What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to get your kids involved. A wide range of activities have been planned specifically for today or this week, but what about ongoing environmental awareness and programs? The EPA Student Center helps to fill that role. The EPA Student Center is a web portal run by the […]
Continue ReadingIt’s National Wildlife Week, and the National Wildlife Federation is urging parents to participate by making time for outdoor play and interaction with the natural world. But for many of us it’s still too cold and wet outside to commune with anything more natural than mud (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Anyway, it […]
Continue ReadingAnother count for your family to participate in. (Don’t you know I missed the star count after posting it?) The Great Backyard Bird Count began Friday and continues until Monday. Bird watchers of all ages, from beginning bird watchers to experts, are invited to count birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds […]
Continue ReadingNow we get to feel just like Richard Dreyfuss. Set your timers for tonight’s webcast of the Auckland Museum’s dissection of a Great White Shark (2:00 pm NZ time; 8:00 pm EST). The process is taking place about two hours prior to its availability on the web. The Great White is a protected species in […]
Continue ReadingNational Geographic’s web site has always been an excellent resource for kids, packed with videos, online articles, free games and activities. Taking their brand to the next level, National Geographic recently announced a move into the world of commercial video games. This isn’t a tentative, toe in the water kind of deal. National Geographic is […]
Continue ReadingRecently the kids and I have taken an idea I picked up from the Homeschooling Mom blogosphere and given it a GeekDad twist. Inspired by a quote she read somewhere about the decline of local knowledge among modern westerners, last spring Sarah Conrad Sours issued The 100-Species Challenge by asking: “Can you recognize a hundred […]
Continue ReadingWith my wife studying for exams, it was up to the kids and I to undertake what was likely our final camping trip of the season. Most of the Provincial Parks will be shutting down until the spring during the next few weeks, so unless a birthday party or two falls off the […]
Continue ReadingSummer may be drawing to a close and the kids are in school but there is still time to launch an outdoor project or two with the geeklets. Any project that will give you an excuse to get outside with the young ones is a good one. You can still build a tipi or, you […]
Continue ReadingSummer is drawing to a close and your kids will soon be in school (if they’re not already). But the warm weather continues in some places and there is still time to launch an outdoor project or two with the geeklets. Any project that will give you an excuse to get outside with the young […]
Continue ReadingWe’ve recently moved to a newer home in a neighborhood that is purposefully keeping natural habitat as part of the appeal. This means lots of “green space” for the GeekDad and GeekMom. It means lots of cool animals, insects, and reptiles for the Geek-kids. There are several cat-tail-surrounded ponds within walking distance of the house. […]
Continue ReadingIn the suburbs of Atlanta, there is a natural wonder with a storied history and a very unique ecosystem. Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock with rocky roots reaching out to several surrounding Georgia counties. It’s quite a sight to behold: a huge blank slate of granite, visible for miles around, which makes it […]
Continue ReadingI don’t know if anyone’s going to find this as interesting as I do, but here it is anyway. We were in Washington visiting family this weekend, and they had a hummingbird feeder on their deck that was getting a lot of business. So, being the geek I am, I had to pull out my […]
Continue ReadingIn celebration of National Insect Week, go check out artist Amy Youngs, who creates pieces combining electronics, plants and bugs. They’re amazing! Her blown-glass Holodeck for Crickets encompasses a hologram that changes when the resident crickets chirp. Also check out her Cricket Call, a lush boudoir that lets you talk to the insect inhabitants by […]
Continue ReadingWe home-school some of our children. Actually, I review reports, get updates from GeekMom on how the kids are doing, and take out the garbage when it’s full…it’s GeekMom that does the heavy lifting of teaching the kids. I got an email from her recently showing a glimpse into a fun day at “Neumeier Academy” […]
Continue ReadingMy experience as a kid as well as the GeekMom’s experience as a kid with Sea-Monkeys was disappointing at best. Both of us at one time ordered Sea-Monkeys, but neither of our kits worked. We were scarred for many years. Then, on the clearance rack after Christmas this past year, GeekMom found a set and […]
Continue ReadingSpring has arrived on the b-b-balmy shores of Lake Ontario, and the local fauna and flora have gotten down to doing what they do best – making more fauna and flora. It may be that your geeklets aren’t ready for the "birds and the bees" talk (or is it the "circle of life" talk? I […]
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