June 20, 2014 · 10:16 pm

London’s Natural History Museum: Mom Camp Day 7

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Our second day in London was spent at the famous Natural History Museum. We arrived and went straight to the dino exhibit.  It fills up fast and I wanted the kids to get a good view of everything!

Pictures by Cinco!

Pictures by Cinco!

Cinco and The Princess LOVED it! Cinco even asked to borrow my phone and used it to take photo’s of the dino bones. I think he must have taken over 100 photos. Everything was interesting to him and everything needed to be examined and documented.

At the end of the dino exhibit is an animatronic T-Rex. Everyone bottle necks in the room and watches it for quite sometime. What was rather funny about the T-Rex, is that our local Natural History Museum in Las Vegas has an almost identical T-Rex. We went all the way to London and stood in a big crowd to see something we could see at home any old time… haha..20140617-131835.jpg

We got one of the explorer backpacks for kids from the main desk. Our was about Mammals.20140617-150047.jpg Based on clues in the backpack, we had to play detective and figure out our mammal. The choice was quickly narrowed down to either a wolf or a bear. We had a claw, a set of teeth and a patch of fur. Cinco got it right off the bat and The Princess needed all three clues before she figured it was the polar bear.

Then it was time for another great museum lunch! The kids were less than happy.

Having read the Ashton Place novels–particularly the third one (Review Available Here)–, the kids were very interested in the birds. The were most interested in the ostreages and dodos which are prominently featured in books 3 and 4. We made it to the bird area and everything was going well. We saw the dodo and the ostreages.

Then things took a turn for the worse…we happened upon a series of glass cases displaying only the bird’s head– mainly humming birds. This did NOT sit well with The Princess. She quickly figured out that these little creatures had been decapitated in LARGE numbers. There was no crying but rather an uncomfortable horror at the notion that anyone would think cutting the heads off these beings was acsetpable. I think it hit her hard because we have many humming birds that come to visit us in out backyard and they are very small and rather harmless.

After hightailing it out of there, we explored the museum’s amazing earth science section. The area is accessed through an escalator that goes into a structure meant to be the center of the earth. This was somewhat unsettling for the kids after the bird experience. By the time we reached the earthquake none of the kids would do the simulation. So, I went ahead and did it without them! It lasts a lot longer than I thought it would.

The Princess never really recovered from the bird incedent so we left the museum and went out into the nature garden behind the building. The weather we lovely and the museum was sponsoring a Ladybug hunt. Amazingly, we found quite a few. Most of them were young bugs that had not transformed into the bright red, spotted bugs we all know and love.

 

 

 

 

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June 19, 2014 · 3:04 am

Landing in London, V&A Museum–William Marshal Connection Begins: Mom Camp Day 6

Landing in London was a breeze. I was actually amazed at how well the kids did on the plane. They were also great once we hit the ground. They carried their own backpacks and made it through customs and passport control without an issue! Our driver meet us and we were off…

We hit London about 1pm. After settling in we decided to walk over to the Victoria and Albert Museum. I’ve been to England several times and even spent two summers there, but some how I never went to the V and A.

We were hungry and went straight to their famous cafeteria. In case you don’t know, the Morris, Gamble and Poynter Rooms are the first museum restaurant! (It started and carries on the tradition of not so good, overpriced food.) It was a lovely LOOKING facility, but the food was horrible. The kids refused to eat and that was the start of some eating challenges with the kids in London.

The V&A offers some great programs to introduce children to the collection. You can check them out here! We picked up a children’s scavenger hunt and went from room to room in search of the various items. The Princess LOVED the scavenger hunt. She was running from place to place declaring that she discovered the items! I am not sure the typically understated British really appreciated that–we got quite a few disapproving looks. (We were living up to the stereotype of being loud Americans.) But The Princess was having a great time and we really engaged with the museum, so as far as I am concerned it was mission accomplished!

The kids really loved the Court of Casts. We took some time to look at the copy of Trajan’s Column. But, what we focused on were the casts of William Marshal and his sons effigies. The real Marshal effigy suffered some damage during the WWII bombings. The casts were made prior to the war and therefore depicts the effigy intact.

The architecture room was also a favorite with Cinco. And, we spent a lot of time in the outdoor garden. There were a number of British children playing the wading pool so the Princess kicked off her shoes and joined in… running wild in the water.

Jet Lag caught up with us soon enough and we went off to bed.

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June 18, 2014 · 3:29 pm

FLYING FUN with Mom Camp Day 5

Yes, I am counting the flight and the airport time as two separate days. I mean come on, it’s an international flight and keeping the kids together (figuratively, not literally is challenging!) on the flight is enough to turn any mom’s hair gray.

First of all, I cheated! I bought tickets on Virgin Atlantic. It’s more expensive, but the inflight entertainment is totally worth it. Each person gets a choice of movies and games to keep them occupied. Frozen and the Lego Movie hurrah! And, Virgin even offers special kid friendly meals. Not that anyone loves airplane food.

Kid stuff

Girl’s Pack

kidsstuff2

Boy’s Pack

Second, I am going with the old standby toys. Each one has a backpack filled with little items. There is one item per hour per child— a lot of stuff.

A few things are from the dollar store, but a lot of the things are print outs from the internet about England:

 

  • PaperToys.com has a ton of stuff. Why not print out a double-decker bus? Big Ben? Shakespeare’s Globe? I had to cut out the patterns before we got on the plane to avoid the TSA scissor issue (although I hear now you can bring tiny scissors with you). I also packed glue stick for the kids so they can glue the paper crafts together and crayons.

 

  • Practical Pages offers tons of adorable paper dolls and period costumes for boys and girls. You can find Romans, Vikings, women from the Georgian period, and Elizabethans.

 

  • The Official Page for Hampton Court offers printable hats and hoods from the Tudor period for boys and girls. I printed them on card stock. I packed a few stick on gems to go with this craft so the kids could really bling out their creations. I mean, that is how King Henry VIII would have wanted it, right?

Third, snacks. I know, chips and candy aren’t the best food in the world. But hey, it’s a vacation!

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Fourth, I did not forget the disposable tooth brushes with toothpaste already applied on them. I have fuzzy socks and sleep masks for both kids. Cinco even got a mask with Zombie eyes on it. So fun…

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June 17, 2014 · 1:20 pm

Mom Camp Day 4: At the Airport

With a 10+ hour flight from Las Vegas to London, Mom Camp’s fearless leader, ME, had to get creative.

Before even getting on the plane, we needed to get the airport 2.5 hours early for an international flight. After check-in and such, we had time to kill. I decided we needed to have a few games for our downtime at the airport. These games needed to involve full body movement without bugging the heck of everyone else waiting for their airplane.

  • Simon Says: This is always a good one to pull out of your pocket when you have a little space and little time to kill. I had the kids do things such as marching in place, turning in a circle, jumping jacks and just plan old jumping up and down.

 

  • A few choruses of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes: I know Cinco is a bit old for the song but The Princess is still a perfect age for it and well, he joined in because she was doing it. One word of advise….make sure the kids sing it in a whisper.

 

  • Airport Scavenger Hunt: This one required Queen Gram to watch the bags, b/c heaven knows I am not toting a round a bunch of carry luggage as we comb through the airport looking for things. This is another good time killer that gets the kids up and moving. Try The Game Gal’s Hunt. It’s easy for littler kids or as she suggests, you can modify the items to make them more specific and a tougher for older kids.

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June 13, 2014 · 6:27 pm

Mom Camp Day 3: Getting Ready for Stonehenge

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We have a special visit planned to Stonehenge on our trip as well. You can still walk inside the stone circle you if plan far enough in advance. But, before touring the stones, I really wanted the kids to understand what the henge was all about.

We started by gathering a ton of books from our library and several DVDs on Stonehenge. The kids learned how it might have been built and examined the map of the stones as they remain today. We also discussed the many reasons why it might have been built.

Next, we started brainstorming about building our own Stonehenge. What could we use to make a model of it?

  1. Legos

    2.  

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  2. Marshmellows

    3. /a>

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  3. Rice Crispy Treats

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  4. Wine Corks
  5. Water Bottles
  6. Toliet Paper Rolls

So we set about putting our ideas in action. May favorite was “Wine Henge” as we started calling it. I am astounded at the time Cinco took to study the current placement of the stones and to really plot out the henge as t looks today. If you want to make your own “Wine Henge” here’s how to get started:

You will need:

  • Lots of Wine Corks (Try to get the ones still made of cork not plastic)
  • Large piece of Card Board
  • Gray Spray Paint
  • Green Paint
  • A Knife
  • A Glue Gun

Step 1: Cut the wine corks into long rectangles, This means you will need to shave off two sides of the cork. It is best to have an adult do this! Real cork is easier to cut than the newer plastic corks. Don’t throw out the extra bits. You can use these for some of the fallen stones or the “blue stones”.

Step 2: Spray paint the corks. You will need to spray paint one side, let it dry and then flip the corks and paint the other side.
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Step 3: Paint your large piece of card board green and let dry.

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Step 3: Get a good picture of Stonehenge and start studying. This is a good time to talk with kids about how the henge was made and why. When the corks and board are dry, use the picture to lay out the stones. I highly recommend laying out the stones before you glue. You will want to make sure your stone spacing is correct so you do not end up with gaps that look funny.

Step 4: Using the hot glue gun, glue the stones in place. I recommend an adult do this part unless the student is older can be trusted with the hot glue.

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Getting a little more creative we also used the left overs to design our own original henge. After all, there are tons of henges in Britain and not all look exactly like Stonehenge.

If you are looking for other Stonehenge resources, we had fun with the following worksheets fro English Heritage:

Stonehenge Activity Sheet

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June 12, 2014 · 4:33 pm

Mom Camp Day 2: Operation Dynamo

One of the places we plan to visit on the trip is Dover Castle. Of course, it was built by King Henry II and the inside of the castle is restored to his time period—so it looks like it would have when William Marshal was alive:
Shameless Plug for my Book Again: See more here.

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But, Dover is also where the British came when they were fleeing Dunkirk during the fall of France in WWII. To educate the kids on this, I found an amazing book called The Little Ships by Louise Borden. The story is from the point of view of a girl who goes with her father to help rescue soldiers from Dunkirk. It is well told and appeals to children because of the main character. The author also provides a good afterword on the history of the experience.

I find the evacuation to be one of the most compelling stories of WWII and British resolve. I know many people look to the Battle of Britain. And, that is an amazing story of fortitude as well. But, for me Dunkirk is fantastic because it is a moment when people have to come together and help each other make the best of a bad situation. It also teaches the lesson to fight on, even when you think you have lost because you never know what happen. This is a theme in my King Alfred book as well. (Shameless Plug)

After reading the book, we made our own WWII tanks.  We started with some very simple items: 20140530-090312.jpg

  •  A used Keurig coffee pod
  • A Q-Tip
  • A small pencil
  • Camouflage tape from the dollar store
  • Black Duck Tape
  • A used berry container
  • Scissors
  • Little Green Army Men (Optional)

20140530-090341.jpgStep 1:  Clean out the coffee pod and cut in half.  Keep the bottom portion and throw away the top ring.  Cover the cut-down pod in camo tape.

20140530-090333.jpgStep 2: Clean out the berry container.   Flip it upside down so that the container looks more like a tank.  Cut a round hole in the top of the container.  We made a hole large enough to put small green arm men inside the tank.  (If you plan to put men in your tank, make sure not to tape the berry container shut.  Getting them out of the hole can be tough.  It is easier to just open the container.)    Next, cover the container in camo or black tape (We used two types of tape to represent two different armies.  The Nazi’s were black).

Step 3: Attach the taped coffee pod, making sure it fits over the hole on the top of the tank.  Place a thin strip of tape on the inside of the pod and tank and he outside of the pod and tank to fully secure the pod.

Step 4: Cover either the Q-tip or small pencil in tape.  This will be your gun.  Once it is covered, punch a small hole through the middle front of the tank using the tip of a pair of scissors.  Tape the gun in place.

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Step 5: Have fun playing with your homemade tank!

Finally, we completed a two-page worksheet I made on Dunkirk. Page one is a quick explanation of the event. Page two is a simple chart of the number of troops rescued each day. You can get a copy of the worksheet here: Dunkirk Worksheet and Graph.

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June 11, 2014 · 3:40 pm

Magna Carta Day! Mom Camp Day 1

You may have guessed by now that with our trip to England coming up, we are spending a lot of time on all things British. In preparation for seeing Magna Carta we dedicated a mom camp day to learning ALL about it.

I decided to use the Disney movie as a means of teaching the kids about Magna Carta. It is a cute way to introduce the kids to King John and explain that he was taxing people too much.

I freely admit the movie is in no way factual. But, that’s when I stepped in and started explaining how the movie was different from real life. King John was over taxing his barons. Of course, Magna Carta is about more than just being over taxed. He was also dictating who rich widows married and turning too much of England into forest land, among other things.

Next we printed out some adorable and free Robin Hood masks from Sparklebox and put on our own Magna Carta play. The masks include the main characters from the Robin Hood story, but we improvised and used some of them for the barons and widows and other characters. The Princess insisted on playing evil King John and Cinco played the barons. Given our love of William Marshal we included him in the play as one of the negociators of Magna Carta.

Shameless plug for my William Marshal book:

With a little more help from Disney, I took what was supposed to be a Bambi craft and used it to talk more about the forestry laws before Magna Carta. After all, you could be killed or imprisoned for poaching the King’s deer!

 

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Moving on to more serious matters, we also completed a 4-page lesson from the British Council on Magna Carta.

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And, this is Cinco, The Princess and me looking at one of the four original copies of The Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral. It is supposed to be the best preserved of the existing copies. i must agree it looked brand new! Lucky for us, we had the chance to actually hover over the document. Although it was written in Latin, we did find The Marshal’s name on the document. He’s listed in a prominent place at the head of the nobles and after the bishops and king.

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June 10, 2014 · 3:38 pm

Mom Camp Goes International

This year mom camp is taking it to the next level. We are going on expedition to Great Britain. I know it is insanely ambitious to take a 5 year old, 8 year old and my hubs over the ocean for two and half weeks, but I’ve wanted to go on this trip for more than 3 years.

The basic plan is that my mom, hence forth known as Queen Gram (this is a title she gave herself), will fly over with me and the kids for the first week in London. Then The Captain joins us and Queen Gram flies back to the states. The Captain does not like big cities and has been to London before and frankly has to work so someone can pay for our journey. For the following week and 1/2 we drive around the southern part of England until we hit Wales. We drive up the coast of Wales and leave out of Manchester.

(This is right about the time you must be thinking I am smoking crack…. really all this with two kids under 10! At least The Captain convinced me NOT to add another week and take the kiddos to Ireland, too…. Yes, folks crazy bookymom really thought that was a good idea at first. I mean the flight are so expensive I wanted to maximize the experience. But, The Captain made me realize if I kept us on the road that long, our vacation might end in divorce!)

Now, you keep you updated, I have planned this out as much as I can. I mean I have a 32 page agenda that contains all sorts of information… such as the best park lots for our visit to Bath, England. It’s not unlike when Jillian and I went to Italy. The poor dear had to put up with one of my mega agendas. She politely started calling our trip “Tour of the Obscure”. Although, I think she had an okay time when all was said and done….

None-the-less, I full expect there will be LOTS of hiccups and hopefully, lots of good stories!

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May 27, 2014 · 4:15 am

Only Three Stars for Goldfinch…

The GoldfinchThe Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Three stars and I am being nice. The basic plot of the novel is that Theo Decker’s mother dies in a terrorists bombing when he is a teenager. Theo then floats through life trying to make emotional connections with various people and suffering the consequences of positive and negative relationships.

While the writing is good, something about the narrative never grabbed me. I never truly felt connected to Theo in his search for a life after tragedy. For me it was a long book to suffer through in this way—never really invested in the main character.

Additionally, there were too many “coincidences” along the way that made me skeptical of the book. Theo just happens to find people are the right time…. umm… okay.

The final few pages of the book turned me off completely. I won’t give away the ending. But once the plot is reveled, the author goes on a multi-page rant about the pointlessness of human action….. I am not against her theme— but does she really think readers are SOOO dumb we need a cliff notes explanation at the end of the novel?

So why 3 stars and not too… I didn’t HATE it. It just never clicked with me. We read the book for my book club and lots of women in the group liked it. It just never hooked me and it is NOT a book I will be thinking about for years, days or even minutes to come. Nothing about it lingers.

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May 18, 2014 · 2:55 pm

The Last Plantagents

The Last Plantagenets (The Plantagenets, #4)The Last Plantagenets by Thomas B. Costain

This is the last in a series of books on the Plantagenet Dynasty. I enjoyed the final chapter in this family’s history!

Costain takes the reader all the way through the War of the Roses to the ascension of Henry II. Although, it is trickery to follow. If you have an interest in that period, I recommend you seek another book that focuses solely on the rivalry between the Lancasters and Yorks.

One interesting point is Costain’s treatment of Richard III. He is clearly pro-Richard and makes no bones about it. Costain’s bias is very clear when it comes to the “Princes in the Tower”. He even ends the book with a discussion of how he became interested in history— which includes a discussion of his opinion on Richard.

For myself, Richard ‘s guilt of innocence is a fascinating topic. But, I am more included to a middle ground. I think he did dispose of the boys out if necessity but was not really a black hearted tyrant.

For those who enjoy Costain’s historical tangents— and, I do— you will find them in this volume too! I particularly liked the discussion of the handkerchief as well as ladies riding side saddle.

My favorite in this series remains The Three Edwards. None-the-less, I recommend reading them all.

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