Returning heat brings on the Dog Days of Summer

After a lovely respite of a few days, the insufferable heat and humidity have returned.  With that comes thoughts of the "dog days of summer."  I always return to my childhood when I hear the phrase.  For me, it means the heat will force a respite from summer activities.  Lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer, right?

Maybe not!  According to Space.com (nice segue from last post, hmm?!):

The "dog days" of summer officially came to an end this week, but few people know what the expression really means. The phrase actually has a celestial origin.

Some will say that summer's "dog days" signify hot sultry days "not fit for a dog," while others suggest it?s the weather in which dogs go mad.

But the "dog days" are actually defined as the period from July 3 through Aug. 11 when the Dog Star, Sirius, rises in conjunction (or nearly so) with the sun. (http://www.space.com/8946-dog-days-summer-celestial-origin.html)

So, now we all have another excuse to get outside and explore the night sky (and avoid the heat of the "dog days").  Be sure to check out their website for more information about the dog star and its relevance for other civilizations.

But, if thoughts of furry friends still occupy your definition of the dog days of summer, I've found a great website to learn a little about a very tough breed and the extremes under which they live and do their jobs.  The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race begins on the first Saturday in March.  Sled dog teams race over 1,000 miles across Alaska in unbelievable conditions.  Those blizzard conditions seem almost welcome in this heat, right?  Well, for an insider view, and for a wealth of information about the dogs and the race, check out the Official Site of the Iditarod (http://www.iditarod.com/).  From the "Learn About" tab on the top of the page, you enter an area with vivid descriptions of the race, a glossary of musher terms, a map of the trail, trivia, and so much more (check out the list of links in the right-hand column). For an abundance of curriculum connections, resources and website links, be sure to navigate to the "For Teachers" tab on the top menu.  There you'll find information about the dogs, how to build the sleds, and so much more.  How about planning to IditaRead over the winter?  Now's the time to look over the resources and decide if this is a fit for your classroom.

Not quite ready for snow yet?  Well, don't give up on dogs!  WonderWorks Exhibit Company sponsored a national tour called "Wolf to Woof: The Story of Dogs" (http://www.wolf2woof.com/index.htm).  Their online exhibit resources are fun as well as informative.  And, best of all in the summer, they are quick bites of information.

Don't play dead or roll over!  

Enjoy the dog days of summer before school starts!

Staycationing?

It's July.  Did you vacation in June or plan to go in August?  Or maybe you plan to stick close to home.  Chicago's Field Museum has a couple of tools that might make your staycation edutaining (educational and entertaining).

Rapid Color Guide: Plants
(http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/plantguides/rcg_intro.asp?zone=tropical&guidetype=plant)

First, if you can only go as far as your computer screen, you'll want to take a look at the Rapid Color Guides.  From this page, you can link to downloadable, full-color guides to Tropical Plants in Central and South America.  Nature lovers will spend hours looking at the diversity of plants from this region.  Parents and educators will want to use the guides to help older students with science projects.  Even the youngest will enjoy looking at the shapes and colors that abound in these guides.  For them, maybe cutting up a couple of the guides and asking them to match shapes and/or colors would be a good way to spend a hot afternoon indoors this summer.  Describing the plants and discussing where they're from would be an edutaining bonus.

(http://fm2.fieldmuseum.org/plantguides/rcg_intro.asp?zone=tropical&guidetype=animal)

Next, I'd direct you to the Rapid Color Guides for Animals.  These guides break down the animal species found in tropical and subtropical locales.  An example of one of their butterfly guides appears on the left.  Anyone will enjoy exploring the rainforest or ocean via these colorful guides.  As with the plant guides, all guides are downloadable as well as searchable by country, subject, and taxonomic group.

And lastly, if you're in the Chicago area and would like to explore outdoors, you can check out the Field Museum's Keys to Nature Project (http://fm1.fieldmuseum.org/keystonature/). This online resource guides explorers through a series of questions to identify plants and animals in the Chicago area.  Looking it over, I think the resource would also work for a larger region around Chicagoland.  If you're in the Midwest, check it out and see if it works for you too.

If you have a Facebook account, the Rapid Color Guides--Field Museum has a page with links to all these resources and more.  You can find them here: http://www.facebook.com/RapidColorGuidesFieldMuseum?sk=info.