Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Travels with Kids

My sister Linda lives in north Virginia near Norfolk. Our birth family lives here in north Louisiana. It is 1100 miles from one place to the other. My sister got permission from her daughter Angela to take the two grandchildren on that long drive for a week's stay here.

So, how to keep them busy and out of childish mischief? Linda and Angela came up with a car game. They thought of all these things that a passenger might see on a lengthy trip and created a sheet of images: hay bales, rivers, bridges, dog panting out a car window, and so on--three pages worth. The above photo shows them circling the last of the images they saw on the last leg of their trip down here. They are just about ready to start the long drive back to their home and wanted a marked sheet to take. Just a few images remain uncircled.

The other game they made is the standard car license look-see. Vivian (the girl) can read letters and was able to identify the correct state by the state abbreviations. Then she colored that state. Viewing their journey through colored states marked because of their car licenses told a story: most states marked were along their interstate routes. Odd, huh? (or not!) There were a few odd states and countries out: Ontario and Quebec. But the oddest thing was no identification for South Carolina. All the southern states were marked except that one.

One activity we did here was visit the Louisiana State Exhibit Building where these old dioramas are displayed. Each tells the story of one of Louisiana's industries of one kind or another. What amazes me is the clarity of the picture taken through the glass protecting the diorama.
                                                 Sugar cane industry

Cotton picking time

We also went swimming at Cypress Lake where the water is marked off. There are picnic tables and a grill at each one. We found one right there almost at the water. Perfect location and small crowd on a weekday. The three siblings: brother, sister, and I took the six kids, four the brother's grandchildren, two of my sister's and none by me. It's a nice lake and a good place to swim or just chill.

A favorite souvenir

A favorite souvenir
These are my two girls from Ireland!

Judy's shared items

Books on my very ambitious TBR list (*denotes read)

  • *Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox
  • The Odd Women by George Gissing
  • The Zen of Fish by Trevor Corson
  • How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell
  • The Cod Tale by Mark Kurlansky
  • In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden
  • *Joan of Arc by Mark Twain
  • Dag Hammarskjold by Elizabeth Rider Montgomery
  • The Wisdom in the Hebrew Alphabet by Rabbi Michael L. Munk
  • Children of Strangers by Lyle Saxon
  • Spiritual Writings by Flannery O'Connor
  • Nightmares and Visions: Flannery O'Connor and the Catholic Grotesque by Gilbert H. Muller
  • The Violent Bear It Away by Flannery O'Connor
  • Flannery O'Connor's South by Robert Coles
  • Wise Blood by Flannery O'Connor
  • Sylvanus Now by Donna Morrissey
  • *Vincent de Paul by Margaret Ann Hubbard
  • Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
  • A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking
  • The Library at Night by Alberto Manguel
  • Readicide by Kelly Gallagher
  • *Ruined by Paula Morris
  • Say You're Not One of Them by Uwem Akpan
  • Wandering Star by J.M.G. Le Clezio
  • Silence by Shusaku Endo
  • *The Assault by Harry Mulisch
  • Kari's Saga by Robert Jansson
  • *The German Mujahid by Boualem Sansal
  • Western Skies by Joseph Conrad
  • *The Giver by Lois Lowery
  • *Imperium by Ryszard Kapuscinski

School Library Journal - NeverEndingSearch

Imperium

Imperium
A semester course in one book about the Soviet Union. Click on image for my review.