfectly and has been told this a bazillion times. His pressure comes from within. Knowing this, I have to figure out a way to help. And today, it occured to me that the dictionary is going to be that way.

We have two pretty good children's dictionaries readily available, and I suggested he break them out and open 'em up when he was stuck. CJ is pretty darn good at alphabetical order exercises, and knows the sounds the letters make, so using a dictionary is very do-able for him. Once he started using the reference book, he was done within five minutes.

So, in the epic battle of CJ vs. the Evil Writer's Bloc, CJ wins. And that means we all win. :)

(And, in case you were wondering, both of the kids gave Beth's a five-star rating.)

Out and About

SEASHELLS BY THE SEASHORE: Although schools were closed across the U.S. for President's Day, MPA was still in session. But we haven't been sitting at our desks - the past two days have included a lot of outdoor schoolin'.

On Sunday, the kids rode their bikes and we jogged along side down the path to Terminal 91, a couple miles from our house. We lucked out and arrived at low tide, so there was some good beach combing. We found all kinds of shells and talked about differences and similarities between them (for instance, a clam and an oyster). We found quite a few shells with live limpets attached. Christian explained to the kids that a limpet is related to a snail, and showed them what its powerful suction cup looks like.

It's a four-ish mile round trip, and the last leg is a long stretch of uphill. They did a little victory dance (think Rocky celebrating at the top of the stairs) when they reached the top.

SOMEONE'S GOT A CASE OF THE MONDAYS: We took to the table to work on some math this morning. CJ's assignment was reading some charts that had recorded data using tally marks - a concept he's familiar with and never had trouble with in the past. But right out of the gate this morning, he was struggling. Instead of looking at group (four uprights and the fifth tally across them) and instantly knowing it was 5, he repeatedly started counting the individual marks (which kinda defeats the purpose of the tally mark system, now doesn't it?).

After much coaxing and coaching, he did finish his assignment, but it was clear he wasn't anywhere near the top of his game. As I review similar sessions we've had like this, I think it has almost always been on a Monday, when he's typically had a couple of days "off." It's not like our learning stops on the weekends, but we don't do worksheets. I'm thinking we'll be doing a worksheet or two this coming weekend and see if that has any affect on CJ's case of the Mondays.

IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: It was a really nice morning weather wise, and a great day to get out and get some exercise. So once again the kids hopped onto their bikes and we jogged along beside. This time, instead of heading to Terminal 91, we took the left fork, which is the waterfront trail to downtown. We didn't go all the way downtown, however. We just ran a couple miles to the south, a ways past the Magnolia bridge.

This map shows most of our Sunday route pink to red, then red back to pink (home). Monday's route was pink to blue (the top of the blue loop is cut off).On our way back north, we stopped at Whole Foods where the kids got a free cookie thanks to their kids club membership. That gave them the strength for the rest of the ride home.

Along the way we checked out a Washington National Guard armory, and a local P Patch (community garden) where all sorts of things are growing like crazy already.

And believe it or not, we even saw David Bowie on our way home!

BOGUS BOOK: I snagged a book called "Presidents' Day" (published in 2008) from the library a couple weeks back and have been saving it for today. CJ and Annabelle took turns reading pages while I was making dinner.

At the dinner table Christian was flipping through the book and he said, "This isn't right." He'd just read that, "Grown-ups vote every four years to choose the president of the United States.

Each person votes for the person he or she believes will make the best leaders. They don't all agree, so whoever gets the most votes becomes president."

Hmm, well, they might want to ask Al Gore before making that claim. You can see right on the Federal Elections Web site, in the 2000 election, Gore had 50,999,897 votes, compared to G.W. Bush's 50,456,002. So who moved into the White House? It wasn't Gore, because we don't have one person = one vote, we have an electoral college. I don't expect a primary grade picture book to necessarily explain all the nuances surrounding the electoral college, but they also shouldn't make it sound like the way we elect presidents is by straight up popular vote, because that's simply not true. I have no idea how such a big mistake could make it into print in a Harper-Collins publication. I think a note to the publisher is in order ...

RESOURCEFUL: My find of the day regarding things we're sure to use in the future is the ThinkQuest library. It's a collection of over 7,000 Web sites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition. I like the by kids, for kids nature of the site.

The library is searchable and extensive. As an experiment, I used "civil rights" as a search term. It produced more than 600 links. Wow.