The Parsons are in Minneapolis!

And we are having a blast! We only got here yesterday and have already explored the area around our hotel (we walked all over Downtown Minneapolis), went to the Walker Art Center, and out for a nice family dinner. Today Rick started his slew of business meetings and the girls and I spent the entire [...]

New Orchid Species Discovered at Yosemite

Okay, so this discovery is already a year old, but I came across this MSNBC article just now as I was planning my last trip to Yosemite National Park (I went with some buddies last week).
There is a new species of orchid that can be found only in the wet meadow of Yosemite. The flowers [...]

New State Park in Washington State

Great news for the West Coast! Washington State has just opened its first new state park in more than a decade. Located on the southwest shore of Camano Island is the brand new Cama Beach State Park.
Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen calls the new state park “a jewel”, according to the article in USA Today, which [...]

Yosemite’s mighty treedom

People spend their entire lives studying the trees in Yosemite National Park. Some of the world’s oldest, tallest, and most beautiful trees are found in Yosemite and the nearby Sierra National Forest.
Sequoias are the famed great giants, with the oldest and most magnificent being the Grizzly Giant, standing strong for 2,700 years. Really is something. [...]

Interesting Educators’ Programs

I just came across a fascinating blog filled with information for teachers, and since I now am a teacher (homeschool), I found it extremely enlightening. The only thing is that I read it a little too late…
The National Endowment for the Humanities has summer workshops for teachers (including homeschool teachers) on Landmarks of American History [...]

Top Ten National Parks for Kids

The girls and I came across a page for kids on the National Park Service website. They spent hours exploring the Web Rangers activities, so we got to talking about national parks in general and different geographic and geologic features. We came across this list of kid-friendly national parks and we used it as a [...]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Earth Day!

I usually start getting my students excited about Earth Day a good month in advance, but since this time that coincided with my honeymoon, I started the Earth Day buzz about 2 months ago, introducing a 2 month unit on the nature of New York City. This is my absolute favorite time to be a [...]

Adjusting in Atlanta

We’re been in Atlanta now for a few months, and thank God, everyone is adjusting quite well. I think it’s hardest for Alexandra. Being 12 and in middle school is hard enough, but having also to make new friends and try and “fit in” just makes it harder. But she’s such a sport. I always [...]

I can breathe in Yosemite

Its been a fun few days at Yosemite Lodge. I found it using my trip planner. Now I’m about to head back to New York and back to the stress machine known as work. It was fun swimmming at the lodge’s pool and chatting with some of the other guests. I [...]