Cesar Chavez Day

Si Se Puede

Child Friendly Gem and Mineral Show- March 28th and 29th, 2015, Roseville (Placer County) Fairgrounds

Tomorrow, Sunday, March 29th, 2015 is the Roseville Rock Rollers Club's Gem and Mineral Show at the Roseville (Placer County) Fairgrounds.

There will be rocks, minerals, crystals, gemstones, fossils, beads, jewelry, demonstrations, exhibits, silent auctions, raffles, youth activities, food and drink, and gold panning.

Resources:

Rock Roller's Gem and Mineral Show
www.rockrollers.com
Roseville (Placer County) Fairgrounds
800 All American City Blvd.
Roseville, CA
Sunday, 10AM to 4PM
www.rockrollers.com

Robots!

Today we visited the West Super-Regional Championship Tournament for the FIRST Tech Challenge.  What does that mean?  Robots!

This is a middle and high school student tournament involving robots.  Schools from around the world compete to build robots that must meet a series of challenges in a game setting.  They are each given kits that have the same parts, which means that the teams must figure out how to use the same resources to design the best robots.  Then, the teams compete in a series of games.  The west super-regional championship is in Oakland, California, at the Oakland Convention Center, from March 27-29 (final rounds are on March 29th).  The top teams advance to the world championship later this year in St. Louis.

The kids are very enthusiastic and seem to be having a lot of fun.  The event places great emphasis on "gracious professionalism."  No one is humiliated.  There's a place for everyone.

Recommended book: Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz (Great book to read before visiting Crab Cove in Alameda!)

I took a group to Crab Cove recently.  There was low tide so we walked around and saw the little crabs and other sea life!

We sat at the picnic area and read the book, Crab Moon by Ruth Horowitz.  Great day!

Resources:

Crab Moon
by Ruth Horowitz
Ages 6-9
ISBN 978-0-7636-2313-5
(This book was selected to be an outstanding Science Trade Book For Children by the National Science Teachers Association.)

Teaching about marshes and wetland at Martinez shoreline park

We went on a field trip last week to the Martinez Regional Shoreline in Martinez, CA.  There is a beautiful path through the marsh and wetland, and lots of wildlife to view.  I highly recommend this as a place to stop by on the way to the John Muir National Park.

Before going here, I would recommend doing some homework on marshes and wetland.  I found a website that was even educational to me!
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/marsh/?ar_a=1

I am still looking for books I would recommend for children about wetlands.

John Muir House National Park, in Martinez, CA, wonderful place to celebrate spring

We went to John Muir House this past week on a field trip.  It is not the first time we've been there as whenever I go I feel entranced and enveloped by the magnificence of John Muir.  I especially love walking into the house and seeing the "scribble room" as he called it, as Muir spent hours there working on his celebrated writings that changed the course of history, influenced people, and helped create our national parks we so value today.

I read the book to Stickeen to a group of 1st graders and they absolutely love it, which I already knew since my son loves the book too!





















Recommendations for book and outside readings:

Louie Strentzel Muir through the eyes of her daughter, Helen
http://patch.com/california/martinez/bp--louie-strentzel-muir-through-the-eyes-of-her-daughter-helen
(This is a very informative and personal account of Louie Strentzel seen through the eyes of her daughter.   One cannot go to this home and not imagine what Louie was like.)

Stickeen  by John Muir
(There are several versions of this book, and we have not read all of them.)

Online free version of the book, Stickeen, by John Muir
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11673/11673-h/11673.htm
1909
I found it interesting that he dedicated this book to his daughter, Helen.
The movie they show in the John Muir House before touring the house, mentions Stickeen.  After Muir's great adventure with Stickeen in Alaska, he named his later dog Stickeen, and there are pictures of him with the dog in the house.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day from the Westbrae Biergarten on Gilman in Berkeley!  Very family friendly (complete with a big sandbox).  And dog friendly.  Bagpipes.  Good times.

Recommended Family Outings in the San Francisco Bay Area: Rodeo Beach in Sausalito, CA

Rodeo Beach used to be a Spanish horse ranch that was acquired by the armed forces to install defense systems to protect San Francisco from attack.  The ranch was allowed to stay so the name Rodeo Beach  stayed as well.  My son loved walking up the hill near the beach and seeing relics of huge guns, barricades, and missile systems that were installed years ago to protect San Francisco.  It was a history lesson when he asked about Fort Cronkhite, the huge military fort near the beach.

Recommendations:

*Be really careful near the cliffs when you walk up the hill to the right of the beach,  as in many places there are no gates. I would recommend staying on the gated path.

*Bring your own food and drinks and there are no amenities at the beach.  We stopped by the hotel, Cavollo Point, on the way home, but and orange juice to go was $5.00.

*Bring a camera!

*A warm jacket and change of clothes may be needed, it gets chilly there.

* Bring a blanket and beach toys.

*Be careful about water play at the beach with young children.

website:  http://www.nps.gov/goga/index.htm

This beach is dog friendly and all the dogs at the beach looked extremely happy!

Field Trips for School and Homeschool students: Naturebridge- Connecting Youth to the Natural World

Naturebridge has several locations in California, but this weekend I visited the location at Fort Cronkhite in the beautiful National Park of Marin Headlands.  This is a gorgeous location and Naturebridge offers family activities as well, such as evening hikes and campfires, which is what brought my family to this location.

Naturebridge focuses on environmental education in a national park, and at the Fort Cronkhite location, students are able to explore the shores of Rodeo Beach.

Naturebridge focuses on inquiry based learning:  students collect and identify macroinvertebrates in Rodeo Pond, observe seals from the bluffs, and study the adaptations of tide pool creatures in their state-of-the-art intertidal marine lab.

Students are inspired to action after seeing up close what their actions have on the world around them through composting food waste or volunteering at the plant nursery, which inspires students toward lifelong stewardship.

Resources:

Naturebridge
@ Golden Gate
1033 Fort Cronkhite
Sausalito, CA
94965
(415) 332-5771

Contact:  Jeanelle Steiner
(415) 332-5771  ex. 28

Jack London Square in Oakland, cA is dog and child friendly!

Fenton's in Oakland, CA

Starting book, Farmer Boy as first chapter book!

The book, Farmer Boy, brings back so many memories!  I loved the series when I was a child.  I can't wait, starting the book in April, for spring reading!

Chinese New Year Parade was last night in San Francisco, CA - one of the best in the U.S.!

We went to the Chinese New Year parade last night in San Francisco,  CA.  The crowds were enormous so this event is not for the faint of heart or those that become claustrophobic in large crowds!

I witnessed a large pit bull with a therapy dog jacket run into an automated wheelchair and lay belly up as the owner was soothing him and trying to get him to walk again -- that was just one of the strange things our families witnessed as we walked along the crowded streets.

Here are some pictures:

Recommended clever alphabet book, The Wise Enchanter: A Journey Through The Alphabet by Shelley Davidow

I discovered a clever book for working with the alphabet called The Wise Enchanter:  A Journey Through The Alphabet by Shelley Davidow.  I am going to buy it and do a review based on my son's opinions!

Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Boys by Julie Harper - Boys love this one!

I saw a friend's son working on the Cursive Handwriting Workbook for Boys and I was happy to see he seemed to be enjoying it.  The book is for boys, so has content most boys would enjoy.

Resource:

Cursive Handwriting For Boys
By Julie Harper

Teaching cursive is still important, and helps brain development!

I believe schools still need to teach cursive, and that it helps brain development.  As a teacher, I hear many horror stories now about grandparents or aunts and uncles giving their young teenage relative a card in cursive and being shocked that they can't read it!  Also, historically, even the Declaration of Independence is in cursive!  I worry it is dangerous for cursive to become a lost art, only known by higher socioeconomic families who are demanding it in their schools.

Upcoming Horace M. Allbright Lecture: America's Two Best Ideas, Public Education and Public Lands - 3/26/15-7pm

The year 2015 parks the 100th anniversary of a conference held in Berkeley, hosted by UC Berkeley alum Stephen Mather and Horace Albright, that led to the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

This month, the Horace M. Allbright Lecture in Conservation, Spring 1015, presents, "America's Two Best Ideas - Public Education and Public Lands"
This is presented in conjunction with the summit, " Science For Parks, Parks For Science- The Next Century."

Date:  March 26, 2015
Time:  7PM

Tickets are available on event day at Wheeler Auditorium on a first come, first served basis.  See http://nature.berkeley.edu/albright for details.