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Tuesday Tales – Grossology Exhibit

Posted on May 27, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a science teacher at heart, I love to read books that promote fun learning. I have shared many books that the boys and I have read over the years that fall into this category. The other day, while visiting the Museum of Innovation and Science, I realized that we missed a biology related book series. Thanks to the Grossology exhibit which will be at miSci until September 1, I know a series of books that the kids and I will have to explore this summer.

Grossology definitely captured the interest of my two boys for several hours. In addition to this, TechyDad and I wanted more time to spend reading and trying everything that was new to us. Seriously, it isn’t every day that you walk into an exhibit via a mouth, only to head toward a climbing wall where you learn about the skin.

After looking around a bit, JSL and TechyDad decided to pick the nose to explore (pun intended). The two of them spent a bunch of time in there looking around at things that both have or will be having surgery on.

Meanwhile, NHL was off operating on a patient. This giant body was filled with organs and bones that had to be carefully removed. This was a fun and interactive area for older children.

JSL’s favorite area had to be the small playground section that was a mock up of the digestive system. He loved going into the mouth, sliding down the esophagus, and crawling through the intestine, and out the end onto the poop mat. Yes, they keep it classy here to teach kids. As he says, “First I was chewed and swallowed. Then I slid down into the belly, and was pooped out!”

As the boys played, I captured a few Instagram videos and photos along the way. The burp and flatulence makers were clearly favorites of my boys because of the music they made. My favorite spot was Gas Attack. I mean what’s not to love about cheese, cabbage, pigs, and pinball machines?

Lots more to share from Grossology, but I will do that another day. I know the boys and I will be heading back to miSci to explore the exhibit another day because we just renewed our membership for another year. Until that time, I will be getting the books that inspired this fantastic exhibit that is now only in the Capital Region, but other locations in the United States right now. I can not wait to check out more from Sylvia Branzei and illustrator Jack Keely.

Have you ever been to a Grossology exhibit or read one of the books? As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

Categories:
books Educational travel Tuesday Tales

Tuesday Tales – Fact or Fib Books

Posted on May 13, 2014 11:37 am by TheAngelForever

Imagine two boys running toward you and grabbing books out of your hands so quickly that you can’t even look at them. That is exactly what happened when a surprise package arrived from Sterling Children’s Books. NHL and JSL saw the titles on two of the items and snatched them from my hands and ran off to read them together. It made this parent and teacher so happy to see the kids eager about reading. They were laughing, learning, questioning each other, and asking for more. What books am I referring to?

Fact or Fib? and Fact or Fib 2: A Challenging Game of True or False – Written by Kathy Furgang – Sterling Children’s Books

May 2014 – ISBN 978-1-4549-0982-8 and 978-1-4549-0983-5 – $7.95 each – Ages 8+

From the back of the book:

Deciding which one of three statements is outrageously false is the challenge you face in each round of Fact or Fib? After you’re made your choices, you’ll turn the page to find out the answers and get more interesting information about each topic. Kids (and adults too!) will enjoy playing Fact or Fib?rainy days, during recess, and at parties-it can be playing anytime, with anyone!

As I mentioned, my boys were hooked with the books and spent hours across many days checking out these books. I truly did have to pry them away to check them out for myself. It was interesting to see the mix of science information presented in a small powerhouse of a book. The pictures on all of the pages are likely what kept my first grader intrigued, but the content alone sold my fifth grader. As a parent and teacher, I adore that a spark of learning can inspire kids to want to know more about the wide range of topics within the pages.

I know these books will be traveling with us this summer. They are perfect for on the go and perfect for summer enrichment. The first book focuses on knowledge about dinosaurs, bugs, and animals. The second book tackles space, the human body (including passing gas), and technology.

What books will your children be reading this summer to keep learning alive? As always, Tuesday Tales is all about sharing our love of books. Please let me know what you have read recently. Be sure to link up to your book posts in the comments below. Include something you read on your own, with a child, or someone else.

Disclosure: As noted above, I received both of these books from Sterling Children’s Books and decided to review them because of the reaction from my children. No other compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

Categories:
books Educational Tuesday Tales

May the 4th and Beyond

Posted on May 2, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

Celebrate May the 4th You Will

Yes, my inner Yoda can not wait until Sunday. My family will be celebrating May the 4th, otherwise known as Star Wars Day. The boys are so into all things Star Wars, that it just seemed natural to use lightsabers as the focus of a new post on the Bedtime Math blog.

Over on Bedtime Math I wrote about how to Train Your Jedi with Star Wars Math. We had an amazing time making the lightsabers and the kids have used them almost every day. Even TechyDad had a blast with them and shared how we made them on his blog. On Sunday, we plan to celebrate by giving the boys something special for this geeky holiday.

If Star Wars is not your thing (*gasp*), there are plenty of other fun items to check out on the Bedtime Math blog. Some of the latest include:

These are just some of the latest and more always being posted, so please stop by and say hello to all of us. If you try one of our activities, be sure to take some photos and let us know. Oh and if you are interested in winning copies of the Bedtime Math books, you can enter their Spring Fling Instant Win Sweepstakes on Facebook. I also hope to see you next week on May 8 for the Bedtime Math Twitter Party. As one of their bloggers, I will be Tweeting along with you for a fun evening.

Disclosure: I am a freelance blogger for Bedtime Math. While I am paid for those posts, I share here because I love that Bedtime Math encourages families to find math in the everyday activities that you already do.

Categories:
arts and crafts Educational My Other Projects

Learning Fun for Spring Time

Posted on April 8, 2014 12:28 pm by TheAngelForever

Spring can be a tricky season. In some places, it can be non-stop rain. In other locations it can still be cold, while some others very warm. Thanks to this it is always nice to have a lot of inside and outside activities to do with the kids. Everyone on the Bedtime Math blog have been busy sharing some fun activities that also have math found within them. I mean check out what I am working on with the boys right now.

Take a few moments and please stop by the Bedtime Math blog to see some of the latest from all of the bloggers, including me.

These are just some of the latest and more always being posted, so please stop by and say hello to all of us. If you try one of our activities, be sure to take some photos and let us know.

Categories:
arts and crafts Educational My Other Projects

Reminder to Refuse the Tests

Posted on March 28, 2014 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

It is no secret that I am passionate about education advocacy. I am a teacher and I am not too shy to admit that for the second year in a row I will be refusing the tests for my oldest son.

My fifth grader will not be taking the New York State ELA and Math exams that begin on April 1. While the date is humorous, it really is no joke that the kids of NYS and across the country are being used as guinea pigs. This generation of students are taking high stakes testing that is tied to the new bungled Common Core Standards. Please understand that this is not about making education more rigorous for our children, and improving public education like the education reformers claim. Follow the money trail and check the facts. This is simply about the privatization of public schools and companies like Pearson, Gates, and others making BILLIONS off our our children and their data. Yes, most of this is just about data and companies hungry to make money off of it.

Please take a moment and view this powerful video from Change the Stakes. When you finish watching, remember this is the reality that all of the children in grades 3-8 in New York are going through all year long.

Do not forget, as parents and guardians, you have the right to refuse the tests for our children. There are no consequences for children, schools, teachers, or districts. Scare tactics are being sent out via the New York State Department of Education. Commissioner John King is spreading his propaganda about how the tests will help students, but it is not true. Our children are more than a number. My kids and yours deserve to be learning in a way that does not focus on tests that give us no feedback. Teachers are professionals that know how to use authentic assessment tools to let us know how our kids are doing. High stakes testing needs to end and we must move away from the theory that Common Core is a mess simply because of the implementation. That is a myth, but only made matters much much worse for the kids that are stuck dealing with this on a daily basis.

It is time to stand up tall and join the education revolution and REFUSE the tests because it is the right thing to do for your children. For more information about refusing the tests (it is NOT too late) please head over to NYS Allies for Public Education to learn more.

Previous posts about education advocacy: