Our family is no stranger to our local library. The librarians know us all by name. We are there quite frequently, checking out books, hanging out, or running in for a quick pick up of books on hold; a quick trip to the library for us is about 20 minutes. So, it seems to surprise... Continue Reading →
five-headed dragon…
Mythology is a popular topic at our house. Here is my 7 1/2 year old's rendition of a five-headed dragon: Notice the orange things in the ground. Those are worms for the dragon to eat. Apparently the dragon likes to roast them with his firey breath and eat them with barbecue sauce. There was an impromptu poem... Continue Reading →
butterflies…
In April, we hung butterfly salt dough ornaments. They seemed like a fitting representation of Spring, especially considering that we sent away for Painted Lady caterpillars. We had a butterfly pavilion that was given to us as a gift, and the caterpillars were ordered from Insect Lore. They come in a cup with everything they... Continue Reading →
bloom’s taxonomy…
According to Bloom's Taxonomy, the most basic level of cognition is knowledge. At this level, a person can define, duplicate, label, list, and memorize a concept. At the comprehension level, a person can use that memorized information in order to explain it to another person. Concepts can be illustrated at the application level. Individuals can... Continue Reading →
the color of a rainbow…
One day at lunch, my 5 year old was asking me about colors. "If you mix blue-green with yellow-orange, exactly what color do you get?" We had been through several, with me mentally calculating how certain mixtures would come out and with me asking her what she thought for some of them. My 7 year... Continue Reading →
dumbing us down…
John Taylor Gatto, an award winning veteran school teacher, has exposed the problems of our school system, and society in general, in several of his books, including Dumbing Us Down. This small collection of speeches and essays speaks to the heart of anyone who has ever questioned our current school system. He elonquently describes the... Continue Reading →
living peacefully with children 