At Home with NW Kid Chaser

Nature's Fury...

7/16/2013

Our Lego Robotics Team continues to learn about Nature's Fury!

Our current study of severe weather brought the crew
over to our house for a 'Storm Chaser' viewing party.

1) Before our gathering, I asked each team member to work through an online learning component. Click on the edcanvas icon to view the program.

2) Next, we made tornadoes of our own! This may seem like a quick, fun trick with soda-pop bottles... but when you combine this activity with the integration of tornado vocab and probing questions - it leads to incredibly interesting discussion!

3) After moving indoors, we skimmed a few new books to learn about storm chasers and their dangerous work. After sharing what we learned, we talked about the pros and cons of these undertakings. Would you want to ride along? What scientific data can they gain that will help us prepare, stay safe and rebuild after a tornado?

4) Finally, we watched Episode 1 of Storm Chasers from Discovery Channel, followed by a quick clip from Mythbusters!

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Speechless (but not)...

4/19/2013

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My gracious sister let us borrow her DVD boxed set of the BBC Planet Earth series and now my whole family is obsessed. Dinner dishes have never been so quickly cleaned as we scramble to complete our chores, so that we can sit down on the couch and fire-up the next movie.

The photography, the subject matter, and the behind-the-scenes stories featured in this series are absolutely outstanding. Said to be the most expensive nature documentary ever filmed, I respond: Well worth it!

As the stories of places and animals across-the-globe are told, my family sits there speechless. Well actually... it's more like quiet-for-a-minute followed by:

My husband: "That's amazing!"
Me: "No way!"
My 10 year old: "Wow! That's awesome!"
My 7 yr old: "I'd like to be a polar bear."

With 5 DVDs in the series (featuring Mountains, Caves, Seasonal Forests, Great Plains, Desserts, and two others per disk) each and every segment has been remarkable. I'm learning new things about this amazing planet. My kids are seeing the amazing work of biologists and film crews. It really is amazing stuff that almost leaves us speechless. Almost... because when watching a walrus protect her young from a hungry polar bear we scream:

My husband: "Wow! Look at that."
Me: "Uh uh. She's not gonna let him anywhere near her baby."
My 10 year old: "Tell me when it's over."
My 7 yr old: "Wild."

Several parts of the series are available for on-line watching (here and here), but I recommend buying the set as a gift for the eight year old child (and older) that you love. Of course, if you want to break open the pack and watch it first - I totally understand and I add: Well worth it!

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Movie & Dessert...

2/19/2013

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I survived middle school because my savvy mom began the tradition of Mother/Daughter Movie Night. We’d pick a flick, make a brand-new yummy dessert, and settle in for a quiet night at home. It’s one of my favorite pre-teen memories.

My boys are not quite in middle school yet, but as they are getting older we have begun our own tradition of family movie night. Last month we watched Monster Inc. and enjoyed Oatmeal Cream Monster Cookies!

LOVED the movie! Ages 7+.

Love these treats! Put them in the freezer and enjoy all month.

This month, we tried the Apple Dumpling Gang and Super Easy (not-so-healthy) Apple Dumplings.

Old-fashioned Disney comedy. However, skip the sequel - it's not worth the time.

These contain Mountain Dew: which made it even more of an adventure. A yummy treat!

Now, the boys are now pushing for a night of Star Wars.
Hmm.................. what do we make then? I’m leaning towards Yoda Soda.

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“Go Herbie! You can do it!”

7/5/2012

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I remember the day my husband taught our boys how to play “Slug Bug.”

They giggled and punched at each other.

I rolled my eyes.

Since that day, the game seems to have become exponentially more complicated. Apparently, a vintage Volkswagen bug is worth more hits than a modern day bug, a convertible VW bug is the ultimate jackpot, and all slugs should immediately be followed by shrieks of “No hit backs!”

Recently, all this boyish play led me to shout, “Instead of Slug Bug, can’t we have a Love Bug, please!”

Which got me to thinking...
once upon a time there was a Love Bug
and his name was Herbie.

It only took a couple of clicks of the Salem Public Library web catalog and we were in business. My boys and I checked-out the entire Love Bug series. My boys giggled their way through these old-time Disney films, and often shouted, “Go Herbie! You can do it!”

While the stereotypes were a bit difficult to watch for my husband and I, we did appreciate that:
- the bad guys were never really that bad.
- the characters and setting randomly change from film to film, but the premise is clear – Herbie will triumph!
- the hero is always the least macho and least egotistical human of the bunch.
- the fun theme song always lightens the mood at just the right moment.

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Laughter in the night...

6/20/2012

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My youngest son woke me up a few nights ago.

I could hear his laughter echo from across the hall. It began with a chuckle; then moved to a string of giggles; soon his cackle filled the entire upstairs. I was envious of his happy dreams.

The next morning, I asked my son about this middle of the night joy-fest and a slow smile came to his lips. “In my dream, I was playing with Pollyanna,” he said.

My conclusion: That’s one good movie wto share...

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"Jump Back" Animation...

3/31/2011

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During Spring Break this year, my boys and I tried our hand at stop animation. Inspired by my friend Jessica – I broke down the mechanics and created a plan that would allow one Mommy and two busy boys to finish a short video in less than two hours.

Keep in mind – I’m all about process rather than product. This fun afternoon project neither outlasted my six year old nor wrecked havoc on my living room. We learned a ton and have a renewed sense of appreciation for the art of animation. My motto remains: Grab hold of every opportunity you can to help your children experience and explore life around them.

Here’s how it all went down:
1. I found an old recording of my youngest son singing a song. Now six, this recording captures his sweet voice at four years old when he came home from preschool with a new tune to share.

2. The boys and I colored a background setting on a large piece of butcher paper.

3. Each of us worked to create the needed props. I was in charge of the main character. My six year-old created the flags. My eight year-old took charge of the pirate ship, leaves, door, etc…

4. My eldest son then set the items in place while I stood above and snapped a photo. After each shutter, he’d move everything to the next position and I’d capture another image.

5. My youngest generally danced around the room, singing at full volume and occasionally offering his excellent directing advice (“Put it there.” “No there.” “ Higher.” “Ok, now make it go upside down!”)

6. Once all the photos were captured – I dropped music and photos into Windows MovieMaker.

Here are the results:

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The Magic of Hulu....

3/19/2011

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Hulu is an online video service that offers anytime viewing of TV shows (past and present). Lately, it's been my family's ticket to Friday nights curled up on the couch together watching: Chopped.

Our limited TV service doesn't give us access to the fun cooking shows of the Food Network-- but the magic of Hulu has brought this cooking contest straight to our home, free of charge. Chopped makes for perfect family viewing and has sparked an interest in cooking for my sons. While watching the show, we talk about ingredients, cooking methods, and the classic rules of the kitchen. (Do not serve fish and cheese together!)

This is all part of my grand plan to have sons who are excellent cooks. Their (future) wives will thank me later!

The 'Chopped' series goes like this --
1) Four chefs are given a basket with mystery
         ingredients AND 20 minutes to create an appetizer.
2) The chefs slice, dice, whisk, grill, mix, and plate using every
         creative idea they can summon.
3) The judges taste, comment and then CHOP the contestant
         whose efforts were least successful.
4) Repeat for an entree.
5) Repeat for a dessert.
6) Proclaim the Chopped Champion!

What makes the Chopped series fun to watch --
1) The time limit keeps things-a-moving. No chance for your
          mind to wander - Just pure action.
2) The ingredients keep everyone on their toes. Sardines,
          chocolate and chick peas? Just when I think the
          combination is impossible, one creative chef makes my
          mouth water.
3) The show has drama, mystery, suspense, laughter and tears,
            but lacks violence, sex, or drugs. Cue the applause
            from mothers of kindergarteners everywhere!

Here's a taste (so to speak):

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Movie Mania...

1/5/2011

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What’s worse than not feeling well???
Not feeling well during vacation!

This occurred at our house during winter break, but was made bearable with a little help from our VCR & our local public library. Wrapped in blankets and sharing the comfort of the living room couch, my boys and I gave-in to utterly too much screen time.

First on the agenda- Beethoven.

We had heard praise about this 1992 family film and generally found it to be entertaining. In a nut shell: Big dog adopts family and promptly causes all sorts of havoc that eventually results in love, companionship and the catching of bad guys.

I would recommend it for 1st grade and up. My five year old enjoyed any scene containing dogs, but was horrified by the idea of someone killing a dog. In the film, the “bad guys” actually show the gun that will be used - which prompted my son to dive under the covers and yell for me to “Turn it off! Turn it off!” (Oh my!)

It took four promises from me that “all will be well” and a “knock it off I want to see what happens next” from his brother before we could go on. Of course, in the end the dogs get the upper hand and save the day. That same little boy was giggling and cheering for Beethoven by film’s end.

Next up – Aristocrats

When looking for a Disney film with minor “bad guys” this film is a perfect fit. The butler is certainly up to no good, but as he’s never very effective – he doesn’t scare the kiddos much at all. Although all my Disney concerns still stand (stereotypical portrayal of gender, ethnic groups, and romance), it’s kinda hard to dislike any character that has the voice of Eva Gabor. My kids liked the scenes with the animals singing.

And lastly – Sound of Music

This is such a classic. The songs roll off the tongue. Julie Andrews is perfection. The nuns are wise, funny, and savvy (all at the same time). The Nazis make the ultimate enemy over which our heroes triumph. It’s been years since I’ve watched his film – but I think we’ll now make it a Christmas break tradition.

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Disney Movie Magic...

11/15/2010

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"My kids have never seen a Disney movie."
This thought occurred to me as I began to consider
a family trip to DisneyWorld Orlando.

Luckily, the public library (once again) came to my rescue:
the original Cinderella and a series of Mickey Mouse
cartoons have been on our watch-list this week.

While my inner, feminist voice was wailing at the
airbrushed-prince, the so-easily-fooled-father,
and the teeny-tiny-waists at the ball, I have to admit
the cackle of my five year old during the
cat-and-mouse chase scene was wonderful!

What Disney film should we explore next?
What are your Disney favorites?

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