Kevin and I somehow stayed awake and cheerful, despite pulling an all-nighter to finish his costume. Next year, Mikro gets to take the laboring oar on costume making...
Monday, November 2, 2015
Halloween at AMNH
Mikro enjoyed Trick or Treating as New York's state fossil at the American Museum of Natural History. One museum employee saw him and said "Cool eurypterid!" Most people, however, thought he was anything from a bedbug, to a beetle, to a rat. (Huh????) Paleontology Boy had fun educating people about his costume, and wandering the halls of his favorite place as if he belonged on exhibit there...
Kevin and I somehow stayed awake and cheerful, despite pulling an all-nighter to finish his costume. Next year, Mikro gets to take the laboring oar on costume making...
Kevin and I somehow stayed awake and cheerful, despite pulling an all-nighter to finish his costume. Next year, Mikro gets to take the laboring oar on costume making...
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Resurrecting the Extinct for Halloween? Why not!
My paleontology obsessed son wants to be New York's state fossil for Halloween. So out came my sketch pad, and Kev and I are now attempting to assemble a prehistoric sea scorpion out of foam floor tiles and fabric... It is a work in progress, and time is flying. Here is what we have done so far:
We still have to make the patterns for the body and tail, cut foam, assemble the segments, cover all the foam with contrasting fabric, detail it with paracord, and make sure it works for standing and sitting... This would be easier if we hadn't left it to the last minute, but hopefully the ghost of Eurypterus remipes will be haunting us come Saturday..
Saturday, October 10, 2015
National Geographic Bee
Mikro is really excited about the National Geographic Bee, which local homeschoolers are going to be studying for. Team blog here. We've picked up an atlas and some study guides, and are working our way through them. Mikro watched last year's competition and says it looks like fun.
Friday, August 28, 2015
2015 Not Back To School Interview With Mikro
Q: What is your favorite subject?
A: Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Paleontology, Robotics... Science!
Q: What are you best at?
A: Science.
Q: I need to get better at __________.
A: Handwriting, note taking, typing, writing essays.
Q: What's the best thing about being a homeschooler?
A: That I get to learn what *I* want to learn.
Q: What's the worst thing?
A: No such thing as summer break.
Q: What kind of work do you want to do when you grow up?
A: I want to be a paleontologist, or evolutionary biologist. I also want to do robotics and cartography. I want to be a professor, because I like to lecture, and I would love to work at AMNH someday.
Q: This year I want to learn about ________.
A: Paleontology (of course), cartography, drawing, ships (maritime engineering/architecture), robotics, natural satellites, terraforming, space exploration, science fiction, fractals, geometry, special effects and animation, East Prussia, colonialism.
A: Field trips.
Q: I want to do less _________.
A: Handwriting.
Q:Who is your best friend?
A: Ezra and Koby.
Q:I want to go on a field trip to __________.
A: Philadelphia.
Q: I want to go on vacation to __________.
A. Ireland.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Foraging With Kids: A Review by Mikro
Mikro reviewed Wildman Steve Brill's book, Foraging with Kids for our homeschool group's newsletter:
I really enjoyed “Foraging With Kids” by Wildman Steve Brill. The book was more than just a field guide to edible plants. I especially liked the sections about the folklore, myth and superstitions about plants. I also enjoyed the plant poems. My favorite story was about how people can try to tell time with dandelions, which are nicknamed “the clock flower.” You will have to read the book to find out how a fairy story turned into this strange activity.
The book is organized by seasons so that way you know when to look for certain things. The photos were really clear and make it easy to identify the plants Wildman Steve talks about. We decided to field test the book by going foraging once it got warm enough.
We went foraging in a meadow near the Hudson River and in our own backyard. We took along Wildman Steve’s book and a bunch of baggies to collect plants with. We were able to identify the plants we found easily, except for one that we thought was purslane. We were not one hundred percent sure, so, as Wildman Steve tells us, we did not eat it.
We found wild onion, dandelions, violets, mint and wood sorrel. My mom likes wood sorrel and dandelions. I liked the mint and violets.
When we got home, we looked at the male and female parts of the flowers under a field microscope. Wildman Steve’s book has lots of suggestions for science lessons, which my mom and I both liked.
Foraging is a fun way to spend time outdoors. We had a really nice day outside and saw lots of birds as well as plants. I want to go foraging again later this spring and in the summer when there is more out there to find.
I would recommend this book highly for all kids and families.
What an amazing day. It was still very early spring here on the day we foraged, and I was happy that we were able to find a few edible plants. (I promised to give the newsletter first go at publishing this, which is why it's only being posted now...) The walk also brought us some amazing non-botanical sights: an American Kestrel up close, and all sorts of song birds, but the highlight (besides the Kestrel) was a red winged blackbird displaying for a mate. To top it off, there was a spectacular sunset! Our fun day inspired a poem:
A Foraging Poem,
by Chele Coyne
We went to the park,
But not on a lark,
For we had a mission in mind.
With Steve Brill’s tome,
And a meadow to roam,
It’s amazing the food you can find.
Though winter’s barely over,
We found wood sorrel and clover,
Wild onions, mint, violets blue.
As we tramped along,
We heard the birds’ song.
Foraging’s a fun thing to do!
Have you ever gone foraging? What's your favorite wild edible?
Check out a field trip we took with Wildman Steve here.
I really enjoyed “Foraging With Kids” by Wildman Steve Brill. The book was more than just a field guide to edible plants. I especially liked the sections about the folklore, myth and superstitions about plants. I also enjoyed the plant poems. My favorite story was about how people can try to tell time with dandelions, which are nicknamed “the clock flower.” You will have to read the book to find out how a fairy story turned into this strange activity.
The book is organized by seasons so that way you know when to look for certain things. The photos were really clear and make it easy to identify the plants Wildman Steve talks about. We decided to field test the book by going foraging once it got warm enough.
We went foraging in a meadow near the Hudson River and in our own backyard. We took along Wildman Steve’s book and a bunch of baggies to collect plants with. We were able to identify the plants we found easily, except for one that we thought was purslane. We were not one hundred percent sure, so, as Wildman Steve tells us, we did not eat it.
We found wild onion, dandelions, violets, mint and wood sorrel. My mom likes wood sorrel and dandelions. I liked the mint and violets.
When we got home, we looked at the male and female parts of the flowers under a field microscope. Wildman Steve’s book has lots of suggestions for science lessons, which my mom and I both liked.
Foraging is a fun way to spend time outdoors. We had a really nice day outside and saw lots of birds as well as plants. I want to go foraging again later this spring and in the summer when there is more out there to find.
I would recommend this book highly for all kids and families.
What an amazing day. It was still very early spring here on the day we foraged, and I was happy that we were able to find a few edible plants. (I promised to give the newsletter first go at publishing this, which is why it's only being posted now...) The walk also brought us some amazing non-botanical sights: an American Kestrel up close, and all sorts of song birds, but the highlight (besides the Kestrel) was a red winged blackbird displaying for a mate. To top it off, there was a spectacular sunset! Our fun day inspired a poem:
A Foraging Poem,
by Chele Coyne
We went to the park,
But not on a lark,
For we had a mission in mind.
With Steve Brill’s tome,
And a meadow to roam,
It’s amazing the food you can find.
Though winter’s barely over,
We found wood sorrel and clover,
Wild onions, mint, violets blue.
As we tramped along,
We heard the birds’ song.
Foraging’s a fun thing to do!
Have you ever gone foraging? What's your favorite wild edible?
Check out a field trip we took with Wildman Steve here.
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