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Friday Sprog Blogging (bonus edition): you are here

By jstemwedel on February 10, 2006.

Because today is the first blogiversary of "Adventures in Ethics and Science", you get a bonus sprog-blog. And possibly cake, if I can find some.

Younger offspring: In nature study at school, we're not studying the planets any more. Now we're talking about Earth.

Dr. Free-Ride: Oh? What are you learning about Earth?

Younger offspring: We're learning about the continents. Yesterday I finished pricking out* all the continents.

Dr. Free-Ride: So I bet you can tell me the names of them.

Younger offspring: (singing) Tell me the continents, tell me the continents, tell me the continents if you can! North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa! Don't forget Australia! Don't forget Antarctica! (Stops singing) Actually, there are two Antarcticas.

Dr. Free-Ride: Two Antarcticas?!

Younger offspring: On the maps. There's part on the map with Africa and Australia and Asia, and part on the map with North America and South America an' a little bit of Asia.

Dr. Free-Ride: Oh, so there's only one Antarctica, but it's in both pictures of the continents.

Younger offspring: On the globe, there's only one Antarctica.

Dr. Free-Ride: Yes, the maps are giving a flattened picture of continents that are actually on a sphere. It's hard to get the surface of a sphere onto a rectangle properly.

Younger offspring: A spear?

Dr. Free-Ride: A sphere. You know what a sphere is.

Younger offspring: Round, like a soccer ball. We live in the Northern Hemisphere. Antarctica is in the Southern Hemisphere. (Starts singing again) Tell me the continents, tell me the continents, tell me the continents if you can!

Dr. Free-Ride: You guys have a song for everything.

Younger offspring: Daddy's iPod has a song about the continents, too. [Tangerine Dream, "Kiev Mission"] (Reciting in the same European accent heard in the recording) Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, America ... (Back to normal voice) But that song doesn't have Antarctica at all.

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*Pricking out shapes (of letters, numbers, animals, continents, etc.) is apparently a Montessori thing.

Tags
kids and science

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a bonus! I love your kids. If ever you need a small-person-sitter, holla!

[Don't think I won't take you up on this!!]