Happy Easter Amy!
When I was in elementary school we had a day of fun every year called "high interest day" where you could sign up to take classes that would teach you to speak a different language, learn to juggle, weave a basket, etc. I never signed up for the chemistry session, but I remember learning after the fact that it was the coolest class ever. Apparently, there were explosions and polymers and color-changing experiments. Everyone got to bring back some slime that they created, probably made with borax and glue. Science was pretty cool that day.
I had a student last year who probably wouldn't have gone to college if it wasn't for his high school physics teacher. I had him in a general chemistry class, but he was planning on signing up for physics classes next year and eventually majoring in the subject. High school physics really made a difference for him.
I foresaw a problem, though. He wasn't very good at math. And his chemistry-related logical reasoning skills were a little slow. I may have counseled him to consider another discipline.
And that really cool chemistry high interest day? It was exciting and cool and memorable. But it wasn't really science. Because science isn't just following a procedure or blowing something up. Some people might think that they are doing science by making a fun polymer. That may be an application of science, but without any type of inquiry or explanation of the phenomenon, I don't really think it can be considered science.
If we want our children to aspire to become scientists, I think we do need to include some of those fun days of play. And it helps to have inspiring teachers who encourage us to apply for college and who show us how much fun science can be. But I think we also need to teach children to think like a scientist would think; to pose questions, to interpret information, and to problem solve. I also think it's important to help aspiring scientists to embrace academic rigor, at the same time that we encourage, inspire, and promote a love of the discipline. I saw too many students who thought they wanted to go into science or medicine as first-year students, but who did not have the academic skills to follow-through.
Inspiration is great. It's important. It's essential. But we also need to know what a discipline is really like in order to follow through. In knitting, I may be inspired to start a project. But if I have just started to knit and do not have the basics down, I probably won't be able to manage something with cables or color or shaping.
I may be inspired to become a chemist, but if I don't know what that discipline entails, or what work is required of me, I doubt I will go very far.
Clearly there has to be some balance, because science instructors have an equal capacity to suck all the joy and creativity and mystery out of science. But I wanted to share my musings. I think there is a misunderstanding among some people as to what constitutes science. I like to think that science is more about doing and thinking than about listing facts.
What do you think?
K
PS. We have now broken half of our kitchen chairs. I feel like there should be a recall on this furniture.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Saturday, April 7, 2012
book of stories
A,
I am really enjoying making toys right now. They are so much fun! And I wanted to share one more thing that can be done with these knitted toys.
Shutterly recently sent me a coupon for a free photo book, and I used the opportunity to make a picture book for little M. I took pictures of Tweet and Twiddle from around our neighborhood and put together a story.
The book turned out really well, and I am sure that M will enjoy reading about her birdlets' valiant quest to find their lost mother. She might be a little young still to understand the literary significance of this work, but I think she's already enjoying it on a baby level:
This was so easy to put together! I think it would make a great gift for a child, regardless of whether or not it followed the story of knitted toys or store-bought toys. The photo books start at $13, and shutterfly frequently has sales for these kinds of items (in fact, they have a sale going on right now). That's not too expensive, and it's a lovely way to create a home-made book.
K
I am really enjoying making toys right now. They are so much fun! And I wanted to share one more thing that can be done with these knitted toys.
Shutterly recently sent me a coupon for a free photo book, and I used the opportunity to make a picture book for little M. I took pictures of Tweet and Twiddle from around our neighborhood and put together a story.
The book turned out really well, and I am sure that M will enjoy reading about her birdlets' valiant quest to find their lost mother. She might be a little young still to understand the literary significance of this work, but I think she's already enjoying it on a baby level:
This was so easy to put together! I think it would make a great gift for a child, regardless of whether or not it followed the story of knitted toys or store-bought toys. The photo books start at $13, and shutterfly frequently has sales for these kinds of items (in fact, they have a sale going on right now). That's not too expensive, and it's a lovely way to create a home-made book.K
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
you don't have to be an aging hippie
A,
I have been reading for a while about how sprouted grains are supposed to have great health benefits, but I never really pursued the topic. I kept finding bits and pieces of information about them, but never any recipes or directions. And I didn't pay much attention to these pronouncements of health anyway, since I don't have a grain mill.
But! I was reading in this cookbook about how to prepare sprouted wheat with just some water, a little bit of time, and a food processor. It won't make flour, but it can still be used in a loaf of bread. And as the book informed me, I don't have to be an aging hippie to sprout my own grains.
So here's how it works. You take some wheat berries and soak them in water overnight.
Then, you rinse them thoroughly in a colander, put them back in the jar (this time on its side) and let them sit on the counter for 8-12 more hours. You repeat this rinsing and resting process for 1-2 days or until the sprouts are about 1/4 inch long.
At this point, I believe you could dry the grains and then put them through your grain mill. But because that's not an option for me, all I did was add a little water to the wheat and process it all in a food processor. Then this milky-white concoction can be added to your bread dough.
For anyone who might be interested, here is the bread recipe that I used:
6.4 oz (1 1/2C) white flour
6 oz (1C) whole wheat flour
1.75 oz (1/4 C) wheat berries (which expands to make about 3/4 C of sprouted wheat berries)
5.4 oz (2/3 C) water (you will mix this in with the wheat berries when you process them)
3 oz (1/4 C) honey
1 oz (2 Tbsp) butter or oil
1 oz (2 Tbsp) orange juice
2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
You should knead the dough, give it a first rise before shaping the loaf, and then a second, final rise. This will bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Tent with foil halfway through, as the honey will make the loaf brown quickly. This will make one loaf of bread (though it can be doubled to make two, as shown below).
In the category of soft, spongy sandwich loaves, I found this to be delicously soft, spongy, and sandwichy. I couldn't quite pick out the flavor of the sprouted wheat, but then again, this loaf had a lot of extras in it, what with the butter and honey and all. I would like to try making a simpler loaf so that I can actually taste the sprouted wheat.
So there you have it! Sprouted wheat. And bread. And deliciousness.
K
PS. Has Kris done any sprouted grains? I'm curious since I know he's a big bread person.
PPS. I wish I understood the chemistry of this. I really haven't researched sprouted grains (and maybe I should to answer my questions), but I am wondering how the extra nutrients (zinc and iron and vitamins and what-not) appear after being sprouted. Where do they come from? Surely they don't come from the water or air. . . So is it just a re-arrangement of atoms in the seeds that form the nutritional goodness? I am curious. Maybe a rearrangement of atoms put these nutrients in a form that is more digestible to us?
PPPS. Okay. This is just a side-note, but for plants in general, the majority of mass that is accumulated by a growing plant does come from the air. It's from the carbon in the carbon dioxide. I thought I would share that since I would assume most people wouldn't know that. And because I think it is rather interesting.
I have been reading for a while about how sprouted grains are supposed to have great health benefits, but I never really pursued the topic. I kept finding bits and pieces of information about them, but never any recipes or directions. And I didn't pay much attention to these pronouncements of health anyway, since I don't have a grain mill.
But! I was reading in this cookbook about how to prepare sprouted wheat with just some water, a little bit of time, and a food processor. It won't make flour, but it can still be used in a loaf of bread. And as the book informed me, I don't have to be an aging hippie to sprout my own grains.
So here's how it works. You take some wheat berries and soak them in water overnight.
Then, you rinse them thoroughly in a colander, put them back in the jar (this time on its side) and let them sit on the counter for 8-12 more hours. You repeat this rinsing and resting process for 1-2 days or until the sprouts are about 1/4 inch long.
At this point, I believe you could dry the grains and then put them through your grain mill. But because that's not an option for me, all I did was add a little water to the wheat and process it all in a food processor. Then this milky-white concoction can be added to your bread dough.
For anyone who might be interested, here is the bread recipe that I used:
6.4 oz (1 1/2C) white flour
6 oz (1C) whole wheat flour
1.75 oz (1/4 C) wheat berries (which expands to make about 3/4 C of sprouted wheat berries)
5.4 oz (2/3 C) water (you will mix this in with the wheat berries when you process them)
3 oz (1/4 C) honey
1 oz (2 Tbsp) butter or oil
1 oz (2 Tbsp) orange juice
2 tsp yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
You should knead the dough, give it a first rise before shaping the loaf, and then a second, final rise. This will bake for about 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Tent with foil halfway through, as the honey will make the loaf brown quickly. This will make one loaf of bread (though it can be doubled to make two, as shown below).
In the category of soft, spongy sandwich loaves, I found this to be delicously soft, spongy, and sandwichy. I couldn't quite pick out the flavor of the sprouted wheat, but then again, this loaf had a lot of extras in it, what with the butter and honey and all. I would like to try making a simpler loaf so that I can actually taste the sprouted wheat.
So there you have it! Sprouted wheat. And bread. And deliciousness.
K
PS. Has Kris done any sprouted grains? I'm curious since I know he's a big bread person.
PPS. I wish I understood the chemistry of this. I really haven't researched sprouted grains (and maybe I should to answer my questions), but I am wondering how the extra nutrients (zinc and iron and vitamins and what-not) appear after being sprouted. Where do they come from? Surely they don't come from the water or air. . . So is it just a re-arrangement of atoms in the seeds that form the nutritional goodness? I am curious. Maybe a rearrangement of atoms put these nutrients in a form that is more digestible to us?
PPPS. Okay. This is just a side-note, but for plants in general, the majority of mass that is accumulated by a growing plant does come from the air. It's from the carbon in the carbon dioxide. I thought I would share that since I would assume most people wouldn't know that. And because I think it is rather interesting.
Monday, April 2, 2012
one more stripe left
A,
Actually, I lied. I have a third project going. (Well, a fourth if you count the socks in my closet that have been socking around for years without being worked on, but that project doesn't quite count because I've totally placed it out of my mind.) The third project is a snake: the green and purple striped snake. It just won't go away. And it's freaking me out.
I know it would take all of five minutes to fix up the tail (well, a tad longer), but for some reason I just haven't finished it. And it's lurking around, making me anxious, because I hate having things hanging over my head.
You see, I have decided that the perfect number of knitting projects to work on at one time is two. Any more that that, and one of them tends to get ignored. Yes, two is the best number. Two, because it's nice to have something a little bit mindless to work on and also another something that is a bit more complicated. Two, because it's nice to switch off between projects when you need a diversion. And two, because any more than that, and I feel like I can't keep up with everything.
I really need to finish that snake. I just have one more stripe left.
K
PS. I am sure you would disagree with me about this post. I suppose not everyone likes a finite number of projects at one time, but for me, that's the way life is. I hate having things hanging over my head.
PPS. I got a touch of sunburn the other day. Our Arizona summer is warming up already.
Actually, I lied. I have a third project going. (Well, a fourth if you count the socks in my closet that have been socking around for years without being worked on, but that project doesn't quite count because I've totally placed it out of my mind.) The third project is a snake: the green and purple striped snake. It just won't go away. And it's freaking me out.
I know it would take all of five minutes to fix up the tail (well, a tad longer), but for some reason I just haven't finished it. And it's lurking around, making me anxious, because I hate having things hanging over my head.
You see, I have decided that the perfect number of knitting projects to work on at one time is two. Any more that that, and one of them tends to get ignored. Yes, two is the best number. Two, because it's nice to have something a little bit mindless to work on and also another something that is a bit more complicated. Two, because it's nice to switch off between projects when you need a diversion. And two, because any more than that, and I feel like I can't keep up with everything.
I really need to finish that snake. I just have one more stripe left.
K
PS. I am sure you would disagree with me about this post. I suppose not everyone likes a finite number of projects at one time, but for me, that's the way life is. I hate having things hanging over my head.
PPS. I got a touch of sunburn the other day. Our Arizona summer is warming up already.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
update on projects
A,
Here is an update on my knitting projects. There are two of them, in fact, and both are quite enjoyable to work on. I have been concentrating most of my efforts on the secret project. This is the yarn I have left from my first ball of yarn:
I still have about two more skeins to go, so I am approximately a third of the way done.
Secondly, the mice are coming along well. I have been working on these sporadically, but they have promise of turning out adorably. Here is the mom mouse with her two little mouselings:
I'm going to do the rest assembly-line style, so I have just the bodies done for the friar, queen, and princess (below). I took this picture yesterday, and I have since finished all three bodies:
(Actually, last night, I was just going to knit a tad while starting the first episode of Downton Abbey. I really wasn't going to stay up that late, but it was so interesting that I had to keep watching, and therefore keep knitting, and that's when I finished the princess body. Thanks for the TV recommendation!)
So that is the progress I have been making. I'm aiming for seven mouselings (well, plus the two babies above). Toys are so much fun to make!
K
PS. What have you been up to?
Here is an update on my knitting projects. There are two of them, in fact, and both are quite enjoyable to work on. I have been concentrating most of my efforts on the secret project. This is the yarn I have left from my first ball of yarn:
I still have about two more skeins to go, so I am approximately a third of the way done.
Secondly, the mice are coming along well. I have been working on these sporadically, but they have promise of turning out adorably. Here is the mom mouse with her two little mouselings:
I'm going to do the rest assembly-line style, so I have just the bodies done for the friar, queen, and princess (below). I took this picture yesterday, and I have since finished all three bodies:
(Actually, last night, I was just going to knit a tad while starting the first episode of Downton Abbey. I really wasn't going to stay up that late, but it was so interesting that I had to keep watching, and therefore keep knitting, and that's when I finished the princess body. Thanks for the TV recommendation!)
So that is the progress I have been making. I'm aiming for seven mouselings (well, plus the two babies above). Toys are so much fun to make!
K
PS. What have you been up to?
Thursday, March 29, 2012
let's do better
A,
Keeping up a knitting blog is hard! I don't feel like I knit quickly enough to warrant frequent posting. And then the blog either languishes, or I start posting about random topics that have nothing to do with knitting (like cheese or the neighbors that I like to spy on). Plus I'm working on a secret project now, which means it is not easily blogable (though I will share a picture of the pretty yarn with you).
I'm going to work on this. I'm going to do better!
The number of posts that we make keep trickling down each year. But I think it's plausible that we could reverse that trend. I think it's a manageable task, considering that we're both done with school (go us!). And also, we need only three more posts after this one to overtake our numbers from last year. We can totally do that! Three more! Let's do it!
You should come back more often. When I saw you earlier this month, you had so many beautiful projects with you. And you told me that you designed some of them! I think you need to share more knitting stories. I want to keep learning from you and I am sure our lovely readers would be inspired by your creativity.
So here's the plan. I'm going to post more frequently. The end.
K
PS. Sorry to say, but it doesn't look like ATF is going to pick any of us up. But then again, you have a brand new residency to look forward to. So I think it's okay.
Keeping up a knitting blog is hard! I don't feel like I knit quickly enough to warrant frequent posting. And then the blog either languishes, or I start posting about random topics that have nothing to do with knitting (like cheese or the neighbors that I like to spy on). Plus I'm working on a secret project now, which means it is not easily blogable (though I will share a picture of the pretty yarn with you).
I'm going to work on this. I'm going to do better!
The number of posts that we make keep trickling down each year. But I think it's plausible that we could reverse that trend. I think it's a manageable task, considering that we're both done with school (go us!). And also, we need only three more posts after this one to overtake our numbers from last year. We can totally do that! Three more! Let's do it!
You should come back more often. When I saw you earlier this month, you had so many beautiful projects with you. And you told me that you designed some of them! I think you need to share more knitting stories. I want to keep learning from you and I am sure our lovely readers would be inspired by your creativity.
So here's the plan. I'm going to post more frequently. The end.
K
PS. Sorry to say, but it doesn't look like ATF is going to pick any of us up. But then again, you have a brand new residency to look forward to. So I think it's okay.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
nostalgic
A,
When I was back at the parents' house a couple of weeks ago, I had some time to dig through closets, reminisce about old times and haul back some objects. It was good to see all that stuff again.
I'm pretty good at throwing stuff out, decluttering and the like. But there are a few things that I like to hold onto. I've got a little file folder with play programs or orchestra bills, notes from friends, or drawings. My life mementos.
You know how people will say, the best time of your life is during high school? Or maybe instead they'll say that about college? I don't know if that's true, and I prefer to think that it's not (I like to think that life will just keep getting better), but I had a good time during those years. And most of my mementos come from that timespan also. I don't add to my little file folder as frequently as I used to.
Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about was yarn. My mom used to have this giant plastic bag filled with wool yarn when I was growing up. She had some wool sweaters she had knit as well. And I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that most if not all of these projects came from the same brand of yarn.
A while ago, I was visiting a yarn store, and I noticed some yarn. I recognized it immediately. I knew the smell, and I knew the feel of it. And when I looked at the tag, I saw that it was from Maine (where we used to live, and where my mom picked up knitting). I bought a skein, because I was feeling nostalgic, and because I had never seen that yarn before anywhere, except in my mom's knitting bag.
So, I guess I can be nostalgic about yarn as well. Maybe after I make something with it, I will slip the tag off, cut a length of yarn, and add these to my little file folder. It's nice to have a safe place to store mementos and reminisce about the past.
K
When I was back at the parents' house a couple of weeks ago, I had some time to dig through closets, reminisce about old times and haul back some objects. It was good to see all that stuff again.
I'm pretty good at throwing stuff out, decluttering and the like. But there are a few things that I like to hold onto. I've got a little file folder with play programs or orchestra bills, notes from friends, or drawings. My life mementos.
You know how people will say, the best time of your life is during high school? Or maybe instead they'll say that about college? I don't know if that's true, and I prefer to think that it's not (I like to think that life will just keep getting better), but I had a good time during those years. And most of my mementos come from that timespan also. I don't add to my little file folder as frequently as I used to.
Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about was yarn. My mom used to have this giant plastic bag filled with wool yarn when I was growing up. She had some wool sweaters she had knit as well. And I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that most if not all of these projects came from the same brand of yarn.
A while ago, I was visiting a yarn store, and I noticed some yarn. I recognized it immediately. I knew the smell, and I knew the feel of it. And when I looked at the tag, I saw that it was from Maine (where we used to live, and where my mom picked up knitting). I bought a skein, because I was feeling nostalgic, and because I had never seen that yarn before anywhere, except in my mom's knitting bag.
So, I guess I can be nostalgic about yarn as well. Maybe after I make something with it, I will slip the tag off, cut a length of yarn, and add these to my little file folder. It's nice to have a safe place to store mementos and reminisce about the past.
K
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