Outside – Kirsten W. Larson

PPBF: To Dare Mighty Things

April 18, 2014April 16, 2014 Kirsten W. Larson

With warm weather at last, we’re releasing butterflies, watching birds, and swimming in the pool. Our outdoor activities prompted today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday pick about presidential outdoorsman, Teddy Roosevelt.

TITLE: TO DARE MIGHTY THINGS

AUTHOR: Doreen Rappaport

ILLUSTRATOR: C. F. Payne

PUBLICATION INFO: Disney Hyperion, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-4231-2488-7

SOURCE: library

INTENDED AUDIENCE: ages 6 to 8

GENRE: nonfiction picture book biography

OPENING and SYNOPSIS:

“’Teedie,’ as he was called, coughed, sneezed, wheezed, had raging fevers, and hardly ate.”

From the jacket flap:

“President Theodore Roosevelt is known as “the man with a plan,” the “rough rider.” His figure stands tall in American history; his legacy stretching him to larger-than-life proportions.

But before his rise to fame, he was just “Teedie,” a boy with ambitious dreams to change the world, and the conviction to see his stupendous imaginings brought to fruition.

As an American president, he left an impressive mark upon his country. He promised a “square deal” to all citizens, he tamed big businesses, and protected the nation’s wildlife and natural beauty. His fearless leadership assured that he would always be remembered, and his robust spirit now dares others to do mighty things.

In her moving picture book portrait, award-winning author Doreen Rappaport uses her well-honed approach of personal quotes and vivid prose to spin together the tale of a sickly boy who became a monumental man. Coupled with C. F. Payne’s dramatic artwork, the story of President Teddy, touchstone of American history, is brought to life.”

THEMES/TOPICS: history, biography

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK: Teddy Roosevelt is a fascinating character. He truly remade himself from an often-sick youth into the quintessential outdoorsman and bold politician. I’ve read other books that focused on snippets of his life, for example Rosenstock’s THE CAMPING TRIP THAT CHANGED AMERICA, but this is the first truly comprehensive biography I’ve seen. Rappaport integrates primary sources into the text and presents a balanced picture. She shows how Teddy intervened in other country’s affairs, like those of Panama, ultimately building the Panama Canal. Of course, Teddy Roosevelt could care less what others thought, she tells us. Rappaport reveals Teddy as truly larger-than-life, and Payne’s illustrations follow suit beginning with the cover. It shows only Teddy’s laughing face. No title. No author’s name. No illustrator’s name. Just Teddy, truly larger than life.

RESOURCES/ACTIVITIES:

Rappaport’s back matter has resources for further exploration, including books and Web sites.
A teacher’s guide is available through her Web site.
She also has links to several videos of Teddy, including one of him hunting big game in Africa.
And, of course, you too can dare mighty things and try some of the things Teddy did: ride a horse, watch birds, hike, and write your own books about what you find.

You’ll find way more cool books at Susanna Leonard Hill’s “Perfect Picture Books.” Every Friday folks review a host of new books. Join us!

Field Trip Ideas, Just for fun, Nature, Outside

First Fruits

June 1, 2013 Kirsten W. Larson

Picking juicy, ripe fruit is a beloved summer and fall activity. We’ve just enjoyed our first cherries of the season from our local “u-pick” orchards. We picked at least eight and a half pounds, and I think I have a good 3 hours of pitting ahead of me. Pie and preserves are on the way. What’s your favorite summertime fruit? Do you have any recipes to share?

Nature, Outside, Science/Math

For the Birds

April 29, 2013 Kirsten W. Larson

Killdeer eggs Photo courtesy Mike Williams — Killdeer eggs
Photo courtesy Mike Williams

We are batty about birds at our house.

About 10 days ago we discovered a killdeer nest. These shorebirds create nests on the ground, rather than in trees. Our bird laid four speckled eggs among the decorative rocks in our front yard. We’ve been checking the nest periodically to see how our birds are faring.

P1010383 — Killdeer
Photo courtesy Mike Williams

These birds have an interesting defense against predators. Whenever someone approaches the nest, one bird acts as if it has a broken wing to draw the predator away. It’s fascinating to watch.

Today we discovered NestWatch from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. We were able to create our nest on the site, get certified as nest watchers and input data from our nest checks. Cornell scientists are especially interested in nests from the following species: American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Barn Swallow, and House Finch. But if you discover any type of nest, you can put it on the site and share your data. This is a fun and easy way for kids to become animal scientists.

We also recently discovered male California quail on our property. These birds just make us giggle. What fun it would be to find a quail nest. We’ll keep you posted.

P1010411 — California quail
Photo courtesy Mike Williams

Food, Outside

Blog-cation

June 18, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Dear Blogosphere friends,

It’s summer. Days are long. Nights are warm. The kids are out of school. And there’s just too much beach going, pool swimming, fruit picking, firefly watching and other summer fun happening to be tied to the computer.

So, I’m declaring a blog-cation until August 1st. I won’t blog regularly, but maybe occasionally. And only if I feel like it. I’ll fall way behind on my blog reading and commenting. I won’t check Facebook. I won’t tweet (but how often do I do that anyway?). I’ll just have lots of lazy fun with my two curious kids.

In parting, here are a couple of pictures from our recent cherry picking adventure. We picked 8.25 pounds and canned 15 half pints of jam. There were enough cherries leftover for eating and making a cherry pie. Yum!

Mmmmmmm, cherries!

Ace cherry pickers (Finley with Sheyla)

Outside, Science/Math

Hurry scurry little quail

June 7, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Starker Leopold, a noted conservationist, once wrote, “There is no more delightful bird to have around the yard than the California Quail.” I’ve never been much of a birder, but I’m captivated by the two quail families that live on our property. I find myself listening for their call, searching out the male sentry and sneaking around for a glimpse of the chicks.

I can pick out the morning assembly call: Chi-co-go, often crowed from our neighbor’s rooftop or the pool wall. Out scurries another male with a couple of older chicks. They forage near the swing set, by the pool, eventually retiring in the shade of the side yard. The boys and I have spent many a minute listening and watching.

In the same area we’ve seen a male, female and three newly hatched chicks, who are tiny compared to the other “babies.” I’m wondering if the same female laid two clutches of eggs this year, a twice a decade occurrence. This would explain why the older chicks might be tended by Daddy and a benevolent uncle. Or perhaps the pair lost their first nest to pesky ground squirrels. We had a lot of them running around this warm winter.

I’ve tried to get pictures of our quail, but the males are fantastic watchmen. When they see me they shout a warning: pit-pit! Then — hurry scurry — everyone dives for cover. I now understand why wildlife photographers own telephoto lenses.

If you want to learn more about the quail, the California State Bird, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for video, audio and more. If you enjoy birding, you can report sightings and peruse data at eBird.

Arts/Crafts, Outside, Science/Math, Toys

DIY Stomp Rockets

May 17, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

We’ve purchased numerous stomp rocket kits over the years. Inevitably the foam rockets disintegrate within a matter of weeks. The plastic launchers often become brittle and fall apart. When I realized how easy it is to make your own rockets and launchers at home, I was in heaven; no need to buy expensive kits year after year.

Now, I confess that our parts came from a backyard rockets kit purchased at Barnes and Noble. The directions below are adapted from the book that was included, Stomp Rockets, Catapults & Kaleidoscopes by Curt Gabrielson. Using the book’s directions (pp .104-105), you can do it yourself even without the kit. Here’s what you’ll need:

2 liter plastic bottle

10-inch (approx.) portion of bicycle tubing

2-foot piece of PVC pipe, 1/2 or 3/4-inches in diameter

Duct tape

Masking tape

1 piece 8 1/2 x 11 paper for your rocket body (make sure to decorate it)

Cardstock

1 circle of paper , 3.5 inches in diameter with a wedge removed

Dowel

Here’s what you do:

1) Fit one end of the inner tube over the top of the 2-liter bottle. Duct tape to seal.

2) Attach other end of the inner tube over one end of the PVC pipe. Duct tape to seal. This is your rocket launcher.

3) Roll up your decorated 8 1/2 by 11 paper, using the PVC pipe as your guide. Make sure the rocket body fits snugly over the PVC pipe, but not so snugly that it can’t fly. Tape the edge securely.

4) Cut at least three fins from card stock. Ours had a hypotenuse of 3 inches. Tape these to the bottom end of your rocket at equal intervals.

5) Cut a circle approximately 3.5 inches in diameter. Cut a small wedge from the circle. Roll it tightly, making sure the cone fits snugly over the top end of your rocket. Using the dowel, push the cone through the rocket until it emerges at the top end. If necessary, tape it.

6) You are ready for launch! Place your rocket over the PVC pipe. Launches work best with two people: one person to stomp on the bottle, the other to point the PVC up to the sky. We had to blow into the PVC pipe to re-inflate between launches.

You can experiment with your rockets to spark discussion. What happens if you don’t put a cone on your rocket? What if you don’t include fins?

Food, Outside

Farmer’s Market: Fresh Food Fun

May 14, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Farmer’s markets. Fresh food. Friends and neighbors. Childlike fun.

We moved into our new-to-us-home four years ago, the first year the winery around the corner piloted its seasonal farmer’s market. From May to November, walking with our little red wagon — complete with trailer — to the Saturday market has become a family tradition.

We meet friends and neighbors. We visit with farmers who have become friends. The kids balance on beams and race in the grass near the gazebo and grapevines. We sample fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as tamales and hummus and berry pie.

Visiting the farmer’s market has sparked some interesting discussions about where food comes from. The boys understand that farmers grow the food we buy at the farmer’s market. They’ve even visit and picked fruit at local fruit orchards. Still, I don’t think they connect the food we buy at the grocery store with the growers. It’s an ongoing discussion. Recently we talked about how different foods grow best during different seasons; Trader Joe’s was no longer carrying California Cuties (mandarins) and organic apples since they are out of season.

There are some great books available to start a conversation about food with your children. One of the best I’ve seen is How Did That Get in My Lunchbox: The Story of Food by Chris Butterworth. Children learn where lunchbox staples like bread, cheese and juice come from. If you simply want a food celebration, check out two of April Pulley Sayre’s latest releases: Rah Rah Radishes and Go Go Grapes.

You can also turn a visit to the farmer’s market into a game if you are worried about keeping little ones occupied. How about creating a farmer’s market bingo card? Find pictures of seasonal foods your child will find at the market and arrange them five across and five down on card stock. You could cut and paste pictures from magazines or do this in a word processing program. Let your child bring a marker and cross out foods he finds at the market. The first one to get bingo wins a prize, for example a fruit or vegetable of his choice.

Do you have a local farmer’s market? What are some of your favorite experiences?

Nature, Outside, Science/Math

Ladybug, ladybug fly away home

May 8, 2012May 8, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Our lovely ladybugs are free at last. With morning temperatures above 55 degrees F, we released them near our aphid-infested rose bushes where they can find many critters to munch. We hope they’ll stay awhile so we can visit our “pets” from time to time. Cooper named one “Tickle” after it tickled his arms as it crawled towards his shoulder. My critique partner Julie provided this fabulous illustration of “Tickle.”

LadybugTickle — Tickle by Julie Rowan-Zoch

Today we’ll read Eric Carle’s “The Very Grouchy Ladybug” in honor of our ladybug friends. While perusing Eric Carle’s site, I found a wealth of activities related to the book, including phonemic awareness activities, time-telling projects, discussions about feelings and much more. Also, check out this pre-k class’s egg-carton ladybugs. If we really start to miss our friends, we might try this.

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Outside, Science/Math

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s SUPER MOON!

May 2, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Super moon is not the world’s newest super hero. Rather, it’s a super-huge, full moon — the biggest one we’ll see this year — coming to a sky near you on Saturday, May 5th.

So-called “super moons” occur when a full moon happens at the same time the moon is nearest the Earth, called the moon’s perigee. The moon’s orbit is an ellipse, not a circle, which means sometimes the moon is very “near” the Earth (an average of 226,000 miles away), and sometimes it’s father away. The distance between the Earth and the moon can vary by as much as 25,000 miles. That may not sound like much, but that’s about the circumference of the Earth at its equator.

The best time to see a “super moon” is when the moon is rising or setting, and it silhouettes buildings, trees or other objects. It might be worth postponing bedtime or waking up early for such a site. You can find out when the moon rises and sets in your area, here.

Space.com is encouraging people to share “super moon” stories and photos by contacting Managing Editor Tariq Malik: tmalik@space.com.

To learn more about Earth’s moon, see NASA’s kids page on the subject….here.

Outside, Science/Math

Scoping Things Out

April 25, 2012 Kirsten W. Larson

Much to our parents’ chagrin, my husband and I still have “stuff” stashed in their attics on the other side of the country. My Mom and Dad boast my Barbie dolls. My in-laws house lots of LEGOs. Occasionally, our parents bring an extra suitcase brimming with childhood treasures: Fisher-Price campers, American Girl Dolls and the like.

My husband’s latest endeavor is convincing his mom to bring his childhood microscope, especially since our boys are budding scientists. For some investigations, our assortment of magnifying glasses just won’t do, and purchasing a new microscope is a big investment. Recognizing a microscope migration may not happen immediately, I discovered a near-term substitute on Colleen Kessler’s Raising Lifelong Learners blog: the Carson Microbrite Pocket Microscope.

The Carson Microbrite arrived yesterday ready to go. It included the required batteries, and the instructions were easy to follow. You can adjust the magnification from 20 times to 40 times with a wheel, then focus with the lever. Press and hold a button, allowing the LED light to illuminate your specimen. The kit includes two slides with covers and a detachable slide “stage.”

We took it outside for a test drive yesterday morning. A roly-poly (aka pill bug) provided the most amusement. Magnifying him 40 times, we could watch his legs wriggle and his mouth parts move. Observing a flower, we could see the presence of pollen. We also looked at rocks, dirt, pine tree parts. This microscope’s portability makes it perfect for outdoor play or hikes: no need to wait until you are home to look at your specimens.

I found our Microbrite for under $10 on Amazon. At that price, it’s a perfect addition to your science tools.

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