This is one of my favorite times of year. We’ve purchased the perfect backpacks and new shoes, and I love all of the organizational boxes and notebooks! Like you, we are looking for ways to get the gears turning in the brain after a summer of pools, fun, and sun. Phantom Tollbooth is a crazy book all about Math, but it is so much fun! Another great way to brush up on their math skills is with all of the clearance sales. Let your kids calculate the new price of the items you buy. It might be crazy and a tad stressful, but have fun getting ready for school anyway. P.S. The Phantom Tollbooth might be a great book for you to read too, it will bring back a flood of memories of math and English you have blocked out for years.

The Book

Title: Phantom Tollbooth

Author: Norton Juster

Illustrator: Jules Feiffer

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: Readers of all ages will find much wit and wisdom in Norton Juster’s beguiling, offbeat fantasy about a boy names Milo “who didn’t know what to do with himself.”

Through the Phantom Tollbooth lies a strange land and a series of even stranger adventures in which Milo meets some of the most logically illogical characters ever met on this side or that of reality, including King Azaz the Unabridged, unhappy ruler of Dictionopolis; the Mathemagician; Faintly Macabre; the not-so-wicked Which; and the Watchdog Tock, who ticks. In his quest for Rhyme and Reason, Milo helps settle the war between words and numbers, visits the island of conclusions (which can only be reached by jumping), and ventures into the forbidden Mountains of Ignorance, whose all-to-familiar demons menace his every step.

The Phantom Tollbooth is a remarkable story whose humor, irony, sense and non-sense (illustrated with nearly 100 superb Jules Feiffer drawings) make it one of the most unusual and appealing books of the twentieth century.

Author: Norton Juster is an architect and planner, professor emeritus of design at Hampshire College, and the author of a number of highly acclaimed children’s books, including The Dot and the Line, which was made into an Academay-Award winning animated film. He has collaborated with Sheldon Harnick on the libretto for an opera based on The Phantom Tollbooth. An amateur cook and professional eater, Mr. Juster lives with his wife in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Illustrator: Jules Feiffer is the author of two books for young readers The Man in the Ceiling and A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears. He has won a number of prizes for his cartoons, plays, and screenplays. Mr. Feiffer lives in New York City.

The Blast

Back to school shopping with your kids

Location: Your favorite store with great sales.

It’s a blast!

For kids, it’s Christmas in August. New clothes and shoes; sharp pencils and even sharper back packs. Make it educational this year. Allow your kids to calculate the price of their clothing after the sale discount. Better yet, give them a budget and have them keep track and plan out how they will use the money wisely to get what they want. It will be a great experience to get those wheels turnin’ and ready for class again.

For fun I’ve included some statistics from the US Census Bureau about Back to School Shopping.

Back-to-School Shopping

$7.6 billion
The amount of money spent at family clothing stores in August 2008. Only in December were sales significantly higher. Similarly, sales at bookstores in August 2008 totaled $2.4 billion, an amount approached in 2008 only by sales in January.
Source: Monthly Retail Trade and Food Services

For back-to-school shopping, choices of retail establishments abound: In 2006, there were 25,430 family clothing stores, 6,417 children and infants clothing stores, 26,699 shoe stores, 9,425 office supply and stationery stores, 23,270 sporting goods stores, 10,989 bookstores and 9,969 department stores.
Source: County Business Patterns: 2006

Extra Tips for a Good Time!

• Take it slow; make a day out of it. Talk about peer pressure, grades, expectations, drugs, and other school-related topics. Give them time to talk and think, and they will open up. Help prepare them emotionally for going back to school too.
• Lunch or ice cream makes anything special. Clear your calendar for a few hours and spend some quality time with getting the kids prepped for the summer to end.

Ender’s Game was to me, my brothers, and my friends what the Harry Potter series was to a new generation of readers. The sci-fi book captured our imagination and ignited a love of reading. One of the highlights is a battle game the characters play that is similar to laser tag . . . only it is played in a zero-gravity environment, and when a player is shot his suit is immobilized for the remainder of the game. Even with gravity and low-tech clothing at play, I still imagine I’m a character in the book any time I play a round of laser tag with the kids.

The Book

Click here to get the book and more in our Amazon store!

Title: Ender’s Game

Author: Orson Scott Card

Recommended Age: 9-12

Book Brief: Once again, the Earth is under attack. Alien “buggers” are poised for a final assault. The survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the buggers.

But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battleschool. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battleschool is just a game.

Right?

About the Author: Orson Scott Card is the author of the novels Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and Speaker for the Dead, which are widely read by adults and younger readers, and are increasingly used in schools.

Besides these and other science fiction novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy (Magic Street, Enchantment, Lost Boys), biblical novels (Stone Tables, Rachel and Leah), the American frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker (beginning with Seventh Son), poetry (An Open Book), and many plays and scripts.

Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. He served a mission for the LDS Church in Brazil in the early 1970s. Besides his writing, he teaches occasional classes and workshops and directs plays. He recently began a long-term position as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University.

Card currently lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, with his wife, Kristine Allen Card, and their youngest child, Zina Margaret. Learn more about Card and his works by visiting his official website at http://www.hatrack.com/.

The Blast

Stratum Laser Tag

Location:

1455 S. Stapley Drive
Mesa, Arizona 85204

480.545.5500

Cost: $7.99 per person, per game (see below for specials)

Hours of Operation:

Mon, Wed, Thurs – 4:30pm to 9pm

Fri – 4pm to midnight

Sat – 12pm to midnight

Sun – 1pm to 6pm

It’s a Blast! Okay, we get it. You’re not willing to admit that you get a kick out of laser tag because it’s too dorky. That’s perfectly fine . . . just use your kids as an excuse.

Laser tag can be a ton of fun, but we’ve found that it’s much more enjoyable at a center dedicated to this form of entertainment. When a go-kart center or arcade happens to throw a laser tag arena together, it just doesn’t make for the same sort of experience. Stratum happens to be one of the largest arenas in the world, and is one of the best laser tag experiences available. As this is a dying form of entertainment, there is a reason that Stratum still has its doors open.

From their website (at stratumhq.com): “Stratum opened on November 26, 1999. Stratum Lasertag is the World’s Largest Technotainment Laser Tag Arena and Entertainment Center. It is an incredible facility featuring design work from EME Entertainment Design, creators of Caesars Palace Forum Shops and Moving Statues, the Earthquake Dam Ride at Universal Studios, Universal Studios in Japan, as well as many other prominent entertainment designs nationally and internationally recognized. Stratum’s 18,000 square foot full-service entertainment facility includes a 13,000 square foot laser tag arena with 15 different levels 2′ to 20′ in height, 90 towers, bridges, and ramps equipped with 60 vests and phasers. The lasertag arena features a state of the art sound system and amazing light show complete with theatrical lighting, strobe lights, black lights, and more! We also have The Black Hole Time Travel Simulator. The laser tag arena is filled with the 3-D artwork of the country’s foremost arena artist as well. Stratum Laser Tag is a true entertainment destination!”

Extra tips for a Good Time:

• Take advantage of multiple-game discounts. Your kids will use one game to get comfortable with the equipment and arena as well as develop a strategy . . . then they’ll get intense for the next game. (On most days 2 games cost $13.99, 3 games cost $16.99, and 4 games cost $19.99. Also, you can play as much as you can pack in on Thursday evenings for just $14.99!)
• Go with a group. Laser tag is lame when you play solo. The more people you know in the game, the more fun it will be. Stratum recommends calling to make reservations if you plan to have more than 5 people in your group.
• Call ahead to make sure that the night you plan to play isn’t considered a popular night for the “pros”. Your kids won’t enjoy playing with the 30-year-olds dressed in camo and sporting black face paint.
• Wear dark clothing. The lights on your pack will be plenty to make sure nobody runs into you. But your favorite white shirt is like a bulls eye to everyone else in the game.

We’re always looking for a way to get our kids to a museum, but it’s never very hard when it is the Arizona Science Center. Kids run around from one activity to another as they explore science through fun, hands-on exhibits. We typically leave the place exhausted, but better educated and talking about science. Strange Matter is a temporary exhibit about Materials Science – or the science of what makes up everything around us. You’ll learn about plastic, glass, metal, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

Strangely enough, a lot of scientific discoveries are made by accident. We’ve always loved hearing about the quirky ways some discoveries are made. While we certainly can appreciate the methodical scientific approach, sometimes a good accidental invention story simply tickles us. This week’s book, Mistakes that Worked, tells some of these stories. We also think it’s good for kids to understand that they need to make occasional “mistakes” to do great things. We read books like this when we were kids, and we still like relating some of the funny facts we learned.

The Book

Buy the book and more in our Amazon store!

Book Title: Mistakes That Worked

Author: Charlotte Foltz Jones

Illustrator: John O’Brien

Recommended Age: 8 and up

Book Brief: Piggy banks, silly putty, potato chips, and frisbees are all things that were invented by mistake. Jones gathers these stories and more together in a splendid book that is as informative as it is entertaining. Jones has great fun with facts, dredging up plenty in a lively, anecdotal account that recollects the oddball origins of a variety of foods, clothing, toys, and devices. A gem of a book.

About the Author: Charlotte Foltz Jones lives in Boulder, Colorado. She is the author of more than a hundred magazine articles. She and John worked together on several books, included the closely related Accidents May Happen.

About the Illustrator: John O’Brien creates inventive, whimsical, witty, and wacky illustrations. He has contributed to The New Yorker, Highlights for Children, and The Washington Post. He has illustrated more than forty books for children, including the best selling Six Sleepy Sheep, Six Creepy Sheep, Six Snow Sheep, and Six Sandy Sheep.

Extras: Did you know that an Arabian and his camel accidentally invented cheese? Or that brown ‘n serve rolls were invented because a baker had to pull a batch of rolls out of the oven too early? Read about these accidents and more in this fun-filled book!

The Blast

Strange Matter Exhibit

Arizona Science Center

600 E. Washington St.

Phoenix, AZ 85004

(Click here to see a map and get directions.)

Website: www.azscience.org

When: Open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Jan. 6, 2008

Cost: Includes general admission to Arizona Science Center and admission to Strange MatterAdults – $11Children (3-12) – $8Seniors (62+) – $8Members – Free

It’s a Blast: You are surrounded by Strange Matter. Everything around you is made up of molecules and atoms: from the foam in your sneakers, to the plastic in your contact lenses, to the metals in your bicycle. Strange Matter explores the science behind this everyday stuff and introduced visitors to some cutting-edge materials that can do amazing things! Watch mountains of foam grow before your eyes. Feel metals morph from liquid to solid with the touch of a button. Squeeze in some destructive testing with the incredible “Smash the Glass.”

And then explore everything else the Arizona Science Center has to offer!

Extra Tips for a Good Time:

• Join a hands-on workshop to experience the science of materials in another fun format. Find out how different ceramics, including glass, behave when they are heated and cooled. Make your own glass beads from an everyday household product. Learn how ceramics can be used to make light. Family Workshop (Saturday, December 1, 1:30-3:30 p.m.) or Teen Workshop (Saturday, December 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m.). See the website for more details.
• Click here for information on parking.
• The IMAX theater is currently showing The Polar Express in 3D (among other things).
• No food is allowed in the Center, and the only drink you can bring in is bottled water.
• Bring your own stroller – there are none available for rental.
• Leave your valuables at home, because there are no lockers to stash your stuff.
• City Bakery at Arizona Science Center offers an all-organic menu.
• For little kids, check out the Stroller Science program that caters to their interest levels.

We’re always looking for a way to get our kids to a museum, but it’s never very hard when it is the Arizona Science Center. Kids run around from one activity to another as they explore science through fun, hands-on exhibits. We typically leave the place exhausted, but better educated and talking about science. Strange Matter is a temporary exhibit about Materials Science – or the science of what makes up everything around us. You’ll learn about plastic, glass, metal, and all sorts of other fun stuff.

At home, one way to keep the interest in science high is through a funny book by one of our favorite children’s book dynamic duos, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith. Science Verse pokes fun at science class through a series of parody poems. But watch out! If you’re not careful you might learn something while you’re having fun.

The Book

Get the book and more in our Amazon store!

Title: Science Verse

Author: Jon Scieszka

Illustrator: Lane Smith

Recommended Age: 7 and up

Book Brief: What if a boring lesson about the food chain becomes a sing-aloud celebration about predators and prey? A twinkle-twinkle little star transforms into a twinkle-less, sunshine-eating-and-rhyming Black Hole? What if amoebas, combustion, metamorphosis, viruses, the creation of the universe are all irresistible, laugh-out-loud poetry? Well, you’re thinking in science verse, that’s what. And if you can’t stop the rhymes . . . the atomic joke is on you. Only the amazing talents of Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith, the team who created Math Curse, could make science so much fun.

About the Author:

Jon Scieszka
rhymes with Fresca.
Lucky for him ’cause
not much else does.

Jon is funny. You’ll have to read his books or check out his website to know what I mean. But be warned, the guys in the crowd might get his humor more than the ladies. That’s by design. Worried about boys’ general lack of interest in reading, Jon started an organization called Guys Read – it also has an interesting website – to provide tips for getting boys interested in reading. Jon is the author of many children’s book favorites (especially among boys), including The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, The Frog Prince Continued, The Stinky Cheese Man and other Fairly Stupid Tales, and Cowboy & Octopus.

About the Illustrator:

Lane Smith
rhymes with
almost less-ska
than Jon Scieszka.

Lane has illustrated and written a bunch of stuff. Besides those written by Scieszka, Lane has worked on a number of high profile books, including James and the Giant Peach, written by Roald Dahl, and John, Paul, George, and Ben, which he wrote.

Extras: The True Story of the Three Little Pigs was the first book that Scieszka and Smith did together. It was Jon’s first book. He had already made the rounds to publishers and been denied by all of them. Lane read the story and liked it, so he completed the illustrations for it. He then showed some of the publishers he thought would print it, but they all found the illustration style a little to sophisticated and modern. One publisher finally thought the text and illustrations made for a hilarious book and took a chance on the duo. The rest – as they say – is history. And boy are we happy; we love these guys!

The Blast

Strange Matter Exhibit
Arizona Science Center
600 E. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85004

(Click here to see a map and get directions.)

Website: www.azscience.org

When: Open daily 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. through Jan. 6, 2008

Cost: Includes general admission to Arizona Science Center and admission to Strange Matter
Adults – $11
Children (3-12) – $8
Seniors (62+) – $8
Members – Free

It’s a Blast: You are surrounded by Strange Matter. Everything around you is made up of molecules and atoms: from the foam in your sneakers, to the plastic in your contact lenses, to the metals in your bicycle. Strange Matter explores the science behind this everyday stuff and introduced visitors to some cutting-edge materials that can do amazing things! Watch mountains of foam grow before your eyes. Feel metals morph from liquid to solid with the touch of a button. Squeeze in some destructive testing with the incredible “Smash the Glass.”

And then explore everything else the Arizona Science Center has to offer!

Extra Tips for a Good Time:

• Join a hands-on workshop to experience the science of materials in another fun format. Find out how different ceramics, including glass, behave when they are heated and cooled. Make your own glass beads from an everyday household product. Learn how ceramics can be used to make light. Family Workshop (Saturday, December 1, 1:30-3:30 p.m.) or Teen Workshop (Saturday, December 8, 1:30-3:30 p.m.). See the website for more details.
• Click here for information on parking.
• The IMAX theater is currently showing The Polar Express in 3D (among other things).
• No food is allowed in the Center, and the only drink you can bring in is bottled water.
• Bring your own stroller – there are none available for rental.
• Leave your valuables at home, because there are no lockers to stash your stuff.
• City Bakery at Arizona Science Center offers an all-organic menu.
• For little kids, check out the Stroller Science program that caters to their interest levels.