Blogging From A to Z: D is for Dancing

Hey, it's Saturday! Remember when that wasn't just another day of the week? It's kind of surreal, right now. But, I'm participating in the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge, so I kind of have to know what day it is...the blogs don't post on Sundays (so don't be surprised tomorrow!)

In case you missed it, my theme this year is 26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home. That's right, I'm conjuring up 26 "educational" ideas to keep you busy while you're safe at home.

On Wednesday, I wrote about Art for the letter A, and Tuesday, B was for Baking. Yesterday, my sister and I had fun with chemistry. So what's "D?" I thought you'd never ask!

D is for Dance

We've been listening to a lot—a LOT—of music in this house. Different styles, too, since we're all different. Dad likes country. Mom likes old school rock. Amelia likes...well, she likes whatever she can sing (off-key) too. 

There's been a lot of off-key singing in the house too. 

But tonight we're having a family dance party...which sounds fun, if, you know how to dance. I don't. At all. I've never really been interested in dancing either...but it turns out, dancing is one of those fun learning activities I have talked about. 

First off, it's great exercise. Even if you don't know what you're doing. It's also a way to express how you're feeling—Amelia jumps around like a jelly bean when she's happy. I bet there will be plenty of jumping tonight. Mom says dancing encourages creativity (that's her way to get me to do almost anything)—and yup, unless I figure out some basic dance steps, I'll be very creative tonight. 

I do want to learn some steps though, so I started looking up people who might be offering dance lessons on the internet, and I stumbled on this: Intellidance. Okay, before you scrunch up your nose, it is mostly for younger kids. BUT, if you have access to Facebook (or your parents will hook you up), you can "like" this page where Jessica Baudin-Griffin (the creator of Intelligence) and her kids are teaching quick dances—like the jelly bean dance!

And the bonus? Jessica is also a singer—so maybe my sister can do something about that off-key problem she has. <heh> 

There are probably hundreds of mini dance classes online if you don't have access to Facebook. The Intelligence program is also on YouTube. Go ahead, challenge your family to a dance off!

Gotta jet! If I'm going to be anything but awkward tonight, it's time to start practicing. Happy Saturday and see you Monday as we continue the Blogging From A to Z Challenge with the letter "E." 

~ Chase Superman Duffy

Blogging From A to Z Challenge: C is for Chemistry

Happy Friday! I know, the days all kind of blend into one another right now, don't they? That's what my dad says too. But because I'm participating in the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge, I kind of have to know what day it is...the blogs don't post on Sundays.

In case you missed it, my theme this year is 26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home. That's right, I'm conjuring up 26 "educational" ideas to keep you busy while you're safe at home.

On Wednesday, I wrote about Art for the letter A, and yesterday, B was for Baking. It could have been for bread too, since we made four loaves of it! Anyway, feel free to check out those posts if you're behind. And of course, share your baking or art pics anytime in the comments.

Ready for "C?" Me too!

C is for Chemistry

Science is one of my favourite classes, along with Language Arts, of course. I'm fascinated by chemistry—like how when you mix yeast with water, it goes all frothy, and somehow, that is what makes bread dough rise.

We did enough baking yesterday to feed the neighbourhood—okay, not quite, but we did hand out cookie packages, along with muffins, buns, bread, and biscuits. Mom says she'd love to see my sister and I do something a little less messy today...

I tried! But, then I found all these great chemistry ideas, and well, I think Amelia and I will be practicing our cleaning <ha! another "C" word> skills after we have some more fun in the kitchen.

Check out these five ideas I dug up:

1. Slime! There are a bunch of ways to make slime, but I found this link, which has a couple of different recipes depending on what you have in the house. Amelia and I have made slime before—usually around Halloween—but if we have the stuff, I'll probably make it again. It's fun!

2. Baking soda volcano. Yeah, this one might be messy. Whether you spend all day building your volcano, or simplify things for a quick eruption, this popular science experiment demonstrates an acid-base reaction. Dad says we could probably build a volcano out of papier-mâché, paint it, and then do the science experiment...I'm giving it serious consideration since it's freezing outside. Here's a link with directions.

3.  Invisible ink. I love this one—it's like something out of a spy novel! And it's pretty easy too. You just need a bit of milk, a toothpick, paintbrush, or other makeshift writing utensil, a piece of paper, and a light. Check it out.

4. Density column. When you see liquids stack on top of each other in layers, it's because they have different densities from each other and don't mix well together—like canola oil and water. It may not sound very interesting, but when you add food colouring to some of the layers, it's really neat to look at. Here's an example, and the list of ingredients you need.

5. Ivory soap in the microwave. Mom says she doesn't mind this experiment, because it will leave the kitchen smelling soapy. I've never tried it before, but apparently, you can turn a bar of soap into the consistency of shaving cream in the microwave. Now that sounds like fun chemistry! Here are the directions.

There are hundreds of ideas on the internet—check out Pinterest!—but these five sound like a good start. Who knows, maybe we'll get through all of them.

It's Friday Family night (well, every night is family night these days), and we're going to watch a movie. It's not exactly chemistry, but we'll be making some popcorn too. You can find all kinds of popcorn recipes on the internet, but we're going to try this Taco-Favoured popcorn Mom found the recipe for on this canola recipe site. Tummy!

Gotta jet! Happy science-ing! See you tomorrow for the letter "D."

~ Chase Superman Duffy

Blogging From A to Z Challenge: B is for Baking

In case you missed it, yesterday kicked off the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge, one of my favourite times of the year. 

This isn't my first challenge, of course—scroll through my past April blogs and you'll see I've covered everything from writing tips to things that grow in Alberta. But let's face it, it's a strange year—which means I had to improvise. Or as Mom says, "get creative." I can do that! And you can too! (If you're blogging along with the challenge, put your link in the comments below so I can follow you...)

I decided that my theme this year will be 26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home. That's right, I'm conjuring up 26 "educational" ideas to keep you busy while you're safe at home. I started with A is for Art. Scroll down for B!

B is for Baking 

Mom says that it's natural for us to want to eat comfort foods when things in our world are a bit upside down—no doubt about it, these are "upside down" times. When *I* think about comfort foods, I think of Grandma's baking—her pies and cakes and fresh breads and cookies. <drool> 

But of course, we're not able to see Grandma right now, and Mom is an okay baker (sorry, Mom), but she's not Grandma. The good news is, my sister and I will be doing some of our own baking—and you know what? It's educational! 

Don't believe me? Check out this list of 10 things you can learn when you're baking:

1. What's in your food. I don't know about you, but I am always fascinated by the ingredients that go into making muffins, for instance. Why do you need baking powder? What kind of flour is best? Can you substitute blueberries for raspberries? Are carrot muffins really made with carrots? 

2. Math. It's not just about counting how many teaspoons of sugar go into cookies—though counting is part of math. But you can also learn about fractions. Like, how to divide a cup into fourths, or even what it means to "halve" a recipe. 

3. Science. What happens when you combine ingredients? How come Grandma always adds the wet ingredients first, and then the dry? What happens if you don't do that? One time, Mom made bread and she put the mix on top of the fridge to rise and forgot about it—bread dough spilled all down the sink. Why did that happen? 

4. Reading. I'm a good reader, but my sister is still learning. So, when we bake, we read the directions aloud. It really helps her with vocabulary—and it's good practice for me too. 

5. Following directions. Remember that story above about my mom putting the bread dough on top of the fridge? Well, she wasn't following directions. Amelia and I go through the directions in order. 

6. Patience. There's nothing more agonizing than waiting for cookies to finish baking. The smell of them hits me faster than anything else. But you can't eat raw cookies—so I wait for them to finish. Patiently. (Most times.) 

7. It's okay to make a mess. Mom sometimes struggles with this—she likes her kitchen neat and tidy. But my sister and I aren't the best at keeping things clean when we cook. Mom says she's learning to accept that. So maybe us baking is teaching her something, right? 

8. Cleaning up after the mess. We've been doing a lot of chores the past few weeks. Dad says it's important that we all pitch in, to keep the house organized and clean so it's a better environment for all of us. After baking, that's even more important. Because even though Mom says she's okay with us making a mess, she means, "As long as you clean it up after." 

9. Problem solving. If we make a mistake—like, add an extra ¼ cup of flour, Mom says there are ways we can fix it. We just have to be creative. I'm good at creativity, but I admit, my problem solving isn't always the best. But I do remember this one time I was making chocolate chip cookies, and realized that we were out of chocolate chips. It was just after Valentine's Day, and Dad had some Hershey's kisses. Amelia and I chopped them up and they worked! 

10. The joy of giving. While my family is just self-isolating, we live in a neighbourhood where some of our friends are under quarantine—that means they can't go out at all. Mom says we can bake cookies for them, and deliver packages on their doorstep. The world really needs kindness right now. Is there someone you can bake for? 

Okay, so now that you're all fired up to bake, what will you make? Of course, you probably have some family recipes you want to try. But in case you don't, you should check out the Superman Duffy graphic novel, TASTING MY STORY. It's part recipe book, part mystery (featuring cartoon me, of course) and there's a recipe for the best treat in the world—MONSTER COOKIES. You can download it or have it mailed to you for free from the Alberta Canola Producers' Commission. 

Gotta jet! Good luck baking. I'll "C" you tomorrow!

~ Chase Superman Duffy

Blogging from A to Z Challenge: A is for Art

Today is the day—no joke! April 1 kicks off the annual Blogging from A to Z Challenge, one of my favourite times of the year. 

This isn't my first challenge, of course—scroll through my past April blogs and you'll see I've covered everything from writing tips to things that grow in Alberta. But let's face it, it's a strange year—which means I had to improvise. Or as Mom says, "get creative." I can do that!

So, in case you missed it, my theme this year is 26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home. That's right, I'm conjuring up 26 "educational" ideas to keep you busy while you're safe at home. Ready? Let's do this!

A is for Art

I don't know about you, but art isn't my favourite subject in school. It's not that I'm not creative—I am! But I'm much better at creative writing than drawing. The only thing I kind of know how to draw is a duck (it's bad), and don't get me started on how messy painting can be. One time, Mom made my sister Amelia and I a finger painting station and....let's just say, Amelia's fingers did not stay on the paper. 

Cartoon James Grasdal

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate good art. If you've read any of the Superman Duffy educational graphic novels (which you can download FREE from the Alberta Canola Producers' Commission), you've seen the work of Edmonton artist, James Grasdal. He's fantastic! (And he says he started drawing just by doodling...when he was a baby!) 

There are a lot—thousands, millions—of fantastic artists. And lucky for us, many of them are giving free drawing lessons during this time of self-isolation. Over the internet, of course. 

Like, check out this interactive frog drawing exercise by Kate Cosgrove, the illustrator of And The Bullfrogs Sing: A Life Cycle Begins (written by David L. Harrison.) I like frogs so I think I'm going to give it a try. 

And I've heard these free Lunch Doodles" sessions with Mo Willems are very popular. Something to check out for sure. 

If you'd rather learn about art than actually do it (hey, no judgement here), you can tour art museums online. Here's a list of six I might look at today after I try some "doodling."

Don't be afraid to scroll through Pinterest or other websites to see what artists are offering. Many of the lessons are free—all you need is an internet connection, some paper and pens/crayons/markers, and your imagination. 

Gotta jet! Happy drawing. I'll see you tomorrow for the letter "B." 

~ Chase Superman Duffy 

Are you ready for this year's A to Z theme?

Every year, I participate in a huge writing event called the Blogging from A to Z Challenge. You can read all about it here—but essentially, the goal is to pick a theme, and then for 26 days in April (every day except Sundays), write a blog post on that theme, corresponding to the letters of the alphabet. For example, if my theme is "fruit," then on April 1, my post might be, A is for Apple.

Obviously my theme is not fruit—I do love apples, though. So what is? Keep reading...

In the past, I've written about people who inspire me, things that grow in Alberta (yes, c was for canola), excellent writing tips, books I've read...and more. But this year, things are a little different.

For one thing, I won't be scrambling to write posts before I head off to school—school is cancelled for the rest of the year where I live. And, I won't be able to suggest any "off site" activities, since we're all supposed to stay home. (We've been doing that, and it's not so bad—we play games, watch movies, and go for short family walks. It's nice to see how the community is supporting each other too.)

So what am I going to blog about for this year's challenge?

I thought you'd never ask.

This year's theme is:

26 Super Fun Learning Activities You Can Do From Home

A bit of a mouthful, I know. Don't get too hung up on the "learning" part—instead focus on SUPER FUN. Sure, watching TV all day, or getting immersed in a book sounds fun, but aren't you getting bored of that? I am...and it's only been a couple of weeks. I miss school. I miss my friends and family. And I miss going to the library.

So, throughout April, starting next Wednesday, I'm going to blog about an activity that is not only fun, but something my teachers would probably approve of. These activities will take advantage of things you can find in your home—but if you don't have the books from the Superman Duffy series of educational graphic novels, now might be a good time to download or order them. I plan to use them for some of the activities.

I know there are a lot of resources out there, so please don't hesitate to share some of your favourites, either on my post, or by email at chase.superman.duffy@gmail.com.

Okay, gotta jet! I'll be spending some time this weekend coming up with my 26 blog post ideas. And hey, if you want to take part, there's still time to sign up. I bet "blogging" counts as writing if you're looking for ways to impress your Language Arts teacher when you do go back to school.

Have a great weekend. See you Wednesday!

~ Chase Superman Duffy 

Springing into a new normal

*waves*

Hello from self isolation!

No, I'm not sick, and so far, everyone in my family has steered clear of the coronavirus pandemic that's sweeping across the globe. No doubt about it, these are...different....times. And I'm not afraid to admit that I'm also a bit scared.

Who wouldn't be? Spring hasn't quite "sprung" the way we envisioned.

I'm also grateful, not only because my family is healthy—but also because the four of us have never spent so much quality time together. It's true, too much of a good thing can be overwhelming, but so far, we're all getting along. In fact, we've even started creating routines that hopefully will set a new normal for us as we navigate these difficult times.

Here's how we've been spending time together since we're all "working" from home—even Dad:

1. Amelia helps Mom make breakfast, while Dad and I catch up on the morning news. We try not to watch too much of it—the statistics are pretty grim. I like a good horror story but this hits just a little too close to home. It's important to be knowledgeable though, so Dad helps me "filter" the news. 
2. After we all help clean up breakfast, Amelia and have a couple of hours of free time. For me, that means writing, reading, or doing some kind of craft. Mom likes when Amelia and "craft" together, so we've been looking for fun things we can do with the supplies we have. If you have ideas, send them to me, please! 
3. Next up is education time. That's when Amelia and I focus on "learning." We take virtual tours of museums, practice our math, do crossword puzzles or other mind games, and write in our journals. (Dad says it will be cool to read these journal entries in a few months when life returns to normal.) Every year, I take part in the A to Z Blogging Challenge—and this year, I'll be covering the A to Z of educational activities you can do at home. More on that next week! 
4. Dad and I usually make lunch, and then we FaceTime Grandma and Grandpa. Neither of them is sick, but Grandpa has diabetes, so he's high risk—which means he's quarantining himself. We talk to stay connected, but we also check to make sure they don't need anything. If they do, Mom or Dad will go to the grocery store to get it and leave it on their doorstep. 
5. The afternoons include more free time—which at this point is pretty loose. Amelia and I go for a daily walk if it's warm enough, and when the ice melts, I'll go for a run. Sometimes we Skype with our friends—I'm really missing hanging out with my bestie, Sophie. I play video games or read comics. Mom says it's important that we spend time doing things we love since a lot of our favourite activities aren't allowed for a while. 
6. Before dinner, we do chores—our house is REALLY clean—and after dinner, it's family time. We play games (I am the reigning Checkers champion), we watch a movie or an episode of a Netflix show, or we go for a walk around the very quiet neighbourhood. I always read before bed. 

Obviously there are some variations, and I'm sure as we all settle into this new normal, things will continue to evolve / change. But for now, I'm thankful that we are spending time together, doing our part to "flatten the curve." <-- That's a term I learned watching the news. And it's really not too bad, aside from not being able to hang out with friends or go to school.

How are you spending your days in self isolation? Next week, I'll share how I plan to roll out this year's A to Z Blogging Challenge. I hope you'll join me for the month of April.

Gotta jet! See you next week.

~ Chase Superman Duffy

Preparing for an extra long spring break

There's only a week left before we're supposed to be off of school for Spring Break—but I have a feeling it might be a longer break for everyone.

We've already cancelled our short family vacation to Seattle because of coronavirus, and all around me events have been postponed—like hockey, baseball, the Foothills Young Writers Conference, and so much more. Even Disneyland is closed!

I don't understand all of the potential impacts, but I do know my parents are concerned. Not in a "stockpile toilet paper" kind of way—though we do have a few extra rolls laying around—but more in thinking about how my sister and I will keep ourselves busy if we have an extended time off from school and possibly quarantined.

Good question, right?

I thought today I'd come up with a list of ideas:

• Read! Mom took us to the bookstore this weekend, and I got a couple of new comics, plus a new book. We're going to the library tonight too.

• Write! If ever there was a time for me to focus on my short stories, this is it! And my "apocalypse" tale feels kind of appropriate right now!

• Bake! We have lots of canola oil in the cupboard, and Mom says we can make cookies, breads, and other delicious treats for the family. I've already dug out the recipe for Monster Cookies.

Mom says we might have to stay away from my grandparents too—Grandpa has diabetes, and so he's in the risk category—but we're going to Skype with them every night, so it will ALMOST be like we're hanging out.

I'm also trying to come up with some crafts my sister and I can do, and of course, I'll help clean the house.

And I'll be washing my hands—a lot. Hope you are too.

Gotta jet! Stay healthy!

~ Chase Superman Duffy