MyHistro

myHistro is a Web 2.0 tool that allows you to create an annotated map. Here is one for our travels so far!

Please sit down before attempting to read this post.

Ok. Is everyone sitting? Are you ready? Good. Today, we went to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre. Is that a gasp I hear? Good, because that is the same reaction I had. I may or may not have skipped down from the train to the Museum. I was, quite literally, a kid in the candy store. There were a couple of aspects of the museum that really impressed me, and that I will take away with me. One was the way everything about the museum from the wristbands to get in to the cafe menu board was integrated into the Roald Dahl Theme. See?

The other part of the museum that I really loved was the fact that even though it was mostly biographical, it was incredibly interactive. There were two room with biographical information, one from his early life and one from his time in the war and his writing style in his older years. However, both of these rooms had tons of hands on displays that allowed children to touch and feel and try on and sit and measure and so they were able to learn while being engaged. Now, this works particularly well for Dahl because so much of his stories come from experiences he had, but it was still a great way to present information to children, and lots of the pictures I took are really samples I hope to take home with me and back to school next year. Also,  I found out that the museum would be willing to Skype with my students! This ties in perfectly to our idea to do a big celebration for Matilda's 25th anniversary. I hope our tech department in resting up this summer! 

This was a win-win. As I was busy exploring, Humphrey was hanging out with a crocodile in Crocodile Corridor.

On the way back to the train station, we stopped at Cafe Twit, where I had a Swishwiffer,  or a Coke with vanilla ice cream. It was presented in a cup that said Enjoy, and had sprinkles on top. It was the perfect ending to an amazing trip. And tonight, we are going to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the new musical. Bring on the Oompa Loompas. 

In which I go to Oxford and get inspired...

Today, we all woke up bright and early and went to Oxford. Again, I had no real expectations for Oxford, but I was really excited because there were lots of literary-themed stops on the agenda. Well. This may have been one of my favorite days so far. Oxford's Bodleian Library is beyond beautiful. You may have seen it in the Harry Potter movies where it is the Hogwarts Library. We all know how much I loved the British Library, and this put that library to shame. It was magical and gothic and everything a library should be, complete with moving ladders. It was a place where books are clearly respected and loved, as is learning. And, on top of all that, it is currently hosting an exhibit called Magical Books which features different fantasy elements from children's literature. It was amazing, and very well put together. I continue to be amazed by the condition of the books from centuries ago. It was also nice to see the role of the library in the exhibit.

After the library tour, I may or may not have bought the entire store. They had great library related products. What a mess. And this was the sign they had on the door. How could you not like this store? 

So then, comes the highlight of the trip so far. Well. The highlight of the class. Kayaking is still pretty high up there. We went to the The Story Museum. This place was incredible. Really and truly incredible. They had this amazing blank space which they were dedicating to story telling. They had originally planned to be an organization that promoted literacy, however when they started working with teachers they realized that children do not have a strong enough vocabulary to understand the stories they were hearing. And so they began a story telling workshop in which children can listen to stories, act them out and re-tell them in various ways to increase their vocabulary. They had the left over props from an Alice in Wonderland day held this past weekend, which showed that this must be an incredible experience for the kids. I was very happy to speak to Kim for a while after the tour ended, and walked away feeling very inspired. I couldn't help but compare this with the Toy Library I learned about in Rochester, in which play is fostered by lending out toys for children, or simply providing them a space to play. I feel like these two ideas have the ability to be one amazing library space. I am just not sure how that would work. 

The Story Museum also has the most amazing signs all over the place. Some of these will end up in my library. Perhaps not the smoking one...

And finally, Humphrey made the trip to Oxford as well. While he did not see any water, he most definitely feels smarter! 

Camden

Today we went to Camden, where our focus was on contrasts. This was the perfect day for such a topic. We started by taking a very slow moving and relaxing boat ride up the Camden River. We passed an incredible "village" of house boats which served in stark contrast to the mansions in the background. As soon as our boat docked at Camden Market, all of the serenity of the boat ride was replaced with the hustle and bustle of the famous market. I had heard that Camden was supposed to be a sort of alternative market, with heavy punk influence. However, what I found was a fairly commercialized market that sold the same material over and over again. What was cool was being able to wander and find different ally ways. One of the markets was in an old stable and some of the stores were in stalls. Also, the food choices were amazing, with options from all over the world. One stand just sold cooked octopus!

For the first time I saw one of those stands where you could have fish eat the dead skin off your feet. I actually would have tried it, except I had to leave because I was going KAYAKING ON THE THAMES!!! This came about from a missed opportunity in Chicago, which lead to a discussion at dinner, which lead to Jessica seeing something about kayaking on the Thames and being convinced that I would not be thwarted a second time. And so, 6 of us went on a quest to not only find the kayak place (not that easy), but successfully navigate three miles of the Thames to see Big Ben from the water. This was worth every second of it. The detail work on the wall and bridges inside the river is absolutely incredible. And while I couldn't take a lot of pictures (cause my hands were a little tied up) I highly recommend this if you are coming to London. Check out our friend Harry at http://kayakinglondon.com

Finally, I will say that Humphrey was very happy that we were on the water all day! 

Weekend update

Believe it or not, this is actually the only weekend I will be in London. And so, I went out of London to see what else is out there. Saturday was spent at Bath and Stonehenge. I learned I need to get my British history straight, because I thought Georgian style was going to be thatched roofs and what not. Oops. The Baths were very cool. I had to keep reminding myself that I was not in Rome while I was looking at the artifacts. It was really amazing, and while I didn't get to taste the water or go to new spa next door to bathe in the baths, I give it two thumbs up.

After I left the baths, it was off to the Abbey. So pretty. And it was a great contrast to the Roman style Baths. The Abbey is in the Georgian style (not a thatched roof) and is right next to the baths. Actually, while standing at the Baths, you are looking at the tower of the church.

Amazing, isn't it? 

Here are some pictures of the inside... 

Next stop? Stonehenge. Now, I will say, Stonehenge was something that I wanted to see to check off the list. And so off I went. And the lovely tour guide started to explain all of  the mystery surrounding Stonehenge, like the distance the rocks traveled, and the average life span back in the day and how there is no trace of an explanation of something that clearly took a lot of coordinating. And then we got there, and the first thing I noticed was the smell of sheep. Because that is all there is there. Nothing else. No houses, no mountains in the distance, nothing. Just fields of sheep. And some giant rocks that are in a formation from 5,000 years ago. And it got that much cooler. 

Finally, on Sunday, I went to Greenwich, with two goals. One, stand on the Prime Meridian line. Two, wander around the Greenwich Market. Step one, not so easy. London is very easily marked. I am having no problems finding my way around, despite being directionally challenged. However, finding the Greenwich Observatory was surprisingly not that easy. It was tucked away at the top of a hill. Once I found it, I paid 7 pounds to stand on line for 3 years (or 30 minutes. I lost track, but it was a while), to stand on a line. But. I have to say. As I skipped down the hill, I was smiling. Prime Meridian picture? Check

I took a quick spin of the market, but it was really crowded and very overwhelming, but it had potential. 

And, the Starbucks tour continues...Bath, and Greenwich. Surprisingly, no Starbucks at Stonehenge. But they are building a visitor's center, so maybe soon. 

Weekend trip ideas

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Intro Music: "God Save the Queen" St. Mark's Philharmonic Orchestra
Outro Music: "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" The Rolling Stones Out of Our Heads, 1965

Trying to figure out what to do this weekend? Take a listen!

Walk like an Egyptian

Last night, the British Museum was open late. Now, one of my favorite things to do at home is to go to the Met on late nights and wander. Armed with my Rick Steves Podcast, I thought I would do the same here. Holy. Moly. This place is huge!! I got overwhelmed with the gift shop alone!! However, it is really incredible.

Despite spending lots of time lost, I loved the faces, and the common thread that no matter the time period or the era of the piece, there was an incredible amount of detail and personality put into the faces. Examples are seen above in the chess piece (from the Lewis Chessmen) the mummy, and the lion. And this theme continued throughout the museum.

Also, I am not sure what the background story is on this, but I am loving the rubber ducks throughout London. I found one reading at The British Library, and they had three versions at the museum (a soldier, a mummy, and I forgot the third.) While I have not yet succumbed to buying a rubber ducky, it is just a matter of time. Please note the rubber duckies in the British Museum are stored in a bathtub!!!!