Yesterday, Ann and I took the kids to Great America, along with their uncle Nick Kolinsky, who was down for a long weekend. The kids had each earned a free ticket to the park through a reading program at school, so it didn’t cost us much at all, and they always have a wonderful time there. Last year, Nick and …
My Family in the News
Yesterday, the Beloit Daily News ran an article on the Welty Environmental Center, a great place out on the edge of town here that’s dedicated to teaching people (especially kids) about nature. Ann takes the kids out there regularly in the summer for various classes and activities, and reporter Daniel Thompson showed up while they were there. Read the article …
Back from the Rockies
If it seems like it’s been a bit quiet around here, that’s because I haven’t been around. I spent most of the last two weeks on one of those classic family road trips that American families insist on inflicting upon themselves every summer they can. (Cue up Lindsey Buckingham’s “Holiday Road” from National Lampoon’s Vacation.) Ann and I packed the …
How We Learn
Lincoln Stollard, who I met at the GAMA Trade Show a few years back, just told me that he’s completed work on a book called The Learning Project. In it, Lincoln interviews dozens of people in different fields to discover different ways in which people learn. It’s aimed at teenagers, to show them that there are all sorts of different …
The Emperor’s Weekend
My son Marty has the titular role in the KFAD production of The Emperor’s New Clothes. The play runs this Friday and Saturday at 7 PM and Sunday at 2 PM at the First Presbyterian Church in Beloit. If you live in the area, come on out and join us in watching Marty parade around stage in his long johns!
Ann on TV
My wife Ann is a school social worker for the School District of Janesville, Wisconsin. Her main job is to serve as the homeless student liaison for the district. In this role, she’s spoken at conferences across the country, and just recently she’s been on local television twice. Tonight, she also hauled herself out of her sickbed to appear on …
D&D: The Next Generation: Recommendations?
My son Marty has been pestering me to run a D&D campaign for him and his friends this fall. I’m going to try 4E, mostly so I can check out the new material in full. I have the basic books, of course. Can anyone recommend other must-have bits for the game? I’m heading to Gen Con this week, so I’m …
Music, Comics, Books, and Food
Ann and I just got back from seeing Fountains of Wayne perform at Studio M, in the basement of 105.5 FM in Madison. I won the tickets in a random drawing on Monday and arranged for babysitting right away. We drove up to the station and got there on time and enjoyed a couple free beers courtesy of the Capital …
My Kids in the News
Yesterday’s Beloit Daily News had a short article about the Together We Read celebration at the Beloit Public Library on June 20. The photo that accompanies the article shows all five of my kids sitting in the front row of a story reading. From left to right, Pat’s the one in the green shirt (partially obscured by the reader), then …
Marty’s Play: The Return of the Glass Slipper
My son Marty is a member of a local acting troupe for kids: Kids Fun and Drama. Their latest musical, The Return of the Glass Slipper, opens tonight. It’s a funny update of the classic Cinderella story, and in it Marty plays King Rupert, the father of the prince. You can read more about it in the Beloit Daily News, …