Anson Loves Pi

Anson is learning about Pi at school in math class. I think we have a genius on our hands (I'm allowed to say that since I'm his mom and this is among family and friends!). He has memorized it to 80-something places. I was checking him against a piece of paper I had with the correct numbers so I know he was doing it correctly.

That lovely piano playing is Charlotte in the background.

Sweet Georgia Brown

Last weekend we didn't just go to the museum to meet my "let's do something" expectations, we also saw the Harlem Globetrotters. Cue Sweet Georgia Brown...

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this team, they are a "fake" basketball team made up of former college and NBA players. They play an "international championship game" against the International Elite (fake team), and of course win. In the course of play, there are lots of choreographed dancing moves, ball tricks, interaction with the audience, and comedy sketches. Think Laurel and Hardy or the Three Stooges meets High School Musical.

Our seats made it a bit tricky to get any decent photos, but you can see a dunk here. The kids were excited to see so many! Although the game wasn't very fast-paced, it was neat to see really good basketball players live. There was even one player who was 7'8", and one who was 5'2", and they were fun to see playing in tandem.

A special treat was to see one of our favorite Amazing Race contestants live, Flight Time. (Every player had a nickname like that.) You can see him below in the bottom left corner. I'd say he's the bald one with the headband, but that wouldn't be too helpful, would it? During one of the warmups, he even walked into the stands and made a swish basket from there. Awesome!

We liked Flight Time and Big Easy so much because they worked so well as a team, always encouraging each other and having fun, even in the face of difficult challenges. Great examples for the kids.

I tried to get some video of the team in action. Below you can see them passing the ball back and forth to one another in a circular fashion. Some of the best moves I didn't get on camera, because they were so great about just suddenly and surprisingly breaking into synchronized dance moves or distracting you while one player climbed the basket for a special alley oop.

(Sorry the video is so small; I'm not sure how to make it bigger without distorting the quality.)

If you ever get the chance to see them, take it! It was a night of laughs and entertainment for the whole family. I remember seeing them as a kid in Charlottesville myself, and I'm sure my kids will remember this night, too. Hopefully not because Anson threw up in the lobby (yes, he did), and Charlotte got separated from us, and they had to page me multiple times to come get her (embarrassing).

Wacky Wednesday

Charlotte's class earned a "Wacky Wednesday" today for behaving well. She has been planning her outfit for days. We had to make a few adjustments (cleats just weren't appropriate for inside school buildings and I wasn't about to write on her face with marker), but she was pleased with the outcome: shin guards, one sneaker and one boot, sport shorts, a shirt and sweater backwards, and one ponytail and one braid with a zig zag part.

Today I was scheduled to help in her class with centers, so I was mentally planning my own outfit. Alas, the teacher told me they didn't need me today, since they are going to have a non-regular "wacky" schedule. So if you see me out and about, and think my outfit is weird, it's just me.

Hope you have a fun hump day!

Just a Day at the Museum

I decided last weekend that we were DOING something. Not letting the kids run wild while I organized my office, or going to a movie. We were going to the museum! This was not met with shouts of joy, but when we got there, boy, they were glad we'd gone!

We started out in the section that focused on perspectives, weights, and balances.

Then on to origami. (Jake, this one's for you!) Jake and I attempted some origami from a book he got at the library called, of all things, Difficult Origami, and it was a big FAIL. Luckily, here they had animated instructions and we were able to successfully complete a small pouch, bat, and a frog.

On to the space center, where the kids entered an actual test rocket capsule and directed a satellite at specific spots to pick up voices in space.

(I had to laugh at how the parts of this rocket were labeled...very "old school." Remember those plastic punch labelers were thought were SO advanced?)

Anson then composed his own musical beat based on a pattern he created.

There were several stations set up to show you how well (or terribly, may the case be) you are washing your hands or applying sunscreen. Charlotte didn't do TOO badly, but then again, she knew she was going to be graded!

We did a number of other things, but by far, the biggest hit of the day was the architecture play area.

I couldn't resist buying a box of the small blocks for home, and they have been on our dining room table in constant use.

Success.