Central Library Homeschool Events

Thanks, Sally Verando, for keeping us posted on events at the Central Library in downtown Dallas.  Here are some tentative events:

March: Finance Workshop, where kids can learn about basic saving, bank accounts, investing, and more.


April: Panel discussion of homeschool parents

May: Homeschool Science Fair!

20% off Half-Price Books for this Weekend

Thanks, Lillian Mora for this great coupon.

http://www.halfpricebooks.com/coupon-Booklovers_Weekend.html

Around the World in 90 Minutes

Thanks, Sally Verrando, for this great tip.

Around the World in 90 Minutes comes to Eastfield College


CONTACT: Amy McDonald, Marketing & Advertising Coordinator

972-860-7180 phone, 972-860-8324 fax, amymcdonald@ dcccd.edu

On March 2, award-winning author Marty Essen presents

his high-energy digital slide show, Around the World in 90 Minutes, at

Eastfield College.


Marty’s show features interesting facts, humorous stories, and the best

of thousands of photos he took while traveling the world for his book,

Cool Creatures, Hot Planet: Exploring the Seven Continents. It's the

type of show where the audience has fun laughing at the stories, oohing

and aahing at the photos, and then, when it's all done, they realize

just how much they've learned.


Around the World in 90 Minutes began as a show Marty presented in

bookstores as part of his first book tour. Later, after numerous

refinements, the show took on a life of its own in colleges, museums,

and nature centers across the United States. In fact, it has been APCA’s

(a major college activities association) #1 booked college lecture for

sixteen months straight.

Highlights of Marty’s show include:

Amazing animal facts

Debunking animal myths

Cuddly wallaroos and spiny walking sticks

Charging elephants and howling wolves

Deadly snakes and friendly penguins

Bizarre creatures and endangered species

Swimming with piranhas

Kayaking in the rainforest

Hiking with the Porcupine caribou migration

Rafting with humpback whales

Surviving a hippo attack in Zimbabwe

Marty Essen has won multiple book awards for travel/essay writing,

including the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Best Books Book Award, and

the National Indie Excellence Award. In addition, he won a first place

award at 2009 Green Book Festival in Los Angeles, and the Minneapolis

Star-Tribune named Cool Creatures, Hot Planet a top-10 “green” book.



Show time: Tuesday, March 2, at 12:30 p.m.

Place: Eastfield College, Eastfield College Performance Hall, 3737

Motley Drive, Mesquite, TX

Phone: (972) 860-7186

Price: Free



For more information or an interview, contact Marty Essen at (406)

642-3333 or Marty@MartyEssen. com.



Eastfield College, one of the seven Dallas County Community Colleges,

is located at 3737 Motley Drive in Mesquite, just north of I-30.

Free Environmental Film Festival

Saint Marks Academy in Dallas is hosting a free film festival this Saturday.  The movies are all related to the environment.  There is one about the dangers of chemicals in household cleaners and another called Food Inc. which is about the US food industry and processed foods.

http://www.smtexas.org/ftpimages/73/misc/misc_71026.pdf
http://www.smtexas.org/ftpimages/73/misc/misc_71148.pdf

A Poem by Our Own Catherine Wood

A Poem for Mothers in Winter




by Catherine Wood



My house is full of pirates and princesses;

fencing in the hall,

dancing through the kitchen.

My husband calls,

"Avast! Prepare to defend against boarders!"

But we were invaded long ago by the little people.

Sometimes a flotilla of laundry-basket boats lines the living room.

Sometimes there is darkness at noon,

while cowboys sleep in tents on the prairie.

Today, the peasant girls are singing,

carrying cornfeed in their aprons

to feed the indoor chickens.

Just before lunch, Daniel Boone rode into town

with a small bear thrown across his horse,

(a bear that looked a lot like his baby sister

in a panda hat).



It used to be more boring around here.

There used to be a bunch of hollering kids,

pulling all the cushions off my couch,

strewing clothes,

dropping ice and jelly on the floor,

avoiding their schoolwork,

oblivious to law and order.



But then, one day,

I saw the fairies come to play,

and they brought with them

those handsome stagecoach drivers,

ridin' hard to outpace robbers,

hot on the Sundance Trail.



One day, I'm sure they'll all ride off into the sunset,

leaving my living room and kitchen

all in perfect order.

But 'til then,

my house is full of pirates and princesses.

Winter Olympics Unit Studies

For the official site go here.  You'll find schedules, news, and more info on the athletes.
For coloring pages go here.
For puzzles go here.
To hear podcasts of experts discussing the Olympics go here.
For activities that take ten minutes or less, go here.
For downloadable unit studies to purchase, go here.

Lowe's Free Project for Kids

Saturday, February 13, 10 - 11

Kids can learn how to use tools and make their own wooden jewelry organizers to take home. All supplies and safety gear are provided. The event takes place at Lowe's locations throughout the area.  Go here for more info.

Visit the website to register in advance or to find a workshop near you; space fills up quickly.https://www.lowesbuildandgrow.com/Home.aspx

Free Valentine's Crafts at Michael's

This weekend :


Feb 6 Valentine's Day Card Making & Box 10am - 2pm

Feb 6 Free Demo: Wilton Valentine Cookie 2pm - 4pm

Coming up in February :

Feb 9 Make It Take It: Valentine's Treat Bag 6pm - 8pm

Feb 13 Make It Take It: Heart Shaped Frame 10am - 1pm

Feb 27 Make It Take It: Family Event Science Fair 10am - 1pm


SOME of these events have small fees. The treat bag is $0.79 cents, the frame is $1 and the Valentines Day box is $4.99. The Wilton demo and the Family science fair are free.

Thanks, http://www.mydallasmommy.com/

Free Tickets to See Sally Ride

Better hurry on this on. Thanks, Carrie Ely, for the heads up!

One of America's most-famous and most-beloved astronauts, Ride became the first American woman in space when she joined the STS-7 crew on June 18, 1983.


At the time, she was also the youngest American (32)—male or female—ever to enter space. Ride flew two Shuttle missions, totaling more than two weeks in space.

In the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster, Ride was named to the Presidential Commission investigating the accident and authored NASA's first strategic plan. She also served on the Space Shuttle Columbia Accident Investigation Board in 2003.

Sally Ride is now a professor of physics at the University of California at San Diego and is president and CEO of Sally Ride Science, which focuses on getting children, especially girls, interested in science.

Ride's lecture is part of the Maverick Speaker's Series and coincides with the 50th Anniversary celebration of UT Arlington's College of Engineering.

Tickets are required, but free. To get yours please go the Maverick Speakers Series site by clicking here.

Free Chocolate Truffle Making Class

The Hampton-Illinois library, which is just a couple of blocks from my house, is hosting a free class on how to make chocolate truffles.  We've attended this class before, and not only did we learn how to make a Valentine treat, but we also got to sample the truffles.  What's more, we got to bring home extra truffles!  My daughter and I hope to attend.

Chocolate Truffle Class
Wednesday, February 10
6:00 PM
Hampton-Illinois Library
Black Box Theater
Click here for a map.

Free Museums This Weekend and Every Month

Free admission to a museum this weekend!


This weekend, Feb 6th and 7th, Bank of America is offering FREE museum admission to every Bank of America card holder! You can choose between: Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas Museum of Nature and Science, or Ft Worth Museum of Science and History. This is for the first weekend of EVERY month! You will need your Bank of America Card and a picture ID to get in. Click here for more details.

Thanks, http://www.mydallasmommy.com/

Groundhog Day Lesson Plans

Our own Carrie Ely is from the town in Pennsylvania where the official groundhog comes out tomorrow.  She has sent us websites with lesson plans.  Sounds fun!  Be sure to wish Carrie a Happy Groundhog Day.

 http://www.punxsutawneyphil.com/

http://www.groundhog.org/
www.groundhog.org/teachers/lesson-plans/
http://www.groundhog.org/groundhog-day/history/