Economic Geography for Kids (and Adults)

Recently while I was surfing the Internet, I came across a blog that talked about a teacher who had all her kids stand in a row. Then each student looked at the tag of the shirt of the kid next in line to see where it had come from, and then they had a discussion about global economy. The blogger suggested taking food labels and putting them on a map so that kids could do a version of this. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of the blog, and even though I've searched for it, I can't find it.

I remembered the idea, though, as I love maps, and I'd like my kids to have some idea that a much bigger world exists beyond our little valley. So we started putting food stickers on our globe. Apples came from the USA, avacados from Mexico, cantaloupe from Guatemala, and bananas from Ecuador. We discussed what climate each of those foods need and how they might be transported to our house. We keep checking our food for stickers, because now it's a game to see what other countries we might be getting our food from.

It's easy, fun, and maybe educational (but don't tell that to the kids!)

Free Skiing! at Eagle Point

It might be cold in the valleys, but up in the mountains of the Great Basin, it's almost balmy. If you consider about 30 degrees balmy! Anyway, Eagle Point Ski Resort near Beaver, Utah had free skiing this week, and a bunch of us went to take advantage of it.

Eagle Point Ski Resort began three years ago, after eight years of dormancy. In the 1970s and 80s, the area was originally developed as two separate ski resorts, Elk Meadows and Mount Holly. These eventually merged and ran until 2002, when the owners had financial troubles. See more history here.

It's base elevation is 9,100 feet and it has 1,500 feet of elevation change and 600 skiable acres. It's tucked into the scenic Tushar Mountains, 18 miles (by road) up Beaver Canyon. Because it's Utah's 14th ski resort and far from big population areas (3.5 hours from both Las Vegas and Salt Lake City), they are having some awesome deals to attract people. These include residents of Great Britain ski for free. Residents of California ski for free. Residents of Nevada ski free January 16, February 13, and March 13. And everyone skis free on Thursdays in January and February.

The free skiing is definitely working, as the seven of us had never been there before, and many of the people we met skiing hadn't either. All the condos at the ski resort were booked, and employees said the season was going well.

So when we rented skis (for quite a reasonable price) and started down the slopes, we kept looking around, wondering where everyone was. We had the slopes virtually to ourselves! The snow was great, the temperature comfortable, and hardly any wind. To top it all off, it was a fun group (we were having so much fun that we forgot to take a group photo).

Here I am with my friend Jenny. She hadn't been skiing in ten years, but did great!

We skiied and skiied till our muscles were sore. It was awesome. We'll definitely be going back-there are still several more slopes to try. To find out more, check out the Eagle Point website. And maybe I'll see you on the slopes!

Earth Balls

What can I say, I never know what I'm going to write about. And you, dear reader, are sweet to come and visit to read the ramblings of the day. You never know how your life may be warped changed by the few minutes you spend here.

I say this as a preamble before diving into my topic for the day: Earth Balls. What? you may be asking. Perhaps she's really gone over the edge this time.

I must admit that too much cold, too much inside time, and rambunctious kids has us looking for extra activities. When the Bookmobile came last week, I happened upon a book about Geology Crafts. I couldn't resist. And the first craft we decided to try was:

 Earth Balls!

The basic idea was to make an edible earth with layers to better be able to understand what makes up the earth.

 Peanut butter was a main ingredient. Like how Desert Boy flings it? It was mixed with a little oats, cocoa (because we were out of powered milk), and honey to make the mantle.

 The next step was to make a hole in the mantle.

 Then it was time to add the magma (raspberry jam) and the core (a chocolate chip).

 Next it was time to put two halves together to assemble the earth. A couple of them had some very active volcano zones. (How do you like those fingers?)

Not to worry, the active volcano zones along with the rest of the mantle were covered up with the crust (graham cracker crumbs).

Don't those look like beautiful earths?


Next came the fun part: cut one in half to see all the layers.

Some turned out better than others as far as visual appeal. But overall, they turned out to be tasty treats. I'm not sure if Desert Boy learned much, but he did appreciate the snack and some fun time with Dad.

Free Ebooks

I've recently discovered a fun blog: eReaderGirl. She finds free eBooks for you. Then you can download them (checking the price is still $0, as some prices change the same day--and some of the books have a regular price of over $25) and enjoy. Today I'm enjoying a book of 50 raw desserts (which includes pies and cupcakes, to my great surprise) and how to run faster. I downloaded a kids' book, too.

I don't actually have a Kindle (or Nook), but I have an app so I can read the books on my computer. I didn't think I would like reading on a computer, but I've been pleasantly surprised. I don't want to give up real books by any means, but this is a fun way to get a little more reading in (often while I'm pedaling on the exercise bike, which makes me feel doubly good).

Have you read any good books lately? I'm looking for some recommendations.

An Afternoon Swimming--and Jumping

We headed to the West Millard Pool today to escape some of the winter cold. It turned out to be a snowy drive with roads full of drifting snow, but once we got into the warm and humid environment at the pool, it was all worth it. We went with friends, which made it even more fun.

The water slide was soon a favorite attraction. Here's Charlie making a grand entrance into the water.

Ava had fun paddling all over.

Here goes Evan!

I was hanging out with Desert Girl, and next thing I know, Desert Boy was up on the high dive, aka the high "jumping board." I wasn't too sure how this was going to turn out.

I remember being so scared going up on the high dive when I was a little girl on the summer swim team. I tiptoed to the edge and looked down and the water seemed so far away. Eventually I gathered up my nerve and jumped off--and survived.

Desert Boy didn't feel any of my fear. He just went to the end of the board and jumped.

Yikes!

Then I was wondering if he would be composed enough to swim to the wall. He's not a great swimmer, and after all, he's just 5. But he made it. Not only that...

...he did it again and again.

All the kids did so well in the water. It's hard to believe they live in the desert and only visit a pool a few times a year.

Desert Boy found some diving rings and had fun going after them, as did the other kids.

One of the things that surprised us was how few other people were at the pool. For us, it was a wonderful excuse to escape the house on a frigid day when we would be stuck inside due to the cold. Maybe the locals have other ways to deal with getting cabin fever!

Desert Girl mastered propelling herself where she wanted in her floatie. She also loved jumping in from the side of the pool. She wanted to go off the jumping boards, but I told her no way.

It was great fun, plus some really nice exercise. I think all the kids will sleep well tonight! (And maybe the parents, too!)