tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30731939286631353052024-03-04T21:40:37.509-08:00Smart Girls FunI started this blog to encourage girls to pursue their interests in science, math, sports, adventure and the arts. And also to encourage both girls and their parents to find positive messages in today's media and marketing influences.Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-61713399294347646552009-03-03T16:20:00.000-08:002009-03-04T12:03:43.345-08:00The Magic of Chemistry<div><br /><div><div>It is almost magical that a Mr. & Mrs. Science exist. They are also known as Dr's. Phil and Tina Bailey, chemistry professors* at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, California. The university that is also known as <a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/">Cal Poly</a>. Cal Poly's educational philosophy is "<em>Learn by Doing</em>" and Professors Phil and Tina Bailey certainly know how to get kids interested in science and math. </div><div>They h<a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/images/magic_show/apparatus_200x300.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/images/magic_show/apparatus_200x300.jpg" border="0" /></a>ave been perfecting their <a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/magic_show/index.html"><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>Chemistry Magic Show</em></span> </a>for almost 40 years. Every year, local fourth grade classes are invited to a live show at the university.</div><br /><br /><a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/images/magic_show/phil&tina&marshmellow200x300.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px" alt="" src="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/images/magic_show/phil&tina&marshmellow200x300.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>If you are curious about the show..... let's just say that things explode, catch fire, change color, disappear, reappear, crunch, munch, stink, expand, shrink, foam and goop. There is a taste test, flowers that shatter and some very unusual balloon manipulation. The demonstrations help kids understand air pressure, the three states of matter, acids and bases, chemical reactions and more. Mr. & Mrs. Science make chemistry exciting and full of fun. Smiles are mandatory.</div><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.calpoly.edu/~cosam/images/magic_show/tina&dry_ice300x200.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div>With a grant from the <a href="http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2005/jan_05/video.html">Cotchett Foundation</a>, a phenomenal 50 minute video was produced of the show. A free copy is available upon request. Please email Dr. Tina Bailey: <a href="mailto:cbailey@calpoly.edu">cbailey@calpoly.edu</a> for your copy. <div>The DVD was designed for third, fourth and fifth graders. But really any elementary school aged child would enjoy the demonstrations. The video also has some Cal Poly science major students explaining why they chose their field of study.</div><br />The Chemistry Magic Show video would be great for teachers and parents who want to encourage a love for science and math for their kids. Our country is in dire need of scientists. Getting kids interested in science at a young age is key to increasing the chance that they will pursue careers in <a href="http://www.sciencewithme.com/">science</a> and <a href="http://mpw.plasticstoday.com/articles/survey-finds-parents-are-key-encouraging-kids-pursue-careers-engineering">engineering</a>.</div><br /><br /><div>There is a downloadable <a href="http://cosam.calpoly.edu/magic_show/magic_show_handbook.pdf">Magic Show Handbook</a> which is full of fun photos of kids enjoying the science activities. It includes explanations for all the demonstrations, plus some fun experiments that can be done at home with parental supervision using common household items. Also included are some science fair project ideas. Check it out :)</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>I want to personally thank Dr's. Bailey for showing kids that science can be fun and easy to understand. For showing kids they can ask questions and find answers. For having such fun and passion with science. And for all of this, they earn a Smart Girl Fun Award.</div><div> </div><div>**they get extra credit for having boys and girls participate equally in the magic show**</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>* Phil Bailey, PhD is Cal Poly's College of Mathematics Dean and Tina Bailey, PhD is the Chair of the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department.</em></span></div></div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-34162022161685788512009-02-04T13:22:00.000-08:002009-02-04T14:36:11.933-08:00Garden-Based Learning<div><a href="http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:yDqF-SvO6UGOTM:http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/fasworldwide/2006/04-2006/Images/SchoolGardens/SchoolGardenBenefitsPoster.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 99px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 138px" alt="" src="http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:yDqF-SvO6UGOTM:http://www.fas.usda.gov/info/fasworldwide/2006/04-2006/Images/SchoolGardens/SchoolGardenBenefitsPoster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:a5_7gKfiz6j5VM:http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/1808/24394.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 130px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 98px" alt="" src="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:a5_7gKfiz6j5VM:http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/1808/24394.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Last time I blogged about donating a<a href="http://smartgirlsfun.blogspot.com/2009/01/barn-owl-valentine-beauties.html"> barn owl </a>box to one of the local elementary schools for their new school garden. I have since done some research into garden-based learning for elementary schools. It is a growing trend nationally. A good summary on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden-based_learning"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wikipedia</span></a> in part states:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Benefits of garden-based learning among children and youth</strong></span></span></em></div><br /><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong></strong><div><br /></span>Landscape designers, teachers, and others consider children’s gardens to be one of the most notable positive trends in the nation today. These environments can foster science literacy and social skills, while enhancing an awareness of the link between plants in the landscape and our clothing, food, shelter, and well-being. Gardening projects provide children and youth with the carefree exploration of the natural world that occurs rarely in today's era of indoor living; it can also give young people the chance to develop a wide range of academic and social skills. Noted benefits of garden-based learning programs among youth include increased nutrition awareness, environmental awareness, higher learning achievements, and increased life skills</span></em></div><em><span style="color:#3333ff;">. </span></em><div><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /><strong>Increased nutrition awareness</strong> Research indicates that youth who participate in garden-based learning programs have increased their consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and gained new enthusiasm for fresh, nutritious vegetables they grew. Teachers also regarded the garden to be very effective at enhancing academic performance, physical activity, language arts, and healthful eating habits.</span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /><strong>Increased environmental awareness</strong> Research highlights that high school students gain more positive attitudes about environmental issues after participating in a school garden program. Gardening has also been shown to increase scores on environmental attitude surveys of elementary school children.</span></em></div><br /><div><em><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /><strong>Higher Learning Achievements</strong> Studies indicate that students that participated in school gardening activities scored significantly higher on science achievement tests compared to students that did not experience any garden-based learning activities. Other research has indicated that weekly use of gardening activities and hands-on classroom activities help improve science achievement test scores.</span></em></div><span style="color:#3333ff;"><br /><div><br /><em><strong>Increased Life Skills</strong> Research has highlighted the increased life skills attributed to children's garden programs: enhances moral education, increases appreciation for nature, increases responsibility, develops patience, increases in relationship skill, increases self-esteem, helps students develop a sense of ownership and responsibility, and helps foster relationships with family members.<img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 151px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 81px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:nQaWEAdNGLAV6M:http://desertification.files.wordpress.com/2007/03/2003-03-espargos-pretoria-06.jpg" border="0" /></em></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">That all sounds good, especially considering today's kids are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. Kids can participate at all levels: planning the garden, getting donated materials, garden construction, garden maintenance, pest control strategies and harvesting of food and flowers. Kids can learn about sustainable development, nutrition, garden critters, weather and so much more. Schools can even have older kids can participate in <a href="http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0218e/A0218E08.htm">market gardening</a>, which could teach them basic business, marketing and money management skills. A simple school farmer's market once a week would be fun. School gardens can be a source of pumpkins for Halloween, flowers for Valentine's day and Mother's day. The produce can be served in the cafeteria. Kids can learn how to make healthy and nutritious snacks. One lucky school had guest chefs show the students how to make <a href="http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://gardenproject.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/pizza1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://gardenproject.wordpress.com/2007/10/25/abbracci-bakery-grills-in-the-garden/&usg=__RxdVg8-TjzFGISymvuyki4lVVn0=&h=487&w=740&sz=305&hl=en&start=26&sig2=O_pzzm_R7eHhMlakGMnVrg&tbnid=DpPjIRhDl5ZjZM:&tbnh=93&tbnw=141&ei=_RaKSY3BOI3gsAPv7tXMDQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dschool%2Bgarden%26start%3D18%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GPTB_enUS302US303%26sa%3DN">fresh pizza dough and sauce </a>and use fresh veggies for toppings!</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">Our local elementary school was fortunate enough to have a few master gardeners volunteer their time. Of course, parents and community members need to donate time and materials for garden construction. Our school garden is still under construction, but all of the grades have had a chance to plant their section of the garden. The children could also bring in a smooth, fist-sized rocks to school to paint and place in the garden. This garden has different sections including: a bird/wildlife garden, pumpkin and native <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">american</span> garden, compost area, butterfly garden, weather station, annual flower bed, native garden and green house. One of the teacher's has a garden blog on the school website. The school sends out <em>Garden News</em> (including a wish list for supplies and garden work dates) with the monthly school newsletter.</span></div><br /><p><span style="color:#000000;">There are several resources for schools/volunteers on how to develop your school garden. Start by looking at the resource list at the end of the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garden-based_learning"> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Wikipedia</span> </a>article. If you are in northern California, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">UC</span> Davis has a <a href="http://childrensgarden.ucdavis.edu/school-gardens">Children's Garden Program </a>at their Student Farm. They offer workshops for creating and sustaining school gardens. There is also the <a href="http://www.csgn.org/">California School Garden Network</a> and they have an excellent resource section on their website. You can download <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">CSGN's</span> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/Gardens%20for%20Learning%20-%20Creating%20and%20Sustaining%20Your%20School%20Garden">Gardens for Learning - Creating and Sustaining Your School Garden </a>guidebook.</span></p><p> </p><p><span style="color:#000000;"> If your school does not have, or have plans for, a school garden, think about taking that first step and inquire about the possibility of starting a garden for your school.</span></p><span style="color:#000000;"></span></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="color:#000000;">GOOD LUCK TO ALL THE LITTLE GREEN THUMBS OUT THERE!!</span> <p><br /></p><div><br /></div></span>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-45020442638219485352009-01-15T13:06:00.000-08:002009-01-15T14:43:39.258-08:00Barn Owl Valentine Beauties<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cXUjWuoOFLzB5zPpxEHxJJ0K-5DMfRcWbUrv0kZD1TodE-ja7Iuu4a21NH74appmoq4VmpVWsdCjgNFr0g-P9YoAfT4E24JRL-8LcZo46vv-CgCnP2XZ6HWyReVZ1WooxJV6oM8q2v63/s1600-h/barn+owl+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291641866122947426" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 230px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_cXUjWuoOFLzB5zPpxEHxJJ0K-5DMfRcWbUrv0kZD1TodE-ja7Iuu4a21NH74appmoq4VmpVWsdCjgNFr0g-P9YoAfT4E24JRL-8LcZo46vv-CgCnP2XZ6HWyReVZ1WooxJV6oM8q2v63/s320/barn+owl+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div>Barn owls are found throughout the United States and in many other parts of the world. They look quite different from other owls because they have a heart-shaped face and no ear tufts. They usually have some freckles and have soft white and brown coloring. They also have quite a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwc82DOb4k">screech</a>! </div><div>Our local elementary school is building a school garden. They will be installing a barn owl box to attract their own resident owls. Barn owls are great for rodent control. They eat lots of mice and gophers. Other than installing the nesting box, the only upkeep is cleaning out the box once a year. Having natural predators is so much better than using poisons to get rid of rodents on your property. One family of owls can easily eat more than 3,000 rodents a year, basically for free!</div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://www.barnowlvideo.com/attract.html"><em>Backyard Barn Owls</em></a> is a website created by a couple in California that basically fell in love with their resident barn owls. Be sure to check out the <a href="http://www.barnowlvideo.com/video.html">video clips </a>they have on their site.</div><div></div><div>Another incredible cool fact is that the owls eat all of their prey, fur, bones and all! They can not digest all of it however, so they also produce owl pellets which look like big fur balls. These pellets are regurgitated and they fall in the nest, or sometimes on the ground. Here is a lovely video from the London Zoo. Their barn owl Willow is quite the charmer and you can watch him eat some mice.<br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2gGzS-dzOI&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a2gGzS-dzOI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /></div><div>Owl pellets may not be pretty to look at, but they can give people interested in owls a good opportunity to see just what an owl eats. One group of scientists studied the owl pellets from the nest of one pair of barn owls. They examined 200 pellets and they found 406 mice skulls, 20 rat skulls and 20 shrew skulls! </div><div> </div><div>There is a <a href="http://www.kidwings.com/owlpellets/barnowl/index2.htm">virtual owl pellet dissector </a>you can try. You can also buy <a href="http://www.obdk.com/">sterilized owl pellets </a>to dissect at home. You only want to handle pellets that are properly sterilized, so don't pick up any that you may find on the ground. </div><div> </div><div>If you are lucky enough to be able to dissect a pellet, there will probably be several rodent skeletons in each pellet. It is fun to count all the different bones and estimate the number of rodents in each pellet. Those barn owls are great hunters! Did you know they are completely silent when they fly? They have specially designed feathers that are soft enough to not make a sound. This comes in very handy when they are swooping down on their prey. They are also extremely graceful when they fly.</div><div> </div><div>If you are interested, there are several <a href="http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/owlcam/barn_owl.html">owl cam sites </a>you can visit. As with all of nature's creatures, sometimes the barn owl/owlets becomes prey for another predator. But checking in on an owl family is a wonderful experience in general. Please read the information on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">web cam</span> sites to see if viewing their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">web cams</span> is for you. </div><div> </div><div><br /><br /> </div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRcBxS0hqpQopTTSq5iUKaQSXbzhpOqMfdhMDTpMfFzgELHZxjMwKWSwdN0SS3aUcp4VlcSKnWiqxAH4PznIpl2BF16G9KlfK_h-YwCmmh0RCbtQdLxDAbi-KkoXseavMA27wR3vqHXSr/s1600-h/barn+owl.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291641184419832786" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGRcBxS0hqpQopTTSq5iUKaQSXbzhpOqMfdhMDTpMfFzgELHZxjMwKWSwdN0SS3aUcp4VlcSKnWiqxAH4PznIpl2BF16G9KlfK_h-YwCmmh0RCbtQdLxDAbi-KkoXseavMA27wR3vqHXSr/s400/barn+owl.jpg" border="0" /></em></a></div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-32247463543955577702008-12-15T09:48:00.000-08:002008-12-16T06:05:11.647-08:00Smart Girls Have More FunComedian, actor Amy Poehler gets a Smart Girls Fun Award for developing her web series <a href="http://www.onnetworks.com/videos/smart-girls-at-the-party"><em>Smart Girls at the Party</em> </a>. She hosts the show with two of her real life friends. How novel for girls to be encouraged to make lasting friendships.<br /><br />Here Amy celebrates and interviews preteen smart girls. The girls are allowed to just be themselves. They talk about their lives, their interests and their talents. They are the girls next door. They get to have a little dance party at the end of the show. How refreshing to see girls just being girls. They smile and giggle! They are confident! They are having fun! They are intelligent! They aren't chasing boys around!<br /><br /><br />Here is one of my favorite episodes. A young writer with a terrific personality.<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9SaID8nybVs&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9SaID8nybVs&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Wonderful, playful, intelligent interviews Amy!!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#cc66cc;">I was a little worried when I saw the Barbie ads for <em>Smart Girls at the Party</em>. But seeing the latest marketing of Barbie (and considering </span><a href="http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081204/mattel_bratz.html"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Bratz dolls have probably and finally ended their reign</span></a><span style="color:#cc66cc;">) I am hopeful that Barbie is finally getting a wake up call. I hear rumours that the new Barbie (in all her marketing glory, including not only the traditional dolls, but also </span><a href="http://www.barbiegirls.com/homeMtl.html"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Barbie Girls</span></a> <span style="color:#cc66cc;">virtual game world</span><span style="color:#cc66cc;">, the </span><a href="http://www.everythinggirl.com/home/home.aspx"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Barbie website </span></a><span style="color:#cc66cc;">and </span><a href="http://www.netflix.com/Search?ff2_submit.x=0&ff2_submit.y=0&v1=barbie"><span style="color:#cc66cc;">Barbie movies</span></a><span style="color:#cc66cc;">) is becoming more and more adventurous, independent, athletic and goal-oriented. I still see mostly fashion, decorating and gossip on these websites. I don't think a little fashion will hurt anyone, but I really want to see girlhood being mostly about creative fun and adventure. You know, like boyhood.</span><br /><br />But maybe, just maybe I will take my dear five year old Barbie into a little Barbie Land. I would love to see dentist Barbie reintroduced wearing something other than just a lab coat. A pair of pants would be great. I think my daughter is smart enough to pick out the fun and adventure from Barbie. And she will definitely be watching the Smart Girl at the Party webisodes.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Hug Your Smart Girl Today!!</span>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-7715381151362096582008-11-17T12:48:00.000-08:002008-11-17T13:33:49.434-08:00Volcano Construction<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQKbdeFPA7lVFYZ4Vnq-w3Ie5rcYo9OBLsvpYEroMCyuMnYENQeF4kVrv8RbOSOPaUkT4mj-mS1ZeFv9NxbeuuHGs-ud_TMdl9iEaXTj9aCEGUjD0x6ExUeUwJlB-glYOeb2WQrwJmBon/s1600-h/007.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269742396408204114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlQKbdeFPA7lVFYZ4Vnq-w3Ie5rcYo9OBLsvpYEroMCyuMnYENQeF4kVrv8RbOSOPaUkT4mj-mS1ZeFv9NxbeuuHGs-ud_TMdl9iEaXTj9aCEGUjD0x6ExUeUwJlB-glYOeb2WQrwJmBon/s400/007.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><div>Dear daughter got a <a href="http://kidsciencekits.com/">Young Scientist Club science kit </a>for her birthday. She made and exploded her very own volcano. Absolutely loved the entire project!! You actually can make your very own volcano from materials at home:</div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>MATERIALS</strong><br /><br /></div><br /><div><em>1- shoe box lid</em><br /><em>1- ~16 oz. plastic bottle- empty (we used a Gatorade bottle)</em></div><div><em>2 pieces construction paper</em></div><div><em>mixing bowl</em></div><div><em>newspaper</em></div><div><em>2 cups flour</em></div><div><em>2 cups warm water</em></div><div><em>black paint and paintbrush</em></div><div><em>baking soda</em></div><div><em>vinegar</em></div><div><em>red food coloring</em></div><div><em>liquid dish soap</em></div><div><em>funnel</em></div><div><em>scissors</em></div><div><em>tape</em></div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>DIRECTIONS</strong></div><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269736722327140322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTiLRQF85Ps38PRGe_xcQftfMxz15oH4xT_FMzfekt_o_ntsQiR-6hOGRWQrfrPPHOpPGbr5eou_FjmVdXCJ-VyACthLvy9SoOgXsq_oQUSZS_WSLOXbfRBKypmgF22t53hCDAFCfkNPZW/s400/003.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>1.</strong> Tape the plastic bottle upright in the center of the shoe box lid. Wrap a piece of the construction paper around half of the bottle so it is a cone shape. You may have to trim the bottom of the paper. You want the paper to meet evenly with the top of the bottle. Tape the other piece of construction paper on the other side of bottle so that the bottle is completely surrounded. Tape the paper down securely on the shoe box lid.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>2.</strong> Cover your work area with newspaper. Tear one section of newspaper (or magazine paper) into one inch strips. Combine water and flour in mixing bowl. Use this flour paste right away by dragging a piece of newspaper strip through the paste and remove extra paste by running your fingers down the strip. Place coated strip on the volcano and repeat until volcano is completely covered in the paper mache'. You can make it as thick as you like. Once the volcano is covered, it will need to dry. This may take a day or two.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><strong>3.</strong> Once dry, paint the volcano with the black paint. It should be nice and sturdy and able to used for many eruptions.</div><br /><br /><div><strong>4.</strong> Once the paint is dry, you can prepare the lava. Here is a starter recipe for the lava, but your young scientist can be a real chemist and experiment with different combinations and amounts. Just make sure to place all ingredients in the bottle except the vinegar- which should be added last. We mixed everything but the vinegar in a mixing bowl and then poured this into the bottle/volcano using a funnel. Then we poured in the vinegar.</div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOA5IBj5igL-QzXJsKbraUmi_lmAqKcmNYCrxbgpx-i7w2Hbr5b8w3Mn_gdwI9DQhvimqASJmdDvMIoVWFq8A8Aykuhnbe08lf8CttqhZyZu_8w2bHBqqDuqsTbLR9MqzMlgrM6D07t08/s1600-h/004.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269736730592655538" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYOA5IBj5igL-QzXJsKbraUmi_lmAqKcmNYCrxbgpx-i7w2Hbr5b8w3Mn_gdwI9DQhvimqASJmdDvMIoVWFq8A8Aykuhnbe08lf8CttqhZyZu_8w2bHBqqDuqsTbLR9MqzMlgrM6D07t08/s400/004.JPG" border="0" /></a> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269736738969514098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTtN5w1FqAqJm3l09dvvkHOEoEQhQbyPXmnwIZIaFIbZ3pRipGDGAcpRL8_paH3cc9JHR6SzkMYqX8jKxMNxL5kal_ORtF4ponPN0xLxyMU9w3OG2NHO5DAyElzJ1Pr_0LofIvz-KzHDLL/s400/005.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><div>Tell your young scientist that mixing vinegar and baking soda produces a gas and this causes the explosion. You can pour out the remaining lava after eruption and start again.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Happy Exploding!!</strong></span></div><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><em>LAVA RECIPE</em></span></div><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">4 teaspoons of baking soda</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">1/4 cup of warm water</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">5 drops of liquid dish detergent</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">5 drops of red food coloring</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;">1/4 cup vinegar</span></div><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269736750323634802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrA-R4zhcdI3LPnK4scKe1eamF4yEn-gNmluhhfKzYWNQdWu-pIAMtAe5NYMZ9M3Q7F2c-zVv6bSNV6BrZbEmW8s3lPSOfQiZf7ad2CLn-Rj4hq-NWMvGwFMoxGsQYtvOHmiMJ__BP6c5U/s400/008.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269736742855504066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-Uh0qYCSYJOXpBsTqcrSm4zFCqvkfva0CRfUdHGPgKanB9heP84Y-0TpqwiMJnei8tOAXUOCNXBxYENK3r_cxrhRrHZDeqRnbGhjIIHHIcc1i3ZLNv8QOrZqsrMNrVo5ntSkVCcEAisy/s400/006.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269737729922677762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMKNLvTR_Mr_3IRp_4CB1i8GmNSuvveBVtv6RwIBmPKg0hRD3N2abLtpvGXOK9CvMOIqzOODRe2utUNlrazxejh8z_uuqvd8feObWhoE3vBD2q0O04i4IrGz7jY9CPH5lZFBAovzA8imCj/s400/010.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5269737738699542770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiEV-MBPIA_FJym5HNIUNtY3OK09PqScBi0Avnvd6GmpQ_45c3B8VCgttosC7-k1ROlUaABhv8cuaO-__PqSf7n_2AMF8Un7ytrUdThGMSj22DuwCql3myBiAtc-5t6PAuwS_djiFU0ty2/s400/011.JPG" border="0" /></div></div></div><br /><br /></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-91396847561908801212008-09-12T10:25:00.000-07:002008-09-12T10:43:38.965-07:00Photography for Kids<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMKNy6HI-5skpHE0Px1FbPHss371e-aVkfIghTavIVu3A4waGUelxShf0pHzsjhqJKns1q1hjUpeksCimoVnSIXeahwBoQvhrZ5cisldpgN_IpUz6-yWYu00jH1W40w7IjuLeCWbdZzFF/s1600-h/scott's+pics+001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245187980208311698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnMKNy6HI-5skpHE0Px1FbPHss371e-aVkfIghTavIVu3A4waGUelxShf0pHzsjhqJKns1q1hjUpeksCimoVnSIXeahwBoQvhrZ5cisldpgN_IpUz6-yWYu00jH1W40w7IjuLeCWbdZzFF/s400/scott's+pics+001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hkteizPkO6F95iJE41TFX6QqYqrrYIc992cmglWncd1uoNIdymE47BGlzYjk1KAhxK7iD_d4ApCBgJq-rV79LpqKdjKSAezV276ErFgYFRR92wxQZSHL3OP-gV0RntyzRZ5znepbIvOH/s1600-h/scott's+pics+010.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245187978259291058" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hkteizPkO6F95iJE41TFX6QqYqrrYIc992cmglWncd1uoNIdymE47BGlzYjk1KAhxK7iD_d4ApCBgJq-rV79LpqKdjKSAezV276ErFgYFRR92wxQZSHL3OP-gV0RntyzRZ5znepbIvOH/s400/scott's+pics+010.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>These pictures were taken by an amateur photographer. My then eight-year old son. All my kids are interested in photography. They love to capture images when we travel, or take goofy shots of themselves and their friends. What an easy and expressive way to be creative!!</div><div></div><div></div><div>I found a couple of great websites today. <a href="http://www.biglearning.com/treasure-photography-for-kids.htm">Big Learning Photography for Kids</a> has much information and links. I think any beginning photographer (myself included) can learn a lot about photography from this site. <a href="http://www.betterphoto.com/photography-for-kids.asp"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">BetterPhoto</span>.com</a> is a fun site with lots of help to take better pictures. Fun photo assignments and tips too.</div><div></div><div>There are lots of cheap digital cameras today. My kid's photos help me appreciate their view of the world!! As we know, sometimes a photo is worth a thousand words. And it is much quieter too ;)</div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-89528568784883551152008-09-10T11:48:00.000-07:002008-09-10T11:52:33.032-07:00Flight Finch Coming in For Landing...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_FPjKem-18ocg8Dm3p-0PRHVV1b-LV_mnhXY0uryVehIQt262zec_-vREzyAdY3F16fsN5N8Bkm-v-qRinKugFG0l6ahH3htdUbtdzml_iZRyHuB-e81ybCyiSSayiQBc2fTvPu-ge_J/s1600-h/P1000047.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM_FPjKem-18ocg8Dm3p-0PRHVV1b-LV_mnhXY0uryVehIQt262zec_-vREzyAdY3F16fsN5N8Bkm-v-qRinKugFG0l6ahH3htdUbtdzml_iZRyHuB-e81ybCyiSSayiQBc2fTvPu-ge_J/s400/P1000047.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244467353829670962" /></a>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-6729751914337665272008-09-03T06:43:00.001-07:002008-09-03T06:45:47.510-07:00Fishing on the Fly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktMxyE3X2Fww4CQrvMLXz5eG24xSItQo8S34_A9JZkHflFrO-OKppOwjhessMAHXMXZaZcTxryUBRCxfGejn1ynlzVE_GMpW0SGA6hHOrvix6zePNolU14e6-UqrdAALr8as20G2UtkIv/s1600-h/truckee+005.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5241790661784008514" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktMxyE3X2Fww4CQrvMLXz5eG24xSItQo8S34_A9JZkHflFrO-OKppOwjhessMAHXMXZaZcTxryUBRCxfGejn1ynlzVE_GMpW0SGA6hHOrvix6zePNolU14e6-UqrdAALr8as20G2UtkIv/s400/truckee+005.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-3179973058622736442008-08-29T11:08:00.000-07:002008-08-29T12:44:33.513-07:00Tea for Four<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT_x8Mmc__unKWo7WZEBlfmsLtWcq1v9q8LdHw8Z-u9JLP84EIFoEaxl9kn-8lgP2PeyW5RSmcYh-9tBjYXkqIsahiOC-Lv6QZImMU39JuFzh_lFDQFsYWrf8CrbilAlxmNEHBPlmhBDl/s1600-h/tea+019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240005730606962834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT_x8Mmc__unKWo7WZEBlfmsLtWcq1v9q8LdHw8Z-u9JLP84EIFoEaxl9kn-8lgP2PeyW5RSmcYh-9tBjYXkqIsahiOC-Lv6QZImMU39JuFzh_lFDQFsYWrf8CrbilAlxmNEHBPlmhBDl/s400/tea+019.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>So my daughter picked two of her favorite friends and we all went to our local <a href="http://jhenrymanor.com/">tea house </a>for tea and lunch. Of course, two of her favorite friends (Jan and <a href="http://hayleytownley.blogspot.com/">Hayley</a>) are grown women and happen to be good friends of mine. This just gives you an idea of how my daughter rolls. Of course, I do believe she has excellent taste in friends ;)</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>This her expression just as our friends arrive:</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SO8t8_BaQTEtzhRE5cpc6y-wJ-l8zKZJ05oKwXO4qjOHJkFpyMpp9XqQcgI6AgHtueeNsciZPVFg6PJFrRWKPYDZNE_COWnpm20P9HGYiKo5xEOIThjYv6Tex8SpMb3dbsdtcQSCRU8Z/s1600-h/tea+021.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240005705702705474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SO8t8_BaQTEtzhRE5cpc6y-wJ-l8zKZJ05oKwXO4qjOHJkFpyMpp9XqQcgI6AgHtueeNsciZPVFg6PJFrRWKPYDZNE_COWnpm20P9HGYiKo5xEOIThjYv6Tex8SpMb3dbsdtcQSCRU8Z/s400/tea+021.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br />And then we all get settled in for a nice lunch....<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoX-Hlzr3W3T7Pnr8jD8rnEnYdUeP_O_agdlt2RFUma-orVOeVASgnaboMhgYfhaqeQypsWIeMCPl3lOdzFoSzMHDPW6Vnck0BmK44UteL2pJGoZFIAz-0Aum2gnykp5Wu7TQ3UtQryxO/s1600-h/tea+024.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240005713748918466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoX-Hlzr3W3T7Pnr8jD8rnEnYdUeP_O_agdlt2RFUma-orVOeVASgnaboMhgYfhaqeQypsWIeMCPl3lOdzFoSzMHDPW6Vnck0BmK44UteL2pJGoZFIAz-0Aum2gnykp5Wu7TQ3UtQryxO/s400/tea+024.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVM-8vCpSddMyi2JDpduPb9KbZUi52lPuZdnl1ntzpP7RVVEqYvJQ-Q1mIxPS7wzH22C4FtuCP_PPSOdYlRtjq_OL1aasd-VH82cE1KfKO37kCvesBzXgAWhfKxtdg73GXdHC7-fxT5JU/s1600-h/tea+029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240010993073659202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaVM-8vCpSddMyi2JDpduPb9KbZUi52lPuZdnl1ntzpP7RVVEqYvJQ-Q1mIxPS7wzH22C4FtuCP_PPSOdYlRtjq_OL1aasd-VH82cE1KfKO37kCvesBzXgAWhfKxtdg73GXdHC7-fxT5JU/s400/tea+029.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>It was a lovely day! Dear daughter put on her tea best. She found some lace gloves in her dress up drawer and a cute dress up hat that was a little too small for her blossoming brain and head. She is still wearing her badge of honor- the bandaids the nurse put on her after her kindergarten shots.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenznxDOtxCEIakAPaiKII233EH7xeT_xqU_qdFbXLOHHjx6pqv7abh2AFQy3f4tY8fGDK1XWJgrnJ14mxQ2gIskP77L9_E9Cc8jQKcbzgnVjyYmJ9WA_ZgKqCeLkm7b70zsMUZxyXFdR9/s1600-h/tea+014.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240005722548110482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyphenhyphenznxDOtxCEIakAPaiKII233EH7xeT_xqU_qdFbXLOHHjx6pqv7abh2AFQy3f4tY8fGDK1XWJgrnJ14mxQ2gIskP77L9_E9Cc8jQKcbzgnVjyYmJ9WA_ZgKqCeLkm7b70zsMUZxyXFdR9/s400/tea+014.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Little tea sandwiches, some scones, fruit and treats. A pot of Raspberry Delight tea. Some sugar cubes and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">doilies</span>. Little silver spoons. Over the top flowers everywhere. It was just the right amount of little girl fun for us all.</div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBwDNgH4R5cH691aHUCU9czoI_rxDgarbJ-jgq2vxZnzARBTNCBNROsj6gwKE8zwQfIKNg4KA_xBJGu8iKBQhRabz6QWJBZrODmmX5DShBoRC_tB5EL9cHGpjpmksSgqntEqA6QUcEZmv/s1600-h/tea+027.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240011000372260962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqBwDNgH4R5cH691aHUCU9czoI_rxDgarbJ-jgq2vxZnzARBTNCBNROsj6gwKE8zwQfIKNg4KA_xBJGu8iKBQhRabz6QWJBZrODmmX5DShBoRC_tB5EL9cHGpjpmksSgqntEqA6QUcEZmv/s400/tea+027.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/07/20/AR2006072000471.html">one article </a>puts it "Being Polite Makes Everyone Feel Good." It seems there is a resurgence of tea houses in America. We must desperately need quality time and a quiet place for enjoying each other's company. I hope a tea house is near you so you can enjoy a little tea with your little smart girl!<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>And for those of you visiting from </em></span><a href="http://hayleytownley.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>Hayley's blog</em></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>, the kids cooking website Hayley mentioned is </em></span><a href="http://spatulatta.com/"><span style="font-size:180%;"><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spatulatta</span></em></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>. I don't think dear daughter got her recipe from there. I am not sure where she got her coconut <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">bird feeder</span> knowledge. I have trouble keeping up with her. But you can all make your wild birds a Christmas present by following the directions for </em></span><a href="http://www.allfreecrafts.com/nature/coconut-feeder.shtml"><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>this coconut bird feeder</em></span></a><span style="font-size:180%;"><em>. I am sure your birds and your smart girls will love this project. Ribbons are optional!</em></span>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-9448638527441122702008-08-13T07:34:00.001-07:002008-08-13T07:36:10.598-07:00Fur Purr Special in Aisle 5<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTgi5WIYCmc9jyhvbaKoOwgX2cAeKeeeoT6Jtj9xv9pIqtIGv8oTgw4urLbKhL11LfS-e1yYh5yqkAkiJ9WeP0JsVkrg7Y-Ge5zWbvnbxbyx3aq4WyaUjFWcla9oTpS6d1R3p1m0utElD/s1600-h/P1000069.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbTgi5WIYCmc9jyhvbaKoOwgX2cAeKeeeoT6Jtj9xv9pIqtIGv8oTgw4urLbKhL11LfS-e1yYh5yqkAkiJ9WeP0JsVkrg7Y-Ge5zWbvnbxbyx3aq4WyaUjFWcla9oTpS6d1R3p1m0utElD/s400/P1000069.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234011018761482738" /></a>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-90873048573687577772008-08-11T10:50:00.000-07:002008-08-11T11:46:21.704-07:00The Alice Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliMS5aYQViWyhssZa0je_hBVWu70enBeAfaPXIVhZPZuAerNUu7n9CMFVC0zmhT8GQdmacznDISYEDFph8DYIdEcluT8zUGJ1TRfWptfep63ZxQkNyKWrKdU3E3YmNhyphenhyphen0ne2PErI8motH/s1600-h/story+telling+alice.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233329700353948130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjliMS5aYQViWyhssZa0je_hBVWu70enBeAfaPXIVhZPZuAerNUu7n9CMFVC0zmhT8GQdmacznDISYEDFph8DYIdEcluT8zUGJ1TRfWptfep63ZxQkNyKWrKdU3E3YmNhyphenhyphen0ne2PErI8motH/s400/story+telling+alice.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>As some of you may know,<a href="http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/"> Randy Pausch</a> (the professor from Carnegie Mellon who gave <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo">The Last Lecture</a>) was an incredible soul who recently passed away from pancreatic cancer. If you have not seen his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo">Last Lecture</a>- I highly recommend it. He gave the lecture after he was diagnosed with his terminal illness. In every way, his presentation was beautiful, humorous, wonderful and inspiring. After seeing the video on You Tube, I had to know more. He mentioned his legacy- a computer program designed to teach computer programming skills to kids and college students called <a href="http://www.alice.org/">The Alice Project</a>. The project is a program that uses a 3D modality to create animated stories. Check out the <a href="http://www.alice.org/kelleher/storytelling/index.html">Alice Storytelling </a>version. It is designed for middle school-aged kids. One of his grad students, <a href="http://www.cse.wustl.edu/~ckelleher/">Caitlin Kelleher</a>, created this version. She did research and found the story-telling format was an especially good way for girls to learn basic computer programming. I am very appreciative of the fact that she investigated how best to teach our girls computer programming skills.</div><br /><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKh66_je6QfTfqg28p-4-ck-nAGee5LRZZerIo9KXM4J78JFD196o8WrVaiFohgZhdNXLGBG9ng7G4pgexT5Xhl8jEXe4p13d9X8v1xrJBvhEDHKjONUZf3WCxqcw-w73MfXzILeTOOEj/s1600-h/sitting_cat.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5233326950704358978" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRKh66_je6QfTfqg28p-4-ck-nAGee5LRZZerIo9KXM4J78JFD196o8WrVaiFohgZhdNXLGBG9ng7G4pgexT5Xhl8jEXe4p13d9X8v1xrJBvhEDHKjONUZf3WCxqcw-w73MfXzILeTOOEj/s320/sitting_cat.png" border="0" /></a><br /><div>You can download the <a href="http://www.alice.org/index.php?page=downloads/download_alice">Alice</a> program and/or the <a href="http://www.alice.org/kelleher/storytelling/index.html">Storytelling Alice </a>for free. My nine year-old son LOVED using the storytelling version. It is really a simple, yet impressive design with drag and drop components. If you make a wrong move, the pop up text will tell you how to proceed. Very creative and smart- just like the smart girls (and boys) I know!</div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>Who knows how many people will be touched by this legacy? Both Professors Pausch and Kelleher get <span style="color:#cc33cc;">Smart Girls Fun Awards for Excellence</span>!!</div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><strong>All images: Copyright © 1999-2008, Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved</strong>.</div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-10484948761281181862008-08-04T20:18:00.000-07:002008-08-04T21:05:42.684-07:00Sporty Girls and Sporty Moms<span style="color:#000000;">Most everyone understands that sports are great for a girl's health and self-esteem. You may not realize how much mothers influence their daughter's attitude about sports and their participation. There is a great website called </span><a href="http://www.momsteam.com/"><span style="color:#000000;">Moms Team </span></a><span style="color:#000000;">which has lots of great resources for youth sport parents. Currently they have a wonderful article posted:<br /></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><a href="http://www.momsteam.com/successful-parenting/youth-sports-parenting-basics/parenting-girls/raising-an-athletic-daughter-moms"><em>Raising An Athletic Daughter: Moms Play Key Role</em></a></span><em><br />Helping Your Daughter Develop a Love For the Game<br />By </em><a href="http://www.momsteam.com/users/brooke-de-lench"><em>Brooke de Lench</em></a><em><br /></em><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Please see the link above for the actual article<br />**************************************************************************************</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">She does a nice job pointing out all the little things a mom can do to encourage her girl athlete besides cheering her on during a game: participating in organized sports herself, talking about her own athletic past, going to see professional/college level women's teams play, encourage father's to "play rough", play catch, take girls' sports just as seriously as boys'. The author also encourages parents to talk to daughters about the term "tomboy" and how to overcome the label since it implies that girls who love sports are inappropriately masculine. I always preferred the term "sporty girl" to tomboy. But I really wish that girls were expected to be as athletic as boys so no special term for athletic girls was necessary.<br /><br />I also wish our local girls' soccer league will stop making the girl teams play in baby pink, lavender or baby yellow jerseys. Why do boys get more colors???? Why do the girls have to have a different palette? I wonder if the rules are the same.......I surely hope so. My daughter is still playing coed under 6 soccer. I hope that soon the sports world will be gender blind as far as uniforms, playing fields, practice times, coaching experience and school support. If you find disparity in your daughter's sports team vs. the corresponding boy's team, don't be afraid to speak up about it.<br /></span><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEuTPKmMXFVBrXb11ExaLE5pwJPTVuiifSdvrFrVwn6evKFVkXiusxkoHai1kIigWCtvwpPAMKAvn4ke4dhTHnGhc7wFATbD822-mpHcGBxLWNLApknc0BZG7XWFO6G86pqFGChs6YWPo/s1600-h/tomboy+version+2.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230875078825994674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSEuTPKmMXFVBrXb11ExaLE5pwJPTVuiifSdvrFrVwn6evKFVkXiusxkoHai1kIigWCtvwpPAMKAvn4ke4dhTHnGhc7wFATbD822-mpHcGBxLWNLApknc0BZG7XWFO6G86pqFGChs6YWPo/s400/tomboy+version+2.png" border="0" /></a></p><p></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">I have the above design and more sporty girl designs up on my </span><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/smartgirlsfun"><span style="color:#000000;">smart girls store</span></a><span style="color:#000000;">. I hope to make many more soon!</span> </p>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-29917545895281207142008-07-28T16:57:00.000-07:002008-07-28T17:27:09.656-07:00The Adventures of Josie True<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoo1bMNp8rZV-WEVT29116RL8OWC6iHZWw_WcZci3Q_RdJYABmlWlPs6eO94rwTmuCWepWemjlxAx6R1nF1pEws5cPhnPzVHpy5B8fCq6DaZdejrp6qDglQV_gdnbwtHH0qUjj-dok0NnV/s1600-h/newjosie.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228224082542674770" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoo1bMNp8rZV-WEVT29116RL8OWC6iHZWw_WcZci3Q_RdJYABmlWlPs6eO94rwTmuCWepWemjlxAx6R1nF1pEws5cPhnPzVHpy5B8fCq6DaZdejrp6qDglQV_gdnbwtHH0qUjj-dok0NnV/s400/newjosie.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="color:#993399;">What a great find! A website designed to encourage smart girls to use their smarts for fun and adventure. I hope you can check out their <a href="http://www.josietrue.com/index.htm">website</a>. Mary Flanagan is the creator and she proudly features multi-cultural characters and ignores the typical girly girl stereotypes. Very nice adventure game. I would think girls in grades 3-6 would really like the site. There is also a great resource section, experiments, math games and other activities on the site.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#993399;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#993399;">Here are some excerpts from their homepage and their FAQ section:</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#993399;"></span></div><br /><div><br /><em>The </em><a href="http://www.josietrue.com/index.htm"><em>Adventures of Josie True </em></a><em>is a web-based historical adventure game for girls. The hero of the game is Chinese-American Josie True, a regular girl who becomes involved in intrigue across time and space as she tries to find her inventor-turned-teacher Ms. Trombone. She time travels with one of Ms. Trombone's inventions,the Intellicat .<br />During their travels, they meet a host of historical figures including women from history such as Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman pilot. At each stop in the journey, there are fun, rewarding activities to play in order to find Ms. Trombone, stop the artifact thieves, help Bessie Coleman at her airshow, and much more!</em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>Q. <strong>Why are you giving the project away for free?</strong></em></div><br /><div><em></em></div><br /><div><em>A. This is a conscious choice before we even started the project. This is a not-for-profit project funded by the NSF--it is designed so that girls will be able to get involved in the Internet and in science and math educational opportunities for free. We want to give real girls good content and provide real historical role models to girls in a science and math context. There is too much money at stake in the software industry for developers to take (what they perceive as) market risks; unfortunately, that means that we see less diversity in the products available to girls. In addition, software is too expensive for the average family or the average school, and since the project is funded, it should be in the hands of as many people as possible. So send friends and family our way!</em></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-13835449409844316832008-07-23T10:08:00.000-07:002008-07-23T10:09:29.716-07:00Our little smart girl....<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5UzptGPfb59Jd9kKxQzLKMD0cOYOcnJbBNhBjZvL_iKh1oAIHpnbUDgvpZ8PnV9Kidh-WKza8E2ta8Rhyjy7o9rWAbrQHQLihUN1OAKeCxHsoWUgAbGovuakzqdX9-FkwHTg0UUP92bl/s1600-h/model+plus+ellie%27s+party+116.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226257654161302562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5UzptGPfb59Jd9kKxQzLKMD0cOYOcnJbBNhBjZvL_iKh1oAIHpnbUDgvpZ8PnV9Kidh-WKza8E2ta8Rhyjy7o9rWAbrQHQLihUN1OAKeCxHsoWUgAbGovuakzqdX9-FkwHTg0UUP92bl/s400/model+plus+ellie%27s+party+116.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-4768059914775013072008-07-15T08:42:00.000-07:002008-07-15T15:24:13.624-07:00Getting Buggy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOTlKNZ46v8oRx1M0x79xoV-CE6KdIOMzT56mI6FiFTxmWctB0gkMSg-v9M8IX3r5eqZfgcxK-8oCzhjb3ILs4e5ChO4eqRrihtsDqiORJKJuAC8mVy9Kgu73uqAxJEcmzKzRBUue39ee/s1600-h/painted+lady.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223368821705363730" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOTlKNZ46v8oRx1M0x79xoV-CE6KdIOMzT56mI6FiFTxmWctB0gkMSg-v9M8IX3r5eqZfgcxK-8oCzhjb3ILs4e5ChO4eqRrihtsDqiORJKJuAC8mVy9Kgu73uqAxJEcmzKzRBUue39ee/s320/painted+lady.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9dRB8xkFYNEMO-WLiZmRU_OZa2aAAU5RyF7oN4nH2BG5G74YR6tRo2ENdRqkoYHc5YNl5DKV0-3uRMdKkhDtbaD1HJYkFZCDZgDLdVd9Aja3NGwodXoo_K8AZMqs7qG1yPP3TP60YgXx/s1600-h/butterfly+house.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5223367844847947026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9dRB8xkFYNEMO-WLiZmRU_OZa2aAAU5RyF7oN4nH2BG5G74YR6tRo2ENdRqkoYHc5YNl5DKV0-3uRMdKkhDtbaD1HJYkFZCDZgDLdVd9Aja3NGwodXoo_K8AZMqs7qG1yPP3TP60YgXx/s320/butterfly+house.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>My daughter received a Bugville Live Butterfly Treehouse as a gift at her birthday party. It is listed under $16 at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Insect-Lore-1010-Butterfly-Garden/dp/B00000ISC5/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1216160176&sr=8-1">Amazon</a>. You are required to send in $6 for five painted lady caterpillars and their food. The directions seem pretty simple, and three weeks later you are releasing the painted butterflies in your yard!</div><div></div><div>We just ordered the caterpillars and we can't wait to start "growing" them. The manufacturer <strong><em>Insect Lore</em></strong> also has a <a href="http://insectlore.com/">website</a>. Here they provide all kinds of buggy information and games. Looks like they also make products for raising ants, lady bugs and other buggy collections.</div><div></div><div></div><div>We are hoping for success in our butterfly enterprise!</div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-1007026485469074362008-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:002008-07-09T08:47:47.940-07:00Three Lovely Ladies<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTzoSuVUdvD1RaWHvhmWGuEZwcq-crF-8g8-v1PyZs4lCn6RcLtfoLYBHnVCBCJzDdo_tzTkpO17FS2lLresLSfJYEkEASK93qB_kmTaBEOfCOjJEMbemSDBrvs4TXaa738jyoE-h_Vm/s1600-h/greenleaf+053.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTzoSuVUdvD1RaWHvhmWGuEZwcq-crF-8g8-v1PyZs4lCn6RcLtfoLYBHnVCBCJzDdo_tzTkpO17FS2lLresLSfJYEkEASK93qB_kmTaBEOfCOjJEMbemSDBrvs4TXaa738jyoE-h_Vm/s400/greenleaf+053.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5221041335969185410" /></a>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-90135609766515182672008-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:002008-07-06T19:39:32.471-07:00Olympic Fun<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSHZAbrksyfiWruY8-dS0TaZZ40wdWY_pBQKEM-NLq67bnQFvdUBXCoYby_NUG2sV3l8NxXlYXZuuoIPj8JLUmvLUCEbRz9jf-CWoS4xvvErP4mOAomFbY8h9IOX1m7gLR6CSNuytgt23/s1600-h/olypic+rings.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220094714893643154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSHZAbrksyfiWruY8-dS0TaZZ40wdWY_pBQKEM-NLq67bnQFvdUBXCoYby_NUG2sV3l8NxXlYXZuuoIPj8JLUmvLUCEbRz9jf-CWoS4xvvErP4mOAomFbY8h9IOX1m7gLR6CSNuytgt23/s400/olypic+rings.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />We are so excited to be watching the Olympic Trials. <span style="font-size:85%;">Wish we had more than the limited coverage offered on our cable channels.....</span><br /><br />We have a local phenom. A 16 year old girl who qualified for the 1500M finals. She was not expected to make the Olympic team, and she didn't. But what an inspiration she is! Her name is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan_Hasay">Jordan Hasay</a>, so watch for her the next Olympic Games. Here is a <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=qUQI5rlNfB0">video</a> of her semi-final run.<br /><br />I also found a great blog called <a href="http://sportsgirlsplay.com/">sportsgirlsplay</a>. The author blogs about female athletes and has done a very nice job of highlighting some strong Olympic trial performances by American women. Check it out to see some other great videos and a fabulous shot of 41 year old, first place finisher, swimmer Dara Torres holding her 2 year old daughter.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGczc2CAmjI4xpnQjY62dJJ5oHZp-MbkctRl4cYdP7hgAGHahBb89ZajFIvP9BpxLoCUea9acFQUwaCcu0oOf7nuPQPkEft4sDIyFJ6e-_otk2xme8fKNMdHB6nf1BoJsxNPUYfDp9sCZ/s1600-h/dara.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5220095742704952338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGczc2CAmjI4xpnQjY62dJJ5oHZp-MbkctRl4cYdP7hgAGHahBb89ZajFIvP9BpxLoCUea9acFQUwaCcu0oOf7nuPQPkEft4sDIyFJ6e-_otk2xme8fKNMdHB6nf1BoJsxNPUYfDp9sCZ/s400/dara.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />So many great women athletes. I am happy to see they seem to be covering the women's events as much as the men's. I hope you and your family can enjoy the upcoming Olympic Games!</div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-48494673337305283762008-07-02T08:38:00.000-07:002008-07-02T08:40:39.277-07:00SpongeBob is funny, but so is Sandy. Where is Sandy?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHDXdSmNdFAQZ5mT39ZJwcEumBxgblOP9dqBggKUw2cfzdsNg7ISNOUyyWeeN3AxlI-TKknYDdSe9XqxmBlcEtj2-tk4Vo3x-p-3e2bXN_o51xNYO5zvmtNUtlk_tUz3EvNe2hDe8M80V/s1600-h/landfill,+willy+and+patrick,+great+america+019.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSHDXdSmNdFAQZ5mT39ZJwcEumBxgblOP9dqBggKUw2cfzdsNg7ISNOUyyWeeN3AxlI-TKknYDdSe9XqxmBlcEtj2-tk4Vo3x-p-3e2bXN_o51xNYO5zvmtNUtlk_tUz3EvNe2hDe8M80V/s400/landfill,+willy+and+patrick,+great+america+019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218441883045291074" /></a>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-64911116274079977812008-07-01T12:45:00.000-07:002008-07-01T16:05:09.658-07:00No-Added Sugar Apple Tart anyone?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP4xOpcFtrrwBU3RE10pQMnF6hZbiJtOLJTfBLQ9un0-4sQxzcByeyJIvGUVYzmxI05Xhjf9HlEfVcrWcS_yjNva-Veh-8CoARu4yAQNwVmHnI2Mo1D_vlyLm6mUCQDVmfbhll35A338N/s1600-h/apple+tart.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218149773719864242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBP4xOpcFtrrwBU3RE10pQMnF6hZbiJtOLJTfBLQ9un0-4sQxzcByeyJIvGUVYzmxI05Xhjf9HlEfVcrWcS_yjNva-Veh-8CoARu4yAQNwVmHnI2Mo1D_vlyLm6mUCQDVmfbhll35A338N/s200/apple+tart.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>My friend <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17231185116902370208">Hayley</a> got me thinking about how fun and educational it is to cook with your kids. She posted her <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">grandmother's</span> famous <a href="http://hayleytownley.blogspot.com/2008/07/fruit-fruit-and-more-fruit.html">fruit leather recipe</a> on her blog recently. How fun, easy and economical this home made version is! And no artificial anything. How wonderfully simple.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL6xxyhBZb17CWkErR7mQaEtn2U0w2mVAc27RF5RxGSMKS-iJCmF-eG641ioXXht19Dl0l6txjQyg20ADAeQ9qELK7dDZKPDAuqhmxSNWdW-nLrFs6QKohyphenhyphenSmOaVzlieq8_3bkQ_ytOc3/s1600-h/fruit+leather.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5218150132571553714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL6xxyhBZb17CWkErR7mQaEtn2U0w2mVAc27RF5RxGSMKS-iJCmF-eG641ioXXht19Dl0l6txjQyg20ADAeQ9qELK7dDZKPDAuqhmxSNWdW-nLrFs6QKohyphenhyphenSmOaVzlieq8_3bkQ_ytOc3/s200/fruit+leather.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />When you think about it- cooking involves math, science, a little bit of engineering, adventure, exploration, following directions and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">artistic</span> presentation. Personally, I haven't had much luck with kid cookbooks. Recipes seem too complicated and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">unpredictable</span>. Our skyscraper waffle city looked nothing like the photo! It didn't taste very good either.<br /><br />So, I consulted my good friend Mr. Google. I was pleased to find a website called <a href="http://spatulatta.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Spatulatta</span></a>. Brilliant website that has over 200 videos of actual kids making actual, fantastically simple recipes. They also have some <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/fun.html">fun games</a>, contests, <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/artist.html">art in the kitchen </a>ideas, <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/outtakes.html">out takes</a>, <a href="http://www.spatulatta.com/basicskills.html">basic skills review</a> and other food adventures. </div>The No-Sugar Added Apple Tart from their video collection sure looks good. Will try that out with the kids this week.....<br /><br /><br /><br /><div>If you know any good <em>kids in the kitchen</em> cooking resources or recipes, please leave a comment. </div><div></div><div></div><div>As always, this blog writer is not paid to endorse any product or website!</div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-48205949372679953042008-06-19T06:58:00.000-07:002008-06-19T07:38:48.059-07:00Wave MachineI thought I would occasionally post some Smart Girl Projects. Of course, these are fun for smart boys and parents too. These wave machines can last a long time and are endlessly fascinating for kids!<br /><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kup4JfsNpbljhP2N2yt7Zbty_cn9jQYp5rzH8kvOXaKmRvl6e0w7t2NhMd3FQpCSzO9Xal97J7alAaBTYDvR5eykKrqnr8eFW_CSYsOG0SnC4HHj55i8c5qafUUYfcr-Wz1OxA7ZKWUK/s1600-h/wave.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213600107000462178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4kup4JfsNpbljhP2N2yt7Zbty_cn9jQYp5rzH8kvOXaKmRvl6e0w7t2NhMd3FQpCSzO9Xal97J7alAaBTYDvR5eykKrqnr8eFW_CSYsOG0SnC4HHj55i8c5qafUUYfcr-Wz1OxA7ZKWUK/s400/wave.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>MATERIALS:</strong> </p><p>One empty, clear plastic soda bottle, or any large clear plastic bottle with screw on cap<br />Water<br />Blue Food Coloring<br />Mineral oil<br /><br /><strong>CONSTRUCTION:</strong> </p><p>Fill the bottle 2/3 full with water.<br />Add blue food coloring, one drop at a time, until the water is<br />"ocean blue" in color.<br />Fill the rest of the jar with mineral oil.<br />Get rid of as any air bubbles as you can and secure lid tightly.<br />Hold the bottle gently sideways and gently tip it, creating<br />delightful wave actions.<br /><br />Note: Sometimes after a lot of rough use, the liquids in the bottle become cloudy.<br />Set the wave machine aside for a few hours and the liquids will become<br />clear again.</p>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-23290138654342033192008-06-18T06:56:00.000-07:002008-06-18T07:00:01.546-07:00I've Been Working on the Railroad (AKA make my brothers do all the work)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HW8JJ_cR8ct5Aesohazae-xara0l4zWTGIorcats3NKAu0y_lS-CTw4JtmbRuChsO9XJfQg8rCGkHy-NWec-erLKmQ6bpdxU6Ny3WDG_4FvkFwvfXysRq15DiF4131tY4nmXloKLbuAM/s1600-h/alaska+053.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5213220382952245266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9HW8JJ_cR8ct5Aesohazae-xara0l4zWTGIorcats3NKAu0y_lS-CTw4JtmbRuChsO9XJfQg8rCGkHy-NWec-erLKmQ6bpdxU6Ny3WDG_4FvkFwvfXysRq15DiF4131tY4nmXloKLbuAM/s400/alaska+053.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-49934856277439646812008-06-13T08:18:00.000-07:002008-06-13T13:54:13.682-07:00America the Beautiful<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESIm5HQD3SKYv6w3a_low8C9_jfSFplDpB6eOXRB61JD_9B6WVhhMNLIeURdNwN6IxeI-QItZo5m-GecGTlYK5h38tN5t0rb80ZmUuugaWmxZlQJWsLRD2LhkuupxEXPdgVoDtvrb8d8p/s1600-h/bilde.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5211392926201293698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESIm5HQD3SKYv6w3a_low8C9_jfSFplDpB6eOXRB61JD_9B6WVhhMNLIeURdNwN6IxeI-QItZo5m-GecGTlYK5h38tN5t0rb80ZmUuugaWmxZlQJWsLRD2LhkuupxEXPdgVoDtvrb8d8p/s400/bilde.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I was going to wait until I saw this documentary film to blog about it. But I realize it may be sometime before I can, because the kids just got out of school. I would not have even heard of "<a href="http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/"> America the Beautiful</a>" if I had not checked out <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/">Roger Ebert's site </a>recently. It is a film about a year in the life of a 12 year old girl turned fashion supermodel. It looks like a mostly bitter, bittersweet experience for this girl. So, if you are lucky enough to have this film come near you, consider seeing it. And if you see it, consider being so kind as to commenting on it here.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Here is a little blurb about the film's creator by Roger Ebert. Entire article <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080609/PEOPLE/840428890">here</a>.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#6600cc;">Following a young <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">beauty down</span> a short runway </span></strong></div><br /><div><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;">June 9, 2008<br /><br /><br />by Roger Ebert</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;">A man from Chicago named Darryl Roberts made "</span><a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080508%2FREVIEWS%2F277581949%2F1023&AID1=%2F20080508%2FREVIEWS%2F277581949%2F1023&AID2="><span style="color:#6600cc;">America the Beautiful</span></a><span style="color:#6600cc;">," a documentary that nobody wanted. It was about our obsession with being thin and beautiful and... perfect. Every distributor in the country turned him down. They told him he was black, and the 12-year-old fashion model at the center of the film was black, and blacks don't go to documentaries. He finally talked it into the American Film <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Institute's</span> festival in Dallas, where it sold out four shows, "and 99 percent of the audience was white. Not that it means anything."</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">And here is a blurb from his <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20080508%2FREVIEWS%2F277581949%2F1023&AID1=%2F20080508%2FREVIEWS%2F277581949%2F1023&AID2=">review</a> of the film: </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>America the Beautiful</strong> </span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"><br />May 9, 2008 </span></div><br /><div><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;">Cast & <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Credits Arenas</span> Group presents a documentary written, directed and narrated by Darryl Roberts. Running time: 103 minutes. Rated R (for some language). Opening today at Landmark Century.<br /><br /><br />By Roger Ebert</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;">The documentary "America the Beautiful" is not shrill or alarmist, nor does it strain to shock us. Darryl Roberts, its director and narrator, speaks mostly in a pleasant, low-key voice. But the film is pulsing with barely suppressed rage, and by the end, I shared it. It's about a culture "saturated with the perfect," in which women are taught to seek an impossible physical ideal, and men to worship it.</span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#000000;">I usually avoid this subject matter (child beauty <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pageants</span> and some child modeling) because it angers me so. The closest I have gotten was"<a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060803/REVIEWS/60724005/1023">Little Miss Sunshine</a>." A great film. In general the little girl "beauty queens" give me the creeps because they do not resemble little girls at all. They tend to look like miniature dolls, robotic and fake. </span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;">I think we can send much better messages to our girls than pile on the hairspray, makeup and inappropriate clothes and compete girl vs. girl. One child pageant's website had a photo of three or four year old girls standing there with their crowns. The pageant description: "<em>Contestants are judged on 50% Facial Beauty, 25% Personality and 25% Stage Presence. Events include T-shirt, Interview, Casual Wear, Party Wear and Swimwear"</em></span></div><div>Sad to see facial beauty is twice as important as personality. And don't even get me started on swimsuit divisions for toddlers....................... I have seen claims that these pageants teach young girls "life skills." Huh? Facial beauty and stage presence (and let's not forget the "personality" they are looking for) will get you through life? Me thinks this is a recipe for an eating disorder, and/or insecurity and unhappiness. Girls are so much better than this.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div></div><div></div><div><span style="color:#000000;"><em></em></span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;">I just don't understand how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">sexualizing</span> children became so mainstream. Have we really been so blind? And the entire female body image industry- promoting insecurity and unattainable beauty for profit. It will be a hard fight with so much profit at stake.</span></div><div><span style="color:#000000;"></span> </div><div><span style="color:#000000;">I am happy that a man took the time to look closer at the beauty/fashion industry. The industry people speak for themselves and have oh so much to say. Check out their comments on <a href="http://www.americathebeautifuldoc.com/">Darryl Robert's website</a>. They are funny in a sick kind of way.</span></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>So I give Darryl Roberts a <span style="color:#cc33cc;">Smart Girls Fun A+ Award</span> for caring so much for our girls to make a film that will raise awareness about the attitudes of the fashion industry. Bravo!</div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="color:#6600cc;"></span></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-4527862647211534582008-06-05T09:03:00.000-07:002008-06-05T10:14:17.744-07:00Smart Girls Chess<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU8qY5Xs_ZWU_HBT5rEKAo00YWIZY9F3yaVZTnGAh6c-eFtW8vC-TjVPZzW1gMag6qlrULmMRtRWwZGOilrJASw7-bliQffpOkg0L48CWsrxgDlndTGVfo3fyNKR_nLIhWqRTqe6zRgLb/s1600-h/chess.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208441825012856738" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU8qY5Xs_ZWU_HBT5rEKAo00YWIZY9F3yaVZTnGAh6c-eFtW8vC-TjVPZzW1gMag6qlrULmMRtRWwZGOilrJASw7-bliQffpOkg0L48CWsrxgDlndTGVfo3fyNKR_nLIhWqRTqe6zRgLb/s320/chess.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I was thinking about chess the other day. I have to give my father credit. In the early 1970's, he taught all three of his young daughters how to play chess. I still enjoy the game. When I recently unearthed the chess board, put away during <em>the baby is going to choke on little things</em> stage, all three of our kids were immediately fascinated. We now keep the board in open sight and it is put to good use frequently. Our boys (age 9 and 6) are already building strategies and our daughter (just turned 5) almost has all of the pieces/moves memorized after just a week. You can really see the wheels turning in their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">little</span> heads when they are playing.<br /><br />Our kids' elementary school has an after school chess club starting in the fourth grade. I hope there are some girls taking advantage of this activity. And I hope our daughter will too.<br /><br />Growing up, I only had my father and my sisters to enjoy the game with. None of my girl friends played. Until I met my husband, I hadn't played a game of chess outside of my family. Now I must say my husband and I haven't played since "the chess incident" in the Houston airport several years ago. Let's just say we played, I was losing big time, he wouldn't let me quit, I got mad and I came back and won. I think our egos have settled down and we can play again soon.<br /><br /><br />I am sure there still may not be enough awareness for girls' chess. I don't ask my current girl friends if they play. If any of you do- please speak up! And I will start to ask. I did not know of any professional women players either. I am happy to say, once I started looking, I found some.<br /><br /><br />A great program was put together by Susan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Polgar</span></span>, who became the first ever woman Grandmaster of Chess. Her <a href="http://www.depts.ttu.edu/spice/">SPICE</a> (Susan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Polgar</span></span> Institute for Chess Excellence) website has daily puzzles, a training guide and lots of good information for the girl chess player and her parents. I love her girls' chess camp. It is called <em>Chess:It's a Girl Thing! </em><br /><em></em><br /><a href="http://www.goddesschess.com/preview.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">GoddessChess</span></span></a> is another great website. They have links to essays that take on the "girls are too nice for chess" statements. Here is an excerpt from one:<br /><br /><em>From: "Chess - Are Girls too Nice to Excel in Chess?"<br />The Sale Lake City Tribune, February 2, 1997<a href="http://www.sltrib.com/97/FEB/02/sat/19531281.htm">http://www.sltrib.com/97/FEB/02/sat/19531281.htm</a>.<br />by Shelby Lyman<br />It's an old scenario that continues to be replayed. As girls approach adolescence, they drop out of school chess programs in record numbers. They may keep an interest and later encourage their children to play, but they themselves shy away from chess activity and competition.<br />My guess is that the phenomenon has something to do with a special characteristic of the game. Chess is the only major sport where males and females encounter each other on equal terms -- where the usual advantage in size, weight and speed of the male is of no consequence.<br />Chess thus can be a unique head-to-head test of the intelligence, fighting spirit and endurance of the two genders. But it is not a test that many males past childhood relish or care to lose. Girls get the message -- often subliminal -- and too often back off from the confrontation with their male peers and friends.<br />The phenomenon reminds me of a study of college women in the 1940s who played dumb so their boyfriends (and future husbands) would be comfortable.<br />Women today are not as likely to downplay their intelligence, but there are still forces that discourage them from direct, aggressive competition with men. Nevertheless, they manage to compete with increasing success in many spheres. Chess remains a notable exception.<br />Although as a teen-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ager</span></span> I regretted the paucity of women on the chess scene, I was not unaware of the advantage it gave me. Half of my most talented and toughest potential adversaries had been effectively vanquished without my having to lift a finger at the chessboard. </em><br /><br />I found out that many of the high school chess competitions award scholarships to the winners. So girls, dust off those chess boards and have some fun!Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-21783228225535201032008-06-04T08:47:00.000-07:002008-06-04T08:50:19.598-07:00Playroom by Hayley, Fun for Everyone<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pht4d8oSldZJfcuLnTHcNPBL20XYsbAGpUX_xB00VYJwfq-osRFnbhshG-K8_YUBFSIck4cSGfvT6nNnUHcLKDhUlkmWAQdIt0NvwM6kXXK0wb3WPGWFXwi_FyEFPARGUlvoam5VlCJA/s1600-h/IMG_0471.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5208053700671928290" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-pht4d8oSldZJfcuLnTHcNPBL20XYsbAGpUX_xB00VYJwfq-osRFnbhshG-K8_YUBFSIck4cSGfvT6nNnUHcLKDhUlkmWAQdIt0NvwM6kXXK0wb3WPGWFXwi_FyEFPARGUlvoam5VlCJA/s400/IMG_0471.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3073193928663135305.post-72174484525116177332008-05-28T07:39:00.000-07:002008-05-28T09:35:24.263-07:00Shiny in Transition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iMZXTJ2AS3ebdfgPtEhHFK8CTf2CwaCow7SS3qHDU5xEK9-QS37r-BD1k0MTr207W7ZRAIno1d4cR3q8VkLRCPS810Fn1wyTCU-B43CrkN9lgjRvbyMyHNzImtxuJKDbwP3482iC7HCI/s1600-h/landfill,+willy+and+patrick,+great+america+025.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0iMZXTJ2AS3ebdfgPtEhHFK8CTf2CwaCow7SS3qHDU5xEK9-QS37r-BD1k0MTr207W7ZRAIno1d4cR3q8VkLRCPS810Fn1wyTCU-B43CrkN9lgjRvbyMyHNzImtxuJKDbwP3482iC7HCI/s400/landfill,+willy+and+patrick,+great+america+025.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205440361495043954" /></a>Margeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06703520868047427150noreply@blogger.com6