I like to teach my kids at school about Veterans Day. It’s a bit tricky because they are so young. How much do you tell a 5 year old about the military in a way that emphasizes the importance without scaring them? I’m always looking for books that can tell about Veterans Day in an…
How long do dinosaurs live? Do carnivores live longer than herbivores? If being a herbivore (vegetarian) makes you live longer, then why didn’t the carnivores switch or become omnivores? Do omnivores live longer than either of the others? This all started with a simple off-hand question from one of my students last spring –…
I have always loved the smiley face. Its cheery, happy, yellow smile brings happiness wherever it goes. If my life could have a logo, I think it might be the smiley face. (My theme song is Don’t Worry, Be Happy and my motto is “Oh well!”) There – I’ve claimed it! I was driving through…
Did you know that out in the Nevada desert in 1955, at the Test Site, a town was built? It was called Survival Town, or Doom Town. As part of the 14 nuclear tests done in 1955, the town was built to study the effects of a nuclear explosion in a populated area. Various houses…
As a prime mosquito buffet target, I spend most of the summer scratching my itchy bites. I am not a fan of those annoying pests and would not be sad if they suddenly disappeared from the earth. At dinner the other night we were talking about mosquitos and wondering – What are they good for? …
A history lesson in a commercial? Yes, it’s true! One of the latest GEICO commercials features Alexander Graham Bell answering the phone, “Ahoy hoy!” He goes on to tell the caller that it’s a wrong number, “No, no. My number is one. You must want two.” Haven’t seen the commercial yet? Watch it now. A…
Have you ever wondered how orzo is made? It’s so tiny and the oblong football shape can’t be created just by making even cuts of a longer noodle. Apparently it’s a super-secret secret how it’s made because it was almost impossible to find information about the process. There are lots of videos about making spaghetti…
Why do we wear poppies on Memorial Day? For that matter, what is Memorial Day even about? I teach 5-year-olds so for them, these questions are nebulous at best. I love this story about Moina Belle Michael and the origin of the Memorial Poppy but unfortunately it’s too mature for my young students (better suited…
The Super Shark Encyclopedia was a patient in my class’ book hospital the other day. As I was flipping through the book, looking for pages to tape (and looking for a distraction from the endless noise of free play – blocks falling, cars rolling, dinosaurs roaring – Calgon, take me away!), I came across the…
(WARNING: There are close-up pictures of ants in this post. If that’s a problem, you might want to skip this one.) (Also, be sure to read the “Steps to Add Ants” below – it’s my favorite part!) I love ant farms and I’m not sure why. I had one once as a kid but no…
I had never heard of these amazing women until the INSH video happened to pop up in my Facebook feed one day. I love books, libraries, and horses so was immediately intrigued and wanted to know more. I dove deep on this one. I checked out 7 books from the library and read almost every…
Carrots are full of Vitamin A and beta carotene which are good for your eye health. This is a fact. The superpowers of carrots though have become exaggerated over time. They help maintain healthy eyes but cannot resolve vision problems. If you are near-sighted, no amount of carrots will change that. Why then do we…