Slipping Away on a Snow Day

Brrrrrrrrr! It has been a cold couple of days! I am out of school for the snow day, and luckily I'm one of the few that made it home before the roads iced over!  Before the snow got too severe, I was just playing around in the snow. I made a snow angel and threw a few snowballs, but soon I realized I needed to get home to get some warmer clothes. By the time I got on the road to get home, the interstate was at a standstill. It took me two hours to get home, but I was lucky! Some of my friends had to sleep at work and some stayed in traffic from 4-12 hours! I will not be complaining about traffic ever again. When I was on my way home, I saw people stop their cars on the side of the road and they decided to walk home. That's when I knew the weather was really, really bad.

Here I am before the snow really started to pile up!

Here I am after sitting in traffic for two hours! You couldn't even see the road because the snow was so piled up. 

I kept up with the news and tweets about what seemed like a blizzard outside, so I decided to check out what Birmingham looks like up close. Fortunately, I know a firefighter who was willing to drive me safely around the city to inform everyone about the damage that has occurred around different parts of Birmingham. Tons of people were left stranded on the road, and some even had to sleep in their cars. There were tons of wrecks, and children were stuck at schools where some brave teachers stayed with them to keep them safe! 

Here are some photographs I took when the firefighter took me around Birmingham to look at what had happened.

This is a photo of Highway 31. Most people had abandoned their cars here and found shelter somewhere else. Some cars had slid into ditches on this road! It was very scary!

Here is a wreck next to the Brookwood hospital. I guess there was nothing that the owners of these cars could do, so they will have to get their cars later. This is a good example of why you should not drive out in the snow or ice! It is way too slippery!

Greensprings Highway turned into a parking lot overnight because people could not get up the hill! I hope that these people were able to make it home safely!!

Despite all of the damage that I have witnessed, I have heard about many great acts of kindness that happened during this weather emergency. People took strangers into their homes for shelter. Some folks rescued people that were stuck on the road. It is amazing the strength and kindness people have shown during this unexpected weather occurrence. I hope that people will remember to still show such kindness every day! I have heard a lot of people from other places say that it is silly that such weather would cause a whole city to shut down when other places get much more snow. I am going to stand on my flat soap box for a minute- Most people who live in Alabama are not prepared for these weather conditions. People do not have chains for their tires, there are not salt trucks to melt ice on the roads, and people here do not know how drive safely in the ice and snow because we are not used to these extreme weather conditions. Okay, I am off of my soap box now. From this experience, I think we should all learn to be more aware of and prepared for emergency situations. Here is a link to the Red Cross website for tips on how to make an emergency kit: http://www.redcross.org/prepare/location/home-family/get-kit . You can never be too prepared for a disaster! 

Once I got back home safe and sound from my ride around town, I made a snowman named Herman. He looks kind of angry but I think he's just cold. It was pretty chilly outside, so I decided to stay inside for the rest of the night. I hope that this post has encouraged all of you readers to lend a helping hand to people in need and to also always be safe!

Into the Wild

Today was a sunny, gorgeous day! For the first time in what seems like forever it was a little warm outside, around 51 degrees. I decided to take advantage of this rare warmth during the harsh winter season, and went to Moss Rock Preserve to spend some time in nature. Moss Rock Preserve is a park in Hoover, Alabama where many rock climbers go to climb the boulders. I decided I would do a little bird watching and maybe try rock climbing while I was there. 

As I entered the park I saw a huge boulder and wondered if there would be any rock climbers on it. I heard some birds chirping and I am pretty sure I heard a hawk calling through the woods. Hawks are pretty cool birds, I love that they look as though they are just floating through the sky as they soar through the air. I walked up to the boulder at the front of the park and decided I'd try to climb it. I heard that this particular boulder climb is called the "heart problem" because the main hold in the rock is in the shape of a heart. If you look at the hold sideways it really does look like a heart! It was a really tricky climb, I had to squeeze my fingers into cracks in the rock and put chalk all over my hands so that I wouldn't slip. Thankfully, I made it to the final hold, the "heart of the problem" so to speak. I was pretty tired after climbing, but I decided to keep exploring the park.

I found another rock to climb that was pretty easy to climb up but it was so tall that it was scary! I put my fears aside though and made it to the top! I climbed back down and walked to the outskirts of the reserve and found a little creek. I jumped across some stones and took a little rest on a log in the middle of the creek. I thought about how lucky I am to get to spend time outside instead of being in school or at work. Not many people get the time to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. I started to walk back through the middle of the park, and found a few interesting cave-like formations in the boulders. I wonder what kind of creatures were hiding in there! Next to one boulder there was a tree that grew in a 90 degree angle. I wonder how some trees can grow that way. Next to the tree was a little ledge on a rock so I took a little nap. It started to get cold outside, so I headed back to my car. On my way to the car I saw a Carolina Chickadee! What a magnificent day it was! I can't wait to explore some more of this great state. 

Exploring Endangered Species!

This morning I woke up really early to go to class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. I was very sleepy and it was 25 degrees outside! Yikes! I had a break between classes, so I decided I would stay inside and check out an application for my iPad that I could use as an educational tool once I start teaching. I found the World Wildlife Fund Application and thought it looked interesting and it was free! I love animals, and I would like learn more about them. Maybe if I learn more about endangered species, I can help kids become interested in them and we can brainstorm ways to help protect those animals from becoming extinct! An issue I could see with using this in the classroom is that the kids may skim through the information rather than reading it and thinking about what they have learned. To prevent this from happening, I will have the students get into small groups and discuss what they have learned and how they could use that information to help support a better environment and why it is important to protect our environment. I would have the students ask themselves what they think life would be like if one of the animals they learned about became extinct. Another issue that could arise while doing this task could be that students may get off task, but I would monitor them in their small groups to make sure they are doing what they are supposed to do. Overall, I think this would be a great opportunity to teach fourth grade science standard from the Alabama Course of Study to describe the interdependence of plants and animals. Students would specifically be able to describe characteristics of animals, their interaction with the environment, and the effects of human life on their habitat and access to resources. It is easy to use, and could be used for a 30 minute lesson, or it could be incorporated into a unit on life science as a research source that is stretched over a week. Here's the link to the app on Itunes for more information: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/wwf-together/id581920331?mt=8.

I downloaded the app and it opened with a video of a cute little origami panda, and a message appeared on the screen with the mission of the WWF, "Building a future in which people live in harmony with nature."What a great mission statement! I clicked the button on the front of the screen that said "Start" and it gave me a list of animals and their pictures to explore. I wanted to learn more about elephants, so I tapped the picture of the elephant and the learning began. There were several slides of information, videos, and visual/kinesthetic sensory learning activities. 

I began by reading about how elephants are one of the smartest animals! They have the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror and display complex emotions such as empathy and distress. They can way anywhere from 4-6 tons and live in forests and grasslands, mostly in Africa but some live in Asia too. I found a video of a some baby elephants playing, and a narrator in the video talked about his experience of having some curious elephants took a closer look at him while he was in their natural habitat observing them. I learned about the threats that elephants face, such as habitat loss, poachers, and issues with elephants taking over people's harvest fields which causes conflict between people and elephants in those areas. There was a section that said "smear" where I had to rub my finger across the screen to uncover some interesting facts about elephants. That section of the application page said that elephants love rice! Unfortunately, their love of rice is what causes them to take over rice harvesting fields, damaging human's habitats. I viewed pictures of elephants in their natural environment doing various activities such as bathing, eating, and playing. These elephants remind me of human kids! It is interesting how similar animal personalities can be to our own. It is important to put into perspective the value of these animal's lives and that we need to do as much as we can to try to protect them from harm. I can't wait to use this application with my future students!  

Celebrating MLK Day!

Today was a beautiful sunny day with perfect 60 degree weather and not a cloud in sight! I was looking at my calendar earlier and realized that it is Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I decided that I was going to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King Jr. by learning about all of the great accomplishments he and other leaders made during the Civil Rights Movement, so I went on a virtual field trip at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. I visited the Civil Rights Institute on the web at rg.bcri.org/gallery. This site was filled with resources about the history of the Civil Rights Movement. The Movement link on the webpage began with a clip of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking about how Birmingham was the most segregated city in the U.S. Whoa! I had no idea that Birmingham was the most segregated city during that time, and it makes me sad that it was that way. However, times have certainly changed a lot since then.

As I continued on my virtual field trip through the Civil Rights Institute, I was shocked as I read the timeline of events in Birmingham during the Civil Rights Movement, it really opened my eyes to the reality of the violence and injustice that occurred during that time. It is so tragic to me that people could treat each other with such cruelty. I read that the Klu Klux Klan burned crosses at schools and around Jefferson County to protest the integration of schools, and did other horrifying, unmentionable things. I found that 1963 was the year that many major events of progression and regression in Civil Rights history took place. That year, two African American men were appointed to the Birmingham City Council, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," the first African American students enrolled in desegregated schools in Birmingham, segregation laws were repealed in Birmingham, and the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing occurred.

I found out about some of the Civil Rights leaders from Birmingham, including Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth. Before today, I had no idea who Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth was, other than the fact that the Birmingham Airport is named after him. He was a very significant leader in the Birmingham Civil Rights Movement. Reverend Shuttlesworth co-founded the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), which petitioned for desegregation of public schools in Birmingham, facilitated bus boycotts, and conducted many other brave acts to eradicate segregation in Birmingham.  Reverend Shuttlesworth went through so much to gain equal rights for African Americans; his house was bombed, and he was beaten and arrested. I watched a video with an interview of him in which he spoke about the creation of the ACMHR, and he reminisced about gathering people to organize and protest against segregation and discussed the dangers they knew they would face. During his interview, he said that even to that day he felt that many people did not want to be integrated. Sadly he is right, there are still many people that cannot see past racial or cultural differences. We are all made of the same flesh and blood, so what makes one person think they are worth more than another person? It is so important to embrace each other's differences and recognize that everyone is beautiful inside and out. I plan to use what I have learned today to strive to be a better citizen, and to encourage others to accept and embrace ethnic and cultural differences.

This virtual field trip to the Civil Rights Institute would be a great resource to educate students about the Civil Rights Movement, and to facilitate discussions about ethnic and cultural diversity and the importance of respecting others. This would be a good resource to use during Black History Month to inform students about Civil Rights leaders and key events that occurred during the Civil Rights Movement. Students can use the information they incur to put into perspective the hardships African Americans underwent during this time, and to address ways to prevent prejudice and discrimination towards others in current times. Virtual field trips are a great way to keep students engaged in the classroom, in a comfortable environment where they can freely share their thoughts and opinions about what they have learned. This type of activity can be used to promote authentic, collaborative learning in whole class and small group instruction. I hope to go on another virtual field trip when I become a teacher! I just kissed my brain because I learned so much today! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for my next excursion where I'll be showcasing an app!

Weird Science

Today I woke up and just knew that it would be a great day to learn some new things about the world! I went outside to find that it was a beautiful, sunny day, but a bit too chilly to spend the day outside! I remembered that my flat friends Lewie, Eugene, and Jordan had talked about going to the McWane Science Center. It sounded pretty fun, so I gave them a call and met them over there. We walked in the building to find a bunch of different exhibits! First, we sat on a bed of nails! I was afraid that the nails would go right through us, but fortunately we were fine. Then we found an exhibit called Recollections, where we stood in front of a projection screen and our outlines were reflected on the screen in various colors. It was awesome! After dancing around on the projector screen, we found a little play house. It looked like an ordinary house, but if you walked to the back corner of the house to the other it made you look like a giant in a tiny room!

We met a couple of Engineering students that had set up a demonstration table to show us how to make a satellite can float in an air tube powered by a fan. I tried to make a satellite with a plastic cup, tape, cotton balls, and a couple of Q-tips, but it sunk to the bottom of the tube. Next, we tried to make a parachute made of paper and string with for me to float in the air tube with, but I was so lightweight they had to catch me before I could fly away! 

We walked upstairs and leaped into the past as we walked around a dinosaur exhibit. There was a laboratory with glass windows where scientists worked diligently to uncover fossils. The first dinosaur we saw is called an Appalachiosaurus, which is a dinosaur that actually roamed the lands of Alabama during prehistoric times. I wonder what it would be like if dinosaurs still existed, but I'm glad I do not have to worry about being chased down by dinosaurs every day. There were other animals on display in that exhibit, including birds that are native to Alabama and insects from around the world. Some interesting things that I saw were a bald eagle, an owl, and some creepy cockroaches! 

We stepped out of the past and back into the present and found fun hands-on activities. There was a giant "Pin Wall" where we made imprints of ourselves and our faces. One of my non-Flat friends stuck her face in the Pin Wall and scared me! We found a sand spinner that is used to make patterns with sand, but I found that it was much more fun to lay on it and spin around instead of making sand art. The last exhibit we visited at the McWane Center was the World of Water. The coolest part of this exhibit was a touch tank with Bonnethead sharks and stingrays. Some of the stingrays stuck their fins out of the water and onto the side of the tank as if they wanted to give me a high five! We also saw jelly fish and other ocean wildlife in the World of Water exhibit.

Today was such an awesome day! I feel like I've learned so much while having fun too! I would love to go back and explore more of the McWane Center. I found a website that you can look up to find out more about the McWane Center if you want to visit: http://www.mcwane.org. On that website you can find information about the exhibits and upcoming events. Well, I have to go plan my next excursion, so thank you for reading and check back in a few days to hear about more of my adventures!

My First Adventure in the Land of Good Food!

Hey there! Flat Sylvie here reporting in my first blog adventure! I decided for this blog post I wanted to immerse myself in the inside world of the service industry, and there was no better place to do so than my favorite restaurant- Carrabba's Italian Grill. I wanted to learn what it takes to work in and run a restaurant, mostly because I love food. When I arrived at Carrabba's, I noticed there were trees growing on the roof. I'm not sure why they were there but they are pretty cool. One of the servers told me that every year when Canadian geese migrate through the area, and they stop here and lay their eggs on this roof. She said they stay in the area until the eggs have hatched and the goslings are ready to fly. The server said it is pretty cool watching the geese, but they will bite if you get too close! Yikes!

When I walked inside the door, the hostess greeted me with a smile and said, "Welcome to Carrabba's!" She didn't even seem to notice how flat I am, which made me very happy! 

The hostess asked me if I would be dining in or getting take out, but I replied that I didn't have time to sit and eat, and that I was on a mission to find out more about working in a restaurant. She walked me over to the kitchen so that I could get a closer look at what goes on in the back of the restaurant. I learned that pasta is not made with just one type of noodle- there are kinds more than I could count! I learned about fettuccine, taglierini, cavatappi, spaghetti, and so many kinds of pastas that I feel like a pasta connoisseur now! Then I met a very nice cook who showed me how to chop onions. The fumes from the onions were so strong that my eyes started watering and the kitchen manager decided to show me a new task- taking inventory!

Taking inventory was a lot harder than I thought. I kept losing count of the amount of each item on the list, so I told the kitchen manager that I would leave that job for her since she is the expert. As I was moving along to other areas of Carrabba's, I ran into a server and I almost got stepped on again! He helped me up and we became friends. I asked him what it was like to be a server. He explained that it is a pretty tough job sometimes because he has to make sure that his customers have the perfect dining experience, get all of their orders correct and out in a timely manner, and everyone leaves happy. However, he also said that it was the most fun job because he gets to make other people smile on a daily basis!

Next, I went to wash my hands and met the dishwasher! He had a lot of dishes to wash, so I did not interrupt his job for too long. He was very excited to meet me though!

Another server wanted to show me what Italy looks like, since Carrabba's is an Italian restaurant. I think I may mail myself to Italy soon, it seems like a great place to go with really good food! 

At this point I was getting really hungry, but I knew there was another job for me to do. I had to venture into the unknown world of Carside Carryout! I found out that Carside workers at Carrabba's take to-go orders out to people's cars in the parking lot. That seemed pretty awesome! I decided to try out working in Carside, so first I took an order on the phone. 

Next, I rang in the food in the computer, packaged the food once it was cooked and ready, cut and put fresh bread in the to-go bag, and then I got to take the food out to the customer. She was delighted to have her food brought out to her car! I think I may order Carside at Carrabba's sometime soon, this was pretty fun!

Last, I met the man in charge of the restaurant- the manager. He gave me a stern look and I thought I was probably in trouble! I wondered if maybe I messed up the to-go order, but it was only my first day! I had always thought restaurant managers would be really mean...

But I was wrong, this manager was actually very nice! He saw how hard I had been working and heard my stomach growling, so he shared his pasta with me! I was starved so I ate half of it in one gulp!

Finally it was time to go home and rest! As I was on my way out the door, I met this nice fellow flat person. He is in charge of smiling on the front of the kid's menu. I wonder if there is a job like that for me! 

I feel that after today I know all about the jobs that are part of running a restaurant, and I am exhausted. Running a restaurant is hard work, but it was very exciting and fun! Stay tuned for my next adventure! I can't wait to share something new that I've learned!