Lemonade Learning

Censorship and Food

2012-02-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

After many threats to internet freedom over the past few weeks, we are now coming up to Freedom to Read week.

Remember a few months back when "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was re-published with all of the historically accurate and appropriate uses of the word "nigger" deleted? Unfortunately, this sort of thinking is not rare. There are many people out there who are afraid of ideas that run different to or counter to their own. They would have these ideas silenced for everyone.

Like many others I know, my personal gut reaction when I hear of censorship or attempts at censorship is to automatically decry it. After all, people can choose whether to read something. What right do they have to make that decision for others? Even in school, where reading is prescribed, there is room for discussion & analysis for any novel. Seeing another point of view is an important part of education and growing up. I disagree with many aspects of the politics of Ayn Rand, but would be a fool to believe that there is no value in reading The Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged.

And then...

I read about some other instances that made me start to rethink the absolute nature of my opinion.
What if there was a medical textbook or journal that had a misprint, or erroneous or outdated information? What about other material that contains inaccuracies that could lead to personal injury, hardship or even death?

What about hate literature?

Then there is another example that will always stay with me. Remember Paul Bernardo & Carla Homolka? Well, before the video tapes were released, and while the general public was led to believe that Homolka was also a victim of sorts, a book was written on the subject. Once the tapes were released, it was revealed that she was also guilty. In the meantime, the book was released. Imagine, if you will, being a relative or friend of one of the victims, and having to walk past a bookstore every day and see this book on public display. I suspect that even the most staunchest supporter of the public's right to freedom to read would agree that moving the title out of public view in the victims' hometowns was an act of pure compassion.

So, now that I've found even this issue has some "shades of grey" (at least, it does for me), how, in fact can we support both the concept of freedom of information as well as protect the public from the extremes that could become dangerous?

What if we were to provide labeling and a recall system to publications, much as we do for movies or food? For example, a book with violent themes could have a warning label on it, similar to the movie rating systems. A book with graphic violence might be restricted, less graphic might be pg-13, etc. Personally, I would have loved to have seen a warning on Steinbeck's The Pearl. While it is a fantastic piece of literature, it was too much for me to take at the time I happened upon it (I was 13 then). With a warning, I would have saved it for a later time. Other 13 year old kids might have been ready for it; I was not. Labeling could help sensitive people make better reading decisions. This might lead to better acceptance of a wider variety of literature in general.

Errors and omissions, as well as needs for updating could be handled similarly to food recalls, except rather than withdrawing the offending piece, consider the distribution of appendices/labels/etc. that could be added to the publications as required. That way the original is kept intact, but the erroneous information is corrected. With e-readers, this task could become quite easy to manage.

There is the issue of oversight, but since there is obviously a huge population who already willingly takes on the "task" of challenging books based on politics, religion, etc., many of these areas might be covered without the need for an official system. In regards to errors, omissions, revisions and retractions, the author, publisher and peer review committees might find it beneficial to take up the cause.

More about Freedom to Read week, including lists of challenged books.

Some of my own family's favourite books.
Pen International supporting writers facing persecution for the peaceful expression of their ideas
Forest of Reading Ontario's reader's choice awards for children of all ages

Math and Art

2012-01-09T01:19:00.000-05:00

When I used to hear the pink-tied "mathies" at the University of Waterloo speak about the "symmetry of numbers" and the "beauty of an equation" I will admit that I really thought they'd been spending too much time crunching numbers and had completely lost touch with reality. Then a friend studying math introduced me to the art of M. C. Escher, and I was (almost) convinced that there might be something to this after all. Until this point, the closest I'd ever come to connecting math and art was with an annoying grade 8 project. Perhaps you remember using string to connect nails on a board in order to turn straight lines into curves? Well, we had to provide all the materials and tools, and the kids who cheated and bought the pre-patterned and pre-nailed hobby shop kits got the highest marks. This was not a good way to make a positive math/art connection!

If you aren't familiar with the work of Escher, here is a link to the "official M. C. Escher website". Escher was famous for his impossible art--featuring stairways that changed orientation depending on your point of reference, and transformations (tessellations) in which a repeating fish pattern might gradually coalesce into a flock of birds in flight, or a group of lizards might suddenly walk off a drawing page moving from two- to three-dimensional creatures. His tessellation work ranges from the simple to the quite complex in its geometry, and the staircases, which feature impossible spaces, seem to draw from non-existent dimensions. He also used reflection tricks, though he is less famous for these.
I could not find any public domain Escher works, so you will need to visit the link above to take a peek at his work.

Mathematics is an integral part of art, whether in the case of two-dimensional art, as in drawings, sketches, paintings, etc. or three-dimensional sculpture. Artists use perspective, vanishing points, horizon, the "rule of three", the "golden proportion" and many other mathematical tools. Geometry is an integral part of form in art. Sculptors also incorporate the use of 3-dimensional space and topology in their work. Topology is the mathematical study of the properties that are preserved through deformations, twistings, and stretchings of objects (Wolfram Alpha site definition).Some examples of topology can be found here. An example of a sculpture based on the idea of a 3-dimensional spirograph can be found here.

Natural patterns, such as the patterns on cones, leaves, flower petal arrangements, formations of shells, etc. tend to follow the Fibonacci sequence. This is a sequence that starts with 0 and 1. Add those together to get the third number, which is 1. Add the last two to get the next number, which is 2. Add the last two to get 3, then 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 etc. These number can be found in many places! And their patterns make for some interesting art as well.

If you have ever heard of fractals or Mandelbrot Sets, you are familiar with Chaos theory. The book Chaos by James Gleik explains better than I can how this branch of mathematics takes seemingly random or chaotic data or systems and attempts to find the underlying pattern governing the data/system. The resulting mathematics has provided interesting equations that create beautiful patterns. Some of these can be found in nature, such as in the pattern of a shoreline, a feather or a fern leaf.
Here is an image of a Mandelbrot Set and a second image of it repeated:

Source: Wiki Commons (both images)
For more on Mandelbrot sets, see this incredible site: http://www.skytopia.com/project/fractal/mandelbulb.html
Here are two contrasting images of fractals:

Source: PDphoto.org

Source: Wiki Commons

These may be mathematical constructs, but one would be mistaken not to also consider them beautiful, and in their own way, works of art.

So when you or your students get bored of ho-hum arithmetic and worksheets, have a little fun with some of these and see where they take you!

More math activities and links can be found here.

Warm-Ups

2011-12-21T14:40:00.001-05:00

Over the holidays it is especially important to get outside and enjoy some time with nature. Spending time with nature helps us deal better with the stresses of the season, gives us a bit of a vitamin D boost, and is an enjoyable way to spend time with friends and family. If you are fortunate enough to live where the temperatures actually reach sub-zero at this time of year, you can go skating, skiing or snowshoeing. Those of us who only "might" get a white Christmas can still don rain or winter boots and hike through our local forests.

Each winter solstice, our family chooses one tree to decorate with bird seed treats. It is part of a tradition we started when the kids were toddlers, and as we visit that tree on our walks throughout the winter, the kids make note of animal tracks and what has been eaten and what has been left behind.

To warm up, try a bowl of homemade squash soup (recipe below), and/or an arctic float. Or just make some homemade hot chocolate and use a candy cane as your stir-stick for a seasonal treat.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup (makes about 6 litres)

2 medium butternut squashes, cut into quarters
water
one cooking onion
2-3 tart apples (Granny Smith, Spartan or Empire work well), peeled, cored and chopped
1-2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
sunflower oil
sea salt (about 2 teaspoons)
pepper
cinnamon (about 1.5 teaspoons)
nutmeg (about 1 teaspoon)
powdered ginger (about 1/2 teaspoon)
cayenne pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Add water to your baking dishes (just enough to soak the bottom of the dishes) then add your squash. You can remove the seeds before or after baking. Bake the sqaush for 40-60 minutes or until tender.

In a heavy and large soup pot, heat the oil. Fry the onion until it is clear, then add chopped carrots. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, then add the apples and 2 cups of water (you may need more water later on). Continue cooking until the carrots and apples start to soften.

Scoop out the flesh from the squash and add it to the pot. Stir well and blend with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender, using a large mixing bowl to hold the blended portions. Once it is all blended, return the soup to the pot.

Add the salt, pepper and spices to taste.

This freezes well too.

Enjoy!

Time-Tested Toy Favourites

2011-12-16T15:58:00.000-05:00

My own children are growing out of the "toy store" years, but as I prepare for the holidays, I will admit to more than a little nostalgia for those days.
There are some toys, however, that even now still get pulled out regularly. Their play value has not diminished over the years, and they have stood up to time & punishment, so I thought they deserve a special mention at this time of year for all those parents who are at the beginning of their toy journey.

Note that I have not included here non-commercial toys of great value, such as appliance boxes, tree forts, sand boxes, rice tables, dress-up trunks, art supplies, etc. Non-commercial toys will be a subject for a separate post at a later time.

1. Pattern blocks. These are colourful blocks in a variety of scaled geometric shapes. They are made of a variety of materials including wood (traditional, and sturdiest), plastic, foam, and magnets. These have been used free-form in our house to build mandalas, make pictures to illustrate stories, to work out geometry problems, for stop-motion animation projects and many other purposes too.

2. Plain (dot-free) wooden coloured dominoes & accompanying gadgets (spinner, teeter-totter, bridge, steps, bell tunnel, etc.). There have been more domino runs built in our house than I can count, and not a week has gone by over the past 7 years that they have not some out for use. They often form part of a more elaborate Rube Goldberg machine contraption. Our Melissa & Doug set was unfortunately discontinued, so we were forced to make homemade dominoes to flesh out our set and keep up with design demands. Fortunately, another manufacturer (HearthSong) now makes a similar product.

3. Crazy Forts This tinker-toy style building set is aimed for preschoolers. It allows kids to build fort-sized contraptions while still keeping the kitchen chairs available for adult use. Just add a blanket or sheet to finish off the fort. There is also a separate LED light you can pick up that fits into a connector piece so you can light up your fort. Yes, my tween & teen still get some use from these, although they only come out every few months or so now.

4. Plain wooden blocks. The more, the better. Foam also work, but aren't nearly as rugged and are tougher to keep clean. Look for smaller sizes with lots of variety in shapes (cones, arches, pyramids, cylinders, cubes, rectangular and triangular prisms, semi-spheres, etc.).

5. I hesitate to include this as it is made of plastic, but Playmobil is still going strong in our house. My youngest uses it to model historical scenes as well as scenes from favourite novels.

6. Building sets, such as Lego, K'nex, Straws & Connectors, UberStix, etc. The key here is to buy generic sets with no theme; the themed sets we have have only seen a single use (or at most, a week's worth of play) and once the novelty wore off, the generic pieces were taken for use in more creative projects while the specialized pieces sat in storage bins. The one exception to this might be Lego Mindstorms. UberStix is especially interesting as it incorporates all major building sets along with recyclables, including plastic water bottles, shower caps, drinking straws, etc.

7. Snap Circuits These sets have a guide book that takes you through ordered projects that introduce you to basic concepts in a logical way. This includes basic principals of circuitry and safety guidelines. After that is where the real fun begins.
Hint: if you cannot find a Snap Circuits piece you want, you can connect regular wires & components to the set, but be sure to follow safety rules and size your parts accordingly. Be sure your children thoroughly understand the basics before your introduce non-Snap Circuits parts.

Do you have any favourites to add?

Celebrating a STEM Holiday Season

2011-12-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, technology, engineering & mathematics.

Adding a little STEM to the holiday season is a great way to have a little geeky fun.

Math

Mobius Paper Chains:
Liven up the traditional paper chains by giving each link a twist before fastening. Try making a thicker link on its own, then cut it down the centre to see what happens. You can use a few of these for your chain as well. Try cutting a strip 1/3 from the edge all around. What happens?

Stars & Angles:
What kind of star do you get when you join up all the corners of a square? Pentagon? Hexagon? Septagon? Octagon? Calculate the angles involved in each of these. What is the sum of the angles for each of the different stars?
Now try drawing a triangle on a sphere (a balloon or Christmas ball will work well). Measure the angles of this triangle. What do you notice about their sum? What might this mean if you were to draw one of the stars on a sphere? Try it and see if your predictions hold.

For the younger set:
The Twelve Days of Christmas song lends itself well to learning ordinals (1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.), and at the end you can add up all the gifts the "true love" gave. Can you find a shortcut for adding successive numbers?

An Advent Calendar as well as a regular calendar can reinforce counting up and counting down skills.

Science
A few chemistry concoctions lend themselves well to Christmas.

Crystal window paint: This easy-clean recipe uses epsom salts to make a crystal pattern on any glass surface.
Crystals:
Use this salt solution recipe to paint crystal patterns for cards and gift tags.
Make a classic borax crystal ornament (remember when you did this as a kid?)
Snow:
Use one of these recipes to make either shaving-cream or soap-based indoor "snow" dough.
Paint the snow with spray bottles.
Don't forget to take a little time out for a nature walk and some star gazing too!

Engineering
Design your own Rube Goldberg machine to deliver a gift to a loved one, or make it a little simpler and set up your electric or wooden train around the tree to do the same thing.
Make and use some squishy circuits (playdough recipes that conduct and resist currents) to make a light-up Christmas tree, Rudolph, etc.

Technology
Design an electronic gift card, video greeting or holiday game using one or more of the following:
Scratch drag-and-drop computer programming tool from MIT
Windows paint
Picasa (try making a mosaic creation too!)
Photoshop
MS Movie Maker
Muvee
Or any other photo, drawing, graphics, video or word processing programs you like.
Or try Make-a Flake for some addictive mess-free snowflake making.

Remember, many more math & science activities can be found on the Lemonade website.

Books, Documentaries & Other Recent Discoveries to Share

2011-11-17T13:08:00.002-05:00

Since the holiday season is rapidly approaching, I thought I'd share some recent gems I've found.

Books:

For tween/teens:
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

This is a story of a 13 year-old boy who lives on a reservation, but decides to attend school off the rez in order to improve his prospects. The main character, Junior, is highly engaging and readers will find it easy to relate with him. While the story has a positive and hopeful slant, and many laugh-out-loud moments, it also realistically depicts many of the difficult challenges of rez life as well as the consequences Junior faces regarding his decision. Alexie strikes a winning balance here. This is definitely a winner!

Middle -grade to adult readers will enjoy this historical fiction story:
Hannibal's Elephant Girl by Ariion Kathleen Brindley

A half- drowned young girl awakens to find herself near Hannibal's army in Northern Africa during the Punic wars. As she learns to handle elephants and makes the journey to Iberia and over the Alps, she rediscovers herself along the way.
I was honoured to see this in its early stages in Critique Circle, and have eagerly awaited seeing it in print so I could share it with friends & family. I highly recommend this, but be warned--you will want to reserve a long stretch of time to read it, because you won't want to put it down.
This book is available through Amazon.

For Teen & adult readers:
Exodus, Zenith & Aurora by Julie Bertagna

This futuristic trilogy follows humanity through the long-term effects of climate change. Ocean levels have risen dramatically, and land is scarce. Global communication & industry have become distant memories. As water levels continue to rise, a desperate village must make some difficult decisions.

This series is interestingly written in the present tense, which in itself helps to highlight the immediacy of the issue and draw the reader in, even if it feels a little strange at first. It is a haunting story that will stay with you long after you have finished.

Fun Non-Fiction:
Microcosms by Brandon Broll

Discovering the world through microscopic images at up to 22 million x magnification--truly an eye-opener!

Documentaries:

Microcosmos Highlights the magic in the minute--names insect life in meadows & ponds in Europe. Hauntingly beautiful music, incredible cinematography, and only a little narration (& none of that horrible, inane & over-dramatized nonsense found in recent nature documentaries out of North America). You are allowed to sit back and enjoy nature's offerings, and don't be surprised if you find yourself heading outdoors with a magnifying glass in hand to see the nature up close in your own backyard after viewing!

Connections An oldie-goldie documentary series by James Burke from the 1970's, this was revived again twice in the 90's, but the original was the best. Burke takes us on surprising journes through the history of technology, science & innovation to show how seemingly random items are connected--even mistakes in science leading to revelations in other areas.

Cosmos Another oldie, this one by Carl Sagan (also available as a book), documenting our understanding of the universe. Even with its age, it remains relevant to those interested in history, math, science, astronomy, cosmology and wondering about how we all fit in to this universe.

Fun & Inspiring Links:

Be the Spark by Noah Kaplan Powerful poem & magical performance to inspire the best in all of us.

Hallelujah Chorus Flashmob Chorus Niagara flashmob at the Welland Seaway Mall (not just your average flashmob!)

The Value in a Piece of Paper

2011-11-11T14:25:00.001-05:00

Steve Jobs, his passing and legacy
Khan Academy
Ted Talks
Wimp & Dump
Online AQ Courses
Online high school credits
CEMC
Open Courseware

What do all of these have in common? They are all sources of educational inspiration for me over the past two months.
I've been wondering about the future, both for my children and for myself. What sort of education do we need? What will we be doing with our lives next year? 5, 10, 20 years from now?

The discussion nearly always turns to university education--which school, which program is the best choice to match interests and aptitudes?

As you may have discerned from previous posts, we are a homeschooling family--actually, we are unschoolers (perhaps not radical unschoolers, but unschoolers nonetheless). Much of the material we access comes from online sources. We are very fortunate to have a wealth of free, accessible resources at our fingertips. This was not possible 20 years ago.

Steve Jobs was brave enough to realize that much of his prescribed (and exceedingly expensive) education was irrelevant to him. So he cherry picked his way through, saving time, money and frustration to invent his own learning path.

Doing so is much easier now than ever, yet many of us balk at the thought of taking such responsibility for our learning. I will admit that I also find the thought a little dizzying. I loved my university years and would trade them for nothing. Well, my undergrad years anyhow.

And yet...

One of the things I'm considering doing as a second career requires university level math courses. To take these costs a total of about $3200, and that comes before the actual course itself. For a homeschooling mom, that is a lot of money.
And then I read the fine print: I could opt to sit a mathematical aptitude test for a cost of just $50 and have those requirements waived. Well, math has never been my strong point, but I do have a casual interest in it, so I occasionally pick up a book, or visit a website, or view a video on a topic within math. Still, I struggled with grade 12 math, so how could I possibly cope with more advanced material?

I took the practice test just for fun.

I received an 80%. Not wonderful, but enough to meet their requirements with some room to spare. And, thanks to YouTube and Khan Academy, I have since brushed up on the weaker areas now too. I guess since I was doing it out of interest and at my own pace, I really took in more than I'd realized.

It goes that way for most subjects in my experience. Developmental psychology was relevant when I could watch young relatives reaching developmental milestones, acquiring language, and growing in body, mind and spirit. Statistics and research design only became relevant when I began doing my own research. Physics became interesting when it began to describe things beyond the everyday. And so on. The motivation follows the need.

So I'm wondering now, what is the relevance of that heralded degree, SAT scores or other similar external validation in regard to education? Is the fact that our education systems are loaded with standardized curriculum & tests in actuality a reaction to the coming of the information age? Will the validating papers (certificates, diplomas, degrees) be replaced with something better, more customized and relevant? Will post-secondary level education become universally available?

Will we find our post-secondary institutions becoming places where only the hands-on, experiential "lab-based" courses (labs, medical courses, musical performance, teaching, fine art, etc.) need be taught, with the remaining resources dedicated to research?

Or, will we continue to follow the status quo and only value education that is expensive and exclusive? There is a great deal of potential here to educate most people to a higher level than previously imagined, for a small fraction of the cost.

How will we measure this? How will we value all relevant learning? How do we learn to value & encourage creativity and original thinking? These are the challenges we face.

Edit: I found this article today which tackles the possibilities of online education as a tool for educators: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2011/11/13/clayton-christensen-why-online-education-is-ready-for-disruption-now/

Libraries: the Cornerstone of Civilization

2011-10-23T14:34:00.001-04:00

I am a library person. Even before registering the births of my sons, they were registered library card holders. We went home with favourites from my husband's and my own childhoods including lullaby CDs and our favourite stories and poems. When my youngest was born, we were such library "regulars" that the news of his arrival made the internal library staff's newsletter. While many people watch TV, play video games or go and hang out at the mall, you can find my family spending our few spare leisure hours at the local library, or back at home exploring our library loot.

I've read on various internet sites that evidence of libraries dates back to about 5000 years ago from clay tablets found in Mesopotamia. The first know public libraries emerged in about 400 BCE. If I could travel back in time, my first choice would be a visit to the library at Alexandria. Of course, I'd also like to arrange to be able to read ancient Hebrew, Greek and Coptic (and probably a few other languages as well) in order to actually gain anything useful from the experience, but imagine the treasures once housed there (or in any of the associated library buildings). You can keep your gold and silver, your gems and trinkets--I'll take the library thank you very much!

I would argue that the strength of a society can be measured best by looking at their libraries. But--remember that paper books and written words may not be the only form a library takes. The oral traditions of North America First Nation, for example, can be argued to be a form of library in which elders and storytellers become living repositories. Likewise, the internet is also a form of library. When knowledge is retained in retrievable format, this constitutes a library. When that knowledge is shared without limit, that becomes a public library.

Public libraries are an essential as part of a society's educational system. They allow for the spread of ideas, knowledge and information, and promote freedom of speech. They allow and promote a free and just society by giving all members access to vital information. Enemies to public libraries include those who would censor or destroy material, or limit public access.

Libraries should be free to use for all. This is perhaps one of the most crucial institutions for any government to maintain. When a population is educated and can find and share information and ideas readily, they are empowered to become better citizens. Reliable information built upon the work of many replaces guesswork and the need to "re-invent the wheel".

Libraries are also environmentally friendly. Imagine what the cost would be in money, ink and trees if every time you wanted to read a book you had to purchase a new copy. Now consider how much it would take for your town or city. For a family of voracious readers like mine, it would be truly phenomenal.

If you consider all the other materials that our libraries also provide, such as audio-visual materials, magazines & periodicals, you can see that the sharing nature of libraries is something that we might want to even consider expanding much further. Why not a power tool lending library? Or a toy lending library? In fact, there are places in which these are available too.

If you want to do some detailed research, you can explore the library at the closest university or college.

The sad part of this is that many of us have learned to take our libraries for granted. When government cuts are made, libraries should be last (or near last) on the chopping block, yet in recent years, that has not been the trend. When a library is closed due to lack of public funding, it is akin to a society throwing up its arms in despair. It is a defeat of the spirit of curiosity and exploration, the very thirst for knowledge, which gives us meaning and purpose. Such a move hurts the most vulnerable members of society.

Libraries promote literacy, and provide a means to this end.
Long live the public library!

Wasting Time, or How Our Standardized Curriculum Fails Students

2011-10-22T00:23:00.001-04:00

This is a rather opinionated post, even for me, but it has been a subject that has been niggling at me for years.

In North America, we have become slaves to standardization, and nowhere else is this as evident as in our education systems. Standardized achievement tests and standardized curriculum have been hailed as advancements in education. With them have come promises of higher academic standards for all, greater teacher accountability, and greater student success.

The reality though is that the standardization only serves "average" students. Just as the average square on a chessboard is grey, the "average" student is a theoretical concept born from world of statistics with no view to individual differences. If you look at a "normal curve" aka standard curve on which standardized tests are modeled, you can see that the sides of the curve decrease rapidly on either side of the centre.


Source: Wiki Commons

Let's look at that curve closely. The rate at which the curve falls on either side of its maximum reflects the rate at which any standardized curriculum deviates from serving the population as a whole. And this applies to each test, each subject, and each topic. Because the truth is that each and every person is a unique individual born with unique abilities and predispositions that do not fit neatly into an average distribution pattern.

Averages belong to large groups, such as nations but fall apart when applied to individuals. Any attempt at mass-production models do not apply to human beings.

Mandatory standardized curriculum is a waste of most student's time. It fails to take into account baselines--such as where the student's previous understanding of a topic may lie, and also fails to take into account the varying rates of learning between students and from subject area to subject area.

There is no place for differentiated instruction in such a model of education. Teachers must scramble to attempt to meet the needs of varied students despite the curriculum, which is no longer a tool, but rather s a hurdle to effective teaching and learning. When students do not all achieve above the "average", teachers are blamed and reprimanded. Yet the model of standardization relies on half the students achieving below average--that's why they are called "standardized" tests.

It is truly amazing that our teachers manage to do as well as they do.

Students who are not ready to tackle an area are forced into it due to age alone, and likewise, students who have mastered concepts are forced to sit through tedious repetitions. Time is wasted. Minds are wasted. Energy is wasted. And students who do not fall near the centre of the arbitrarily chosen curve are denied the opportunity to be challenged at their level and achieve to their full potential.

There is not doubt that measuring "achievement" is much easier when you apply standardization models, however, defining exactly what is achieved it somewhat more difficult. If everyone is to achieve above "average", then the standards need to be dropped, and this is exactly what is happening across the continent. The inverse is also true: if students all suddenly begin to learn more effectively, the curve is shifted to the right, and the standards (which are arbitrary) are "raised". The model fails because if pits students against other students rather than focusing on learning at an appropriate level and pace for each student.

Can we honestly say that learning to write tests is the purpose of education? I would argue that the purpose should be much broader. With politicians rather than educators calling all of the shots, we have forgotten what Maslow, Piaget, Vygotsky and Bloom taught us about child development and education and have instead settled for a world in which students are robbed of their childhoods, sometimes even forfeiting outdoor play, in order to memorize facts and perform well on tests. Application of skills and knowledge are secondary, if addressed at all, and the concept of self-actualization has gone by the wayside.

This needs to change.

Halloween Science

2011-10-18T13:45:00.004-04:00

It's Halloween! Time to don your lab coat Mwahaha!

There are lots of strange & spooky science activities on Lemonade that are perfect for sharing at Halloween, so I thought it might be a good idea to put them all together here so they can be easily accessed from one place.

Halloween lends itself to lots of strange science activities, from spooky dry ice experiments, to cosmic black light effects and strange magical potions that disappear and reappear, that change colour unexpectedly or become slimy and ooze.

It's also a time to look at some truly bizarre creatures , even more bizarre creatures and maybe do a little owl pellet detective work. If you have access to a microscope, you can see a whole world of alien-looking creatures--from pond critters & close-up insects to bacteria (in fact, you may want to try and culture some bacteria of your own--see below). Strange & spooky science effects can also be found in the kitchen with possessed dancing raisins & living sludge bread (yeast & sourdough).

To culture bacteria, you will need a petri dish (or clean, clear container), some powdered agar (you can find this at health food stores and science suppliers), chicken broth (to use as a nutrient base), cotton swabs, and a place to store the samples. Boil the chicken broth then add the agar and stir well. Pour the mixture into petri dishes, cover and refrigerate to set.

Use the cotton swabs to collect samples from anywhere you suspect germs & bacteria may be found. Try doorknobs, computer keyboards, pet mouths, human mouths--and so on. Gently brush each swab along the top of a gel, label and seal the dish. Repeat for each sample. Store the samples at room temperature, or experiment with making several copies and storing at various temperatures for several days or even weeks. Examine your results under a microscope if possible.

Of course, if you are doing this as a controlled experiment, you will need to be much more careful about preparing and storing the cultures in order to avoid contamination, but for pure exploration, these instructions should suffice.

Other ways to culture bacteria can be edible, such as making your own yogurt or cheese. In fact, when you eat yogurt, you are actually eating live bacterial cultures--poor things! They're being EATEN ALIVE!!!

More weird science can be found here.

Happy haunting!

So You Unschool, What About Math & Science?

2011-10-16T11:14:00.000-04:00

A good teacher, when asked "what do you teach?" will answer, "I teach children", not "I teach math, history, etc.". The "who" is much more important than the subject matter.

So what about math and science (and spelling, grammar, etc.)?

I believe that part of the panic some of us feel about those subjects stems from the way in which we were taught them. Math came in worksheets that reviewed a concept taught in isolation. Then we would sit in our desks and complete drill after drill until the numbers would seem to float around the page. If we were lucky, the teacher took the time to explain how it might be used in "real life". Some of us were not so fortunate.

Science became something that only happened in a lab environment. Specialized equipment and pre-measured chemicals were the norm. Experiments were constructed by others in order to demonstrate a particular law of physics or other concept. Rarely did any of it begin at the logical beginning--with a question we wanted to answer. Students were not encouraged or allowed to construct experiments. Science was what scientists did in isolation, and our education was just to glimpse this world, and for a select few, to pursue it further.

If you happened to be female, your boredom might be construed for a lack of comprehension or a lack of interest in the larger subject.

The truth is that most interests involve math and/or science to some degree. Math is much more than just worksheets. Laundry must be sorted, sales taxes calculated, budgets kept, appointments organized, routes planned, etc. Science applies to everything, from a walk in the forest (observation, classification, weather/seasonal changes, habitats, navigation, etc.) to cooking (kitchen chemistry, changes of state, etc.).Science and math are a large part of our daily lives.

Science is a way of knowing something in a clear way. Controlling for variables allows you to determine relationships between actions and outcomes. It allows you to answer specific questions, or at the very least, to clarify various relationships. Baking is an excellent way to explore this. So is planting a garden (using different seeds, or soil, or watering routines--but only changing one thing at a time). This can apply to most basic, everyday activities. "I wonder what would happen if..."--this is science. The trick is to be aware of it as it happens, and open up a discussion about it. Children are natural scientists, we just need to be awake and open to nurturing their curiosity and explorations.

It is true though, that the memorization of multiplication tables isn't something many kids just pick up and do on their own for fun. Still, as they become interested in other things, the ability to multiply quickly is likely to make itself known. Likewise, a basic understanding of the table of elements can help make predictions about the properties about various substances.
It is good to remember though, that many people live fulfilling lives without having mastered either of these, and, like most other skills, these can be learned at any age.

Click here for some fun science related activities

Click here for some interesting math activities

What Do You Need To Homeschool?

2011-10-14T21:14:00.001-04:00

For whatever reason, (and there are definitely lots of reasons!), you have decided to take a closer look at what it means to provide a homeschooling education. Now what? The most common question I receive is "where do I start?", followed closely by "where do I find curriculum?". Here is a list of the points you will need to consider in order to make an informed decision.

First of all, you need to consider what style you'll be using.

Will you and your student be more comfortable with more or less structure? Does following a set curriculum seem like a good starting point for you, or would you prefer the freedom to pursue interests as you learn? Some families follow a single set curriculum for all subjects, some choose varied instruction, some devise their own based on their child's needs, and some use no curriculum at all.

There is a definite continuum between highly structured and unstructured homeschooling, and you are likely to find that over time and even from subject area to subject area, your student will prefer different approaches. Keep an open mind when thinking this through. Students who have learned from both ends of the spectrum routinely experience success at both post-secondary education and in the job market. If you find something isn't working, you are always free to try something else. There is no magic bullet in terms of a "perfect curriculum". The skills and knowledge your child may need later on might not even exist now. The most important part of education is to nurture a sense of curiosity and awe, and the research skills needed so that your child can delve further into a topic or area of interest.

If you choose to use some sort of standardized curriculum, you may find that new packages can be very expensive. Try looking for used curriculum sales to keep costs down, visit curriculum fairs with your child(ren) so you can take a closer look at what is offered, and don't forget to search online for free resources. Many provinces have their curriculum detailed on the web. Libraries are also excellent sources for materials.

Absolute Minimum Basics

- access to research materials: this usually means a public library card for us, but can also mean internet access, your own personal library, access to a university library, nature centre, or professionals in a given subject area

- a means of writing and recording
For us, this means a whiteboard and a digital camera; chalkboard/chalk, notebooks, etc. serve the same purpose. If you are desperate, even just a stick can be used to write in the dirt--there is no need to get fancy here if your primary goal is literacy and communication. We prefer to use less paper and record images of more important ideas & projects digitally instead, but when out backpacking or on a canoe trip, the stick-and-dirt method works well too!

- creativity
Let's face it, without a little creativity, any activity has the potential to become mind-numbingly dull. But--if it does get dull, and boredom sets in, the best way to become creative is to allow for that boredom to grow. This might sound counter-intuitive, but allowing students to become thoroughly bored requires them to find their own entertainment, and in doing so, helps to foster creative thinking.
If the word "entertainment" caught you raising your eyebrows, consider the fact that novelty has been shown to help improve retention. In other words, when learning is fun, it "sticks".

- plan for review
Although we consider ourselves "unschoolers", there is an obsessive side of me that insists on writing a general plan at the beginning of each year, then reviewing it in January and again in June. We often don't actually follow the plan with any regularity, yet it still serves as a valuable tool. When I review it with the kids, we talk about what our goals were at the beginning of the year, and how we have or have not reached them. As often as not, the concerns we started with no longer apply, and seem trivial by the time we get to January. What this does for us though is to help us see how far we've all come, and where we might be headed next, both in terms of interests and skills.

- interests
Even the most structured curriculum should allow for some choices and time for pursuing personal interests. And as you move along the continuum towards less structure, the line between interests and learning disappears. But if you really don't have any interests, then as a learner you can become somewhat lost. This happens to people at different times in their lives; if your student experiences this, you can take the opportunity to try out various new things, even something as simple as wandering up and down the non-fiction stacks in the library to see what grabs you can help. It happens to most people at one time or another, and is not likely to last for long.

- support
If you live in or near a town or city, you likely have access to at least on home education group nearby. If you are more isolated, there are online groups as well. While many people have a concept of homeschoolers as kids who sit with books at the kitchen table all day, every day, in reality a major challenge can be deciding which homeschooling association activities to forfeit so you can get some needed "down time". In smaller towns, the challenge can be finding homeschoolers of a close age with similar interests; however, a little creativity often serves to bring people together, be it for field trips, sports, art classes, music classes, drama productions, science fairs, community service, etc.
If you live in Ontario, The Ontario Federation of Teaching Parents site has a list of homeschooling groups across the province. For other areas, you may need to do an internet search to find one near you, or contact your local public library for information.

For a list of resources our family has found valuable through our homeschooling journey, click here.

Math Enrichment Resources

2011-10-13T09:15:00.003-04:00

After several months off, I am finally returning. As long as Blogger and I can peacefully co-exist, I promise to resume regular posts.

Since I have been asked several times over the past two weeks for sources of math enrichment, today I post about math enrichment resources.

I will start with a shameless plug for my own math page, which can be found here. On this page you can find resources for young children, including everyday math around the home, baking with children, instructions for some math manipulatives you can make yourself from items you probably have already, and some strategy games you can also make yourself. There are also links to more advanced resources, including topics such as topology, tesselations, magic squares, Fibonacci & other sequences, computer programing, geometry, quantum math, math contests, and much more.

Another valuable resource for students working at grade 4 level and up is the CEMC (Centre for Education in Mathematics and Computing) site. This is run from the University of Waterloo, and these are the people who bring you the Gauss, Pascal, Cayley, Fermat, Fryer, Galois, Hypatia, and Euclid Contests.
Past contests, along with solutions can be found here.
Online math games and resources from the CEMC can be found here.

Khan Academy offers free online instructional videos on a wide range of mathematical topics, along with online problems. These allow anyone to follow a self-guided course of instruction. If you log in to a free account, you can track your progress and view suggested subsequent topics to explore. Each video is 3-5 minutes in length. Topics range from basic operations to post-graduate topics and are ideal for all ages and levels.

For kids who want to learn to create their own video games, or just learn to program in general, Scratch from MIT is a child-friendly drag-and-drop program that introduces basic commands and can become highly addictive for kids and adults alike.

If you are like me and would like to limit the amount of time you and your children spend staring at screens, the following books might be of interest:

Big Ideas for Small Mathematicians &
Big Ideas for Growing Mathematicians Ann Kajander
Math for Smarty Pants Marilyn Burns
Math Games for Middle School Mario George Salvadori
Mathematics Made Simple, 6th Ed. Thomas Cusick
Chaos James Gleick

Unfortunately, my list lacks strong book-based math for the high-school level and beyond. Do you know of any good math enrichment offered in book form for these levels? Please add them to the comments.

Additional educational resources, sorted by subject: http://greensim.com/lemonade/Educational.html

The Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees: Messages from Pollinators

2011-05-27T11:58:00.009-04:00

Last night my family and I went to see the documentary "Queen of the Sun".

No doubt you've heard all about "colony collapse disorder". There are many theories about its causes, but in reality, the causes are likely to be both diverse and related. Obviously, monoculture farming is not natural or bee-friendly. Nor are GMOs, pesticides, and even possibly cell phones. While the corporate giants fight to deny responsibility, the problem still remains.

What stands out in my mind is that honey bees are symbolic of the things we've lost touch with as a society. Take one bee away from her hive-mates and even if you feed and nurture her, without contact with those hive-mates, she will die. Likewise, there is a life-and-death connection between bees and the plants they pollinate. When considering honey bees, it is the hive rather than the individual that makes the whole; and that whole again can only be considered along with its partnership with the plants it pollinates.

Then, consider the herbivores who depend on those plants. And the carnivores who depend on those herbivores. Whatever you eat, whether vegan, vegetarian or omni, about 2/3 of your diet comes either directly or indirectly from foods pollinated by bees.

All can thank the hive of bees for their continued existence.

But we have lost sight of these basic interactions, and have chosen both consciously and subconsciously to replace our relationships and understandings of these with abstractions that distance us from the nature we depend upon for our own survival.

Can you tell the difference between a honey bee and a yellow jacket? A solitary native bee vs. a European honey bee? When you think of bees, do you picture honey and bee-stings?

The loss of as much as 90% of the bee population in some areas is an alarm for us. It is time to start moving in sustainable directions, particularly when it comes to agriculture. Taking shortcuts in order to build high-yield corporate farms is not a viable solution. Nature does not use monoculture. Nature also allows for competition in order to strengthen species.

Our Obsession with Monoculture

Before lawn pesticides were severely restricted in our area, we voluntarily chose not to use them. We also chose to let our lawn go dormant over dry spells rather than waste municipal water on it. The only help we gave it at all was aerating ever other year, and adding a little homemade compost, low-maintenance seed and a little white clover seed once. During the first year, our lawn had quite a few dandelions and some crabgrass. We dug some out, but weren't particularly studious about it. After the second year, we were able to get away with mowing it every 2 weeks in the spring and every 3 weeks over the summer and fall months (this allowed it to grow to up to about 5" maximum). As the clover appeared, the bluegrass died out and more hardy fescues took over. By the third year we had no more dandelions than anyone else on the street. There were at least 5 different varieties of grasses along with the clover, yet it was still a lawn.

I know there are still better choices for yards and ground covers, but even black-thumbed time-challenged types like us were able to get past the bluegrass monoculture.

When disease strikes, a region with a great diversity of life is much better able to cope and not only survive, but flourish than an area with little or no diversity. The strength and health of the region lies in its diversity both in terms of genetic diversity within a species, and also in species diversity.

Just as nature prefers variety, so should we. Our mono-culture mentality goes much further than endless fields of GMO corn. We embrace standardized "everything": from healthcare to education to consumerism. Over the past twenty years, our schools have become a battleground between those who value creativity and individualsm vs. those who want standardization. We have turned industry, agriculture, healthcare and now education into factories that spew out an "average" product. In doing so, we miss many fantastic opportunities along the way.

Our true value is in our uniqueness. We need to open our eyes and our minds to the possibilities that lie just outside our realm of expectation.

Eggy Science

2011-04-08T10:59:00.000-04:00

In time for spring/ Easter, Lemonade has some egg-stra special experiments and activities relating to eggs.
On the Strange Science page, there is the disappearing shell trick and how to unboil an egg: http://greensim.com/lemonade/transfigurationnoreturn

On the Advanced Experiments page, there are recipes for natural (food-based) dyes that can be used to dye eggs: http://greensim.com/lemonade/adultsci.html#natdye

On the Spring Crafts page are instructions for some egg-dying techniques (marbling etc.): http://greensim.com/lemonade/spring.html

And on the Wind Energy page is the classic egg-in-a-bottle trick for demonstrating the power of air pressure: http://greensim.com/lemonade/wind.html#press

Other egg activities:

Eggshell collage: like sand art, except you use crushed shells from coloured eggs as your medium. You can either brush a thin layer of glue onto your paper a section at a time and sprinkle one colour at a time, or use peel-back "sticker" paper and remove a section at a time to expose the adhesive and sprinkle the shells on the exposed section one colour at a time.

Test the strength of eggshells by cutting shells in half the short-way around the egg (unless you are very skilled at this, you will probably only get a half-shell for each egg). You will need 4 same-sized eggshell halves that are free of cracks in total, and several heavy books, at least one of which is hard-covered.
Place the shells in a rectangle slightly smaller than the hard-covered book. Begin placing books on top, one at a time, until the shells crack. How much weight did the eggshells support?

Be sure to wash your hands well after working with eggs!

Thoughts on Nuclear Power

2011-03-23T12:31:00.001-04:00

Due to concern about the reactors in Japan, there has been much talk about the fate of nuclear power in recent days. Is there a future for nuclear power?

I must admit that I am torn on the question. Nuclear power is not safe, at least not the way it is built, used and run by corporate and government entities around the world. But is there a way we could make it safe? In theory, it looks pretty good, but the reality is a little more complicated.

Nuclear power is cheap, until you take a closer look. First, there is the mining of uranium and other related minerals to consider. Then there is the building and maintaining of reactors, and most of us are aware of the shortcuts that have been taken in both of these, particularly in maintenance. I find it unbelievable to hear how the Mox fuels are being used, and how storage of spent fuel is designed close to the reactors. IMO, this is carelessness in the name of profit. This isn't only about Japan. By all accounts, the Japanese are dealing at least as well with this as any other country possibly could at this time.

If we were to incorporate every available safety precaution into the design of reactors, including the storage of spent fuel; and if we were to run the plants on a strict safety policy in which business models of "cost/benefit analysis" and "insurance risks" based purely on probabilities tallied against financial and political motivations were replaced with the calculation of risk to life and health as the only consideration, then perhaps there might be a place for nuclear power. However, the current realities show us that this simply isn't the case, and isn't likely to happen anytime in the near future. Nuclear power is cheap until there are accidents. And the cheapness of this source fails to take in some very real costs--even before disaster strikes. Government subsidies hide some of the costs. Uranium mining is costly in social, economic and especially environmental terms. The actual running of reactors, including maintenance, can become costly, particularly if public and employee safety is prioritized (as it should be). The lifespan of reactors is relatively short, although in many cases has been pushed beyond original design limits, again, due to economic and political concerns.
I have read conflicting reports about cancers and other radiation related illnesses in people living close to nuclear power plants; since I am no expert, I will leave that argument out for the time being. However, there is no doubt that there are safety concerns for the people who live near nuclear disaster zones, and also for the storage of spent fuel.

Spent fuel is often buried deep, however, geological disturbances happen, and are more likely to happen when the "safe" time frame reaches into the realm of tens of thousands of years or more. Moreover, this is costly disposal, and it is only a matter of time before those in charge start taking shortcuts (assuming of course, that that hasn't already happened).

One thing that generally does not enter into the discussion is the idea of cost/benefit analysis in terms of time. In a best-case scenario, with no further nuclear accidents, leaks, etc., there is still the issue of spent fuel. The half-life of spent fuel, and the resulting large time lag between its use and the time in which it can be safely handled by unprotected people means the problems associated with its radioactivity will exist far into the future and affect many generations. Its useful production time and power is relatively minuscule in comparison.

Several years back some researchers mistakenly thought they had found the modern holy grail: cold fusion. Unfortunately, they were mistaken. Perhaps it is time for a new "X Prize" in energy research. Until then, we would be wise to eliminate our subsidies to dirty energy including fossil fuels and invest instead in renewable energy technology and conservation research and incentives. We can't afford to complacently continue on our current path.

Kids Can (and should) Learn to Cook

2011-03-07T12:06:00.002-05:00

I've been reading with interest various posts and comments regarding the family dinner, and the tendency people have to eat more and more processed and "fast" foods. We all know that eating a variety of whole, fresh foods is important to maintain optimal health, both for ourselves and for the planet, however, we aren't always very good at putting that knowledge into practice.

While there are clearly several factors that lead to this, one thing I noticed is that in most families it is still the woman who bears the responsibility for shopping, meal planning and meal preparation, and in NONE of the piece or responses I have read do the children make any of the meals. Not a single response from any of the families who responded to the articles I read even mentioned their child(ren) helping in any way with dinner preparation.

This tendency towards processed food also coincides with another tendency of our society: to do everything for our children and deprive them of the opportunity to learn and take responsibility for meeting their own basic needs.

Toddlers as young as 3 (or younger) can learn to wash baby carrots and cherry tomatoes for themselves as snacks and make a simple sandwich. They can pour themselves a drink. They can pour baby spinach leaves into a salad spinner to wash and spin it for salad. They can set a table and clear the dishes afterward. Child labour? Hardly! This is part of learning needed skills and will help them learn that they are capable people with contributions that are important. Cooking can be creative and fun. It incorporates many of the skills involved in crafts and free play, with the added bonus that you can (usually!) eat what you make when you're done.

Like many other families, we converted a pot drawer to a plates and dishes drawer using a plate rack from Ikea. This made it easy for young children to be able to set the table without having to climb to reach items in high cupboards. It may seem backwards to some, but we keep less fragile items in the top cupboards so that if they are needed and the person reaching them fumbles, there is less potential for serious accidents. That is especially useful for me as I am rather vertically challenged, and tend to fumble, but is also practical for kids working in the kitchen. It is important to remember that cleanup is important when cooking too, for both practical and safety reasons. Show your child how to clean as they go so that there isn't a mound of mess left over at the end.

By the time a child can reach the microwave or toaster oven, they can and should be taught how to use these safely. It is just as easy to teach them the safety rules that allow them to use them properly as it is to ban their use completely and then try and police that ban when they see you use these items regularly. Make sure you teach them to seek parental supervision first (at least until you are comfortable enough to allow them to work independently), stay with their cooking, and teach them specific safety tips for the appliances used (no metal in the micro, always empty the crumb tray before you turn on the heat, watch your food so it doesn't burn, how to turn off the appliances, etc.).

Teaching them how to use your kitchen fire extinguisher is also a good idea. By the time a child is using appliances, they should be familiar with other major safety skills, such as the home fire plan, how to dial 911, where the family emergency meeting place will be, and which neighbours they can call on for help. More than once a child as young as 3 has saved a parent's life by calling 911.

There is no reason why a child who is able to reach the stove top cannot learn how to boil water. This is a good time to teach them about the dangers of dangling hair and clothing near a hot stove, and also a great time to introduce them to cooking a variety of pasta dishes. As they gain proficiency, they can learn to make soups, scramble eggs, cook rice and lentils, etc.

Learning to bake often starts with making cookies. This is a good project because few kids dislike cookies, measuring skills and reading a recipe are a part of the process, and the baking time is short. From baking cookies, kids can move on to preparing quiches, simple casseroles, and fun (but healthy) treats like pita pizzas.

By this time, your child will have gained enough cooking skills to be able to cope with feeding himself. He will also be able to help speed up dinnertime meal preparation because he have a better understanding of what needs to be done in order to get food on the table. This will make it easier to cook real food and enjoy more meals together as a family. This is a great way to put the maxim "many hands make light work" into action. Your toddler can put together a simple salad and set the table while your 2nd grader cooks the rice or pasta and pours water into glasses for everyone. A parent or older child prepares the rest of the stir-fry or curry, and in 40 minutes (the time it takes the pizza delivery to reach your home), you have a healthy meal on the table. Other meals such as pasta marinara, make-your-own pizza, casseroles, omelets, etc. can be made in even less time.

Slow meals eaten together encourage family conversation, and this in turn helps improve your child's language and communication skills, as well as awareness of other family member's experiences, local, national and international current events, and more.

At the grocery store, point out the country of origin signs on the fruits and vegetables. How far did your carrots travel to reach you? How about your mangoes, bananas, or broccoli?

In fact, our food and where it comes from is an incredibly important, diverse and relevant topic for our children, and teaching them about it will serve them well throughout their lives.

Lemonade's Easy Kid-Friendly Recipes
Litterless Lunch Tips and Recipes
Baked Treats and Holiday Favourites

A Life of Awesome

2011-03-02T09:53:00.000-05:00

The other day, when we were out browsing at a local bookstore, my son happened upon The Book of Awesome by Neil Pasricha. In case you are unfamiliar with it, it is a collection of life tidbits that are often overlooked, such as when you are in a long lineup and suddenly a cashier opens up a new checkout.

We were in a bit of a hurry by the time he found it, but it stayed with him and he proceeded to share some of his favourites with us over dinner. His enthusiasm was catching, and we found ourselves coming up with "awesomes" of our own.

The first true spring evening. Catching a glimpse of a shooting star. Unloading the dishwasher to find no rejects. The delicious smell of line-dried bedsheets. Being greeted at the end of the day by your favourite tail-wagging dog. The first crocus buds peeking through the snow cover. The shy grin of an infant over her mother's shoulder. Being the first onto the skating rink after the Zamboni. Buses that connect. All green lights on a drive when you're running late. The taste of a cold drink of water on a hot summers day. The sound of waves on the seashore.

I could go on. And the thing is, I should go on. All too often we fail to appreciate the small wonders in our daily lives. We forget to stop and smell the roses (or bedsheets--take your pick!), and yet, when it all comes down to it, it's those small, seemingly insignificant miracles that hold so much importance in our lives.

You've probably heard the phrases "count your blessings" and "stop and smell the roses", but for us, it was this "Book of Awesome", with its obvious appeal to a tween boy (which is awesome in and of itself) that really made us stop and put those things into words to share.

We are now working on our own "awesome lists". With all the rushing around that we do in our society, it can become all too easy to focus on the negative, to work on problems that seem urgent and forget to balance that with the positives that surround us. Shifting the focus to the positive in our lives is helping us put things into a more balanced perspective.

Your list will likely be a little different than mine, but chances are we will have at least a couple of things in common. These are things that bring us together in our experience, despite the fact that we may live in different countries, be of different cultures, religions etc. and never meet. It is part of the shared human experience. We are not so different as it might appear after all.

Disconnect Disease Part 2

2011-02-20T22:59:00.002-05:00

Not long ago I wrote about "disconnect disease" has affected our society in that fewer people than ever have a connection with nature. We no longer see ourselves as part of the web of life, nor do we understand how interdependent we are with other forms of life.

After some reflection, I realized that people are also disconnected from each other. We no longer know the names of our neighbours. We no longer know the parents of our childrens' friends--or even the names of their friends at times. We fail to take the time to stop and talk with the librarian, grocery clerk, or any of the other people we encounter as we go about our daily tasks. We walk past the street musician without even hearing their music; we ignore the homeless, and we fail to make eye contact with passers-by.

Stranger danger is highly over-rated. Statistics show that crimes are much more likely to occur between family and friends than from a stranger.

We are busy, but does that business bring us any joy or fulfillment? Surely taking a moment to say hello and inquire about someone is worth slowing down a little. Life is not a race.

I have lived in ten different cities now. We stayed in the last one for ten years, but only ever got to know our neighbours by their first names, and knew very little about them. Everyone kept to themselves. We didn't try very hard to change that, and were not sorry to leave. Perhaps if we'd made some effort, things would have been different. Sadly, many others have similar experiences.

When I was in my teens, we lived in an unusual neighbourhood. It was a large city block of low-income housing. It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't terrible either. There was no graffiti or garbage lying around; it was just old war-time housing. There were no fences in the backyards, so all the back became a large field. The younger kids would play baseball there in the summer, and even cross-country ski in the winter. It was a perfect spot for huge games of hide-and-seek and capture the flag. Neighbours would sit outside on warm summer evenings and watch the kids play, or join in every now and then. As the mosquitoes came out, the women would often visit each other for a coffee while the men put the kids to bed.

One summer, our neighbour who had recently immigrated from Italy took it upon herself to teach us all how to make fresh pasta. We'd drape pasta all over the kitchens to dry. She also organized us all in a huge tomato canning weekend. We peeled and chopped huge tub-fulls of Roma tomatoes together. Once the tomatoes were in the jars she added her own home grown basilica (basil) before the lids went on. Some of those tomatoes and pasta were used at my youngest brother's Christening party in a huge lasagna. Of course, the neighbours were a part of that too. I can tell you that after doing the same thing in my own home alone, that there is nothing like the camaraderie of friends to make such things not only faster and more efficient, but extremely fun as well.

My parents bought their first home a few years later. Their neighbours only speak to them if they have a complaint. The house is quite nice, and they own it, which is somewhat of a dream for them. But they have not been happy there. They now hope to sell the house and move back into that complex so they can once again be a part of the community. Although many of the neighbours we had then no longer live there, the sense of community lives on. And the friendships they made during those years have also lived on.

Community, although very rare, is still possible in the western world.

Former Canadian Olympian Silken Laumann is an advocate for unstructured family play. She suggests getting the neighbourhood together to play at a local park at a regular designated time. Including as many people as possible, and playing along with the kids every now and then can help get things started. Some tried and true outdoor games for larger groups can be found here: http://www.greensim.com/lemonade/summergamerules

Other ideas:
- organize a block party and/or street dance, being sure to invite everyone
- volunteer locally with your entire family
- organize tree planting at a local park and make it a potluck picnic too
- smile and say hello when you see a neighbour
- shovel your neighbour's walk
- mow your neighbour's lawn
- be sure to make a point of knowing your neighbour's full names and contact info in case of emergency
- organize a street-wide yard sale
- sit outside and chat with neighbours on evenings when the weather is nice (it will make you feel better than watching re-runs on television!)
- refrain from gossip, and always give the benefit of the doubt if you hear gossip from others
- include everyone
- be willing and ready to receive kindness from your neighbours too
- be quick to introduce yourself to new people in your neighbourhood to make them feel welcome

It is tough to get started, especially if you are shy like me, (I still never make eye contact with strangers!) but the effort is well worth it. Just ask my parents!

Bucket List of Giving

2011-02-18T23:32:00.000-05:00

You've probably heard about "bucket lists" from the movie of the same title. The idea is that you make a list of "must do" items to complete before you die. This can be a great way to get your life back on track and to focus on the things that are most important to you.

Lately I've been thinking a lot about what I can contribute to the world that is truly meaningful. What causes mean the most to me? What differences can I make in this world to leave it better for my descendants?
It's a difficult choice, and the possibilities can seem too great to know where to start.

Then I remembered (actually, through a cheesy ad on Facebook) about making a bucket list. The two ideas seem to go hand in hand. So I am going to work on a bucket list of giving. Here are a few ideas, but the list is still in the making:
- spend a day planting trees with a group of neighbours or youth each spring and fall
- make my home a meeting place for my kids' friends to come and help work on service projects
- volunteer my services as a tutor for kids whose parent's cannot afford it
- visit a 3rd world country with my family so we can learn first hand about how the rest of the world lives, and hopefully participate in helping that community
- make crafts with the kids to sell at the annual holiday bazaar and let the kids donate proceeds to their choice of charity
- become more aware of the various cultures in our community and participate in cultural events
- remember to start carrying cash so I'm prepared to give when I see a homeless person
- remember to buy for the food drive in the "off season" too
- participate in creek/river/park cleanups when needed
- write more letters and raise awareness on key issues esp. regarding children and the environment
- play "secret Santa" all year long, whenever I can find an opportunity to lift someone's spirits
- write letters to the stores and businesses I boycott to let them know that I'm doing it and why--like the Bulk Barn store I avoid after hearing a manager there complain about a "bag lady" who "had the nerve" to stand outside the store (she was afraid the woman would scare off customers!), and the numerous businesses with signs that limit the # of students in the store at a time, as well as Walmart, Costco, etc.

There will be more, but this is a starting point.

More Than Numbers & Generic Comments

2011-02-11T17:55:00.001-05:00

Dear Educational System,

I would like to introduce you to my child. Like the other students in your classes, he is a unique individual with varied strengths and interests. He has good days and bad days, days where he craves challenge and stimulation and days where he needs to relax.

He, like many of your other students, has a whole range of knowledge and experiences from outside of your system that are at least as important and valid to him, both now and in the future. There are topics in which he will know more than some of his teachers, simply because he is a different person with different interests and experiences. Some of these teachers are highly knowledgeable and skilled in areas that are entirely foreign to him, which if presented with enthusiasm, could help change his world for the better. What a great opportunity there could be for some interesting dialogue, exchanges of information and sharing of skills.

My son is a learner. You may have your own agenda and standardized curriculum and reports and tests, but none of the people who have authored those pages or worked to bring them into his world know him. To assert that these are things that will "meet his learning needs" is absurd. Education is not something you can do to someone.

The current educational system is much like an assembly line. While the assembly line works well for building cars, it is a horrible model to apply to people. It would be like building a car from any and all various materials found in a random city block. A waxen engine block would melt and stop the entire line.

And that is exactly what happens in the system. Children are sorted into groups, or not. On the one hand, you have congregated classes of various kids with "different needs". Or, you can have everyone grouped together. Either way, students are treated as part of a group to be sorted and categorized. Students learn to group themselves and limit their own personal growth with labels (and every label carries its own weight of problems). Their sense of individuality and self worth is further eroded away. They are given numbers and labels and shown how their numbers compare with the "average" and "median" of other students. When the schools label, number and categorize kids, then turn around and tell children not to do the same to each other in the playground, what exact lesson is being taught?

The current educational system seems to start as public babysitting, move on to public daycare, then become a holding pen before the "product" is labeled, sorted and spewed out.

And what do we have in the end? We have a population of students with highly inflated high school marks (because everything must be numbered, and schools and staff are judged by those numbers), who find it acceptable to use (and even plagiarize) Wikipedia as a "primary" source for reports when they hit university. Who fail to successfully complete their first year courses. Who still expect their parents to come to their aid to solve roommate problems, do their laundry, or even discuss their marks with professors.

We have unskilled and untrained children whose talents lie outside of academia who have no idea who they are or what they might accomplish given the chance, even after graduating from 12-14 years of "education".

We have children who have failed to learn how to cope as adults outside of a system that tells them what to do, when to do it, and how to accomplish it by doing the least amount possible. In providing an "education", we have trained our children to become passive individuals. We have taught them not to think.

So teacher, I want you to understand that I value your desire to teach my child. I, too, share this desire. I know you came into this profession because you want to help children and improve their futures. But please forgive me when I reject your numbers and generic comments, or your irrelevant curriculum. You see my son for a short time and must account to others who will never meet him, but I am his mother for life. Most importantly though, he knows who he is, and that he must always be accountable to himself. I will not let the system you work within dictate otherwise or rob him of his person.

The Family Dinner: an Endangered Species

2011-02-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

I've written about the importance of free play in children's everyday life. Now I'm going to move on to another important topic: the family dinner.

More and more families find they are rushed from program to meeting etc. and their increasingly busy schedules and longer work hours mean they skip family meals. When this happens, everyone loses out, especially the children.

What is so important about eating together?
One important benefit of stopping to eat a healthy, home-cooked meal together is that it's a good way to help model healthy eating and cooking habits to your children. While that might not be practical every night, making it a priority over processed or restaurant eating will send a clearer message than endless memorizing of serving sizes and food groups.

Besides the meal itself, the family dinner provides a time for family members to come together and discuss their day. It gives family members a chance to come together, reconnect and share their experiences. It allows family members to better understand each other. It gives children a chance to learn and practice important communication skills.

If we leave the important job of learning communication skills to school time, we do our children a disservice. A school classroom typically consists of 25-30 students and one teacher. Occasionally, there is a second adult (resource teacher, etc.) also available. This means that most opportunities for communication, especially oral communication, are severely limited by group size alone. Most talking done in school happens either by teachers to students in a one-way fashion, or between classes with peers. Communication with peers is important. So is the ability to communicate with adults. When children communicate with adults, their language and communication skills are challenged in different ways than they are when communicating with peers. Those who regularly converse with adults tend to have a broader vocabulary and speak with greater clarity than those who do not.

Children who develop confidence in speaking with adults who are willing to listen and converse with them learn to value their own input.

Another benefit to the family dinner conversation is the potential for meaningful discussion. Current events, family events, and day-to-day happenings provide opportunities to discuss various values and viewpoints. This invites family members, especially (but definitely not exclusively) children, to reflect on their own values and beliefs, and exercise critical thinking skills. Parents might encourage their children to think about other viewpoints, or brainstorm possible solutions to problems. Children might introduce issues and concerns to parents. Doing so provides an opportunity to practice communication with adults in a safe way, with adults they can trust to be caring and supportive. Adults can be good listeners, and ask appropriate questions to help the child think of things in more depth, with more breadth (what other factors might be involved) or from different angles.

One thing to remember when discussing tricky or controversial topics, especially ones to which you have your own strong opinions, is to express your opinions as opinions and not facts. It's OK to tell your kids how you feel and why you feel that way, but it is not OK to demand that they adopt your views at face value. If your wish is to help your children grow as thinking individuals, it is important to expose them as objectively as possible to a variety of viewpoints and let them draw their own conclusions. It is equally important to expect their views to change as they learn and grow.

Some kid-friendly recipes can be found here.

More About Child Empowerment

2011-02-06T19:11:00.001-05:00

I just finished reading Free the Children by Craig Kielburger. This is one person who shows what an empowered child with determination can accomplish.

One thing he mentions often in the book is that in all the organizations he contacted that were working towards the welfare of children, none of the advocates or advisers themselves were youth or children. As with most other facets of life, adults were calling all the shots when it came to the children, and there was no real desire to change this.

Thankfully, Craig helped pave the way for youth to become involved in issues that affect them. But we need to do more. As a society, we need to recognize the important contributions that children can and should be making towards their future. It is no longer acceptable or desirable for adults to marginalize children. Children's voices need to be heard. Being young is not a disease to be overcome, nor is it a handicap. Youth have energy and a vested interest to make a positive difference in the world. They have a right to invest their energy into their futures.

Contrast this with some kids we know locally. These kids are screen and electronic gadget addicts, who have little interest in the real world. How did that come to be? Could it be that dinnertime conversations about world events no longer take place in their household? Do the parents believe that the children should be sheltered from the "harsh realities of the world"? Or is it just a little easier, a little more convenient to let them follow the status quo?

Not long from now those children will be adults. They will have the ability to vote. They will need to find ways of earning a living. They will need to work through personal and business relationships. They will need basic living skills such as cooking. cleaning, and planning a budget. They will be faced with an onslaught of decisions to make. How well prepared will they be?

I've heard so many adults condone over-scheduling kids' free time by rationalizing that "I'll know where they are and what they're doing" (control) or "it will keep them out of trouble" (assuming that anything the child might plan would be problematic--and showing a sad lack of trust in the child).

I have posted on Twitter and on this board about the necessity of free, regular, unstructured outdoor play in children's lives. We also need to allow them to become involved in the "civilized" world around them (and yes, the word "allow" is intentional here). We need to teach them coping skills then trust them to use them. It is not unreasonable for a 12 year old to use public transit. It is unreasonable to cloister our children and do everything for them, then expect them to miraculously grow into mature, capable adults.

We need to answer our children's questions honestly and completely, and admit when we do not know the answers. We need to encourage them to find out more. We need to ensure they know how to go about learning more--whether it be learning how to use an online library catalogue, interview experts, or simply make a phone call. We need to encourage them to develop their communication skills effectively. Part of that means including them in adult conversations. We need to listen and show we value their input, and we need to ask them questions to help them clarify their thoughts as well as their speech.

When we shelter children to the truth and to the negative aspects of the world around them, we do them a disservice. Children know that the world isn't perfect. Trying to hide it can make them nervous or anxious. Eventually, they will learn about it for themselves, and if they are unprepared, it can become devastating. Better they learn about the issues and become empowered to act.

Click here for my original article about child empowerment.

Disconnect Disease

2011-01-27T20:54:00.002-05:00

Today the US government approved the use of GMO alfalfa. In North America, there is an alarming number of people who believe that climate change is either a hoax, a natural phenomenon, or a problem of the future. Many children today are hard pressed to name even 10 different species of life native to their area.

It is a sad sign of our times that people have completely lost touch with their connection to nature. We view all non-human life forms (and even some humans too, if they live far away and look or sound different) as resources to be consumed. Our society has forgotten the interconnected nature of life on our little planet. We are not aliens imported into a warehouse of resources; we too are living people and are part of the web of life.

We used to talk about "food chains" in science class when I was a kid. The imagery is clear: a straight line where the smallest species is eaten by the next smallest and so forth. My younger brothers learned about the "food web" in which more complexity is introduced. The reality is that ALL of life is interconnected. Nature is a vital part of who we are.

When the bees aren't around in their usual numbers, it affects not only bee-eaters, but many plants that depend on bees for pollination. In turn, other animals are affected as the food normally produced by those plants is no longer available. This spreads not only up and down a food "chain", but also to other chains. Animals who miss their usual food will need to adapt by eating something else, or die out. Should they begin eating other plants, this now affects another "chain", and so on. The repercussions may extend for years or decades, and as such, are little understood by a science still in its infancy.

We have lost many of our songbirds to tropical forest destruction. We are losing our coral reefs to climate change and ocean acidification. Every loss affects us in ways we may not yet comprehend.

And yet, despite the extreme consequences that can arise from the disruption of even a single species, we continue to tamper with the web of life with little thought about the consequences. From material waste, climate change, genetic modification, pharmaceutical and industrial pollution, nano technology, and overpopulation, we are causing a huge decline in biodiversity on our planet. It is a huge experiment in which we play both Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, except in this case, it affects all of life as we know it.

Perhaps part of our problem stems from the terminology we use when we refer to species survival. I suspect that if Charles Darwin were here today, he'd want to rethink the words he used in his description of the process of evolution. In stressing the competitive nature of survival, we've missed the point that nature is a closed system with its own mechanisms for maintaining balance. A "successful" species, meaning one that increases its overall population, can only remain as successful as its food resources allow. Humans are a very successful species, but if we continue to grow our population will crash as more and more species are crowded out and our food resources diminish. Growth cannot continue indefinitely. In one way or another, balance must and will be reached. The difference in humans is the terrifying tendency we have to destroy life for reasons other than food.

So while we all sit here staring at our screens (yes, I am guilty), our children learn about technology, politics, consumerism, perhaps some human rights lessons, and are rushed from program to activity. They learn to view nature as something that happens "out there" independent of them. We are robbing ourselves and our children of our natural heritage and future. Life on earth is a closed system, and we are on a path that both stretches it to its limits, and destroys much of what makes life worth living. And in our rush for more, faster, better, most of us have forgotten how to live.

This is all very bleak, but it is also an opportunity. I challenge myself and you to make the time to spend outdoors in a natural place at least one day a week. Take as much time as you can possibly spare, and share it with a younger person. Learn to observe. Learn to relax. Learn to listen, and learn to just be. And eventually, we will learn once again how to live.

Going Green: The Next Steps

2011-01-26T18:25:00.000-05:00

So you recycle and compost, you turn down the thermostat on winter nights and turn it up on summer days and you've replaced your obsolete incandescent lights. You carpool, use transit, cycle or walk most places. You buy local organic food and eat low on the food chain. You can't remember the last time you used a plastic bag for your groceries.

So now what?

Beyond the basics, most people think going green must by default mean spending money--often a great deal of it--on fancy technology. And it is true that adding PV panels to your roof or a wind turbine in your yard or a geothermal well can be costly; as can a hybrid vehicle. Certainly these do pay back over time, but many people can't afford the initial investment.

So what can you do?

1. Never underestimate the impact of smaller actions. Bringing along your own cutlery and containers to fast food restaurants makes a difference (better yet, pack your own food from home!). Watch your water usage; it takes energy to treat water and pump it into your home. Challenge yourself to reduce your usage of gas, electricity and oil.

2. Buy less. Buy used. Learn to repair items, or find someone who can. Try manual versions of appliances such as a can opener, chopper, food mill, etc. (You'll especially enjoy the benefits if you have to prepare food during a blackout!).

3. Avoid disposable items. Diapers, bags, razors, wipes, cloths, dishes, cups, cutlery, pens, tablecloths--all have reusable versions, which are better quality and will save money in the long run. If you are female, consider using a Diva cup or other silicone menstrual device.

4. Let your elected representatives know how you feel about environmental issues. Keep correspondence brief, and provide evidence where appropriate. Remind them often!

5. Teach the children in your life the importance of environmentally sound practices.

6. Ensure the children in your life do not suffer from nature deficit disorder by providing many opportunities for outdoor play in various natural settings and in all seasons.

7. Share your progress with others. Peer pressure can be a positive thing too!

8. Keep up to date on new technologies that might apply to your circumstances.

9. If you cannot replace your old leaky windows, re-caulk the edges and during the colder months, add a shrink-wrap film "pane" to conserve heat (kits can be found at any hardware store).

10. Research raw food recipes for ones that appeal to your family, and have a "raw food day" once or twice a week to save on cooking energy. When you do cook, make a double batch to serve at another meal.

11. Have yourself take off of any or all mailing lists, and subscribe to magazines and newspapers online. View these on a laptop rather than desktop computer if that is an option for you.

12. Check your mindset: do you think as a consumer or conserver? Relatives who have lived through the depression may have some enlightening tips on becoming thriftier and reducing wasteful habits. My grandmother once suggested I use dark fabric for diapers so I wouldn't need to bleach them down to white. She also had a recipe for making her own soap and could darn socks, mend holes and re-sew buttons in her sleep.

13. Learn to up-cycle items: old worn jeans can become a new handbag or backpack; holey underwear makes a great dust rag. Many more great ideas can be found online.

With all the interest in solar energy, a Newfoundlander has invented the ultimate in up-cycling. The main component to his solar heating panel is aluminum soft drink cans. It may just be that many of the ideas we need will involve ways to use common items and/or technologies we already have in new and innovative ways.

Other innovations to look for: refrigerators with outdoor venting options, cars with carbon fiber bodies and cold fusion (hey, we can dream, right?!).

Water-a Right or a Commodity?

2011-01-19T11:57:00.003-05:00

Like so many things, my recent interest in water issues springs from my children; in this case my oldest son, who became interested in water issues in relation to a science project.

I am one of those people, who despite living in the Great Lakes region, where the world's largest supply of fresh water exists, and the tap water is treated and reliable, filtered my drinking water before consuming, even before the Walkerton incident.

While living on Lake Ontario, our family began to buy RO water from a local store. Even now, we have installed an RO system in our house for drinking water. This system uses a huge amount of water to backwash the filter, but that water can be captured and used for laundry and such. Still, it is a luxury, especially as we have ready access to what is arguably the best drinking water on the planet.

So I admit that I feel a little (though not a lot) guilty when I pass judgment on those I see with grocery carts loaded with crates of bottled water in individual-sized plastic bottles. Do those people understand how much waste they are generating with all that plastic? Even if it were all recycled successfully (which is rare, even if you do put it all in your blue box), do they understand that much of it is tap water (at best), and that none of it is regulated with the rigorous testing standards that our municipal tap water requires? Some, if not all of those plastic bottles also contain BPA, which has been shown to be toxic. Do consumers not understand how much less waste they would create by using their own reusable water bottle, in terms of energy, materials, health and money?

But others have addressed this issue, so I will move on now.

In Kenya and several other African countries, the World Bank's policy of putting exports first has meant that areas that are drought-prone are being used to produce frivolous water-intense products, such as cut flowers for the European market, despite their own population's desperate need for water to meet their own basic needs. The wealthy prosper while the general population pays with their health, and sometimes their lives.

What would change were water to be added to the list of human rights? To be honest, I really don't know. There are other rights that did make the list that are largely ignored in many countries. Still, I suspect that governments and multi-national institutions would feel a greater pressure to ensure the availability of water to the people. This doesn't mean it would change much, but it might provide a starting point for discussion, negotiations, legislation, etc.

I've heard the argument over and over--"we have the same amount of water we have always had--it's a demand issue". Well, this is true, to a point. Rising ocean levels and aridation of land mean that while the planetary water level remains static, the amount of fresh water available is decreasing. Add to this the problems of shrinking glaciers and pollution, and you can see that while population is definitely a mitigating factor, there is much more to this than a simple demand issue. We live in a world in which more people have access to a cell phone than have access to a toilet. This is not a healthy situation, particularly in areas that have high population density. Outbreaks of cholera are becoming more common. The health of a population is dependent on the availability of a reliable source of clean water.

Yes, we need to run factories, refineries, industry, etc. We need to farm in order to feed the planet, but we need to do it in a manner that protects our waterways. Gone are the days when we can carelessly heap on tonnes of pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers without experiencing the consequences within our own lifetimes. We need to care for the soil in order to preserve the land for future crops as well as regain the health of our waterways. We need industry, but we also need to find a balance that allows us to meet our own more basic needs.

Other threats to our water that I've read about recently include natural gas "fracking", over-use of large capacity wells that can cause water table imbalances leading to arsenic contamination (geologist types might be able to explain this better than I), nano particles which may cause problems we have yet to discover, GMO-based agriculture, factory farming (mono-culture farms, lack of soil maintenance/crop rotation, reliance on agro chemicals, poor livestock rearing practices, etc.), and invasive species. And that's before I've actually started any dedicated reading or research into the subject!

My own country's government recently voted against declaring water a human right. Since we have the largest amount of fresh water of any nation on the planet, and our country's economy has always been "resource-focused", it is perhaps understandable that some might be inclined to treat it as such. However, I do not need to consume a tree or an ingot of nickel in order to survive. None of us does. These are secondary needs; water is a primary need without which none of us can survive. It is my assertion that it needs to be treated as such.

What Do Bright Kids Owe the World?

2011-01-12T10:51:00.001-05:00

One of my teachers once told our class that we were responsible for developing our talents to their utmost potential. Since it was a Catholic school, this was part of a religion class, and the idea was that God gave us those gifts with certain expectations.

Now, whether you subscribe to any particular religious teachings or not, if you are gifted, bright or have a child or children who are bright or gifted, you will likely have encountered this same attitude/belief.

For some kids, this is carried to extreme and causes them untold stress as they try to meet the expectations of those around them. Some will decide not to play that game, and purposefully underachieve to avoid such problems. And some others seem to be able to cope with what comes their way.

I wonder though, if this isn't a dangerously flawed idea. We don't make such demands on other populations. We don't make other kids "perform" like circus monkeys simply because they are exceptional in some way. We don't make unreasonable demands on them, to the tune of "you're so bright, you fix it" with the "it" being "little" issues such as world hunger, peace, environmental degradation, national debt, curing cancer, etc. So why is it OK to do this with bright and gifted kids?

The answer is simple: it isn't.

Bright and gifted kids deserve to live the lives they choose. Their contributions to society are their choice. Only through nurturing and supporting them as children will they be able to learn to make choices and develop and grow. And only then will they be able to contribute in a meaningful way. They need time to play, to grow, and to just "be" kids like any other kids. Denying them these opportunities is irresponsible and will not enrich their lives in any way--including educationally. Study after study had shown that kids denied play opportunities have much lower overall academic achievement than those who play. Gifted kids need a childhood too. They need the freedom to try new things and make mistakes. And, being gifted, some of their mistakes might be a little bigger than most. It's from learning to take risks that true learning happens.

On the flip side, how many of us have been told "well, if you're so smart, then..." by someone? Now, how many were told this by an adult in front of a group of our peers? Not only does this ridicule the student, but it also sends out a strong message that intelligence and reflection--thinking skills--are not valued or even welcomed in that group. When this is a school group, it is especially problematic.

It is no wonder that many gifted kids experience depression.

We need to change this. We need to take the effort to better understand gifted children's needs, first as children and secondly as children with unique needs. We need to challenge gifted kids without overloading them. We need to encourage them to pursue their interests in depth, and provide opportunites, resources and contacts to enable them to do so. We need to allow them "down time". We need to support their social and emotional needs as much as we do their educational needs. We need to recognize that being gifted will mean something different for each individual, and that their needs will vary greatly from child to child and also over time.

Perhaps most importantly, we need to allow them to choose their own future. If a gifted child chooses a less challenging career choice in favour of freedom, less work hours, more family time, and/or the ability to pursue an interesting hobby, we need to accept their choice as we would any other person's choice. If they decide to pursue higher education and push the limits of human knowledge in some way, we also need to accept and support their choice.
Being born with a greater intellectual potential isn't something people choose. Sure, we would all prefer it over other options, no doubt. But it should not become a lifelong debt to repay to society. In the end, the only thing a gifted child owes to themselves and society is the freedom to live the life they choose.

We have come a long way in our understanding of the needs of the gifted, but we still have a long way to go.

If your child is bright and/or gifted, you can obtain additional support from your local chapter of ABC:

ABC Ontario Chapter: http://www.abcontario.ca/
ABC Alberta http://www.edmontonabc.org/aabc/
ABC New Brunswick http://www.sjfn.nb.ca/community_hall/A/asso4180.html

International Agencies:
NAGC UK http://www.nagcbritain.org.uk/
AAGC USA http://www.aagc.org/
NAGC USA http://www.nagc.org/

Food, Kids and Cooking

2011-01-07T12:14:00.002-05:00

Food is a basic necessity. For many eons, humans have been fairly successful at finding, hunting and growing food. This is evident in the fact that there are nearly 7 billion of us on the planet. Yet for many people today, food remains somewhat of a mystery.

I will admit that I am one of these people. The other day, as I was making lentil salad, I realized I have no idea what the plant form of lentils looks like, despite the fact that I eat a fair quantity on a regular basis. Like many of us, I suffer from a disconnect between the origin of my food and its appearance on the grocery store shelves.

I started thinking seriously about food a number of years ago, when I was in teacher's college. I had a sudden inspiration in the grocery store about an integrated unit related to the grocery store. Integrated units were the rage at the time (if you're in education, you will see that I am clearly dating myself here!). The idea was to combine subjects in order to show their relevance to the real world. For example, my grocery unit combined math (costs/budgeting, measurement and proportions), geography (mapping food origins, comparing growing regions/climates), history (comparing older and newer recipes), language arts (writing the recipe, following directions, reading labels, etc.) and so on.

The general idea of my grocery unit is as follows: on the first trip to the store, take a general survey of the different places foods we regularly eat come from. Return to the classroom and plot the items on a map.
Next, the class votes on 2-3 popular food recipes to make together in groups. Once the recipe is recorded, there is a second trip to the grocery store to purchase items. Older kids are encouraged to budget at this stage and to read (or calculate) the value of the ingredients on a cost per unit basis.
Back in the classroom, the kids prepare their foods and share them. They also plot out (on a new map) the origin of each of the ingredients. Older kids are asked to calculate the total (minimum) distance their ingredients had to travel in order to reach them. The recipes are shared with the entire class.

An extension to this that I've tried to do with my own family as a homeschooling parent is to grow some of the ingredients, and visit farms (we joined a CSA) and farmer's markets to see the entire process of food production. We have been fascinated by brussel sprout trees, enchanted with the baby cows, and learned that there's a lot more to soil than meets the eye. We also learned that there are different farming philosophies, and that we have some strong feelings about where our food comes from--something which just a few years earlier I'd never really thought much about.

The kids have also learned to cook, which is a skill that I believe will help them maintain healthy eating habits throughout their lives. Some of their favourite recipes can be found here.

So now my new mission will be to figure out just what lentils look like from start to finish.

Creating Special Moments

2011-01-03T00:04:00.003-05:00

This post is inspired by a story by Stuart McLean called "The Mystery Book" which can be found here: http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/pastpodcasts.html?44#ref44

Have you ever secretly done something that you expect, or perhaps just dare to hope, will profoundly touch another person's life? Something that they are sure to cherish as a special memory for years to come? Something that takes a little extra thought and imagination, but once you find the idea, you know deep within your being that this is something that is Special?

Sometimes I have had that feeling, and I recognized it when I first heard that story a little over a year ago at the Vinyl Cafe Christmas Concert. When I heard that the story was being aired this year, I was especially glad as it is one of my favourites.

Yet, having recognized that feeling, I was hard pressed to come up with the examples of when I've actually experienced it first-hand.

Since I've had a year to reflect on it, I did come up with a few that I'd thought were sure winners, but upon reflection, didn't actually work out that way.

There was a hand-knit sweater I made from hand-spun designer yarn that cost more than I'd ever consider investing on a project for myself, but was perfect for the woman who would wear it. I was excited about the project--I researched pattern after pattern to put together something especially suited to her in colour, texture and form. I knit and re-knit parts until they met my satisfaction. It was perfect. Except she started menopause and didn't wear it due to hot flashes, then lost weight and it didn't fit her. She no longer has it--I think it went to Goodwill. I would have re-used the yarn and knit something else had she given me the chance.

Then there was the year that my parents were invited to a getaway with a group of friends and asked me to babysit for them that weekend. I was taking a double course load at university, and that weekend fell in the middle of exams. With 6 exams and 4 major papers, plus the demands of work, I just couldn't swing it. They were disappointed to say the least. So I saved up, eating Mr. Noodles for supper and taking on extra shifts ushering at the theatre and serving coffee at a campus coffee shop, and bought them a weekend getaway. I planned it when exams were over and watched the kids for them. I picked out concert tickets, booked them a reservation at a nicer restaurant, and bought them a suite at the hotel along with champagne and brunch. My dad said he slept through the concert I sent them to, and although they enjoyed the brunch, the rest was essentially a flop.

I did buy books for my own younger brothers, and often. I chose a variety, particularly favourites from my own childhood and classics. While they tended to ignore them for a while, eventually they both found the Lord of the Rings series inspiring and are now avid readers. Maybe that wasn't a total flop, but they weren't "sparkly special" the way I always hoped they'd be. I also tried to share my passion for nature with them by taking them along with my boyfriend on camping and canoe trips.

In the end, none of these was particularly special as it goes, at least not to the receivers. And maybe that's not the point. Maybe it's all about the sharing, caring, planning and just plain thinking about the person that really matters. Maybe these sorts of acts of sharing, although intended for others, are really for ourselves. And maybe that's not such a bad thing, if it allows us to continue giving, sharing, planning, spending the time and considering others despite the setbacks. Maybe it's one of the things that makes us alive.

Who knows--maybe Sam tossed out the book Stephanie bought for him. It's possible that he missed the point altogether. It would be quite likely that he would have a completely different experience than the one she had had with her book. Perhaps for him it was just a book and nothing more.

But the caring and sharing that came from that act, I believe, is what it's all about. And like some kind of twisted Karma of giving, I have to believe that it made a difference, a positive difference, even if it might not have been the one intended.

Sometimes we need to be Santa, in order to feel real and alive. We need to share in order to truly appreciate the beauty and joy we've experienced in our own lives. It helps us remember the important things. The outcome is only a part of it; as with much in life, it's often the journey matters most.

New Year, Old Habits

2010-12-31T09:25:00.001-05:00

Every New Year's Eve I do it: I resist the urge to make resolutions. I once read somewhere that it's a bad time of year to try and change habits, but I think it might just be that I've never liked the idea of feeling forced/coerced into doing something simply because others are doing it. I'm a rebel at heart I guess. An armchair rebel perhaps, but a rebel nonetheless.

Let's face it, most resolutions are broken within a few weeks. But maybe there are some kind of resolutions that really could work at this time of year. I'm sure that if I decided to, I would be able to keep a resolution that had me increase my chocolate intake, hug my dog more often, go for more/longer nature walks, or play more board games with the kids. So maybe I've just been looking at New Year's resolutions the wrong way.

What resolutions are truly worthy of us? Of course, that all just depends. And, what is the best timing for making changes in one's life? For some, it might be September. For others, the spring might be best. And some changes are best accomplished now.

So once again, while others worry about such things, I am going to approach the holiday in a mellow state of mind. My family and I will pull out our shoebox full of this past year's memories--ticket stubs, brochures from outings, photos, programs, business cards, awards, etc. and reminisce about the past year. We'll either visit with friends or go see the local fireworks display, then we'll come home and toast the new year quietly before heading off to bed. And we will not feel guilty at all.

Happy New Year! May 2011 bring you health, happiness, love, peace and joy.

Frankincense and Myrrh: Gifts of the Wise Men

2010-12-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

Most of us know what gold is, but frankincense and myrrh are not nearly so well known, at least not to most of modern western society.
Frankincense and myrrh are resins from trees found in the Arabian peninsula. They are commonly powdered and burned, often along with spices such as cinnamon, as incense. Both resins were highly valued, possibly worth as much as or more than gold as they held (and still hold) medicinal, religious and cosmetic value.
Part of the symbolism and importance of the story of the Magi is that even wise, learned men of the time easily misunderstood the nature of the baby Messiah. What would have been appropriate gifts for your average king held little true value for an impoverished infant, except, perhaps for the parents to trade for necessities. It is a reminder that items of material value often hold little spiritual (or practical) worth. On the other hand, the spirit of honouring and gift giving itself is of great value.

This reminds me of all sorts of spin-offs; The Little Drummer Boy, The Gift of the Magi, The Littlest Star, The Littlest Angel, etc. The moral of each of these is that the true value of gift giving lies in the love that goes with it. In these days of rampant consumerism, gift cards, etc., many of us would do well to remember these messages regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs.

What Gives a Gift Meaning?

2010-12-14T13:27:00.003-05:00

When our lives are filled with gift cards and ever-changing electronic gadgets, what kind of gift can we count on to have staying power, to truly make a (positive) imprint on the receiver's memory?

Most gifts find their way to the landfill within six months of purchase. Others maintain an impersonal sense of anonymity. Gift cards can help eliminate waste as the receiver can choose what they desire, but they are also an easy out, and require little thought.

On the other hand, no one wants to receive a time-consuming, hand-made gift that is unsuitable. There is a reason why the words "Christmas sweater" send chills through some people this time of year, and it has little to do with the weather! I used to receive scratchy slippers made from polyester craft yarn each year. Since I started knitting, I know those must have taken a few hours to make, but for the most part, they went unappreciated for years.

Some of the gifts I've found most memorable were less to do with the actual gift than the circumstances in which they were given. The new step-aunt who understood the needs of an adolescent girl, for example; the gifts that I received that weren't chosen from my list, but were so much better suited to me than what I'd thought to ask for.

To me, the ideal gift must be useful, something that the receiver wouldn't be likely to buy for themselves on an everyday basis ("special"), well-suited to the receiver, and both environmentally and socially sound. Sometimes politeness takes over for people, and a little detective work is necessary to find out if a gift was truly appreciated. The detective work is worth the time and effort as it means there will be less waste--time, money, materials and most of all, awkward feelings, particularly if it is a gift that might be repeated.

This year my solution is to give some gift cards or "tried and true" gifts--donations to favourite charities, food items that have in the past received favourable responses, etc. and add some smaller personal touches (a hand-made Christmas stocking, homemade ornaments, etc.).

Last year, having reached the same crossroads, I took the time to brainstorm possibilities, and added them to my website. You can find them, along with gift ideas for teachers and coaches, and stocking stuffers here. some child-made gifts that have gone to aunts, uncles, coaches and grandparents in previous years (along with instructions for making some yourself) can be found here.

I also usually make reusable fabric gift bags for most of the gifts. Those plus other creative wrapping solutions can be found here.

And, remember, there are alternatives to buying for each person in a larger family. You can draw names, only buy for the kids, or make charitable donations on relatives' behalf's. This way you are less likely to give and or end up with 15 self-destructing slap-chops or an ab master that you'll never use. It might be a little late to arrange for this year, but worth bringing up for next.

Fun Holiday Fact #1

2010-11-30T13:34:00.000-05:00

From the "did you know" files...

What is a sugarplum?

Whether you know them from children's dreams in the poem, "A Visit From St. Nicholas" or from the exotic lands governed by the Sugar Plum Fairy in the ballet, "The Nutcracker", you may have wondered, just what are these magical delicacies?

Well, a few years back my curiosity overcame me, so I did a little research. It turns out that a sugarplum is simply a candy made from boiled sugar, however, it can also refer to a small piece of sugar-coated candied fruit, or more generally, any kind of candy or sweet.

The fact that they were such delicacies that even relatively well-off children dreamed of them as a special Christmas treat says a lot about how rare they were, and how we've learned to take such indulgences for granted.

My favourite version involves fruitcake and marzipan and can be found on my nutcracker theme page here: http://greensim.com/lemonade/nutcracker.html#sugarplum It is very sweet, but fun to make and decorate.

An alternative version is to make fruit shapes from marzipan (almond paste) and paint with food colouring or dust with coloured sugar.

If you would like to make either of these but are concerned about potential nut allergies, you can use candy clay instead: http://greensim.com/lemonade/foodrecipes.html#labele

If you would like to try candy making experiments,(making candy from boiled sugar) see this page for a temperature guide.

Joy Without Greed

2010-11-25T10:28:00.002-05:00

An Attitude of Gratitude Has no Room for Greed

Today is the U.S. Thanksgiving and many there and beyond are stopping to be thankful in various ways for various reasons. Feasts will be eaten by those fortunate enough to have them, families will get together, and traditions will be kept.

And then--there is tomorrow.

Tens of thousands of people will forget all of that and pull themselves out of bed at some wee hour of the morning to battle line-ups and crowds, sometimes even risking their own safety, in order to buy items at reduced prices. For some, the identity of the given objects is irrelevant; it is only the perceived savings and gathering of stuff that matters. Quality and need are concepts that lack relevance to the mob mentality that takes over. It is exciting, it is challenging. Who will get one of the 5 door-crasher specials? How many opening hour sale items will I be able to snatch? How many of my friends and relatives will I be able to impress with my purchasing prowess?

There is no denying that there is an energy there--a sort of holiday anticipation--that is catching. However, this energy has a dark side.

Even if you are OK with the labour issues in countries that make the goods we consume; even if you don't mind the "convenience" (aka "disposable") mindset that pervades our culture, and even if you are a climate denier, there is no refuting the fact that rampant consumerism is a huge problem in our society.

Happiness and inner peace do not come from a bottle or box store. Even the Grinch figured out that one. And no one loves you because of the gifts you give. They may appreciate them, but that is not the same thing.

The truth of the matter is that our greed and waste come at a high cost.
The environment suffers: the extraction and travel of raw materials, the shipping of parts, the travel of the finished product, the short useful lifespan of most products, the landfill waste, not to mention the toxic waste involved in every step of the product's life.
Workers suffer: our demand for lower costs leads to human rights violations in poorer countries all in the name of cheap labour. Pollution at every level affects human and planetary health.
Consumers suffer: along with the increase in personal debt, there is also an increase in spiritual debt that is caused when we try and fix our personal problems through consumer purchases. After the holiday rush, there is a let-down. We resume our regular activities, but now the bills come in and we have little of lasting value to show for it.

So how do we celebrate the holidays and enjoy them without becoming a bunch of miserly Scrooges?

1. Make a list. List those you will give to, and decide on what you will give. Stick to the list. If ideal gift ideas (things people need) do not immediately come to mind, try the following:
- ask a close friend or relative for suggestions
- consider going together on a larger needed item
- ask the person themselves what they need/want
- for those who have everything, consider a charitable gift on their behalf

2. For larger groups or families, consider drawing names for gifts and placing a strict limit on any money spent.

3. Give of yourself: gift your time and effort by either making some of your gifts, or gifting services, such as childcare or other skills. Be sure to give your time, skills, and/or donations to your community as well.

4. Give experiences, such as movie, theatre or sporting event tickets, restaurant vouchers, memberships, etc. Avoid the box stores and shop at small businesses to help boost your local economy

5. Spend your time with someone by treating yourselves to a day at the spa, a ski day, a lunch out together etc.

6. Play together. Seriously. Plan low-key days in the holiday season where you let loose and just play with your friends and family. Be it an old-fashioned neighbourhood snowball fight, a board games evening, or a hike in the woods, make a point of doing something together with the ones you love. And: don't worry about the housework or upcoming board meeting that day!

7. Take care of yourself. Get enough sleep. Eat healthy food, in healthy amounts at healthy intervals. Exercise regularly, preferably outdoors.

8. Keep visits with family members who do not get along well as low-stress as possible. Consider getting together on neutral ground--a skating party, or restaurant dinner perhaps--and be polite. Try and be open and allow for people to grow and change. At the same time, don't raise your expectations too high--holiday stress doesn't always make for the best time to mend rifts in relationships. Keep the get-together short to reduce everyone's stress.

9. For larger parties and get-togethers, don't forget to consider the kids. You may find it worth your while to hire a teen to help them throw their own mini-party. Try not to force the kids away though--there is a delicate balance between considering their needs as children and banning them from the "bigger, more special" party. Be sure to discuss it with them ahead of time so they will know what to expect and can help decide what they want and need from the day.

10. Don't stress about the little things. Christmas cards are nice, but an email can also show people you are thinking about them. You can skip the coleslaw, and most won't even notice. Learn to value cleanliness over orderliness. There is a reason that closets have doors.

For more meaningful gift ideas, including charities and homemade gift ideas, try here.

Let the holidays begin!

What Makes The Holiday Season Special for You

2010-11-23T14:55:00.001-05:00

As the kids get older and become less awestruck with the season, I get the idea that much of their enthusiasm is mainly to humour me. I find myself becoming a little--well, OK, a lot, sad at the loss.

Maybe I never grew up, but I can always muster that Christmas anticipation, the awe that goes with the season. The time when miracles could happen (and I don't mean finding the latest trendy gadget sitting under the tree either). Yes, it sounds schmaltzy (is that a word?), but maybe we need a little schmaltzy now and then.

Still, with a dwindling number of local extended family members, and kids growing older and more sophisticated, I find Christmas is getting a little routine.

I saw this coming last year, so I took a few measures to ward it off. We were doing better than many financially, so I volunteered us to adopt a family. I was hoping the whole family would get excited about it, but it became my project. Still, it filled a void, and if you can do it, I highly recommend it. Although we never met the family, I found myself getting excited about how I thought they might react. Since they published a strict policy of allowable money spent (to keep things equal between recipient families), I was careful to look for sales and was thrilled when the dollhouse I thought would be perfect went on sale within the spending limit.

I did look into other ways to volunteer in the community, but it seems everyone wants to volunteer at holiday time, and many organizations prefer to keep their "regulars".

Sometimes something simple, such as a winter walk in the woods, or a visit to a pioneer village to think about historical celebrations of Christmas can provide a little holiday perspective.

How many of us have a glass of orange juice in the morning, but never really taste it? 150 years ago, an orange was probably the best gift you would get. It was something to anticipate, something to cherish and enjoy. It was a source of vitamin C that was difficult to come by during the dark winter months. Every part was used--even the rind was candied and treasured. I'll bet that those oranges tasted a lot better too, if only due to their well-deserved appreciation.

Another tradition I started when the kids were young was to hand-make some of the gifts we give. A hand made gift shows the receiver that they were thought about in advance, and that they are worth the time and effort. You don't have to be a Martha Stewart type to hand make a gift for a loved one. Try here and here for some meaningful gift suggestions.

Where does the season's magic lie for you? Do you have a special Christmas/Holiday tradition, or a single event that holds meaning for you?

Manners--Not Just for Kids

2010-11-15T13:43:00.001-05:00

In the past week, I've seen several Twitter links flutter through the cyber-ether all regarding teaching kids manners--esp. table manners. I've also seen complaints about people taking babies and toddlers to restaurants, and even restaurants that outright ban babies (can you imagine if they did that with any other group of people?!).

Now I feel it is time to weigh in on the issue. The reality is that many adults are at least as guilty, and usually much more so than children, of behaving offensively. The only times I have been disturbed by children in restaurants are instances where the needs of the children have been ignored or denied by the adults around them--adults who should know better. Period. However, I have more than once been offended by adults in ways ranging from someone wearing excessive cologne/perfumes to the point that I could not eat my meal, to the public rowdiness of a bachelorette party held in the middle of a restaurant. I've even seen an adult sneeze into a buffet table. Fortunately, so did the staff, and the dishes were quickly replaced with new ones, to the expense of the restaurant owner. What a waste!

We are so quick to find fault in children, especially other people's children, yet often overlook our own faults. If it is bad manners to point out flaws in other adults, why do we allow this to happen to our children?

Moving on to table manners...
I have relatives who set an example for my children and have taught them more about polite eating than I ever could though didactic means. The examples were negative, and I never had to say a word (a good thing, as I have a philosophical aversion to pointing out the negative in others).

There are the basics--not letting people see your chewed food, waiting for everyone to be seated before starting, not reaching across other people's spaces, etc., and then there are the more subtle but at least as important manners regarding appropriate dinner conversation. Insults, gossip and putting others on the spot in a negative way are at least as off-putting as conversations about insects and bodily functions.

Now, none of us is perfect, and I've been known to place the glasses on the wrong side of the plates on occasion. But the spirit of good manners--keeping things pleasant and making others feel comfortable (as much as is reasonably possible)--is our goal, and it is one that I certainly wish some of the adults I know would learn to follow!

If children are a regular part of the family dinner, they will learn from example what is appropriate behaviour. If they are brought to restaurants, they will learn how to eat at restaurants. They will learn what is socially acceptable in a variety of situations. Sadly, kids today are often shipped from program to program, with quick, rushed meals, and then hide away with the latest electronic gadget. Eating is for physical sustenance only. If we take time to eat together though, we can mend broken social ties and model proper behaviour. We might get in a bit more "real" food in the process too. Laurie David says it better than I here.

I remember a story about Queen Elizabeth. She was entertaining a group of international dignitaries, when one of them sipped from the finger bowl (understandable mistake for someone from a different culture), so she did the same. No one would dare to insult the queen's manners, and she made what could have been a very awkward moment much more relaxed. Now that, my friends, is what I call good manners!

Remembrance Day: Have We Missed the Point?

2010-11-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

Remembrance Day

Lt. John McCrae fought in World War I. World War I was also known as "the war to end all wars". The horrors of modern warfare caused a generation to seriously reconsider the implications of war and to renew their commitment to peace. Only a threat as horrifying as Hitler's Nazi movement could bring about another full-scale war as soon as two decades later. The goals there were clear: stop the Nazi occupation.

Every year when I see the poppies and read “In Flanders Fields” I can't help but wonder if we've missed the point entirely. What would John McCrae think if he could see how little we've learned about peace? Would he believe he and his fellow soldiers had fought and died in vain?

My country has abandoned its respected role as international peacekeeper in favour of supporting rampant greed. Our forces fight in a war that is more about oil and exploitation than human rights. Moreover, in sending our troops to fight in Afghanistan, we have enabled more US troops to fight in Iraq. While we have not dirtied our hands in that “illegal” war, our actions have supported it indirectly.

Along with these wars comes the war on the environment. An excellent article about this can be found here: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/time-to-end-war-against-the-earth-20101103-17dxt.html In our quest for eternal economic growth, we are destroying our very life support system. Our addiction to oil and other fossil fuels is leaving many of us hungry, homeless and desperate.

In essence, our actions as a nation and as a wider society have not been particularly peaceful in recent years.

I find at some Remembrance Day celebrations that the focus is less about peace and more about honouring veterans. We do tend to forget and take for granted these people who have sacrificed their lives for their beliefs, some of which I share. We could do much better in providing support for these people and their families after they have served. Too often our governments use them for political purposes then forget them—toss them out with the trash so to speak when they're finished with them. But I have to admit that I am torn even on this point. How much support do I really have for those who willingly sign up to kill others in the name of oil? I only have to hope that their individual motives are somewhat more honourable than that, and remind myself that the policies of our government and attitudes and greed of the larger society are the true problems.

“Take up our quarrel with the foe”

Who exactly is the foe? Who is the enemy we face? So often we are lost in political agendas spurred on by corporate interest that we no longer clearly see what it is we are supposed to be fighting, what the goals are. How can we even know if we've won or lost? How do we know when to stop? What are we fighting for?

The worst Remembrance Day ceremonies I have seen are the ones that glorify war. War is legalized first-degree murder. No war has ever been fought that did not involve loss of civilian life. Some wars have been fought in the name of human rights and freedoms. Today our wars are fought for purposes of material gain. The economy is revered above life.

I think that if John McCrae were here today, he'd agree that most of us have missed the point.

So today, I honour all of those who have the courage to speak out and act for what is right, to listen to your hearts and never give up, no matter how hard it gets. Whether you are a soldier or diplomat, a caregiver, activist or educator, if you remain true to yourself and fight in your own way to make this a better world, you are my hero, and it is you who I will honour today.

The Great Christmas Search

2010-11-08T00:32:00.001-05:00

Every year the same thing happens at our house. My older son makes his Christmas list, and the top item is inevitably something that a) doesn't exist b) is not available in this country, or often, not even on the continent c) exists but won't be sold for several years as it's still in development d) no longer is sold in stores and is either not available on Ebay etc., or has gone out of our financial reach due to its rarity e) never existed, but he wishes it did.
In past years, it has been elusive model train parts, books that are out of print, videos or music selections that are no longer recorded, discontinued Playmobil pieces (the outlet store in Mississauga eventually helped with that one!), and a spare dedicated camera battery that took us seven weeks to find. Other families have trouble finding stock of popular items, but our problem is usually the opposite!

My younger son used to ask for "interesting" things too--like the year he wanted a Beluga whale--not a "zoo adoption", not a toy, but the actual real thing. Thankfully, his desires have become a little easier to appease over the years!

The item of interest this year is actually more of something we already own. This should be easy, right? Nope. The plain painted dominoes that are perfect for building domino runs are no longer made by Melissa and Doug. When we emailed them, they directed us to their numbered domino set. This is a completely different item. Ebay doesn't have any now either.

My sons spend hours building complicated domino runs. Sometimes the runs are part of a larger Rube Goldberg machine (see here for more on Rube Goldberg machines), and sometimes they stand alone. For the past four (five?) years, they have been the most played with item in our house, even beating out house favourites such as Crazy Forts, Snap Circuits, Lego and K'nex. I love how such a simple toy can lead to so much creativity.

I originally purchased them on a whim at Winners. They were likely being discontinued at the time. I know others use dominoes like this, but aside from an incredibly expensive version made in Germany, I have been unable to find a source.

They are simple wooden blocks that should be easy to cut, sand and paint ourselves, right? Except they use hardwood that is a little more challenging to work, and the exact uniform size of the pieces is critical. Some of the transition pieces are pretty complex as well, at least, they are for unskilled carpenters such as my husband and I. Making some will be our last resort.

I have to admit though that I have actually come to enjoy the treasure hunt associated with these requests. I suspect this is something that I will miss in a few years, so despite the stress associated with it all, I am determined to enjoy it.

Taking Time to Read

2010-10-28T07:42:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we took the kids to the Ontario Science Centre. Like every other time we've visited, there was the inevitable run-in I've come to dread.

This time it was a father and his son who looked to be about five years old. We were at a table with a ramp. There were two discs on the table. One was a solid wood disc and the other was a metal disc with a hollow centre. They had the same circumference, and for those of us who could be bothered to read the large sign, they had the same mass.

The idea was to send them down the ramp together to see which moved faster, and try and figure out why that was. There was an explanation at the bottom of the sign as well.

This man, like so many other parents and kids I've seen there, just guessed what it was about (wrongly) and told his son it was because the metal was heavier. I actually interrupted this time and told them that according to the sign the discs had the same mass. He just said "is that so?" in a rather rude and incredulous tone and continued pulling his son through the exhibit hall.

Maybe he had a reason for his behaviour. Perhaps he was illiterate and really could not read the sign. But surely the majority of the visitors are able to read. So why don't they?

Is it really a wonder so many people blindly accept pseudo-science when they can't even be bothered to read two sentences on a sign? Why do people even bother going there if they aren't willing to take the time to actually look and experience what is on offer? (Are these the same people who get all of their news via television?) And yet, sadly, many people do just that.

Was this man's son not worth the effort to get the facts right? Was the dad just putting in time until the outing was over? Will the son remember the trip, and if so, what will he have gotten out of being rushed from display to display without ever really getting a chance to check any of it out himself?

I have the same gripe when I send out emails. There are people (admittedly not nearly as many) who insist on only reading the first line or sentence in an email. Even when I start out with an opening such as: "I have two questions for you:" certain people will just jump ahead with the first, sometimes not even reading that one thoroughly enough to answer what I've actually asked.

The problem isn't limited to rushed parents either. When my youngest went to junior kindergarten (very briefly!), the teacher would hold up a "big book", and instead of reading it aloud to the kids, she'd play the book tape and turn the pages. When parents and teachers don't bother to read with their kids, should we be surprised when those kids themselves fail to see the value and joy of reading?

Maybe it's just a symptom of a larger problem. We're always rushed--with increasing demands on our time, and advertising everywhere we look that promises quick and convenient solutions, many of us have lost the art of living in the moment. We continually look ahead, but have difficulty clearing our minds enough to concentrate on the immediate.

Today is voting day. I always hope people will read the candidates' platforms thoroughly before casting their vote, but as I grow older, I wonder: since many don't/won't bother to read, perhaps election signs with names alone are sadly just as effective. We've been trained to respond to quick, flashy images to become voracious unquestioning consumers, and it shows.

Great Green Halloween Tips

2010-10-25T11:37:00.002-04:00

I love this time of year--the fall colours and crunchy leaves underfoot, comfort food from our backyard harvest, the early evening family read-alouds, the dramatic fall skies, the absence of mosquitoes on long forest walks, and especially Halloween!

Halloween has gotten a bad name due to the greed/candy obsession that has replaced the old traditions of apples, pears and baked goods, and a friendly visit with the neighbours. I'm talking here only of Halloween, not "Devil's Night" on the 30th--that's a different subject!

While the rumours of razor blades in apples are just an urban myth, many adults still won't let their kids eat fruit collected from strangers. Peanuts are also likely to cause parents grief as more and more kids are diagnosed with peanut allergies.

It was especially sad when kids were getting mugged for their Unicef boxes and Unicef changed their program. Now there are other community initiative in place though. Some groups in our community put up signs on mailboxes a week ahead telling people that instead of collecting candy, they will be collecting unperishable items for the local food drive.Not many people are willing to mug someone for a box of KD, at least not in a country as fortunate as ours!

Halloween is one of many big marketing opportunities for the box stores, but we don't have to run out and buy cheap single-wear costumes made thousands of kilometers away. Nor do we have to purchase tons of plastic-wrapped corn-syrup and sugar laden "treats" in order to do the holiday justice.

For costumes, you can search your closet for a truly creative and unique costume. Some great closet costume ideas can be found here. If this doesn't work, consider borrowing costume components from a friend or relative, or purchase items from a local thrift shop.

For handouts, people often try and replace all that candy with plastic toys.While the following suggestions might not be absolutely perfect, they are an improvement on Tootsie Rolls TM and chips.

if you have saved the plastic eggs from Easter (we don't buy them, but always seem to end up with lots anyhow!) you can use those as containers for homemade playdough, slime or silly putty (recipes can be found here). You can also use zip-lock baggies if you must. Be sure to label these so they aren't accidentally eaten, or thrown out because they were an unknown product.
you can design and print your own bookmarks (to be greener, print them on recycled card stock); add a yarn tassle to the top to make it fancy
small, fair-trade chocolate bars instead of larger amounts of lesser quality candy
small bottles of soap bubbles
a flower bulb (tulip, daffodil, etc.) along with planting instructions
print out some Madlibs, word puzzles, etc., roll them up and tie off with a ribbon (you have my permission to reprint and distribute these as long as you leave the website url line on the bottom of each)
pencils (not quite as popular or original as some of the above, but my kids still like getting them!)
a talented balloon sculptor on our street used to make ballons to order for all the neighbourhood trick or treaters--and she used the kind that quickly biodegrade
Annikin publishes tiny paper picture books that can be purchased in bulk and includes many of their more popular titles--you can promote early literacy while giving out treats!
super-bounce balls, while still pretty much in the realm of "junk toys" still tend to see much more use than the other "junk toys" found in loot bags etc.
tennis balls and skipping ropes are also more likely to see long-term use than plastic toys

Alternatives to avoid:

toothbrushes are not likely to make you very popular with the kids, and ads/business cards attached to goodies is just plain tacky
artificial sweeteners are unhealthy at best and are particularly risky for children--sugar is actually a much safer option
avoid anything that has partially hydrogenated oil (some chocolate and most chewy toffies), hydrogenated oil, BHA or BHT (most chewing gum) as these are unhealthy bordering on dangerous to consume

Please add your own suggestions to the comments, or email them to me and I'll post them here and give you credit. There has to be a better way than all the waste that usually happens at Halloween!

This year we are setting up a driveway "Mad Science Lab" with dry ice, lots of mystery flasks etc. and a mix-your own slime (the silly putty recipe at the link above) station. I'm wearing one of my mom's old lab coats that I've made some "explosion burn holes" in. I'll be teasing all my hair up and back, and donning safety glasses. With the safety glasses on, I'm sprinkling some black tempera paint powder on my face so that when I take off the glasses it leaves their silhouette on my face. a pocket protector, pens, test tubes, calculator etc. finishes the outfit. Halloween lab sound effects (bubbling potion, explosions etc.) will add to the effect. Total purchase price: free, as I already owned all the components.

For dry ice tips, tricks and very cool experiments (bad pun intended), click here.

Happy Haunting!

Discipline with Humour and Song

2010-10-12T03:44:00.001-04:00

If you're like me, you really don't enjoy nagging at your kids for the same old things day in and day out. I've tried many different ways to "be heard" above the natural parental tune-out children seem to gain at an early age. One trick that seems to work, not only to get a point across, but also to lift everyone's mood is using humour, and the most effective mode of delivery is through music.

Ok, well, perhaps calling it music is stretching things a bit. I have not been blessed by either a beautiful voice or a musical ear, so my efforts are less than tuneful even when I'm trying for "serious". But that's the beauty of this: out of tune is even better! What I do is choose a random song, then invent appropriate lyrics to that tune to fit the situation. My kids often roll their eyes, but they have also been known to take over when they've had enough of my own inventions. When still in their preschool years, they invented the "leaving" song:

"Get your coats and boots on,
and get into the car
Get your coats and boots on,
and get into the car

We are late
so don't delay
and put your coat on

We are late
so don't delay
and put your boots on

Put your coats and boots on
and get into the car!"

Bad rhymes, words that don't fit the song rhythm--that's all a part of the fun. And even with all their moaning and complaints, it nearly always brings smiles and diffuses what ever situation is brewing, at least somewhat, when mom belts out a "tune".

Lately, I've found that singing "You Light up My Life" by Linda Ronstadt is very effective, especially when the kids get pouty or jealous. Who can stand that one off key and still stay pouty?! And I don't even have to change the words!

I do wonder though, if that might be pushing things a little too far. Can singing be considered a form of child abuse? It does lighten things up a bit, but will there be long-term psychological scarring? Or will it become a cherished memory, of the times, however few, when I lightened things up and shared with them the gift of humour?

The Purpose of Education

2010-10-07T14:33:00.001-04:00

Is the purpose of education solely to enable us to become wealthy?

It would seem that as a society, we have bought into this idea and have forgotten many other valid and valuable reasons for education. Students increasingly flock towards subjects that they perceive will result in the highest paying jobs, regardless of their personal interests. In the U.S., bright students are more likely to enrol in business programs than in the sciences. I don't know what the statistics are here in Canada, but I do know that many have a greater respect for an MBA than a PhD.

Not all of us are meant to be cut-throat business people, and thank goodness for that. Surely, the idea of following your interests and passions in choosing your career path is something we should all consider. Yes, we all need to make a living, but since when did "making a living" turn into just making money? Once our basic needs are met, which is more likely to make us happy--more "stuff"? A bigger investment portfolio? Or working on something we believe in and enjoy? What will bring us the greatest enjoyment and personal fulfillment? What can we do with our lives so that when we look back at the end of our lives we can say with conviction, "I have no regrets, I lived and loved well"?

In the end, the only real currency is time, and it is our choice how we spend it. Best to use it well!

Perspective and the Unschooled in School

2010-10-04T14:24:00.003-04:00

We are an unschooling family. Currently, my eldest son has opted to attend the local senior public school for grade 7.

Now, if you've read my previous posts on education, you may have picked on the point that I've thought a great deal about education, and that I'm quite proud of the decisions we've made. I believe my children have a wide range of skills and knowledge, they are enthusiastic learners and they have had a range of experiences many children miss.

I was trained as an elementary school teacher, and spent several years as a supply teacher teaching everything from junior kindergarten, to remedial landscaping. As a student, I spent much time focused on (obsessed with) marks--how close was I to the honour roll? Dean's Honour List? In which classes was I "leading" the pack? I have long since dropped such obsessions, or so I thought.

My son is quite bright. By fourteen months had a spoken vocabulary of over 800 words, and was starting to use compound sentences. He taught himself to read at three. He started writing poetry at three as well.

When I went to the school to ask his homeroom teacher how he was adjusting, (fully expecting that she'd be recommending enrichment) she showed me his first comprehension exercise. He got a 2. The Ontario system marks from a 1-4, with a 4 being the highest. He's an excellent speller and writes well. And yet, it was his handwriting on that test, his incomplete sentences and lack of capitalization. It looked like something he would have produced when he was 6, not 12.

What was going on here?

After an agonizing week of trying to figure it all out, another unschooling mom helped me put it all into perspective. The reality is that he didn't choose to go there for academics, but to see what school is all about. Academics are something he does on his own, not at someone else's request. He knows that if he chooses to go to university, it will be his marks in grades 11 and 12 that are important. So right now, he's experimenting.

His goal was to check out school before marks counted. To fulfill this goal, he just needs to attend, participate, and make a few friends. Academics are extra, and perhaps out of habit, or just because he's never had to separate out academics from "real life" and his on true passions, he's still working on his science projects, and reading and writing at home.

My original goals for him this year? To become involved in his community and remain enthusiastic about learning. There was nothing in there about enrichment, honour roll or any of those things, and although he is more than capable of achieving those, they were not among his original goals. Nor should they be mine if I'm to remain consistent.

I'd rather see him with 2's and love reading and writing than 4's and hate it. I'd rather see him spend hours on something that inspires him than have him complete sheets of busy work, or try and figure out what standard answers the set curriculum requires on a given day. Of course, this only holds as long as he isn't wasting resources or other people's time.

He has a wonderful homeroom teacher who is willing to spend extra time and effort where needed. The school atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The academic standards are a bit low, but the benefits of meeting people from a wide variety of cultures and backgrounds far outweighs those concerns. Yes, this is a situation in which he can thrive. I just need to back off and let him do it his way.

War, Peace and Morality

2010-09-28T11:05:00.001-04:00

Many people have "Support our Troops" magnets on their cars these days. Just what does that mean? Does it mean that they support the use of our troops in the war in Afghanistan? Does it mean "support our troops--bring them home because this war is ridiculous and not worth the loss of lives"? Or does it mean that they gain security in knowing that we have young people willing to sacrifice their lives to go and kill others that the government has decided, for better or for worse, are the "bad guys"?

I have a great deal of respect for the veterans of WWII. Hitler and his cronies needed to be stopped. Perhaps this could have been accomplished sooner, with less loss of life, but I am no military strategist, and hindsight is 20/20. However, one thing is clear: there was a moral imperative (genocide) that made this fight necessary. There was a clear goal, and once that goal was achieved, the war came to an end. Yes, there were some financial benefits, and perhaps that did motivate some leaders to participate, but in the end, World War II was about stopping a tyrannical, murderous regime bent on genocide (well, also in recovering from the effects of World War I, but this is long enough without getting into that here as well!).

I would argue that the threat of genocide is grounds for military action when other, more peaceful means have been exhausted, or when the threat is so immediate as to eliminate that possibility, such as in Rwanda. Remember Rwanda? When the threats became real, not only did the international troops stationed there fail to respond; many countries actually evacuated their troops. It is estimated that the genocide could have been avoided with the addition of more troops, and that this could have easily and quickly been achieved had western countries responded. But there is no oil in Rwanda, only people, and not very wealthy ones at that.

Afghanistan? This is all about revenge on an entire region for the events caused by a small group of individuals. The financial benefits for a handful of elites seem to be as much a part of the incentive as anything else. In the name of "freedom" (for whom??) and "women's rights" (a side effect that hasn't truly come to be), we are asked to continue to support a war that can neither be won nor lost. People seem surprised that the Afghans often feel scorn for western soldiers, but how could they not with so much turmoil, so many civilian deaths, and so much assumed "control" by those with very different agendas than their own? There is a cultural arrogance at work here when elected officials are thrown out of office because the foreign armies simply don't like their politics. No, I am not referring to the Taliban.

It is not lost on many of us that the involvement of Canada's troops in Afghanistan has and continues to free up more US troops to fight the pure oil greed war in Iraq. Many like myself are frustrated that so much is wasted on that effort--lives, money, materials, time etc. that could better be used towards more sustainable ends--ends that would decrease or perhaps eliminate the need for foreign oil. While no one alternate energy solution is likely to do that, the combination of what we can do now as well as research into improved efficiency and technology, and better consumer education (better yet, revolution), can quite possibly do the trick. Much human energy is wasted in arguing various strategies against each other--we need to use it all: wind, solar, geothermal, true energy pricing, biomass, government incentives, relevant taxation, elimination of oil and gas subsidies, adoption of renewable energy subsidies, investment into efficient mass transit, overhauls in the food industry, investment into renewable and sustainable infrastructure, etc.

Capitalism, as unchanged and powerful as we have let it become, has grown into a religion, a political force, and a huge stumbling block to progress. It has become an entity unto itself that threatens our future. We have given corporations levels of power and rights that far exceed the powers and rights of citizens. There is a difference between the free market and the market that becomes God. We have lost sight of our economy as a tool for trade and have elevated it to the status of the ultimate goal of our society--beyond those of the rights, freedoms and happiness of our citizens. We are a society increasingly ruled by fear, and we are more concerned about security now than in building our own cultural identity. We invest more and more into war and security and less into education, health, science, non-military research, arts and culture. We are so bent on protecting ourselved that we are losing anything worth protecting. In our dealings with foreign nations, we have become tyrannical and greedy, therefore creating a cycle in which increasing security and military measures become necessary. It is a vicious cycle from which we cannot easily escape. Capitalism, as practiced by western nations (esp. in North America), has stagnated. It is time to review our options and improve the system. We are smart enough and able enough to do better. We owe it to ourselves and future generations.

Boredom is Blase, or Ideas for Deschooling Families

2010-09-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

These ideas are for a variety of ages and some may need some adult co-operation and/or supervision. Most of them came from my own kids when they heard that their friends were bored.

1) ride bikes
2) play Capture the Flag
3) shoot baskets
4) play board games
5) make a tent out of blankets
6) play with hoses—water lawn, garden, each other
7) run through the sprinkler
8) bounce a ball against a wall (or use a tennis racket, or mini-sticks)
9) read a good book
10) make a paper mache creation
11) make homemade play dough
12) play with play dough
13) make crayon rubbings of leaves, coins, etc.
14) go for a neighbourhood walk
15) write a letter to a relative, friend or pen pal
16) clean bedroom
17) try out some edible science experiments
18) look for animal shapes in the clouds
19) make a craft
20) draw
21) color
22) paint
23) plant seeds, pull weeds
24) watch a movie
25) write a story or poem
26) use binoculars to look for birds or to star gaze
27) use magnifying glass
28) use microscope
29) bird watching
30) write a play and act it out
31) play balloon volleyball
32) play indoor catch with balled-up socks
33) make an obstacle course
34) play card games
35) make sidewalk chalk art
36) play catch
37) play baseball
38) collect rocks
39) collect leaves
40) count the cars that go by on a busy street and graph their colours
41) play Frisbee
42) write new lyrics to a favourite song
43) make slime and play with it
44) brush the pet, bathe the pet, walk the pet, play with the pet
45) Lie down, close your eyes and try and identify the sounds you hear
46) read a magazine
47) play dress-up
48) build a kite and fly it
49) pick vegetables
50) Glue a magazine picture to cardboard then cut it out to make a puzzle
51) build a play fort
52) Interview an older person about what their childhood was like
53) do a jigsaw puzzle
54) collect related newspaper articles and compare them
55) play with Scratch on the computer
56) make a vehicle out of old cardboard boxes
57) take photos of different living things in your garden then look up their names
58) do brain teasers (i.e.: crosswords, word searches, hidden pictures, mazes, etc.)
59) cook a meal
60) make a home movie
61) surprise a neighbour with a good deed
62) play store
63) prepare a "restaurant" lunch with menus
64) hold a tea party
65) have a Teddy bear picnic
66) play a board game
67) measure the area, perimeter and volume of your bedroom
68) play house
69) chase butterflies
70) search for caterpillars and bugs
71) blow soap bubbles
72) collect seeds
73) use a garden hose to make a rainbow
74) learn magic tricks and put on a show
75) teach yourself different ways to fold napkins
76) plant a container garden
77) sprout seeds or beans
78) make sock puppets and put on a show
79) make a snow angel
80) make Christmas presents
81) make homemade wrapping paper and gift cards
82) paint the snow
83) make picture frames from twigs glued onto sturdy cardboard
84) crochet or knit
85) make doll clothes
86) sew buttons in designs on old shirts
87) run relay races
88) make bookmarks
89) take a quiet rest time
90) take a shower or bath
91) carve a pumpkin
92) feed the birds or squirrels (where permitted)
93) watch the clouds
94) organize a dresser drawer
95) clean under the bed
96) empty dishwasher
97) vacuum under the couch cushions and keep any change found
98) decorate your house for Halloween with cardboard tombstones
99) try a science experiment from Lemonade
100) carve bars of soap
101) practice musical instruments
102) perform a family concert
103) teach yourself to play musical instrument (recorder, harmonica, guitar)
104) fold laundry
105) sweep kitchen or bathroom floors
106) sweep front walkway
107) sweep back patio or deck
108) sweep driveway
109) wash car
110) vacuum car
111) vacuum or dust window blinds
112) paint your windows
113) grow a crystal
114) play soccer
115) wash bicycles
116) play grounders
117) play in the sandbox
118) build a sandcastle
119) work with clay
120) copy your favorite book illustration
121) design your own game
122) build with blocks or Legos
123) Collect odds and ends to use in arts and crafts, such as: copper wire, string, odds-and-ends of things destined for the garbage, pom-poms, thread, yarn, etc.
124) plan a neighborhood or family Olympics
125) have a marble tournament
126) paint a picture with lemon juice on white paper and hang it in a sunny window and see what happens in a few days
127) finger paint with pudding
128) make a bird feeder
129) make a bird house
130) give your pet a party
131) paint the house or fence with water
132) start a journal of summer fun
133) start a nature diary
134) have a read-a-thon with a friend or sibling
135) make homemade ice cream
136) play flashlight tag
137) play Kick the Can
138) check out a science book and try some experiments
139) form a rock band and perform a concert or make a music video
140) arrange photo albums
141) visit the library
142) do some stargazing
143) decorate bikes or wagons and have a neighborhood parade
144) catch butterflies and then let them go
145) play hide-and-seek
146) create a symphony with bottles and pans and rubber bands
147) listen to the birds sing
148) try to imitate bird calls
149) read a story to a younger child
150) find shapes in the clouds
151) string dry noodles or O-shaped cereals into a necklace
152) glue pasta into a design on paper
153) play hopscotch
154) play skipping games
155) make up a song
156) make a teepee out of blankets
158) find an ant colony and spill some food and watch what happens
159) play charades
160) make up a story by drawing pictures
161) draw a cartoon strip
162) make a map of your bedroom, house or neighborhood
163) call a friend
164) cut pictures from old magazines and write a story
165) make a collage using pictures cut from old magazines
166) invent a new dessert and prepare it
167) plan a treasure hunt
168) make a treasure map
170) plan a special activity for your family
171) search your house for items made in other countries and then learn about those countries from the encyclopedia or online
172) plan an imaginary trip
173) create your own Rube Goldberg machine
174) Make your own battery
175) create a blog
176) make up a play using old clothes as costumes
177) make up a game for practicing math facts
178) have a Spelling Bee
179) make up a game for practicing spelling
180) create a Madlib
181) fingerpaint with shaving cream
182) collect sticks and mud and build a bird’s nest
183) write newspaper articles for a pretend newspaper
184) put together a family newsletter
185) write reviews of movies or plays or TV shows or concerts you see
186) bake a cake
187) bake a batch of cookies
188) decorate a shoe box to hold your treasures
189) make a crossword puzzle or word search
190) make paper airplanes
191) have paper airplane races
192) learn origami
193) make an obstacle course in your backyard
194) make friendship bracelets for your friends
195) make a wind chime out of things headed for the garbage
196) paint your face
197) braid hair
198) play tag
199) make a sundial
200) make food sculptures then eat them
201) make a terrarium
202) start a club
204) produce a talent show
205) memorize a poem and recite it for your family
206) set up a lemonade stand
207) explore and play in a nearby creek
208) go geocaching
209) tie-dye some old clothing
210) build a solar cooker
211) Create a scavenger hunt
212) try out more new ideas you find on the Lemonade website

Garbage In, Garbage Out: Living Life in the Landfill?

2010-09-19T00:53:00.001-04:00

I was originally going to write about food today, but in thinking about it, this also applies to much of life: when we put garbage in, we can expect to get garbage out.

When we make a habit of putting processed junk food into our bodies, we shouldn't be surprised to find that our health deteriorates. We become lethargic, depressed, and are at a greater risk for disease. Our immune systems, along with all of our other systems, become overtaxed. The environment suffers too, from "convenience-sized" over-packaging, mono-culture produce grown in dead soil laced with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and transportation of goods over thousands of kilometres.

We know this, and yet by the evidence of what our grocery stores keep in stock, it seems the message is lost in the name of, well, in the name of what exactly?

Convenience? Marketing? Habit? Lack of skills in planning and cooking meals?

Although I must admit that we do "shop from the centre of the store" from time to time, the majority of our family's meals are cooked from fresh produce and "whole foods" (foods with only one ingredient listed on the package, if in fact, there even is a package). I am not an overly domestic person. I even opted out of home economics (yeah, I'm old enough to have had that option) in school. And yet I find I am able to cook a decent meal with little effort. My family all take turns cooking as well, including the kids from the time they could measure flour into a cup. Cooking a decent, balanced meal can take as little as 10-20 minutes, especially if everyone helps a little. Frozen lasagna takes longer to heat, even in the microwave. Veggies are healthiest when eaten raw. If you don't like cutting up veggies, you can buy frozen ones every now and then and toss them into a soup or casserole. Barley, rice, and other grains can take a little longer to cook (up to 45 minutes), but if you cook two meals worth at a time and refrigerate the rest, the next meal will take little time at all.

Surely if our family can do this, so can others!

Garbage in, garbage out doesn't only apply to food, but to everything we do. The more effort and enthusiasm put into a project, the better the outcome is likely to be. Sometimes you need to look beyond the immediate for motivation. This is a skill we seem to be losing as a society. So many of us are concerned with only "now" and the short term that we sell ourselves short of accomplishing what we are truly capable of.

Living in the moment is a great idea and something that we need to remember; it does not mean sacrificing quality for immediate convenience, but rather in enjoying all of the steps along the way. Savouring the actual work involved in a project we believe in and taking pride in doing our best, allowing ourselves to take risks to push our own limits and see what we are truly capable of--these are what is meant by the phrase "living in the moment". If we allow ourselves to take the easy way out, and make this our habit, we cheat ourselves of personal growth and accomplishment. We become stagnant and unfulfilled. Procrastinating steps that are difficult only serves to make them more difficult when we do get to them, or if we manage to completely avoid them, robs us of the chance to accomplish, grow and learn.

We have one life here, one chance to live. Let's live it beyond the landfill.

The Chocolate Frog Boxes are Here!

2010-09-12T12:39:00.001-04:00

Harry Potter fans, rejoice! Along with Lemonade's famous popping chocolate frog recipe (sorry, as a Muggle I couldn't quite manage the actual "hop" part), I have now managed to finally post the plans for the pentagonal frog box.

Check it out here.

On the same page, you can also find some other favourites, including firewhiskey (safe for minors), butterbeer, cockroach clusters, acid pops, wizard cheeseball, potion soup, wizard cakes and lots more.

Be sure to check out the related games, activities and novel study pages as well.

The Chocolate Frog Box and Cards

2010-09-04T21:22:00.000-04:00

I have debated about sharing this, and about posting this on the website. It took a lot of work to design and make, and even then, I ended up printing each box twice--once for the background colour, and once for the cutting and folding lines. I also had trouble lining up the fronts and backs of the wizard cards, and used a cardboard cutout traced rom the bottom of the box as a stencil to manually draw in the lines.

To share them would mean realigning things, and I am *not* very skilled at this.

So to those who have emailed me for directions, please know that I have not forgotten you and that I'm trying to develop a reliable way to fix those problems. I also have some copyright issues with sharing some of the cards, so when I post these, I will only include the few I designed completely myself, then dig up the link to the others that I used.

I hope this will help! I will do my best to have what I can up on the site over the next few weeks.

I ask that you respect all of the work that went into these, and use them for personal use only. Aside from any legal copyright implications, it is just morally wrong to financially benefit from someone else's design. My views about this are much like those mentioned on The Leaky Cauldron website. Sure, you might not get caught, but that doesn't make it right.

If you really want to use them for any other purpose, please contact me with the details, and we'll see if we can come to an arrangement.

Advertising on Lemonade

2010-09-03T12:50:00.000-04:00

I recently read a post from a fellow blogger about how she was tired of people asking her to advertise on her blog, in ways that were not completely transparent. Without getting into the details of her post, it seems it may be time to clarify Lemonade's advertising policy.

Advertising is not something I am proud of, but it is necessary in order to allow Lemonade to continue. Maintaining a large website is time consuming and costly. Most of the time, the advertising does not cover all of the costs, but it does help offset them somewhat. I am determined to offer the resources for free so that those who need them most can benefit. I have also not included a donation button (which may happen in the future). Each of the experiments and resources has been tested by our family at least once. In addition, I have created/developed many recipes, crafts, games and experiments completely from scratch.

Although it is not entirely ideal, I only use Google Adsense, mainly because I find it easy to deal with. I spend a lot of time filtering out advertisers who I find unsuitable, such as formula companies, diet/weight loss schemes, diet supplements, religious recruiting, etc. While I can shut out ads by category, there are limits to the controls I have with Adsense, and occasionally I miss some.

One thing I promise to do, however, is to keep all advertising as transparent as possible. I will never embed ads for items in the text on the blog or website; anytime I mention a brand or product (which is very rare!), you can rest assured that I do so because it works for the project I am describing where others may not. I have never been reimbursed in any way for recommending a product, and I refuse to do so in the future.

All ads on Lemonade occur on the sidebar or in the header or footer area. On the blog, they also occur between posts. Each advertising box is labelled as google ads. I also have a google search bar which can bring in revenue if someone chooses to do a search, follow an external link from my site, then make a purchase. On my blog I also have an Amazon sidebar, but no one has ever clicked on anything there. The books featured are ones I have chosen, and the only compensation I will receive will be if someone chooses to buy from that link.

If you have any comments or suggestions regarding advertising on Lemonade (or anything else about this blog or website) please share them below, or email me.

The French River

2010-08-31T10:30:00.003-04:00

We recently paddled on the French River. It took many years for us to get there--other places called loudly to us, and the motorboats and cottagers tend to cramp our style. But there is a certain history there, and after our travels in eastern Canada, and especially Montreal and Ottawa, it only made sense to take the kids on the French River where the voyageurs once travelled.

Although we went during the week, it was still mid August, so I expected crowds. Luckily I was wrong. We did see several other groups each day, but the rugged nature of the area dominated. The landscape was as if Temagami, Georgian Bay and Algonquin Park all got together and had a party. The wind was favourable, and we even let the kids paddle us around our island campsite out on Georgian Bay. We saw a water snake, a giant muskie, many frogs, several turkey vultures, golden eagles, terns, and cormorants, just missed a bear and saw lots of evidence of elk.

The kids had fun exploring the geology of each site and along the shore as we travelled. Some of the stunted trees by the bay looked similar to the tuckamore we saw in Newfoundland.

Although there is much history, between the Voyageurs, the Couriers de Bois, logging camps, the Group of Seven, fishing lodges, cottages and kids' camps, as well as various man made dams that came and went over the years, the area was still very rugged and natural, and I had the impression that nature was dominant. Within the history that echoed throughout the glacier-scraped landscape, human activity was a mere punctuation mark.

As we crossed Wanapitei Bay at the end of our trip on Saturday, more and more motorboats began to clog the waterways, and I could tell that we had timed our trip well.

The Importance of Personal Integrity

2010-08-29T00:41:00.004-04:00

Integrity is something I value highly.

In a world full of media messages and standardized tests, where screen time dominates and routines and structure are the rule, how many of us forget to take the time to reflect on our own personal paths through life, to evaluate our choices and actions against our own personal values? How many of us can still hear our own personal beat amidst the hubbub of messages and frenzied activity around us? How many of us have lost our own sense of self in the rush for more, for better, for faster, for easier, for the need to fit in at any cost?

This sort of personal alienation is something we can control.

Can you teach someone personal integrity?

I had an excellent history and "man in society" (I'm dating myself here!) teacher who had each of his students write out their own personal credo. A credo is a creed, which according to the online Merriam-Webster dictionary means:
"1: a brief authoritative formula of religious belief
2: a set of fundamental beliefs; also : a guiding principle"

In this case, I refer to the second definition listed.

My grandmother used to tell me to always "remember who I am". My fifth grade teacher told us to keep our good names (reputations). But it was the act of actually writing a credo that brought the idea home for me.

Since my eldest child is headed into the "big, bad world" of institutional education, I thought it would be a good time to have him start thinking about his own personal credo. I have told him that showing it to me is optional; it will be himself he has to answer to when his values are challenged.

This is all sounding rather preachy, but what it all boils down to, for me, is this: at the end of my life, when I look back on my choices and actions, it is myself that I will need to answer to; only I will truly know if I have lived a good and full life, and it is my own value system that will be my measuring stick. True satisfaction and accomplishment comes from following my inner compass, although my path and yours may be quite different.

My credo has served me well over the years.

So I am passing this tool on to my son, with the hope that it will help guide him the way it has helped me. Perhaps you will also find it useful.

Back (or not back) to School

2010-08-13T12:40:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again, when notebooks full of empty pages bursting with endless possibilities crowd the aisles of department stores and supermarkets. When the summer has soothed our kids, sunburned, mosquito-bitten and well rested in ways only kids can truly know. When the paddle and glassy lake call louder than ever. It is the middle of August.

If you are free from the confines of school and office during the coming weeks, you may wish to take advantage of warm water and less crowds and do a little paddling and/or camping of your own. See here for some tips and tricks, recipes, etc. to help you on your way.

If school is your child's destiny, then you may find some lunch inspiration here.

For school supplies, you don't have to be (as) wasteful anymore. You can find recycled paper products at mainstream locations including Zellers and Staples, as well as pencils made from recycled wood, binders with recycled covers, recycled notebooks, and pencil crayons made from recycled wood. I can recommend the recycled pencils which don't break easily and sharpen well as we have been using them for a year now. Watch out for greenwashing too though! Be sure to check the amount of post-consumer content in recycled materials, which tells you how much has been reclaimed after use.

One more note to parents (and teacher too, who should definitely know this!): recent (and some not-so-recent) studies have shown that students do not benefit academically from homework and in some cases can burn out from "too much work, not enough play". Be especially wary of worksheets, numerous fill-the-blank activities and sheets of math problems (especially all of the same type). Once your child firmly grasps a concept and can complete a few problems, there is no benefit to be had from such repetition. Occasional finishing of project work would be fine, but this should be an exception rather than the rule.
If you find your child has homework each night, this should be a cause for concern, and should be taken up with the teacher immediately. Kids in primary grades (grades 1-3, or 5-8 years of age) and younger have no need for any homework at all. Learning and development at these ages especially needs to come from the child's own experiences in free play. There is much learning that comes from unstructured children's play and this is an essential part of child development.

If you would like to read more about this, including the actual studies, refer to Alfie Kohn's website.

The Case for Summer Vacation

2010-08-07T13:06:00.005-04:00

While stuck in a supermarket lineup recently, I noticed the cover of Time Magazine which featured an article about how summer vacation was bad for kids as they tend to "lose" their year's learning. This article is my own personal response.

The Case For Summer Vacation

First of all, I would like to examine some of the assumptions the article blurb seems to make:
1. School/academic learning is superior to other experiences and kinds of learning
2. Children need to achieve academic success in a predictable, steady manner
3. Summer vacation time is wasted time
4. Children do not need time to "recharge their batteries"
5. Unstructured play is not a valuable and necessary component to child development
6. That politicians, parents and other influential adults know better what kids need to learn
7. That children should be subjected to political and corporate agendas to an even greater degree
8. That homework, busy work, form-filling, following rules without question and having the right answers are what we want to call "learning"

I could go on and list all sorts of studies that contradict the essence of these assumptions, but I will spare us all that agony. If you are interested, you are welcome to do your own research.

Think about this: how many parents are concerned about the serious learning deficits of our children regarding the natural world? Surely a lack of familiarity with the local flora and fauna all around us should be a huge concern for all of us. Some elementary kids cannot even identify 10 different local native species--flora or fauna, or (perhaps more importantly) explain on a very basic level how their local ecosystem works. They do not get outdoors, experience fresh air and sunshine, play freely with other children without adult intervention, or explore the natural world. These lessons cannot be replaced by standardized classroom "learning".

As it is, we tend to jail our children in institutions at a young age, force them to learn/memorize/regurgitate curriculum that is determined more by politics and convenience than by valid research, and deny them their own personal creativity and joy for learning. We create a one-sized-fits-all assembly line system of "education" that is easily measured, but only serves to create a zombie-like population at best. We compare them to others based on narrow scales of standardized tests and consider them to be "behind" or whatever label is in vogue if they do not completely conform to the "average" that is expected. We hold back the creative, the bright, the imaginative and we marginalize those who might do better. We presume abilities and are quick to pidgeon-hole students in an attempt to make them conform to our standardized expectations. We bore the bright and we bore the challenged.

I've heard parents whose children attend school groan about summer (or winter, March break, etc.) vacation because they don't know how to "keep their kids busy". They are afraid of letting their kids experience boredom. "Keeping them busy keeps them out of trouble" is the popular mantra of the day. This isn't strictly true--some kids will make trouble despite where their carpool takes them. It does restrict their freedom, all in the name of lazy parenting.

Some might find that offensive, but working hard to spend money so your child's world can be completely structured is much less work and takes much less emotional and psychic energy than becoming a role model, mentor and guide to help your children develop their own set of values and ethics. And when they turn 18, we let those who haven't had that opportunity loose on society, having not had the chance to mature properly. Or they realize that they aren't ready to make their own decisions, having had little or no opportunity to develop such life skills, so they live with mom and dad a little longer, or go to university or college where they take courses paid for by the parents, chosen by the parents, in dorms where their meals are prepared and their bedding changed for them, coming home on weekends so mom (or dad, but let's not kids ourselves too much here!) can wash their laundry.

We keep our kids from flying when we constantly clip their wings.

I would argue that kids need time to take charge of themselves and their time, to learn how to structure (or not structure) their own time, to amuse themselves, to test out their own interests, creativity, and values. They need freedom in order to grow. This freedom includes the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, to try out their own ideas, find out who they are and what brings them joy. Kids need freedom in order to learn how to think for themselves and develop good judgement. We need to remove our own magnet from their moral compasses and let them learn to find their way. We need to guide them and support them without smothering or controlling them. We need to respect their individuality so they can become their own people. These are not likely to happen easily for the child who spends 5-6 hours in school, several hours in daycare/extra curricular programs, weekends in further structured environments, and now summers full of either structure, or the other parental pitfall, video games and other "screen time".

When kids are always told what to do, when to do it, what to think and how to rate themselves against others on a numerical scale, when the media is welcomed into the home to take the place of personal interaction--when these things become the mainstream norm, as they certainly are now, this is the time to push back and work to reclaim the rights of our children.

They deserve better--we all do.

I will leave you with some very interesting related links

Valedictory address by Erica Goldson

What you really need to know

How finding your passion changes everything

What are your life goals? Maybe you're already there

What do you stand for?

2010-08-02T00:40:00.000-04:00

I've been having some important conversations with my eldest son over the past two days.
To summarize, I've been asking him to try and sort out what is most important to him--what values define who he is.

Admittedly, this is pretty tough stuff. Many adults I know would be hard pressed to answer. Yet, when it comes down to it, knowing who you are can help define your actions and reactions and even possibly the path you take in life. It can be a comfort, and provide a sense of constancy when the world around you becomes unpredictable. A strong sense of self can help you ride out whatever life throws at you.

Where did the conversation start?

I was surprised to hear him mention making some choices that, while fairly "mainstream" do not match those ideals I tried to impart on him. Impart on him...those words don't sound so great to a mom who believes that kids need to learn to make their own decisions and develop their own judgement. Yes, I will admit that I took this quite personally, and that I had to work hard to step back and find out more. Did he not agree? Were these ideals not his ideals? Is this a moment in which he is experimenting to find out what his own personal values might be, or has he outright rejected these values for himself? How do I know when to let go and let him act for himself? Where do I draw the line when he's busy figuring out where to draw his own lines? How do I know the difference between the effects of peer pressure and the development of his own personal value system? How does he know the difference?

Then he mentioned trying to hide behaviours (in this case, vegetarianism) that others had ridiculed him for. So we discussed it on two levels--did he want to continue to be a vegetarian himself? And, either way, did the others have a right to judge him for it? Were they seeking more information, or were they behaving hurtfully? Just as others have a right to religious and political freedom, he also has a right to his own personal value system. But in order to know how to respond, he will need to know where he stands--what does he himself believe to be his highest ideals?

It can be tough when one's own value system doesn't follow the mainstream. People often find differences personally threatening. Yet, by learning about the options, world views, background, etc.--the reasons--these encounters can become an opportunity for growth, or at the very least, tolerance and understanding.

Acquiescence in order to avoid conflict, "fit in", or just avoid offending others robs people of these opportunities. And yet, people often respond unfavourably, sometimes threateningly, to anything that is remotely different. Explanations can fall on deaf and stubborn ears. All we can do is remain true to ourselves, but it is important that we do remain true to ourselves! Each time we fail to stand strong (such as repeating "this is true for me" or "this is what I believe" etc.), we lose a little self respect.

So it is important to know what you stand for, and to remind yourself of this often, letting your words and actions reflect your strongly held convictions, while listening to and respecting those of others.

I hope he understands.

Canoe Tripping Styles

2010-07-27T17:12:00.001-04:00

The family canoe is in the shop getting a new set of well-earned gunwhales, thwarts, fabric and paint. In the meantime, I have recently been reading about a cross-continent canoe trip the Shepardsons made with their two young children back in the early 80's.

In reading this, it has become clearer to me that there are some very different ways to approach canoe tripping!

On our trips we travel in a much more luxurious fashion than they did. We carry a serious water filter (Katadyn Combi), a single-burner camp stove, and ALL of our food. We decide which sleeping pads to bring not whether to bring any at all. We carry internal frame packs, not Duluth packs (I've never even tried using a tump line!). We generally carry 2 or maximum 3 sets of clothing each, plus extra socks and underwear, all packed in drybags, and rain gear. We have not yet done a trip in which we stop along the way for supplies, nor do we hunt or fish. Our focus is different. So are both the length and intensity of our trips.

They're much more traditional in their approach, more like modern-day Voyageurs than vacationers. We are much more casual. Both are valuable, but very different sorts of activities!

The places we go tend to be overstressed by human activity as it is--we do our best not to add to the problem any more than the long drive up and our travel along the portage paths.
I know many see fishing as a crucial part of canoe tripping, but we have had no need. Perhaps if we were in a more remote area and in emergency conditions we would fish. Some lakes near us are artificially stocked for weekend anglers. We've found fishing line left draped over bushes, and some still use lead weights which further pollute the waterways. I do not wish to contribute to this practice. Instead, to keep the packs manageable, we grow and buy local produce and dehydrate it ourselves.

There is a can and bottle ban in Algonquin Park, where we first started our canoe tripping adventures. This has shaped our food planning by forcing us to repackage items, and in doing so, reduce our weight and bulk for portaging. It also helped us on our way to learning to pack well for backpacking trips. We hang all our food before bed each night, and whenever we leave any behind on our site while exploring. Nuisance bears are common in the well-travelled places we paddle, but I wonder if our precautions don't serve more to entice them than dissuade them. Still, we have been fortunate to have avoided theft by bear when camping, and the family canoe still has indents where a bear rolled the canoe to get at food packs underneath during one of my father in law's trips. Raccoons and red squirrels on the other hand can climb well and are appreciative when you hang "their portion" in the relative safety overhead. Red squirrels (and chipmunks) thank you by chattering and clucking and dropping well-aimed cones and twigs where you are working.

I now make up bannock mix in pre-measured baggies (just add water and oil) and we cook this on sticks over the fire, usually on the last night. I also measure out portions of dried hummus in baggies (add water, seal bag, knead with hands then cut off corner of the bottom of the bag to squeeze it out). More camping food ideas can be found here.
Yes, the baggies are an environmental blemish on our trips. I'm working on it. We no longer double-bag items, and reuse resealable packaging when we can. It's not perfect, and suggestions are welcome!

If we are travelling more remotely (or more likely, off season in normally well-travelled places that are now deserted), we carry a camp saw rather than an axe. It's much lighter to carry, and we generally use smaller sticks of wood (rather than logs) anyhow. But carrying a camp stove reduces our need for wood. Wood is our backup plan, and we do plan one fire/trip to appease the kids who love to practice their pyromania. The eldest can start a fire from a single ember left by previous campers, and has done so several times now. It's a little alarming to see how quickly it can grow, all from an inadequately extinguished fire, and usually just from material within arm's reach of the fire pit!

Many times people who canoe trip are focused on their distance, esp. distance travelled each day. We are slow movers, slow paddlers, and very slow portagers. This used to bother me, but once we had kids, I learned to accept and embrace that. On trips marked for 4 days, it is not unusual for us to take 5 or even 6. But for us, the trips are vacations, so relaxation is an essential element. The kids need time to build dams and waterways, follow insects, float sap-powered leaf boats, etc.

As the kids are getting older though, I see that the relaxation is becoming a little more like laziness. Last year in the Barron Canyon the kids gave us a little peek as to what they are capable of, and I'm going to be hard pressed to keep up this year! It's amazing to me how strong and efficient they've become. They can set up and strike down camp themselves in minutes. They carry appreciable loads now on portages, and when they paddle, the boat gains considerable speed. They are truly comfortable with nature, which I'm sad to say is a rare phenomenon with kids these days.

We have never run any whitewater with the kids. Our own skills are a bit lacking in this area, and we've only really dealt with class I or II in the past, so this is probably a wise decision. Having said that, I believe it is time for us all to take a clinic then practice the skills. There are rivers calling, and the kids are old enough to appreciate safety and still young enough not to have lost their nerve yet. They can cheer on their over-cautious parents!

I absolutely love the Lady Evelyn River (the site of our honeymoon), and hope to return soon. Aside from the "interesting" portages on the south channel, I think we would be able to manage it later one season (once we've done a more laid-back lily-dipping lake trip to warm us up). For the south portages, it will just be grin and bear it, and try not to fall on the steep scree slopes. Luckily, the kids are part mountain goat. Here's hoping that recent reports about the increasing traffic and degradation of sites are overstated.

Am I ready to canoe across the country? Nope. While many areas call to me, I know that I'm (way) too soft for huge expeditions like that. 2 weeks seems like a more attainable and enjoyable goal for us.

There are some rivers--the Nahanni, the Tatshenshini, and several in Quebec that sound pretty interesting. Our skills and fitness levels aren't up to those yet, but perhaps it's time to set a goal!

Trade-Offs

2010-07-22T10:25:00.002-04:00

A fellow Twitter user recently posted, attention is valuable; be careful where you spend it.

I always promised myself that I would never be owned by things. So often, when people become attached to material possessions, they lose a bit of their freedom. The item must be cared for, maintained and protected. We invest our time and attention to the item. It gains value through our own personal investment. In doing so, we can lose objectivity and forget what is truly important and worthy of our time and attention. Sometimes the care of our possessions becomes more than we can handle, so we must recruit others to help. In doing so, we also lose privacy.

Let's take cars or instance. I use this as an example because I am not a big car fan, have little if any emotional connection to any particular car, and generally find them annoying, somewhat necessary evils.
But others see it differently. Some wash their cars weekly, inside and out. They wax them, buy accessories for them, even "soup up" the engines. They buy air fresheners to simulate the vinyl and synthetic upholstery off-gassing smells of a new car. They buy fancy stereo systems just for car use.
In spending so much time and effort, they become owned by the car (or substitute your choice of material obsession, because the idea here can apply to most material things).
We all have our weaknesses.
My own weakness is my website. I spend an inordinate amount of time and attention on it, and need to apply a little discipline to return to a more balanced place.

There is nothing wrong with taking care of our things. Maintaining our belongings can help them last longer and reduce waste. It is when we go beyond that line that we get into trouble.

In one of my child development classes, my professor made a point of reminding us about how these material obsessions of ours appear to children. He had some examples of how children made poor choices about their own safety based on their perceptions that certain material items were worth more (at least to their parents) than they were. I will spare your the examples here, but some were tragic, and the parents weren't greedy obsessive monsters, they were ordinary people acting much like any other people in our society.

How many times do we admonish kids not to touch a cherished item, or worse, spend as much or more time maintaining an item than playing with the kids? Or even just make them wait until we are finished doing so before it is their turn for our attention? This sends a strong message to kids. They learn that "things" are important and that they come second (or later) in importance.

In fact, this is a message that resonates through society; often we make choices that work towards our own material gain rather than the general benefit of humankind. These choices do not bring us joy or happiness, nor do they always reflect our true values. From financial investments, health care (esp. mental health care), immigration policies, foreign aid and development programs, low income housing issues, taxation, education reform, even wars, these obsessions accumulate and begin to shape our larger decisions and value systems on personal and national levels in subconscious ways.

It's time for a wake up call! I'm making a personal commitment to become aware of where I spend my time and energy so that it reflects the values I hold dear. I challenge you to do the same!

The Lemonade Energy Pages are Up!

2010-07-20T21:14:00.002-04:00

The Lemonade energy pages are up now. There are dozens of energy-related experiments and activities to try out.

The categories are divided into electrical, solar, wind (including a sub-section loaded with experiments on air pressure), kinetic/potential energy, chemical, and insulation/conductivity.

The activities include lots of interesting and diverse concepts from practical tips for building your own Rube Goldberg machine, to making endothermic and exothermic reactions, building your own solar still and using a balloon to light a florescent light tube. You can see how energy can be stored in a flywheel using your own bike and see just how heavy a sheet of newspaper can be (you may not even be able to lift it!).

I chose these particular activities because they are hands-on, lots of fun, and memorable. They also lend themselves well to group work as well as further exploration into the given topic.

This time there are a couple of experiments that we didn't pre-test that are external links (stomp rockets and elephant toothpaste). When I get to these, I will provide any feedback if needed. I usually try and pre-test everything that goes onto the site before posting. If you have tried either of these, (or any other activities on the Lemonade site for that matter!) I would appreciate your feedback so I can make the site as useful as possible for all visitors.

Side note: I did pre-test the tempera paint stenciled t-shirts that I posted here on the blog earlier, but my most recent batch ran when I washed them. I suspect I did not use a hot enough iron this time, or it could be that I accidentally used washable tempera. If you try this one out, you may want to try out a piece of test fabric first.

Summertime and Newfoundland

2010-07-15T16:19:00.001-04:00

After 2 weeks vacationing out east with my family, I guess I've stayed on vacation to some degree. This is not necessarily a bad thing--I've been enjoying the kids and the summer. But it means that I haven't been keeping up with posts!

I am a person who is drawn to natural places. Places I loved as a child have been destroyed, and I am dismayed when I hear some speak of soccer fields and golf courses as "green spaces" (green in colour maybe, but that's about it!). Places of wild beauty, like Temagami and Clayoquot Sound (and most of Vancouver Island that still hasn't been raped and pillaged) own huge chunks of my heart.

This year my family and I went out east and I met: The Rock.

Newfoundland spoke to me. The land is dominant in a way that took me by surprise the moment we drove off the ferry. I suddenly understood why the Newfoundlanders I have known are the way they are--strong, tough, kind, resilient, non-judgmental, warm and caring. The bleakness of the tuckamore sweeping out to wind-scraped meadows of caribou moss and wildflowers--strong, tough, beautiful and nurturing--shows just how much a land can shape its people. It is a place devoid of material excesses. You won't find a Tim Horton's or McDonald's every few kilometres (except in Cornerbrook or St. John's perhaps). You're more likely to be invited into someone's home for tea. It seems like Newfoundlanders would prefer small villages to towns or cities. Historically this has led to many "resettlement" plans, but the small villages (sometimes less that 100 people, not often more than 600) seem to have a staying power that defies conventional economics.

So often, in my semi-urban existence in southern Ontario, the land becomes something to cross, build upon or manipulate as if it were put there purely for human convenience. From where I sit in my comfy house with A/C and all modern conveniences, it appears to be the people who shape the land.

Don't get me wrong--the ancient white pine forests that once adorned NFLD are long gone, and the fisheries may never recover as the larger fisheries continue to break laws, cross boundaries and fish in completely unsustainable ways. Offshore drilling remains a constant environmental threat.

But there is a resiliency there, perhaps borne of the wind and climate of the place, maybe from as far back as the massive geological collisions and retractions that formed the island, that speaks of a land not easily tamed.

In NFLD, the land still speaks, and it calls to me.

Weird Musings About Time

2010-07-07T23:56:00.000-04:00

In a much earlier post, I talked about my relationship with science. If you happened to have read that, you will know that I am not a scientist. I am interested in science, but don't really speak the language or have any formal training, and as such, my musings are pretty much for my own entertainment. This usually comes at times when I am overtired and cannot sleep, so my thoughts are not usually very coherent!

I once read a piece--I think it may have been written by Robert Fulghum--in which the author explains that whenever he meets a new person, he asks them if they know the answer to the meaning of life (assuming 42 isn't it). He explains that while it may seem odd, he'd feel pretty silly if he met someone who knew the answer but he had missed the chance to find out because he neglected to ask. After all, the stupidest question is the one left unasked.

In this spirit, I am going to ask/speculate here about a few things I've wondered about regarding the physics of time.

Perhaps you will be able to clear these up for me and allow me to gain a good night's rest.

1. What happens to time as temperature falls towards zero degrees Kelvin? At zero, does time actually stop? This goes along with another question, which is, how can we accurately measure time? An atomic clock is the current best accuracy we have, but it would seem that the fall of temperature would distort the measurement when taken to this extreme. Any thoughts on this?

2. This one is from my 12 year old son from a conversation we had tonight at dinner (yeah, we talk about this sort of stuff over dinner!): what if the explosion of the big bang was not spherical, but rather cone-shaped or bi-conical (like lighthouse lights)? What might that mean in regards to time in our universe? Could it predict a parallel universe? Could our lack of symmetry (particle and anti-particle imbalance that allowed our universe to form without particles immediately canceling out) be counterbalanced by a universe on the "other side"? How about 3 cones, or 4?

3. If we could step outside our universe to view it, what would it look like? Would time not exist there, and if so, how would that affect our view? Would the universe become invisible as light takes time to travel? Can there be light outside of time? If we could see it, would we see all of past and present for the universe happening at once? Or would it "appear" as a giant black hole? Could we detect anything at all from it?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on any or all of these, or any other similar "imponderable wonderings" you yourself may be having.

Power Pages

2010-07-05T09:00:00.001-04:00

Coming soon to a website near you: the power pages full of energy-related activities and experiments.

A sample of some of the activities I'm working on:
- make your own solar still, solar cooker and solar dehydrator
- explore the effects of high and low air pressure
- make a glow in the dark geyser
- explore the role of colour and light in heat absorption
- use edible insulation to bake ice cream (this is already on the site)
- make hot ice and use household items to create heat as well as cold
- explore potential and kinetic energy with marbles and your own Rube Goldberg machine
- make your own rubber-band powered vehicle
- make your own balloon-powered vehicle

There will be lots more there too. This should be up and running by mid July.
Can't wait? Here's a chemistry quickie:

Easy Endothermic Reaction
Materials:
citric acid (sold to keep cut fruit from browning and also in craft stores for making bath bombs--The Bulk Barn sells it in containers that look like spice bottles)
water (warm but not hot)
baking soda
a spoon or stirring rod
a heavy glass container or mug
a thermometer (one with a probe-like end works best)

Method:
Dissolve a teaspoon of citric acid powder in 3-4 teaspoons of water and insert a thermometer. After a few seconds, record the temperature. Slowly add a teaspoon of baking soda a little at a time. Record the temperature, then wait 3 seconds and record it again. Repeat every 30 seconds or so for about 5 minutes. What do you notice?

Now, for the interesting twist my son discovered yesterday:
Wash off the thermometer, then leave the mixture out for an hour or so. Record the air temperature, then stir the mixture and measure it's temperature. Wait 30 seconds and measure again, then another 30 seconds and measure (and record) yet again. Now remove the thermometer and wait 30 seconds are record the air temperature again. What do you notice?

Chemical reactions that cause a drop in temperature are called endothermic. Exothermic reactions create heat.

It's the Diversity that Makes our Country Great!

2010-06-30T12:02:00.001-04:00

Canada's greatest strength has always laid in its diversity, yet it was only a few decades ago that Pierre Trudeau opened immigration to allow for true multiculturalism. Perhaps the wait was a good thing, because we are fortunate that rather than becoming a "melting pot" where cultural identity is lost, we have become a cultural mosaic in which we have grown into a globally minded national community. Tolerant is not the right word, because it isn't that we just "put up with" differences among our people, but rather that we celebrate the richness that such diversity brings.
Of course, there are those among us who think differently, and it is clear that we still have quite a long way to go before such ideals are a reality for every Canadian, but I would argue that although the going is slow, and we suffer setbacks now and then, that on the whole, we are headed in the right direction and I have faith that we will in fact get there, if not in my lifetime, then most definitely in the lifetime of my children.

And while I'm discussing diversity, it it worth mentioning that 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity.

If you're like me, when you hear the word "biodiversity" you immediately think of the Amazonian Rainforest. But I'd like you to turn your thoughts closer to home (assuming you live in Canada--if not, turn them northward for this post).

Canada is a vast country that has it all--tundra and rainforest, prairies and mountains, wetlands, lakes and ocean vistas. We have boreal forests that span the country and more fresh water than any other country on the planet. Unfortunately, we also tend to lack an appreciation for what we have, and have shown an alarming tendency to pillage it in the name of profits.

Recently though, there have been some very favourable signs of hope that we are starting to appreciate and value the land, waterways and oceans and the flora and fauna.

A significant conservation agreement was recently ratified by a group of forestry companies and environmental groups in order to protect a vast amount of Canadian boreal forest. This agreement means everything for the native caribou who now stand a much more favourable chance of recovering in numbers. It is also important for the innumerable other boreal species whose habitat will be saved.

If that wasn't enough for some of us, the Queen Charlotte Islands, now renamed back to Haida Gwaii, has been named as Canada's first Nat'l Marine Conservation Area Reserve. This is important because it is the first time Canada has created a protected area that spans both land and sea.

We may have a long way to go, but we're headed in the right direction!

Oh Canada, Glorious and free!
Boreal forests, old-growth pines, coastal rainforests--I stand on guard for thee!
Diversity, global vision, basic human rights--I stand on guard for thee!

The Importance of a Good Night's Sleep

2010-06-26T13:02:00.002-04:00

Did you know that 120 years ago the average person slept 10-12 hours a night? Now it's more like 6-8 hours for most. We know that people function better and are healthier and less prone to depression when well rested. And yet, we continue to deprive ourselves of this very basic need.

I, for one, suffer for lack of sleep. The rest of my family seem content to sleep 7 hours or less, while I struggle with it. Why is it we have so much less time for sleeping? Before electricity and central plumbing people had many more chores to do to keep a family going--farming, to outside work, sewing/knitting, cleaning, food preparation, even getting water were much more labour intensive activities. So why do we have less time now?

I'd guess that there are hidden time costs with many technologies. We are tuned into (and addicted to) screen activities, such as maintaining a blog, catching up on email, online social networking, video games and television. We are celebrity obsessed, or so it would seem each time I visit the grocery store and see all the magazines at the checkout. Our kids are enrolled in structured after-school activities. We need to spend time backing up hard drives, taking the car into the garage for maintenance, going to more medical appointments than ever, and so forth. We travel further and more often.

I find that once the kids are asleep, I have an urge to "catch up" on email, Facebook, Twitter, my website, blogging, etc. Then I want to spend a little time with my husband. By then it is often midnight or later, and we need to get up early to start all over again. And life zooms by as I struggle to wake up and catch up. In living this way, I miss things and lack the patience my family deserves. It is time for a change.

120 years ago, life was hard yes, but simpler. (Warning: sleep-deprivation caused cliches ahead!)
"Work hard, play hard"; "early to bed and early to rise". We could use a little less complexity in our lives, or at least, I certainly could! After all, "life is not a race". It's easier to "smell the roses along the way" if you're not so bleary-eyed with sleep deprivation that you miss them altogether. So if I don't update my blog daily, or miss a day on Twitter or Facebook, you'll know it is because I have decided to try and get a good night's sleep. Maybe you can too!

Great Last-Minute Father's Day Gift Ideas

2010-06-18T12:48:00.001-04:00

I have a list of easy yet meaningful gift ideas here, but have recently found a few to add to the mix:

For the dad who is globally-minded, and/or is a nurse, doctor or other health worker:

A donation on dad's behalf to Doctors Without Borders

Or if dad is an engineer, try Engineers Without Borders

To encourage bonding with the kids, try The Geekdad Book

And one that will fit parents or grandparents: a photo montage. To do this, load up your memory stick or card with lots of recent (and even a few older) pics of dad and the kids, then head to your local photo lab/Fortinos/Zehrs/SDM etc. Pick a handful of best photos, then arrange them right on the machine in an 8x10 collage. Print, then pick up a suitable frame and you have a memento of great memories spent together.

If you have an hour or two still to put towards the gift, then you may wish to try one of the gifts kids can make ideas here.

When you are done, you can get creative with wrapping and card ideas found here.

Hope you have a great Father's Day weekend!

Boredom?

2010-06-16T13:50:00.001-04:00

Each year at this time I see tons of books and ads aimed at parents who suddenly find themselves burdened with children claiming to be bored and demanding to be entertained.

Strangely enough, boredom is a complaint I have yet to hear from my kids (and believe me, there aren't many complaints I haven't heard from them!). My kids are rarely at a loss for what to do and in fact suffer from the opposite problem of wanting to do too much for the time they have. We always seem to run out of summer before we come close to doing all the things we wanted to do.

I remember myself being very bored as a child, particularly during the summer.
This has caused me ponder the subject, and in doing so I've come to the following conclusions:

- increasingly, kids find that the adults in their lives do all the scheduling, time management etc. for them, and as a result, kids gain little practice in organizing their own free time (since they have so little of it)
- adults may assume that kids who aren't structured will automatically be bored
- kids have a tendency to fall back to "screen time" activities, and adults often offer little resistance as it is easier (no cleanup, "safer", a perceived lower need for monitoring, etc.)
- kids are not encouraged to think creatively in schools or extra curricular activities, so they find it difficult to do so in organizing free time
- other kids may not be available to play with
- adults may fear that a bored child will get into trouble, so they may not let the child experience boredom and attempt to over-structure their child's time
- children may encounter rules that limit their activities to an extent that causes them to be bored (no crafts because messes might happen, no outdoor play because a stranger could come and snatch you or you could get insect bites, or get wet or dirty, etc.

It is good to remember that boredom can become a valuable source of creative energy if we are patient and willing to wait it out. Doing nothing can itself be a valuable experience.

If you happen to find that your kids are bored, or would simply like some ideas for fun summer activities, check out the Lemonade website.

outdoor games and activities
craft index
kid concoctions
plant activities
edible experiments
family camping guide
games, unplugged
recommended books for kids and teens

How Much Time for Homeschooling?

2010-06-14T12:21:00.000-04:00

In our homeschooling journey, we often encounter people who are curious about what we do. One aspect we are often asked about is how much time it takes.

On the surface, this is a sensible question. Most people realize that in working one-on-one, much more "material" can be "covered" over a short period of time. Moreover, many may themselves be wondering about what kind of commitment it would take to home educate. Time is the most meaningful currency of our lives, so it is only reasonable to wonder about how much time any new activities might take.

But then the grey areas appear.

Since we do not follow prescribed curriculum, we do not do "home at school". We are unschoolers. Our learning happens as we go. Does a walk through the woods count as homeschooling? How about shooting a few baskets? Planting veggies and wildflowers? Shopping using cash? Planning and cooking a meal? Does a trip to an art gallery, zoo or museum count? How about going to the symphony, ballet or a play? When is reading a book considered educational or recreational?
Do we take summers off? Well, it depends. Do canoe trips count as homeschooling? Are map and compass skills, pond studies, building dams and waterfalls, identifying and observing wildlife homeschooling? How about summer camp where the kids improve their survival skills, learn new sports and games, and develop leadership skills? Do hobbies, such as model rocketry, pottery, music, animations or programming computer games count as homeschooling?

We can't forget about personal growth, self-confidence, self-respect, goal setting and learning to take the initiative. Volunteering time and effort to causes you believe in. Becoming a caring and contributing member of the community. Sometimes it seems like the things that are least quantifiable are the things that are of greatest value. Often, these things are happening but can only be seen, understood and appreciated over time.

You see, I have a hard time discerning work from play, and education from living. So do my kids.
I would argue that if they are able to continue this way, "working" at the things that capture their imaginations and that fire their souls, that they will have the best chance at self-fulfillment possible. No one wants to condemn their children to a life of drudgery! And when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like work.

Most of us are familiar with the Chinese proverb, "I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand." We could add a line about "I do a worksheet about it, call it 'school', and I lose interest." We do a lot of "doing". It becomes a habit, and the lines between "learning" and "living" become blurred. In living this way, I've come to see just how artificial those lines really are.

So if you see me some time and ask me how much time I spend homeschooling (or if we will be homeschooling through the summer, etc.), and I give you a blank stare, it's not because I'm being rude or difficult (or a space cadet), but because I really don't know how to answer your question.

Weeds or Wildflowers, and the Eye of the Beholder

2010-06-11T23:36:00.002-04:00

It is gardening season, which brings with it, for me at least, the eternal question, what is a weed anyhow?

A friend of mine defines weeds as any plants that grow where you don't want them. Others seem to consider anything that grows naturally, especially native plants, weeds. A third definition identifies weeds as plants that become invasive or detrimental to the local flora and fauna.

As you may have guessed, I find the last definition to be the most acceptable.

Local native plants are well adapted to the area as they have evolved here for thousands of years along with the local fauna. Some plants, such as milkweed (even its common name belies the prejudices we hold!) are crucial to various insects, including pollinators. We rely on pollinators for our fruits and vegetables, so it is important to take their needs seriously. Planting (or letting nature plant) the species that actually really belong in an area is a huge step in helping the local environment.

And before you raise the "native plants are allergens" argument, you need to remember that many introduced species including roses, lilacs and even fruit tree blossoms are also allergens. Killing off all things that have pollen (that would be anything that flowers) because of seasonal allergies is not a viable or practical solution.

In light of this, I have taken it upon myself to rid my property of garlic mustard, many of the dandelions (but not all--see my much earlier post!), a strange thin viny plant the name of which I do not know but it's one that grows quickly and chokes out everything it encounters, purple loostrife, much of the plantain, and any grasses that find their way into my veggie plot.
There is a pattern here--the plants I'm pulling are all invaders that are not part of the native ecosystem.

I also consider Kentucky bluegrass to be a weed. Why? Because it grows incredibly quickly, takes over other grasses, is a water hog, and spreads well, esp. into my veggie garden. It does not tolerate pets particularly well either. Even though we use a push mower, we need to mow every week with bluegrass, but with low maintenance varieties, we could go for three weeks and see the same (or even less) growth. We never watered our low-maintenance lawn, and only once did it go dormant during the summer in the 10 years we were there.

In our new place, the entire back lawn is bluegrass. I have started overseeding it with deep-rooted, drought-resistant, slow-growing seed varieties, but I suspect it will take a few years to overcome. I am debating picking up white clover, which worked very well at our last house, but comes in large packages--way too large for our property! Anyone want to split a bag?

For some fun plant projects to try with the kids, check out the Lemonade plants page here.

Invisible sources of waste

2010-06-09T14:43:00.001-04:00

I have said for a long time that the only true "evil" in the world is waste, whether that be the waste of material goods, resources, life (as in murder or negligence), trust (lies, theft and other types of deceit), self-worth, dignity, faith, honour, reputation, time--all the things that are undesireable in our world that I can think of can be labeled under the heading of "waste".

A couple of months ago, the glass jar for our blender broke. A quick look online showed that replacing just this part would not be easy. There are replacement jars available, but they come from a different country and the shipping costs more than the entire blender. I could replace it with plastic, which would be easier to get, but would not last as long or, IMO, be as healthy a choice as glass.
I like the blender. It's not perfect, but worked well enough. We replaced the fuse about a year ago, but other than that, plus the ordeal of having to scoop out stuff that gets stuck in the bottom under the blades (a dilemma common to every blender I've used), it's worked well for us.

Being without a blender (or chopper, food processor, etc.) has made it nearly impossible to prepare some of our family favourites.
So I went online to the Canadian Tire website to see what my options would be for replacement. I was astonished to read how people replaced it after "burning out the motor". Sounds to me more like a burnt-out fuse by the descriptions given.

This reminded me of the family I know (that shall remain unnamed) that replaced their entire cordless phone when their rechargeable phone battery died. The batteries are quite common and easy to replace, but they opted instead to replace the whole thing--and not just once either!

So now I wonder how many perfectly good items are thrown out because the owners either didn't know they could easily replace a part, couldn't be bothered replacing it, or, in the case of the glass jar, couldn't find a necessary replacement part.

BTW, anyone happen to have a spare glass jar for an Oster blender that they no longer need? OR, does anyone want or need the bottom part (motor) of one?

Little Things

2010-06-07T11:15:00.001-04:00

So often in our busy lives we overlook the little things in life. There is nothing like the joy of a child to bring it all back into perspective.
A couple of years ago we armed our kids with inexpensive digital cameras and let them show us the world from their perspective. I never cease to be amazed by what my children can teach me!

From the activities of a colony of ants, the leg movements of a caterpillar, the striped pattern on a dragonfly's abdomen, to the fine weave of a spider's web, the kids have reminded me to look to the small things. And not just in nature either--but also in our relationships with each other. How just sitting and being can be much more meaningful than rushing to a multitude of planned trips, outings and even planned activities at home. How just goofing around and relaxing together, being there, truly in the moment without distractions is what true "quality time" is really all about.

Bees come to mind. Once taken for granted, their sudden decline has reminded us of the crucial role they play in our own well-being. We rely on them to pollinate many food crops for ourselves as well as for livestock. A tiny, inconsequential bee has the power to help feed us.

Likewise, small things can be devastating, such as the bubonic plague that wiped out a quarter of the European population in one fell swoop.

In many ways, we would be wise to remember the small things. From viruses, to seeds, to a smile from a loved one, the small things often carry the most power and potential.

If you only had 3 minutes to get out...

2010-06-05T18:52:00.006-04:00

what would you take with you?
So begins the MSF (Doctors Without Borders) tour of a refugee camp.

In a country as rich in money, resources and security as ours, it is easy to take the basics for granted. The average Canadian uses 306 litres of water a day. In a refugee camp, the quota is 5 litres per person, often carried long distances by the women and children.
How many bathrooms are there per person in your house? Ours has 3 for 4 people.
In a refugee camp, there are typically 100 people per latrine, with digestive disorders the norm. And that's if you are lucky enough to even reach the safety of a refugee camp in the first place.

The tour started with us having to "bribe" the border official to let us pass since we weren't carrying passports.

The cholera tent was particularly eye opening. Those who make it there and recover tend to do so quickly once given intravenous fluids, but many don't survive. Dehydration from chronic diarrhea is a major killer. It is common, as displaced people must often travel long distances with little access to water in order to reach relative safety.

There are the usual kinds of photos that we've all seen at some point (children with bloated stomachs receiving nutritional supplements, long lineups of people behind razor wire, etc.), but there are others too. We saw pictures of people who are dressed in clothing like any of us here would wear, clearly people who recently enjoyed privileges similar to our own. These really hit home for me. People don't plan on being uprooted.

Could we cope living like this? Sure, maybe for a weekend. But these aren't always temporary situations. This isn't a family camping trip. Through no choice of their own, some people live like this for years, even decades, often with the fear of being sent back to certain death, often wondering if relatives are alive and if they'll ever see them again.

We saw the mental health tent, full of children's drawings of violence they'd encountered. In many countries, gang rape is used as a weapon against women and children. HIV is not a stranger. And the culture ostracizes its victims.

42 million people are uprooted by war. That's more than the entire population of Canada. It's difficult to comprehend, and all too easy to forget or ignore.

The tour is child-friendly (not a lot of graphic images, upbeat, but realistic too) and takes about an hour. It is currently at Waterloo Town Square in Ontario and will be touring the west coast next summer.

See: http://refugeecamp.ca/about-refugees/ for more information.

Photo credits:
Top:© Pascale Zintzen/MSF A camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Masisi, Democratic Republic of Congo, where 2,300 families have sought shelter after fleeing violent attacks throughout North Kivu province (2008).
Bottom: © Daniela Abadi/MSF Ethnic Hmong refugees from Laos are currently confined to a camp controlled by the Thai military in Thailand’s northern Petchabun province. Once a day, Hmong refugee children are allowed to leave the camp to attend school (2008).

Rules, Signs and Other Attempts to Impose Structure and Control Others

2010-06-02T09:01:00.001-04:00

My high school motto was "Know the reasons". At the time I thought it was a little lame, why not have something a little more inspiring? But I have come to appreciate just how powerful those words can be.

Years ago in teacher's college, we had a discussion about classroom rules, and what they should be. Some felt the teacher should decide on the rules, declare them, and enforce them regardless of details, and some felt that they should seize the opportunity to discuss the purpose of rules with the class and have the students generate the classroom rules. Admittedly, this would take a little longer, but it was felt that if the rules came from the kids, they would be better respected and that the kids would better recognize their purpose as well as times when common sense might allow for a little rule breaking (which was a concept that horrified a few of those who felt the rules should be imposed and followed to the letter).

The divisions were clear: those who believed that the kids should be taught to follow and "respect" authority without question, and those who believed that kids should be taught the intended purposes behind rules, and how rules and laws should serve society.
The proponents of the authoritative approach argued that their way was quicker and more efficient, and allowed them to quickly move on to "actual teaching" (aka academic subjects). The authoritarians felt that important learning was to be had in understanding the purpose, creation and enforcement of rules and laws.

So what is the purpose of a given rule? It is to allow us to control others, to gain and maintain absolute authority, to impose a mindset in which the threat of punishment is the driving force in maintaining order? Or is it to allow people to understand, remember and respect how their actions or inactions may affect others in negative ways and to keep that from happening whenever possible?

It seems to me that teaching kids to follow rules/structure rather than to think, evaluate, reason and to try and actively see things from various perspectives is a huge failing of our education system. Aren't we supposed to be encouraging kids to think deeply and make their own decisions? In this age of information, when kids are blasted continually with media messages, shouldn't we be working extra hard to ensure they can think, reason and evaluate for themselves? Or do we really want a society of blind followers who accept information at face value and ignore the broader implications of their actions and inactions?

Of course, when you encourage children to think in those terms, there are broader implications.
They are more likely to become politically active, to write to their politicians, to protest laws that do not serve the public interest, to challenge the status quo. This is bound to make many people uncomfortable. But this sort of discomfort, I would argue, is necessary in a "free", "democratic" society. Youth will rebel; it is up to us to help them do it in a constructive, well-considered way that enables them to improve their world.

I am of the opinion that if you are going to make or impose a rule, you had better have a very good reason for doing so, and be ready to enforce it to the extent that doing so follows the actual purpose for which the rule was intended. And if a rule becomes irrelevant to its intended purpose, then it should be abandoned.

As such, I question the validity of "zero tolerance" policies.

While on the surface, anything that keeps weapons and violence out of schools is a good thing, the most violent gangs and bullies are smart enough to buck the system, and those who make innocent mistakes are the most likely to be punished. An example is a story I heard told by Barbara Coloroso about a 7 year old girl who, in the rush to get to school, grabbed her mother's lunch bag instead of her own. Her mother had a paring knife in hers that she used to slice her apple with. As soon as the girl realized, she told the teachers on duty, but since the school board had a "zero tolerance" policy, she was expelled.

"Zero tolerance" policies give rules more credence than common sense. When we take away the consideration of individual circumstances, we become slaves to the rules that may no longer serve their intended purpose.

In our neighbourhood, we are fortunate to have little to no littering or vandalism. Despite this, the city had put up "No Dumping" signs in the local parks. As you can see, someone has found these to be offensive, and has, in fact, vandalized them. This is the only vandalism I've found here over the past year, and yet, it occurs on the very signs intended to prevent it from happening.

Every time I see one of these, I am reminded of the 70's song:

Signs

Sign Sign everywhere a sign
Blocking out the scenery breaking my mind
Do this, don't do that, can't you read the sign

© 1970, 2002 Five Man Electrical Band

And I have to admit, while I am not the sort of person to wield a spray can, I feel a little admiration for those who saw the silliness of the signs that are the only real blight to the neighbourhood and chose to target them, and only them, and leave the rest of the neighbourhood untouched. Oddly enough, this lonely act of vandalism gives me hope for the future that there are youth who can think for themselves.

In Defense of the Lowly Dandelion

2010-05-31T09:04:00.002-04:00

People curse them, spray them, and dig them out of their lawns and gardens, but did you know that they were brought here as a food source by early Europeans? Clearly, attitudes have changed about this plant.

One reason could be that they are an invasive species in North America. They are incredibly tough and hardy, being able to regenerate from the smallest root remnants. They are flood and drought resistant and tolerate a wide range of temperature, weather, and soil conditions. They are happy to grow in sidewalk cracks and other unlikely growing spots.

These things have added to their success as a species, but also to their reputation as an invader--aka "weed". I would argue though, that the invasive qualities of the dandelion are limited. Areas left natural may start off with many dandelions, but other plants begin to crowd in as well, and it is unusual to find more than a few dandelions in a truly wild area. Lawns, by contrast, are not natural areas, being typically either monoculture or a blend of 2-4 different grasses. The lack of variety lends itself to dandelion growth. Adding some white clover to the lawn helps with the nitrogen levels and also with the dandelions.

Dandelions (meaning "tooth of the lion") are highly edible and can be made into tea, the roots can be dried and ground for a coffee substitute, the flower heads and leaves can be eaten in salads and dandelions can even be used to make wine. On a lazy summer day they can be woven into crowns and chains. If you break the stem and squeeze out the white sap, you can coat a finger with it and let it dry into a rubbery finger cap. You can find out if someone likes butter with a dandelion flower plucked from a golden field, then return a couple of days later to find a field full of wishes. There is perhaps no other plant that can bring with it such extremes of dread and joy. It all comes down to the perspective you choose.

To dandelions!

Adventures in Gardening

2010-05-24T16:13:00.007-04:00

I started veggie gardening as a way to help my toddler sons make the connection between nature and food. Of course, there are many other benefits to gardening with toddlers and children:
- learning about soil
- exploring microbes
- finding and identifying insects and other invertebrates
- plant identification and ecology
- learning about compost and decomposers
- learning about the life cycle of plants
- exploring gardening through the senses--smelling new soil, herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables, squishing the soil through the hands and comparing the feel of clay, hummus, sand etc., feeling the texture of various leaves, comparing leaf and flower shapes and colours, comparing seeds, etc.
- watching how wildlife reacts to the garden in both beneficial and non-beneficial ways (the birds add fertilizer, the rabbits eat the beet leaves, etc.)
- learning about the preferences of different plants for sun, water, soil ph, and other plants they grow well will and grow poorly with

The list could go on!

From experiments with seeds form the compost, sunflower fort building, Weslandia, saving seeds, starting seedlings indoors, setting aside an area of the garden to leave natural (no weeding, mowing, watering etc.) and letting carrots winter over, we've tried quite a few growing experiments, some of which have yielded successful crops, and others that have not. We learned that raccoons have a high tolerance for eating unripened grapes and that raspberry bushes are perhaps one of the hardiest and stubbornly growing plants in southern Ontario.

This year we are going to try growing tomatoes, grapes, cantaloupe and zucchini vertically. I am building a small frame I found in a book a friend recommended called Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. Some of it will be planted at the base of the deck to grow up the outside perimeter. This should leave more space in our tiny garden for other veggies including beets, carrots and peppers.

The frame will be made from electrical conduit and I will hang string from the top which I'll wind around the vines of the zucchini and tomatoes as necessary.

I really like this book as it gives some great tips for maximizing space. I find veggie (and flower) gardens with exposed bare soil or mulch depressingly barren. Nature doesn't waste space, so why should we? I don't mind an occasional stepping stone to allow for maintenance, but in general, prefer lush growth over coddling a few chosen plants. This book gives some great tips for using the space in the best way possible.

We are also hoping to put in a small 4-in-1 pear tree along the front of the deck and train it to grow in a fan-shaped pattern, again, to maximize the use of space. The 4-in-1 is a tree that has three other kinds of pear branches grafted on to it. This make it self-pollinating, and also allows for a longer continuous harvest. I have mixed feelings about this as a 4-in-1 isn't the sort of thing that would happen in nature, but I am justifying it by the space limitations we have, the fact that it self-pollinates, and that it produces food as locally as we can grow it.

The boys and I are excited about our garden--let's hope our enthusiasm lasts throughout the growing season!
For some fun plant experiments and ideas, check out the Lemonade Plant Page here.

Oil: So Now What?

2010-05-22T19:11:00.004-04:00

A month after yet another major oil mishap, politicians and the general public still seem to want to put the economy before life. There is little political or corporate will to change things for the better.

Are we really content to go on, business as usual, with our carbon consumptive, earth-destructive ways? Do people really believe that nature exists separately from us? Last time I checked, we are all living beings (well, I suspect some politicians might actually be androids, but that's a whole other post!), which makes us part of nature, nature being life on this planet.

Perhaps it is that mindset (of being something separate from nature) that has allowed us to become so consumptive/destructive.

I, for one, am not willing to continue this way. So what do I do? What might any of us do?

To start, try here: 6 quick ways to make a difference

I'm always looking for new ways to live a greener life.

Some steps our family has taken (and yes, they are baby steps, I'll admit it) are:

- reducing driving and dependency on the car (but I still drive a hybrid, so I'm not in the clear there yet!)
- planting fruits and vegetables on my property, and supplementing with locally grown organic food
- buying only items made on this continent from sources from this continent whenever possible (it can be difficult to even find out where the raw materials came from and where they have travelled)
- installing photovoltaics on the house (grid-feed system) and supplementing with Bullfrog power (renewable electricity)
- planting native trees and shrubs to maximize home energy efficiency
- always carrying reusable bags and bins when shopping and refusing plastic bags
- always using a reusable water bottle
- using a rainbarrel for gardening water, and also reclaiming grey water (dish water and shower/bath water) for gardening
- washing clothing in an Energy Star front loader machine with cold water and line-drying
- replacing all incandescent lights with compact flourescents and increasingly LED lights
- continuing our vegetarian lifestyle and trying to reduce our dairy intake as well
- refusing to buy over packaged items, especially snack foods and electronics
- donating used items instead of throwing them out
- buying used items whenever practical, esp. children's clothing, CD's, DVD's, books and sports equipment
- using green cleaning products (mainly baking soda and vinegar)
- avoid habitually eating in restaurants--saving that as a very occasional treat
- avoid fast food and especially anywhere that has a drive-thru window
- research investments and put my money where I believe it will do the most towards improving the world
- ensuring that our family retains a connection with nature and wilderness
- take the time to cook rather than rely on processed convenience foods
- teach the kids to ride and appreciate public transit, teaching them to safely ride their bikes
- telecommute and teleconference whenever possible
- buying less, putting off purchases until absolutely necessary (no fashion slavery here!)
- avoiding the use of cosmetics and other unnecessary (and unhealthy!) items
- using only recycled paper products, and using whiteboards for much of the "school work" (such as math) that isn't likely to become a keepsake
- using both sides of the paper, always
- air drying our hair after washing
- hand washing dishes, and when we do resort to using the dishwasher, turning off the drying option
- using libraries and rentals for things we will only be using occasionally (some toys, books, tools, etc.)
- using VOC-free paint when redecorating
- continuing to let politicians know that the environment is important to us with emails, letters, phone calls, petitions and letters to the editor of various newspapers

These are some ways we're starting to try and become greener. Some of them aren't practical for everyone. Going vegetarian if you live in the northern arctic would be more damaging than helpful as more of your food would need to be flown in. If you live in an apartment, you probably won't be putting solar panels on your roof anytime soon (although you might be able to convince your property owner to do so).

I'm sure there are many other excellent ideas out there. I invite you to share those here in the comments, or email them to me and I'll post them when I receive them. It is important to do all we can, and to share our ideas!

Unschooling, Education "and all that stuff"

2010-05-19T21:53:00.002-04:00

If you follow this blog, you will know that our family unschools. Right now, our "unschooling" looks a little like a mix of chaos and unit studies. That is because my oldest son has decided that he wants to enter the school system next year, and needs to get used to projects and deadlines. My youngest has discovered why the rest of us are voracious readers, so he alternates between working on classic rock tunes on his electric guitar, reading, solving math games and problems for fun, shooting baskets and creating new trampoline routines. When the weather is good we all wander down to the creek nearby and hang out, each doing our own thing.

I have to admit that my son's decision to enter the system has me nervous. He is very bright and enthusiastic and loves to follow his passions to great depth. I worry that school will change these things I so love and admire about him. The school has a poor reputation, so we've done a couple of trips there to see it for ourselves. The students seem nice enough, if a little battle-weary. The administration seem friendly and approachable. I don't think there are many high achievers here. I also fear that the atmosphere might encourage laziness and discourage enthusiasm. I've seen many different schools, classrooms and students this age as I spent several years as a teacher in the system before becoming a full-time parent, so I think I have a pretty good idea of what to watch for.

It will also be somewhat inconvenient for us--we've become very unstructured in many ways, and we also like to do canoeing and backpacking trips throughout September and early October.
W/he will need to pack daily peanut-free lunches. We will need to set a morning alarm (because I know I will need to see him off--for me, not him). He will need to learn to work on projects that others choose for him, to follow rigid deadlines, to show his work. He will need to learn to line up to go anywhere, to ask permission to go to the bathroom, to raise his hand before speaking. He will need to wait while the teacher explains the work for those who don't (or won't) understand it.

I believe my son is ready and able to make this decision, and that if I am to be true to my own beliefs/philosophy that I need to let him try this and be supportive of his decision. Repeat.

I envy other unschooling parents who seem to breeze through moments like this, who seem to find it easy to encourage their kids to be free, try their wings--however you wish to put it. For me, it is always a struggle to let go, to stand back, to watch the moments flash by at lightning speed. I do it, but it is always a struggle. The reward is watching them grow as strong, happy, confident, caring and self-sufficient people.

Please, please, school, don't ruin this for him; don't hurt my little boy!

What would it take for me to give up the car?

2010-05-19T11:11:00.003-04:00

Apparently, Canadians are reluctant to give up driving. This does not come as a surprise. But for someone who considers herself an environmentalist, I have to say that I drive, and much more that I'd like to admit.

So what would it take for me to give it up?

First, I have to figure out when, where and why I drive. Most of my driving is as a mom's taxi service, or spent running errands.
My oldest son is now independent enough to take transit to get to his programs, so this helps reduce driving, but the younger one is still too young to do this on his own, so I need to drive him, or have all of us pile onto transit.
Why don't I do this? Occasionally I do, but usually I opt to drive. It is faster. It is cheaper than transit tickets for 2 or 3 of us (we have a Honda Insight which does 4.6 litres/100km). And it is more flexible--while the kids are in programs, I use it to run errands, usually grocery shopping and library runs.

Once ever two weeks we travel out of town for music lessons with a fantastic teacher. We have decided to stop this next year and try harder to find a compatible local teacher.

There are also inter-city trips for tournaments and meets, at times when inter-city transit doesn't work. Carpooling sometimes works, but there is no one close to us to share the daily trips.

Grocery shopping is a whole other source of inefficiency. In order to shop for local organic produce, we often make 2-3 trips a week to various stores. The travel is still less than getting produce from Mexico, Argentina, South Africa or New Zealand, but it still isn't ideal. The most reliable source is a farm that is far from local transit lines. We grow some of our own, but we have a small lot, so we still depend on others for most of our food.

We also like to do wilderness trips. True, we could rent a vehicle for those trips, and in the past when we have been car-less, we have done just that. But since we have a car, we use it for these trips.
So many people drive up to cottage country each weekend, surely we can find a way to make this more efficient. The traffic on the 400/11 should alone be incentive.

My DH cycles to work most days, and takes transit or the car on the others. We own one car, and belong to a car share which we don't tend to use very often. Since our city isn't large, transit can take an hour or more to travel 10 km. It's great for catching up on reading, but not so much if you are running late for a meeting.

My mom never drove when I was a kid, and we relied on transit for all but emergencies, in which case we took taxis. I remember having lots of free time as a kid too, so it couldn't have been as much of a time drain as it would seem on the surface. Of course, then there were strip plazas and smaller neighbourhood stores and amenities, instead of the box-store and mega-centre culture that has recently taken over. Perhaps part of the solution is to create self-sufficient neighbourhoods once again.

So, cheaper and more reliable transit, better inter-city service, better neighbourhood planning, and a calmer, less rushed mindset are what it would take for me to completely abandon the car. It's really, not much considering the environmental costs.

How about you? Could you, would you give up your car?

Historic Day for Canada's Boreal Forest

2010-05-18T16:11:00.001-04:00

Today is a day for the history books.

From ForestEthics:
Make no mistake, this agreement is a game-changer. Logging in caribou habitat is now
on hold in more than 29 million hectares while concrete plans to protect woodland
caribou habitat and other important regions of the Boreal Forest are jointly
developed by environmental groups and the Forest Products Association of Canada
(FPAC) and presented to governments. This agreement also includes a commitment from
FPAC to minimize their carbon footprint and to jointly develop and adopt best
practices for all forestry operations.

We now have an agreement between environmental groups and forestry corporations to preserve a vast amount of Boreal forest in Canada. Who would have ever thought this would come to be?

I'll tell you who. A 20-something young woman who found the habitat of the marbled murrelet she was studying suddenly destroyed. The woman's name is Tzeporah Berman, and from that point on she became a strong voice for the rainforests of BC. Remember the huge protests at Clayoquot Sound in the 1990's, and the subsequent (however temporary) protection of those forests? It was Tzeporah who organized everyone. It was Tzeporah who started a "do not buy" campaign, taking forestry facts and statistics to the largest of the forest's consumers. It was Tzeporah who sat down with Macmillan Bloedel and worked out a forestry agreement.

This last step, of working out an agreement between the forestry corporations, the environmentalists and the first nations representatives was monumental. Nothing like this had been done before.

It can be no coincidence that now, less than 20 years later we have what is the world's largest conservation agreement signed in Canada.

Tzeporah, you are my hero, as are the many others who also saw the wisdom in working together to save the forests, the caribou, and the livelihoods of many Canadians.

The Role of the Parent

2010-05-17T15:58:00.000-04:00

How involved should a parent be in their child's school work?

When I taught in the system, one of the main sources of frustration was when the parents would take over their child's project. The irony of this was that it was generally the brighter students whose parents would do this, and it made it very difficult to see exactly what their child was truly capable of in terms of project work, or pretty much anything that could go home before submission. The content was (as far as I knew from most of the students) all student-generated, but the parents had no confidence in their children's abilities to present the material. In taking over for their kids, they denied their children a valuable learning opportunity to learn to communicate their knowledge and ideas to others. How did I know? I based this on comparing their classroom work with the projects. I solved the issue by having the kids all hand in their rough notes as well, and altered the marking scheme to give less marks for visual presentation for projects that went home before submission. It wasn't a perfect solution.

As a parent, I was once accused of such a thing myself. My son, who was then in grade 3, wrote a story for a writing contest. He dictated it to me, so I typed it with proper spelling, punctuation, and formatting but changed nothing from his oral account. He then asked me to send it to writing friends for feedback (nothing from me!), and there were some minor suggestions, some of which he chose to take and some that he decided to ignore.

The judges decided it had too much adult input because an 8 year old should not be able to use compound sentences, proper punctuation or a strong vocabulary. He was devastated when I tried to explain what had happened.

Perhaps if I'd asked him to write it in pencil on primary paper, and refused to allow him constructive feedback he might have had a chance, but to make assumptions about what the abilities "should" be based on preconceived notions of children and their abilities sounds rather backwards to me. If anything, it soured his enthusiasm for writing, and to a larger extent, for any sort of sharing of his work outside the family.

Was I to blame? Possibly. I allowed him to talk me into the dictation because he had trouble with the physical act of writing at that point. Perhaps I should have denied him constructive feedback, at least for the contest piece. Who knows? Another mom suggested that if we submit a piece in the future that he use a thesaurus to find simpler words to water down the vocabulary of the story. I admit that I've done that with my own writing, but shouldn't an 8 year old be encouraged to expand his vocabulary?

Anyhow, this is a subject that I wrestle with daily.

When my kids are writing or working on a project of some sort, I try and let them go about it on their own, and only give input when asked and only on the specific parts I am asked about. That continues until I take on the role of teacher, (remember that we homeschool, so I need to play both roles) at the point at which they say they are happy with their work and need more detailed feedback. It works best if they go through it all piece by piece with me, explaining it in detail. When they do this, I find the feedback I need to give is quite minimal, as they notice any gaps, grammar problems, or other errors or omissions as they present it to me. They retain ownership of their work, and learn "on the job" how to effectively present their ideas to others. When I do give feedback, I try and keep it in the form of open ended questions, such as,
"How would you present this to an older/younger audience?"
"Did all of your sources agree on _____?"
"How would you expand on this?"
"Where might this lead next?"
as well as giving mechanical help (spelling, grammar, formatting, etc.).

Since we mostly unschool, the kids tend to follow their passions and projects can be huge and incredibly detailed. I can see what they are capable of doing, and it goes far beyond what is expected within the school system. This isn't surprising when you consider it--we are all more likely to do well and be more thorough in learning about the things that interest us most. We also have time and resources that simply aren't available to those in regular classroom situations.

Ontario's Old-Growth Forests

2010-05-16T11:47:00.005-04:00

I am currently reading Ontario's Old Growth Forests by Michael Henry and Peter Quimby and can't get enough of this stuff! At first glance, the book looks like a coffee-table photo book, but, as in many cases in life, looks can be misleading.

Did you know that the forests of the northern shore of Lake Superior are quite similar to those of the temperate rainforests of BC and Norway? That trees in a forest often naturally graft together at the roots and can help sustain each other from this connection? That forest fungi play multiple roles in forest ecology and may be as important to the forest's health as the trees themselves?

This is incredibly interesting and important stuff, particularly for those who visit, work with or benefit from Ontario's forests. That's pretty much everyone who lives in Ontario, and many far beyond.

It amazes me that we can talk about "forest management" when in reality we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what we understand about forest ecosystems. Once again, when it comes to natural understanding vs. resource greed, we have gotten it backwards and moved before we can truly understand what we are doing. The good news is that there are people like Peter Quimby and Michael Henry who continue to work hard to improve our understanding, and many others who also work hard to preserve what is left of our forests.

Thank you to my family for this wonderful Mother's Day gift!

Being Different

2010-05-14T15:37:00.001-04:00

In a world of 6.5 billion people, how will you distinguish yourself? How do you justify your life?

Let's start with the numbers: 6.5 billion. How many of us can really conceive such a number? I, for one, certainly can't. Even coming to terms with a million stretches me.

A while back I found an article about single use plastic water bottles, which followed a common "what if" scenario. Somehow you find yourself in a place with a newly finished water bottle, and no sign of recycling around. You have places to go, errands to run. Do you throw it out?

If you are a relatively green-minded person, you might find yourself justifying this one action. You might think "I line dry my clothes. I compost food scraps. I telecommute when I can. I recycle at home. I do not over water my lawn. I eat locally and low on the food chain. I am usually very diligent, so this one water bottle won't make much difference."

This reasoning is something probably even the greenest of us might do (although with recent campaigns, using a single-use water bottle in the first place might not be an issue for you now--if so, you can substitute any similar situation).

Now imagine if just 1% of the world thought this way once a year. 6.5 billion people, times 1%.

Or perhaps you might consider that it's more a western urban sort of behaviour (though I have no basis for making this random assumption). Let's take it a step further and narrow it down to just Canadians for now. If 1% of all Canadians (and I'll use a low estimate of 30 million for our current population) trashed a plastic water bottle once a year, that would be 300 000 water bottles a year.

Plastic is generally not readily biodegradable. It takes a great deal of energy to produce, and the product comes from petroleum. It takes a person only a few minutes to consume the water that it holds, which is usually either just municipally treated water, or spring water that by law requires no safety testing.

People have been around for tens of thousands of years. Only in the last couple of decades have we seen fit to package water in single-use containers. Surely we can do better.

What we need to remember here is that the water bottle scenario is pretty limited; yet the mindset of entitlement, in which we expect "our fair share" (however unfair that might turn out to be in reality) is pervasive. How many times do we think this way: I used/wasted less doing x so I don't have to feel bad about y?

6.5 billion people.

What difference can any one person have in a world with so many?

Never underestimate your importance. In a world where so few negative acts accumulate rapidly, remember that the same can be said for positive acts.

Tree planting, composting, recycling, buying local, buying less--they all count, and have achieved mainstream status in recent years. You have influence over your friends and family; even if they are not impressed at the outset, you may find that not only do they begin to follow your example, but also help that example reach others.
Everything counts.

Corn and other Food Staples

2010-05-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

I'm working on a new page/section of my website that is all about corn. This interesting food is present in some form in a large portion of the items available in your local grocery store, yet was unknown to Europeans until a few hundred years ago. On my corn pages I'll be looking at its history, traditional uses, modern uses, crafts, recipes and controversies in terms of farming and also in terms of products and their effects on health.

There are other food staples that have also become important to people, including rice, wheat and potatoes. At this point I have no plans to expand on those, although that could change over time.

In thinking of food staples though, I was reminded of an activity we did as a family a few months back about food, food staples and cooking. The idea is this: make a list of food items your family keeps on hand, particularly those that do not require refrigeration--the unperishables. Now, without straying from that list, make a list of recipes/meals you could make from that list. How well did you do? Do you want to add any items to your food list? How pleasant would the cooking and eating of these meals be for you?

Now lets think about what foods are most useful to you and your family that store well, cook easily, and provide high nutritional value. Why do this? I think it is a valuable lesson for kids (and adults) to be able to put together a nutritional meal from a few ingredients, particularly when conveniences such as fast food restaurants and grocery stores full of processed foods might not be available, such as in an emergency situation or natural disaster.
It's also a good exercise to be able to cook from a set list, to put together a nutritional meal, and to be able to improvise where necessary. In North America, healthy eating doesn't have to be expensive, and it doesn't have to come processed or from a freezer either.

Depending on your cooking habits and personal preferences, your list may be quite different from ours. Here is what we came up with:

Whole wheat flour
Oatmeal
barley
Sunflower seeds (raw, hulled)
Raw popcorn
Corn Meal
Corn starch
dried instant potatoes
raw brown rice
quinoa
dried kidney beans, navy beans and garbanzo beans
dried peas/lentils
Unsweetened Cocoa powder
OLIVE/&Vegetable Oil
salt
yeast
baking soda
baking powder
DRY mustard
vanilla
molasses
Vinegar
maple syrup
assorted dried nuts
cinnamon/cloves/ginger
chili powder/cumin
dried basil and oregano
garlic powder
onion powder
tomato paste/preserves/sundried tomatoes
dried fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, blueberries, raisins, cranberries, etc.)
sugar and/or honey
whole wheat pasta
powdered milk
powdered eggs
____________________
we usually also have TVP (textured vegetable protein, used by vegetarians in a similar way others might use ground meats), but since that isn't something the average person has hanging around, I didn't include it in this activity.

These items require cold storage, but not necessarily full refrigeration for short-term use: Onions, Potatoes, carrots, peanut butter (natural, with no hydrogenated oils)

What my kids came up with from the above list:
Pasta and sauce
Pizza
Baked beans
Rice casserole
Lentil casserole
Lentils and rice
Bread
Garlic bread
Pb and raisin sandwich
Sunflower seed and raisin chocolate snack bars
Quiche
Scrambled eggs
Omelette
Popcorn
Popcorn peanutbutter balls
Granola
Bean chili
Soup
Oatmeal cereal (with raisins, seeds, salt and maple syrup)
Veggie roast
Onion gravy
Jam (using the dried fruit)
Oatmeal Cookies
Muffins
Maple fudge
Mashed potatoes
Peanut butter cookies
Apple crisp
Barley, onion and carrot casserole
Barley and tomato casserole

I was pleased they did so well, but have to admit that there are several things on this list that my youngest (a notorious picky eater) would turn his nose up at.

How did you do with your list? I'd love to hear back!

Forgotten Luxuries

2010-05-11T14:02:00.000-04:00

Sometimes we miss some of the joys of life that don't carry large price tags, and in our daily rush forget what we are missing.

Take for example the luxury of line-dried bedding. When was the last time you treated yourself to this? Can you remember the pure smell of nature's perfume as you drift off to a peaceful slumber? Fabric softener companies know about it, but nothing they can concoct comes close to mimicking this small taste of paradise.

Crunchy towels are another luxury--nothing absorbs water better, and they transform almost magically from stiff and crunchy to soft and supple the moment they meet moisture.

How about taking a sunset walk after dinner with a loved one? Climbing a hill to stargaze away from city lights? Cuddling your child to sleep and watching them long afterward?

Watch a child glory in a golden field of dandelions, then make a wish, a wish for not only the future, but for the now that is so easy to miss in the rush of our daily lives.

Could you place a price tag on any of these things? Would you ever want to?

Natural Playgrounds

2010-05-10T10:27:00.001-04:00

What do you picture when you hear the word "playground"? Do you think of sports fields? Swings? Industrial-sized Little Tykes climbers?

If you grew up way back in the 70's you might envision tractor tires and oil drums cleaned and hollowed out, concrete tubes and wooden teeter-totters.

I read a few years ago about some playgrounds in Britain in which there were modular materials--2x4s, tires, and other "interesting stuff" that the kids could use and change around to suit their playing purposes. Which do you think brings more play and learning value--a prefab generic "safe" playground, or something that can be built, changed and experimented with?

Here is a link to a photo journal about playgrounds that shows what I'm talking about: http://www.freeplaynetwork.org.uk/playlink/exhibition/woepossibility/index.html

As you may have guessed, I lean towards the latter option.

Let's take this a step further. How about truly natural areas? Wouldn't some large climbing trees, bushes, a small creek, tall grasses, etc. make for even greater imaginative play? Maybe I'm making you nervous now though, especially with the water, tree climbing and possibility of encountering wildlife.

I am going to go "out on a limb" here and suggest that allowing children to face and experiment with risks such as these will actually help keep them safer in the long run. Children need to learn their limits, not limits artificially placed upon them (except in extremes--playing tag in a parking lot is just a very bad idea; going without a pfd, not wearing a seatbelt or a bike helmet are unnecessary risks that bring no benefit to anyone). In order to develop good judgment and self confidence, children need to be allowed to take a few risks.

This doesn't mean you leave them completely to their own devices. It's always a good idea to talk about risks involved in activities. But the conversation needs to be two-sided, and you need to allow for the child to come up with suggestions and solutions.

For example, my eldest loves to climb trees. He is a talented climber, and light-weight, so he is able to go further than his friends. I expressed several concerns about his climbing--dead branches that could snap, slipping, and copycat behaviours from younger or less climbing-savvy friends. He suggested that we see which branches had live leaves and no signs of insect infestations, that only running shoes with treads be worn climbing, and that he not do this in front of younger kids. I added a suggestion that he make sure it is ok with the adult in charge first if that happens to be someone other than myself.

Are there still dangers involved? You bet there are, and sometimes I have to sit on my hands and bite my lips. But there are dangers involved in absolutely everything we do, and what it comes down to is evaluating which risks are worth taking. We have had similar conversations about flash flooding on rivers, creeks and waterways, about approaching wildlife, about public transit (which I still haven't sent him on alone--soon though!), and other "risky" activities.

The idea here is that rather than taking the lazy road and completely banning all activities that appear to hold risks (and by doing so create and artificial "padded room" sort of existence), instead help the children develop the skills and judgment necessary to decrease the risks and allow them to participate in the activity so they can learn and grow. It is true that as an adult we have access to a wider range of experiences and may see risks that aren't apparent to children; it is our job to teach our children about these and help them develop the necessary skills, tools and judgment in order to proceed.

Sometimes we forget the really big risks we take for granted--like driving in automobiles, for example. Certainly this holds a great deal more risk than tree climbing, lake and river romping, and pretty much most other activities that are of great value to children's play. Other risks that pop into mind are overexposure to media, overindulgence in "screen time" and routine consumption of processed food products. Since the dangers of these things are less immediate, we tend to disregard them and focus on those that get the parental adrenaline flowing. There is no denying that seeing your child at the top of a 40' tree can cause parental anxiety, and that for some kids it would be a truly poor choice (like me, for example). But you need to remember to look at each child individually and assess their needs and abilities before taking over the decision making.

I battle with the social issues as well. Aside from bullying, physical or emotional violence or other hurtful actions, I think adults tend to step in a little too quickly to sort out their children's squabbles.
We need to teach them the basics--be kind to others, consider everyone's feelings, take turns listening, apologize when needed, forgive each other, etc. but then we need to step back and let them try it all out. We need to let them make mistakes and learn from them first-hand. It's better to be shunned for a day from a group when you're 7 or 8 because you made a social faux pas than to make similar mistakes as an adult and never quite understand other people's reactions. We need to let our kids take risks socially as well, and to keep the channels of communication open without interfering.
It's a fine line, and a difficult one to keep from crossing when we see our children struggling. But these are the years in which our children develop their sense of identity, so it is especially important that we give them a balance of freedom and support in order to truly learn and grow.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

To everyone who is or has a mother, Happy Mother's Day!

Do any of you ever feel pressured by "manufactured" holidays such as this? I know I do--even when on the receiving end of things.

Like Earth Day and Father's Day, it feels like there should be something more than the usual amount of caring shown. So it becomes a challenge, and each year the expectations (even if they're just imagined) grow. There is also the social aspect of it--"my kids did X", or "I did Y for my mom". No matter what we do, it sometimes seems like it just isn't enough, or that we don't deserve it.
It's like our favourite bedtime game:
"I love you THIS much!"
"Yeah, well, I love you INFINITY!"
"Yeah, well, I love you INFINITY to the power of INFINITY!" And so on.

What would I like for Mother's Day? From my family, I'd like my kids to forgive me now for the things I get wrong as a parent, and to let me know that they know I'm trying my best--you know, help allay some of that horrible "mommy guilt" that tends to build up over time. I also wouldn't mind a family game of Catan, esp. one free of arguments!

From the world I would like for us mothers to support each other a little more. We often fight each other in ideological ways--stay at home vs. work outside the home, religious ideology, political ideology, etc. when we could all better benefit each other and especially our kids by focusing on our love for our kids instead of our differences. The kids could only benefit from such acceptance and support.

Weslandia

2010-05-06T14:06:00.001-04:00

One of our favourite books when the kids were a bit younger was Weslandia by Paul Fleischman. In it, a young boy creates a whole civilization based on a mystery plant he grows in his yard. A fun read in and of itself, it also lends itself well to the concepts of basic needs, the development of civilizations, and how creativity and "being different" can lead to great things.

When we pulled out the above ground pool in our backyard, we were left with a large circle of dirt. This was a goldmine for the kids that summer, who were then preschool/kindergarten ages. They used all of their digging tools and trucks and made paths and pits, waterways and dams, aqueducts and bridges and all kinds of "good stuff". It was their area, and I let them have complete control of it.

After a few weeks, some "mysterious plants" began to grow. In the spirit of Weslandia, the kids decided to let them grow. They grew all right--to about 7' high! The kids made paths and forts in there, and had an amazing time within their safe wilderness. Strangely enough, none of the neighbours complained at all. It was one of the best things we ever did with/for the kids.

I recently found these photos that show the area I'm talking about.

Amazingly, and to my own great relief, at the end of the season when the plants began to go to seed, it took less than an hour to pull it all to prepare the area for the veggie garden we started the following year. Never again did I see those plants in our yard though. I'd love to know what they were!

Since that time, I've become more relaxed at letting nature do some of the gardening. The veggies that grow from the compost always taste better, and the raspberry bushes supplied by nature give us enough to make jam to keep us going through the winter.

Milkweed, once shunned, is now appreciated for its importance to local ecology. So often we think we know better than nature, and she gently (or not so gently!) shows us how very wrong we were.

So thank you Paul Fleischman for showing us a world we would otherwise never have seen, and giving my kids and myself one of the best summers ever!

Science calls

2010-05-05T12:11:00.002-04:00

I'm not sure why it is, but the most interesting sites and resources I find tend to be somehow science related. I guess, when it comes down to it, most things are science related in some way.

I recently picked up powdered agar from a health food store. This is an incredibly versatile food. It can be used as vegetarian gelatin, with the unique characteristic that it can be melted down again and re-jelled if you wish to adjust the consistency etc. It can also be used as a culture medium for bacteria--the classic "ew" experiment!

Sometimes the "ew" factor can be a compelling motivator for kids.

Some of the favourite science activities our family has done include making kid concoctions such as: slime, ooblick, magic mud and silly putty (especially great for preschoolers/kindergarten kids), identifying animal scat on hikes, dissecting owl pellets (not gross at all in reality, but certainly popular and interesting!), examining insects, pond studies, vermicomposting / backyard composting and identification of decomposers, and exploring alkalinity with red cabbage water indicator (smelly but pretty to see!).

In the near future we'll be trying out some bacterial culturing and possibly some forensic experiments from here.

Early Spring

2010-05-05T10:28:00.003-04:00

Our family went on a backpacking trip the weekend before last. By the end of the trip, we saw lots of blackflies (thankfully not biting so much yet!). Normally, if you go anytime up to about the 20th of May, you'll be able to avoid biting insects, so this was a month early.

We had walked the same trail a *few* years back at the same time of year. We needed to keep the water filter in a sleeping bag to keep it from freezing, and had to crack ice around the edges of the lake to pump water. Not so much this trip--we hiked in t-shirts and wished we'd brought shorts along.

I have noticed the same thing at home. The blossoms are about 3-4 weeks early, and the magnolia trees have blossomed and dropped their petals already. During March break, the weather here was warmer than in Florida.

I am not a winter person, and spring is one of my favourite times of year. I love being awakened by birds calling, I love the smell of the earth and the lilacs. I love the golden fields of dandelions. However, this is making me nervous. I'm not ready yet to do serious gardening, yet the early spring is demanding just that. It's really less about me and my preferences though. It's alarm at what is happening to our climate. Spring is coming earlier, not just this year, but with a visible change across decades. Weird weather is becoming the norm. There is a great deal of concern about our latest human-caused disaster, the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, which is absolutely horrible and terrifying in its destruction. There is also the acidification of the oceans. This is caused by the increased absorption of carbon, that is causing rapid loss of species and if left unchecked will destroy the world's coral reefs within the next few decades.
It would really take a great deal of determination to fail to see the connection between the health of our oceans and our own welfare.

There is so very little political will to do anything--it's all a game of quick profits and one-upmanship with not a trace of concern for the future, the planet or the basic needs of its inhabitants. The right-wingers laugh at the rest of us for caring, and go out of their way to make the problems worse. I find it difficult not to get discouraged.

And yet-
the birds are singing, the sun is shining, the lilacs are out and it's incredibly beautiful out there. Perhaps one of the most important things to do about it all is to enjoy it, now, and share that enjoyment with others.

The Powers That Be--Is This Really the Best We Can Do?

2010-04-29T10:51:00.002-04:00

There is just so much more political will when it comes to oil drilling than renewable energy.
The massive spill in the Gulf of Mexico? Viewed as nothing compared with the "noise problems" of wind farms.
I remember being shocked beyond belief to find that several years after the Exxon Validiz oil spill, Exxon was still allowed to do business. Others laugh at my naivity. Money does rule, esp. the money of a select few elite; the Powers That Be.
We'd be livid to learn of a mass murderer simply slapped on the wrist and given a tiny fine. Isn't this much worse? The situation is unbelievable to me, but sadly true.

And we still let our RRSPs support this destruction. As long as they continue to grow, we're happy. Well, some of us are happy. I, for one, am not. But my voice is weak and easily drowned out amidst all the greed, and bad habits die hard.

And will BP be held responsible in any way? Likely not. Certainly not if past spills are any indication. Perhaps there will even be a government bailout to help BP recoup their associated losses. That's the way our society works.

We are slaves to "our economy", which IMO is an excuse that has been overused far too often by the POWERS THAT BE. Never mind that viable alternatives to an oil based economy exist. Never mind that regardless of your position, there will be a time when it has to come to an end in one way or other. We're just too cozy with out clothes dryers and gas-guzzling cars, our air conditioning (turned low enough that we need a jacket for comfort), our air travel when a video conference would have done as well, our reliance on cheap labour and subsidized oil to buy items that travel thousands of miles that we use once then throw away, our glossy flyers and ads printed on pulp from ancient forests, our gas-powered lawn mowers, our seemingly unlimited ability to create new ways to trash the planet.

The planet's systems are showing signs of failure, and we're celebrating it by throwing a party.

Have I mentioned that our solar panels are being held up by red tape? They are now in stock, sitting in a warehouse, while we wait for a sign-off.

Cool New Chemistry Site I Found

2010-04-28T23:41:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to share a new chemistry site I found: http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/index.htm

I especially like the forensic section under "activities" that has instructions for flame tests and urine analysis. It seems aimed fairly young--I'd say grades 4-8 but does expect a full chem lab, so will be a little challenging for us as homeschoolers. I know you can get "portable" bunsen burners (with their own fuel cannister) and required chemicals but I've yet to find a local source.

When I get to it, I will add this link to my website as well.

Education, Philosophy and Religion--an Opinionated Post!

2010-04-28T14:29:00.002-04:00

If you have been reading this blog, you will know by now that I am a strongly opinionated person, especially when it comes to the environment and education.

I feel strongly that one of the major goals of education, and parenting for that matter, is to raise children to do their own thinking. This means that they need to be taught how to research, to evaluate information, to detect potential biases based on the sources of the information (including parental biases, which we often talk about), and to draw their own, considered conclusions. It also means being open to reviewing those conclusions when new information becomes available.

Because of this, I am one of "those" people who strongly advocate against the recitation of prayers, pledges, etc. in schools. There is a great power in the spoken word, particularly when children are taught to memorize things (prayers, pledges of allegiance, etc.) before they are able to fully comprehend the meaning and ramifications of those words. Who are we to make such presumptions about the beliefs and values of our children, to force our own upon them without allowing them to participate actively in the discussion? Surely such an attitude undermines what education should be!

I am not against teaching religions in the classroom, but I am strongly against teaching religion. The difference here is in the presumption. If we teach that Christians believe x, Buddhists believe y, Hindi believe z, Atheists believe a, Muslims believe b, Zoroastrians believe c, Wiccans believe d, Jews believe e, etc. and attempt to explore the various interpretations of each, then it is educational. When we favour one over the other in our teaching, it becomes manipulative indoctrination. Presenting it such as, I am Buddhist, and I believe y and this is why and this is how it affects my life--this is transparency and this is educational. Presenting it as "but we all know...", "God says / wants" or even, "they believe" is manipulative. It is important to let students learn, reflect, evaluate, decide and revisit their own beliefs. Are the adults "in charge" really so afraid that their own beliefs and values will not hold up to scrutiny that they must exert this control on the next generation? Life is not worth a lot if you must live in constant fear of losing your convictions.

What prompted this was a recent trip to the library to research mythology. I noticed that in creation mythology there were myths from many groups, and they even included evolution as a myth, but good ole Adam and Eve were nowhere to be found. So I looked a little further. Although there were myths from some major religions, there was a conspicuous lacking. Other resources didn't mention evolution as a myth, but they were careful to skirt around modern religions as well. Are the Cosmic Egg, Turtle Island, or the Big Bang any more likely to be story than Adam and Eve? Can we not learn something of value from each of these perspectives?
It does not seem to me to be disrespectful to view Judaic stories as myths (at least not any more than Nordic, Greek or North American Aboriginal stories). According to the New Testament, Jesus taught with parables. A parable is a story; can we not call it a myth? Does the point made become weaker with the label? I would think it might even add some strength. I don't think that the majority of Christians and Jews see the bible as something to be taken completely literally, but perhaps I am making too many assumptions.
There are those who see "other" religions (esp. Islam and Wicca at the moment) as "evil" and "wrong", and a few who like to spread misconceptions about these. Some even call Harry Potter a handbook for Wicca, which is like calling "The Night Before Christmas" a handbook for Christianity IMO. Some aspects may be similar, but Harry Potter has as much to do with Christianity as it does with any religion. I suspect these reactions are born of fear of losing faith in their own beliefs as well as fear of those who are different than themselves.

So we live in a world where Adam and Eve are to be taken as "non-myth", evolution is no longer a theory but a "modern myth", the "Big Bang" is a "scientific myth" and children are not permitted to question the wisdom of their elders in order to learn more. Scientists are to be mistrusted, politicians know best, and the media never lies. Thankfully, there are pockets of reason to be found in which critical thought and discussion is still valued and encouraged.