Mudpies & Butterflies » Science Learning

Make a “Zine” for the World 10/8

Jessica — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:02:37 +0000

What do you wanna say, the World is listening!

I’ll show how with a few pieces of paper, you can make your own Zine. A Zine is a hand distributed Mag-a-ZINE. Pretty cool, eh?

Over the years people have spread their messages, art, and needs through flyers and zines. This is a great way to get a grassroots idea out. Or make a mini-gallery on paper. Or start your career as a cartoon artists. You will become a mini-publisher as soon as you print more than one copy!

Come with lots of ideas and make your own Zine this parkday. Any writing or coloring supplies would help bring diversity to the supplies I will bring. I will supply the paper for your zines.

For those who can’t come or who wanna get a jumpstart, I will post the “HOW TO’s”. Now there are lots of ways to make Zines, just like there are lots of ways to make books: accordion style, open folds, spine-binding, etc. This is just one way.

And as far as the artwork goes: it can be photocopied from other images, hand-drawn, stamped, painted, and more. YOu can put a personal touch on each copy of Zine to add color since B&W copies are the cheapest. It is up to you!

Here is a link for a bit of HISTORY of MAGAZINES and HISTORY of PRINTING & MAGAZINES and HISTORY of ZINES.

FYI: This is the last Deltac sponsored craft/parkday.

Love to you all,

Jessica, Ula, Esme & Aran

Annual “Big Trees” Family Campout is during the 125th Anniversary

Jessica — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 15:26:17 +0000

Photos for 2015 have been added Gallery Style at bottom of post.

This will be the SIXTH year that I host amazing, courageous, experimental, holistic, hilarious, connective, compassionate, nature-loving families (who also homeschool) at Lodgepole Campground in the heart of the Sequoia National Park and it is on their 125th Anniversary! How fabulous is that?
From Sept-May, Nat’l parks are FREE for families with a 4th grader (or homeschool equivalent).

For a dozen families (and counting), we will share potlucks, a talent-show, hikes, early talks, late night games, a TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE, and a resetting of our inner rhythms to nature’s clock. We will hike into the forests that are ancient (we are talking tens of thousands of years old), where even some of the trees themselves are over 3,000 years old. The largest tree in the world, the General Sherman tree lives here, as well as most of the other top 10.

Recently threatened by fire (Rough fire entered parts of North Kings Canyon, that is now largely contained), and also dependent on fire to grow (Sequoia’s don’t repopulate without fire helping open their “seed vaults” and generate the optimal nurseries for the baby saplings), this forest is still battling to survive other changes in moisture and climate. Bad humans! We all have a vested interest to help these Sentinels that have watched over our world for millennia.

I can not wait to smell that earthy smell and hear the gurgle of the Kaweah that we camp beside. Or climb the 400 steps to the top of Morro Rock to see the vista during the day or witness the Total Lunar Eclipse (Sunday night 7:45pm). I can not wait to just listen to how the nature around me breathes and goes on every day. I can not wait for my children (which includes those of my dear friends, new and old): scramble over the rocks, make up imaginary games, build rock cities, whittle sticks into staffs, feel and be free, yell and listen for their echo, gently hold bugs and lizards, watch chickarees dismantle pinecones, help each other out, devise new ways to do things, not notice the absence of electronics, and completely charge up on nature.

Nature is where we learn new things about ourselves. Learn new things about each other. Relearn what we once knew, but has gotten lost within the layers and layers of home-life, work-life, relationship-life,… you get it. Nature calmly holds us (and sometimes not so calmly) and reassures our core being that we are meant to be where we are, we are permitted, actually invited to breath deeply. Nature tells us that there is TIME for everything and that everything in front of us and within us is available at any minute. Nature re-introduces us to our bodies, our fears, our resourcefulness, our sense of wonder, … some of the best parts of ourselves.

Many of us booked sites 6 months out to ensure we could all camp in close proximity to the river and to each other encompassing a weekend. But there are spots that open all the time. If you have never experienced King’s Canyon and Sequoia National Park: the hikes, the museums, the stellar visitor centers, the amazing Rangers and their talks, the views, the history, the legends, the underground caves (Crystal Cave and Boyden Cave), the star-gazing, and so much more, book a reservation for you and/or your family.

Click to get your own 4th Grader’s free pass to ALL NATIONAL PARKS this School year. And I believe others will take over after our family heads up to the Pacific North West next month. Who knows, we might join everyone for the 7th next year.

Blogs from Sequoia Campouts. Watch us grow, but the trees stay the same.

2nd Annual Campout 2011

3rd Annual Campout 2012

4th Annual Campout 2013

5th Annual campout 2014

And now click on any of the photos below for this year’s 2015 amazing trip!

Navigating Conversations 9/3

Jessica — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:53:40 +0000

Since this didn’t happen last week, we will play some games that will help everyone identify emotions, play act scenarios and hopefully get not only a better sense of the value of other people’s emotions, but those of our own.

Belarus Travels 8/13

Jessica — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 16:21:29 +0000

Hats off to Maria, not only for creating such great visual aids, but conscientiously choosing to share such a diverse but incredibly interesting highlights of Belarus culture (symbolism of embroidered patterns; the history and pride behind the varied flags; rare peatland biosphere; endangered species unique to the region; the backstory of the ingredients in our cold soup; and your personal pride, passion and love for your Motherland. Thank you so very much!

V. and Maria spent the first part of the summer in Belarus, her home country and they are excited to share some fun, interesting things from their travels. We will all help with a fun project that we can EAT!

The Republic of Belarus is situated in the geographical center of Europe and often named The Green Lung: the vast peatlands clean the continent’s water and cool its climate. They also host numerous rare birds and plant species such as the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler and the Greater Spotted Eagle. But the lung is ill – about 50% of the peatlands are slightly or strongly drained and degraded.

Topanga State Beach 8/6

Jessica — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 16:20:34 +0000

This week marks the 6th Anniversary of Mudpies & Butterflies. I can’t believe I’ve been doing it for that long!!
Let’s Go to the Beach for some fun under umbrellas and waterplay in the ocean this Thursday. Deltacs are bringing some hula hoops and boogie boards! What are you bringing?

Let’s meet at the Topanga State beach for some tidepooling and romping (left of the bathrooms). Low tide thursday is at 10am and high tide is at 4:30. IF anyone wants to get there before 1pm, let me know. Deltacs are thinking of staying for the sunset.

Summertime parkday 7/30

Jessica — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 16:17:09 +0000

The Deltacs will be out of town, so just come for a relaxed Summertime parkday. Picnic under the breezy trees, swing and play on the playgrounds and just enjoy yourselves. See you next week at the beach!

Ancient Rome & Potluck 7/16

Jessica — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 15:10:42 +0000

In Rome, Togas* were required at our park Togas (Stolas) are optional. Experience a FUN day based on the reign of the Roman Empire. What lesson can you share with the group that is based on what YOU think is cool about Ancient Rome (or other culture within the Roman Empire)? This could be a craft or activity, a story like the Trojan Horse or Seneca’s play Oedipus, a mini play based on Roman Gods (Jupiter, Diana, Cupid, Mars, etc), explaining a Roman custom, a model of a Roman invention (chariot, aqueduct, catapult, etc), or telling about a figure of import (Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Hortensia) , or Rome’s Concrete Revolution. There are some more ideas on this PinInterest.

Watch this great animated lecture on what a Teenager’s Life is like in 73 BCE! or 4 Sisters in Rome!

Planned Activities at Parkday

With rubberbands, dowels and cardboard that I will supply, kids can cut out and assemble their own musical Lyres.

50% of Roman children died before their 15th year. The next craft I have chosen is to make copper Bullae or Lunulae (they can be made from cloth too). These are amulets that Roman children wore to protect them from evils spirits (as well as jealousy of their friends) until they were old enough to become a Roman Citizen (boys 16)or marry (girls around 18).

And Ula will share how to write and decipher Roman Numerals, (and how Fibonacci helped replace them with Arabic numbers in the mid 13th Century).

Expand Upon the Learning

For a great 3-D experience of Ancient Rome, I usually send families to visit the Getty Villa at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway (with 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities dating from 6,500 BC to 400 AD). This was the original Getty styled after a villa from the great city Herculaneum, (Pompeii’s neighbor). As you stroll about the amphitheater, porticos, sculptures and more, it feels like you are IN ancient Rome. The Fun Family room has great hands on activities, allowing kids to become the shadow Puppets behind a theater screen or illustrate an ancient vase. Be sure to pick up the kid’s scavenger hunt cards for amping up the FUN-quota in the galleries. Their gift shop has great books for kids. The Villa hosts events including the upcoming modern version of Euripede’s play Medea this September (tix are on sale now).

*In Rome men and boys wore togas that were knee length, in public girls and women’s togas reached their ankles. In the privacy of their homes, girls could wear knee length togas. A pillow case makes a perfect kids toga, w/ a seam ripper cut a hole in head and for arms. Complete the look by tying a ribbon, string or a belt at the waist. For the adult toga, take some cloth or sheet to wrap completely around the waist (tuck in the first part into the waistband). And now just throw the leftover material over one shoulder.

Japanese Culture Fest 7/9

Jessica — Mon, 06 Jul 2015 18:08:43 +0000

My sister has been in Japan for the past 10 days and her photos and experiences have spurred on a bevy of Japanese home studies for my daughters and myself. Today we had an amazing show & tell with so much sharing and feasting! I brought a freshly steamed batch of Sushi Sticky rice to make Rice balls (or rabbits and hearts w/ Bento forms).

We had a lively day of Origami, eating many types of mochi, Japanese tales, mapping Mt. Fuji, Mt Kyoto, Sendai, Fukishima, Hiroshima and learning the 4 big islands of Japan. Many wore Kimonos and others brought delicious Bento boxes.

We learned about how Eliza Scidmore persevered and brought the Cherry Trees to Washington DC.

Many learned about Daruma goal and wish setting for the first time.

This is the week of Star-crossed lovers, when from our perspective on earth, two stars in the sky seem to touch only once a year. According to folklore two legendary stars, the Ox Herder (Altair) and the Weaver Princess (Vega), are depicted as lovers. The Sky King was unhappy that they were not tending to their duties and seperated each of the lovers on the opposite ends of the Milky Way. However the Sky King allows the legendary lovers meet once per year, giving birth to the Japanese Tanabata festival, which will occur next month here in LA.

Independence & H2O Play Day 7/2

Jessica — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 22:17:18 +0000

The Girls Baked an American Flag Cake in honor of the Day they signed the Declaration of Independence.

Let’s Celebrate Independence day two days early, by revisiting this Nation’s history of Boston Tea Party and the Declaration of Independence. But let’s stay cool, so bring whatever water toys and small buckets too.

Thursday is supposed to be the coolest day this week (Hi 88), but we can cool it down even more with some fun watergames.

Who else is willing to come with a cooler that you pre-fill with water balloons, so we can play water balloon toss. Waterfall Relay.

And WaterBucket Sponge Relay. I will have a few more fun wet games up my sleeve.

So if you want to wear bathing suits or bring as second set of clothes, feel free.

A Day at the Beach 6/25

Jessica — Mon, 22 Jun 2015 04:23:00 +0000

We haven’t done this in a while and the weather might be a bit warm in the valley, so let’s meet up at the beach for a cooler day to romp in the beach, dig sand castles and find seashore life in sand buckets and investigate with magnifying glasses.

To find out the specific beach location, shoot me an email to jessica@jessicaran.com or message me on facebook.

We will arrive to Beach Z as soon as 11:30 and stay until the late afternoon, or early evening.

Looking forward to having a real great time with you all.

Jessica and Family.