Comments (2) I am SO SORRY! I have been having “issues” with my Word Press “admin panel” for being very, v-e-r-y, V-E-R-Y slow. The other day I lost a comment. I am so sorry! Somebody put a link to a project of mine that they had tried and wanted me to go see. I would love to go see but it got eaten up by the horrible technical malfunction monster! I am so sorry! If you think this might be you, then please comment again. SO sorry!
I am depriving my children of an “essential good.”
In Brazil, I might be prosecuted in court. Did anyone hear this little NPR blurb yesterday?
A Brazilian man missed out on soccer matches, the news and a “popular reality show,” when a store did not replace his faulty TV. The judge found in favor of the man, ruling that in modern times, TV is an “essential good.”
Are those of us who do not have TV in our homes, guilty of child abuse? Are we depriving our little ones of an “essential good?”
What about those whose children (TV in the house or not) miss Sponge Bob, Hannah Montana and PBS. OK, Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana are arguable…but PBS? What about Discovery? Is censorship of our children depriving them of an “essential good?”
Am I depriving my children of educational/cultural experiences by not having TV at all?
I wish we could elect to get a few select Discovery Channel, National Geographic, PBS, History Channel shows without receiving all the other stuff. But even those channels can be edgy at times. We were away recently and the only thing on History (or was it Discovery?) was the history of torture devices. Another of those educational channels had a show about Hitler.
I am not depriving my children by having a TV-free home. Culturally they get a lot on the playground: they know about Sponge Bob and Hannah Montana. As far as education goes, my kids get a huge amount of that from school and reading books, just like kids did before TV.
Am I depriving my children of an “essential good?” Personally, I think not.
I sit here listening to the collective groan from Cardinals fans all over my state of Arizona. [Cardinals=red=color...does that count?] I am no sports fan, but while watching the game last night on my sister’s TV, even I got excited that the Cardinals looked like they might win! Congratulations to Pittsburgh.
Since the unexpected excitement of the Super Bowl displaced our weekly Unplugged Project, I hope to get to it after school today. I am looking forward to it since it is one I have been wanting to do for a while now, so stay tuned.
I’ll put up the Mr. Linky now for anyone who is ready to link.
Please remember, link to your color project post, not just your blog. Also, if you didn’t do a color project, then don’t link. But if you are interested in joining us, you can read more about how to join the Unplugged Project. We’d love to have you on board!
I’ll announce next week’s theme when I get my project posted.
UPDATE: My color project is up - Marbleizing paper with food coloring. We had so much fun! I also published next week’s theme there too.
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A big thank you to Lisa of Over the Crescent Moon for informing me that yesterday, the Consumer Protection Safety Commission (CPSC) unanimously voted to delay enforcement of certain testing and certification requirements.
The new requirements were scheduled to take effect on February 10, 2009 but enforcement will now be delayed for one year (February 10, 2010). This will give the CPSC time to finalize four proposed rules which could exempt certain products from testing and provide more guidance on when testing would be required.
From the press release:
The stay of enforcement provides some temporary, limited relief to the crafters, children’s garment manufacturers and toy makers who had been subject to the testing and certification required under the CPSIA. These businesses will not need to issue certificates based on testing of their products until additional decisions are issued by the Commission. However, all businesses, including, but not limited to, handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA.
Hooray! This issue is not over yet, but at least Etsy and quality handmade and foreign toys have one more year of life. It seems as though the vocal public outrage has produced a step in the right direction.
Thanks to all who let their voices be heard!!
Let’s hope that the CPSC will stay on this more reasonable path and narrow down the overly broad Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).
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LINKS:
Here is a link to the full text of the press release:
CPSC Grants One Year Stay of Testing and Certification Requirements for Certain Products (from the CPSC website)
And the full text of the CPSIA is here.
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Perhaps my favorite place in the whole world is the South Island of New Zealand. If you live there, I SO envy you! What a beautiful place filled with nice people…I can’t say enough wonderful things about it. The only drawback is that, for most of us in the world, it is a little out of the way. No, make that VERY MUCH out of the way! Upon further thought however, perhaps that is what keeps it so lovely and friendly?
Anyhow, I was once fortunate enough to be able to visit New Zealand’s South Island. I believe it was in May and the leaves were turning color. There was a fall chill in the air…strange, since we had just left tree buds exploding with flowers and greenery emerging from the sun’s warmth - a promise of lazy summer days was near.
We had many remarkable adventures in southern New Zealand as we explored the glacial and fjord-laden, yet lush, west coast; viewed spectacular snowy mountainscapes of the central region; and enjoyed sheep (many, many, MANY sheep) grazing on peaceful green hills in the eastern portion.
One of the most interesting places that we visited was the Royal Albatross Centre in Dunedin. Before the visit, I really new very little about these amazing birds, except that according to old sailing lore, it was considered bad luck to see one. Wasn’t an albatross involved in Edgar Allan Poe‘s novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym?
Seaturtle.org (2004 data)
2008 Black-Footed Albatross “race”: Check out these amazing results for “the 2008 winner” named Oski. In the 64 days (s)he was tracked, (s)he traveled a curved path totaling 19,571 km (a straight line distance of 4,943 km) at an average rate of 305 km/day!
The Hawaii Study: Has a good teaching/classroom component.
Oikonos also offers free, downloadable classroom tools about the effects of trash and debris on marine birds.
If you do nothing else, watch (and show your kids) this gorgeous video of albatrosses soaring over the ocean, and “playing” in the wind. It is such a beautiful sight that it actually made me cry! Please watch it!
OK, now that you have been moved to tears by these beautiful birds, how about trying to save them? Here are some organizations that would like some help (fundraiser anyone?):
I don’t homeschool, but if I did, I would somehow work in an albatross unit despite the fact that I live in Arizona! I hope that these resources will inspire somebody somewhere.
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