Our Stories

Message in a bottle (for Julian)

Dear Julian,

I'm betting on you.

I'm betting that you're smart enough to know how to reach us. If you're reading this, then I've already won the bet. Use the e-mail link and write us. Include your mailing address. Mrs. James and I want to send you your Christmas gifts.

Julian, you know how you and I love games? I want to share with you a game series I only just discovered. It's called The Legend of Zelda. In researching the origins of the series, I was fascinated by this -

The Legend of Zelda was principally inspired by Miyamoto's explorations as a young boy in the hillsides surrounding his childhood home in Kyoto,[2] where he ventured into forests with secluded lakes, caves, and rural villages. According to Miyamoto, one of his most memorable experiences was the discovery of a cave entrance in the middle of the woods. After some hesitation, he apprehensively entered the cave and explored its depths with the aid of a lantern. This memory has clearly influenced Miyamoto's work, as cave exploration is a major element of most Zelda games. Other than Miyamoto's childhood, Norse and Japanese mythologies have played a large role influencing the series, as well as Medieval European culture. Miyamoto has referred to the creation of the Zelda games as an attempt to bring to life a "miniature garden" for players to play with in each game of the series.[3]

It was just yesterday that I began playing The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I think the "miniature garden" is an apt description of the game. It's like I'm in another world. And, while playing yesterday, I thought of how you were whisked to another world. And I want you to know this, Julian. You will always be the hero of your world, just as Link is always the hero in the Zelda games. Like Link, you will find a way out of the darkness and into the sunlight. I know you will.

Of course Cruz and Jonathon and everybody were asking about you Tuesday and Wednesday. Mrs. James put on a happy smile those two days, but I could see the loss of you reflected in her eyes.

If it's okay with you, I named my character in the Zelda game "Julian" so that every time I defeat the bad guys, I am giving you the strength to overcome the obstacles you now face. Call me crazy, but, hey! Like Talking Heads used to sing... There's a million ways... to get things done. There's a million ways... to make things work out. Crazy's alright with me, as long as there's a kindness in its heart.

Juian, I hope this gives you a measure of comfort. It's from a book called The Prophet. It's always in print. And, thanks to some kind souls, the complete text is online.

I don't know what else to say. E-mail us, Julian. We'll talk.

And a very Merry Christmas to you!

9X7=wha?

I was looking for some interactive multiplication games and found www.multiplication.com. I downloaded the free version of Timez Attack. Julian and Cruz are testing it for us. The game promises the world. I'll be happy if it does what it claims - effectively teaches basic multiplication facts. All I know for sure (right now) is that Cruz and Julian love playing it.

I haven't yet had time to look at the rest of the offerings on www.multiplication.com. If I find something exceptional I'll let you know.

Hi ho Silver, away!

Continuing our look at Italian composer Gioacchino Rossini, Mrs. James's class yesterday traveled to The Baldwin Project where I read William Tell and his Great Shot to the class. What a grand tale it is! (I had forgotten the reason Tell sheathed the first arrow in his belt before loading a second arrow onto his crossbow. Do you remember?) Terrific drama - the kids sucked it all in. Now the fires were stoked for them to listen to the musical underpinnings of Rossini's William Tell Overture. (The Classics for Kids website is simply outstanding in every way.)

Here's a good site which illuminates the origin of Christmas traditions. Perfect for our class - I can project it on the big screen and let students take turns reading.

Our kids scored an overall 82.6 percent on last week's Mars/Jupiter SpaceQuest test. That means we owe them a pizza party (for scoring 80 percent or above). I think we're going to have it today.

Best kid books

Children's author Daniel Pinkwater rips it up with NPR host Scott Simon as they present the best kid books for giving and receiving this holiday season. Mrs. James's class will listen in on Monday. (I'm already searching the bookstores for a couple of books on Pinkwater's list.)

And, in a somewhat related note, our class is starting to groove on opera. So much so that I've ordered a filmed version of The Barber of Seville, which should help dispel the mid-January blahs by way of some welcome comic buffoonery. Of course, we'll make sure we throw in some standards and benchmarks along with the popcorn and crackerjack.

Kids music

Checking out NPR this morning, I bumped into a feature titled, Children's Tunes Revive Spirit of Punk Rock. I was intrigued, so I followed the link to Zooglobble - Kids and family music news and reviews - Kids music worth sharing.

And everybody lived happily ever after. Sort of.

The last of those pesky holiday poems

(The above graphic was made with TypeStyler for the Macintosh. 'Tis a super program.)

This is the final installment of my holiday trilogy. Say amen, somebody.

A Gift of Friends

A knock on the door, little feet rush to see. Who could be calling tonight, Christmas eve?

The stranger, he shivered, as the door opened slow. The ground had been frozen beneath a fresh sparkling snow.

Hiya mister! Are you Santy Clause? Did you bring me my gifts?
The man gave a pause.

His coat was worn ragged, no shine for his shoes. No gloves for cold hands. He had little to lose.

Figaro! Hey Figaro Figaro Figaro Figaro Figaro!

Mrs. James's class finished off Beethoven last Friday with a drawing activity as they listened to the first movement of his famed Fifth Symphony. The kids did a great job reflecting the A - B - A structure of the music.

Yesterday we introduced an Italian composer - Gioacchino Rossini - most well known, perhaps, for the marvelous comic opera, The Barber of Seville, but also highly regarded for his final opera, William Tell. We'll be focusing on the William Tell Overture, whose finale served as the opening thrilling music for The Lone Ranger television show, as well as The Barber of Seville.

My primary source for Rossini is Classics for Kids, a wonderful site for introducing kids to the world of classical music.

Fifth grade teacher honored as one of the best

Kudos go out to our own Mr. "D" for being recognized as one of the most talented teachers in the entire country. Full story here.

File under "serendipity"

I wasn't sure there'd be a sub Friday (Mrs. James was out due to a serious illness in the family) so I decided to see if I could find a video on telling time to reinforce our math unit and, at the same time, add some spark to the class day. Didn't find one (so I substituted Time Bingo), but I did find an excellent video originally shown on NASA TV in 2000, Windows on Mars. As so happens, we'd just finished two days of Mars exploration via our SpaceQuest.

Windows on Mars is a fast paced TV news magazine show for kids. The one hour show explores how the Mars environment would affect the arts and the development of a human settlement on Mars. Windows on Mars was produced by the National Endowment for the Arts as an additional resource for the Mars Millenium Project. A participation guide with lesson ideas and resources developed by NASA is available to download. We encourage all Mars Millenium Project participants to videotape the program to reuse.

The film is a wonderful example of interdisciplinary studies, incorporating art and architecture, music, stories and folk tales, and dance. Read the teacher's guide and you will come away excited and loaded for bear. Your class could spend an entire semester with this! (But of course you won't.)

Kudos to Mrs. James's students. Even though some of our kids became restless due to the film's length, (I recommend you split the viewing time in half - you can use the time out for a stretch break followed by a brief discussion) no one made any attempt to distract others during the show. I gave everyone five extra points on their daily reports for their excellent behavior.

BTW - We did have a sub on Friday, Ernestine Taylor. Ms. Taylor, assisted by an NMSU student observer, Amanda, showed our, at first, very disgruntled (they all wanted to be on the class computers as part of Friday's "fun day" - the last hour of the day Friday as a reward/incentive for a good week's work) students how to play the word game Scrabble. I think we might have hooked a few.