Friday, October 28, 2011
Jack-O-Lanterns
Warning: Your pumkin is going to start to decay about 2-3 days after you carve it. Plan accordingly! But don't plan too far in advance...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Lawrence Hall of Science Halloween Event
I wanted to follow up on my post the other day about the Dinosaur exhibit at Lawrence Hall of Science. This weekend LHS is having a special Halloween event -- "Dinosaurs vs. Robots."
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid THIS is the sort of event I'd get really excited about.
Here are the details, which I'm copying from an email I received from LHS. I'm including the links to the LHS website and Facebook site.
--TC Daddy
Dinosaurs vs. Robots
Share why you chose dinosaurs or robots on our Facebook page or tweet @Berkeleyscience and be entered to win a Family Pass to the Hall!
I don't know about you, but when I was a kid THIS is the sort of event I'd get really excited about.
Here are the details, which I'm copying from an email I received from LHS. I'm including the links to the LHS website and Facebook site.
--TC Daddy
Dinosaurs vs. Robots
Part of the Bay Area Science Festival
Sunday, October 30
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Free with admission
Sunday, October 30
11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
Free with admission
Become a paleontologist and explore what sounds dinosaurs may have made. Then, become an engineer and engage in robotics challenges, led by the Pioneers in Engineering. After trying out both, vote for which is more fun: dinosaurs or robots?
Wear a dino or robot costume and get a free ticket to the 3D film Dinosaurs Alive!
Which do you prefer: dinosaurs or robots? Vote now!Wear a dino or robot costume and get a free ticket to the 3D film Dinosaurs Alive!
Share why you chose dinosaurs or robots on our Facebook page or tweet @Berkeleyscience and be entered to win a Family Pass to the Hall!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Dinosaurs!
The Lawrence Hall of Science has been hosting a large dinosaur exhibit. "Dinosaurs Unearthed" will be the main exhibit there through January 1, 2012.
Lawrence Hall of Science is in the hills above U.C. Berkeley. Whether you are from the San Francisco Bay Area or just visiting, LHS is well worth spending part of a day.
Kids will be amazed (and little ones might be a bit frightened) by the audio-anamatronic-style dinosaurs right in the lobby at the Hall. Spend some time preparing your child so they know what they're going to see before you go so that they won't be frightened. "We're going to see some really big dinosaur puppets that move and look real."
The exhibit includes a simulated archeological dig area, where kids can see what it is like to have to carefully brush the dirt away from fossils in the field:
There's an entire room filled with more of the large audio-anamatronic dinosaurs, which are really impressive. In the museum's backyard, which features a large exhibit on fluvial systems (kids can manipulate small walls in a large fountain to direct and dam up the current of the water), there's a huge T-Rex that moves and roars every few minutes. This is a big hit for the kids who are prepared to see this sort of thing.
Two caveats if you have never been to LHS just to be prepared: First, you'll have to drive up into the hills, which can be an adventure if you're used to driving in the flat-lands. Second, LHS is part of U.C. Berkeley and so you'll have to pay to park using one of the kiosks at the exit of the parking lots. If you arrive mid-day on a weekend, that may mean you have to park at one of the lots high up on the hill, walk down, get a parking permit at the automated kiosk, and then hike back up to put the permit on the dashboard.
--TC Daddy
Lawrence Hall of Science is in the hills above U.C. Berkeley. Whether you are from the San Francisco Bay Area or just visiting, LHS is well worth spending part of a day.
Kids will be amazed (and little ones might be a bit frightened) by the audio-anamatronic-style dinosaurs right in the lobby at the Hall. Spend some time preparing your child so they know what they're going to see before you go so that they won't be frightened. "We're going to see some really big dinosaur puppets that move and look real."
The exhibit includes a simulated archeological dig area, where kids can see what it is like to have to carefully brush the dirt away from fossils in the field:
There's an entire room filled with more of the large audio-anamatronic dinosaurs, which are really impressive. In the museum's backyard, which features a large exhibit on fluvial systems (kids can manipulate small walls in a large fountain to direct and dam up the current of the water), there's a huge T-Rex that moves and roars every few minutes. This is a big hit for the kids who are prepared to see this sort of thing.
Two caveats if you have never been to LHS just to be prepared: First, you'll have to drive up into the hills, which can be an adventure if you're used to driving in the flat-lands. Second, LHS is part of U.C. Berkeley and so you'll have to pay to park using one of the kiosks at the exit of the parking lots. If you arrive mid-day on a weekend, that may mean you have to park at one of the lots high up on the hill, walk down, get a parking permit at the automated kiosk, and then hike back up to put the permit on the dashboard.
--TC Daddy
Monday, October 10, 2011
Sid the Science Kid Beats Up the Little Einsteins
You already know that I'm not too impressed with Little Einsteins. Connoting genius, the series has virtually nothing to do with science.
If you want your preschooler to watch a show that has something to do with science, I think Sid the Science Kid rocks. A typical episode begins with Sid encountering a situation that poses a question. Example: At breakfast, he gets a rotten banana and doesn't want to eat it. The question: what happened to the banana? The answer: It decayed.
Sid then goes off to school (in a sequence repeated in every show, his mother drops him off in front of the school, and she lets out a laugh that seems to me to be both extremely happy and perhaps a bit maniacal (as if she is thinking, "I get a break from Sid!!!")). In the playground, Sid greets his friends and discusses decay and what it might mean with his three kindergarten buddies (this has got to be the school with the best teacher-student ratio in the United States; but hey, it is television after all).
The kids head inside for school, where "Teacher Suzie" discusses the big question of the day and has the kids perform experiments relating to it (like observing a fresh versus rotten pumpkin and drawing a picture of them), which is mirrored by a video sequence of actual kids and not just the animation kids performing the experiments. The kids head outside for playtime and discuss what they've learned while playing. When they head back inside, "Teacher Suzie" sings a song related to the issue of the day.
Next, Sid's grandmother picks him up from school and takes him home, where Sid discusses what he learned with his parents. Finally, Sid gets ready for bed, where he comes up with a "Super Duper Big Idea" relating to the topic of the show. The "Super Duper Big Idea" is usually some kind of invention, and is the sort of "invention" that a kindergartener would come up with.
Why is this so great? The show focuses on a key concept. It teaches the concept in a range of different ways. It is funny. It is interesting. It gives kids a chance to think about observation and experimentation. It lays out at least one experiment that a child can do at home with a parent/caregiver. And it is just plain fun.
If you want your preschooler to watch a show that has something to do with science, I think Sid the Science Kid rocks. A typical episode begins with Sid encountering a situation that poses a question. Example: At breakfast, he gets a rotten banana and doesn't want to eat it. The question: what happened to the banana? The answer: It decayed.
Sid then goes off to school (in a sequence repeated in every show, his mother drops him off in front of the school, and she lets out a laugh that seems to me to be both extremely happy and perhaps a bit maniacal (as if she is thinking, "I get a break from Sid!!!")). In the playground, Sid greets his friends and discusses decay and what it might mean with his three kindergarten buddies (this has got to be the school with the best teacher-student ratio in the United States; but hey, it is television after all).
The kids head inside for school, where "Teacher Suzie" discusses the big question of the day and has the kids perform experiments relating to it (like observing a fresh versus rotten pumpkin and drawing a picture of them), which is mirrored by a video sequence of actual kids and not just the animation kids performing the experiments. The kids head outside for playtime and discuss what they've learned while playing. When they head back inside, "Teacher Suzie" sings a song related to the issue of the day.
Next, Sid's grandmother picks him up from school and takes him home, where Sid discusses what he learned with his parents. Finally, Sid gets ready for bed, where he comes up with a "Super Duper Big Idea" relating to the topic of the show. The "Super Duper Big Idea" is usually some kind of invention, and is the sort of "invention" that a kindergartener would come up with.
Why is this so great? The show focuses on a key concept. It teaches the concept in a range of different ways. It is funny. It is interesting. It gives kids a chance to think about observation and experimentation. It lays out at least one experiment that a child can do at home with a parent/caregiver. And it is just plain fun.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Fleet Week and the Blue Angels
San Francisco's Fleet Week is this weekend! On Friday October 7, Saturday, and Sunday, the Blue Angels will be roaring over San Francisco. If you live in SF, then you already know about this, since you heard and felt them practicing today.
Visit the Fleet Week website for a detailed schedule. The big Parade of Ships begins at 11am on Saturday. The Blue Angels are a huge highlight, and you can see them flying from 3-4 each day. You can also see the Canadian Snowbirds perform from 1:30-2. All of these events will be memorable to your kids. You don't easily forget the Blue Angels.
You can get tickets to see the air show from down on the Marina Green. That said, you can see the show from many vantage points around the City. Based on past experience, the waterfront near Ghiradelli Square is a good spot, as is the top of Larkin (on Russian Hill above Ghiradelli). The jets buzz the buildings downtown, and if you know someone who works in an office tower downtown then it might be worth heading in to the office over the weekend.
Visit the Fleet Week website for a detailed schedule. The big Parade of Ships begins at 11am on Saturday. The Blue Angels are a huge highlight, and you can see them flying from 3-4 each day. You can also see the Canadian Snowbirds perform from 1:30-2. All of these events will be memorable to your kids. You don't easily forget the Blue Angels.
You can get tickets to see the air show from down on the Marina Green. That said, you can see the show from many vantage points around the City. Based on past experience, the waterfront near Ghiradelli Square is a good spot, as is the top of Larkin (on Russian Hill above Ghiradelli). The jets buzz the buildings downtown, and if you know someone who works in an office tower downtown then it might be worth heading in to the office over the weekend.
Music
If you are looking to teach your child music appreciation, you can probably do a lot better than Little Einsteins. We love the Music Together program. The program offers classes led by a music teacher and attended by babies, toddlers, and preschoolers with their parents or guardians.
The class always begins with a "Hello" song and ends with a "Goodbye" song. Each class then involves the teacher leading the group in interactive songs. Kids are encouraged to sing, keep rhythm (by clapping, tapping, etc.), dance, run, jump, pretend to sleep, wave, etc., depending on the context of the song. The teacher will play an instrument during some songs, play a CD for other songs while leading a sing-along, and go without any accompaniment for other songs. The teacher will bring out instruments for the kids for a song or two, and will bring out a scarf or some other prop for another song. Parents or caregivers are left with no real choice but to also get involved in the singing, tapping, dancing, or other activity.
At the start of each series of class sessions, the participants get a CD. The CD includes all the songs that the teacher will use in the class for that series of sessions.
Additionally, the participants can get a songbook corresponding to the CD. The songbook is great for learning lyrics to the songs used in class (many of which are classics, like "This Old Man," which appears in the "Bongos" book). Perhaps more fun, however, is the fact that the songbook includes music for piano and guitar.
On a personal note, I've actually been using the songbooks to teach myself guitar so that I can play songs for my wife and son. I can't say that I'm particularly good at it, but it is a lot of fun. I get to interact with my family in a new way.
The class always begins with a "Hello" song and ends with a "Goodbye" song. Each class then involves the teacher leading the group in interactive songs. Kids are encouraged to sing, keep rhythm (by clapping, tapping, etc.), dance, run, jump, pretend to sleep, wave, etc., depending on the context of the song. The teacher will play an instrument during some songs, play a CD for other songs while leading a sing-along, and go without any accompaniment for other songs. The teacher will bring out instruments for the kids for a song or two, and will bring out a scarf or some other prop for another song. Parents or caregivers are left with no real choice but to also get involved in the singing, tapping, dancing, or other activity.
At the start of each series of class sessions, the participants get a CD. The CD includes all the songs that the teacher will use in the class for that series of sessions.
Additionally, the participants can get a songbook corresponding to the CD. The songbook is great for learning lyrics to the songs used in class (many of which are classics, like "This Old Man," which appears in the "Bongos" book). Perhaps more fun, however, is the fact that the songbook includes music for piano and guitar.
On a personal note, I've actually been using the songbooks to teach myself guitar so that I can play songs for my wife and son. I can't say that I'm particularly good at it, but it is a lot of fun. I get to interact with my family in a new way.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Little Einsteins
The Disney tv series "Little Einsteins" connotes genius. It promotes music and art appreciation for youngsters. What parent wouldn't want their child to watch a show about genius?
You have to wonder, however, whether Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest physicist of all time, would approve. The Little Einsteins in "Little Einsteins" seem to live in a world where the rules of physics just don't apply. They travel around in "Rocket," which is a little rocket. The rocket can fit into rooms through doors that are way too small for it. In one episode, a cello falls off a bridge onto a tugboat and doesn't break. And so on, and so on.
Come on, Disney -- we love you. You can do better!!!
--TC Daddy
You have to wonder, however, whether Albert Einstein, perhaps the greatest physicist of all time, would approve. The Little Einsteins in "Little Einsteins" seem to live in a world where the rules of physics just don't apply. They travel around in "Rocket," which is a little rocket. The rocket can fit into rooms through doors that are way too small for it. In one episode, a cello falls off a bridge onto a tugboat and doesn't break. And so on, and so on.
Come on, Disney -- we love you. You can do better!!!
--TC Daddy
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Duck tours in San Francisco
Last week I took my three and a half year old son on a duck tour in San Francisco. It was a blast! The driver even let the children on the boat drive when we were out in the water. The interesting thing for children is when they start out on a boat, and then suddenly we got to the water and the boat floats. The expression on my son's face was priceless. Also, each person on the tour gets a duck caller, which the children and adults use to make people laugh. If I was new to San Francisco, I think the best tours are still the double decker red buses because you have on and off privileges all around the city. Yet, if you are a tourist and you have a chance for a second tour, I would vote for the duck tour, especially if you have children The duck tour is also a chance for fun for people who actually live in the bay area. What a great way to take visitors around the city without having to drive yourself!
--TC Mommy
--TC Mommy
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