Picture of This Day

Outside Ken Matthews' Garden Center with my boy. Inside we would see the biggest Koi I have ever seen in my life. It may have been a manatee, actually.


Yorktown, VA
Tuesday, May 11, 2010

[Picture taken by my mom.]

Observe and Report

Last Tuesday was a special day for Kindergarten: field trip to the California Science Center. As with the other two field trips this year--pumpkin patch and zoo--I elected to be a volunteer driver. They don't do buses for field trips around here.

It was a wonderful day, if way too short. We got down to the Science Center late, but that was to be expected. Los Angeles freeways at nine in the morning...what are you gonna do? The kids played for awhile in the area in front of the box office while we waited for four classes worth of kindergartners and their teachers, conveyed in various vehicles, to arrive. Then we headed upstairs to check out the new Eco-Systems section of the museum.
We didn't have time to explore much, but it was pretty neat just the same. The little group of kids we were with all went to look at a water/ocean oriented exhibit. They got to touch some starfish and watch the way tidal movement affects sea creatures and plants. Kiernan caught a glimpse of a small shark and a ray moving along the bottom of the tank.

Here's our little group (I will provide names as I get permission from parents):


After lunch outside, the kids all headed over to another building for their lab time. I thought we had missed this, as we had missed our initial morning appointment because of the aforementioned traffic. As it turned out, the teachers had called while in traffic and rescheduled our lab time for the afternoon. Yes...our teachers rock.

Our afternoon time was spent in this interesting indoor/outdoor lab area where the kids were able to observe some creatures in an environment similar to nature. It was pretty neat, although sadly not very challenging. Note to museum tour instructors: if you begin your talk with a group of five/six-year olds by saying, "The three parts of an insect are--" and the kids all call out, in unison, "Head! Thorax! Abdomen!" And they do this before you can even begin to say the words. Don't spend the next twenty minutes doing a spiel on these things. Here's a hint: THEY ALREADY KNOW THAT.

You may have guessed that this was a somewhat frustrating part of the afternoon. Mainly for a few of the parents and the teachers, because the museum instructor was not prepared to adjust to the kids. Oh well. We still had a great time, and Kiernan and his lab team had fun interacting with ladybugs. His favorite insect...and mine.

They also got to see a really cool turtle. She's over there on the right. Okay, I'll be honest with you. If you stick your finger out, she'll probably bite it. This does not mean she doesn't like you. She wants to be your friend. Trust me. She just thought your finger was a worm. Or something.

Overall the trip was a success. We returned to school with all children intact. Even more surprising is the fact that we returned without losing any adults to sharks, or nervous breakdowns. What's best is that I can't wait to go back to the Science Center. There's so much more to see. We were down there last fall to see the Natural History Museum, which is in the same little area. This was during Kiernan's dinosaur phase--I'm still in mourning that the dinosaur phase has passed--and while we stopped by the Science Center for lunch, we didn't really check it out. Now that I've gotten a glimpse of it, I definitely want to take him there again. Much more to explore. And I'm grateful for that.

In the meantime...how about one more picture of my favorite insect. On my favorite boy.

Another Picture for This Day

A little preview before the Science Center post:


I'm working on a post about last week's trip to the California Science Center. This pic doesn't fit into the post, but I wanted to put it up anyway. I just love the way he looks. So thoughtful. What you can't see in the picture is the ladybug that's crawling around his hand and up his arm.

Stay tuned for a more complete explanation.

Picture For This Day

Our bookstore of choice is usually Borders. This is basically due to convenience--it's in the same shopping center as my second favorite pet store and a good wine store--and the fact that their membership club doesn't require you to pay twenty-five dollars a year* for the privilege of buying things at their store. But on this day we went out of our way to go to Barnes & Noble because Sandi's school in Virginia was doing a fundraiser there. A portion of any purchase we made on this day went to Magruder Elementary. I had to get some journal refills anyway, so off we went.


Saturday, May 1, 2010
Woodland Hills, CA



*Seriously Barnes & Noble. What the heck are you thinking still doing this? No wonder Borders is kicking your rump around here.

Picture of This Day

My boy making me look good while we shop at the grocery store. Sitting there quietly for the entire time and reading a graphic biography of Albert Einstein.

Monday, April 26, 2010.

Picture For This Day

Posted without further comment:


Except to say, courtesy of Grandaddy Jake.

Volcanologists

Here is the explanation video I promised in this post here.

The two of them took the volcano to school the next week and Kiernan taught some volcano facts and with the help of some vinegar and baking soda the two of them executed a volcano eruption for Kindergarten Room #2. It was a beautiful thing.

WET!

We went to Legoland for Wendy's birthday last month. We haven't been there for a couple of years, but I recalled that there was a water area and so we packed some extra clothes for Kiernan. It was a little chilly on this day, March 31, so I thought we probably wouldn't need them. I was wrong.

The kid he's running around with is some random kid that was there, a kid Kiernan immediately made friends with, finding out his name and informing us that we should hang out with this kid and his family for the rest of the day. He's incredibly good at this.

What may not be apparent from the video, is that there was a bucket out of frame that was filling with water. When it became full it would tip over and dump its contents. Kiernan wandered under this bucket at just the right moment.

Legoland was a blast.

Oh...and here's a bonus video from Legoland. She has only herself to blame.

Picture For This Day

A picture from last week when Gammy was here visiting during Kiernan's spring break. The adults retired to the kitchen to prepare dinner, and he took a break from bouncing off the walls to sit at his desk and draw a bit. We were chatting and I saw him over there at his desk, quietly doing his thing.

These little moments...they brighten my life.

I grabbed the camera and took a shot through the kitchen pass-through. Looking at this picture now, more than a week later, and I just feel pleased. Happy.

You may detect a volcano in the foreground. I'll try to post a video about that tomorrow.


April 9, 2010

Dispatches from Wacky Week

This week is Wacky Week at Kiernan's school. Why? Why to celebrate the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, of course.

Monday was Wacky Socks Day. No pics of that. Tuesday however, is another story.

Tuesday was Wacky Hair Day. Also the day Wendy volunteers in Kiernan's classroom.

Wednesday lacked official wackiness designation as it was a field trip day. Kindergarten went to the zoo and all the kids were supposed to wear red shirts.

I'll try to get more zoo pics up later, but for now here's Kiernan with his friend Oliver. I drove the two of them and was responsible for them all day. It was a blast.

Thursday was Wacky Everything Day.

Kiernan went as Fish Head Underwear Man (with a cape*). But I'm sure you could tell that yourself.

And today, Friday:


Pajama Day. Nothing says Dr. Seuss like a pair of pajamas at school. He insisted on wearing this footie outfit, telling me, "I have to wear this. I promised Veronica I would!" Huh? Okay. Luckily his shoes fit over the footies.

I will consider the day a success if he's not naked when I pick him up.

Hope your week was wacky, too.



*Cape courtesy of Sandi Murawski