For those of you who enjoy our GeekDads podcast, we’ll broadcast the recording session live tonight. So if you’d like to waste an hour and participate via chat room, stop by right here at 7:00 this evening, Pacific Time. We hope to see you here!
The GeekDads Podcast Live Tonight 7:00pm/10:00 PDT/EDT
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By Ken Denmead
- October 12, 2010 |
- 12:00 pm |
- Categories: GeekDad Podcasts
The Reason We Should Read Picture Books to Older Kids
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By GeekMom Blog
- October 12, 2010 |
- 9:41 am |
- Categories: geekmom
Photo: Judy Berna
I was quickly cruising through my email inbox on Friday morning, making sure there wasn’t something urgent needing my attention, when I came across a link to a New York Times article about how picture books are losing popularity. The subject matter stopped me in my tracks. I skimmed through the article, tagging it for a more in-depth read once I got my nine-year-old on the bus for school.
But the whole time we were going through our school morning routines the idea gnawed at me. The main point of the article is the idea that parents are anxious to get their kids into chapter books. There’s pressure to get your kid moving along the academic track as quickly as possible. Picture books are seen as something for little kids, a minor step on to bigger and better things. I understand the pressure parents are under to keep their children moving forward academically. But letting go of picture books too early is not the answer.
[Read more of this post at our companion site GeekMom.com]
Related articles
- Are Picture Books a Dying Breed? (wired.com)
Dad, Why do You Work so Much?
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By Russ Neumeier
- October 12, 2010 |
- 9:30 am |
- Categories: Armchair Geek
That was the question from my youngest son this weekend. Granted, it came after his request to go somewhere that we were not able to go; however, the question has been rattling ’round my brain since Saturday afternoon.
Chargin' up the wii-motes. Photo by Russ Neumeier
The question – “Dad, why do you work so much?” came as we were driving from one of the many stops we had that day. We’d been to a few places, had a few more errands to run, and all my son wanted to do was to go fishing at a pond near our house. The question came as he asked to go fishing (having just passed the pond while driving in the van) and after my response listing the many reasons both Saturday and Sunday would not work for fishing. Continue Reading “Dad, Why do You Work so Much?” »
Review: Challenging Units for Gifted Learners
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By Jenny Williams
- October 12, 2010 |
- 9:00 am |
- Categories: Science and Education
Photo: Prufrock Press
Some schools and teachers have a hard time teaching gifted kids, especially if there is little budget for it. Either the kids are done with their work early and have nothing to do, or they aren’t challenged by the work so they appear lazy. Or perhaps they’re just aching for something to challenge them without talking over their heads. Finding the proper materials to use to teach gifted kids can be difficult. Their intellect is more advanced and can handle more complex thoughts than their peers, but they are still kids, and want things to be as interesting as possible. If you’re in a location where gifted education isn’t well funded, your kids may not be challenged enough.
Perhaps you don’t know where to look to find gifted materials on your own. Or perhaps what you find costs too much. Well, there is help!
Continue Reading “Review: Challenging Units for Gifted Learners” »
Move Along and Watch Great Migrations
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By Doug Cornelius
- October 12, 2010 |
- 8:30 am |
- Categories: Armchair Geek
The latest epic series from National Geographic is Great Migrations. It’s a seven-part series that takes you around the world to see the arduous journeys taken by some species.
Move as millions. Survive as one.
This is the first National Geographic wildlife film shot entirely in Blu-Ray native format. It promises breathtaking high-definition clarity. (Unfortunately, my preview episodes were ordinary DVDs.)
My six-year old was particularly fascinated by the red crab migration on Christmas Island. Forty-five million red crabs migrate from the inland forest to lay eggs in the Indian Ocean. After a week-long journey, the crabs take a refreshing dip in the sea and get ready for breeding activity. Eventually, the female crabs release their larvae into the harsh waves. Many years, none of the larvae survive the tides and feeding predators. But every few years, millions of baby crabs survive 25 days of growth to wash back as a red wave on the shore. They complete the circle of migration by heading back to the forest in the center of the island.
If you don’t find the crabs interesting there are flying foxes in Australia, army ants in Costa Rica, wildebeests in Kenya, great white sharks in Mexican waters, zebras in Tanzania, elephants in Mali and two dozen other stories of migration. You can view some clips on the Great Migrations webpage.
As a parent, these are powerful stories. All of the migrations involve breeding. The species take these epic journeys to create their next generation. Our struggles to raise geek generation 2.0 look pale in comparison.
Sperm whales, carriers of the largest brain on the planet, may travel a million miles over their 50-year lives. The males return from their polar hunting grounds to temperate equatorial waters to find females. The sperm whale’s clicks are the loudest sound made by any animal. We are not sure what all the sounds mean, but surely some must mean that they are on their way.
My kids and I both loved watching the the show. The visuals are spectacular on a standard TV and I expect them to be breathtaking in high definition.
Remember that migration is the circle of life and not every creature makes the full circle. Some of the wildebeests do not make it all the way across the crocodile infested river. There is a little blood, more dread than gore. I had to point out that it was bad for the baby wildebeest, but good for the crocodile. They have babies too.
Personally, I enjoyed Alec Baldwin’s narration. But I have to admit that I kept waiting for a quip from Jack Donaghy (Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming).
The first episode of Great Migrations premieres on Sunday, November 7. The the companion book, Great Migrations
The shows producers were kind enough to send me preview DVDs and a copy of the companion book, Great Migrations
Potato Chip Science – An Experiment Kit That’s High In Saturated Facts
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By Dave Banks
- October 12, 2010 |
- 8:00 am |
- Categories: Projects and Activities, Science and Education
I love experiments. They represent the best part of education because you learn by doing and usually have a pretty fun time while you’re at it. So when Workman Publishing sent me Potato Chip Science, I had a big grin on my face – and not just because the book (and its accessories) shipped in a real potato chip bag.
Ripping into the kit, I was curious what I’d find inside. There’s an 85 page book that covers the 29 experiments, a glossary of scientific terms and a lot more background information to help kids understand how the experiments fit in the world around them. There were also dozens of biodegradable packing chips, wires, plastic lids and other odds and ends to fill in material requirements.
The experiment selection is an interesting mish-mash of hard science – analyzing the acidity of potato chips – and the mundane – making a bird house from a Pringles-type tube. The kit covers a wide swath of science, including physics, biology, chemistry and earth sciences. Authors Max Kurzweil and his teenage son lay the potato puns on a little heavily for my tastes, but in the end, it’s all good fun and the science wins out. I was impressed with how much information was packed into the book and my guess is that even adults will likely learn something.
My only complaint is that, although the kit is packed with items to help you perform experiments, I didn’t see a single experiment that could be performed with just the items in the bag. All of them required other items, some of which we didn’t have at our house (2.5 oz chip bags, red cabbage, potting soil, etc.). You’d think with so many experiments and so many items included, at least one experiment would be ready to go, out-of-the-bag.
Still, Potato Chip Science is worth the price of admission. There’s enough in the bag to last you for many weekends … and spark imaginations for investigations for many more.
Disclosure: GeekDad was sent a review copy of this kit.
3 Family Games from The Haywire Group
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By Jonathan Liu
- October 12, 2010 |
- 7:30 am |
- Categories: Armchair Geek, Toys and Technology
Word Pirates, Outnumbered!, and Flickin' Chicken.
The Haywire Group is the publisher of several family games, most of which involve lots and lots of dice … except for the one with rubber chickens. They recently sent me three games to try out, and it’s an interesting mix. Read on to find out more about:
Review: He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown Remastered Deluxe Edition
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By Z
- October 12, 2010 |
- 7:00 am |
- Categories: Armchair Geek
He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown - Own it on DVD!
Though the Peanuts special likely on everyone’s mind in the month of October is that cartoon mainstay It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Warner Bros Home Video has chosen to favor us with another release this autumn. On September 21st, He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown was re-released as a remastered deluxe edition DVD and bundled with a number of fun extras.
He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown, the fifth prime-time Peanuts special, was the first to shift the focus from Charlie to his lovable, headstrong dog Snoopy. The plot centers on the beagle’s bad behavior and Charlie Brown’s eventual decision to send Snoopy back to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for obedience training. Of course since this is Snoopy we’re talking about things don’t exactly go as planned. After an extended and incredibly entertaining stay not at Daisy Hill but at the home of Peppermint Patty (the duration of which Snoopy spends in the fantasy world of his alter ego the WWI Flying Ace), the pup eventually sees the error of his ways. Except where Linus and Lucy are concerned. Continue Reading “Review: He’s Your Dog, Charlie Brown Remastered Deluxe Edition” »
Review & Giveaway: Paper Jamz Makes Guitarists Out of Air
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By Matt Blum
- October 11, 2010 |
- 11:49 am |
- Categories: Toys and Technology
My son, rocking out with Paper Jamz (note the headphones). Photo: Matt Blum.
If you were a teenager or a twenty-something anytime in the past 60 years or so, the odds are you’ve played air guitar at least a few times. It’s OK to admit it: we all do it, and we all look pretty foolish doing it. So how cool would it be if you could do something almost the same as air guitar, and requiring the same level of skill (which is to say, none), but that would actually generate music?
Well, Paper Jamz aren’t the perfect solution to that problem, but they’re closer to it than anything else I’ve seen that doesn’t break the bank. $24.99 will buy you a guitar that looks like a small electric guitar, only the face of it is flat, as the product name implies, paper. You can turn it on and play with it out of the box, though you’d be better off reading the instructions or watching one of the company’s website’s very helpful videos — the method for interacting with the guitar is, while not difficult, also definitely not intuitive.
There are as of this writing six guitars available, each with a different look and a different set of three songs. There are currently five rock guitars and one country guitar being sold, and, while each has only three songs to pick from, the company chose the set for each guitar well: each song is very different from the other two. (Examples: One has The Kinks’ “You Really Got Me,” The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” and Blue Öyster Cult’s “Godzilla.” Another (the one I tried out) has Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild,” Mountain’s “Mississippi Queen” and Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water.”)
Continue Reading “Review & Giveaway: Paper Jamz Makes Guitarists Out of Air” »
Midnight Syndicate Gives Scary a Soundtrack
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By Curtis Silver
- October 11, 2010 |
- 10:00 am |
- Categories: Hacking the Holidays
It's Halloween which means Zombies & music by Midnight Syndicate
Unless you hang around haunted houses, you might not be familiar with the group Midnight Syndicate – by name. If you’ve ever been to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios, watched any number of horror movies, attended one of Hugh Hefner’s infamous Halloween parties or watched any number of television programs focusing on the macabre or supernatural you’ve most likely heard Midnight Syndicate. For added geek cred, back in 2003 they hooked up with Hasbro & Wizards of the Coast to create the first official soundtrack for Dungeons & Dragons. For over 13 years they have been providing the soundtrack for scary, and now they’ve made a movie.
The music of Midnight Syndicate (Edward Douglas & Gavin Goszka) is what you would expect from music tailored to horror movie soundtracks and Halloween. It’s haunting, full of dark orchestration and moody synthesized creepiness. Once you listen, you immediately feel like you are being slowly hunted by a ghost with a penchant for human flesh. It’s not the kind of music that makes you think of ghosts that just want to make pottery. It’s the kind of music that goth kids listen to while doing their homework and brooding.
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