Morris Museum

Morris Museum (Morristown) . See the new wing they've finished. Click for directions.

2008 - 09 "On School Time" shows include: Usually at 11 am & 1:30, For $10.00 for non-members, $8.00 for groups of 20 or more. (They also have discussions with Holocaust survivors every spring - different sessions for middle and high schoolers.)

• Dr. Doolittle : Signstage On Tour, Monday, February 16, 2009, Ages 5-13, Probably 11 am & 1:30 pm. The classic doctor who talks to the animals told in a unique way. The stage is filled with the movement of hands and bodies yet every word is spoken to make sure all audience members, both deaf and hearing, don't miss a thing.
  
  
• A Dancing Storybook Adventure : Dance Innovations, Saturday, March 21, 2009, Perfect for the Entire Family!, Probably 11 am & 1:30 pm, probably $10
  This magical dance journey revisits three beloved children's stories, THE LION KING, HAPPY FEET, and THE WIZARD OF Oz as they "Ease On Down The Road" through jungles and ice. Artistry, numerous dance styles (from Tap to Ballet to Modern) and performers of all ages make this show Perfect for the Entire Family!
  
  
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe : Marionette Players, $7/seat, Pre-K - 4th grade. Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 10 & 12:30; Wednesday, April 1, 2009,10 & 12:30; Thursday, April 2, 2009, 10 & 12:30; Friday, April 3, 2009, 10 am only.
  Also (for $10/seat) Friday, April 3, 2009 4:00pm, Saturday, April 4, 2009, Ages 4-10
  Live actors and marionettes perform this endearing and exciting C. S. Lewis classic. Three children discover an old wardrobe in an ancient house that transports them to the bewitched land of Narnia. Only the children can break the spell with some help from Mr. & Mrs. Beaver and Aslan the Lion.
  

• DANCIN’ WITH THE HONEY BEES,Clifford Wright-Sunflower, $7/seat,
  Thursday, May 21, 2009, 10 am & 12:30, Grades: 1-6. Clifford Wright-Sunflower is a master beekeeper and environmentalist. Aided by an eager volunteer from the audience dressed in beekeeping equipment, Clifford demonstrates the precision of a beekeeper working a beehive. He transforms the entire audience into a working hive. With bodies busily buzzing about in the functional dance of the beehive, children learn first-hand about the delicate and complex balance of the bee colony. After the honeybee dance, children are divided into smaller groups to visit with an observation hive of bees, to make a beeswax candle and, most importantly, to share bee fears, experiences and questions.

Summer 2008 Shows were mostly in July, and mostly for the under 12 year old crowd. They sell out fast.

Other 2008 - 2009 shows were:

• The Kazoobie Kazoo Show : Rick Hubbard Producers, Inc., Friday, November 7, 2008, Ages 3-13, Probably 11 am & 1:30 pm. Exceptional fun with music, laughter, and of course…kazoos. The finale features the entire audience as members of the grand kazoo band!! Everyone leaves the show humming with their own personal kazoo.
  
  
• Einstein Alive! (Marc Spiegel) : Tuesday, December 2, 2008, $7/seat, 10 am & 12:30 pm, Grades: K - 5. Marc Spiegel brings Albert Einstein to life! Professor Einstein talks about his life, his difficulties in school, and the "adventures" within his mind. He speaks about his fame and what it means to be a theoretical physicist. Professor Einstein uses song and audience participation to show what "strange" motion is and what the terms "relative" and "frame of reference" mean.
  
  
• Universal African Dance & Drum Ensemble : by Unity Community Center, Saturday, December 27, 2008, Ages 4-adult, Probably 11 am & 1:30 pm. Unique drum beats and traditional African costumes and acrobatics celebrate the beginning of Kwanzaa, the annual festival of family, community, culture, and peace.

2007-2008 On school time SHOWS included
these which may be annual:

1. PSA - A Discussion with Holocaust Survivors(Morris Museum, Morristown), Middle School discussion - April 1,2,16 & May 7. High School Discussion April 15.
   
   
2. Organizing -Dancin' with the Honey Bees, Clifford Wright-Sunflower, Grades: 1-6, Morris Museum (Morristown), Tuesday, May 13, $6 per seat (museum tickets not included), 10 a.m show (or go to the 12:30 show on your own.)
   

Food from Mali

Especially for those preparing to attend a Mali themed potluck, this may be just enough to get you started. Most of the references are about current eating habits in Mali, and not historical information.

As I hope you would do at any potluck, please bring the list of ingredients and label a dish if it has known allergens or ingredients one might not expect.

From oxfam, "The main foods eaten by a moderately well-off family living in Mali’s capital, Bamako, are rice, millet, sorghum, and beans, cooked as a sort of porridge, served with a meat or fish sauce. A common meal in southern Mali is called tô, a pudding made from pounded millet, served with a sauce of meat or vegetables. In the North, the Songhay and Touareg make thick doughy pancakes served with wild leaves. Tô is also popular in Burkina Faso."

Africa Guide says "The food in Mali is similar to that found in Senegal and other areas of West Africa.

Along the Niger river, fish dishes are popular and include Nile perch (or capitaine) which is either fried or grilled, stewed or baked."

iexplore seems to be more of tourist/traveler information. They say Mali National specialties include La Capitaine Sangha (a kind of Nile perch served with hot chilli sauce, whole fried bananas and rice).

National drinks:
• Malian tamarind and guava juices are delicious.
• A traditional drink is Malian tea which should be drunk in three stages; the first is very strong (‘as bitter as death’); the second is slightly sweetened (‘just like life’); the third is well sugared (‘as sweet as love’). Visitors to Mali may be invited to partake in this tea ritual."

Some Recipes
Sesame Seed & honey sticks

Recommended one a site about Mali: Poulet Yassa (Senegalese chicken with onions)

Recipe Hound has a whole list of recipes, including:

• Sweet Millet Fritters (Maasa),
• Chicken and Peanut Stew (Maafe),
• West African Kebabs (steak or liver suggested in the recipe),
• Couscous De Timbuktu (Stew with Dates and Couscous),
• Fried Bean Balls (Akara),
• Malian Fish Stew, and
• Jollof Rice.

There are some Mali and many more West African recipes at Celtnet.org.

Our (West African, mostly Mali) potluck menu:

• beverages: papaya juice, ginger juice & water
• Fried Bean Balls (Akara),
• Pumpkin soup (where is the line between authentic & what our children will eat? the line between easy to make after a long day (step 1: open a can of pumpkin puree) and more authentic (step 1: peel & cook sweet potatoes)?),
• Millet & lentil pilaf,
• Jollof Rice,
• Crunchy cabbage salad,
  
• Poulet Yassa,
• Sesame Seed & honey sticks,
• Couscous de Timbuktu, and
  
• dessert: lime cake, coconut pie, bananas.

NASA Educational Materials - update

The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. The following items are now available for downloading.

1. Adventures in Rocket Science Educator Guide -- Informal Education
   This guide contains 25 activities designed for 4-H Clubs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, after-school programs, and other informal education venues. Participants learn about the history and principles of rocketry and NASA's newest rockets -- Ares I and Ares V. While doing these hands-on activities, participants also learn about Hero Engines, parachutes and surface area, altitude tracking, and Newton's Laws Of Motion. Learners can also build four types of rockets and two types of egg drops.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Adventures_in_Rocket_Science.html
   
   
2. Environmental Control and Life Support Systems Water Filtration Challenge Educator Guide -- Grades 5-8
   Earth provides the air we breathe, the water we drink, and other conditions that support life. Earth is a natural life support system. On the International Space Station, the Environmental Control and Life Support System provides these needs. The functions of an ECLSS include atmosphere revitalization; atmosphere control and supply; temperature and humidity control; water recovery and management; waste management; and fire detection and suppression. The activities in this guide focus on water recovery and management.
   
   The challenge is to design and build a water filtration device using commonly available materials. To meet this challenge, students build, test and measure the performance of the filtration device, analyze the data collected, and use this information to work towards an improved filtration design.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Water_Filtration_Challenge.html
   
   
3. Space Math I -- Grades 7-9
   
   These activities comprise a series of 20 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2004-2005 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate space weather phenomena and math applications such as solar flares, satellite orbit decay, magnetism, the Pythagorean Theorem, order of operations and probability. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   
   Note: This guide was formerly published as the Extra-Credit Problems in Space Science Educator Guide
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_I.html
   
   
4. Space Math II -- Grades 7-9
   
   These activities comprise a series of 24 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2005-2006 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate science and math concepts such as solar energy, stars, scientific notation, and distance, rate and time. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_II.html
   
   
5. Space Math III -- Grades 9-12
   
   These activities comprise a series of 36 practical mathematics applications in space science. This collection of activities is based on a weekly series of space science problems distributed to teachers during 2005-2006 school year. The problems in this booklet investigate science and mathematics concepts such as radiation effects on humans and technology, solar science, algebra, trigonometry and calculus. The problems are authentic glimpses of modern engineering issues that arise in designing satellites to work in space. Each word problem has background information providing insight into the basic phenomena of the sun-Earth system, specifically space weather. The one-page assignments are accompanied by one-page teacher guides with answer keys.
   http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Math_III.html

NASA Robotics Grants

NASA is pleased to announce the availability sponsorship for teams participating in the FIRST Robotics Competition. Two types of grants are available: Up to 70 Regional Challenge Grants and approximately 100 Program Growth Grants.

These sponsorships are not tied to any particular competition event. The grants will provide $6,000 funding to cover the registration costs for a team to attend one Regional Competition event and part of the cost of constructing the robot for the competition.

Applications for this grant opportunity are due Oct. 20, 2008.

To learn more about the NASA FIRST Robotics Regional Challenge Grants and Program Growth Grants, visit https://frc-grants.arc.nasa.gov/directions.php. Questions about this sponsorship should be directed to frc-grants@mail.arc.nasa.gov.

Thanks for the notice Lorna!