WHAT SNOMAGEDDEON!?: If you believed what you saw or read on the news last night, we were supposed to wake up to a thick white carpet this morning.
Imagine my surprise upon upping to to sunshine, the sight of blooming daffodils and crocus, and people on the golf course near our house. Hmph. Guess the forecasters missed that one. ... They're still promising a snowy wallop tonight. We'll see if they're right this time.
BACK WITH THE CORPS: We started our day by spending more time with Lewis and Clark, our latest educational obsession. :)
The first was a 2 minute overview of the expedition (which the kids should be able to tell by now), another was about the Louisiana Purchase. The next three we watched were excerpts from a show called "Extreme History" hosted by Roger Daltrey. (Yes, THAT Roger Daltrey. The Who's frontman seemed, to me, an odd choice for a series about American history, but he seemed to be having a good time and his hosting chops were fine.)First we learned about how Lewis and Clark made replacement canoes by hollowing out logs, mostly with hatchets. Hard, hard work. And while trying to paddle one, Daltrey pointed out they were super heavy, hard to steer, and that he was drenched while sitting in it.
And last but not least, in a video that most certainly would NOT be PETA-approved, we learned how the expedition, on occasion, dined on beavers. Annabelle grew squirmy and squeamish as they chopped off a dead beaver's appendages. Then, in full living (or, in the beaver's case, dead) color, the critter was skinned, rinsed, and skewered for roasting over the fire. It looked awful - like an electrocuted rat - and Mr. Daltrey didn't care for its taste, either. Gruesome as it was, I thought it worthwhile viewing. The fact of the matter is, those guys on the expedition weren't dining on white tablecloths, for sure. ...
The videos kept the kids' attention, for the most part. I did catch CJ looking out the window from time to time ...
From there it was time for some table work. The kids read "Lewis and Clark: A New World (Natural History)," from EdHelper.com and answered several comprehension questions about it.HIT THE STACKS: We headed over to the library. While I looked for books, Annabelle read the oversized books in the kids' section.
CJ worked a few puzzles, when he wasn't gazing out the window. ...
He got a haircut anyway.
CJ worked a few puzzles, when he wasn't gazing out the window. ...
IMPORTANT AUTHOR: Back home, I asked the kids, "Who was it that sent Lewis & Clark on their journey?" They both knew it was Jefferson thanks to our recent studies.
We spent the next half hour reading "Thomas Jefferson a Picture Book Biography," by James Cross Giblin. Not your average kiddie picture book, it had 45 pages and over 4,100 words.
The kids learned LOTS more about Jefferson, including about his childhood, his education, his home (Monticello), his work as a lawyer and his eventual involvement in politics. They learned that he authored the Declaration of Independence, wrote a statute for religious freedom in Virginia and that he was the founder of the University of Virginia. They learned that the man who wrote "all men are created equal" was a slave owner his entire life.
After reading the book, they each took an Accelerated Reader quiz online about it and aced the test. Yay!
LET'S MAKE A DEAL: Hoping to have the kids apply some of what they've learned, I told them we were going to play a game. CJ was going to be Lewis and Annabelle was going to be Clark. I reminded them that Lewis and Clark took thousands of items with them for trading with Native Americans they encountered, and told them I wanted them to gather things from around the house that they thought would make good trade or peace offerings. I gave them each 5 minutes to complete the task.
Annabelle decided upon a recorder, a fan, a tin can, some boots, a straw, some peanut butter and a big container of rice. CJ and I agreed that her selections were all good trade items.
CJ chose a bunch of bananas, an ornamental wrist watch, some scissors, a wooden toy, a drinking glass, and ... two Redbox DVDs?
I told him I thought all of his choices were great, except for the DVDs. I reminded him the Native Americans wouldn't have a DVD player, so they wouldn't have much use for the DVDs.
HAIRY SITUATION: I told CJ he was starting to look like Rapunzel and that he needed a haircut. He didn't like that idea. A couple minutes later, Annabelle called me into the bedroom and pointed out CJ, who was hiding under the desk.
CJ chose a bunch of bananas, an ornamental wrist watch, some scissors, a wooden toy, a drinking glass, and ... two Redbox DVDs?
I told him I thought all of his choices were great, except for the DVDs. I reminded him the Native Americans wouldn't have a DVD player, so they wouldn't have much use for the DVDs.He thought about it for a minute and then holding up a DVD, he demonstrated how they could be used to try to slice a predator. 
I had to give him credit for creativity. :)
I had to give him credit for creativity. :) HAIRY SITUATION: I told CJ he was starting to look like Rapunzel and that he needed a haircut. He didn't like that idea. A couple minutes later, Annabelle called me into the bedroom and pointed out CJ, who was hiding under the desk.
He got a haircut anyway. COOKIE MONSTERS: We haven't made cookies in weeks, so this afternoon we threw together a batch of peanut butter cookies. Tasty!
GOOD TO GO: We are eagerly awaiting the launch of shuttle Discovery tomorrow afternoon. It's hard to believe this will be the first shuttle launch since we made our awesome trip down for STS-132 in May of last year. 
$HIT HIT$ THE FAN: About the first thing I read this morning was the headline on the front page of the Seattle Times today.
$HIT HIT$ THE FAN: About the first thing I read this morning was the headline on the front page of the Seattle Times today. In a nutshell, SPS spent around $1.8 million on contract work that was never done or didn't benefit the district. This has been going on for months/years and, frankly, more than a few people have been aware of it. There has been a secret criminal investigation into allegations of financial fraud and the results of that investigation are starting to make their way out to the light of day.
Unfortunately, the story didn't surprise me. It's just more business as usual in Seattle Public Schools, it seems. ... One of the first things I learned upon moving to Seattle is that the administrative culture in SPS seems completely out of line with the best interests of its students.
And what a shame - there are so many hardworking teachers in this district trying to do more with less in overcrowded classrooms every day, and meanwhile, in their nice quiet offices, some in the administration continue to, in effect, steal from the children (not to mention district taxpayers).
Disgusting.
Unfortunately, the story didn't surprise me. It's just more business as usual in Seattle Public Schools, it seems. ... One of the first things I learned upon moving to Seattle is that the administrative culture in SPS seems completely out of line with the best interests of its students.
And what a shame - there are so many hardworking teachers in this district trying to do more with less in overcrowded classrooms every day, and meanwhile, in their nice quiet offices, some in the administration continue to, in effect, steal from the children (not to mention district taxpayers).
Disgusting.
If a being is not a "man" then there is no conflict with "all men are created equal" and holding that being as a slave. It's all about unrecognized prejudices. It's easy for us who know the difference in 2011 to criticize persons from 300 years ago without recognizing our own prejudices. Doesn't mean it was okay, just that it was a product of ignorance.
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