New Royal Alberta Museum-- Downtown!

[I'm not sure why the video is not uploading... instead, follow this link for the video]

The RAM has been under review for an upgrade for several years now. Apparently there have been too many hurdles to grow the provincial museum in it's current location. The new plan, as viewed in the video, is to build it downtown, just north of City Hall.  It looks like a really exciting project which I hope goes to a local firm, particularly one that focuses on sustainable design.

For more details, check out this press release link.

Because the new building is constructed off site from the current museum location, it will remain open during the years of construction! Yay  ;-) I'm very excited for a bigger and better museum; I have often lamented about some of the amazing ideas I've come across while visiting other museums around the world. I've had enough of a sampling to know we can do so much better here.

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Royal Alberta Museum Feature Exhibits-- close soon!

Today we went to the RAM and I'm so glad we did. I haven't been paying attention to the turn around of new exhibits, so I hadn't realised that two of the newest additions (Illegal Killer Trade and Better Choose Me) were ending May 1 and the third (Heart and Soul) May 8th. I also didn't realise how interested my son would be in them and their activities.

So here they are...
[note, it was an impromptu visit and I was without a camera, but the links bring you to a pdf flyer with a few photos]

Book: Highway Cats

Every once in a while I am reminded that my son's interests aren't concentrated in solely one area. Yes, I should know better and not be so extremist in my thinking, but some times, lately, his focus can get so intense, lol!

Breaking from the current whirlpool of Star Wars, my son read Highway Cats, a 118 page chapter book, by Janet Taylor Lisle. It's a quick and engaging book-- well, as ascertained by the single sitting reading and the "don't bother me, I'm reading" phrases uttered. Although he has no specific comments to entice others to read this book, he does give it a 5/5. And I believe he's interested in checking out some of her other books.

From the Janet Taylor Lisle's website...

Old Shredder. Murray-the-Claw. The scarred Siamese, Kahlia Koo. They are cats without a home, forced to eat Dumpster scraps and hide in a scruffy woods along Interstate 95. Not until three mysterious, drop-off kittens arrive among them do they begin to appreciate the beauty of their little forest. By then, it’s too late. The wood is doomed. Plans for a new highway exit are underway, and as Murray the Claw says: “Nothing in the world can stop a road from going through once it’s started. Not mountains or rivers, not prairies or deserts, not a jungle full of wild animals and certainly not a bunch of dopey kittens.”
The highway rules are about to get broken, though. These kittens may look dopey but something powerful is at work behind them.


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101... Before You're 12!

Now I have two more books to recommend, both by Joanne O'Sullivan. We first found these gems at our local library and since bought our own copies. Of course, the library books don't come with the stickers ;-)


The first of the pair is 101 Things You've Gotta Do Before You're 12!



As the title says, the book contains 101 things to do... before you're 12. Each page, or double page layout, vibrantly illustrates and describes the activities. Well, truth be told there really shouldn't be an age limit as most of the book would be fun for an adult to complete too! What kind of 'things' are suggested?

Examples: geocaching, growing your own garden, reading your cereal box, try a new sport, go on a ghost tour, give your room a  make over, see a meteor shower, conquer a fear, sleep under the stars, make edible art, dig for fossils, and way more.

As you can see, some things can be done locally and others may require a trip. Some things are quick, free, and easy, others take time, money, or planning. The book comes with several sheets of stickers which are helpful to keep track of the activities accomplish and even rate them. With 150 stickers, you'd think it were enough, but it could use more; however, it depends on how active you are and how you want to track your progress. For example, there are not enough "mission accomplished" but you could always use a "top 20" or "this rocks" to mark those you've done. Or use "never ever" or "way weird."  

 The second book is, 101 Places You've Gotta See Before You're 12! Can you see the trend?! Lol. This second book is exactly like the first, complete with stickers, but with a different focus: things to see. Examples of suggested things to see: a big cave, a light house, a waterfall, backstage of a theatre, an unusual museum, a street market, your parent's workplace, a subway, an eccentric eatery, a special place to sleep (like Quebec City's Ice Hotel), a place of worship other than your own, a haunted place, a pig pen, a sculpture park, an old folks home, a crazy dream home.... and waaaay more.





Now, you certainly don't need either book to accomplish the tasks or visits, but it sure is nice to have them as a list all in one place and be able to mark off the ones you've done, like a diary! One problem: lack of space to write notes. But it's not impossible. Plus the 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! does have several note pages at the *back* of the book; weird that the 'To Do' book doesn't.

Thanks to Joanne O'Sullivan stopping by and leaving a comment below, I can add a bit more information to this post!

Guess what?! She adds to her lists through her blog The Wanderlists. So go check it out too for even more cool ideas!







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Book: "All I See Is Part of Me"

All I See is Part of Me by Chara Curtis, illustrated by Cynthia Aldrich

This beautiful picture book, illustrated with soft pencil crayon drawings, is inspirational for all ages. Reading level, according to the publisher, is ages 4-9. It's basically an illustrated poem examining the concept of oneness and interconnectedness. In 1996, this book won the Award of Excellence from Body Mind Spirit Magazine.

From the Illumination Arts Publishing website,
"When a young boy asks, “Who are you, Mr. Sun?” his innocent question triggers an expansive journey of self-discovery. With the help of Sister Star, he discovers his inner light, a light he also sees in all those around him. From the plants to the animals to the sea to the sky, he learns that he is part of everything, and everything is part of him.

From acclaimed children’s author Chara M. Curtis and illustrator Cynthia Aldrich, All I See is Part of Me is a celebration of life’s interconnectedness. Curtis’ nondenominational approach to the concepts of oneness and higher self offers children a wonderful introduction to spirituality, presenting the essence of all religions without explicit references to God."

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Virtual Field Trips!

Virtual field trips are one of those cool modern conveniences that the internet makes feasible. Many museums take advantage of this concept; we've certainly found a few treasures out there.

At Tramline Virtual Field Trips, "A field trip {is} created with TourMaker {and it} guides you through a sequence of Web pages on any given topic. For each page, there is simultaneous commentary in an accompanying frame. You move forward and back through the Field Trip using the tour Control Panel and you can leave the Tour to explore links and return to it whenever you want."

You don 't need the software to view the field trips, but if you want to create your own you do. As these navigate web pages, I did find a few dead links, but overall I think it's a cool idea and my son liked them. Some trips have interactive parts, audio, video, cool web resources, etc. It's certainly worth checking out and they have a range of different subjects covered: leonardo Da Vinci, endangered spieces, volcanoes, dinosaurs, aquifers, wonders of the world, etc

Each virtual trip has a designated grade range and contains learner outcomes, if that info rocks your boat ;-)

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Fun With Amazing Paper Toys and Models

From The Toy Maker

Way back when, we used to have fun exchanging flat travellers (aka flat Stanley)-- check out this old post for details. We used to make our own flatties and even got into paper dolls. One thing led to another and we discovered all kinds of paper doll and paper toy sites! Really, there seems to be an endless supply of free paper dolls... all you have to do is Google "free paper dolls" and you'll be flooded with websites or click over to just the images! From Berenstain Bears to old vintage sets, some cost but many are free.

Well, I'm not going to list all those sites. What I am proposing to share are just a couple I had left over in my bookmarks.

Download a Dragon is a good start for those mythologically oriented. Here you can print out castles, dragons, mermaids, unicorns, and more. The creators of this website also did Download a Dinosaur. The items here vary in quality, but are sure to entertain!

From Paper Toys

And more fun can be found at general paper toy websites (just search "paper toys").

The Toy Maker has some really lovely paper toys to make. They have everything from cards, boxes, baskets, and bags to origami, paper toys, and ephemera. Categories include animal and bug friends, fairies and magic, math and learning toys, toys that move, gifts and boxes, and fun and whimsy! Great for children and adults alike.

And then there is Paper Toys with all kinds of detailed vehicles to make, masks, dinosaurs, houses (Bill Gate's), buildings (Empire State Building/ Shakespear's Globe Theatre), historical places (Mt Rushmore/ Great Wall of China), and way more... well, just follow the link to see the list.

From RavensBlight

Step it up a notch with a more spookier set of very detailed, rich coloured paper toys at RavensBlight Toy Shop. These haunted paper treasures are sure to delight those of us with a different sense of humour ;-) What's there? Coffin gift boxes (awesome for Halloween parties!), cemeteries, haunted houses, all kinds of skeletons and monsters, magic tricks, cards, dice, board games, life sized human skeleton, werewolf mask, colouring pages, a balancing bat, pinhole camera, skull, more masks, helmets, a marionette, and so much more. And several of the haunted houses come with background stories!!! This is a real must check out ;-) Um, can you tell I like Halloween!   

From RavensBlight

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Highlights, the Magazine

Do you remember Highlights? Do your kids like Highlights?

My son has been receiving these lately as a gift subscription from his Grandmother. Today a new issue arrive and, like usual, he sat down with it and devoured it immediately. It doesn't take him long to read but he says he likes them.

What does he like about them?

Well, apparently he enjoys the stories and even the Goofus and Gallant! The special articles and kids poetry also catch his attention.











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Resource: Bird Identification Website

Quite a few years ago I was challenged to identify a sudden infestation of bird that descended unexpectedly on our neighbourhood. I didn't see it at first, I heard it! Flooding through open windows was a cacophony of unfamiliar bird song. And once we looked? Everywhere, upon every surface, were a medium sized bird happily "scree-ing" away.

Google to the rescue!

I quickly narrowed it down to a waxwing. But were these "ear-fulls" or "museums" of waxwings bohemians or cedars?

Well, at first I had a hard time distinguishing between the two, but found help at What Bird.com which has over 800 birds in its database.

This site gives a quick and easy Species Overview with photo, bird song audio, interesting facts, range of habitat, map, and related birds. Another tab Identification provides more specific help in identification. Two other tabs: Behaviour and Portrait round out the info on this website per bird.

And our mystery bird: Bohemian Waxwings, go check them out and hear their song-- just imagine that song multiplied by thousands!And you think I'm exaggerating?!

One of my favourite local song birds: Black-capped Chickadee
Another favourite local song bird: Robin


Oh, and those lucky enough to have an iPhone, apparently you can get the iBird app. I'm not sure if it's just an advertisement on whatbird.com or part of it. Just thought I'd mention it. And no, I'm not affiliated with iPhone  ;-)

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Theme Pages for the Preschoolers

I have a mess of bookmarks that I'm sure I'll never get through. I tend to research things, bookmark them for later, and never return. Sigh.

In an odd moment of cleaning up my bookmark files I came across this "Child Care Theme Pages" website. In their own words, it is "Preschool Curriculum Themes for Daycare Providers, Teachers, and Parents! Book Lists, Song and Fingerplays, Preschool Arts & Crafts, Recipes, and Preschool Theme Activites!"

A simple page layout contains all kinds of themes from the usual animals and holidays to numbers and colours. Clicking on one of the specific themes (like 'black' or 'watermelon') turns up a second page with a booklist, songs or fingerplays, experiments, crafts, etc.

All of this is too young for my son, but I thought it may be of interest to others with toddlers! 
Enjoy!


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