Explore Outdoors ~ Flowers in the City

 I had the opportunity to visit Boston a couple weeks ago, and as I walked around (it is a city built for walking!) I noticed all the flowers. Blossoms of every color, shape, size... tucked into small gardens in front of apartments and lining the walkways of parks. 

 

hibiscus blooming in front of apartment

 

 

canna lily at Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park

 

What do flowers add to your neighborhood? Color? Texture? A source of pollen and nectar for pollinators? Seeds for birds? Check out the flowers you see in your neighborhood gardens and parks this week. Take a close-up portrait of your favorite one. Or paint a picture, write an ode, or just enjoy its beauty for a few moments.

Archimedes Notebook is taking a break over Labor Day Weekend ~ See you next Wednesday!

Before you toss that banana peel....

Bananas are good for you. They are chock-full of tryptophan, vitamin A, potassium, and iron. Even their peels are nutritious. Earlier this month a press release from the American Chemical Society stated that banana peels are “… replacing pork in "pulled peel" sandwiches and getting fried up into "bacon." And now, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology show that incorporating banana peel flour into sugar cookie batter makes the treats more healthful.”

Wikimedia/ Anitamahotra

I eat a lot of bananas, and I know the peels had nutrients – that’s why I toss them into my compost bin. But no more! Apparently banana peels are packed with anti-oxidents:  polyphenols, carotenoids, and others that can help fight cancer-causing free radicals in your body. Banana peels are also a good source of vitamins B6 and B12, as well as magnesium, potassium, protein and, of course, fiber. Lots of fiber.

Banana peel "bacon" requires too many seasonings, but you can toss banana peels into your next smoothie, mix up a banana peel chutney, or make some banana peel curry. I’m thinking this faux pulled “pork” recipe might go well in a taco.

You don’t have to eat banana peels to reuse them. They are good for moisturizing skin and soothing mosquito bites (just rub the inside of the peel over the bite). And some people rub them over their leather shoes for a quick shine. Warning: they do nothing for muddy sneakers.

Reading, Writing, and Artithmechicks

In our area, families are taking in the last bit of summer vacation or shopping the back-to-school sales. In other places, students have been in the classroom for a couple weeks. And elsewhere, students may be counting down the days to September break. But no matter where you are in the world, school means Reading and Writing and Arithmechicks. Wait! What?

theme: math, coding, humor

Arithmechicks Take a Calculation Vacation: A Math Story 

by Ann Marie Stephens; illus. by Jia Liu 

32 pages; ages 3-7

‎Astra Young Readers, 2022  

10 chicks plus 1 mouse bounce to the beach. Mama leads the way.

It’s vacation time! And these chicks have lots of beach activities planned: sandcastle construction, volleyball, lounging in the sun, and some wave-riding. Even salty beaks and sandy feathers don’t stop them from having fun.

What I like about this book:

This is a great resource for teachers, homeschoolers, and parents who are looking for a fun way to introduce equations. Each page shows a different way to add – or subtract – the number of chicks, whether it’s climbing a tree for coconuts or falling off a surfboard. Back matter explains how to combine three numbers into math fact families:  2 addition facts + 2 subtraction facts = 4 facts in a family. There are more books in the Arithmechicks series; check out my review here.

What's Branching?: A Birthday Adventure! 

by Kaitlyn Siu; illus. by Marcelo Badari 

32 pages; ages 3+

‎Kane Miller Books / EDC Publishing, 2022

What’s branching? Let’s find out! We’ll help super robot Pixel plan a perfect party for Jet, and learn cool coding skills while we do. 

Jet loves being outside, so a party in the park sounds perfect. But what if it rains? Pixel makes backup plans: if it rains, then we’ll …..  In coding, writing backup plans using if/then statements  is called branching. We do this a lot in everyday life. Like planning a hike – and if it looks like rain, packing a poncho.

What I like about this book:

The graphics make it easy to understand the coding concepts introduced: branching, debugging a program. Back matter includes a simple matching game for if/then statements, a glossary, and a guide for teachers and parents. I also like that this book is part of a series (First Steps in CODING) and other books present algorithms, sequencing, loops, and more.

Beyond the Books:

Incorporate some math into your daily life. Use math language to talk about things like hanging the laundry: two socks on the line plus one more sock is ….. or stack blocks in a pyramid. 3 blocks on the bottom plus 2 plus 1 on top equals… And what happens when 2 block leave?  Check out this post for more books that incorporate math literacy.

Create some simple coding games. With this one all you need is a deck of cards, some toys, tape…. or you can make a grid and ask your friend to code a path around the obstacles.

We’ll join Perfect Picture Book Friday once they resume. It’s a weekly event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.