Search Results for: blog studying the amazon

The Noble Efforts of the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund

One thing I will never criticize Disney about is the good work done by the Animal Kingdom and its sometimes-partner the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund.  The two might technically be separate entities – the Animal Kingdom is a part of Disney World, and the DWCF is a philanthropic branch of the Walt Disney Corporation – but they often work together. Work together, of course, being an operative word.  The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund is what it’s called: a fund.  While some employees might actually go out and do something, the primary purpose of the division is to provide financial support for … Continue reading →

The Avengers: The Ultimate Superhero Movie

“The Avengers” blew my mind. How can I ever settle for just one superhero in a movie again, now that I’ve seen what it’s like with six? If you’re a fan of comic book movies, of superheroes, of big-budget action flicks with a whole lot of story and heart, then you don’t need to read any more of my review. Go see “The Avengers.” Now. Go see it multiple times. Tell Hollywood that they need to keep putting director (and script writer and co-story writer) Joss Whedon in charge of movies. If you’re not sure where you stand on superheroes, … Continue reading →

A Great Resource to Study the 100th Anniversary of the Titantic

Book: Titanic Voices from Disaster Author: Deborah Hopkinson Published by: Scholastic Press Age Recommendation: 8 and up Use: Read aloud, historical non-fiction for studying the Titanic, independent student reading Book Summary: (Amazon.com) Critically acclaimed nonfiction author Deborah Hopkinson pieces together the story of the TITANIC and that fateful April night, drawing on the voices of survivors and archival photographs. Scheduled to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the TITANIC, a topic that continues to haunt and thrill readers to this day, this book by critically acclaimed author Deborah Hopkinson weaves together the voices and stories of … Continue reading →

Curriculum Choice: Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers

Curriculum: Science Unit Studies for Homeschoolers and Teachers By: Susan Kilbride Format: Softcover book Ages: 4 to 13 Subject: Science Method: Unit study, hands on Free: Click for free science unit studies from the book. Description: If you are a homeschooler or teacher who is looking for fun ideas on how to teach science, then this book is for you! Its hands-on approach is designed to capture students’ interest and promote a love of science and learning. The first ten chapters are for younger children ages 4-7, while the second ten chapters are for children ages 8-13. Each chapter is … Continue reading →

Glow-in-the-Dark Cats Fight AIDS

The other week I saw an animal story all over the internet, from geeky blogs to big news sites: researchers have developed glow-in-the-dark cats as part of their efforts to combat AIDS. Your first reactions are likely similar to mine: a combination of “wait, what?” and “what are they doing to those poor kitties?” Animal testing is always a tricky issue, but in this case no cats have yet been harmed and the research is not only for a very worthy cause for humans, but for cats as well. There is a feline version of HIV and that’s with what … Continue reading →

The Return of the Dark Fairy Tale

When studying the feminist evolution of the Disney princesses I came to the conclusion that it was time for Disney to once again reinvent the fairy tale for contemporary audiences. It seems that might be happening, though perhaps not in the way I’d expect. In the past year or so I’ve read a number of reports indicating that one of the latest trends in proposed films is the “dark fairy tale.” Several studios are green lighting movies that take classic fairy tales and “de-Disneyfy” them, supposedly turning them back to their darker roots. Whether or not the true sources of … Continue reading →

The Science of Dogs

Over the weekend I watched the National Geographic documentary “The Science of Dogs.” It explored canine genetics, studying what it is about a dog’s DNA that makes it the species with the greatest number of breeds. The documentary revealed that there is something uniquely malleable about canine DNA that allows it to make a staggering variety of small changes. The example given by the documentary explained that one can breed cows in such a way to get different color patterns or shapes of horns. But all cows will look fundamentally the same and share identical characteristics. As we well know, … Continue reading →

A Dog’s Role in American Indian Tribes

Here’s an interesting topic I don’t often get to cover on the pets blog: pet history. In today’s world sometimes it seems like pets are over-pampered, taken to expensive salons or left giant inheritances. Some might consider this contrary to how humans used to view pets, merely as tools. A new study by a professor of archeology and anthropology asserts otherwise, at least in some cases. The Sacramento Bee published the recent findings of Professor Paul Langenwalter of Biola University on the relationship local Californian American Indian tribes had with their pet dogs. He found evidence to suggest that among … Continue reading →

History Across The Curriculum

In previous posts I mentioned how I try to get as much “across the curriculum” learning out of a subject as I can. Why have separate reading, history, art, writing, and science projects when you can take one subject you’re studying and make it work for all areas? This is being frugal with your time and kids can really immerse themselves in the topic at hand rather than having their minds jump from one completely different subject to another. Another positive aspect of taking one topic and applying as many assignments to it as possible is that you can often … Continue reading →

Poetry in Schools

As a poet myself, I have a natural interest in reading poetry as well as writing it. Sadly many teachers seem to do more to turn children and young adults of poetry off than to turn them on to it. By the time they’ve insisted the poem be dissected myriad times, children have lost any joy in the poem. Sometimes poems are simply meant to be enjoyed not analyzed to death. Then let the meaning and all the rest sort of sneak up on the young person, as they think about it. I was fortunate when at school in having … Continue reading →