Yesterday I learned (from Joseph Kerski, Ph.D from the Environmental Systems Research Institute) that the United States Geological Survey has the largest map room in the world. It is 17 acres and is larger than the Library of Congress!! You can view a short video here to see the inside of the place with its coutless shelves housing maps. I realize this is is not the most exciting action-packed video, but still it is fascinating to see how many maps the US owns.

If you have ever been curious about the making of maps, check out the USGS website, which explains everything you need to know about topographical maps. Yes, I admit this is rather nerdy, but it is fascinating. And after all, it is National Geography Awareness Week!

I apologize in advance for carrying on once again about how much I adore 1st graders. But they are adorable! They are so happy and tiny and animated. I had to visit Coral Sunset Elementary in Boca Raton again today, because the post office seems to have lost a box of books I shipped to the school on November 6th. I wanted to give those kids the books they were waiting for. I’ll deal with the post office later. (They won’t even try to track the box until it has been missing for 4 weeks.)

While I was there, I read the last 1/3 of my book to the students in Ms. Yarbrough’s room. I went in today dressed as Grandma Nellie. It was fun to read the book, since I don’t usually do that during my author visits. These kids had already listened to the CD twice, but still they acted as though they never heard it before. They were very attentive and had a lot of cute questions. One boy asked me why I look so much like the author who come to visit 3 weeks ago in a Lilly costume. He was confused when I told him that was me in a different costume. Another boy told me he was going to be the next President of the United States. He was devastated when I informed him that he needs to be at least 35 years old to run for that office. But I let him know that if he keeps reading and studying very hard, and learns where Washington DC is on the map, he has a chance of fulfilling his dream.

REMEMBER - IT IS NATIONL GEOGRAPHY AWARENESS WEEK!

Tell everyone you know!!

I came home from the post office today only to find a hungry Great Egret in my driveway. I ran in the house to grab the Nikon and started taking pictures. He was a bit nervous about me approaching but I managed to get a couple of great shots.

This migratory bird is also called the White Heron and loves South Florida’s winter climate. It can also be found in Canada, other US spots, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. It enjoys shallow water and looks for insects and frogs to dine on. It is so quiet and graceful! Check out that beautiful shadow.

Now I am hoping to see orioles in my yard, because they are exquisite birds. And they seem to love Miami in the winter and spring, just like people do!

I hope you are taking advantage of National Geography Week. In case you were wondering how to do that, here are some fun things you can do with your kids:

1. Pick a destination you have heard about and thought was interesting, but know very little about. Find it on a map. Research that place on line or at the library. Learn about the history, culture, climate, natural wonders, monuments and attractions.
2. Write a story about the attractions of your city for someone who is unfamiliar with your part of the country.
3. Write a letter to a friend or family member who lives in another country and ask that person an interesting question about where he or she lives.
4. Find your city on a map and figure out its latitude and longitude.
5. Study a map of the USA and identify each of the 50 states’ capital cities.
6. Put your finger on a globe, close your eyes and spin that globe around. Whatever destination your finger lands on, look that place up to learn more about it.
7. Look up the currency of every country on the planet.
8. Look up the names of all the world leaders.
9. Make a list of the 10 highest mountains on earth and find them on a map.
10. Research a nation comprised of islands such as Indonesia or the Maldives. Figure out how many islands there are and how many are inhabited. Learn about the flora and fauna.
11. Research the names of famous people who came from your state. Find out what they did to get famous.
12. Pick your favorite large city in the world and do some research to find out what life was like there 100 or 200 years (or longer) ago.
13. Identify the 7 Original Wonders of the World, learn all about them including what happened to make most of them disappear.
14. Find the city in the US with largest population, and the city with the smallest population.
15. Study the map of the world to identify all the different time zones. Then figure out what time/day it is at hour home when it is ___ time/day in a far away place.
16. Find every city in the world with the same name as your city - if there are any.
17. Look at a map and concentrate on only the largest bodies of water. Name them and remember their locations.

Today I became a member of The National Council for Geography Education. This organization is dedicated to improving the quality of geography education, something we really need in the US! Spreading the word about our need for more of a geography curriculum is what really impressed me about NCGE. It supports educators by providing them with the resources they need to teach their students about geography.

Here’s what we can do as parents to improve our childrens’ knowledge about the world, and you DO NOT have to be a world traveler! Most of the travel writing I did for 15 years working for cruise lines was completed in my home office at a desk. I would never have had the time to write all those brochures with ridiculous deadlines had I been on airplanes and cruise ships all the time.

• Speak to your child’s teacher about geography lessons in the classroom. Find out what programs are offered. Let the teacher and school administrators know how important you think geography education is for every child. You might also want to ask what type of geography education the teachers a the school have.
• Find out if there is a geography bee in your community, and encourage your child to enter. It would be a great motivator to get busy and study the world.
• Fill in the geography education void at home. You can buy large wall maps of the world and the USA at the book store for very little money. Put one up on the wall in your child’s room. I play a simple geography game with the kids at the schools I visit, and they all love it - even if they cannot answer the questions. It is fun to learn facts about the US and the world. If a child has a map to look at every day, he or she will naturally be more curious about places near and far.
• Subscribe to National Geographic Kids Magazine.
• When you do travel, even if it is not very far, ask your children to write a travel diary about the journey.  That will motivate them to learn more about the places you visit and get the facts. Give them a travel guide about the area for reference, and collect brochures about the places you’ve visited.
• Look for writing/essay contests for kids to enter. (We had one here at Smart Poodle Publishing this year, and there are others on line and in schools.)
• Go to the library or book store and find books for children about geography, travel, and culture. You can read them together. Once a child reads about a place, he or she will likely be interested in learning more about it. And with a great big map on the wall, it will be easy to see where in the world it is located.

After complaining about Christmas coming too early, it started me thinking about the economy and America’s dismal mood. It also reminded me of the Christmas when we cut back on our own gifts and helped out a needy family.

We called The Children’s Home Society and they gave us a list of the needs of a mom and her two girls. The husband/father was sent to prison, and there was no money for Christmas gifts for the children. You’d be surprised how much we were able to buy for very little $. It was such a pleasure to shop for the mom and her small girls and wrap the gifts. The pure joy was delivering the goods to their tiny apartment and seeing the smiles on their faces.

It really puts everything into perspective when you and your kids help someone else out in time of need.  It may sound cliche, but it will make you all feel grateful (and a little spoiled) for your own life.  Give it a try. And it does not have to be Thanksgiving or Christmas. There are needy peope everywhere every day of the year.

Okay. Call me the Grinch. Normally I am a HUGE lover of Christmas cheer and celebration. I overdecorate and go way out on my Christmas cards every year. But this year, things have gotten out of control. Here is my list:

1. We have a local radio station in Miami that has been playing Christmas music 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for several weeks already. I adore holiday music, but honestly, who is going to listen to that day in and day out for 2 whole months? Plus it is going to be 88 today here, and we may break a heat record. I’m not quite in the mood yet for elevator/dentist chair Christmas music.
2. TV commercials depicting Christmas dinners have also been airing for weeks - Even BEFORE Halloween! How can I enjoy carving  pumpkins while worrying about what type of main course I’ll be serving 2 months later. Let’s see Turkey commercials with pilgrims first.
3. I feel for retail stores. I’m a publisher and know how hard it is to sell books in this economy. But Christmas decorations in early August are a bit obscene, don’t you think? Does that really help people buy more for a holiday that is 4 months down the road? It does not sell me. You’ll have to remember that in August you can bake chocolate chip cookies on your car dashboard here. And in August you are worried about spending $200 on basic school supplies for your kids, (and a whole lot more if they need a graphing calculator!) And what about school clothes and paying for your summer vacation expenses?
4. My first Christmas catalog was delivered in early August as well. I ended up using it, while wearing shorts, to protect my bun cheeks from getting a 3rd degree burn from my car’s leather seat. It is unbearably hot in the summer. I ended up sticking to the glossy cover anyway, and when I pulled it off, an imprint of snowmen, wearing scarves, ended up on the back of my legs from the ink on the cover. People were staring at me.
5. We actually have had a house in our neighborhood with full outside Christmas lights, decorations and even a lit tree in the window since the end of October. I was shocked to see it and thought I was dreaming. I do not think that family will be able to afford any gifts this season after paying those electric bills for a few months. Oh yes, and how dead will that Christmas tree be on December 25th?

I’m all for celebrating, as I said. And our country needs to do that during these troubling times. But if winter holidays are shoved down our throats many months before the season starts, I don’t think it will improve our spirits much or help the economy. By the time these holidays come, I don’t want to feel as though I’m burnt out on them and no longer interested in celebrating. Do you?

My husband came home from work today very frustrated and restless. He went to a meeting comprised of approximately 60 business people. There was a microphone for attendees to speak into when they asked or answered a question. Dozens of the 60 attendees did NOT speak loud enough to be heard. Speakers were asked repeatedly to repeat what they had said, louder and more directly into the microphone. How irritating is that?

I realize that some people are not comfortable speaking in public, but this was not a one person presentation. (Obviously I am not shy or I would not be a children’s book author who travels around to schools and uses ridiculous cartoon voices in my presentations in front of hundreds of kids and adults.) But as adults, shouldn’t we be able to literally speak loud enough to be heard? I don’t get it.

I have always been outgoing and used to pray when I was a kid that I could be shy. It never worked. I admire shy people for keeping quiet when I cannot. I always used to think shy people thought I was an idiot for talking too much. But I have had several people explain to me that introverts like to be around extroverts so they don’t have to do the talking themselves. Should I be offended by that?

I am getting off subject here a bit. The bottom line is that if you have something to say, say it loud enough so everyone who is listening can hear it. If you cannot speak up, perhaps it is better to not speak. That seems like a shame to me, since everyone knows something about something and can make the world a better place by sharing that with someone. Are you getting some of this some of the time?

There are organizations that help people get over their fear of speaking like Toastmasters. I have heard a lot of good things about that organization bringing people out of their shells. Check it out if you are one who sweats bullets or get stomach cramps at the thought of speaking into a microphone in front of strangers. If not for yourself than do it for your children. You don’t want them to not be able to be heard, and you’ll be setting a good example.

I hope you heard what I said loud and clear.

Every Veteran’s Day I think about my late father-in-law, who served in WWII. Naturally this year I also thought about our troops in Iraq. I can’t help but have a sense of guilt for having a day off while others are risking their lives.

We spent a mellow afternoon at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale with a picnic, fishing a hiking. The weather was gorgeous and for once, not too hot here!

Happy Veterans Day!

Photo 1 - My husband, John, fishing in the Intracoastal

Photo 2 - Water Taxi providing a tour of Ft. Lauderdale

Photo 3 - A wild iguana scampers through the park

I was greeted this morning by the friendliest Media Specialist, Leonora Flietas, at Norma Bossard Elementary in SW Miami. This beautiful school is only 3 years old, and the library is fantastic!

I had the chance to share my program with a class of 36 1st graders. The school chose to hold a lottery and picked one class to meet me. We danced, sang, learned about the plants and animals of Costa RIca and all about the rain forest. These were the cutest, happiest, most inquisitive kids. They were polite and so friendly. Every time I share my book with kids, I am reminded how much energy and enthusiasm they have. And more than anything, they like to have FUN! Each of us (adults) can certainly learn from them.

Thank you Leonora and all the kids and teachers for inviting me into your beautiful school and putting a smile on my face for the rest of the day!