monkeys and apes

It's fun to teach people of all ages about animals. Most of us find them fascinating. So is there a difference between monkeys and apes? In a nutshell, yes. They both belong to the order Primates, which means among other things that they have five fingers, fingernails, and opposable thumbs. However, most monkeys have tails, while apes do not. The photo here was taken by Martin OC at Creative Commons. It's a chimpanzee, which is an ape.
Chimpanzees I Love by Jane Goodall is a wonderful book for kids. It's written for ages 9-12, but a child of any age would enjoy flipping through and looking at the pictures. Monkeys (Our Wild World) by Deborah Dennard is a great educational book about monkeys.
Speaking of monkeys, my extremely talented friend Lynn painted this mural for me as a baby gift. Sadly, it was in our old house so we had to leave it behind. But, the new owner wanted it to stay on the wall, so I take comfort knowing it's still there. And I can't wait until Lynn can paint a new mural for little B...I just have to decide on a theme.

catching a cold

Cold season is in full swing around here. My son is just getting over his third cold! I love the California Baby bubble bath pictured here. It's non-toxic, no-tears, and made especially for congestion and stuffiness. It even comes with a bubble wand!
I'm sure most of us have heard the old wives' tale that you can catch a cold by not wearing a coat or by walking around with wet hair. I remember my grandma scolding me for going barefoot in the house on chilly winter days. Even as a teenager, I knew there was something wrong with this theory, but did I really want to argue with grandma? No way! However, I'd like to set the record straight here, especially since my own little peanut wanders the house barefoot during all seasons. Most, if not all, scientists agree that one cannot catch a cold by simply being cold. I read about a study that was done in which several groups were exposed to a cold virus and then exposed to various temperature conditions (is this even ethical??) The results were that all groups had the same frequency of catching colds. Exposure to low temperatures does not make you more susceptible to colds. Of course, I will still bundle myself and my son in the warmest gear possible because I hate the discomfort of being cold. But my son will still pitter patter around the house in his bare feet, no matter what the season. He likes it, and I love seeing his little toes.

flower art

Looking for an easy decorating idea? I took an up-close photo of a flower bouquet and framed it with a mat. It's so easy and inexpensive. Then you and the kiddos can make cards out of the flowers by pressing them. This site has easy-to-follow, simple directions. Sunflowers are one of my favorites to photograph.

Fast facts about sunflowers:

• sunflowers are native to the Americas
• sunflower oil is extracted from the seeds
  
• some seeds contain a higher level of "healthy" fats than even olive oil
• one of the tallest sunflowers grown was 5 feet, 5 inches tall
• sunflower heads track the movement of the sun; this is called heliotropism
  

can turkeys fly?

Well, that depends. Wild turkeys - yes. They can fly short distances at speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. That's about as fast as one would drive on the highway. Pretty darn fast, huh? Wild turkeys can also run up to 20 miles per hour. You go my feathered friends! Most domestic turkeys, however, are so heavy that they can't fly. That's right, we stuff them full of food so they are nice and meaty and ready to enjoy.You can read more about turkeys here and here. Gobble gobble!