Learn about the World's Biomes

Our planet is home to millions of different species of billions, if not trillions, of creatures. However, pollution, mining, urbanization, global warming, factory farming, oil spills, and the lumber industry are all contributing to the continuing loss of biodiversity on Earth. That's why it's more important than ever to learn about Earth's biomes, the creatures who live there, and what we can do to stop and reverse the loss of biodiversity. You can learn about biomes here and visit World Wildlife Fund's website to learn more about biodiversity and what you can do to help.

NASA Activities and Resources

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's virtual site has over two dozen fun activities and lessons for learners of all ages interested in astronomy and cosmology. You can also play a couple of NASA's fun educational games right here.

The Family Farmer

If you're looking for an excuse to do a bit of online gaming this weekend, you might want to check out The Family Farmer. In this interactive simulation, you will become the owner of a Canadian farm. You'll have to manage daily life on the farm without running out of money, exhausting your fellow workers, or succumbing to the economic and political pressures of international conglomerate companies looking to build on your farm. By the time you're done, you'll have a better understanding of the daily struggles faced by small farmers and hopefully a little more respect for the hard-working individuals who rise at the crack of dawn every morning to put food on our grocery shelves.

WebRangers

If you love nature and are interested in learning about America's national and state parks, you might want to check out WebRangers. You can play a variety of educational games that will help you learn about history, science, and animal life. You can also help the rangers decode puzzles and go on awesome scavenger hunts.

This site is best suited for younger learners. Middle and high schoolers can head over to NPS's Explore Nature site to learn more about conservation efforts all around the country.

Learn about Animal Anatomy

This interactive will help science students learn about the anatomy of fish, worms, and frogs. It's quite fascinating to see how such different creatures share similar organs and organ systems that are ideally suited to carry out the necessary functions of life in each creature's unique environment. As you finish virtually building each animal, consider the similarities and differences they share. If you can, try to relate what you learn in the simulation to your knowledge of human anatomy and the history of evolution of life on Earth.

Build a Body

Have you ever dreamt of having a spare body lying about so you fool your parents and trick your friends? Unfortunately, science hasn't quite advanced that far yet, but you can build a virtual body and learn about all of your body systems and organs and how they all work together to form a cohesive whole that lets you be, well, you!

Parents of younger children who haven't quite gotten around to The Talk have the option of setting up their children to learn about all body systems minus the reproduction system. (Though, if you're looking for a way to introduce your child to the 'birds and the bees,' Build-A-Body's non-graphic medical diagrams might be a good place to start.)

You will need to register for an account to use this resource, but it's free and it only takes a few moments. It'll also allow you to explore many of the site's other free resources.

Build-A-Body is a virtual interactive that allows students to place organs, bones, and connective tissues in their proper places while learning about the function of each part and body system.

Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha is an amazing search engine that serves as an advanced calculator, online dictionary, and virtual database of people, events, statistics, countries, nutritional information, weather, maps, science, art, technology, and more. To see examples of what you can look up with Wolfram Alpha, click here. Follow this link to go straight to the search engine itself. 

The search engine is free, but if you'd like to take it on the go with you, you can download the Wolfram Alpha app for your tablet or smart phone for a small fee.

Decoding Photographs

In most middle and high school history classes, you will come across the dreaded DBQ's. Short for Document Based Questions, teachers tend to make a Big Deal of DBQ's. Educators often spend a lot of time prepping students to answer these kinds of questions because most students are used to learning history from a textbook, or a lecture, of a professional analysis of an event, and are therefore unaccustomed to having to look at a historical document or photograph and analyze it themselves.

In general, DBQ's have a fairly good mix of primary textual sources like letters from soldiers, declarations of war, telegraphs from one leader to another, and newspaper articles written during the event, photographical primary sources, and other sources like maps, charts, tables, and diagrams. In this post, we're going to be focusing on how to decode photographs.

Take a look at this one, for example.

You may have seen it before, or you might not have. Let's pretend for a moment that you've never seen this photograph before in your life, and you don't have any textual hints whatsoever what period of history it might be from. (This will never happen on a test; however, it's quite common to come across an isolated image in real life or in the Internet and have to draw your own conclusions about it.) 

We have to start somewhere, so let's start with the assumption that this photograph was taken after the invention of photography. That's pretty much a given, right? The first photograph of a person was taken in 1838, but photography wasn't very good back then, and it was extremely expensive. For a long time, most of the photographs taken were commissioned portraits of wealthy families or individuals. Those photographs were taken in high street studios and required a mix of good lighting, careful posing, and meticulously chosen props to mimic the style of earlier portrait artists who worked with a paintbrush and canvas to 'idealize' their subjects. However, it's clear that this woman is not wealthy or in a high street studio. She's far from idealized, as well; the photographer's goal here was to highlight her flaws, not to brush them away. 

In 1901, the Kodak Brownie brought photography to the masses. Photography was no longer an exclusive high street profession, and it was affordable enough that the average middle class person could afford a camera. So, now we have somewhat of a date. This photograph was most likely taken sometime between 1901 and 2015. But wait a second. When was the last time you saw someone taking a black and white photograph? Sure, photographers still use black and white filters to achieve an artistic effect or to make a statement, but the majority of people photographing historical events these days use color whenever possible. 

Color photography was invented in 1861. However, it took days of exposure and it was even more expensive than regular photography. The cost of color photography went down in the 1940's, but habit compelled people to use traditional methods well into the 1950's and 60's. You start to see the transition between black and white and color photography around the year 1950, so let's take an educated guess and say that this photograph was taken before the year 1950. 

Now we have a range we can work with. Sure, a lot of things happened between 1901 and 1950, but at least now we know not to guess that this was taken during the Vietnam War or during the American Revolution. 

(I'd just like to take a moment to note that we do have many historical photographs from before 1901. We have photos of officers from the Civil War and pictures of Union camps and photographs of Abraham Lincoln, as well as several other presidents from the 19th century. However, those photographs are primitive compared to the one above, which is superbly defined.) 

So now we can ask ourselves what major events happened between 1901 and 1950. The World Wars come to mind, as does the Flu of 1918, the Roaring 20's, the women's suffrage moment, and the Great Depression. We can eliminate the Roaring 20's right away. This woman isn't happy and carefree. She's worried about her children and her future and her own wellbeing. She's dirty and her clothes are ripped. Her children are in a similar state and the mood of the photograph is altogether bleak and hopeless. We can probably cross the Flu of 1918 off our list as well. She isn't visibly ill and a pandemic can't really explain her unwashed appearance. She's probably not a member of the woman's suffrage movement, either. While many women were jailed and went on hunger strikes in the process of obtaining the right to vote, she wouldn't have her children with her if she was imprisoned and she would probably appear more brave and determined if she was a free woman fighting for her right to be represented in government. So that the leaves the World Wars and the Great Depression. 

Is it possible that she's a European refugee who lost her home and perhaps her husband to a war? Yes, absolutely. However, this is the point in our hypothetical exercise where you realize you're taking an American history class, and that your teacher probably isn't mean enough to try to confuse you with pictures of European refugees. 

So now we've correctly arrived at the conclusion that this photograph was taken during the Great Depression. This woman and her family are living in abject poverty. They barely have enough money for food, let alone new clothes. They're clearly homeless and probably living in a Hooverville somewhere. 

You might be asked to deduce what this woman's concerns are, or how she's feeling, or how she got into this situation. She's clearly miserable, and she's probably worried about providing for her family. She might be hungry, or cold, and her children are crying. She might be wondering when things are going to get better, or she might have given up on hope entirely. She might even be remembering her life before the Stock Market Crash of 1929 plunged the world into an economic depression. 

And we got all of that by being able to place this photograph in its proper historical context. 

Coding Resources

I promised a few posts ago that I'd compile a list of coding resources. Unfortunately, I don't know much about coding, so I'm going to direct your attention to this article entitled Ten Places Where Anyone Can Learn to Code.

Even if you don't have much of an interest in coding, you might want to check out the article anyway. In today's competitive digital age, being fluent in at least one coding language can give you a significant advantage when it comes to college admissions and getting that awesome job that fifty other people applied to as well. Plus, it looks great on your CV or resumé.

Cosmos: A Personal Voyage and A Spacetime Oddyssey

If you love science, the following two TV programs might be right up your alley. Cosmos: A Personal Voyage, presented by the beloved scientist Carl Sagan, takes viewers on a journey through the cosmos, from the Big Bang to the lives of stars to the origin of organic life on Earth. You can watch all thirteen episodes for free on Youtube.

Cosmos recently got a modern revamp with all of the latest special effects designed to enhance the viewer's engagement with the series. Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey is presented by the well-renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and will take viewers on a similar voyage through the stars. In the words of the National Geographic Network, "Cosmos will explore how we discovered the laws of nature and found our coordinates in space and time. It will bring to life never-before-told stories of the heroic quest for knowledge and transport viewers to new worlds and across the universe for a vision of the cosmos on the grandest scale."

I've been unable to find a site where you can watch Cosmos for free, so check your local TV listings if you're interested in watching. In the meantime, check out the official site, where you can learn more about the host, watch clips from the series, and construct your own virtual solar system.

Let's Get Creative: Finding Inspiration

Some people have what's commonly referred to as a 'creative spirit.' You know the type. The doodles in the margins of their notebook make our best artistic efforts look like stick figures in comparison. They can write flawless poetry with their eyes closed and recite Shakespeare without a single moment of hesitation. They have super-powered green thumbs that can make even the most stubborn plant burst into brilliant bloom. They take the perfect photograph every time, and their writing is breath-taking. You might even get the impression that they were born knowing how to waltz.

But let me tell you a little secret: You're a creative spirit, too. In fact, everyone is. Your neighbor with the questionable fashion sense who starts decorating for Christmas in June? She's a creative spirit. The guy who bags your groceries at the Super Market? He is too. Your clumsy aunt with an inexplicable fondness for garden snakes? You guessed it - creative spirit.

A lot of people assume that they have to be born with some sort of special talent to be creative, and to some extent, they're correct. Fortunately, you just happened to be born human, and humans have an incredible talent for finding inspiration and translating it into creative energy.

The problem that most people have - even people who are typically regarded as 'creative spirits' like artists, authors, and musicians - is that inspiration can be hard to come by.

In truth, inspiration is all around us. It's in the trees and the clouds and the changing of seasons and the comings and goings of people around us. I once wrote a 1,000 word essay on my neighbor's dishcloth. Most of us don't see dishrags as particularly inspiring, but for me, it sparked a chain of ideas that led to an A+ paper.

Inspiration is everywhere. Sometimes all we have to do to capture some is open our eyes. Other times, pursuing that spark can be a little more tricky. Here are some tips to find what inspires you:

• Go outside. There is a world of wonder and beauty just out your front door. Take a few deep breaths. Stare at the trees. Run your fingers along the grass. Keep a look out for birds. Get down on your hands and knees and look for any interesting critters going about their lives. Listen to the sounds of your community. Watch your neighbors coming home from school or work, or gardening, or playing with their children. Let the sunshine warm your face. Lay on your back and watch the clouds. See if you can spot any cloud creatures. Observe the lengthening shadows as day turns to dusk. Look up at the night sky, and see how the world looks shrouded in darkness. Pay special attention and see if you can notice anything you overlook in your daily life, like the broken planter on the side of the garden or the crack on the second step. 
• Meditate. Go to a quiet place and just think. Separate yourself from the fast pace of modern life and see if your inner muse has anything to tell you. 
• Keep a collection of interesting, thought-provoking quotes on a document on your computer. Bookmark a few beautiful poems that speak to your heart. Take a look at some beautiful words and their definitions. 
• Download some images of natural beauty. Not everyone has the advantage of seeing nature in their everyday life, especially in urban environments. Let these photographs take you to the far-flung natural treasures of this world. 
• Listen to music. Put on some classical music and let it move you. Play a song in a foreign language and ponder its meaning. (If you're a multilingual student, don't cheat! Find music in a language you don't understand and allow yourself to feel as you listen without getting caught up in the words.) Listen to ancient music from thousands of years ago and try to imagine the life of the person who created it. 
• Look at art. If you can't visit a gallery, try taking an online museum tour. 
• Talk to an elder. Ask them about their life. Ask them to tell you their story. You never know what kind of amazing adventures they'll enthrall you with. If you have Grandparents, you might want to consider recording their stories somehow. It'll preserve your family history and you'll treasure those recordings for years to come. 
• Don't force it. Even the most esteemed creators have creative blocks. If you can't find anything that inspires you, take a break and try again tomorrow. Inspiration will find you, one way or another.

National Geographic Learning Resources

At National Geographic's official sites, students can access a wide array of learning tools and educational resources. You can read thousands of articles about new archeological finds, conservation efforts, climate change, strange and wonderful creatures, foreign lands and much, much more. You can also watch educational videos or browse through hundreds of breath-taking photographs of landscapes, weather, and animals from all over the world. Older students can click here to take a look, while younger students and struggling readers should head on over to Nat Geo Kids for content that's easier to comprehend but just as exciting as it's partner site.

Free K-5 Math Workbooks

At The Math Learning Center, you can download hundreds of pages worth of free material to help your student succeed.

Just click on the links below, select your child's grade level, and click 'download.' A PDF file will open up, and you will find various activities and worksheets if you scroll down about 20 or 30 pages.

Bridges Collection of Activities and Worksheets

Practice Books (Please note that these have not been revised to align to the current Common Core standards.)

Problem Solving with Story Boxes for Grades K-2

Introduction to the "beauty and excitement" of math for grades 3 and 4

Lessons and Activities:

• Kindergarten
• 1st Grade
• 2nd Grade
• 3rd Grade
• 4th Grade
• 5th Grade

I also found a free publication about becoming a better math tutor that I will be browsing through later today.

Reading List: Carl Sagan

I wish you could see my library. It's a rather eclectic collection of things, from the creaky wicker furniture to the cacti shivering in the corner to the collection of skulls from Grandpa's hunting days. There's a sizable collection of indigenous art from both North and Central America, ranging from hand-painted pottery to huge dream catchers to ornamental ladders hung with pelts and preserved hooves to painted plates and a regal sculpture of a revered Native Chief. My own scientific endeavors have left their mark on the room as well. A squirrel tail dangles from one of the bookcases, a line of skulls sits atop a pile of books, and a tin of assorted vertebrae rattles about every time a drowsy dog bumps into the bookcase.

Of course, the purpose of a library is to house books, and we have plenty of those. We have so many, in fact, that the shelves are bowed under their weight. One bookcase is dedicated almost entirely to science fiction and mystery novels. I have my own little section from the days before we switched to digital that keeps tilting over and falling down. Another bookcase houses a selection of books from my childhood. My mother used to buy a hundred books for five or ten dollars at charity shops and library sales and rummage sales when I was younger. Once I was done with a batch, she'd have a tag sale of her own and donate the books that didn't sell to charity, and then the cycle would start anew.

A third bookcase houses my mother's academic books as well as an encyclopedia of dinosaurs.

But by favorite bookcase by far is the one that's split between various anthologies of fairytales, myths, and legends from across the world and my science books. I'm not in the library right now and I don't recall every book on the shelf, but I'd like to tell you about the one I treasure above all overs.

I read Carl Sagan's Cosmos in the summer of fourth grade after a family friend gifted it to me. For the first time, I understood the world around me in brilliant, beautiful technicolor. I knew the origins of the atoms in my body and I knew how the sun was born and when it would die. I understood that life was ancient and amazing and mind-bogglingly complex. And for the first time, I looked up at the sky and saw something more than just twinkling points of light. I saw a universe of wonders untold, an eternity of splendor, billions and billions of stars and planets just waiting for someone to lift the veil of mystery up off their shoulders. I saw unending beauty as I flew through the chapters of Cosmos and I felt boundless, bottomless elation every time a new piece of the puzzle slotted into place. For many years, I felt like that book and the dozens I read afterwards in the pursuit of knowledge dropped the keys to the kingdom right into my lap. The doors to the universe had been slammed open, and I could not wait to see where they would lead me.

That's why I'm recommending it to anyone and everyone who has even the most passing, fleeting interest in science. For me, Cosmos and many of Sagan's other books were life-changing. I personally think everyone should read them, but perhaps I'm just a bit biased in that regard.

Some of the books I enjoyed the most are as follows:

• Cosmos (obviously)
• Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (I believe I read this one directly after Cosmos, and loved it almost as much.)
• The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark
• Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
• Broca's Brain: Reflections on the Romance of Science
• The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence 

Today's Lesson: A Portrait of Humanity

Pretend for a moment that you are a scientist working at NASA. You have a cool little badge that lets you into super-secret labs and everything. You and your colleagues are working on a special project. You're going to send a space probe far, far away, beyond Jupiter, beyond Saturn, beyond Uranus, beyond Neptune, beyond poor Pluto and it's tiny moon, beyond the solar system itself. You're going to be sending it out into the great unknown, like casting a bottle out into the cosmic sea. You're not quite sure where it's going or even if it'll survive the journey. You don't know who - or what - will find it, or even if there's anyone or anything out there to discover it, but you know that when you consider the vastness and age of the universe, it's statistically unlikely that we're the only planet harboring life and, furthermore, you are human and you cannot and will not believe that out of all the star systems in the universe, ours is the only one that supports life.

So your task is to paint a picture of human kind, the planet it calls home, and the billions of creatures it shares that world with. You and your colleagues are going to be including a golden record - a kind of CD, if you will - that will last a billion years. The only question is: What are we going to put on that CD?

Take a few moments to think about that question. If an alien race discovers your space probe a hundred million years from now, what do you want them to see? Are you going to be brutally honest and include a comprehensive overview of world history from recorded history to the present day, or are you going to edit out the worst bits? How are you going to represent the entirety of the human race in just a few dozen photographs? Are you going to include pictures of world leaders or just everyday people? How are you going to communicate the range of human emotion to an alien? How would you communicate love, and joy, and sorrow, and grief? Are you going to include any artworks? If so, which ones? Your mind might go straight to Van Gogh or Rembrandt, but remember that you're supposed to be representing all of humanity. Are you going to include pictures of the weather? How about human dwellings? What about the Great Pyramids and the Coliseum? Are you going to include portrayals of human suffering and cruelty? Are you going to cut genocide and war out of the picture, or will you leave it in the story for the sake of honesty?

What kind of sounds are you going to include? Aliens probably aren't going to speak any human language, so how else would you communicate with them? What kind of music would you include?

You can see how the scientists working on the Voyager probe back in 1977 answered these questions by following this link and clicking on the links to 'Scenes from Earth,' 'Greetings from Earth,' 'Music from Earth,' and 'Sounds from Earth.'

Once you've taken a few minutes to browse through the sounds, music, and pictures, consider this: If the Voyager Space probe is ever discovered by an advanced alien race, this is all they will know of Earth and the people who live here. This is all they will know of humanity, and the creatures that live alongside us. They will hear our greetings and listen to our songs and play our sounds and look upon a few dozen pictures and they will judge everyone who has ever walked this Earth and everyone who ever will based solely on that tiny, tiny bit of information.

Ask yourself if you are happy with the portrait of humanity contained within the Voyager Space Probe. Did it make you proud to be human, or leave you feeling strangely disappointed?

Try, if you can, to put yourself on the receiving end of this message. Who are these people, and what is their place in the universe? What have they accomplished during their species' reign? How have they left their mark? And, ultimately, are they important? When our message in a bottle washes up on the cosmic shores of some distant world, will its inhabitants recognize the thousands of years of art and literature, struggle and triumph, love and joy, beauty and hardship, mistakes and knowledge, hope and faith, science and technology and passion that went into its making? Or will they look upon it as we would look at an ape drawing a line in the sand with a stick, slightly amused, mildly baffled, and ultimately unimpressed?

Tips for Solving Word Problems

With the new Common Core standards, word problems are becoming trickier and more common than ever. It's vital that you learn how to pull out the important information and figure out what the question is asking you to do even in the most complicated of word problems.

• If you have a worksheet, workbook, quiz, or test that you're allowed to write on, take full advantage of it. Use a combination of underlining, circling, and boxing in to separate the different parts of the word problem and highlight important information. Just make sure that you don't underline the entire thing. If you're going to do that, you may as well just leave it as is. The whole point of marking up the question is to find the important parts, so it's not going to help you if you mark everything as important. 
• Figure out what the question wants you to do. Sometimes, it'll ask you to do more than one thing and sometimes it'll try to confuse you by adding extra steps you need to do before arriving at your final answer. You can lose points fast if the question asks you to round your answer or convert it from feet to inches and you leave it as is. You might want to star the question so it'll stand out on your page. 
• Break it down into steps. Ask yourself what you need to do first. What comes after that? What's my third step, etc, etc? If you have enough time and you're really struggling with a problem, you might want to partially rewrite it and label each part so it's clearer to you. 
• Make sure you final answer is circled/underlined/boxed in/on the line provided. If you just did three computations to get at your answer, your test grader might not know which one is your final answer. 
• Check your work. Make sure you didn't make any silly errors, like adding instead of subtracting or writing a 9 instead of a 6. Also ask yourself if your answer makes sense in the real world. If the question asks you to find out how much Lily spent for three tomatoes and you get an answer of 90 dollars or two cents, you probably made a mistake somewhere. 
• You can also check your answer by working backwards. If you want to make sure you completed a division problem correctly, multiply the quotient (the answer you got) by the divisor (the number you divided by) to make sure you can arrive back at the original dividend (the number you divided, also known as the number under the little house in long division). 

K-12 Reading and Writing Worksheets

K12 Reader provides free printable worksheets for students in grades K-12. Students can brush up on their spelling, reading skills, grammar, composition, and vocabulary. You can sort the worksheets by grade or by topic to find the best worksheet for you. Every worksheet comes with an answer key, and most have a mini-lesson at the top to further aid the learning process.

K-12 Math Worksheets

Math Worksheets Land is a great resource for math students of all ages. Whether you missed a lesson or you're trying to study for an upcoming quiz, Math Worksheets Land has the answer. You can sort worksheets by grade-level or by topic. The site is very straight-forward to navigate and will provide you with a guided lesson and two worksheets for every topic. If you know where your weak areas are in math, this can be a great resource to help you target them and turn them into strengths.

You can got a lot of free content on the site, but you might want to consider paying for full access if you're an educator. With a site subscription, you'll unlock answer keys, three homework sheets for each topic, three quizzes for each topic, three addition practice sheets for each topic, and a variety of tests for each grade level.

National Parks and Wildlife Refuges

Visiting any one of America's protected areas, national or state parks, wildlife refuges, or designated natural areas can be a learning experience for the whole family. Discover how America the Beautiful got its name by visiting a national park near you.

Hidden Kingdoms Documentary Series

In the BBC's own words, Hidden Kingdoms allows viewers to "immerse {themselves} in the lives of extraordinary characters that stand a few inches tall. From chipmunks to mice, be entertained and spellbound by the creatures that call the Hidden Kingdoms home."

Hidden Kingdoms: Under Open Skies

Hidden Kingdoms: Secret Forests 

Wild Weather Documentary Series

In the BBC documentary series Wild Weather, presenter Richard Hammond travels around the globe to show viewers how the forces of wind, water, and temperature shape our world. Viewers of all ages will enjoy watching him chase a tornado, build a fire twister, fly a helicopter into a cloud, start a controlled avalanche, and build his very own dust storm.

Wild Weather: Wind

Wild Weather: Water

Wild Weather: Temperature 

Filthy Cities Documentary Series

Filthy Cities is a BBC documentary series that explores three historical cities and analyzes how their efforts to clean up led to lasting social, political, economic, and infrastructural changes that helped bring each city into the modern age.

Filthy Cities: Medieval London

Filthy Cities: Revolutionary Paris

Filthy Cities: Industrial New York

I would recommend this documentary series only for high schoolers and mature middle school students due to the depiction of disease, death, organic decay, and execution.

Dictionary Word of the Day

If you're looking to broaden your vocabulary, you might want to consider subscribing to Dictionary.com's Word of the Day. You'll get a little e-mail in your inbox every morning telling you the meaning of a brand new word and giving you an example or two of it's usage over time. You'll also learn about the origin of the word, which all of you linguistics fans out there will find cool, and you can click on a button to have the word read aloud to you if you'd like to use it sometime soon and want to ensure your pronunciation is on-point.

Collection of Online Interactives

Check out this collection of educational interactives from all over the Internet. They're meant mainly for students in grades K-5, but I have to confess that I had fun clicking around the site too. The site hosts links to science, math, ELA, social studies, music, art, and Spanish interactives and is very easy to navigate, so I'm sure that it'll be a breeze to find exactly what you want to learn about.

Encouraging Serious Scientists

Most children have some level of interest in science, even if they don't realize it. Young children will marvel at roadkill and play with worms. Some students will display an intense interest in dinosaurs, volcanoes, hurricanes, robotics, or marine science. Unfortunately, many students slowly loose interest in science as they make their way through the school system. Some maintain some level of interest, but hide or suppress it because the sad reality of life in America is that science simply isn't "cool" to the vast majority of school-aged children.

However, some students' love of science will only grow and blossom as they age. Every new piece of knowledge flames the fires of their curiosity, and oftentimes these students will know from an early age that they wish to pursue a scientific career.

I was one of those students. I got straight A's all through high school, and I got a full-ride scholarship to a very small, very exclusive, very elite college specializing in a cutting-edge field of science. What happened next is something I like to refer to as my own personal version of Paradise Lost, but that's not entirely relevant to this post. What is is that I was one of those little Serious Scientists, and I'd like to share some of what my parents did to encourage and build my love of science.

Before we get started, I'd like to say that some of these strategies can be a bit of an investment and are generally only for mature, responsible, well-coordinated students who can be trusted to use high-quality instruments that can be dangerous if handled irresponsibly.

My uncle got me a high-quality dissection kit for my ninth birthday. My mother, perhaps understandably so, thought he was just a little bit mad for doing so. After all, most parents probably don't want their children fooling around with surgical equipment at the age of 9. I was throughly briefed on how to use the kit and how to avoid injuring myself while using it, and it was impressed upon me that my parents were putting a lot of responsibility in my hands by allowing me to own such an item. I was not allowed to use the kit without supervision for several years (again, perfectly reasonable) and for the most part, my methods were rudimentary and unskilled. I didn't know how much pressure to apply to cut into my first frog without rupturing most of his organs, and I hadn't yet mastered the delicate magic of removing said organs in one piece. My first rat didn't go all that well either, but my second was quite a bit better. But by the time I graduated to dissecting the roadkill squirrel I'd begged my mother to allow me to take home, I'd gotten pretty good. I'd never skinned such a large mammal before, but I ended up with a sizable piece of the pelt, both of its ears, and its tail. I then proceeded to dissect it, and I'd like to say that I conclusively proved it was run over by a blue Jeep Wrangler traveling at precisely 24 miles an hour, but I wasn't that good. However, I was able to get most of the organs out in one piece, which I counted as a win for Team Me.

Dissections, when paired with other scientific endeavors like de-fleshing and reconstructing the skeleton of an animal that died of natural causes (the library in my house is currently littered with a partial cat skeleton, a huge fish skull and most of its vertebrae, several bird skulls, and the above-mentioned squirrel parts) can help to foster a life-long love of science. I myself learned much about anatomy, biology, and organic decay through careful dissections and controlled decomposition coupled with copious amounts of research.

If you do decide to purchase a dissection kit for your child, please make sure to tell them about what is and isn't acceptable to dissect in addition to giving them a series of safety lectures. The family pet is obviously not going to end up under the blade, and healthy, live animals should never be killed for the purpose of a dissection. However, it's fine to purchase frozen rats from the local pet store (most stores carry them as food for large snakes) or frogs specifically preserved for the purposes of dissections. Animals found on the side of the road should be used with extreme caution. If they're extremely fresh and not yet rotting or covered in maggots, it's probably safe to work with them as long as you use gloves, a disposable hospital mask, and make sure to disinfect your tools before and after working with it, which is a practice you should get into anyway. A fish caught in non-protected waters is also a good choice. If your child is in high school, you might even want to look into purchasing a suckling pig preserved and sold for dissections.

A microscope is also an excellent purchase to make for a science-loving child. I'd recommend that you buy a few pre-made slides for them to look at as well as several blank slides or petri dishes so they can look at small household debris like dust, hair, sugar, salt, spices, soap flakes, sand, insects, and clothing fibres.

I'd also suggest planning a yearly trip to the planetarium, if your financial circumstances allow.

My parents also purchased a telescope for me, and I used to take it out every night during the summer to look at the moon (and Mars and Venus when they came close enough to Earth).

I also have several chemistry kits, nearly every book Carl Sagan ever wrote, as well as an indoor star projector, a DNA kit, a Starfinder, and several dozen fossils.

Obviously, not every family has the same circumstances as mine, and not every child is interested in the same fields of science. I am not in any way implying that you should replicate what my family did; I am merely suggesting that you should foster your child's love for science to the best of your ability. All of the items mentioned in this post cost money, but there are dozens of other free resources on this blog you can use instead of these or in conjunction with them.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the items mentioned in this post, please feel free to leave a comment.

Nature Walks

Talking nature walks can be a great way to teach young children about their environment and community. When I was little, I used to go out with a tiny hand basket to collect interesting leaves, rocks, stray flowers, and twigs I found on the way. My mother and I would keep a look out for colorful birds and listen for their songs, and Mom would point out trees in their various phases of budding, flowering, and turning colors in the autumn. She'd tell me about the grass and the trees and the sky and the clouds and how it all came together to work as one sustainable ecosystem. Under her loving supervision, I learned about how clouds made rain and how the trees and plants around me used that water along with sunlight to make energy for themselves. She showed me where the mosses and lichens fit into that world of green, and together we watched the coming and goings of the insects and spiders that made a home for themselves on our block. One day each week for an entire year, we walked around the corner to the tree where the ladybugs came to mate and lay their eggs, and once we spotted the first egg, we came back every day to see if we could catch them hatching into larvae.

I still remember the summer a rather hardy spider spun a web in the space between a small stone pillar and a neighbor's picket fence. It's been a great many years since I last saw that spider, and I know that in all likelihood she's long since perished, but some part of me wants to believe that she's still out there, spinning spindly little webs in small, dark places.

I also remember the day we found a half-eaten cupcake about half a block from our house. It was crawling with ants, and my three-year-old self was completely and utterly captivated. I could hardly believe that such tiny creatures could disassemble a piece of food many hundreds of times larger than themselves. Somehow, they managed it, and when we went back a few hours later at my insistence, all that was left of the abandoned treat was a stained wrapper and a dozen straggler ants who hadn't realized the feast was over.

As I grew older, we still went on walks together in the gentler months of the year. Occasionally we found a pinecone or some other such treasure. We may have even borrowed a fig or two from the tree a few blocks north of here, but nothing has ever been conclusively proven on that matter.

Nowadays, those nature walks are some of my best childhood memories. My mom could have sat me down with some dusty old book about trees or handed me the TV remote, but she didn't. Instead, she chose to bundle me up in my coziest sweater and arm me with a tiny hand basket so we could discover the splendor of the natural world together, as a family.

What Color Were Dinosaurs? (And Other Frequently Asked Questions)

Humans are naturally curious. I don't know anyone over the age of 15 who hasn't seen or heard a little kid ask why the sky is blue. (The short answer is that it isn't. The color of something depends on which wavelengths of light it absorbs and which wavelengths it reflects, and to what extent it reflects and absorbs each particular wavelength. You see the sky as blue because that's the color that is reflected by gas molecules in our atmosphere. It's also important to note that color is incredibly subjective. You may look up and see a blue sky, a couple of green trees in the background, and some people milling around just over there on that hill, but a person with colorblindness, your family pet, the bird that just crossed into your line of sight, and the various insects buzzing around will see all see that same scene colored far differently. If you'd like to see how a colorblind person sees, click here. And if you want to see the world through your dog's eyes, click here. Spoiler: To them, you're a rather unappealing shade of green, but they love you anyway.)  

So, back to today's resource.

This Youtube channel offers answers to some of life's more unusual questions, like what color dinosaurs used to be. If you're anything like me, you might have hoped to answer to be 'rainbow-colored, sparkly, and florescent.' However, the experts at Scientific American offer a bit more plausible explanation. 

You can also find the answers to such burning questions as 'why do onions make us cry,' 'what does the universe sound like,' 'why does toothpaste makes orange juice taste bad,' and 'why can't humans regrow limbs like awesome little starfish?' 

750 Words

This simple, free to use site encourages you to write 750 words daily. This may seem like a daunting task at first, but remember that you can use what you've written for school that day, personal thoughts, free-writes, letters, blog posts, journal entries, poetry, or anything else that you feel like writing.

If 750 words is just too much or if you're in elementary school, give yourself a personal goal of 250 or 500 words a day. You won't get a cool little check in the box above your account, but you'll still know that you accomplished your goal.

Besides the obvious agenda of inspiring my students and readers to write more, I'm also recommending this resource because it is super cool.

750 words gives you daily as well as lifetime stats about how much you've written over how long, the rating of your writing, the emotions and concerns expressed in your writing, and whether your mindset is positive/negative, introverted/extroverted, certain/uncertain, or thinking/feeling. It also tells you whether you tend to write about the past, present, or future, and whether you use sight, touch, or hearing to communicate your thoughts. It also gives you a fairly impressive graphic of frequently used words. Your lifetime stats will tell you your average words per day, how fast you type, and how often you get distracted. It'll also analyze your word usage and compare you to world averages.

For those of you concerned about privacy, I can assure you that this information is computed via pre-set algorithms and formulas. No one will see it except you and the person looking over your shoulder. (Make you look.)

If you use the site frequently and start to get into the habit of writing daily, your writing will improve slowly but steadily, and you'll have a chance to earn some cool badges on the site for your accomplishments.

So pick up that pen and start scribbling! Er, I meant leave that keyboard right where it is and start typing! Good luck, and have fun!

Why it's Vital to Supplement School with Home Learning

In today's increasingly global, intensely competitive, and dizzyingly fast-paced society, it is vital to supplement what you learn at school with home learning. First of all, let's define what I mean by 'home learning.' I don't mean homework, and I don't mean studying for school-related tests or quizzes. Nor do I mean sitting down and reading your entire biology book in one session. (Seriously, don't do this. You will wake up in terrible pain several hours later regretting every life choice you ever made. I speak from experience. Possibly; it could have been a dream for all I know.)

What I do mean by home learning is going to the library and finding a novel that captivates your attention. I mean tuning into the science channel for a little while. I mean going online to watch educational videos that inspire you. I mean sitting down and writing a poem about what's outside your window, or writing a short story about what your cat does when you're not looking (spoiler: he licks everything you own), or writing a series of novels about alien dinosaurs that may or may not be planets.

Find a topic that interests you and learn everything you can find about it. Admittedly, that's probably an impossible goal in this day and age. If you try to learn everything you can find about volcanoes, say, you'll have to sort through fifty million webpages, videos, articles, pictures, ads, etc, etc. When I was a child, all I had to do was take out five books from the library and watch a 45-minute documentary and presto, I had explored every possible avenue of volcano-related knowledge that existed in my small corner of the world. Perhaps a better bit of advice would be to explore the topic of your desire until your curiosity is throughly satisfied.

Find something you're passionate about. If you like art, take a virtual museum tour. Do some research about galleries that offer free or reduced-price or optional admission, and politely request that your caregiver organize a day trip in the near future. If you want to try your hand at art, see if you can borrow some art supplies from your school or local library. If not, you may just have to settle for sketching with a pencil or pen and drawing online until you can save up enough to explore some other mediums like pastel, watercolor, or sculpture. See if you can apprentice with a local artist or if you can negotiate a work-for-knowledge sort of employment.

You might want to explore film-making or photography. Even if you start with the camera in your phone, you can still play with light and shadow, theme, mood, tone, composition, and subject. Experiment. Mix it up. With your parent's permission, you might even be able to start a Youtube channel. Enlist the help of your friends to interview elders in your community. Gather stories from the people around you, or find an beautiful little place of isolation where you can record the swaying of trees or the blossoming of flowers or the ebb and flow of the urban environment.

Volunteer. Find out if there are any local animal shelters or hospitals nearby that accept volunteers. If you love working with animals or helping other people, this might be a great way to gain experience, give back to your community, and start building your resume or CV.

Spend a day at the library with the goal of exploring something completely new. Go to the geography section and find a book about a country you've never heard of. Wander over to the history section and pick out a few books about time periods you know little about. Make your way over to the science isle and find materials about a theory you've never even knew existed. Either do it the old-fashioned way and leave your electronics at home, or bring along a tablet or laptop for additional research. (Just make sure it's silenced beforehand, or you might find yourself on the receiving end of a very disapproving SHHH!)

If you're interested in computers, electronics, engineering, or robotics, see if you can find a really old desktop computer from the '90s. You might have to look around your neighborhood on trash day or ask around to see if anyone is looking to get rid of a broken computer, or you might have to settle for buying one. A general rule of the thumb is the older, dingier, dustier, and more broken it is, the cheaper it'll be. Your goal here is to take apart the computer, so don't spend more than 10 or 15 dollars. If you can find a tower as well, great. (For those of you too young to remember what a tower is, it's a big, loud, noisy black box that used to run our computers and stub our toes back in the days before laptops.) I took one of those bad boys apart a few years back, and it was pretty awesome. I am, however, contractually obligated to inform you that you will find fifteen years of dust, pet hair, and other assorted debris, so consider yourself warned.

If you're interested in coding, that's another story entirely. I'm planning a post about online resources for students just like you, so keep checking back over the next week.

You might be interested in geography as well. Try starting a rock collection, and learning about the origin of each rock, how it was formed, approximately how old it may be, and how professional geologists would classify it.

If you love nature and find yourself inspired by trees and flowering plants, there's a couple of things you can do to foster that interest. Ask your caregiver if you can start a small garden in your yard, or, if you don't have a yard, ask if you can dedicate a windowsill or corner of your room to a small garden. You might want to try growing herbs, flowers, succulents, tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, or even bushes and small trees. You might even want to start a butterfly garden or a compost pile. (Please remember that unless you're living on a piece of property that you yourself own, you will either need to ask your landlord and/or caregiver for permission.) You can also join Arbor Day foundation and get ten trees delivered to your house when you purchase a year-long ten dollar membership. You'll be helping the environment, beautifying your community, purifying your air, and providing a place for local birds to nest. And I will stress again that you must ask your caregiver to borrow their credit card before purchasing a membership, unless you are an adult or are old enough to have a high school checking account with a debit card.

If you're interested in writing, you might want to start a blog, or contribute to an existing forum for young writers. If your school has a journalism group or newspaper, enquire about joining.

I'm sure that there are other interests I've missed. If you'd like a personalized recommendation for home learning ideas for your personal interest or hobby, leave a comment and myself or my co-partner will be more than happy to help you.

My point here is that you should find something you love. Find something that excites you, something that inspires you, something that matters to you, something that speaks to your heart and your mind and your very being.

This isn't just important because it'll boost your grades. (Though, it is likely to help you perform better in school. That's just a bonus.) It's important because you are young and full of excitement and curiosity. Right now, you have so much potential. Make the most of it by exploring the world around you and learning as much as you can. If you're doing what you love, it won't feel like 'work' or 'learning,' but it'll still prepare you for your future years of schooling and for your future career. If you find that thing that inspires your mind to soar to new heights, you can start thinking of the kind of job you'll want when you grow up. If you love nature, you might become a botanist. If you can't go a day without animals, consider researching a veterinary career. If you're a computer whizz, think about becoming an engineer or a coder.

The best part of finding what speaks to you is that you'll start to see the world in an entirely new light. The more you know, the more connections you can make. The more you bring into the classroom with you, the more knowledge you'll leave with. Please don't think of learning as a chore. Learning... Learning is a box holding a key to a whole new world. So get out there. Learn something, even if it's one little thing every day, and watch as the world opens itself to you. It won't happen overnight, and it might not happen for years. But if you make a habit of learning, and if you learn to love learning, one day you will look down and find that key in your hand. See where it takes you. You might be surprised to discover where it leads, but I promise you this: you will not be disappointed.

Free Learning Materials for UK Students

If you are currently residing in the United Kingdom, follow this link to order free learning materials by mail, courtesy of the Open University. Students from other nations can download the same resources for free onto their computers, tablets, or other electronic devices, and are welcome to browse the various other free learning resources around the site.

TED Talks

TED Talks online gives learners from all over the globe access to innovative talks given from the world's premier experts. The Talks range from subtly humorous to jaw-droppingly beautiful to awe-inspiringly ingenious. The Talks range in duration from five minutes to just over a half hour, so you can fit them into your morning train commute, your mid-morning coffee break, your lunch hour, or your late afternoon snack time. High schoolers and adult learners would likely get the most out of this resource, but middle schoolers can feel free to take a peek around as well.

Miracles of Nature Documentary Series

This three-part BBC documentary explores the extraordinary range of abilities extant in the animal kingdom, and presents a variety of cutting-edge new technologies inspired by the remarkable range of survival strategies nature has developed over the past few billion years.

You can watch the documentaries here:

Miracles of Nature: Super Bodies

Miracles of Nature: Super Senses

Miracles of Nature: Super Powers

Writing Habits to Ditch in Middle School

When you were in elementary school, your teacher might have given you a formula for writing that looked something like this:

• An essay is three to five paragraphs. 
• A paragraph is exactly five sentences. No more, and no less. 
• You start with your introduction. Begin with 'let me tell you all about' or 'first.'
• The next three paragraphs are the body. Use transitions like 'second,' 'next,' 'then,' etc.
• Your fifth paragraph must start with 'in conclusion,' or 'as you can see.' 

If you are in elementary school, this kind of writing is fine. You're still learning how to use your writing muscles and no one is going to expect you to sit down and write Paradise Lost. 

However, if you're in middle school or high school, the above formula is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. My co-partner and I (and probably your teachers as well) feel something like this when they see a middle or a high schooler writing like that. 

Now that you know what not to do, let's discuss some alternatives that will bring your writing up to grade level.

• Begin by acknowledging that an essay can be one paragraph or fifty pages. A paragraph can be one line long, or it could fill it up half your page. This is English, not chemistry or math. There is no formula for the perfect essay, nor any equation that will give you an awesome paper.
• Start with your thesis statement. This is either the point you're trying to prove (if you're writing a 'critical lens' for English or some similar such essay) or the topic you're going to be talking about. 
• Example One: Robert Frost once said that "freedom lies in being bold." There is a compelling truth in these words, as true freedom can only be found by gathering the courage to forge one's own path in life in pursuit of one's hopes and dreams. 
• When you are asked to write critical lenses, your teacher often asks you to agree or disagree with a given statement. I'd recommend that middle schoolers do so explicitly, but that high school students attempt to do so more subtly. In the above example, I never outright said I agreed with the quote, but it's clear that I do in fact support the point of view expressed. 
• Example Two: World War Two caused a great number of social, economic, technological, political, and global changes that paved the way towards the modern world. 
• Finish off your introductory paragraph by providing a little more detail. Give a brief overview of the evidence you're going to use later on in your essay. Just remember not to play all of your cards in the first paragraph. 
• Use your body paragraphs to analyze the evidence you're going to provide to prove your point. 
• For the critical lens, you'll probably want to think of two or more works of literature that support your position. Remember that you can use books, plays, or even poetry to back up your thesis. 
• You can devote one paragraph to a real world example. I'd generally advise against using personal examples. However, feel free to draw from history and current events. 
• For the history essay, spend one paragraph on each point: social changes, political changes, economic changes, and technological changes. You'll want to save the 'global changes' part for your conclusion.
• In each paragraph, give examples of the various changes that happened after the war. You can talk about the Baby Boom, the rise of the suburbs, America's rise to a global superpower, the Cold War and the way it changed the political climate of the 20th century, the Truman Doctrine, women's return to the 'domestic sphere' after comprising a significant part of the workforce during the war, and the various civil rights movements that emerged shortly after the war.
• High schoolers should also acknowledge counter-points to their argument. For the English essay, you should acknowledge that there are other ways of achieving freedom, and that the concept of freedom itself is incredibly objective. For the WWII essay, spend a paragraph talking about the changes that represented a step back for society rather than a leap forward. 
• Now it's time for your conclusion. The best way to do this is to restate your thesis in light of the evidence you provided. This is also the place to acknowledge counter-arguments if you can't devote an entire paragraph to it. You're also going to want to make a Big Picture connection. Explain why the topic of your writing is important. Talk about how Robert Frost's words apply to everyone in some way. Spend a couple of sentences discussing the lasting consequences of WWII and how we are still benefiting (or, in some cases, suffering) from its repercussions. 
• Let your essay end naturally. Allow it to taper off. Think of writing as an art form. You don't want to hammer in your point; you want it to gradually settle upon your reader. Ideally, your essay should have the impact of steel but read with the smoothness of silk.

Educational Youtube Channels to Add to Your Subscription List

If you're looking to subscribe to some channels that make learning fun, check out the following links:

• Minute Physics
• Minute Earth
• The Brain Scoop
• Nova
• It's Okay to Be Smart
• Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Smarter Every Day

Editing and Proofreading

Editing your work is an important skill to master no matter where you are in your academic career, so let's take a few moments to discuss what you should be looking for as you edit your work.

• Spelling and grammar. For the most part, you're going to be typing your papers, so you have the advantage of built-in spelling and grammar checkers. Your teacher is going to a lot less forgiving of obvious spelling errors in your type-written work than in your hand-written work. It's also important to note that as you get older, your teacher's standards are going to climb higher and higher. The quality of work you produced in first grade is simply not going to fly in fifth. As you learn more about writing, grammar, and spelling, your academic advisors, tutors, and teachers are going to expect your work to reflect this progress. 
• Watch out for common spelling mistakes and tricky words. I personally have trouble spelling the word 'apocalypse,' which is unfortunate because I end up needing to use it at least once or twice a day. Thankfully, I have my word processor and spell check to help me out. Confession: about 10% of this page was underlined in red before I went back and fixed it. The lesson there is that you don't need to be a perfect speller to write well and be understood. You just need to edit. 
• Try not to confuse then/than, too/to/two, their/there/they're, and affect/effect. 
• I'm not sure how other programs work, but in Word grammar mistakes are underlined in green. However, Word often suggests imperfect replacements for errors and commonly marks perfectly correct grammatical arrangements as errors. When it doubt, read the original sentence and the suggested corrections aloud to see what sounds more natural.
• Read your work aloud, especially if you are a native English speaker. If it sounds strange, awkward, or just plain wrong, you want to fix it. Also ask yourself, 'Does my essay flow well? Does it make sense? Did I use transitions between paragraphs? Did I avoid run-on sentences? Can I make anything clearer or more concise? Is there a better way of saying this? Did I use enough detail and add enough examples? Did I prove the point I was trying to make? Did I complete the task?' If you find any errors, be sure to fix them before turning your work in to your teacher, especially if your teacher is expecting a polished final draft. 
• Remember that the purpose of writing is ultimately communication. If you want a good grade, you need to write something that your teacher is going to be able to understand easily. If you go back to your work and find out that something doesn't make sense to you, your teacher isn't going to stand a chance at figuring out what you meant to say. 
• Also remember that you're going to want to write in a fairly formal tone. Try not to use contractions (don't, wasn't, etc) or slang words. Text speak is also a definite no. You're writing for your teacher, not your friend. 
• You might want to ask for a copy of the rubric your teacher is going to be using to grade you. Try to take a step back and look at your work objectively. Put yourself in your teacher's shoes and ask yourself what grade you would give your paper. Be brutally honest, and correct for any favoritism you might be showing towards yourself by knocking off five points (or a half a letter grade). Then ask yourself if you'd be happy with the score you gave yourself. If you gave yourself an 85 or above, fantastic. If you gave yourself a 70, you might want to go back and edit some more. If you gave yourself anything less than that, you might need to ask a parent, guardian, older sibling, tutor, classmate, or teacher for help. 

Today's Lesson: Making Your Writing Come Alive

Let's pretend for a moment that my imaginary teacher just told me to write a few sentences about my favorite memory. After a minute or two of contemplation, I decide to write about the time I got my first dog.

So here's my first draft:

When I was in second grade, I got my first dog. My mom took me to the airport to pick her up. Then we brought her home. We named her Sophie. 

Not bad, but not good, right? It's a little dry, and a little boring. If this was my final draft, I'd probably put my readers to sleep. Let's try again. This time, we're going to add a little more detail.

When I was in second grade, I got a brand new puppy. My mother picked me up early from school so we could pick her up from the airport. After wandering around the terminals for what felt like forever, we found the domestic cargo building. From there, my puppy was only a quick signature away. Her crate was a little stinky from the long flight, but I was too excited to care. We brought her home, washed her up, and decided that out of all the names we'd considered for her, 'Sophie' was the best fit. 

That's quite a bit better. Notice that I also varied the sentence structure and used compound sentences. I also added a bit of emotion and flair. By combining all of these strategies, my writing seems a bit less generic and has a better shot of keeping my reader's attention.

If you want to be really fancy, you might want to try switching it up even more. My imaginary teacher's imaginary prompt was vague enough to allow me to get a bit creative. Let's try changing the point of view by writing this memory up as a journal entry.

Dear Journal,

Guess what? My puppy arrived all the way from Washington today! Mommy took me out of school at lunch-time so we could go pick up our new puppy. I was too excited to eat much, but Grandma made me chicken cutlets so it was hard not to eat. After lunch, we headed straight for the airport. Mom got a little lost so it took us forever to find the domestic cargo building, but we ended up in the right place eventually. 

I could barely stand still as we waited in line for our puppy, but the wait was worth it once I saw her. She was stinky, wet, and dirty from the long flight, but she was so, so, so cute! I took one look at her and fell in love. We had decided to call her Chloe, but the moment I opened my mouth, "I love you, Sophie!" popped out instead. Oops. 

After two long baths, Sophie was finally clean and free to explore her new home. I think she likes it here. I spent most of the afternoon playing with her, but she's taking a nap right now and Mommy says I should let her rest. Oh well. Anyway, I should go check on her. Bye, Journal!

This one is even more detailed and interesting, and it's a lot better than my boring first draft. You might notice that I changed some minor details from draft to draft. When you're writing creatively, it's perfectly alright to embellish your work like that. Just don't try that when you're writing a history paper. While it might be fun to re-imagine the American Revolution as a giant food fight, that is definitely not what happened and you'll probably get a big fat F for your efforts.

Khan Academy

A while back, one of our readers suggested that we add Khan Academy to our list of resources.

Khan Academy offers an amazing variety of learning resources. Students can brush up on their math or science skills, learn about economics and finance, dive into the world of computer programing, prep for the Big Test, or access partner content offered by world-renowned museums.

Khan Academy is an awesome resource for learners of all ages. Kindergartners through college students can benefit from using Khan Academy, as can their caregivers and teachers. Adult learners can enjoy these resources as well. Whether you're 5 or 125, Khan Academy will help you learn something new.

Give Yourself a Science Head Rush!

Head Rush is a series of short clips hosted by former Mythbuster Kari Byron. Ms. Byron makes science explosively fun for learners of all ages. Her enthusiasm is contagious, and learners will walk away from each video excited about science and armed with the knowledge of a scientific principle they may have been previously unaware of. While these videos can absolutely be enjoyed by anyone, I'd particularly recommend them to young girls. It's vital to get young women interested in and excited about science due to the severe gender imbalance in many scientific careers. In some fields, the ratio of women to men is as low as 1:9. If you're the parent or guardian of a little girl, we'd recommend introducing her to the joys of science at a young age.

A Tudor Feast Documentary

Take a peek at this fascinating documentary in which a team of expert historians attempts to recreate an authentic Tudor feast using a real period kitchen, locally caught and sourced food, and none of the conveniences of modern culinary technology. It'll give you an interesting glimpse into the pre-refrigeration, pre-super-market, pre-running water, pre-electricity past.

Black Death Documentary

This documentary explores the first outbreak of Bubonic Plague in Europe from 1347 to 1350. It provides an overview of the symptoms of the disease, its spread through Western Europe, and society's reaction to the pandemic.

While this documentary is a good starting place to learn about the plague, it is in no way comprehensive. If you're interested in learning more about Bubonic Plague, you should research the Justinian Plague (the first major outbreak of the Bubonic Plague) as well as the frequent and devastating subsequent outbreaks that would continue plague Europe through most of the last millennium.

Please note that this documentary labels the Bubonic Plague as the 'worst event in European history.' While the Black Death was the most devastating pandemic ever to sweep across Europe, both myself and my co-partner firmly believe that several historical events, including the World Wars and the Crusades, would be far better contenders for that grim honor.

As this documentary discusses disease and mortality in vivid detail, I would not recommend it for elementary schoolers, and I would advise that parents of middle schoolers exercise caution before allowing their children to watch it.

Learn About the Internal Processes on Planet Earth

The following documentaries, produced by the BBC and narrated by Richard Hammond, are incredibly informative, interesting, and easy to understand. If you've ever wondered how our planet works, take a look.

Richard Hammond's Journey to the Centre of the Planet

Richard Hammond's Journey to Bottom of the Ocean

The following two documentaries give you a glimpse into how solar systems and planetary bodies are formed.

Richard Hammond Builds a Planet: Part 1 and Part 2

Language Learning Tips

If you're an American high school or middle school student, chances are that you're going to be required to take foreign language classes. Here are some tips to help you along.

• Immerse yourself in the language. Set your computer's language to whatever language you're trying to learn. Just make sure you remember the settings path you took in case your new toolbar has you completely stumped. 
• Listen to foreign language songs. Lots of high school students in American learn Spanish as their second language. The good news is that Spanish is all around us! You can probably find a Spanish-language radio station in your car, and when you do, be grateful you're not learning Swedish. 
• Watch TV programs in Spanish. (For ease of writing, I'm just going to assume the reader is learning Spanish. Substitute the language you're learning if that's not true.) Don't watch the news, though. Most of the time, reporters talk way too fast. I can barely keep up with news broadcasts in my native language! Try watching a soap opera or, better yet, a children's show. Just think of it this way: you'll be learning Spanish the same way a baby in Mexico, Spain, or most of South and Central America would. 
• Read children's books in Spanish. You might be able to find some bilingual books at your local library, depending on the Latino population in your neighborhood. 
• Label stuff. The whole point of learning a language is to communicate. That'll be hard if you don't know the words for common objects and rooms around the house. 
• Go to a news site from Mexico, Spain, or any number of Spanish-speaking nations. Don't cheat and let Google translate the page for you; read it in the original Spanish and use your dictionary only for unfamiliar words. 
• Do a little bit of practice every day, even if you don't have Spanish on Thursday's or on the weekends or on holidays. Consistent practice leads to consistent results. If your goal is fluency, you're going to need to work hard. 

Concentration and Quiet

As a student, your number one responsibility is ensuring that you complete your school-work and learn what your teacher teaches you. This can be difficult if there are too many distractions when you're trying to do your homework or study.

Some students have noisy siblings or pets. This can be a definite problem, but don't get angry with your dog or yell at your little brother just yet. If noise is a problem in your study space, there are several solutions.

• Earplugs are my go-to life-saver for blocking noise. You can get a jar of fifty pairs at the drug store for around ten dollars. The ear plugs are reusable, but I'd suggest replacing them every other week or so to avoid infections. 
• If you have a pair of headphones, crank it up! I don't mean to blast the latest pop hit. That could be a distraction all by itself, especially if you're going to be dancing around in your chair when you should be writing your English essay. Here are a few alternatives:
• Rain sounds. 
• Jungle sounds.
• White noise.
• Heartbeat sounds. (This one is great if you're nervous about an upcoming test or assignment, as it is very calming.) 

Maybe noise isn't the problem, though. Maybe you can't focus because there is just too much happening around you. Try to set up a calm, quiet, peaceful study space away from the hustle and bustle of siblings running around, pets hopping about, and caregivers preparing dinner. This is especially important as you get into middle school and high school. 

No one can focus well on an empty stomach. Have a snack before you start. 

If you've been hitting the books for more than two hours, it's time to take a break. Get up. Do some stretches. Take a few deep breaths. Go outside for some fresh air. Rehydrate yourself. Wash your face to energize yourself. You might even want to spend a few minutes cuddling your pets or catching up with your siblings/caregivers. Just don't make the mistake of logging onto social media during your break. Before you know it, you'll look up and it'll be an hour later and you'll be way behind schedule. 

And finally, if you're falling asleep at your desk and you can't stay awake another minute, take a short nap and set your alarm to go off in fifteen or twenty minutes. Just make sure it's out of arm's reach so your power nap won't turn into an early bedtime. 

Book Recommendation: The Moomins Series by Tove Jansson

The co-creator of this blog is probably going to laugh when she sees this post, but I would nevertheless like to recommend a series of children's books that is very near and dear to me. The Moomins series was begun in 1945 by a Swedish-speaking Finnish woman. The series details the often quite whimsical adventures of a family of hippopotamus-shaped creatures who live in a fictional place in Northern Finland called Moominvalley.

I would recommend this series primarily to elementary school students and older students struggling with reading comprehension; however, the Moomin books are written so that they can be enjoyed by people of all ages. I know of adults living in Scandinavia and in Finland who often revisit the beloved stories they enjoyed as children. I myself didn't discover the Moomins until my junior year of high school, but I found them rewarding nevertheless.

The Moomins series can teach American children a lot about Nordic culture and also serve as a gentle reminder to respect all of Earth's living creatures, from plants to animals to the waters and forests they call home. The prose is also quite beautiful, and often evokes vivid mental images of glowing sunsets and magical nights. For a better idea of what I'm talking about, see the quotes I've included below.


“Now dusk fell again. It spread very slowly and carefully, to give the day ample time to go to bed. Small clouds were strewn all over the western sky like dabs of pink whipped cream. They were reflected on the ocean, which rested calm and smooth and looked quite harmless.” - Moominpappa’s Memoirs

“The sun had set, but now in June there was of course no darkness to speak of. The night was pale and dreamy and full of magic.” - Moominsummer Madness. 

“The sand was raked into smooth little ripples under the clear, green water, and the rocks were warm in the sunshine. The wind had gone home to sleep, and there was no horizon to be seen, only a great transparency of light.” - Moominpappa’s Memoirs

“One evening the western sky was on fire with the most beautiful sunset she had ever seen. It was a tumult of red, orange, pink, and yellow flames, filling the clouds above the dark and stormy sea with smoldering colors. The wind was blowing from the south-west towards the island from the sharp, coal-black line of the horizon.

  

As she gazed at the sky, the evening light crept up the wall, lighting up the flowers in her garden. They seemed to be alive and shining. The garden opened out, and the gravel path with its curious perspective suddenly seemed quite right and to lead straight to the verandah. Moominmamma put her paws round the truck of the tree; it was warm with sunshine and she felt that the lilac was in bloom.” - Moominpappa at Sea.