Flanimals?!

What do you get when Ricky Gervais focuses his twisted humour and sites on children's books? You get a bizarre series depicting the evolution of Flanimals.

What are flanimals? I'm sure I could not explain. However, a chance meeting with Flanimals of the Deep at our local library has unexpectedly plunged our house into this wacky world. My son loves this book and is excited to learn it isn't the first or last of its kind. New holds have been established on the library card and the anticipation is rising.

I haven't told my son yet, but I think I just read that there is a CGI-type movie in the works! Maybe a TV series? For the books and this movie/TV info: click here.

Chapter 2: The Diversity of Life; Chapter 3: The Flanisaurs; Chapter 4: The Mulons

An Independent Project...Unschooling?

"Let Kids Rule the School" is an article written by Susan Engel, March 15, 2011 for the New York Times.

Check it out and see what you think.

Sigh. I love Natural Learning... unschooling!

New Star Wars Books

My son is totally engrossed in all things Star Wars. From the movies to all the encyclopedic books and everything in between, my son is obsessed ;-)

The New Acquisitions

... passionate?!

He reads Star Wars, he watches Star Wars, he plays Star Wars, he draws Star Wars, and he probably dreams Star Wars. Oh, hey, and he counts his money to pay for Star Wars and does the calculations to ensure he has enough to pay for his purchases (that is, when we are not using the library as a free resource).

Returned, Read, To the Library

His newest additions to his repertoire include a fun little book on light sabers and the Star Wars "A Long Time Ago" Omnibus which is a collection of the first 23 Star Wars comics ever written-- complete with all their mistakes (like not knowing that Luke and Leah were siblings or that Darth Vader was the Father or where the rebel base was relocated). Sigh, and it is only volume one, lol! This was a great find though because my son was willing to pay 8$ or even $15 for the original individual comics. But he has no interest in collecting and saving, he just wants the pleasure of reading the original stories, thank goodness for these omnibus collections!

Not Very Many Out From the Library At the Moment

Home Collection

More Books, Plus All Kinds of Lego Sets

And Even Action Figures!

Canadian Geographic Kids! aka CG Kids

Winter is still lingering here even as the light is returning and days getting longer. More light, but still cold with a little hope on the horizon: looks like this week should be considerably warmer.

Even so, we optimistically borrowed Lost in a Forest-- BC's Rainforest Vancouver, Haliburton's Boreal Ontario, by CG Kids, from the library. My son gave it 5 stars out of 5! And we are now craving forest exploration. Yes, yes, winter forest exploration has it's own benefits, but we're very ready for spring now. Besides, my son is looking forward to finding insects and bugs!

Typically we enjoy CG Kids around here. Short (25 minute episodes) and targeted to youth 8-14 years old (but great for all ages), the CG Kids adventures take us across Canada engaging in all kinds of discoveries. One of the features I like best is when they show quick experiments to do. For example, the Lost in a Forest episode explained why leaves turned colour in the Autumn. The experiment was to tape a leaf to a piece of paper, cover half of it with tin foil, and leave it out in the sun. The results should have the leaf half green where the sunlight was absorbed and the autumn colour for that leaf where the sunlight was prohibited.  We can't wait to tests this out ourselves! There was also an easy chromatography experiment demonstrated that would be very easy to duplicate.

There is even a show on Edmonton-- Edmonton to the Extreme!

This wonderful resource is going on it's sixth season. Over at the Canadian Geographic website, you can explore all current and past episodes here. It is a TV series and I suppose available that way. We usually take the dvds out from the library, but it looks like our library is way behind with only 35 episodes ;-)

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The Living Edens: Arctic Oasis: Canada's Southhampton Island

My son and I picked up this PBS dvd from our local library on a whim and I'm glad we did. It was a fascinating look into Inuit life with breathtaking filming; very visually stunning with an engaging storyline.

My son gives this episode 4.5 stars out of 5.

Here's the PBS plot summary:

There is an Eden in one of Earth's most brutally unforgiving realms. Along the shores of Southampton Island in northern Hudson Bay, a survival story has played out for centuries. Only a hardy group of animal and human souls have learned to live within this frigid and dark arctic world. Noah Kadlak, of Inuit ancestry knows how to live in the arctic environment and survive. Now he has decided the time is right to take his eldest son, 12-year-old Logan, on an extended hunting trip. The trip offers him a chance to introduce the boy to traditional Inuit skills of living off the land.

In the early spring Noah and Logan make the long trip by skidoo and sled. Father and son journey across the frozen ocean. They sleep in igloos, eat fish they catch from under frozen lakes and traverse a landscape that is defined by a horizon of ice and sky. It is a trip that is no longer readily made by the Inuit, but it is still ingrained in their souls.

The trip is an arduous one. With wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour, and air temperatures reaching 20 below zero, it takes a tremendous amount of effort to build their camp, take care of their sleds, and secure their equipment each night. They journey to a source of perpetual open water, an arctic oasis for man and animal alike in a land of frozen snow and ice.

After doing a quick Google search, I found that this episode has a "Featured Program" page full of extra information and more beautiful pictures. The special features includes going on an arctic adventure, learning a bit of history, checking out the map, exploring the arctic animals and flora, as well as a look at the filming of the episode, teacher's lesson plans, and extra resources.

NOVA scienceNOW: "The Science of Picky Eaters"

Today I came across a NOVA scienceNOW episode entitled The Science of Picky Eaters. Wouldn't you know it? Apparently genes do help determine food tastes ;-)

I recommend checking it out if you are interested in such things, it's not too long (just under 13 minutes). The whole show that includes this segment can be found here. And then, feel free to browse the NOVA scienceNOW website for more episodes to watch online!

Update: Please note you may not be able to browse the episodes, in Canada. I keep coming up with no access due to rights restrictions. I'm really annoyed by this. The link, which I got from an American blog site, still seems to allow viewing of The Science of Picky Eaters. So, this post is still valid.

Winter Light: Star Party --- March 5, Elk Island National Park

A copy and paste from my email reminders....

Look up, way up: Star Party

March 5, 2011
4-10 pm   
Elk Island National Park

The stars of this festival are... the stars! There is so much to see in space, and just as much to do back on Earth at the Star Party, Saturday March 5 at Elk Island National Park.

Map of Star Party at Elk Island National Park - click here 

The highlight of this event is the Astotin Lake Star Field, where avid astronomers from the Royal Astronomical Society share their telescopes and expertise to help you view the solar system, faraway galaxies and interesting space oddities. Elk Island National Park is part of the Beaver Hills Dark Sky Preserve, a special area of night sky conservation that allows for observation of the stars with or without a scope.

Inside the theatre, tents and tipis, the Star Party offers a wealth of intriguing star lore, talks, and presentations by respected scientists, artists, and aboriginal knowledge keepers. This year’s Star Party features local and national guests, including well-known wilderness astronomer and television host Peter McMahon, internationally recognized nightscape photographer Yuichi Takasaka, and artist and educator Kathleen Houston. Closer to home, Star Party hosts local ‘stars’ of sky observation and research, Dr. Warren Finlay, Dr. Erin Hauck-Walton, and Parks Canada sky expert Matt Davis. Traditional knowledge and culture is presented by Betty Lafferty, Walter Quinn, Ben Moses, Sherryl Sewepagaham and special guest and ‘star’ elder, Francis Alexis.

Mill Creek Adventure Walk: Raven's Nest-- Feb 25 and 26!

Another copy and paste from my email updates on the Winter Light Festivals, this looks like an amazing event:

Mill Creek Adventure Walk: Raven's Nest

February 25-26, 2011  
Friday and Saturday 4-10 pm   
Mill Creek Park
Lantern parades at 6:30 and 9 pm nightly
The woods come alive with mysterious lights, sound and characters for Mill Creek Adventure Walk: Raven's Nest. The adventure walk takes place Friday and Saturday night in Mill Creek Park, running north and south between 82 Avenue and 92 Avenue, on the west side of the creek.

This new Winter Light art walk is conceived and created by artists Memi von Gaza and Dylan Toymaker, creators of the hugely popular Baba Yaga Trail Adventure. They have teamed up to transform Mill Creek into a series of magical realms, animating a story of light and hope. This is Winter Light's second event in Mill Creek, the first being the Light Meadow in 2009.

The people of Raven's Nest are gathered at Underbridge, a place of fire and flickering lights, ruled by the eccentric Raven King (Dave Clarke). He keeps his people safe, but fearful of what lays beyond the boundaries of his camp. Along the path, the Magpie people roam, free to travel,  encouraging people to explore magical worlds: the Light Camp where the Lantern Makers (Ryan Halun, Talia Morrissey) live; and the Shimmering Grove, where the Aurora people (Dylan Toymaker) make music and light dance amid the trees.

A Trip to the Muttart Conservatory!

Love in the Feature Pyramid ;-)

Yesterday we went to the Muttart Conservatory. We enjoyed strolling through the four glass pyramids, each supporting different plants: arid, temperate, and tropical zones, with the fourth pyramid being a changing themed pyramid. Right now the Feature Pyramid sports tons of brightly coloured flowers and several heart shaped arrangements.

We noticed several signs of spring, especially in the Temperate pyramid. I suppose spring comes early indoors ;-)

The Temperate Pyramid also features one of my favourite plants, the Wollemi Pine tree.  Apparently this pine was thought to be extinct and only know from fossil records until a man rappelled into a valley in Australia and found a living grove! About 15 years ago, in Sydney, they thought to reproduce this plant, for conservation, and send plants to various parts of the world. Canada got 6 plants with one going to the Muttart! It had been in quarantine for two years since it came growing in Australian soil. Then it had it's debut in a very informative display in the Feature Pyramid in 2009. And, like I said, it's final home is in the Temperate Pyramid!

Or Make a Wish (no coins)

My son's favourites are the Tropical and Temperate Pyramids followed closely by the Arid and Feature Pyramids. Overall, it's a lovely place to visit and sit. We ended up sitting in the Feature Pyramid listening to the classical music playing overhead while we snuggled and read through a guide book to prehistoric life.

Temperate Pyramid, A Pond with Fish

Signs of Spring in the Temperate Pyramid

More Signs of Spring in the Temperate Pyramid

Wollemi Pine with Cones

Arid Pyramid

Tropical Pyramid

Who's hiding in the Tropical Pyramid?

Lovely Water Feature in the Tropical Pyramid

STEP OUTSIDE! WINTER LIGHT