Good things
It can't hurt for asking...
I had wanted to acquire some fossils to go show ego_id_non_feci's monsters, but the local fossil shop has a "returns for in-store credit only" policy. I had also been unable to find a source of inexpensive trilobites for the sensory table/archaeological dig and, while I had petrified wood for each child to take home, I was discontent with the items I had to show, so I was being sort of grumpy. But then I got over it and decided that I may as well ask if I could have a waiver to the return policy - the worst they could say was no, right? And that would simply leave me right where I was currently, with only my personal collection to show. So I called, and they were actually willing to let me borrow a lot more than I would have been comfortable putting on my credit card as a purchase. :) I ran by, picked out a boxful and returned them promptly after class.
Three cheers for Burnie's Rock Shop for supporting the sciences in education!
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Remember when the world was new?
I always enjoy interacting with little monsters, the energy, the wonder and the joy they exude is amazing. There really is little more rewarding than explaining something new to a kid. Whether it be science or music or crafts, so much of the world is new and interesting to them, it is neat to go back to that time with them and see with fresh eyes. Bringing the dinosaur bits into a classroom of little people was a very exciting experience, although I didn't quite know what to do with the assertions that they could see Spider Man in the dinosaur bone marrow. :P This was the first time I had a show-and-tell-and-touch presentation rather than a watch-as-I-make-things-blow-up-THEN-touch sort of presentation, and I think I will do things slightly differently if I use that format again. (Thirty grabby little hands is a lot to keep track of!) Still, there were a lot of really good questions and I think they learned stuff or, at the very least, enjoyed themselves.
ego_id_non_feci, sometimes I think you have the best job in the world - playing with munchkins all day and constantly being exposed to that brightness has to be intoxicating. Granted, I'm enough of a dork to thing finding the solution to a particularly difficult equation, teaching a new string art to someone, or creating an eloquent grant proposal to be great fun too... :P Perhaps I'm just blessed to be able to participate in many different flavors of "work" and learning.
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Midsummer in late winter
This evening, mightyjesse and I drove down to CAM to see gwyneth1362's son in A Midsummer Night's Dream. They were supposedly doing it is a futuristic/alternate universe setting, but I was a little confused by some of the costuming choices. They seemed to be recycling a fair number of costumes from when they staged it as set in the 1950's. It probably is a budgetary decision, at least in part, but it was still a little odd. It was also a little weird to have lines and scenes cut to make the production more "family friendly." Ah well, the acting was good all around and the boy was a wonderful Lysander. :) Bravo!
Afterward, we went out for desert with a bunch of folks and it was lovely to be able to just sit and chat for a few hours before heading back for Madison. I had my Thing to do, but more on that on Sunday...
***********************************
Alright. To bed with me now. I have folks coming over tomorrow to work on some Gulf Wars favors and I have my own considerable list of things that must be completed before War, so tomorrow must be an uber-productive day.
I had wanted to acquire some fossils to go show ego_id_non_feci's monsters, but the local fossil shop has a "returns for in-store credit only" policy. I had also been unable to find a source of inexpensive trilobites for the sensory table/archaeological dig and, while I had petrified wood for each child to take home, I was discontent with the items I had to show, so I was being sort of grumpy. But then I got over it and decided that I may as well ask if I could have a waiver to the return policy - the worst they could say was no, right? And that would simply leave me right where I was currently, with only my personal collection to show. So I called, and they were actually willing to let me borrow a lot more than I would have been comfortable putting on my credit card as a purchase. :) I ran by, picked out a boxful and returned them promptly after class.
Three cheers for Burnie's Rock Shop for supporting the sciences in education!
***********************************
Remember when the world was new?
I always enjoy interacting with little monsters, the energy, the wonder and the joy they exude is amazing. There really is little more rewarding than explaining something new to a kid. Whether it be science or music or crafts, so much of the world is new and interesting to them, it is neat to go back to that time with them and see with fresh eyes. Bringing the dinosaur bits into a classroom of little people was a very exciting experience, although I didn't quite know what to do with the assertions that they could see Spider Man in the dinosaur bone marrow. :P This was the first time I had a show-and-tell-and-touch presentation rather than a watch-as-I-make-things-blow-up-THEN-touch sort of presentation, and I think I will do things slightly differently if I use that format again. (Thirty grabby little hands is a lot to keep track of!) Still, there were a lot of really good questions and I think they learned stuff or, at the very least, enjoyed themselves.
ego_id_non_feci, sometimes I think you have the best job in the world - playing with munchkins all day and constantly being exposed to that brightness has to be intoxicating. Granted, I'm enough of a dork to thing finding the solution to a particularly difficult equation, teaching a new string art to someone, or creating an eloquent grant proposal to be great fun too... :P Perhaps I'm just blessed to be able to participate in many different flavors of "work" and learning.
***********************************
Midsummer in late winter
This evening, mightyjesse and I drove down to CAM to see gwyneth1362's son in A Midsummer Night's Dream. They were supposedly doing it is a futuristic/alternate universe setting, but I was a little confused by some of the costuming choices. They seemed to be recycling a fair number of costumes from when they staged it as set in the 1950's. It probably is a budgetary decision, at least in part, but it was still a little odd. It was also a little weird to have lines and scenes cut to make the production more "family friendly." Ah well, the acting was good all around and the boy was a wonderful Lysander. :) Bravo!
Afterward, we went out for desert with a bunch of folks and it was lovely to be able to just sit and chat for a few hours before heading back for Madison. I had my Thing to do, but more on that on Sunday...
***********************************
Alright. To bed with me now. I have folks coming over tomorrow to work on some Gulf Wars favors and I have my own considerable list of things that must be completed before War, so tomorrow must be an uber-productive day.