Science is a social event!

I've been a delinquent blogger, what with teaching, GIMPing along, and getting ready to do a one day propaganda blitz at the ILA conference in St. Louis in July.  I've been working with Dr. Lars, my cohort in curriculum, to get the message as clear as a bell. Made new business cards, new brochure, created a free giveaway activity page, and dolled up that part of my website.
   GIMPing along, you ask?  As part of my transition to a new computer I went from adobe products like photoshop to the freeware GIMP - stands for GNU Image Manipulation Program.  The going was rough in the beginning with functional fixedness from years of using photoshop.  The only thing it doesn't do is allow copy/paste of text function (so far as I can tell), and I am the worst typist.  It wasn't at all intuitive, or was it?  Getting used to it ended up having every creative task with the making of collateral materials a real grueling, time-consuming adventure.  But I got it done.  Here's the brochure.  I'm very pleased with how it turned out.

And then I made my new business card:

Uploaded the files to my friends at Powder Horn Press, and I'm ready to go.

   In addition to all of that, Lars thought it a great idea if we have a little giveaway so teachers can get a feel for what we'll be offering - a spiral curriculum that introduces topics that will promote lifelong inner growth of children.  It's so cool to be working with a guy who really knows the teaching profession.  He'll be taking the book to the Rudolf Steiner College (the Waldorf teachers'  college) while I'm doing St. Louie.  I am very excited - also a little scared to be spending all this money...

   So, if you'd like a little taste of the curriculum, you can go here and click on link to download the freebie Picture Page and Activity Guide. :-)  As Lars says, Science is a social event. If you do the activity, I'd love to see your Limulus Logo. Enjoy!

Time flies!

Just posted this to my kickstarter backers, so I'll share it with you:

Wow, it's been a year since Nelson Telson took off, thanks to your support.
Although I've probably given away as many books as I've sold, some amazing things have happened. I have come to understand that the book fits right in to the country's STEM girl initiative - as a means to excite girls about careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.  I have found out that, to quote Lars Helgeson, "It's a means to set the 'spiral curriculum' in motion, introducing topics that children will grow into all of their lives." Cool, eh?
Lars and I are working on a curriculum.  Nelson Telson will be required text for Life Science for Elementary School, T&L 472, at University of North Dakota, Fall 2015, where we will continue to develop and test the curriculum.  Meanwhile, I make the activity pages - and prepare to go to the International Literacy Association conference in St. Louis in July. My biggest challenge right now is revamping my brochure so that it speaks to the STEM thing, the curriculum, and especially teachers, with the promise that all that testing and Common Core stuff is supported by Nelson Telson.

Without the actual curriculum ready to roll out, I am taking a leap, and flying on a wing and a prayer, spending money I don't have, but knowing it's already a done deal with the universe.  How's that for faith?

I made a sticker to give out with the brochure in St. Louis.  Want one?

Time is relative, but those monthly bills have their own unstoppable life cycles... When I lament that things aren't moving as fast as I'd like, my son reminds me that CocaCola only sold 2 bottles their first year.  

Holding the course.  Sailing uncharted waters. Grateful for amazon reviews and any promoting and sharing you do.

Many thanks!