"There is no more beautiful life than that of a student."
--F. Albrecht
THE ARTSY SITE OF THE MONTH:
Mona Lisa Images for a Modern World
Great fun, but also points out the way art reflects the times in which
it is created more than it reflects the subject matter.
PERSONAL HOME PAGE OF THE MONTH:
Make A Child Smile
Alexandra's page is sweet, giving, and reminds me that we are all
ambassadors for love.
WEB PAGE DESIGN SITE OF THE MONTH:
Sprockets And Cogs
A Search Engine targeted toward sites that contain help materials for
web site designers and developers.
SEASONAL SITE OF THE MONTH:
Corporate Curmudgeon Commencement Address
Is there life after graduation?. According to this fellow, real life is just beginning.
JUST FUN SITE OF THE MONTH:
Conk!'s MagicMazes
Generate new ones by reloading the page.
DOWNRIGHT SERIOUS SITE OF THE MONTH:
Burn Prevention Foundation
Fire Safety.
HISTORICAL SITE OF THE MONTH:
William Brinton's An Abridged History of the United States
He also has one of Central Asia online.
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For June Travelers |
Newport International Film Festival
Jane Pickens Theater (and other locations), Newport, Rhode Island.
Includes a benefit golf tournament, opening night gala, panel discussions, tribute to Bill
Murray, screenings of over 75 films selected from over 400 submitted films. There is an
admission charge.
For details: Call 401-848-9443.
June 4-6, 1999
Van Wert Peony Festival
Fairgrounds, other locations, Van Wert, Ohio.
Events include a craft and flower shows, fishing derby, home and garden landscaping
tours, parade, gospel sing.
More Information: Call 419-965-2789.
June 4-5, 1999
Indian Bayou Festival and B.B. King's Homecoming
Fletcher Park, Indianola, Mississippi.
Outdoor music event, barbecue, concessions. There is admission charged.
Further Details: Call 601-887-4454.
June 4-6. 1999
AlleyFest
Downtown, Longview, Texas.
Traveling NASA exhibit in Kids Fest, sand volleyball, 10k and 5k races, artisans, music
(some scheduled to perform are Canned Heat, The Bluebirds and the CB Blues Band.
Information: Call 903-237-4000.
June 4-6, 1999
Irish Music Festival
Various locations, Anchorage, Alaska.
Workshops in celtic harp, flute, whistle and other instruments, plus concerts.
Further Details: 907-566-2028.
June 4-12, 1999
Sunflower Music Festival
White Concert Hall, 17th and Jewell, Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas
Pieces to be performed this year include: Stravinsky's The Soldiers Tale and Jolivet's
Pastorales de Noel. Concerts are nightly at 7:30 p.m., are free and open to the public,
and all are invited to attend in informal attire. Young musicians between the ages of 16
and 21 are chosen by audition to study with the professionals and present a series of their
own concerts.
Larry Rachleff is this year's festival director. Rachleff is the music director of Rice
University's Shepherd School orchestras, as well as director of the Rhode Island Philharmonic.
He comes to this festival with an extensive list of musical directing credits.
Further Information: Call 913-231-1010 Extension 1511.
June 7-13, 1999
Boston Early Music Festival and Exhibition
Emerson Majestic Theater (and other locations), Boston, Massachusetts.
This year's "centerpiece" performance is Cavalli's Ercole Amante, which was composed for
the wedding of Louis XIV in 1662. There are also afternoon harpsichord concerts,
presentations by the American Recorder Society, The Morris Consort, 17th Century
organ music performed by Gavin Black, presentations by Cambridge Madrigal Singers,
and many more ensembles, all highlighting early vocal and instrumental music.
Some events are free, some suggest a donation, some require an admission charge.
Now--that's just the concert portion of the festival. Over 100 craftspeople come from all
over the globe to show and sell instruments, sheet music, and more. There will also be
workshops on recording and dance, panel discussions, plus pre-opera lectures before
the presentations of Ercole Amante.
Details: Call 617-661-1812.
June 11-13, 1999
Fisherman's Festival
St. Peter-Immanuel Lutheran Church, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Christian Music and Family Festival, with carnival, arts and crafts, children's area, food.
Musical groups include Holding Truth, Son X, Jonah's Vacation.
Additional Information: Call 414-358-3567.
June 12-13, 1999
Salinas Valley Salad Days
Sherwood Park and Salinas Sports Complex, Salinas, California
3 stages of entertainment, arts and crafts booths, and food (many featuring salads
from around the world, all highlighting the Salinas Valley's fresh produce).
Details: Call 831-372-6400.
June 12-13, 1999
Great American Brass Band Festival
Centre College campus and other locations, Danville, Kentucky.
Performers this year include: Band of the Air Force Reserve, Main Street Brass and The
Wheelmen. Marches, ragtime, and Bourbon Street sounds creat a musical backdrop for
parades, hot air balloons, and antique bicycles. There will be restaurants and food stands
open, or you can bring a picnic and a blanket/chairs.
More Information: Call 800-755-0076.
June 12-13, 1999
Italian Street Painting Festival
Fifth Avenue and A Street, San Rafael, California.
Sixth annual event sponsored by Youth In Arts. This festival features over 200 chalk
images, live musical entertainment and focaccia sandwiches and pasta.
Details: Call 415-457-4878.
June 12-13, 1999
Clay City Pottery Festival
Goshorn Park, Clay City, Indiana.
This community of 900 people hosts the festival celebrating over 100 years of pottery
production. Pancake breakfast, craft show and sale, displays, sidewalk sale, pottery tour
and demonstrations.
More Information: Call 812-939-2626.
June 12-13, 1999
Blue Ridge Garden Festival
Virginia's Explore Park, Milepost 115 on Blue Ridge Parkway, Roanoke, Virginia
Garden marketplace, display of gardens, lectures, demonstrations on container gardening,
garden design and landscaping. There is an admission charge, and lecture tickets must be
purchased in advance.
More Information: Call 540-427-1800.
June 20-27, 1999
Covent Garden Flower Festival
Covent Garden Market area, London, United Kingdom
Plant and garden products sales, arts and entertainment, demonstrations, floral displays,
garden designs, special focus on contemporary design and garden for the urban dweller.
Further Details: Call 44-171-735-1518.
June 26-July 4, 1999
Beaminster Arts Festival
various locations, Beaminster, Dorset, United Kingdom.
Romanian pianist 14-year-old Madalina Rusu will be just one of the artists this year.
Others in attendance include Florigelium, Skin to Skin percussion ensemble, and
mezzo-soprano Margaret Cameron. Children will enjoy a presentation of Sleeping
Beauty, and films will include A Passage To India, Far From The Madding Crowd and
Starship Troopers. Children's art, a camera club display, and local Beaminster artists
will add their own visual talent to the event.
More Information: Call 01308 862299.
Summer School
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Summer School was never like this! You don't have to do any homework (but you can if you think it's fun), you don't even have to visit each classroom (site) unless you wish. |
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This kind of Summer School is intended to be a place to spark your interest in learning more about anything and everything. |
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There's a jumping-off point for Monday through Friday of June 1999, leaving weekends free to enjoy learning in other ways. |
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Of course, you may visit the site any time, but you'll get the most benefit by really taking time to enjoy each topic and each activity. |
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There are plenty of things here for children, but curious learning ones of any age can have fun exploring, thinking, and playing games. |
Tuesday, June 1
Site: Virtual Cave
Bell canopies, stalagmites, shields: explore caves and their features.
Special Assignment: Find out if there are any caves in your area. Try to visit one this summer. If there are none in your area, go to a library and find out why your area doesn't have caves. What conditions must exist in order for a cave to form? Find out in what regions most caves exist.
Wednesday, June 2
Site: Phytochemeco Database Plant Look-Up
Did you know that potatoes contain wee bits of arsenic? Type in the name of a plant and find out what was really in that salad you had last night. This one is challenging, with lots of scientific words.
Practical Learning: Bake a potato in a gas or electric oven. Now cook a potato in a microwave oven. Find out why it takes an hour or more to bake a potato in the regular oven and only a few minutes in a microwave oven.
Try going to this calorie chart to find out which has more protein--a baked potato or 10 potato chips. Which has more fat?
Thursday, June 3
Site: Chaco Canyon Archeology
Roads, the ability to grow (or buy) food, and access to water all seem to be necessary in order for a community or city to survive.
Map Challenge: Look on a current map. Notice that a lot of large cities are near water. Can you name at least five cities near water?
Road Warrier Challenge: Find out how the roads in your area are built and paid for.
Geography Challenge: Sometimes we think food comes "from the grocery store", but that's only the last stop before we take it home to eat. Find out what areas of the world grow the most wheat, potatoes and rice. What foods grow well in your area? If you can, visit a farmer's market and ask the people who sell the produce where it was grown.
Friday, June 4
Site: Seaweeding: Gardens Under the Sea
While some spend time arguing about dolphin-safe tuna, many people have found another way to get vitamins from the sea.
Food Additive Research: We hear a lot of negative comments about food additives, but additives such as those made from seaweed are used in many foods. You can visit this special site on food additives and see which additives are made from seaweed.
Field Trip: When you go to the grocery store, see how many products you can find with the additives made from seaweed.
Monday, June 7
Site: Amusement Park Physics
Mass, velocity, inertia, and a chance to design your own roller coaster.
Field Trip: Go to an amusement park and pay attention to the way the rides are designed. If you just can't make it to a real park, visit Park Opening.
Tuesday, June 8
Site: The Physics of Star Trek
Presented by New Scientist: Just what do those fancy dilithium crystals do?
Special Physics and Weather Assignment: You can test the differences in the speed of light and the speed of sound right here in your own environment without going into space. You'll need to wait until a really good thunderstorm comes along. Then, just follow the directions at Thunder and Lightning
Wednesday, June 9
Site: The Butterfly Website
This is like a field trip without leaving home.
Plant and Garden Task: If you have a place to plant things outdoors, plant some yarrow or purple coneflowers (these are perennials) or you can plant marigolds, zinnias or cosmos (which are all annuals.) Can you find the names of other plants which attract butterflies, bees and birds?
Thursday, June 10
Site: Nutrition Cafe
Hangman with carrots and peas.
Medical Research: Read the ingredients on a bottle of aspirin. The big words break down to the fact that this medicine comes from salicin, which is found in white willow and other plants. Here are the chemical representations of how we get to aspirin from the original compound of salicin. (Salicylic Acid is also found in licorice root, broccoli, and other foods, in small amounts.)
Monday, June 14
Site: The Museum of Advertising Icons
California Raisins, McGruff Crime Dog, Scrubbing Bubble: Who they are and how they sell things to us.
Experience In Observation: For one day, write down every character you see/hear in an advertisement or on a commercial.
Wednesday, June 16
Site: Literary Locales
Sidney Lanier, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain and many more: where they lived and wrote.
Detective Work: Find out where this author was born and what area he lived in later--Roald Dahl (he wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and also James and the Giant Peach).
Do the same for Madeleine L'Engle, who wrote A Wrinkle In Time and also A Swiftly Tilting Planet.
Find out where Marcus Pfister is from (he wrote The Sleepy Owl and also The Rainbow Fish.)
Thursday, June 17
Site: Researchpaper.com
Ideas and techniques for your next paper, and even a discussion area to spark creativity and lend support.
Writing Exercise: Keep a piece of paper in your room or on the refrigerator. Try to think of something to write about in a term paper. When you have at least 10 ideas, pick one and write a real paper. No one else may grade it. It is your work and yours alone. Have fun!
Friday, June 18
Site: Animal Index
To make it a little easier to study animals, scientists have put them all into groups like classes and species, and sometimes sub-species.
Animal Research: Browse through the above site and see if you can find out which animals fit into the classification of Crustacea. Where do most of these animals seem to live?
Look at the Primates. People are primates, aren't they?
Now look at the Hominid Species Timeline This is how traditional evolution explains the development of people.
Compare Science And Religion: Science and Religion differ sometimes in what they teach about people and many other things in existence in our universe. See if you can find out what the some of the major religions teach about our universe.
Tuesday, June 22
Site: Classical Music Composers
Most of the music these people composed is still being played today.
Experiment: Pick 3 of the composers and find recordings of some of their music. Listen to each. How do they seem alike? How are they different?
Music Appreciation: What kind of music do you listen to most? Why do you like it? What kind of music do you dislike? Why? What music makes you happy? Sad? Calm? Nervous?
Wednesday, June 23
Site: Water in the City
Learn about watersheds, water treatment, and learn to build your own aquifer.
Water Experiment: Soft Water Experiment
Learn why it's tougher to get laundry clean in "hard" water.
Thursday, June 24
Site: Oceans Alive!
Tides, sea life, waves and more.
To Think About: New ideas come along all the time about why something on the land or in the ocean is the way it is. Here's one fairly new theory.
Think about how scientists begin with a theory, gather data and study that theory, and how they handle data which seems to go against all the data which came before it.
Think about the many things we are often told that are supposed to be true facts. Are some of them just theories? How do you usually decide what is fact and what is theory?
Friday, June 25
Site: Tangram Java Puzzle
A game of geometry.
Lab work: Make your own tetrapuzzle.
Print out the the pieces and make a cube.
Monday, June 28
Site: English Zone Grammar Quizzes and Exercises.
Designed for ESL students, but good review for everyone speaking English.
To Think About: Words are often used to tell stories. There are only a certain number of words at any given time, so some stories (and storytellers) may begin to sound a lot like others.
Here's a site where you can find writers who write a bit like other writers, or composers whose works sound a bit like that of other composers. Think about what kind of story or music you like. Could you make up a story or song that sounds a lot like that same type?
What if you could tell a story no one else could tell? How would you tell that story? How could you let everyone know the story came straight from you?
Tuesday, June 29
Site: How much will my savings be worth?
What you save little by little right now could add up to a nice sum in 30 years.
Economics Field Trip: If you don't have your own savings account at a bank, ask someone to help you open one, or to at least take you to the bank to learn how to open one.
If you know anyone who speaks Spanish and is learning English, tell them about Bloomberg.com:Negocios Bienvenido.
It's a bi-lingual site with plenty of news and tips on finance.
The Informant lets you monitor specific URL's and does an ongoing search for new sites with keywords you give it. It's very handy if you have an ongoing interest in any particular topic or web site.
Remember! Those of us who publish on the web are not saying our work is in the public domain.
When in doubt about your use of someone's else's writings or graphics, ask!
If you want to use graphics or text on a commercial page, contact me first, please, and we'll work something out.
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