Skyping With Spain

On January 29, 2018January 29, 2018 By naomimgruerIn Kid Lit2 Comments

Congratulations, Skype-a-Thon participants!

Together, we’ve connected nearly half a million students and traveled over 14,500,000 virtual miles in 48 hours! Thank you to all the teachers, speakers, and students who made this achievement possible.

New Year’s Resolutions are built on foundations laid the previous year. One of the things I did in 2017, and definitely want to do more of, was Skype with classrooms.

Thanks to Microsoft Education and the opportunity to become a Microsoft Guest Educator, I participated in a 2017 global Skype-a-Thon on November 29, 2017.

Javier Ramos Sancha, a teacher in Aguilar de Campoo, Spain, asked if I could read to his Year 1 bilingual students. Aguilar de Campoo, a northern town in the province of Palencia, is “a key point on the route of Palencia’s Romanesque heritage.”

**Skype-ing with Level 1 bilingual students in Spain.**

Guess who else the students got to meet?

What fun! Thanks Javier!

Earlier in the year, I also Skyped with a classroom in Canada. French teacher Madame Diaz and I have Skyped several times. It makes me so happy to connect with her students.

Thanks, Madame Diaz, for this note: “Hi Naomi, as usual my students LOVED getting to know you.”

Thanks, also, to children’s book author Darlene Beck-Jackobson, who took time to discuss classroom Skype-ing with me! Check out her blog, “Darlene Beck-Jacobson, Gold From The Dust: Bringing Stories to Life.

Related Post: Skype Hype

Sources: Spain.info, Wikipedia, Microsoft Education

Top Ten Cool Facts About Plains Lubber Grasshoppers

On October 25, 2017 By naomimgruerIn Animals, Photography, Top Ten, Travel9 Comments

In my last post, Tarantula Territory, I lamented that I didn’t see any tarantulas on a hike but, guess what I did see? A Plains Lubber Grasshopper! The approximately five-inch insect caught my attention–how could it not?–and I had to get a closer look. I looked at her and she at me. We bonded.

I can’t believe I got such a clear photo of her awesome exoskeleton, which protects her against predators and prevents dehydration. (Come to think of it, that could be a great pick-up line. “Excuse me, but you have an awesome exoskeleton.”) Plains Lubbers are native to southern and central USA and Northern Mexico.

Top Ten Cool Facts About Plains Lubber Grasshoppers

A Plains Lubber can’t fly because its wings are too small.
A lubber has a pod that holds approximately 20-35 eggs. After incubating in the ground during the colder months, or for as long as two years, the eggs hatch in May or June.
It uses two pairs of eyes (simple and compound) to see.
It uses its bluish-brown antennae to feel and smell.
The tympanum, or round membrane located on either side of its body near its legs allows it to “hear” or detect sound waves.
To breathe, it has spiracles, or tiny holes located all along the abdomen.
A lubber is capable of jumping from several inches to several feet using its oversized hind legs.
A young lubber will molt its exoskeleton five times at roughly 15-day intervals before reaching adulthood.
Bright coloring and patterning on a lubber’s shell warns predators that it’s unpalatable to downright poisonous. A lubber ingests substances in the plants it eats that, although harmless to humans and the lubber itself, are toxic to many predators. These chemicals may kill smaller creatures such as birds or leave larger animals quite ill after ingesting a lubber.
To protect against predators, a lubber can secrete a noxious foam while making a loud hissing sound. It can also regurgitate a dark brown liquid (commonly called tobacco spit) as a defense.

Hon, which category are you in? Cool or ewww?

For all of the ewww’s, consider the photos below as visual palette cleansers.

Sources: The Big Zoo, American Orchid Society, Wikipedia,

Raku Reaction (Raku Workshop Part 2)

On August 1, 2014January 23, 2018 By naomimgruerIn Ceramics, Hand-Made, Photography7 Comments

In my previous post, Red Hot Raku (Raku Workshop, Part 1), the kiln was king. You can bet we listened carefully when our amazing instructor, Peter Syak, guided us through the reduction process! Even so, when we were on “bucket brigade” and handled our pieces just transferred from the kiln, the heat seeped right through our extra-thick, fire-retardent gloves. I had to rip the gloves off and fan my fingers!

Guess what happens when ANYTHING touches a surface that’s 1800 degrees F? It bursts into flames!

Here are some pictures of the process. Hon, stand back from the fire…unless you’re on “bucket brigade.”

Beds are prepped and waiting for our red hot hand built and wheel thrown pieces. — Beds are prepped and waiting for our hand-built and wheel-thrown pieces.

Peter calls lifting the kiln lid "a dance!" — Peter calls lifting the kiln lid “a dance!”

Peter removes our red hot pieces and QUICKLY and CAREFULLY places each piece in a spot on the sawdust bed. — Peter uses long, metal tongs to remove our red hot pieces. He QUICKLY and CAREFULLY places each piece in a spot on the sawdust bed.

Our earthenware is set in the sawdust bed and covered with metal buckets filled part-way with straw.

Metal buckets, roasting pans and planters cover our pieces (and conduct heat).

Mary and Peter nestle a bucket on a large piece, attempting to minimize any air leakage.

“Aluminum containers act as reduction tubes. Reduction is a decrease in oxidation number. Closing the can reduces the oxygen content after the combustible materials such as sawdust catch fire and forces the reaction to pull oxygen from the glazes and clay minerals. Luster gets its color from deprivation of oxygen. The reaction between the oxygen and clay minerals affects the color of the clay and the metal elements of the glaze.” (Wikipedia)

We "burped" our pieces by quickly lifting the buckets and lids, adding more sawdust and covering as quickly and carefully as possible. — I help “burp” the pieces by lifting buckets and lids, while Peter adds more sawdust.

Peter checks each piece, throwing sawdust on the ones where more crackling is desired. Pieces are re-covered and buckets and lids are nestled into the beds to reduce escape of air/ smoking. — Peter tosses sawdust on the ware where more crackling is desired. Pieces are quickly and carefully re-covered. Buckets are nestled into beds to reduce escape of air/ smoking.

Tossing sawdust on a burning hot pot. — Tossing sawdust on a burning-hot pot.

Judy's sculpture was re-covered and left to cool a bit more before it was handled again. — Judy’s sculpture was re-covered and left to cool a bit more before it was handled again. Notice the crackling of the glaze.

What happens next?

Red Hot Raku (Raku Workhop Part 1)

On July 31, 2014January 22, 2018 By naomimgruerIn Ceramics, Hand-Made, Photography5 Comments

Clay Maven

You know how I love to “play with clay“? This summer I learned something new. I learned Raku!

I just finished a wonderful workshop given by master ceramicist, Peter Syak. He instructed more and less experienced (umm, that would be me) students how to create vases, plates, boxes and sculptures, and how to fire them in a raku kiln.

According to Wikipedia, Raku originated in Japan and is “thick-walled, rough, lead-glazed earthenware.” Raku means “enjoyment, comfort and ease.” The workshop was definitely enjoyable, but as for comfort, I smelled like a smokestack at the end of the day. As for ease, I’m not so sure. If it weren’t for Peter’s engineering-background and careful attention to detail and safety, we might have glowed orange like our pots after baking in 1800 degrees Fahrenheit!

Over four weeks, we hand-built with raku clay and painted with glaze. Peter bisque-fired our greenware.

I couldn’t wait to take part in a raku firing. Hon, hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed the process!

A propane tank feeds gas into the kiln. Our pieces are already inside, baking as the Pyrometer tells us when the temperature has reached about 1600 degrees F.