At dinner last night, the younger Free-Ride offspring told us about a science lesson from earlier this week:
Dr. Free-Ride: You were going to tell me about a science activity you did, we think, on Tuesday in school?
Younger offspring: Mmm-hmm.
Dr. Free-Ride: Tell us what it’s called.
Younger offspring: “Best Bird Beak”.
Dr. Free-Ride: “Best Bird Beak”. And what was the activity?
Category Archives: Critters
Friday Sprog Blogging: the classroom snake gets fed.
A few weeks ago, the elder Free-Ride offspring was anxiously awaiting the feeding of Ziggy, the classroom ball python. Sadly, that feeding was delayed on account of the elder Free-Ride offspring’s teacher having jury duty.
Feeding the classroom snake, apparently, is not a task you leave to a substitute teacher.
In any event, since then, Ziggy has enjoyed a couple of feedings. Here, the elder Free-Ride offspring tells me about yesterday’s feeding.
Send GrrlScientist to Antarctica!
GrrlScientist is in a contest to become Quark Expedition’s official blogger from Antarctica. (So is DN Lee from Urban Science Adventures.)
Grrl has been doing pretty well getting votes in this contest, despite the fact that her competition includes a radio personality from Portugal and a member of the Osmond family.
Of the top vote-getters, it is clear to me that Grrl would do the best job with the specified task (blogging from, and about, Antarctica). She has a personal and professional interest in nature, science, the environment, and conservation. She has a history of writing pieces that are accessible communications of both scientific content and aesthetic appreciation, in an astounding balance of clarity and lyricism. She takes lovely nature photographs, which she regularly shares with readers of her blog. And to say she’s an experienced blogger is an understatement on par with noting that Antarctica can get a little chilly.
The voting in the contest ends 30 September, 2009 at 12 noon (Eastern time). That’s less than 48 hours from now.
If you haven’t yet voted, consider giving Grrl your support. Voting does require registering your email address with Quark, but they are doing this to avoid poll-crashing, and I haven’t received any spam from them. And, if you’ve already cast a vote for someone else, you are allowed by the rules to reassign your vote. Some other worthy science bloggers in the competition have been throwing their support to Grrl as the voting winds down, so don’t miss this chance to give her your vote, too.
Friday Sprog Blogging: reading magazines with the elder Free-Ride offspring.
Owing to the fact that I had to focus my attention on getting healthy in a hurry so I could catch a plane yesterday evening, I asked the elder Free-Ride offspring to write something for this week’s Friday Sprog Blogging entry. Owing, I think, to my apparent fragility, the elder Free-Ride offspring assented to this request without argument, and without demanding a cash payment.
I really do have wonderful kids.
In any event, the elder Free-Ride offspring offers a summary of an interesting article from a magazine that is a favorite at Casa Free-Ride, National Geographic Kids, and then pitches a few ideas for stories the sprogs would like to see in it in some future issue.
Friday Sprog Blogging: classroom snake.
This school year, the elder Free-Ride offspring has a classroom teacher who used to be one of the elementary school’s science teachers. (Owing to budget cuts, both the science teachers have “retreated” to be general purpose classroom teachers, and all the classroom teachers have to teach their own science lessons.)
I’m happy about this because it means the science instruction the elder Free-Ride offspring gets in the classroom is going to be good. The elder Free-Ride offspring is happy about this because it means there’s a snake in the classroom.
Friday Sprog Blogging: camping.
This week, while I hunkered down for the start of classes, Dr. Free-Ride’s better half took the Free-Ride offspring camping.
They camped near Big Sur, which provided ample opportunities to hike near the ocean (and to swim in it). Indeed, on one of these hikes the first day out, they spotted some otters:
Friday Sprog Blogging: scientific questions on summer vacation.
Yes, it’s a day late. Dr. Free-Ride and Dr. Free-Ride’s better half are currently engaged in sprog retrieval maneuvers at the home of the Grandparents Who Lurk But Seldom Comment. What follows is this morning’s attempt to get the Free-Ride offspring to tell us something science-y.
Dr. Free-Ride: Were there any things you noticed while you were away from us that you think might have to do with science?
Younger offspring: I noticed that when I go in the ocean, the salt water makes my eyes red, and I wanted to know why.
Dr. Free-Ride: That sounds like a reasonable matter for scientific enquiry.
Thursday sprog art.
As I thrash my way through composing my last anticipated post on Unscientific America, I reckoned it was time to give you some more pictures to go with all the words. Thank goodness for the Free-Ride offspring!
From the younger Free-Ride offspring:
Bastille Day sprog art.
Not that the art has anything to do with Bastille Day, but it seemed like as good an occasion as any to share some more of their work.
And, for the record, if art classes somehow lead the Free-Ride offspring to adopt an all-black wardrobe, they are bloody well going to find themselves reading Sartre. In our house, moody black-clad young people are philosophers!
From the younger Free-Ride offspring:
The Free-Ride offspring go to art school.
Actually, the Free-Ride offspring are just taking a few art classes this summer. We haven’t packed them off to live in a garrett somewhere. (Not that we haven’t given the matter thought.)
Here are some drawings from their first week.