On the Moon

Moon Child

     With my birthday on July 6th, I was always told that this birthday meant that I was a "moon child."  Now I never really knew what that was supposed to mean, but, by golly, I have always been fascinated by the moon.  I am probably getting a little too old to be the next teacher in space, but I love looking at the moon.  I could stare at the moon from our little cabin in Vermont, and last night it was spectacular in Connecticut as well.  But I digress...  The bottom line is that I am a over the moon about our wonderous moon!

Check out these links about something lunar that happens only once in a blue moon, and it's happening tonight- Wednesday, July 13, 2022!  

Full Buck Moon

Supermoon

 

The Long Island Sound

 

Making Sound Decisions

          When one of our 5th graders decided to run for CT Kid Governor and was a finalist, we knew that we had to do something very concrete to make Connecticut cleaner, which was the cornerstone of her campaign.  On Tuesday, June 14th, we did just that.  Our 5th grade citizen scientists loaded a school bus at 6:15 AM and rode to Groton, CT.  For some of them, it was the first time, they had been on a field trip.  For many of them, it was the first time in three years that they had been on a school bus.  For all of them, it was the first time that they would be doing real science.  On Project Oceanology, the students “...embarked on a two and a half hour, extremely engaging, cruise out on Long Island Sound aboard a floating classroom, the Enviro-Lab research vessel.  They will get their hands wet as they set a trawl net with the help of Project Oceanology professional staff and interact with marine life such as crabs, squid, fish and other living organisms from the sunlit surface to the bottom of the Sound.  Students will be involved in rigorous field sampling techniques using charts and the real scientific tools of marine science to measure and record accurate data and learn about ecosystems, adaptations, biodiversity and environmental issues.  The cruise teaches students why Long Island Sound is a vital natural resource worthy of conservation and protection” (oceanology.org).

            When the students returned to school 10 hours later they were tired, they were happy and they were determined to make Connecticut a cleaner place to be.

            If you have not had a chance to study the Long Island Sound, here are some cool resources:

Explore LIS

LIS Resource Center

All About Corals

All About Estuaries

All About Tides

All about Currents

All About Nonpoint Source Pollution

Lunenburg, Vermont

 The Time Machine

While this week is a sad one in the history of our family, we have much to be grateful for including our vast and extended family. In 1945, my Grandpa Kenney passed away on February 14th, forever impacting the trajectory of our family. More recently, in 2021, my cousin Kathy passed away on February 20th. I have so much love and appreciation for both of them on this day of love. Without the two of them, and so many more, I would not be connected to my some really awesome people!

This weekend when my pipes burst up at camp, I was immediately welcomed over to my cousins' house in Lunenburg. It was magical. Not only did I get a chance to celebrate my Cousin Katie's birthday, I sat around their kitchen table again. We sat there, eating and telling stories for hours. For me, that kitchen table is like a time machine or portal that transports me back to another era, and I have been lost in time ever since. I remember all of the family reunions we had out in that very barn on Bobbin Mill Road. I imagine what Lunenburg must have been like, back in the day, when my Grandpa Kenney met my Grammie Catherine for the first time and swept her off her feet. Okay, you can call me a romantic, but Valentine's Day is not always wine and roses for many. Even in my sentimental longing and remembering, I remain centered in love and gratitude for my immediate, and my extended, family. As a family, if we can look back and learn from the past as we make new memories together, we can stay connected for generations to come. I can't help but think that Grandpa Kenney and Cousin Kathy would be rather pleased by that.

#ValentinesDay #loveourfamily