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Make a tornado tube.  All you need is a connector (I bought mine at Oriental Trading), http://www.orientaltrading.com/api/search?Ntt=tornado+tube , and two empty plastic soda bottles.  Add some water, some food coloring, and glitter if you like.  This is fascinating for kids and even adults!  Learn about how tornadoes form by watching a You Tube or check out a book from the library.  Research centripetal force, water spouts, whirlpools, eddies, the Coriolis effect, and a vortex.  Even though the water is in a bottle, this hands on activity will provide “cool” water fun.

This will give you and your kids a hands-on project all summer that will give them ownership.  Plant an organic garden.  I must admit that I used to not have a “green thumb”.  Over the years, I have “cultivated” one.  In early spring I purchase organic seed packets or save seeds from fruits and vegetables that I have grown in earlier seasons.  Begin by sprouting some in small containers with drainage holes.  Our soil got depleted from earlier tomato crops, so now I am attempting to revitalize the soil in one area of our garden.  I have planted corn, pinto beans, and pumpkins together with sunflowers growing on the side for fun.  My husband asked the gardener at his work for the bag of leaves he was about to get rid of.  Along with good compost soil, I have laid a layer of leaves around all the newly planted sprouts and have, additionally, added some topsoil.  Already, the soil is transforming.  I unearthed a red worm the other day, so there is some sign of life!  You don’t need a lot of growing space.  Since lettuce prefers cooler weather, I have some growing in a pot in a shaded area of my patio.  You may want to have planter themes.  For example, if you enjoy Italian food you might want to plant tomatoes, basil, oregano, rosemary, zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and green onions.  At harvest time, make a pizza or spaghetti together.  You can do math while growing plants.  After planting two sunflowers sprouts (or corn, etc.), take a daily measurement using inches and centimeters.  Scientifically try to reason why one plant is growing faster than others.  Make a mosaic art project using old or unwanted seeds.  Studies have shown that eating healthy food, being physically active, not watching too much television, and getting the right amount of sleep contributes to higher academic success.  Your children/students will continue learning throughout their summer while getting outdoor exercise, nutrition, and enjoyment.

After taking a closer look at the poster from Washington state’s “Know G.M.O.” campaign, I noticed that one of our favorite chocolates, Dagoba, is on the wrong side!  I have deleted my post in support of this chocolate.  Our new favorites are Sunspire Sun Drops and Enjoy Life chocolate chips.  They make great chocolate candies and chips!

It has been said that we live in a toxic world.  I don’t believe it has to be that way.  We try to buy soaps and hygiene products that are organic and avoid anti-bacterial labels.  Dr. Mercola published an article today that educated me about “triclosan”.  Triclosan and its effects have been known about for 35 years and is found in 3 out of 4 Americans according to Mercola’s article.  This chemical is being linked to bacterial resistance.  It is causing environmental contamination and it harms muscle function and its ability to contract according to a UC Davis study done on mice.   This chemical has also been linked to endocrine system disruption.  The video below will give an overview of triclosan.  Warning:  There is some mildly strong language in the video.

Instead of T.V. and video games, sit down with your friends and family to paint with water colors.  I bought my non-toxic water colors at the 99 cent store.  Using plain white paper from our printer, we each painted our masterpieces.  One was a spring bouquet, another a black hole in space, another a butterfly.  For younger participants, a simple color sheet will help them paint creatively using the lines as a guide.  This activity was relaxing and fun.  Bringing a few watercolors and paper along on a camping trip would add to the outdoor experience, have a painting contest at  birthday parties, barbecues, picnics, etc.  You might even want to start a portfolio exhibiting everyone’s creativity!  For $1.00, groups can be brought together to enjoy expressing their creative side.

I got tricked this past week by Trader Joe’s when I bought some organic shredded Mozzarella cheese.  Believing organic would contain wholesome ingredients, I didn’t check the label until I was opening the package to put it into my lasagna.  Boy, was I mad when I read the last ingredient on the package, “cellulose”.  Recently, I have learned from Food Babe that cellulose is wood.  It is used as an anti-caking agent.  Years ago I was saddened when the news reported that the North Koreans were eating wood to avoid starvation.   Deceptive advertising on food labels have hidden the same product in American foods!  Last year, one of my students asked me if I ate certain candies because the teens at her middle school were discussing “shellac”.  This substance is secreted by the lac beetle and used to polish some of our food.  Of course I began to do research and discovered that shellac, the stuff I used in art projects as a kid, is conveniently labeled as “food glaze” or “confectioner’s glaze”.  Doesn’t that sound nice?  Some chocolate covered fruit that I had bought from Trader Joe’s had “food glaze” as one of its last ingredients.  I asked the manager if “food glaze” was shellac and he said that he thought it might be.  There are other deceptive tricks the food industry includes as food additives.  Vanilla ice cream flavoring comes from a beaver body part labeled “castoreum” and bread may include human hair “L-cysteine”.  Wouldn’t it be nice if the labels were honest and disclosed the true ingredients like wood, beetle secretions, beaver’s behind, and human hair?

Bud Nip or Chlorpropham is sprayed on beets, blueberries, carrots, cranberries, onions, spinach, and tomatoes according to this video.  The young scientist reveals that Chlorpropham saturates the entire fruit or vegetable.  This is an outstanding science experiment showing that organic foods are better.

On Monday, March 31, 2014, our Granny soared away to heaven during her afternoon nap.  She was a legacy to us, yet few people knew her.  Having grown up on a dairy farm in New York, she learned the value of hard work early in life.  She never wanted to be a burden to anyone and was very generous.  She fiercely loved “family” and dedicated her life to raising her children and grandchildren.  Granny taught us 3 important lessons in life.  First, to persevere when wanting to accomplish a goal.  Her motto was, “Do a little at a time, and eventually your goal will be accomplished.”  Second, she taught us the value of patience, saving money, and purchasing quality instead of something “cheap”.  Finally, she helped us learn to enjoy the simple things in life, like placing a rose from the garden in a bud vase next to the kitchen sink.  We are thankful for the 95 years of our Granny and the memories we have of her life as a mother.

Some parents express concern that Saxon Math in the primary/elementary grades is complicated to teach.  A similar math program to Saxon in the elementary grades is Excel.  This program is comprehensive, complete, and spirals math concepts while introducing new ones on the same sheet.  Students respond well to this math program with many reports about learning success.  There are about 150 lessons per grade level with assessments included.  Individual student sets can be ordered for a reasonable price from grades kindergarten through 6th.  This program helps to build a strong mathematical foundation for future learning enjoyment.  http://excelmath.com/products.html

While working as a teacher’s aide (and studying to get my credential) in a middle school math class, I was introduced to Saxon Math.  I liked this program because it was comprehensive.  I had never seen a math book quite like this one.  The daily lesson included new math material, but had questions dealing with money, measurement, geometry, time, and problem solving too.  The curriculum was comprehensive and taught math in context.  I believe one reason why students struggle with Math is that the curriculum is compartmentalized and the students do not get to see the context of how Math fits into every day life.  Saxon, beginning with grade 1, introduces the student to problem solving questions that relate to real life.  The program continues to build.  Math facts are introduced in the context of problem solving so the learner has something to connect the math concept to.  As the learner masters the material, new concepts are introduced, while using the concepts from earlier lessons.  Saxon Math spirals the curriculum so that the learner is always using ALL of their mathematical skills while building on new ones.  This program offers complete and tangible lessons that enables students to apply math to their world.