January 2004
January, with its hope of new beginnings, is one of my most anticipated months of the year. Time to clean out, work out and start out in new directions (or maybe in the same directions with renewed vigor). The calendar is not as full as last month, but there is a whole week set aside in Harrisburg to celebrate farm life and all things Pennsylvanian and a colorful festival awaits all who join with the Chinese in recognizing the Year of the Rooster.
Hope is also something we can give to those with little cause for hope through our tangible concern. From what I've read in the news, the most effective method to help the victims of the Tsunami is to give money so that the needed supplies can be purchased and distributed quickly. To that end, the click to give box for tsunami relief on the right gives 100% of your donation to the American Red Cross. Follow this link to donate through World Vision, a Christian Relief Agency. Unrelated to the tsunami, a local children's charity is also bringing hope through a clean water project for an orphans' homes in Uganda. The matching gift throug Covenant Mercies', "Cup of Cold Water" campaign.
Happy New Year!Kathy
Spotlight On: Pennsylvania Farm Show
January means one thing to thousands of Pennsylvanians - time for the Farm Show. The largest indoor agricultural fair in the country, the PA Farm Show exhibits the finest agricultural products of the past year. Growing up in Lancaster County, I attended the farm show frequently as a child. I don't remember much from those visits, only lots of walking, huge tractors and the yummiest milkshakes. Several years ago, I brought my husband and kids for the first time. It has since become an eagerly anticipated event.
It'll take you about 2 hours to get to the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg via the PA Turnpike from the Philadelphia area. There are plenty of signs to direct you to parking, and if you end up in a distant lot, have no fear, there are shuttle buses that'll take you right to the door. A few tips I try to follow every year are:
- wear the most comfortable shoes you own,
- dress in layers - parts of the 25 acre farm show complex are unheated and it can be rather cool, parts are packed with people and will be very warm.
- don't try to see everything in one day,
- bring a stroller/wagon for kids 5 and under, unless you are sure they are up to the walking,
- bring a hand sanitizer like Purell, because you never know what they might touch.
Some of you may be wondering how a farm show can be educational enough to warrant the effort, the drive, and the exhaustion and isn't it, after all, just for farmy kind of folks? Your children will be surprized to see the variety of food products that are produced in PA, almost all of them available for a taste. Last year my son tried a stick of dried elk meat ($1) and thought is was delicious. In the food court you can buy a cup of lamb stew, baked potatoes (these are so soft and fluffy), maple sugar candy, maple syrup, milkshakes - all produced in the commonwealth. Don't miss the food producer's area in the large exhibit hall for samples from food processors like Turkey Hill, and Herr's. Not a health food bar, but a facinating array of bites to nibble, all from PA.
If you or your children don't share my love for food, how about large machinery? One hall is filled with large tractors, combines, log splitters, tillers, etc. The engines are visible and most of the cabs are open with lines of small children waiting to climb a story or two in order to pretend to be the farmer for a minute. Demonstations of machinery are held throughout the day and although intended for prospective purchasers, they are sometimes entertaining for folks without a back forty. By the way, throughout the show there is literature, magnets, bags, rulers, pencils, posters and other paraphanalia to pick up, all free. Even if your child doesn't need the diagram of the various cuts of Angus beef, she might enjoy the photo of the animal she just saw on the other side.
Now that I've mentioned animals, the most space of the show is occupied by large hairy beasts. There are regular farm animals like horses, sheep and pigs along with more exotic bison, and alpaca. If some of these are too big and scary, look for the small animals like rabbits, chickens and ducks, including fertilized eggs in an incubator - hatching! Head out on Saturday the 8th for the HS Championship Rodeo (this one is free, the circuit rodeo the next weekend will cost you) although the sheep to shawl competition on January 12th is a tempting alternative.
I have yet to mention the educational exhibits from Penn State, PA Dept of Environmental Protection, the PA Game Commission, the Mothman, Hawk Mountain and others. See this top ten list of things for kids to do at the farm show here. Oh, come on, you know you want to go, when was the last time you had shoo-fly pie, pet a sheep and saw a 800 pound, life size butter sculpture all on the same day!
Snow Days
Turn a snowy January day into a learning day. Study the white stuff! How do you study snowflakes when they melt so fast? Read Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin to discover a young man (who was homeschooled) determined to capture snowflakes on film, Wilson A. Bentley.
For a comprehensive guide (and I do mean comprehensive) to snowflakes, go to Snowcrystals.com, written by Kenneth G. Libbrecht, a physics professor from Cal Tech. If you've captured Bentley's and Libbrect's passion for snow, check out this page for some links to lesson plans, experiments and other activities.
As the snow piles up, some connections with geology are easy to make. This site will get you started on investigating sedimentary layers along with other geology concepts. Follow the scientific method to find out which product is the most effective snow melter or perform experiments that involve getting the sled to move faster or figuring out the proper architecture for a snow fort -all are also worthy endeavors! And when everyone comes in warm up with a hot chocolate tasting: Hershey vs. Nestle.
