Blue Star Museums 2016

I've been checking the site for weeks, but there was no sign of the 2016 program, just information about 2015. When I looked late Monday, I noticed this year's program had been posted.

Blue Star Museums offers free admission to active duty military personnel including National Guard and Reserve and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2016. You can locate the participating venues around the country on the map provided here.

It is always best to research the venue you are attending prior to making your plans. In Massachusetts for instance avoiding a Free Fun Friday will provide you with fewer crowds and better access to the venue. Some venues also have additional costs for special programs offered.

People often use these discounts when traveling to visit family during the summer months or when family comes to visit.  Since the military discounts only cover immediate family, consider checking out other discounts for your guests. 

There are lots of ways to save money when visiting local venues.  For your guests who don't qualify for the Blue Star Museum discount, check out library passes, AAA, AARP, senior discounts, and local coupons to make the trip affordable for everyone who is going.  If you check out the venue's website it will sometimes list the types of discounts offered and you can check to see what options that provides for your party.  We've been known to combine library passes, with AAA, and a senior discount to cover a large family outing so everyone has an affordable day.  It takes research, but it can be done.

These are the venues participating in MA this year:

Acton:
The Discovery Museums

Amesbury:
Lowell's Boat Shop

Amherst:
Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College

Andover:
Addison Gallery of American Art, Phillips Academy

Attleboro:
Attleboro Arts Museum
Mass Audubon at Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary

Barnstable:
Mass Audubon - Long Pasture Wildlife Sanctuary

Belmont:
Mass Audubon - Habitat Education Center

Beverly:
Beverly Historical Society and Museum

Boston:
Bostonian Society
Historic New England
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, Inc.
Nichols House Museum
Old North Historic Site
Old South Meeting House
Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation
Russell Museum at Massachusetts General Hospital
Shirley-Eustis House
The Bostonian Society
The Mary Baker Eddy Library

Cambridge:
Harvard Museum of Natural History
MIT Museum
Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

Canton:
Mass Audubon - Museum of American Bird Art

Clinton:
Museum of Russian Icons

Dedham:
Dedham Historical Society & Museum

Deerfield:
Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association & Memorial Hall Museum

Duxbury:
Duxbury Rural & Historical Society

East Sandwich:
Benjamin Nye Homestead & Museum

Easthampton:
Mass Audubon at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary

Edgartown:
Martha's Vineyard Museum
Mass Audubon Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary

Essex:
Cogswell's Grant

Fitchburg:
Fitchburg Art Museum

Framingham:
Danforth Art Museum\School

Gloucester:
Cape Ann Museum
Sargent House Museum

Harvard:
Fruitlands Museum

Haverhill:
Buttonwoods Museum
Haverhill Firefighting Museum
Whittier Birthplace

Hyannis:
John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum

Ipswich:
Ipswich Museum

Lenox:
Mass Audubon at Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary

Lexington:
Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

Lincoln:
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Historic New England- Gropius House
Mass Audubon - Drumlin Farm

Lynn:
Lynn Museum/LynnArts

Marshfield:
Historic Winslow House Association
Mass Audubon at North River Wildlife Sanctuary

Mattapan:
Mass Audubon at Boston Nature Center

Milton:
Blue Hills Trailside Museum

Nantucket:
Nantucket Historical Association
Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association
Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

Natick:
Mass Audubon - Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

New Bedford:
New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks!
New Bedford Whaling Museum

Newburyport:
Mass Audubon at Joppa Flats Education Center

Norfolk:
Mass Audubon at Stony Brook

North Andover:
North Andover Historical Society

Northampton:
Smith College Museum of Art

Pittsfield:
Berkshire Museum

Princeton:
Mass Audubon - Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary

Quincy:
Quincy Homestead

Rehoboth:
Carpenter Museum

Salem:
Peabody Essex Museum

Sharon:
Mass Audubon Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary

South Wellfleet:
Mass Audubon - Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Mass Audubon at Wellfleet Bay

Springfield:
Springfield Museums

Stockbridge:
Norman Rockwell Museum

Sturbridge:
Old Sturbridge Village

Taunton:
Old Colony History Museum (OCHM)

Topsfield:
Mass Audubon Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Weston:
Spellman Museum of Stamps & Postal History

Williamstown:
Clark Art Institute

Worcester:
EcoTarium
Mass Audubon Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary
Worcester Historical Museum

Yarmouth Port:
Edward Gorey House

Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle

I've been a huge of Cindy Neuschwander's Sir Cumference series for quite some time. Sir Cumference and the Roundabout Battle does not disappoint. It provides a fun tale, while demonstrating an important math concept rounding.

In this episode we find Sir Cumference's steward, Edward Rounds working with his son, of the same name on the accounts. To avoid confusion the two are known as Rounds 1 and Rounds 2. While the younger, Rounds 2 enjoys counting, double digit adding is not his strength and he struggles with how to quickly add the columns of numbers to provide accurate counts that Sir Cumference and his men rely on in doing their daily tasks. His father emphasizes that while it is important to be an accurate counter to be steward, the ultimate purpose in counting is to supply an inventory that will be useful to those needing to use it in the castle. Accurate data from counting is essential for the inventory to be correct, but without finishing the final step in adding up the numbers the inventory is not very practical for those who come to ask for information.

Rounds 1 and 2 discuss how much easier it is to count with round numbers, but his father does emphasize the need for an accurate count. As the story continues, Rounds 2 stumbles upon an invasion force and now the inventory is more important than ever, for Sir Cumference needs to know how many bows and arrows he has available to fight off the incoming forces. Rounds 2 panics because he has not had the chance to finish adding all the columns. Rounds 2 lacks the time to add all the columns so he grabs a tape measure to help him figure the closest friendly 10 for each entry. Once he has his estimates, the columns are much easier to add. He is then able to present a rounded count just as the invasion force is arriving. It is looking scary for Sir Cumference's forces, but help arrives from an unexpected resource and all is resolved in favor of the heroes.

This was a great way to demonstrate a practical use for rounding. It also used larger numbers that demonstrated a need for rounding. One issue I struggled with as a child is we started rounding with problems I could answer without rounding. Why do the extra work of rounding when I know the "real" answer. This presents both Round 2 and the children with real practical reasons to round numbers.

Science Books for Kids

I've been searching for science books that provide content at a range of levels. I'm starting with picture books, but I'll be looking for other books to add as I'm searching. My goal is quality content. There are plenty of people publishing books, but not all manage to provide accurate useful content. I am including picture books that combine fantasy characters with non-fiction content. For my purposes if the content is accurate, I'm fine with some entertainment value engaging the learner with the material. However, as I stated the accuracy and amount of information covered is important to me.

Updated April 2016

Biology:

Vampires and Cells (Monster Science)Review here

Chemistry:

Werewolves and States of Matter (Monster Science) Review here

Disasters:

Earthquakes

Hurricanes!

Hurricanes

Storms (Reading Rainbow Book)

Tornadoes!

Tornadoes

Electricity:
The Magic School Bus And The Electric Field Trip

Zombies and Electricity Review here

Geology: 
First Earth Encyclopedia (DK First Reference)

Magic School Bus Presents: Volcanoes & Earthquakes: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series

Human Body:

Bones: Our Skeletal System


Brown Paper School book: Blood and Guts

Eyes and Ears Review here

Inside Your Outside: All About the Human Body (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

The Brain: All about Our Nervous System and More!

The Heart: All about Our Circulatory System and More!

The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body

The Magic School Bus Explores the Senses

Magic School Bus Presents: The Human Body: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series


Muscles: Our Muscular System

The Search for the Missing Bones (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book, No. 2)



Insects:

On Beyond Bugs: All About Insects (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

Magic School Bus Presents: Insects: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series

National Geographic Readers: Ants

National Geographic Readers: Bees

National Geographic Readers: Caterpillar to Butterfly

National Geographic Readers: Flutter, Butterfly!

Yogi Bear's Guide to Bugs (Yogi Bear's Guide to the Great Outdoors)Review here

Physics:

Ghosts and Atoms (Monster Science)Review here

Vampires and Light (Monster Science)Review here

Thud!: Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Forces and Motion (Wile E. Coyote, Physical Science Genius) Review here

Zap!: Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Energy (Wile E. Coyote, Physical Science Genius)Review here

Zombies and Forces and Motion (Monster Science) Review here

Plants:

From Seed to Plant

National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant

Oh Say Can You Seed?: All About Flowering Plants (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

National Geographic Readers: Plants (Level 1 Co-reader)

The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow

Rocks and Minerals:

National Geographic Readers: Rocks and Minerals

Yogi Bear's Guide to Rocks (Yogi Bear's Guide to the Great Outdoors) Review here

Simple Machines:

Smash!: Wile E. Coyote Experiments with Simple Machines (Wile E. Coyote, Physical Science Genius)Review here

The Fort on Fourth Street: A Story About the Six Simple Machines Review here

Sound:

Mummies and Sound (Monster Science) Review here

Space:

13 Planets: The Latest View of the Solar System (National Geographic Kids)


First Space Encyclopedia (DK First Reference)

Magic School Bus Presents: Our Solar System: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series

National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Space (National Geographic Little Kids First Big Books)

National Geographic Readers: Meteors

Where Is Our Solar System?

Weather:

Freddy the Frogcaster Review here

Lightning

Raindrops on a Roller Coaster: Hail (Bel the Weather Girl)Review here

Oh Say Can You Say What's the Weather Today?: All About Weather (Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)Review here

Magic School Bus Presents: Wild Weather: A Nonfiction Companion to the Original Magic School Bus Series

National Geographic Readers: Weather

Weather

Weather Forecasting

Weather Words and What They Mean