Sunday, August 16, 2009

where charter school money comes from

Someone posted this on another chat group. It explains where the money comes when someone gets $1100-1800 in vendor money going to school classes or curriculum stuff.

This explains it nicely!

http://www.cacharterschools.org/pdf_files/Charter%20Funding%20Basics.pdf


:-)

Debbie

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Ventura County Fair 2009 wrist bands with United Blood Services

United Blood Services called me today... they ARE doing the unlimited-ride wrist bands for the fair. One day only to donate. August 4th. I am going to the T.O. office to do it and asking my brother and sister too so that I can get wrist bands for the kids and me too! The main number is (805) 654-1600.

They are not taking walk-ins. An appointment has to be made.

school phonics websites

http://www.starfall .com/

http://www.abcfastp honics.com/

www.yourteacher. com

cheaper Easy Bake Oven refill cake mix

Cake Mix for Easy Bake Ovens

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/3 cup shortening

Combine all dry ingredients. Cut in shortening. Store covered for 12 weeks.

To use: Combine 1/3 cup mix with 4 teaspoons water. Bake in easy bake ovens only.

chiff a a new Wikipedia? sorta

I had never heard of Chiff until someone gave me a link to something on this site. I have looked around a few times and love all of it. Kinda like a Wikipedia. Smaller but more details, how to, videos, educational... well, just check it out! Links on the left go to hundreds of pages!


http://www.chiff.com/

Car Cooking- tomatoes

I was laughing so hard when I read this.. and because it was tomatoes it made me think of Brian, my brother. Not that he'd do something as crazy as cook in his car, but that he loves tomatoes.

This is from a Yahoo Group that I am in called 'The Homeschool Mom in the Kitchen'

I can't even imagine how far this can go. Even science fair projects!!!



COOKING THYME with Latimer's Kitchen: Sun Dried Tomatoes in the CAR



Well it worked! With temps around 105 today, it was a real cooker!!

I placed the 1/2 inch sliced white and red paste tomatoes on racks on a cookie sheet and put them in my car window at 10am. By 3:30 they were well done to a crisp! (Should have watched alittle more closely as they are supposed to be pliable not crisp.) I am storing them in olive oil with minced garlic in the refrigerator.

I wondered why my thermometer was registered at 108 in the car all day...
It was because...it melted and exploded! Temps must have exceeded the 120 mark! Yikes!

And the smell....like something died in there! Tomorrow, I am drying my Basil! Hope that takes care of the smell!

Interesting experiment! Try it yourself!

leo Carrillo tide pools

We love the beach and science and exploring so we have decided to do Baby K's birthday this year at Leo Carrillo beach. They have great tide pools when it is low tide and a fun beach too. FYI- they do have camping available and a great website with 'jr ranger' information and more details about the tide pools, when it is hi/low tide, etc.

I saw this on someone else's blog and thought I'd post it here, to share with others!

:-)



For all you tide pool junkies here's the lowest tide that I know of this year:
3-Dec Thu -1.4 @ 4:17
Go to Leo Carrillo or Carpenteria to enjoy the low tides.

Ants Ants Ants learning and fun

Archibald's Adventure, Name that Pest and Pest Detectives are only a few games your kids can play as well as learning about ants and other insects that we call pests!

http://www.pestworl dforkids. org

Here are more details. Another great one from Clickschooling;

The focus is on education - not eradication of cute bugs. :)
You'll learn about the anatomy, habitat, and behavior of:

.Ants
.Bed Bugs
.Bees
.Cockroaches
.Fleas
.Lice
.Rats
.Spiders
.Stink Bugs
.Termites
.Ticks
~ and many more!

When you get to the site, turn on your speakers and watch a
brief introductory animated video, then click on the
"continue" button to examine the "Pest Guide from A to Z."
You'll see pictures and read fascinating information about the
useful (and sometimes annoying) critters that we see around
our homes. Then, explore the rest of the menu that includes:

*Pest Games - Play interactive games like "Name That Pest!"
that test your knowledge of the critters in the "Pest Guide."

.Lesson Plans - Get an assortment of FREE lessons for a wide
grade-range that feature insect anatomy, native habitats and
behaviors of insects and rodents, info on termite specimens
and colonies, and learn how to prevent an infestation. You'll
also find suggested language arts activities and learn about
classical taxonomy.

*Report Writing - Use a 10-step template for learning how to
take notes and organize them into a paper on your favorite
pest.

*Science Fair Kits - Get some student-tested science
experiments with Pill Bugs, Ants, and Fruit Flies that you can
do in your own home.

25 awesome virtual learning experiences

Another great one from Andy. He is on the internet wayyyy too much! LOL!

This are great to do with the children, homeschooling or just for fun.

http://aceonlineschools.com/25-awesome-virtual-learning-experiences-online/


Virtual trip to the moon, 7 wonders of the world, museum of Iraq, the Supreme Court and more!

Definitely worth checking out and to save to look at again and again!

Bottle Village in the Ventura County Star

This is a great article written about Bottle Village that just ran in the Ventura County Star.

I can not get the original article but this is the editorial one that was available online the next day.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jul/29/bottle-village-worth-02/

There are a ton of comments in the 'comment section' too the following day.

Not that everyone had the same opinion but it is still great that the community is becoming more aware of it. Some people have lived in Simi Valley for a few decades and have never seen nor heard of Bottle Village.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/photos/2009/jul/27/71413/

http://www.venturacountystar.com/photos/2009/jul/27/71412/
http://www.venturacountystar.com/photos/2009/jul/27/71412/

Lawnmower Recycling Program Free Discount Voucher

This is a great way to turn in your clunker and get a brand new lawnmower for cheap and help with air pollution at the same time.

The Ventura County Community Foundation (VCCF) oversees the Clean Air Fund, which was donated by Imation (formerly 3M), and is the source of funds for this lawn mower trade-in program. VCCF is a charitable foundation committed to promoting and enabling philanthropy, building long term capital to benefit Ventura County. Its four primary roles are to be a careful steward of the funds entrusted to its care, a long term partner dedicated to donor intent, an effective grantmaker focusing on the needs of nonprofits and of the community, and a community leader and convener, focusing on the common good. More information about VCCF is available at http://www.vccf.org/


Trade in any gas-powered lawn mower and get a huge discount on any electric mower at Lowe’s in Ventura or Simi Valley or order the 14 inch Neuton Cordless for only $89 or the 19 inch Neuton Cordless for $189 including free shipping.



Turn in your mower to either Oxnard Metal (805) 483-0512, Standard Industries in Ventura (805) 643-6669, or the Simi Valley Landfill and Recycling Center (805) 579-7267. (Hours and directions for the Simi Valley facility may be found at http://www.keepingventuracountyclean.com/hours.html) Make sure you get a receipt for your old mower. Mowers must be drained of any oil or gasoline. Fluids should be recycled at your local Household Hazardous Waste program. More information on Household Hazardous Waste Collection Programs is available at http://www.wasteless.org/5_5HHWCollect.html.



Ventura County Air Pollution Control District staff will issue you a voucher worth $129 off the price of a standard corded electric mower or $200 off the price of a cordless electric mower. Customer pays sales tax. Vouchers limited to one per household. Call (805) 645-1408 or download here a short voucher application. Please bring proof of residency e.g. DMV ID or utility bill.

http://www.vcapcd.org/LawnMower_EN.htm

My mom told me that anyone doing this should upgrade and get a cordless one. She said just one time of accidentally running over the cord and paying to have it repaired will make up the difference you pay ahead of time to get the more expensive model.

There are a few different mowers on the website to choose from!

:-)

free movie tickets Fandango and World Market

A friend, Andy, told me about free movie tickets being given away from World Market that was good for yesterday and today only. We were at a counseling apt that was only 1 mile away so we decided to go. Most things in that store are over priced but we found a few gems! Kaela got a jump rope that has each handle spin off to be a bubble container and bubble wand. Daeton got some 'Hazardously Extreme Sour Candy' called Toxic Waste.. I remember this candy as a different name when I was a kid. I got some Clove Gum and BlackJack gum for my mom (sue used to buy it when I was a kid) and a dark chocolate candy bar for me.

I asked one of the store clerks if they were still doing the movie ticket offer and she said yes, it is printed on the receipt and if you pay for all of your items separately I can get more then one.

So, I did. I have a few. But, realized when I tried to sign up that they ALL are the same code and the free movie ticket is only for the first 10,000 people. The clerk had told me I enter the code, online, and right away print out my own movie ticket.

So, this is all a joke how they do it. It is not 'get a free movie ticket' it is more like 'you MIGHT get a free movie ticket' and only one per email address.

Since I was tricked by the World Market promo/email and told the wrong info, I thought I'd share so that everyone else can enter too! EVERY one of my receipts has the exact same password on it!


Here is what you do:

go to www.fandango.com/worldmarket

enter passkey MOVIES

You will then get this:

Cost Plus World Market Ticket Giveaway

Thank you for registering. You will receive an email on August 6 (the end of the registration period) that will let you know if you are one of the first 10,000 customers that qualified for the FREE movie ticket. Winners will receive a unique promotional code via email with instructions on how to activate your code and redeem your FREE movie ticket.

Funny, even on the World Market receipt it says "enter passkey to receive your unique Fandango code and a FREE movie ticket".. and in small print.. must be first 10,000 customers to register to receive the unique code via email.

So, bummer that now I have to wait 8 days to know IF I got the free tickets or not. But, I did register under my email, my Amazon email address, Little D's email my Yahoo email and my sister's email. Why not, I bought more then one item and I have the receipt for that, right?

Pass it one! Not sure what number they are up to now!

Monday, July 27, 2009

KLOS Blood Drive free concert tickets

This is a great way to help the Red Cross with their blood banks and get free t-shirt and concert tickets too. I've been waiting to donate blood, to see if the Ventura County Fair was going to give away unlimited ride wrist bands for donating blood... but I just found out they are not doing that this year. So, driving to my dad's for dinner. Flipping radio stations (I do that ever time a commercial break comes on) and heard them talking about this on KLOS.

I went online to see if I can make an apt but it is saying that for both dates the Thousand Oaks location (closest one to me) are full but walk-in is available. I'm going to call in the morning to double check!

Read below for more details or go to their link, http://www.955klos.com/Article.asp?id=863888

You can also click to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc.



CALL NOW 1-800-GIVE-LIFE! or www.givelife.org Sponsor Code: KLOS

The 28th Annual 95.5 Blood Drive
July 28 - August 1, 2009


KLOS Live Broadcast & Host Schedule

Tues, July 28 10-2pm Cynthia Fox (Live Broadcast) Pomona
Tues, July 28 2-4pm Bob Buchmann (Live Broadcast) Pomona
Tues, July 28 2-4pm Kelli Gates Santa Monica

Wed, July 29 2-4pm Gary Moore Long Beach
Wed, July 29 2-4pm Suzanne Ansilio Santa Monica
Wed, July 29 4-6pm Frank Sontag Thousand Oaks
Wed, July 29 6-8pm Tony Scott Santa Clarita

Thurs, July 30 4-6pm Jim Ladd Woodland Hills
Thurs, July 30 4-8pm Uncle Joe Benson (Live Broadcast) Upland
Thurs, July 30 5-7pm Joe Reiling Ventura

Fri, July 31 4-6pm Frank Sontag Pasadena

Sat, Aug 1 10a-12p Denise Westwood Laguna Hills



In 1981, KLOS organized its first American Red Cross Blood Drive at Los Angeles High School, collecting 250 pints of blood. Twenty-eight years later, the KLOS Blood Drive has grown from a single-site, single-day event to a multi-site, multi-day event, making it one of the largest media-sponsored blood drives in the country.
With your help, we've collected over 105,000 pints of blood for patients who needed blood and blood products to survive accidents, heart transplants, premature births and many other ailments. This summer, we're looking to make and break records for the most blood collected, and only with your help, we can do it!


Need some incentive? Participants in this year's KLOS Blood Drive will be offered a voucher for a free concert ticket and the 28th Annual Commemorative KLOS T-shirt.


Concert tickets are limited; donors with scheduled appointments will receive PRIORITY on concert preferences.


Concert choices are as follows and provided by LiveNation.com:


(1) Crue Fest 2 at the San Manuel Amphitheatre on Friday, July 31, 2009;


(2) Journey at the San Manuel Amphitheatre on Saturday, August 1, 2009;


(3) Def Leppard/Poison/Cheap Trick at the San Manuel Amphitheatre on Sunday, September 6.


Spread the word to all the classic rock fans. Check out the 28th Annual KLOS Blood Drive on Facebook.


To make your appointment for the KLOS Blood Drive throughout Southern California, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or visit www.GiveLife.org and enter sponsor code KLOS. Walk-in donors will be accepted at the KLOS Blood Drive, but those with appointments will be given preference.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Daily posts

By the way.. I was sooooo trying to have a goal that even if I did not post all the time, on the same day, that I would post monthly the same amount of days that are in that month! I am WAYYY behind since for the last two + months I have barely posted! LOL! I DO have a lot of things saved that I want to post so I will do that soon!

:-)

updates and Paypal

Hey everyone, I have not updated my blog in a while and intend to this week.

Please look forward to info on how to send people money on Paypal without paying fees! (hee hee- secret I found out).

And, I can ship almost anything with Paypal now. Even non-eBay payments. So, sending a box to my grandma, a book that sold on Amazon or that is from Paperback Swap, etc... you can do it with Multi-order shipping on Paypal.

The one thing that I can not ship is International- First Class. Paypal USED to allow this but changed it about a year ago (probably to make more money for the USPS). So, those items have to be brought into a post office to ship.

The kids are at Vacation Bible School (VBS) this week from 8:30-12 so after driving I have about 2 hours of free time! YEAH!!! Trying to get all my paper piles taken care of. Nice to have a few hours of 'me' time that only happens once a year!

:-) We have been busy too. Aquarium of the Pacific, California Science Center, Magic Mountain, etc. and we saw the new Harry Potter movie, The Half-Blood Price, today!

Oh, and I can't forget the Roller Derby! THAT was a blast! ! ! !

:-)

I'll update everything else soon!

Debbie

yahooGroups outage....

UPDATE: The outage scheduled for Wednesday, July 15, will not take place. Instead, on Thursday, July 16th, there will be a site-wide outage impacting all Yahoo! Groups.

During this time, you will not be able to access any of your groups, and, mail will be delayed. Once the site is back up, mail delivery will resume. This outage will start at about 3pm PT (10pm UTC/GMT-to determine what time the outage will take place in your neighborhood, please visit this link: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html) and should last roughly 2 hours.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

text message codes for everyone- FREE ;-)

Okay, so my kids are not at the age that I have to worry about them texting to other people things like TDTM or PAW so this list might be things I need to learn, for when I am texting! LOL! But, I'm sure in a blink of an eye my kids will too be at that age! Warning.. some are very crass but good to know if you have pre-teen or teen kids!



http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/dpp/news/fox_5_links/Top_50_Text_Acronyms_Parents_Should_Know_052009



Top 50 Text Acronyms
Parents Should Know

Updated: Friday, 22 May 2009, 5:07 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 20 May 2009, 8:59 PM EDT

ATLANTA (MyFOX ATLANTA) - Here is a list from netlingo.com of the top acronyms commonly used on the Internet and in text messages.



Top 50 Text Acronyms Parents Need to Know


1 8 Oral sex
2 1337 Elite
3 143 I love you
4 182 I hate you
5 459 I love you
6 1174 Nude club
7 420 Marijuana
8 ADR Address
9 ASL Age/Sex/Location
10 Banana Penis
11 CD9 or Code 9 Parents are around
12 DUM Do You Masturbate?
13 DUSL Do You Scream Loud?
14 FB F*** Buddy
15
16 FMLTWIA F*** Me Like The Whore I Am
17 FOL Fond of Leather
18 GNOC Get Naked On Cam
19 GYPO Get Your Pants Off
20 IAYM I Am Your Master
21 IF/IB In the Front or In the Back
22 IIT Is It Tight?
23 ILF/MD I Love Female/Male Dominance
24 IMEZRU I Am Easy, Are You?
25 IWSN I Want Sex Now
26 J/O Jerking Off
27 KFY or K4Y Kiss For You
28 Kitty Vagina
29 KPC Keeping Parents Clueless
30 MorF Male or Female
31 LMIRL Let's Meet In Real Life
32 MOOS Member Of The Opposite Sex
33 WYCM Will You Call Me?
34 MOS Mom Over Shoulder
35 MPFB My Personal F*** Buddy
36 NALOPKT Not A Lot Of People Know That
37 NIFOC Nude In Front Of The Computer
38 NMU Not Much, You?
39 P911 Parent Alert
40 PAL Parents Are Listening
41 PAW Parents Are Watching
42 PIR Parent In Room
43 POS Parent Over Shoulder or Piece Of Sh**
44 PRON Porn
45 Q2C Quick To Cum
46 RU/18 Are You Over 18?
47 RUH Are You Horny?
48 S2R Send To Receive
49 SorG Straight or Gay
50 TDTM Talk Dirty To Me

Magic Mountain Read to Succeed program Free Tickets

Want FREE tickets for Magic Mountain? You can register your school and receive free tickets for Magic Mountain. Go to www.rtsregistration.com And sign up your school with the number of teachers and number of students. You need to sign up sometime now or at the beginning of the school year and they will send you a packet in December. The tickets will not be good until June-August of 2010, at the end of the school year. Or you can call them at (866) 308-1362 for more info and to sign up!

:-)

Fun and cheap things to do in the summer

This link is from Cheap Stingy Bargins. I am not too familiar with them but I like this list.


http://www.cheapstingybargains.com/136215/cheap-and-free-summer-entertainment-kids-will-love/

Summer just started and if you've already run out of ways to entertain the kiddies, then keep reading. Three months can seem kind of daunting-- especially if you've got energetic youngsters to take care of. There are plenty of cheap and free ways to give them a summer full of fun memories.

Free Classes

Take your wee ones to the Home Depot the first Saturday of the month at 9am for free workshops. This summer they'll build a hardware sorter and a picnic caddy. You can also check out Michael's for free craft classes and demonstrations all summer long. Your local library likely has a long list of free summer events and activities your kids can participate in as well.

Free Treats

There are plenty of restaurants and ice cream joints giving away free treats. Here's how to get your hands on some sweet summer snacks. This Wednesday night, take the kids to Sonic for free rootbeer floats. The fun starts at 8pm and goes until midnight. If you're a fan of the Frosty at Wendy's, sign up here and you'll be able to print a Buy 1 Get 1 Free coupon. Friendly's is also giving away free ice cream on June 6 from noon to 5pm.

Free Camp

If your child is more interested in technology, send them to Apple camp. They'll learn how to make movies, presentations and photo slideshows on Mac computers. It's free, but you have to register ahead of time.

Free Bowling

Few places keep the AC cooler than the local bowling alley. Make plans to visit regularly by signing up for free bowling at KidsBowlFree.com. There are participating locations all around the country. Once you register, your kids can bowl two games a day, all summer long. Adults can join in for a small fee.

Free Fun at Home

No swimming pool in the backyard? Set up a sprinkler and let your little ones get soaked. Too hot to be outside? Download these free super hero mask templates and let them create their own characters. You can also sign up for to receive free temporary tattoos while you're there.

Free Gym Membership

Get your teens signed up for a free two-month membership at Lifestyle Family Fitness. There are dozens of locations in Florida, Ohio, Indiana and North Carolina. You must sign up by June 30. Fitworks in Kentucky and Ohio is offering a similar free membership for teens this summer.

Free Movies

Beat the heat with regular trips to the movie theater. Head to the Regal Free Family Film Festival for free flicks every Tuesday and Wednesday mornings at 10am. Or you can head to an AMC theater for AMC Summer Movie Camp. Admission is $1, but it goes to a charity. The event runs every Wednesday at 10am from June 17 to August 5. Cinemark theaters are showing kids movies every weekday morning throughout the summer. Shows are $1 each, or you can enjoy ten shows for $5.

Free Museum Admission

With Target's help, admission is free at a bunch of museums across the US. Check out the Sponsored Happenings page to find out what is going on in your area and when the museums are open for free admission.

free concert Charlotte Diamond in Moorpark

FREE CONCERT -- CHARLOTTE DIAMOND

Friday, June 26, 5:00 - 8:00pm
Bring your picnic dinner and blankets to Arroyo Vista Park in Moorpark
Call or stop by the Family Resource Center for more information and to RSVP
Moorpark Family Resource Center:-- 805/552-1917 moorparknfl@sbcglobal. net

My son LOVED Charlotte Diamond when he was in preschool and for another year two after that. She has great songs and a fun, sing-song voice! You can hear her smile when she is singing! Two favorites in our family are 'Slippery Fish' and 'Ohhhhh, I Am A Pizza' there are many more too.

This is not the way we did the song but similar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOkFKucIl8Q

Here are two of the 'I Am A Pizza' song. The second link is a live concert at CSUN with Charlotte Diamond.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2Zwvyhms8c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4HuoZM4hq8

Please make sure you call the ph # or email in to RSVP to the free concert in Moorpark. They will need an aprox. headcount.

:-)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Scam alert on Facebook

http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourmoney/scamalert/articles/scam_alert_false_friends_on_facebook_.html


Scammers are everywhere. Be careful who you add as a 'friend' on Facebook. This is a new one that is just out but I'm sure there has been others and I'm sure there will be more to come, sadly!

U-Promise.com account for kids for college

In my opinion, this will never pay the way for your children to go to college. But, since it is free, why not let it save some money for you. There is endless ways to sign up. I am more basic. I have my credit card on it, my Ralph's card and my Von's Card. When I go grocery shopping and use my card the money goes directly to the account. It is usually petty amounts. There is a pending one right now for 7 cents. A recent one is for 15 cents. But, since my kids have years until college, this is just money that will sit there, so why not?

Right now I have almost $250.00 in there! I can designate it to one child or just leave it for either Little D or Baby K to use or another family member too!

www.upromise.com

:-)

Monday, June 15, 2009

Strawberry Jam

I made strawberry jam today with the kids. Not a huge amount but I was really craving some and had strawberries and did NOT want to go to the store to buy jam. I have two large jars (quart?) of strawberry jam and after measuring I have about 2 cups more of strawberries left but needed 4 1/2 for the jam. I could not half the recipe because the pectin came in a liquid-gel squeeze bag and I have no clue how to split that. So, with the rest I made strawberry-banana jam. The color looks a little cloudy- like the same color of the stuff that is skimmed off the top before ladling it into the jars-I'm hoping it still taste yummy.

I will make more soon and at the end of summer, when our peach tree is ripe, I plan to make some peach jam.

:-)

Summer fun

There are lots of fun things to do this summer. Yes, swimming, running in the sprinklers and just staying at home, playing with toys, is great. But kids do get bored. You do not have to spend a fortune every day to entertain either.

Some cool ones;

Ventura County Fair- there are usually two days that it costs only $1 to get in.

Summer Reading Program. Around here there are shows in the libraries in Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Oak Park, Moorpark and Camarillo. I'm sure others a little further out too. The actual reading program is a little boring for Little D. The prizes are items like a pencil or a sticker. But the shows are great. Magicians, music, theater, a raptor show, The Reptile Family and more. Last year there were Hawaiian dancers at the Moorpark Library. At the end of the reading program there is usually a large prize. Not sure if is every year but often it is 'kids golf free' at Golf 'N Stuff.

The Regal Theater offers free movies every Tuesday and Wednesday the whole summer long. They start tomorrow. They are older movies, not new releases, but most we haven't seen.

The beach.. need I say more! :-)

There are some museums around here that are free. Travel Town by the L.A. Zoo has some locomotives that are neat to climb on and look at. California Science Center in Exposition Park is free and there is about 3 other museums that branch off from the same parking lot.

You can even go to a pet store and just walk around and look at all the adorable animals!

:-)

Tour of a blimp :-)

Cut and paste for you, another great one from Clickschooling! :-)


The Goodyear Blimp
http://www.goodyearblimp.com/basics/index.html

Age Range: 9 and up (younger children may enjoy aspects of
this interactive virtual tour with parental guidance)

Most of you have seen photographs of the Goodyear Blimp flying
over the crowd at a major sporting event. Some of you may have
even seen the Goodyear Blimp as it travels through the skies
overhead. Since 1925 it has been the giant airborn icon of
the world's largest tire and rubber company. Did you ever
wonder what it would be like to get a close-up view of the
Goodyear Blimp? Well, now you can! At this website you can
learn all about the history, technology, and business of the
Goodyear Blimps through an amazing in-depth virtual tour.

When you get to the site, you'll land on the "Interactive
Tour" page. You'll see a video screen and below it is the
interactive menu you'll reference to take the tour of the
airship that includes:

*Anatomy - Explore the science and technology that comprise
all of the components that make up the blimp.

*Controls - Check out the inside of the gondola where the crew
and passengers ride. See the control panels that guide the
ship through the skies.

*Electronic Sign - Explore a timeline of the electronic
technology utilized to flash promotional messages from the
ship.

*TV Camera - The Blimp is known for providing a "view from
above" at sporting events. Find out how they do it.

*Flight Scenario - From launch to landing discover the science
behind a dirigible flight.

*Building A Blimp - Take a photographic tour of the
manufacturing process from blueprint to blimp.

*Personnel and Equipment - Meet the crew of the Goodyear
zeppelin, and check out some equipment.

After taking this tour, use the menu at the top of the page to
explore the amazing history of the blimp. The FAQs will
answer your questions about the military use of blimps, what
happened to the most famous airship of all - the Hindenburg,
and more.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

pictures from the Hubble telescope

My aunt sent this link to me! Some of the photos are amazing!

For you astronomy buffs, check out these pictures from Hubble.


http://hubblesite.org/gallery/album/entire/

Steve Spangler on the Ellen Show

I first heard about Steve Spangler from a mom on a homeschool chat group. They had a park day and had done tie-dye shirts a different, easy way. I had not attended but was instantly hooked when she posted how she did it and the link to Steve Spangler's online store. I could shop on there for hours! At Christmas time, last year, when my mom asked, "What should I get the kids?" I told her about this website and she too went crazy and spent wayyyy too much money but the kids LOVE the presents. It helps that Little D and Baby K LOVE LOVE LOVE science experiments. So, this evening, before bedtime, I showed them a new email with a video on it from Steve Spangler. Of course, they wanted more. So, I went to Youtube and we watched a few. There a a large amount to choose from but I just put a few here for you to check out and enjoy. The 'elephant toothpaste' and the girl walking across the gack are my favorites!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUMX_b_m3Js&feature=channel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzLLldxnutQ&feature=channel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKEroA23WFw&feature=channel

http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/?gclid=CMDWytyUjpsCFRwDagodABpLow


The reverse helium makes me want to figure out how to purchase that gas! ;-)

The last link is for the online store! They can also mail you a catalog!

:-)

clickschooling Free science videos

NeoK12: Educational Videos for Kids
http://www.neok12.com

Age Range: 5-18 (Grades K-12)

ClickScholar Michael Grice recommended this website that
archives educational videos from across the Internet in one
place. The videos are terrific learning tools that explain and
illustrate the wonders of science to kids in grades K-12.

When you get to the site you'll see a menu of main categories
that includes:

*Physical Science - Watch videos about the atom, electricity,
gravity, laws of motion, magnetism, relativity, state of
matter, and more.

*Chemistry - View videos on acids and bases, the periodic
table, organic chemistry, etc.

*Life Sciences - See films on wildlife, insects, marine
animals, plants, cell division, photosythesis, pollination and
more.

*Human Body - Watch information on the circulatory system,
digestive system, repiratory system, nervous system, skeletal
system and more.

*Earth & Space - Enjoy videos about comets, galaxies, the
moon, the solar system, deserts, forests, claciers, oceans,
seasons, volcanoes, and more.

You'll also find a selection of videos on other subjects such
as Social Studies, Health, Math, English, and more.

Note: In the "About" section of this site it explains that all
of the videos listed are reviewed for appropriate content for
children. Nevertheless, I recommend that parents AS ALWAYS
preview every film to be certain the content is suitable for
your own family.

Bookmark this site to use it as a learning resource again and
again.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

Faery Hunt- vote for best theater in Los Angeles area

My friends Michelle and Jason are Faery's in this as well as their children. Please go to the website and vote. you can vote one time a day and it is over soon. We have gone to this twice, as guests of theirs and both of my children LOVED it (little D was worried it would be for younger kids and he would be bored).

Please take 2 minutes and vote! :-)



FAERY TRAIL THEATER (A FAERY HUNT) NEEDS YOUR VOTES TO WIN THE NICK AWARDS

Click here and vote every day for Faery Trail Theater to win

The race for the 2009 Nickelodeon's Parents' Picks Awards in the category of "Best Theater or Theater Group for Kids" is on!

The competition is getting stiffer. We have dropped from 81% of the votes to 44%. There are still 29 days left in this competition.

Please support the Faeries for the win by voting once every day.

You can also support the faeries by forwarding and enlisting friends and family to vote for us too! We would greatly appreciate the support!

You can vote through this Newsletter at the above link or by going to www.afaeryhunt.com and clicking the Nick button on our home page daily.

You can also find the voting pages by going to GoCityKids home page at www.parentsconnect.com/parentspicks. Click Los Angeles and then the category "Best Theater or Theater Group for Kids."

A win for the faeries could really help us when we apply for grants and seek angels and/or sponsors for our outreach programs.

While you're at GoCityKids, why don't you check out the hosts of this contest. If you are unfamiliar with GoCityKids, they are a wonderful reference source for children's activities and other children's services in our community and others.

FAERY FOLKE CONTINUE IN GRIFFITH PARK AND CORRIGANVILLE THIS SUMMER

A Faery Hunt continues our weekly performances. If you haven't caught the new adventure, come and see "The Lia Fail and the King of the Faeries." It is a fanciful romp through Faeryland with some of your favorite characters from the last story and some funny and whimsical new ones.

Please go to our website at www.afaeryhunt.com for locations, dates and reservations or call 818-324-6802.

A THANK YOU TO OUR CONTRIBUTERS
A Faery Hunt would like to thank all of the people who donated this past month. Your dollars went to support our participation in 2 events for the Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society in May and June. Your donations also help us to continue our weekly visits to Northridge Hospital ICU and children's ward and our visits to Shriners Hospital for Children.

Thank you to Clif Bar for donating all of those yummy new Kids Clif Bars. They are a perfect and healthy snack for our hungry faery hunters to complete a perfect day in Faeryland.

We would like to highlight one of our faery fantastic supporters this month and her beautiful work.



The exquisitely posed faery fotos to the side throughout this newsletter are by Dorothy Wallace Photography. Dorothy Wallace specializes in magical fairy portraits of children in an enchanted garden setting with vintage style costuming & wings provided. Her work has been featured in Faerie Magazine & Somerset Studios' Life Images Magazine. Please visit her website for additional information and to view examples of her sepia & hand colored imagery at www.dorothywallacephotography.com .

OTHER PIXIES IN THE PARK
We like to support other faery happenings in our community. For you Faery entusiasts in Orange County, this Pixie Festival looks like a morning of faery fun :



Hope to see you soon in Faeryland.

Many Pictures Courtesy of David Hofmann
To see more click here:
www.lightonkids.com

Simi Valley Kings Hockey Schedule- ice

I have this song in my head, I heard it from a friend whooooo.. heard it from a friend whooooo.. heard it from a friend that there is a hockey game! ;-) Bwram bwram bwram!

LOL! Okay, I have three friends on Facebook that I went to high school with that have a mutual friend that knows all three of them from totally different places. So, we have chatted and are now 'friends' on Facebook. He plays hockey for the Simi Valley Kings and I asked about his schedule. I thought it would be a blast to take the kids to see a game. And, unbeknown to me..it is even free! :-) So, come as you are and just come! I am going to try to take them to at least one, more if they like it. The ones that are at 8:15 and 9:45pm are too late at night but all the others should work. Call my cell or email if you want to come with us!


Simi Valley Kings end of the season schedule

Below is the list of our final games of the season at the Easy Street Iceoplex in simi. Next to the date if it says OLY it is the ice rink to the left when you walk in the building, the NHL is to the right. Only one game was not specified on the schedule. To double-check though, when you walk in, there is the dry-erase bored next to the cashier window (all games are free to watch)...it says Olympic or NHL at the top...look at the time slot to see the Kings game listed for the specific time...that is us. Depending on what side of the board we are on says which ice surface we're on. The schedule should be accurate though. Hope to see you out there. The team always hangs out after in the parking lot for beers and "social hour) so feel free to bring some cold ones and join us!


Sunday, Jun 21 OLY 5:45 PM LOS TOROS NADS VS KINGS

Sunday, Jun 28 (?) 9:45PM KINGS VS THRASHERS

Sunday, Jul 12 NHL 2:15 PM KINGS vs ACME WARRIOS

Sunday, Jul 19 NHL 2:15 PM KINGS VS STARS

Sunday, Jul 26 NHL 2:15 PM VINTAGE vs KINGS

Sunday, Aug 2 NHL 9:45PM ORGANIZED CHAOS VS KINGS

Sunday, Aug 9 NHL 8:15 PM KINGS VS LOS TOROS NADS

bottle water -recycling

I cut/paste this from Tania's Tips. Funny because my dad was just telling me about this about a week ago. My reverse Osmosis is leaking and he told me that chlorine is an unstable chemical. So if your drinking water has 'that' taste. Put it in a pitcher in the fridge and overnight the chlorine will evaporate. In the morning you'll have crisp, cold drinking water.

Tania's tips;

Today's Tips:

* Something to think about: Here in our city if you buy bottled water for a family of 4 it costs about $1700 a year. If you use tap water for that same amount of water, it costs $14.

Have you heard the joke that says, "He is such a good salesman that he could sale ice to an Eskimo?" Well, I think some good salesmen got together and said "Let's see if we can sell water to people who get it for almost free from their tap." ...And it worked. They did it. I don't know about you but there are an awful lot of things I would like to do with $1700.

* Want water that tastes as cool and crisp as a mountain stream? Pour your water into a jug and put it in the fridge overnight. All chlorine and chemical taste disappears and the water is delicious.


On top of the savings... what about all of those water bottles? Yes, you can say you recycle them by putting them in the recycle container. Or you might even take them to a recycling center and get the money, like we do. But, did you think about the fact that even if the bottles were recycled it would still be better to not ever buy or use them in the first place?

I have had friends rave about something called a Clean Canteen (or it might be spelled Klean Kanteen). It is a tall metal water bottle that is washable, reusable and you do not have to worry about the weird chemicals that the water bottles can emit into the water when they get too hot in the car.

Ventura County Fair 2009 Read and Ride and wrist bands and more

It is Fair time at the Ventura County Fair Aug 5th-16th.

Parents/Teachers:

students can earn free carnival rides through our reading program, “Read & Ride” for local kindergarten through 8. Go to their website and print it out. Fill it in. Mail it in. There is a deadline for mailing it in.

The last 3 years (or more) United Blood Services off a free wrist band that is for unlimited rides at the fair to those that donate blood. This is a great way to save money and to go on what ever rides you want, even if it is 40xs! :-) There are blockout dates on the wrist bands. That happened to us last year and it was a bummer. I didn't notice and when I tried to turn in the tickets for the wrist bands I was told that I couldn't. :-(


There are also hundreds (seems like millions) of categories for entries at the fair. Food items, like cookies, muffins, homemade jam, best grown veggies. Table setting, Lego built items, writing, drawing, sewing, a large amount of animals (mostly 4-H clubs). And a category of display boxes (not sure what the entry is called). Most are a group of similar items all put in one display case. Some are very unique. Stamps, Legos, US military medals, I even saw a Hello Kitty one. Oh, and a fish tank display. About 200 tanks that were individual entries. Some just pretty. Others had themes to them.

Books should come out soon with more details on how to enter items. I checked with the Simi Library on Friday and they hadn't seen them yet but that is one local place that I have seem the books out for people to grab!

Friday, May 22, 2009

OLX free online ads

Okay, there is another 'new' one. Not sure when it started up but my sister found it and emailed it to me to share. Similar to Craig's List and www.kijiji.com also, for local ads you can go to the Pennysaver's website and have a free online listing!

http://losangeles.olx.com/

OLX looks like it is growing quickly and is very popular!

:-)

free science experiment :-)

I cut/paste this from an email from Robert Krumpt. These are fun and educational. Lots of explanation of whys. I did this one with the kids and it should a substantiation difference in a very short time period!

:-)



A Hot Change



Greetings from our home at the beach. I managed to get caught up this week, posting two videos to get back on schedule.



The free video is Just a Suggestion, an exploration into how simple suggestions can influence your brain in advertising. It can also make your nose itch.



The members video is on Osmosis, showing the basics of how salt and other dissolved materials cause water to move into and out of cells.



Last week, we took a brief look at an endothermic process, seeing that dissolving epsom salts in water lowered the temperature of the water. This week, we will examine a process that is exothermic, which means that it gives off heat. To try this, you will need:



- a bowl

- a thermometer

- 3% hydrogen peroxide (from the grocery or pharmacy)

- yeast

- pencil and paper



Pour about 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide into the bowl. Find its temperature with the thermometer, and write it down, labeling it "Starting temperature." Stick your finger into the liquid, and it should feel cool. Normally, you don't go around sticking your fingers into chemistry experiments, but in this case, we know that hydrogen peroxide is not harmful.



Sprinkle about 1/4 of a teaspoon of yeast into the bowl, and give it a stir with the thermometer. The mixture should start to foam, and its temperature should increase quite a bit. If you stick your finger into the liquid, it should be getting warm.



OK, so why did it get so warm? Think back to last week's experiment. We said that whenever anything changed, energy is involved. Last week, the process of dissolving the epsom salts in water needed energy, so it absorbed heat energy from the surrounding water, making it cooler.



This time, we are looking at a different process. Hydrogen peroxide has the chemical formula H2O2, telling us that each molecule is made up of two atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen. Looking at the formula, it looks very much like the formula for water, H2O, and it is. The extra oxygen atom is not very stable, so it is easy for it to be released. That is what formed the bubbles you saw. The gas inside was oxygen. (See Experiment Video #60, Extra Oxygen to learn more. http://krampf.com/members/extra-oxygen)



The yeast contains an enzyme called catalase, cause the hydrogen peroxide to break apart into water and oxygen gas. In the process, energy that was stored in the chemical bond is released as heat, causing the liquid to get quite warm.



Any time something changes; you need energy. Sometimes energy is absorbed, and sometimes it is given off, but energy is always involved in change. That energy can be heat, as with these experiments, but it can also be other forms of energy, such as light, electricity, motion, etc.



Now it is time for me to gain some energy and lose some at the same time, by having a nice bowl of ice cream. The calories (stored chemical energy) will warm me up, after the cold ice cream absorbs heat as I eat it. What a wonder-filled way to study energy!



Have a wonder-filled week.



***************************************
This weekly e-mail list is provided free of charge. You are welcome to print it in your newsletter, repost it on the Internet, etc., as long as you do not charge for access, and my name and website link (http://www.krampf.com) are included.


This newsletter is sent by permission only.

You are subscribed as ~~ email ~~

To unsubscribe, use the link below or send an email with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line to: membersupport@krampf.com


Copyright © 2009. Robert Krampf's Science Education

homeschool updates

Okay, it has been so so so so busy here. 3 weeks left until the end of the school year, other busy stuff. Lots of running around. I'll update soon! Just realized it has been over a month!

:-)

Check this out... great online store!!!

WATCH this one after it loads! Great website for whoever created it!

:-)



http://producten.hema.nl/

fun things at Valenica library

I cut/paste these from an email from a homeschool chat group. We are planning to go to both!

:-)


FIRST Lego League Robotics workshop at the Valencia Library

Friday, May 29th, 2:00pm-3:00pm
All Homeschoolers ages 9-14
a.. Introduction to what FIRST Lego League is all about
b.. Hands-on Demonstration
c.. Find out how this project-based learning program covers the entire curriculum
d.. Lots of fun!
Did I mention this is FREE?
Please pass this on to other homeschoolers that may be interested!

We will be accepting applications to form a Santa Clarita Homeschool Robotics team to compete in the 2009 Challenge.
It is so much fun the kids don't even realize they are learning about math, science, physics, engineering, technology, research, writing, graphics, public speaking, teamwork, and presentation skills!

(Younger siblings may attend with an attentive parent but unfortunately they will not be able to do the hands-on portion of the workshop as our materials are very limited.)




Hear Ye, Hear ye,

Prepare ye for the HuckleBerry Renaissance bookfair and show on Thursday, June 4th from 5:30-8:30, at ye olde Barnes and Nobel on Valencia Blvd in Santa Clarita

Events include: Renaissance games and crafts for children of all ages,
Fantastic books and craft kits for summer fun
Musical performances of Renaissance music by minstrel string ensemble
"A taste of Talent" theatrical review including Shakespeare excerpts

Come one Come all, young and old, to celebrate summertime with revelry and pomp. Bring a friend and your summer reading list.

I bid thee adieu until then!

free math website mathcats

This is a great website. Fun math for kids. Some for 'outside the box' thinking. The 3-D tic-tac-toe is fun too. Little D and Baby K were looking at the cat in the boat one and Little D figured it out in less then 15 seconds! I was amazed! I haven't been able to check out the whole website but what I found was fun and the kids enjoyed it too!

:-)

http://www.mathcats.com/contents.html

old old old songs, records

I pulled up a few of these for the kids and we had fun with it!

:-)


http://www.kiddierecords.com/2009/index.htm

Monday, April 27, 2009

list on online museums in the US

This is definitely a 'great find'. This website has a large amount on online museums from all over the US. Separated into categories. Great info, pictures, games, etc.


http://www.coudal.com/moom

Thursday, April 23, 2009

How to throw a banana

These are cool. Some are funny. I could totally see me doing this and the fruit ending up on the floor!

http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-a-Banana



:-)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology- Bird Museum Camarillo

Here is info about the 'Bird Museum' field trip. Very cool place to check out! You do have to call to make an appointment. And, of course, the specimens have a fragrant odor but not too strong. They keep the warehouse-like room VERY cold so bring a sweater. I asked the percentage of birds and eggs that they do have there and they told me the most they have is of the tropical region of the earth (middle) and that they have about 2/3 of the total amount of bird and egg species of the world, including extinct ones. They also take dead birds and eggs if you find them. Call first to make sure it is one they will want. They always want to know details about where they were found. Some they might have too many of but will keep to be examined!

:-)



Where: Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology
Location: 439 Calle San Pablo, Camarillo, CA 93012

Who: Grades 3rd through 10th (Maximum of 40 people including the parent chaperons)
(target grades 4th-8th) We are stretching this to accommodate the home school families.


The Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, is a non-profit corporation, is both a natural history collection specializing in eggs and nests of birds from around the world, and a research and education institution dedicated to bird conservation. The Foundation's fundamental mission is to obtain, protect, and manage ornithological collections in a manner that ensures their accessibility to researchers, educators, students, and the public, and to ensure that the materials are used in projects that contribute to the conservation of the world's wild bird species.

Information presented on school tours dovetails with California Science Standards so that parents can make it fit with their students’ education requirements. Subjects such as bird biology, biodiversity, and ecology are covered, as well as fun facts about the birds of the world. The collection materials are always popular with students and the general public, and are key to being able to teach about natural science.
.
Largest collections of bird eggs and next specimens in the world. AMAZING!

the orgin of names- bored, again

I was talking with Little D about the orgin and meaning of names. He was feeling bummed, thinking he was named after some city (people occasionally call him Dayton Ohio) so, I looked up our names and found a decent size list of cities, all with the name Dayton in them! And, of course, my name too!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah


Canada

* Dayton, Nova Scotia

[edit] United States

* Dayton, Alabama
* Dayton, Idaho
* Dayton, Indiana
* Dayton, Iowa
* Dayton, Kentucky
* Dayton, Maine
* Dayton, Maryland
* Dayton, Michigan
* Dayton, Minnesota
* Dayton, Montana
* Dayton, Nevada
* Dayton, Newark, New Jersey, a neighborhood
* Dayton, New Jersey
* Dayton, New York
* Dayton, Ohio, the largest and best known Dayton
* Dayton, Oregon
* Dayton, Pennsylvania
* Dayton, Tennessee, site of the 1925 Scopes Trial
* Dayton, Texas
* Dayton, Virginia
* Dayton, Washington
* Dayton, Wisconsin
o Dayton, Richland County, Wisconsin
o Dayton, Waupaca County, Wisconsin
* Dayton, Wyoming
* Dayton Township, Michigan

A mole, a vole and a Suzie

Okay, I have WAYYYYYYY too much time on my hands in the evening. My friend, Suzie, called me freaking out because they found a baby mole in their backyard, half-alive. I have never seen a mole and it was hard to get the picture when she was describing it, so I searched on Google. Decided to look up vole too. Lots of pictures, species, info. etc... so, here it is (only the good ones) for anyone with enough time to click too!

:-)

http://chasingdaisy.com/blogimages/naked_mole_rat.jpg


http://media.photobucket.com/image/baby%20mole/saucymaggie/Rate_My_Mole.jpg

http://www.hemmy.net/images/animals/starnosedmole.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/8/80/Close-up_of_mole.jpg/800px-Close-up_of_mole.jpg


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole

So stupid- it is cool

Okay. Not sure why or how someone figured this one out. The puppet is just lame and has to go. But, it is a cool cooking trick-if you remember to do it! Me, personally, using the potato peeler and flaying a few knuckles and having red tinted mashed potatoes is just fine. I remember one year, at Thanksgiving, I made mashed potatoes and they were REALLY red. I added some yellow food coloring and no one noticed a thing!

:-)

NEVER PEEL A POTATO AGAIN

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo

fun of the day...

Stepped in glass and have a piece in my heel. Totally my fault. Broke a picture frame a few days ago in the garage and haven't cleaned up the glass (whole thing is at the front of the garage, where the front of the van is when I pull in).

D & K's dad dropped off a puppy to them as a 'gift' yesterday- without my permission but for them to have at my house. He called a few hours before and said someone at his work had a puppy that was abused and going to get dropped off at the pound because they didn't want it, so he was asking if I wanted it. I said no. Few hours later, he shows up with it and tells Baby K it is for them (Little D wasn't home). Thankfully, I found a home for it. He is an adorable dog. But, we have enough animals. I've been calling him rascal and Baby K has been calling him Teddy (the name of the dog in The Magic Treehouse books).

Little D did some STAR testing today. We have to go back 1 or 2 more times for him to be done.

Last week we went to the Bird Museum in Camarillo. I'll post more about that later. It was a very interesting place.

Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to a Marine Biology Lab in Oxnard!

and, on Sunday, my friend Travis got free tickets to the Renaissance Faire in San Bernadino so I'm going with my cousin, Mona, and the kids!

:-)

Lots of fun stuff but too busy to write about it all! I'll post photos later too!

Space Science Day 4/25

This will be our second time here and I anticipate it to be fun (besides the drive and getting up so early). We went last year and the kids had a fun physics workshop and also got to tear up an owl pellet (kinda gross and smelly but they liked it) and identify the skeletal remains that were inside of it.

Below is the cut/paste of the whole thing;



Dear Space Enthusiast;

The attached information will help make your experience with Space Science Day on Saturday, April 25, an enjoyable one. (For those of you who have trouble opening the .pdf documents or if you are wary of attachments, below is the text including some helpful links).



Our NASA astronaut is Naoko Yamazaki. Currently, she is assigned to the crew of STS-131, targeted for launch in February 2010. Read her NASA Bio at www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/yamazaki-n.html



The day will begin at 8 a.m. at the Marsee Auditorium located at the corner of Crenshaw and Redondo Beach Blvd in Torrance. Parking is free in Lot L located on the south side of Redondo Beach Blvd. A map is attached and can also be found at www.elcamino.edu or www.elcamino.edu/about/directions.asp



Registration will begin for those who have reservations at 8 a.m. If you have received this email, you have a reservation. Only the first 850 people to check in will receive a lunch ticket. After you check in and pick up your lunch ticket, you will move on to select tickets for the two breakout sessions for the students only.



Important Note: Because of the demand to attend Space Science Day, we want to allow as many students as possible to participate in the breakout sessions. Therefore, parents, adults and young siblings are asked not to select tickets to the breakout sessions. Adults will be able to stand in or outside of the classrooms or you may enjoy our outside demonstrations. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. Again, we want the students to access the breakout sessions.



The following breakout sessions will be repeated so students may select two of the following (more details on these breakout sessions will be available in the program which will be provided at check in):
See Tonight’s Stars, Planets and Constellations (Planetarium show)

Let’s Take a Birdwalk!

Up, Up and Away!

Paint Making – Prussian Blue (Participants must be at least 10 years old)

Get Your Hands On Chemistry

Robotics Demonstration

Ready for a Close-Up? (Telescopes)

The Buzz on Space “Bugs”

Conversation with the Astronaut

Let’s Do Launch! (rockets)

The World of Insects

Rock and Fossil Discovery Zone

Solving the Mysteries of the Owl’s Dinner

LCROSS Spacecraft Mission

Francisco’s Physics Toys

Voyage to the Stars

Egg Drop Construction

Puzzlers in Everyday Physics

Robotics Competition



After selecting your sessions, find a seat in the Marsee Auditorium by 9 a.m. for our morning presentation featuring Astronaut Yamazaki. The first breakout session will run from 10:30 to 11:15 and the second session will begin at 11:30 and end at 12:15. Lunch will follow the second session and the Egg Drop Competition will be presented during lunch.



Have a great day rain or shine!!





Robin Dreizler, Director

Outreach and School Relations

El Camino College

16007 Crenshaw Boulevard , Torrance , CA 90506

Phone: (310) 660-3487 - Mobile : (310) 710-7767 - Fax: (310) 660-6786

www.elcamino.edu

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Baby K in Sunday School



Here are two cute pictures of Baby K and a friend of her's at Sunday School. This girl is on her running team too so they are becoming great friends!

Rocky Peak Church baptisms April 2009


Picture from my camera of Little D in the the baptism tub with Pastor Mike.

Simi Valley Running Rebels

Here are some recent pictures of D& K at their track pratices or meets. They are both doing great in track. So far, in the meets, they have ran; 100m, 200, 400m and 800m. Baby K has also done the 4x100 relay and the long jump and Little D has also done the shot put.

:-)







Simi Valley garage door company and pools Applied Merchant Systems

Okay, here is a plug in for my sister.


As many of you already know we have sold the store and moved back to Simi Valley. I am so happy and relieved to live and work in Simi again. Pools and garage doors are now my world, goodbye cell phones.

Right before the move we switched all three companies to Applied Merchant Services for our credit card processing. We are saving a ton of money on processing fees.

I would like to pass on Corrine's contact information, see the end of the message.

Hope all is well with your business and family. Call me if you need pool service or a garage door or just miss chatting with me!

Kim May
805-587-0358



P.S. I guarantee Corrine will save you money or I will buy you lunch!



You will absolutely love her. She is happy, honest, and hardworking.



Mention the discount code: G68 to get the discount I did!


Corrine M. Foster
Director of Sales

Applied Merchant Systems

Corp. Headquarters
300 Esplanade Drive
Oxnard , CA. 93036
800-400-0206 ext.3007 Toll Free
800-549-1809 Fax

818-481-4852 Cell

cfoster@amsmerchant.com
www.amsmerchant.com

Rocky Peak Church baptisms April 2009

These are photos from Little D's baptism. It was done during a family worship night at church. About 12-15 other children got baptized by either a family member or by the lead pastor, Pastor Mike (that is who baptized Little D).

I think the page differs depending on the browser you are using but he is on aprox. page 13-14.

I took photos too and will post them!

:-)

Photos by Alfred Yen. They are fabulous!

http://alfredyen.smugmug.com/gallery/7785647_Z6LDn/1/503888704_Hx75U

Dr Jay on vaccinations for children

This LA Times article with a few links to Dr. Jay Gordon's opinion on vaccinating children. It is long to read but worth it!


http://tinyurl.com/cr792l


Unvaccinated children do not pose a threat to vaccinated children or their families.

We all have a responsibility to keep each other's children safe. Choosing to not vaccinate or choosing an alternative vaccine schedule could be considered a rift in that contract. Medically, scientifically and statistically speaking, it is not. Honest people might disagree.

I have been a pediatrician for thirty years and have watched children receive all scheduled vaccines, some of the vaccines or receive no vaccines at all. I have seen every one of the illnesses against which we vaccinate. The last time I saw bacterial meningitis in a child was 1982 but the extreme rarity of this terrible disease means that it makes the news whenever a case occurs. Denying that childhood meningitis exists is dishonest. Equally dishonest is implying that it is a large threat to any of our children. I see kids with pertussis every year. I see children misdiagnosed with whooping cough far more often. Two years ago, the New York Times took note of this phenomenon:

http://tinyurl.com/dnl78m (New York Times article)

2009 marks the thirty year anniversary of the last case of "wild polio" in the United States. Subsequent cases were caused by the oral polio vaccine which is no longer used in this country.

http://www.polioera dication.org/casecount.asp (WHO/CDC supported site)

Rubella is no longer an "American" disease .

http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc media/pressrel/r050321.htm (CDC Press Conference)

I recently read an article, written in 2009 which chastised non-vaccinating parents because there had been 131 cases of measles in the U.S. in the first half of 2008 alone. And how many cases were there in the whole year? 134. The usual number? 62. Disingenuous reporting. An extra 72 cases of measles among 300,000,000 Americans made the papers every day or two for months and the LA Times writers dredge up the child who caught measles on a Swiss vacation one more time.

Yes, as mentioned, measles and other viruses can cause encephalitis. It's very, very rare. Implying otherwise could scare parents.

And, no, the law does not allow us to know which children have not received vaccines any more than it allows other invasions of privacy.

I have received hundreds of emails from people all over the country and the world reaching out to me and asking me to listen to them about vaccine issues and injuries because it seems that no one else will. I have permission from a mother to forward email she sent to me-with a picture-of her four month old daughter who received four vaccines and died shortly thereafter. I have dozens and dozens of similar emails and dozens of face-to-face encounters in my office with parents coming to me after what they considered to be vaccine damage to their children. I will not forward that email. It creates a different kind of fear that also doesn't serve the dialogue well.

I think that these possibly injured children and families represent one end of the bell shaped curve and that scary stories about meningitis in Minnesota (the first there in 18 years) represent the other end. (I do feel that the former end of the curve is far fuller than the latter but no proof exists. None.)

The LA Times stories were "fear-based" just as my forwarding these emails would have been.

The University of Michigan Law Review recently invited me to write a journal article about vaccines and tort law and you can read it here:

http://www.michigan lawreview.org/firstimpressions/vol107/stewart.htm

I sum up my law review presentation to parents every winter by telling them that the only way to avoid childhood illnesses is "reverse isolation" of your illness-free child. If you go to a two-year-old' s birthday party during the winter months . . . You will probably get sick.

Peripherally, let's all remember that it took fifty years or more, thousands of court cases and a lot of money to finally prove the connection between cigarettes and cancer. The three court cases showing no connection between vaccines and autism should make no headlines and should be an impetus to honest investigative journalism.

We have increased the number of vaccines and the combinations of vaccines given to babies and children. Adequate testing has not been done. I have seen a huge rise in the number of children with autism. Neither I nor any other doctors are hundreds of percent better at diagnosing this spectrum of developmental delay than ten or twenty years ago. The dramatic rise in the number of cases of autism spectrum disorders is attributable to something other than "reclassification" or better diagnosis.

While waiting for scientific proof, we have to tolerate families' completely legal and scientific desire to have or not have their children given vaccines according to the current schedule.


Best,

Jay

http://www.drjaygordon.com

One Hen microfinance for kids

Here is another great clickschooling. The kids enjoyed the story and games!


OneHen.org
http://www.onehen.org

Age Range: 4-104

This website offers free lessons and activities about
microfinance for kids (and their families) - and much more!
Microfinance is the practice of providing financial tools,
education, and loans to those people living in poverty. The
website is a companion to the popular children's book called
"One Hen" that tells the story (inspired by true events) of a
boy from Ghana, Africa named Kojo, who receives a small loan
and buys a hen. It leads to a series of events that improves
the lives of many.

When you get to the website you can learn the story of Kojo
and watch a video about the inspiring life of Kwabena Darko
(the real Kojo). (Turn your speakers on to hear narration and
African music.) Then, explore the menu that includes:

*For Parents - Get an explanation of microfinance and learn
about organizations that can help finance small loans to
entrepreneurial individuals and families around the world. Not
only that, but if you click on "Kids As Social Entrepreneurs"
within this section, you'll discover how your child (age 12
and up) can apply to receive a $1000 grant along with guidance
to start a business that will benefit your community.

*For Teachers and Librarians - Get free lesson plans and
activities (in downloadable pdf format) that explore themes
such as world geography, community service, life cycles,
natural resources, global citizenship, African culture, math,
economics, and business. There is also an online quiz -
although you'd need to read the book to be able to answer the
questions. Of course, you can purchase the book at the site
(via Amazon.com) - you can also request it at your local
library. Note: Many of the activities here do not require you
to have read the book, although doing so would add meaningful
context.

This website's information and activities provides children
and their families with food for thought and action. It brings
up great family discussion topics like poverty, charity,
responsibility, business, finance, community development, and
how to help the poor and disenfranchised in a sustainable way.

The concept of lending money to people in developing countries
who have no collateral and no access to conventional banking
is a real conversation starter. For example, did you know that
in 2006 Muhammad Yunus, a Bangledeshi economist who pioneered
microloan banking, won the Nobel Peace Prize? You can learn
more about him and other people and organizations who are
making a difference by exploring this website.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

Bottle Village on You-tube & Wing House

Joanne has been organizing all the different videos taken and putting them in a group on youtube. There are quiet a few here!

ENJOY!

http://www.youtube.com/user/BottleVillage

Also, this is just a cool way to recycle. Franice, another volunteer at Bottle Village, is building her house out of old airplane parts!!! It is amazing to see how big some of the pieces are! It is nicknamed the 'Wing House' because of the airplane wings that are going to be the roof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DF5n68EDQvU

Learn to Draw with Uncle Fred

Okay, he isn't my uncle and not sure I'd address him as uncle if I met him but this is a fun website. I let Baby K go at it with a pencil and paper and she had fun. I did a few too and both of them were mesmerized at how WONDERFUL of an artist I am... if only the world was so easy to convince. Next thing you know they'll be telling me I have a great singing voice! ;-)

Anyways, I got this one too from Clickschooling. The list is at the bottom if you want to join!



Draw and Color with Uncle Fred
http://www.unclefred.com

Age Range: 8 and up (approximately, non-readers will need
assistance)

Who is Uncle Fred? He's Fred Lasswell the cartoonist who
created "Barney Google and Snuffy Smith." At this website he
guides kids through easy, step-by-step lessons on how to draw
a:

*Surfer
*Chef
*Bunny
*Chimpanzee
*Panda
*Kitty
*Walrus
*Chick
*Puppy
*Penguin

- and more!

Grab a piece of paper and a pencil. Then, click on an item on
the menu. A new screen opens that illustrates (and explains
through text) exactly how to draw the design on your paper,
using simple lines and shapes. Once your picture is drawn -
color it any way you want! This is a great way for kids to
get the satisfaction of creating a "real" picture, and
learning a little about how straight and curved lines combine
to make art!

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
http://www.ClickSchooling.com

Dump diving- crazy or recycling?

Okay, I just have to share this one that a friend sent me. It was posted in the Santa Monica Freecycle group. Now this is WAYYYY beyond recycling and these people are just a wee bit insane. I'd be worried about food poisoning, germs, diseases, things like broken glass...how about it is just gross?

BUT.. the video is still cool, put to good music! I wonder how much of this is attention getting and how much is they don't want to earn enough money to pay for food vs actually helping to recycle.......

Okay, one more word...'EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!'

:-)

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=83643818125&h=Qjyp3&u=v4wRp&ref=nf

benifits of flouride true?

I read a book about this a few years ago. If you do a internet search and type in 'fluoride' and 'controversy' you'll get hundreds of hits. Some states are banning fluoride from the water. Funny how Simi Valley announced recently that they will be ADDING fluoride to the water...HUH? No vote? The city counsel just decides? Haven't THEY done any research?

Here is a good interview on it;

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/07/Warning-Never-Swallow-Regular-Toothpaste.aspx

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

DS Auto Repairs

Hey everyone, my friend, Dave, with DS Auto told me that work has been slow for him lately and so if anyone needs their vehicle repaired he has this week (so far) open with room in the schedule for someone needing work. He does all types of auto repair, brakes, shocks, tune-up, etc.etc.etc....I've had him do work on my van for the last year and I am 100% happy! Extremely cheap rates, fast service and he is very friendly!

His service number is (805) 297-8133.

:-)

Swimming at the YMCA and Running

 
 
 
 



Some photos from yesterday. The kids swimming in the indoor pool at the YMCA and later in the day, their running club!
Posted by Picasa

Friday, March 20, 2009

Bible Holyland Exhibition... more info

Bible Holylands Exhibition

The Holyland Exhibition was built in the late 1920s as an educational
center and museum; the two-story complex houses an incredible collection
of Egyptian, middle Eastern and Biblical items. The Bible Art and
Archaeology Room has stones, pottery and other items from Nazareth ,
Bethlehem and the Jordan River . Travel back in time with us and brush
up on your ancient history, religious studies, geography and archaeology
Admissions: Adults $2.50/Children under 16yrs $2. The Holyland
Exhibition features displays on the Bible countries. Groups will be
taken on a tour through the exhibition. Refreshments are included in the
admission price. Call Karen or Betty @ (323) 664-3162.

They DO NOT have a web site. You must call for reservations.

We had an information packed tour, catered to younger children and
adults.

The Docents dressed in period clothing and gave a very engaging tour.
Making the bible come alive. They have a wonderful gift shop.

Cost: $2 students $2.50 adults,

R.S.V.P.: room for 10 more.

Location:

2215 Lake View & Allesandro Way, Los Angeles

DO NOT use Mapquest, you will get lost. Use directions below.

Gift shop: Bring cash. They DO NOT take credit cards, only Cash or
checks. The kids will love their inexpensive quality gifts.

From Ventura/Camarillo --2 options (Frwy 101 to the Frwy 134 to the Frwy
5) or (Take the 101 to the 23 to the 118 to the 5) : After going
through Burbank on the Golden State
(5) Fwy. exit south on the (2) Glendale Frwy, Exit on Glendale (go left
back over freeway), turn left onto Allesandro St, , left onto Oak Glen
Pl. , right onto Allesandro Way , located to corner of Allesandro & Lake
View. Park along the right side of Allesandro Way.

The Holyland Exhibition
/> , which contains Mideast artifacts obtained by the man whose life was
the inspiration for Indiana Jones. Antonio Futterer was an Australian
third-grade dropout who caught Gold Rush fever, found God as a young
man, and moved to Oakland in the early 20th century, where, according to
L.A. Times history-writer Cecilia Rasmussen, Futterer developed and
copyrighted what he called the "Eye-Ographic Bible," a sort of Cliffs
Notes for the Old Testament. The simplified text includes maps, slides,
pictures and intricate genealogical charts. What he called the
Eye-Ographic chart covers almost an entire wall. The canvas chart is
composed of lines, dots, numbers and names to take in the Biblical epic
at a glance. This project will sound very familiar to all you fans of
one of my favorite books, The Timechart History of the World
&categoryid= 51&searchstr= PB2967&itemname= The%20Timechart% 20History% 20of%\
20the%20World> . Futterer made his way to boomtown L.A. in the 1920s,
befriended people like psycho-religious genius Aimee Semple MacPherson
and Henry Ford, and in 1926 launched his first expedition in search of
the lost Ark of the Covenant. He wrote travel books about Palestine ,
opened a house museum in Silver Lake , worked with the movie companies,
delivered the world's longest sermon. The museum, which is directly
across the street from ex-Tabloid editor Charles Hornberger, includes
artifacts from all over the biblical lands, including "centuries-old
furniture inlaid with mother of pearl, 5,000-year-old oil lamps, ivory
and silver Mideastern jewelry, tapestries, and a 2,700-year-old
sarcophagus, " according to Rasmussen. Tours , which are only conducted
in groups, last two hours, and are skewed depending on which ancient
religion you favor. The people there are very nice; I would estimate
that 99.9% of all L.A. residents have never heard of the place.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Las Llasas; frogs and up to old mines

These photos are from two different times mountain bike riding at Las Llasas. One time we went to the left, where the water is swampy and there are frogs spawning. Other time we went to the right, 1 3/4 miles, hiked about 2 up hill to some old mines (my dad calls them Old Man Mark Mines) and then back down and then rode back. All together it was over 6 1/2 miles on the GPS. Las Llasas is in the hills in Simi Valley, off of Yosemite. Very first photo is our new rabbits, Tutenstein and Sally-Ann.





















too many cars in the garage?

The pediatric dentist likes to say that they both have, "Too many cars in the garage." Both of them are going to be needing braces and maybe some teeth pulled. This is Baby K's mouth but they want to remove a two of Little D's baby teeth as a temporary solution to make room for some adult teeth that won't fit. For some reason they both think it will be cool or fun to have braces but Baby K keeps asking me if it hurts. She has a few years still so I don't need to worry here with how awful it is to have braces!




fun science at home celery and milk with food coloring

A few recent fun science experiences. 1- Little D had the idea to put pennies in separate containers (we used glass yogurt jars) and we put different ingredients in each one to see if they would clean the corrosion off of the pennies. We used salsa, diet Pepsi, ketchup, water, milk, and I can't remember the last one. The acidic ones cleaned up the best. The diet Pepsi ate away at the penny, making it all rough and jagged! 2- celery put into food coloring. 3- milk with food coloring drops and dish soap dropped in to create swirls (neighbor kid was memorized by this). 4- volcanoes they make with home-made dough wrapped around a plastic water bottle, left to dry for a few days. We added food coloring (green again? LOL!) and baking soda and vinegar!