The Garden Dirt: Happy Summer!

Today is the first day of summer, and the longest day of the year. It is fitting that today was the first day Backyard University students could enjoy the season's first strawberries. Mathberries, if you're nerdy.

These came out of Mathberry Tower, but they didn't look this ready-to-eat when I picked them. I used to leave berries to ripen in the sun, all the way, until they were dark and sweet and ready, and...already invaded upon by some other critter! It never failed. I'd have my eye on a berry as it ripened, and as soon as I went to pick it, I'd find a hole full of pill bugs, already taking their share.

So, now I pick them when they're still a little greenish-white. Overall, the berry has to have a good reddish tone going on, but not more than that, or it emits the tantalizing smell of eat me to the tiny world of theiving arthro- and pseudo- pods that lie waiting in the shadows. I am no match for that dark army. They feast at night, when I am snoring. I am like a cartoon antagonist, bumbling to tuba music.

After picking, lightly brush away any dirt, leaves, etc. stuck to the berry, and set in a windowsill to ripen, turning every day. Do not wash them! Leaving the berries dry is important them getting ripe without rotting.

You'll know when it's ready to eat by the color, and even though sun-ripened all the way would be ideal, it still beats grocery store produce. Sometimes, we cut the tops off of them and freeze them, collecting them in a sealable bag in the freezer. This makes our little trickle of strawberries into an actual usable portion, good for making jam, syrup, or adding to pancake batter.

Have a long and lovely summer day!

365 TV-Free Activities: Catching Up

We've enjoyed tackling one task after another in our 365 TV-Free Activities Project. Let's be clear, TV was watched last week, this week, and will be all year. It's the activities themselves that supposedly involve no television. (I'm looking at you, #365 Zany Television.)

The week started strong, with pancakes, naturally. We had fun tossing cards and weighing toys, as illustrated here. It was mostly wordy small projects for days 5-9, so they're going to be consolidated and presented thusly.

Thursday, June 2, aka Day 5. We chose writing a letter to the President. (project # 363 for those reading along)

Thomas, George and I participated, but I feel Thomas' is the worthiest one to share, and send:

Hello Obama,

I am Thomas Laszlo, from the Laszlo Family. There are four kids in our family. I am one. I hope you're fixing up how much we screwed up Iraq. I wish there was a new law in the government where absolutely everyone had to wear a helmet. Absolutely, so it would be safe for all the kids. No one would just die that fast. Even for people over 18. Because right now, people over 18 or 18 don't have to wear their helmets. My mom treats me good and makes sure I wear a helmet everyday. Keep up the good work, Obama.

From,

Thomas

He may have absorbed some of my opinions over the years, but he goes his own way with this one. His stance on helmets is his own, and he feels strongly about it, as he wears one daily, and rides with friends who are not compelled to wear them, by their parents or anyone else. As you can imagine, this inequity bothers Thomas greatly, as he is concerned, most of all, with the safety of his bike pack comrades. Will Barack Obama be inspired? Will he send troops to Tillamook to enforce the already existing bike helmet law for minors? Will he "fix" "Iraq"? We can only hope.

Day 6, #350 Weird Words

You're supposed to say the names of nearby items, substituting the first letter in the word with another letter. (Pable, instead of table, is given as an example in the book.) For a kid around kindergarten age/development level, it should be a little bit of a challenge at first, but they should figure out the pattern and be able to do their own versions.

For George, it was opportunity to forgive his family for momentarily losing their minds and forgetting how to speak. At first he corrected me, then he started to get mad, then he smiled patronizingly when I explained the whole thing was a game, then he continued correcting me, and started asking me to get a board game out of the cabinet. Games are fun things that makes sense, not self-impressed parents and siblings giggling at their inaccuracies.

Day 7, #147. Improbable cuisine: Invent zany recipe items, the likes of which nobody would ever attempt to prepare or eat.

Henry, take it away:

1. Whole wheat monkey giblets with ranch (ew ranch).

2. Fried slug with toast.

3. Overcooked clown (it's funny!).

Thanks, Henry.

I'm at a loss for how to document Day 8, #28 and Day 9 #29. They are both "brainstorming" activities in which the adult is supposed to engage the child(ren) in conversations, pushing them to imagine new uses for nearby items, and strategies to solve imaginary problems. When I try to instigate such conversations with my kids, they get suspicious, but eventually open up and say all kinds of great stuff I can't really try to type and keep up with. Let's just say, if anyone ever broke into our house, he would be receiving a spatula and wouldn't need to use hands to hold it. My kids are inventive and their brainstorms might bring a little hail.

Today is day 10 and we're doing that whole thing with the flashlight and the globe and talking about Why There Are Time Zones. Look for it soon on our Facebook page.