A Few Things

Just a quick post to alert folks to a few cool things we've discovered lately.

- Classics for Kids has short, entertaining and informative podcasts about classical composers, which you can download to your iPod, MP3 player that's not an iPod, or computer. Also on the website: printable activity sheets for each composer. Eliza loves the podcasts. Ian likes some of them. Caroline is grumpy and mercurial on the subject.

- Joe's Goals is a free website that will help you track your goals, whatever they may be. It's helping motivate me to do things I get lazy about, like running (more on that later), doing pushups, or reading spiritual books. Super easy to use. Check it out.

- Ian just finished devouring a book called The Gollywhopper Games. Seriously, I hadn't seen him that into a book in ... well ... distressingly long. As in, he read it until late at night and then before he got out of bed in the morning. Now's he agreed to give me his take on it, but only if I read it first. Parents of middle grade readers, you're welcome.


- Knowing the library waitlist would be insane, I procured my own copy of Mockingjay (The Final Book of The Hunger Games) at Costco last week (ach, it's cheaper at Amazon). Devoured it. Has anyone else read it yet? If not, you need to read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games) first. But then, you can finish the trilogy and your brain will buzz. Please do so so we can discuss, you and I.  But it's not for the faint of heart. Or the faint of stomach. Which basically describes me, so why am I reading these books? (Seriously, after reading that and A Tale of Two Cities, I'm up for something pleasant and heartwarming. Paging Jan Karon!)


- I love Diane Stanley. She writes these amazing nonfiction picture books about historical heroes, famous or otherwise. Like this one, which we read last week: The True Adventure of Daniel Hall. It's a fine art, making biographies accessible to ages 4-8 or so. Maybe 6-10. Oh my gosh! Just noticed on Amazon that she's written one about Charles Dickens! Book budget? What book budget?





- Is it a bad thing if your child's preferred method of learning science is to watch episodes of Mythbusters? I'm not always crazy about their language, but along the same lines, my friend Laura highly recommends the show "Crash, Bang, Splat" from Discovery Kids. We don't have cable, so I'm hoping Netflix will soon take up their responsibility.