I know most of you who live outside the Midwest probably are tired of my comments about our long record-breaking winter. But I can’t help myself. As the snow in my yard slowly melts (and I hear rumors of flurries in the forecast), I’m dreaming of spring flowers. So, just to cheer myself up, here … Continue reading
It has been quite a winter in Michigan, and across the central and eastern United States. Newscasters are having fun describing the many ways in which this winter has been exceptional. This, of course, brings to mind the question, “How do you measure winter?” I know it is an odd question to consider at the … Continue reading
I’m lucky enough to live within an easy drive of the Detroit Institute of Arts. When my husband and I have a (rare) free afternoon, we love to visit its galleries. Today we visited a one-piece exhibition called Balance of Power: Throne for an African Prince. The throne is a masterpiece in wood, carved around … Continue reading
Creativity and problem solving can be found in the most unexpected places. Have you ever looked at the nutrition labels on cereal or ketchup and thought about their design? I hadn’t, until I listed to an interview with Burkey Belser, the man who designed them. Because new nutrition labels are in the works, he is … Continue reading
It’s time for Valentine’s Day–that celebration of all things heart-shaped that brightens the depths of seemingly endless winter. I’ve written several previous posts on creative Valentine’s Day activities— check the Valentine’s posts from 2012 and 2013. I’m still waiting to hear who presented the best case for another body part to take over as ambassador of … Continue reading
I was tempted to title this post, “It’s Not Your Mother’s Library,” because the wonderful learning environment described in Amy Koester’s “All Things STEAM” is a long way from the rigidly silent libraries of my childhood. Instead, her website is a wonderful exercise in multi-layered creativity. Amy has used her own creativity to envision a … Continue reading
Just as Dinovember ended, I discovered a new silly Dinosaur delight, Anne Muecke’s The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas. I’ve already written about the many versions of Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem A Visit from Saint Nicholas, and the ways they can be used to teach about parody. But I keep discovering new “Night Before” books … Continue reading
Ever wonder why birds wear feathers instead of fur? Why spiders don’t get caught in their webs? What kind of chocolate is the most popular? Me, too. And now we have a place to go for all those wonders, and more. The website Wonderopolis bills itself “Where the Wonders of Learning Never Cease,” and that … Continue reading
We had a small fire in our kitchen this week. We still aren’t entirely sure how it started, but it seems something toppled something and soon all things near the top of the stove were ablaze. I wasn’t home, but a cat worked better than a smoke detector in alerting my husband, and in a … Continue reading
One of the small delights of major, and sometimes lesser-known, holidays is discovering a new doodle around the Google logo. I’ve enjoyed the variations for years, but only recently became aware of the worldwide scope of Google doodles. Doodles began even before Google was incorporated, when founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin played with the … Continue reading
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