Our Stories

We have a new student!

Welcome to Ruben Morales! I spoke with Ruben for a short time yesterday. One thing I know for sure - he is absolutely wild about trucks! (His dad drives one.)

Open wide for multiplication facts

Our class is busy shoveling in the multiplication facts. I've been making worksheets modeled after multiplication with rows. This is helping them see the difference between, say,  5X2 and 2X5, as well as empowering them to figure out any multiplication fact by themselves. Also helpful is this excellent site which features games using a multiplication grid. Yesterday we played the games using the big screen so that the kids will understand what to do when they move to the indvidual computers.

Marry me?

HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHO TO MARRY?
(written by kids)

You got to find somebody who likes the same stuff. Like, if you like sports, she should like it that you like sports, and she should keep the chips and dip coming!-- Alan, age 10

No person really decides before they grow up who they're going to marry. God decides it all way before, and you get to find out later who you're stuck with.-- Kristen, age 10

WHAT IS THE RIGHT AGE TO GET MARRIED?

Twenty-three is the best age because you know the person FOREVER by then.-- Camille, age 10

HOW CAN A STRANGER TELL IF TWO PEOPLE ARE MARRIED?

You might have to guess, based on whether they seem to be yelling at the same kids.--Derrick, age 10

WHAT DO YOU THINK YOUR MOM AND DAD HAVE IN COMMON?

Both don't want any more kids.-- Lori, age 8

WHAT DO MOST PEOPLE DO ON A DATE?

Dates are for having fun, and people should use them to get to know each other. Even boys have something to say if you listen long enough.-- Lynnette, age 8 (isn't she a treasure?)

On the first date, they just tell each other lies and that usually gets them interested enough for another date.-- Martin, age 10

WHAT WOULD YOU DO ON A FIRST DATE THAT WAS TURNING SOUR?

I'd run home and play dead. The next day I would call all the newspapers and make sure they wrote about me in all the dead columns.-- Craig, age 9

WHEN IS IT OKAY TO KISS SOMEONE?

When they're rich!-- Pam, age 7

The law says you have to be eighteen, so I wouldn't want to mess with that.--Curt, age 7

The rule goes like this: If you kiss someone, then you should marry them and have  kids with them. It's the right thing to do.-- Howard, age 8

IS IT BETTER TO BE SINGLE OR MARRIED?

It's better for girls to be single but not for boys. Boys need someone to clean up after them.-- Anita, age 9 (bless you, child)

HOW WOULD THE WORLD BE DIFFERENT IF PEOPLE DIDN'T GET MARRIED?

There sure would be a lot of kids to explain, wouldn't there?-- Kelvin, age 8

And the #1 Favorite is........

HOW WOULD YOU MAKE A MARRIAGE WORK?

Tell your wife that she looks pretty, even if she looks like a truck.-- Ricky, age 10


"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."

Taking a risk for art

The artist Mark Rothko once said, "Art is an adventure into an unknown world, which can be explored only by those willing to take the risks." It is in this spirit that the @rt room was created.

Like art rooms in schools everywhere, this virtual art room is meant to be a "special" place. Within its "walls," kids are offered opportunities to create, to discover, to imagine, to invent, to learn, and to make their thoughts become things. In short, the @rt room is a place for kids to explore their inner and outer worlds.

The @rt room is designed around the idea of "activity" centers that encourage kids to create, to learn and to explore new ideas, places and things on their own.

The primary author of the site is Dr. Craig Roland, Associate Professor of Art Education, at the University of Florida.

All text materials and images available through this site are intended for personal and/or educational use only. Any commercial use of this information is prohibited.

Welcome to the Art Room.

Kid safe searching

Take a look at Ask for Kids, formerly Ask Jeeves for Kids

I test drove Ask for Kids this morning. I typed scorpions in the search box and got this. Then I typed in Iraq and got this.

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.