If a company sends you ONE “Back to School” Catalog, they’re liable to send you FOUR or more Holiday Catalogs.

August is one of the best times to tell which mailing lists you are on.
If you wait until November, it’s too late. Why? because if you tell companies to stop sending you catalogs, it can take up to two months to get them to stop (at least that is what several of them told me last November!)

Save yourself the headache and cancel those catalogs now!
The easiest way I’ve found is to go to CatalogChoice.org

Magnification
This concept seems obvious–but most science, from geology to biology to astronomy, relies on the ability to see things at a higher magnification than the human eye can see. You can explain this concept all day, but seeing really is believing.
You don’t need a microscope or a telescope, just a hand-held magnifying lens.
Experiments With a Hand Lens (True Book (Franklin Watts, Inc.).) by Salvatore Tocci is a good starting book. Get a hand lens and replicate the experiments.
If your child is an artist, try The Art Book for Children, Book Two (Art Book for Children). In this book is a reproduction of 12 paintings by the Limbourg brothers. The paintings are tiny and require a magnifying lens to see all the details. My 6-year old was fascinated for 45 minutes, and really understood the concept of magnification by the end.
I also recommend that you explain what a telescope and a microscope are, after you have let them explore magnification with a hand lens.

Scientific Method
Teachers always made this way too complicated when I was a child. The definition usually includes scientific jargon which also needs to be defined.
Try How to Think Like a Scientist: Answering Questions by the Scientific Method by Stephen Kramer. We read it as a “chapter book” in the evenings for a few nights. It really explains the concept of science, scientific experiments, and using the scientific method in accessible language that most children can understand. The reading level is described as ages 9-12, but if an adult reads it to them a much younger child can understand it.
This book also introduces the concept of control groups and variables.

And it show that sometimes the results are not always the same, so you have to do an experiment many times to be sure. (This concept seems obvious to an adult, but it is not intuitive knowledge and has to be taught to a small child!)

Technorati Tags: age 5, age 6, child, curriculum, homeschool, kindergarten, school, science, scientific method, summer

Science is not Magic.

Science is a process, and without it our children won’t know anything about the world around them.

So, this summer I’m going to try and fit in some Science lessons–ten weeks worth, actually.
They will be aimed at my 6-year-old, but hopefully the 3-year-old will benefit from some of it.
I intend to do this every summer, and figure out a way to reinforce it during the school year.
But that’s getting ahead of myself!

For now here’s the basic 10-Week Science Curriculum outline:
1 - Into to Science Concepts: scientific method, magnification, variables, change
2 - Meteorology: weather patterns, clouds, water cycle
3 - Physics A: electro-magnetic, light, sound
4 - Astronomy A: stars
5 - Physics B: mechanical, forces, gravity, robotics
6 - Astronomy B: Earth and Solar system
7- Geology: plate tectonics & volcanoes, rock types, how fossils are made
8 - Botany: life cycle, types, parts
9 - Zoology 1: Invertebrates: worms, bugs, butterflies, octopuses
10 - Zoology 2: Vertebrates: baby animals, development & growth, phyla, primates

It hasn’t been all flushed out yet, and the order may seem a bit weird but that’s because of outside scheduling concerns (physics is my weak point, so I have to make sure that the family member who can explain it all is in town those two weeks, and it’s interrupted by our own vacations, summer activities, etc.) And of course I’m spending a bit more time on astronomy and zoology because my kids like them. **see note below!

I will be using all the concepts we learn in the first week and have them apply it to the topics in the remaining nine weeks.

And I will try to update everybody with how it went, what materials I used, and what experiments we did! **see note below!

Technorati Tags: age 5, age 6, child, curriculum, homeschool, kindergarten, school, science, summer

The good news is that the children haven’t really been slowed down by any of these things–although they make me tired just watching them run around.

Which all brings me, in a round about way, to thinking about “Healthy Homes.” (Since I’m the only one sick, and all the asthma and allergy-ridden ones are all fine, my house is at least healthy, right?)

A “Healthy Home” is not a germ-free one. Normally. There are germs everywhere. Only a few make us ill, so trying to “kill all the germs” is inefficient.
Besides anything that can “kill all the germs” isn’t good for us usually.
Bleach, for instance, will “kill all the germs” but it also kills the indoor air quality and has been linked to cancer, which kills us.

After crawling out of bed from my latest illness, I have cleaned every time.
And since not everyone has gotten ill, and I haven’t been re-infected with the same thing (always something new–aren’t they running out yet?), I must have done a good job.
But no bleach, no ammonia, no non-Earth-friendly cleaners.

The sheets and towels are washed in hot water, and I’ve added Vinegar to the rinse cycle for added germ-killing. The countertops, kitchen table, desk, etc have all been wiped down with an eco-friendly surface cleaner. The phone, doorknobs, sink handles, and light switches have been wiped down also. And the toilet and shower cleaned.

Wait, didn’t I just say that a “Healthy Home” isn’t germ-free and we shouldn’t try to kill all the germs?

What’s the difference?
The difference is that had I used bleach yesterday, it would still be working on the germs and my children today. The safer cleaners worked on the existing germs–some of which I knew were harmful since I had just been ill–but did not stay around.
Safe cleaners are safe for you to come into contact with (no gloves needed) and are safe for the environment by not being an endemic enviro-cide.

Germicide, fungicide, pesticide?
“-icide” means it’s deadly.
So don’t use any of those things if you want a “Healthy Home.”

Technorati Tags: clean, germs, healthy home, ill, sick, sterilize

I said “out of the box.” And this is almost as out there as you can get.

I was going to post on alternative products for dealing with menstruation, but Myscha Theriault over at WiseBread beat me to the punch with Green for Girls: A Feminine Perspective.

A note to men:
1. If you are squeamish about this sort of thing, don’t read it–it’s a frank discussion.
2. Every woman is different, and their bodies are different. That’s why there are different products. While you can suggest these methods, or mention that you would be supportive of them, please do not attempt to dictate the choice of feminine product to your wife, girlfriend, or daughter. (Not that every man is this bossy, but if you’re this type of guy, this is not the time of month to nag about environmental responsibility.)

The point is, everybody’s complaining about rising grocery costs!
So, what’s my secret?

I buy local.

Groceries are going up because of rising gas prices. If something doesn’t get shipped as far, it doesn’t cost as much!
But wait, it’s not as simple as looking on the package to see where something’s from!

I also buy from local businesses.
Why does this matter?
Because a large regional or national chain will pass on their transportation costs to the consumer across the board, raising prices on everything even if it only traveled 40 miles. A small local grocer will not. So while something from 500 miles away will cost more, something from 50 miles away will not.

The secret: go to a local grocery store, and read the label for place of origin!

Technorati Tags: buy local, gas, grocery, rising cost, save money on groceries

Cotton swabs were invented in the 1920s, and the first brand became known as “Q-tips.” You have them in your house, probably in the bathroom, in a drawer or cabinet. Everyone has them.

Why?

We use them to apply medical creams and ointments, put on make-up, and to clean out our ears.
We did all of these things without cotton swaps until the 1920s, and guess what? We can do without them again!

Cotton Swab Alternative for applying medical creams:
Use a wash cloth. You probably will need one to clean the skin, which most likely has a wound or rash, and another to apply the medical cream or ointment.

Cotton Swab Alternatives for applying cosmetics:
Get yourself some reusable make-up brushes and foam applicators. Your cosmetics will go on easier and better. Wash the brushes and applicators often in mild shampoo.

Cotton Swab Alternative for removing ear wax:
It says right on the box not to stick it in your ear, yet that’s why most people buy them!
That’s not safe–cotton swabs are pointy sticks wrapped up in a bit of bleached cotton fuzz. Please don’t stick them in any orifice.
Instead, use a wash cloth, or:
Use an Ear Wax Extractor.
Unlike the fuzz-covered pointy stick otherwise known as a cotton swab, this object was designed to be safe to put in your ear.
And, it’ll save you money. Q-tips cost $4 for a small box, and you keep having to buy boxes (thus, the real reason behind “disposable”!) The Ear Wax Extractor costs less than $3, and will last so long your great-grandkids could inherit it. And, because it’s metal, they could actually sterilize it and use it themselves, if they were so inclined.

Technorati Tags: cotton bud, cotton swab, ear wax, eco, environment, recycle, reduce, reusable

Happy Earth Day!

Bottled water has gotten a lot of negative attention lately: it costs more than petroleum per ounce, and burns up even more getting to it’s destination! And studies have shown that it isn’t even safer than tap water!

And of course, there’s the matter of the bottles themselves being disposable.

Alternatives to Disposable Water Bottles:
1. Sigg Water Bottles are reusable, easy to clean and stylish.
2. Klean Kanteen, available from Green Home and ReusableBags, are another stainless steel option.
3. If you must use plastic, Nalgene bottles are durable and seem to be the safest plastic bottles. –oops! actually they aren’t safe at all! Check out the BPA-free Water Bottle Showdown at Gardenaut for reviews and suggestions.
4. Fill up your favorite travel coffee mug with water instead of coffee–it’ll keep the water cold as well as it keeps coffee hot!

Technorati Tags: bottled water, reuseable

OK, there are no real alternatives to brushing your teeth. Not for Americans, anyway. The Toothbrush is the invention most Americans say they cannot live without.

But we throw away a lot of toothbrushes during the course of our lifetime–4 times a year if we follow our dentist’s recommendations! It should come as no surprise to find out that the best-selling toothbrush is sold by Gillette, the company that invented throwing things away.

What are the alternatives to disposable toothbrushes?
1. Recycline makes Preserve toothbrushes. These are made from recycled yogurt cups, and when you send them back to Recycline (they come with a mailer), they are recycled again into plastic lumber. Now they have ones for kids, too!
2. Radius makes the Source toothbrush. It has a reusable handle, and disposable brush head.

Or, you can just go back to cleaning your teeth with a sharp stick.

Technorati Tags: disposable, eco, environment, toothbrush

Facial Tissues–you know, what you blow your nose on?
What everybody called “Kleenex” until some lawyer at Kleenex decided that decades of brilliant marketing by the ad department was a bad idea.

What did anyone do before those little soft paper, chlorinated, facial tissues came in those oh-so-convenient, awkwardly-shaped boxes with the sharp corners? Or better yet, in those little plastic travel containers that never, ever reseal.

Go buy yourself a stack of handkerchiefs. Right now.
No, not the ones with lace–cotton ones.
Preferably organic and non-chlorine bleached ones. After all, you are going to press them up against your NOSE and MOUTH, and hopefully breathe in at some point. Let’s try to avoid direct inhalation of pesticides and dioxins.
These will be softer on your nose, safer (no toxins), and will not kill trees.

I can hear you all say: “Ewwww…then you have to keep them in your pocket after you wiped your snot on them!”
Yes, and what do you do when you are out and there’s no trash can nearby? A hankie will keep everything better contained.
Assuming that you aren’t at home, and can’t just drop it in the laundry chute.

Besides, I didn’t say “get only one,” I said “get a stack.”

If you really want to make this complicated:
1. Buy a bunch of handkerchiefs. Start with at least a dozen, much more than that if you are prone to colds or seasonal allergies.
2. Get three cloth bags: one for the “clean” hankies, and one for the “used” hankies, and one extra.
3. Carry the bags around with you while you are sick–drop the whole “used” bag in the laundry when it’s full.

“BUT I use facial tissues to remove make-up!”
Sigh…use a WASH CLOTH! (You should have a bunch of those, too!) It’s kinder and more gentle to your face.

Technorati Tags: alternative, eco, environment, Kleenex, non-disposable, recycle, reduse, tissue