It is safe to say that Algernon likes everything green. Even if it is an alien with a gaping, chomp-action mouth, no eyes, and electrical-shocking feelers. When he woke up last Tuesday, he looked out the window and saw Saturn very close to the horizon. Come to think of it, he saw a volcano, a flying popsicle, and a fish singing Joni Mitchell's Little Green. The lava, however, was as red as me.
Download: September Bookplates
With school in swing and tree-leaves turning, we thought a few bookplates (or Ex Libris if you want to be fancy) would fit nicely in with end-of-summer-beginning-of-fall reading. Inspired by Brother Hildebrand Brandenburg of Biberach, we'd like to give you a few, jolly, downloadable bookplates. Here's what you do:
1. Purchase labels. We wanted a nice, hearty sticker so we purchased Avery® 3-1/3" x 4" white shipping labels (product 8164) from Office Depot. Keep the blank stickers you don't use because we will find more excuses for them in the future.
2. Download templates. Avery provides templates for your labels. Search for product 8164. Follow instructions for your particular computer (Mac & PC are different).
3. Safe images to desktop. Click on the images below or drag them to your desktop.
4. Load images to template. Open up your Avery application. Select "blank" template. Click on the label you want to put an image on. Click the "browse" button and find the images on the desktop. Adjust the image to fill the space of the sticker (you will need to rotate it 90º - look for the rotating tool).
5. Print.
Of course, if you don't want to use stickers, simply open the images in a preview-type of application and print them. You'll need to cut them out yourself, as well as glue them to your book. Either way, it's a great way to make the Jolly Troop stick to your reading.
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The Colosseum
I love going home for a visit. Rome is such a beautiful city, so much to do and see. This time I took Black Jack on his first trip to the Colosseum. He would like to be a gladiator for Halloween this year. A gladiator or British Royal Queen's Guard; he wants a dignified costume.
I like perusing from the inside out.
Black Jack preferred the bird's eye view.
I try to imagine the Colosseum in its original Flavius Amphitheatre glory. I envision 50,000 spectators. I study the travertine stone of the exterior. I question the thought process behind the naming of the vomitoria.
I think I would have liked to see a Roman drama there. I think I would not have liked to see an animal hunt there.
Maybe I'll see you there.
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Coloring Page: Monster Mouth Cave
We weren't sure on this one: cave or monster's mouth. How many "teeth" are there? If Black Jack was in a limestone cave, then which teeth are stalactites and which are stalagmites? If Black Jack was in a monster's mouth, then how many cavities does the monster have?
Click on the image and then print it out. And remember: its fine to color outside the lines.