February is Black History Month

Black Hi story month has arrived and we have found some wonderful books at the local library to educate ourselves on the lives of Influential Black Heroes. One book mentioned President Obama: 

We discovered that, Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States and the first African American to be elected. He was born August 1, 1961 in Honolulu Hawaii. In 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for strengthening international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.

This is a nice biography about Mr. and Mrs. Obama at: https://youtu.be/1-IgxSn21jU

We leanrt about Rosa Parks and her bus journey:

We found out about Ruby Bridges school hurdles. 

A nice book about her is available at: https://youtu.be/MRfy2xs8Xpg

We also found information about the fascinating George Washington Carver. He was an amazing scientist, giver, and artist. We found an activity that blends art and science thanks to the creative innovators at: https://deceptivelyeducational.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-make-paper-flowers-bloom-art.html

To learn about GWC these three videos are excellent: https://youtu.be/ArAwUq8HVAk and

https://youtu.be/6mYW0pkvYWA and https://youtu.be/hq_H7Oa90aU

Barron has loved GWC since he first discovered him. We were lucky to find a neat poetry lesson for free at: https://poets.org/lesson-plan/teach-poem-notes-peanut-june-jordan. In this lesson we examined the following poem and shared our responses to the questions from the link below:

Notes on the Peanut by June Jordan ( 1936-2002)

                    For the Poet David Henderson

Hi there. My name is George

Washington

Carver.

If you bear with me

for a few minutes I

will share with you

a few

of the 30,117 uses to which

the lowly peanut has been put

by me

since yesterday afternoon.

If you will look at my feet you will notice

my sensible shoelaces made from unadulterated

peanut leaf composition that is biodegradable

in the extreme.

To your left you can observe the lovely Renoir

masterpiece reproduction that I have cleverly

pieced together from several million peanut

shell chips painted painstakingly so as to

accurately represent the colors of the original!

Overhead you will spot a squadron of Peanut B-52

Bombers flying due west.

I would extend my hands to greet you

at this time

except for the fact that I am holding a reserve

supply of high energy dry roasted peanuts

guaranteed to accelerate protein assimilation

precisely documented by my pocket peanut calculator;

May I ask when did you last contemplate the relationship

between the expanding peanut products industry

and the development of post-Marxian economic theory

which (Let me emphasize) need not exclude moral attrition

of prepuberty

polymorphic

prehensile skills within the population age sectors

of 8 to 15?

I hope you will excuse me if I appear to be staring at you

through these functional yet high fashion and prescriptive

peanut contact lenses providing for the most

minute observation of your physical response to all of this

ultimately nutritional information.

Peanut butter peanut soap peanut margarine peanut

brick houses and house and field peanut per se well

illustrate the diversified

potential of this lowly leguminous plant

to which you may correctly refer

also

as the goober the pindar the groundnut

and the ground pea/let me

interrupt to take your name down on my

pocket peanut writing pad complete with matching

peanut pencil that only 3 or 4

chewing motions of the jaws will sharpen

into pyrotechnical utility

and no sweat.

Please:

Speak right into the peanut!

Your name?

We discussed what invention Barron would create and he said binoculars and telescopes to view the world far away. I would invent a time travelling machine. Barron wants to invent this because it would be neat to see each other and outer space and the world. I would invent this so we could spend time with loved ones or people we miss from our past. 

We examined two pictures and immediately Barron was drawn to the colour blue in the sky since that is his favourite colour, I was drawn to the center picture because the green was vibrant. When we looked at the second picture we found our attention going to George and the seed. We think these murals (paintings done on a wall) are aimed at people who are farmers or people who might want to know more about peanuts in the industry. Comparing the images we noticed that the colour was different, we were only shown a portion of the scene, and the painting that was zoomed seemed to have more of our attention whereas the larger mural had a sense of movement and wonder in it. We feel that these pictures relate or are connected to the poem because they talk about George Washington Carver's inventions and importance of the peanut, he mentions how he tried to capture the exact hues in a famous Renoir painting by using peanuts. The hues in the two paintings were different perhaps one is more accurate to what it really looked like when being there touching or observing the wall versus looking at a picture. We understand how this can happen because we took a picture in the mid afternoon with the flash on and suddenly it appeared a sunny day in our photo. 

Why the murals, well they show the beauty of the peanut, the soil, the importance of the farmer, and the advice of George. The lesson then asked us to examine the phrase “lowly peanut” and “potential of this lowly leguminous plant” which we used our dictionary to find out that lowly means uncommon, not important or grand. 

We felt the audience of this poem might be to change the mind of people who think peanuts are nothing special or important. The first phrase says a peanut isn't much, however the second phrase asks you to think of what the common peanut could become, to seek the greatness in it. We still think the poem is talking to people who are farmers or gardeners. The lesson mentions that the poem uses hyperbole (exaggeration) and we found this as an example:  "I have cleverly pieced together from several million peanut shell chips" although it may have taken a lot of peanut shells to make the exact paint colour we think several million is an exaggeration. On this topic we started wondering if we could figure out if George Washington Carver really liked Renoir or if that was the poet June's preference or what she thought George may like. 

We are familiar with GWC as a painter as we found some similarities between him and Georgia O'Keefe in an earlier post on this blog. We learnt that, "Carver’s story is fascinating, and his life was so clearly influenced by both art and science, that it’s clear why the California African American Museum’s exhibit “World Without End: The George Washington Carver Project” will be included as part of “Pacific Standard Time: Art x Science x LA”. It doesn’t take place until 2024, but it’s something to look forward to if you’re in California." Source: https://cloudistro.com/george-washington-carver-was-an-artist-long-before-he-became-a-peanut-scientist/

The images we were referring to are found at: https://www.loc.gov/resource/highsm.07051/?r=-0.071,-0.094,1.111,0.473,0

https://www.loc.gov/item/2010638461/ 

                May the creative talents and courage within you be revealed. 

Candlemas+Snowdrops+Groundhog Day

Today is groundhog day February 2 and according to this video, Phil the groundhog saw his shadow so that means six more weeks of winter: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nt1J_lrUzng. 

Something to think about: https://www.peta.org/blog/give-phil-holiday-groundhog-day/  and https://www.peta.org/teachkind/lesson-plans-activities/groundhog-day-alternatives/

Today is Candlemas and you are to bring snowdrop flowers into your home to welcome this day, however we are not sure where to find some where we are so instead we found a pretty flower game and are going to play it from this shop: https://www.etsy.com/dk-en/listing/1120245749/roll-a-flower-game-printable-game?click_key=5649e33d362b47d58702c2920f4dd1485a364bcb%3A1120245749&click_sum=0c0d0e15&ref=shop_home_active_54&pro=1&sts=1 

We had a lovely book from Toronto Public Library that we read in advanced of this day simply to be more aware of this exquisite plant: 

From this book we learnt that snowdrops are to be brought into the home no earlier than the 2nd of Feb. We hope that you have a wonderful celebration.

Chiefs Superbowl Qualify!! Thanks Andy and Chiefs and our January 31 Departure

We have officially adopted the Kansas City Chiefs as our NFL team, we are willing to share with others though *wink* SuperBowl LVII occurred on Feb 12 at 6:30pm with the Chiefs vs Eagles. It was an amazing game against some wonderful opponents and our gentleman won 38-35! Below are some images to remember this event:

The chiefs logos were bought from: https://www.etsy.com/dk-en/shop/DigitalCityArt?ref=yr_purchases and the above adorable image was purchased from a lovely creative couple's store, their products are divine! Have a peek at: https://www.etsy.com/dk-en/listing/963790317/music-teacher-gift-teacher-appreciation?click_key=849636a33381c79f52d5f5d6bb65ac86a0b2fc47%3A963790317&click_sum=4752f2e2&ref=shop_home_active_257&pro=1

We imagine a victory song being played for Coach Andy and the team at this qualifying game. This victory brought us a joyful moment during a stressful day. One of the worrying factors we are currently anxious about is the fact we have to move from our place, however this shop's lovely free creative printables eases the discouragement: https://apopofpretty.com/

Thank you to the people who have helped us and showed kindness to us in this city that I have and forever will love. It is not forgotten. 

This loving product above can be purchased: https://www.etsy.com/dk-en/listing/904780516/mother-son-svg-mom-svg-mother-son-quotes?click_key=3e5001f09c9685a39113eed89045e7cde708702a%3A904780516&click_sum=13b0d2dd&ga_search_query=mother%2Bson&ref=shop_items_search_1&pro=1&sts=1

Something devastating happened before the Superbowl. On January 29, 2023 God decided he wanted his angel and would not let us keep her any longer. Mississauga's former mayor for 12 years (retired at 94 years old) Hazel McCallion, "Hurricane Hazel" died at the age of 101. Hazel was a blessing. "Hazel Journeaux was born on Feb. 14, 1921, in Port Daniel, Que., a very small town in the Gaspé Peninsula. The youngest of five children developed a life-long passion for hockey and eventually landed in Montreal for education and her first professional jobs. With the engineering firm Canadian Kellogg, she moved to Toronto in her late 20s. Sam McCallion would be a supportive partner for more than half her term. Alzheimer's disease began to take its toll a few years before his 1997 death." Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/hazel-mccallion-dead-at-101-1.6730009

On social media, twitter bow called x, Justin Trudeau our current Prime Minister mentioned he lost a friend and some wanted to discuss political failures and I gently reminded them it was time to focus on Hazel and thr loss for everyone not to attack or injure. An actual apology was made, people are good-sometimes it requires a friendly reminder when we become lost.

These are pictures from her youtube prodcasted funeral: 

You win some, you lose some, however you are loved no matter what!

Jan Brett+ The Grinch+The Lorax+Musical Composers

I found a lovely shop on TPT called be green 17: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Be-Green-17 we purchased some inexpensive resources, listened to some read out loud stories on Youtube and completed the worksheets. 

Fantastic February Our First Dice Roll Story

My absolute favourite from this shop is Feb's Moon Card: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/ofbeeandbearshop

One of our favourite shops surprised us and went to TpT and created a shop there, you can purchase the Valentine's Day Fun Pack for 2.99USD at: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Fun-Packet-6493453.    We did the roll a story and Barron's rolled Your Character: Baker, Your Setting is: In Butchart Gardens, and Your Conflict: Valentine's Day Party. From this he created the following Valentine Theme Story:

Punch Out

There was a boy named Little Mac one day he was fighting someone named Mr. Sandman and he ended up fighting them and then he got selected as champion at Butchard Gardens. He decided that he would make a Valentine’s Day Party for the entire town. He called his friends and they took care of getting all the decorations. He decided that he had the most delicious cake recipes, especially his T.K.O cake so he became a Baker for the day. He baked a lot and the Garden area was all decorated thanks to his friends. He asked his friends to put out flyers and soon everyone came to the Valentine’s Day Party. He raged out Happy Valentine’s Day and everyone cheered. The End.

I rolled for My Character: Flower Shop Owner, My Setting: In Butchart Gardens, and My Conflict: Must Find Your Lost Love.

California Love

One shimmering snowflake tongue gathering morning Wes was outside walking to work to begin his day as the town's flower shop owner. Today he would be finished making the green tea and strawberry drizzled roses he created. When he was done he was going to deliver the special order to Butchart Gardens. Wes didn't have a van so he called up a local taxi to help him deliver the special created flowers. When the taxi arrived at 3pm Wes was surprised to find Jannie there to greet him. Jannie and him had not talked for an eternity. Jannie seemed equally surprised. They talked and loaded the taxi van and continued talking during the ride and they almoat passed the Gardens entrance. The Gardens was more beautiful in the winter than summer because of the glass structures that existed throughout the garden. Once there they finally unloaded the delivery and Jannie and Wes spent a bit of free time strolling along the garden path. Wes was surprised to find the California Poppy that he and Jannie had planted on their school trip. Jannie rejoiced as she thought she was the only one who remebered that moment. Jannie and Wes were delighted their California Poppy managed to become a self planting annual. Wes took out his order pad and wrote a quote on it, “Where there is love there is life. By Mahatma Gandhi” and he stuck it beside their plant. Jannie smiled and hugged Wes knowing he never forgot the love they shared that day, afterall that was the day Jannie's best friend Emily moved away to California as did Wes's best friend Ari since they were brother and sister and Jannie and Wes got stuck together as partners in school. They were so full of gloom however planting the poppy reminded them of the good times as they shared warm memories of their departed friends. It was astonishing that many years later they felt that loving friendsip now just as they did then. The End.

International Day of Holocaust and Urkanian War Information

 Today is the international holocaust day. This is a day to remember the people who survived the Jewish prison camps. The Russian Red Army saved 7,000 Jewish people in Poland and it is sad that due to the current Ukranian War Russia was not able to attend because for the second year in a row Russia is causing violence against Ukraine. In an BBC News article written by Adam Easton in Warsaw & Jasmine Andersson in London they share, "For the first time a Russian delegation was not invited to a ceremony marking the liberation of the former Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi death camp in modern-day Poland.Russia is usually represented at the event, as the camp in occupied Poland was liberated by the Soviet Army. But this year, following Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum declined to invite Russian officials and its director likened the Ukraine war to the horrors of the Holocaust." https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-64429625

Our Canadian Government acknowledges, "On January 27, 1945, the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp – where more than one million people were sent to gas chambers and to their agonizing deaths during the Holocaust – was liberated. In 2005, that day was designated as the annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. Each year, Canadians and individuals all over the world take this opportunity to remember the victims of the atrocities of the Holocaust and reflect on the dangers of anti-Semitism.  In 2015, Canada and the international community marked the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp. The Government of Canada commemorated this day at a special ceremony that brought together government officials, religious leaders and Holocaust survivors." https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/canada-holocaust/international-remembrance-day.html

We purchased a book because Anne Frank was mentioned: 

On this page you can look up names of survivors and we found three with Barron's last name and one with mine: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/the-survivors

It is important that we remember what happened in the last war so this does not happen in the current war. Some events in Ukraine thus far:

February - Russian forces march into Ukraine from the north, in an attempt to gain control of Kyiv and with the intention of overthrowing the Ukrainian government. Contrary to the expectations of many people, Ukrainian resistance stops Russia. Russian troops also face logistical challenges, according to an assessment by several non-Russian analysts. 

March - Russian forces move into Ukraine from the South and take control of Kherson. The goal is to gain control of Russia's Black Sea Coast, and to make Ukraine a land-locked nation. Kherson became the first and only regional capital to be captured by Russian forces. 

April - Russia begins an offensive to take control of Donetsk and Luhansk, two territories which have witnessed conflict since 2014. The majority of people in these provinces are Russian by ethnicity and Moscow believes they want to be with Russia. As a part of the new offensive, Russia launches a missile strike on Ukrainian infrastructure, which leads to 50 civilians dying, as a result of a strike on a train station in Kramatorsk. 

May - Russian forces start an operation to take control of Mariupol. Mariupol suffers heavy artillery bombing, resulting in the death of numerous civilians. After heavy urban warfare in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works Plant, Ukrainian fighters surrender to Russian forces.

June - Ukrainian forces regain control of Snake Island, which is a tiny island in the Black Sea, near the Ukrainian port city of Odesa. Odessa is an important industrial hub as it supplies neon gas to numerous countries, which is essential in semiconductor manufacturing. After recapturing Snake Island, the morale of the Ukrainians goes up. 

July - Russia starts heavy artillery bombardment, targeting eastern Ukraine. Lysychansk, which was the last city in Luhansk under the control of Ukrainians, finally falls to Russia. Moscow attempts to gain control of Donbas but makes little progress. 

August - Ukraine finally launches its much-awaited counter-offensive. The counter-offensive was expected to be directed towards Kherson, which is in southern Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces launched a surprise counter-offensive in northeastern Ukraine, towards the Kharkiv region. Russian forces are caught by surprise and they start pulling back without putting up a fight. 

September - The surprise Ukrainian counter-offensive directed towards Kharkiv succeeds. Ukrainian forces recapture major chunks of the Kharkiv oblast, including the strategically important city of Izium, which is a key logistics hub. Russians who are following the war, feel a sense of despondency. They begin criticising the Russian military's performance. Russia starts partial mobilisation, to boost the number of soldiers at the front. 

October - After the attack on the Crimean bridge, which connects the Crimean peninsula with the Russian mainland, Russian forces start bombing cities across Ukraine. The goal of the bombardments is to damage Ukraine's critical infrastructure, such as power grids and water storage facilities. Russian forces rely on Iranian Shahed drones, to carry out the strikes, as per the analysis of western intelligence agencies. 

November - Russian forces start retreating from Kherson. General Sergey Shoygu, the Russian defence minister, states in a televised address that protecting the lives of Russian soldiers is important, adding that Kherson is not defensible. As of now, Russian forces are getting into a defensive position, and it is likely that they will remain in a defensive position, at least, until this winter. Some reports in American publications such as the Washington Post claim that the US administration is urging Ukraine to consider negotiation with Russia. 

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/russia-ukraine-crisis/timeline-of-russia-ukraine-war-list-of-key-events-and-developments-as-war-enters-day-264-articleshow.htm

People take cover as an air-raid siren sounds, near an apartment building damaged by recent shelling in Kyiv, Ukraine February 26, 2022. 

Feb 28 (Reuters) - Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Here is a timeline of Ukraine's fraught relationship with Moscow since it won independence in 1991 and the events that led to the current conflict.

1991: Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, Ukraine declares independence from Moscow.

2004: Pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich is declared president but allegations of vote-rigging trigger protests, known as the Orange Revolution, forcing a re-run of the vote. Pro-Western former prime minister, Viktor Yushchenko, is 

2005: Yushchenko takes power with promises to lead Ukraine out of the Kremlin's orbit, towards NATO and the EU.

2008: NATO promises Ukraine it will one day join the alliance.

2010: Yanukovich wins a presidential election.

2013: Yanukovich's government suspends trade and association talks with the EU and opts to revive economic ties with Moscow, triggering months of mass rallies in Kyiv.

February 2014: Parliament votes to remove Yanukovich after bloodshed in the protests. Within days, armed men seize parliament in the Ukrainian region of Crimea and raise the Russian flag. Moscow later annexes the territory.

April 2014: Pro-Russian separatists in the eastern region of Donbass declare independence. Some 15,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between the separatists and the Ukrainian army, according to the Kyiv government.

2017: An association agreement between Ukraine and the EU opens markets for free trade of goods and services, and visa-free travel to the EU for Ukrainians.

2019: Former comic actor Volodymyr Zelenskiy is elected president.

Jan. 2021: Zelenskiy appeals to U.S. president Joe Biden to let Ukraine join NATO. In February, his government freezes the assets of opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, the Kremlin's most prominent ally in Ukraine.

Spring 2021: Russia begins massing troops near Ukraine's borders in what it says are training exercises.

Nov. 2021: Satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies show ongoing buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine with estimates soon surpassing 100,000 troops deployed.

Dec. 17 2021: Russia presents security demands including that NATO pull back troops and weapons from eastern Europe and bar Ukraine from ever joining.

Jan. 24 2022: NATO puts forces on standby and reinforces eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets.

Jan. 26: Washington responds to Russia's security demands, repeating a commitment to NATO's "open-door" policy while offering a "pragmatic evaluation" of Moscow's concerns. Two days later Russia says its demands not addressed.

Feb. 2022: Amid growing Western fears Russia could attack Ukraine, the United States says it will send 3,000 extra troops to NATO members Poland and Romania. Washington and allies say they will not send troops to Ukraine, but warn of severe economic sanctions if Russian President Vladimir Putin takes military action.

Feb. 21: In a TV address, Putin says Ukraine is an integral part of Russian history and has a puppet regime managed by foreign powers. Putin orders what he called peacekeeping forces into two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, after recognising them as independent.

Feb. 22: The U.S., Britain and their allies sanction Russian parliament members, banks and other assets in response to Putin's troop order. Germany halts the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project.

Feb. 23: Russian-backed separatist leaders ask Russia for help repelling aggression from the Ukrainian army.

Feb. 24: Putin authorizes "special military operations" in Ukraine. Russian forces begin missile and artillery attacks, striking major Ukrainian cities including Kiev.

Feb. 26: Western allies announce new sanctions, including restrictions on Russia's central bank and expelling key banks off the main global payments system.