I Love Lazy Sundays
I love lazy Sundays. There is no reason to bolt out of bed at the unwelcome sound of my alarm. I love them especially because they are rare. There are far fewer than 52 of them in a year. On those precious lazy Sundays, the phone rarely rings; the email is sparse, largely ads; and I have time to read. I read every day, of course, but on lazy Sundays, I read primarily for pleasure, rarely novels any more, since that is pure self indulgence stretching over into weekday hours if the book is any good. When I read my favorite sections of the Sunday New York Times and a few choice articles from New Yorker Magazine, I view it as part of being an informed citizen. It’s an election year, after all; and it doesn’t matter that I long ago made my choice. Reading the Op-Ed page and feature stories or cultural commentary about the presidential race is reaffirming, no matter which side one is on.
Lazy Sundays are special too because I can allow my mind to wander, to connect disparate things. This Sunday, I wandered into the Arts section of the paper and chose to read an article about Angelina Jolie, of all people. Maybe the title was what drew me to it: “Master of Her Mommy Track”; comfortably familiar territory—for all the dimensions of my own life. Jolie, at least according to this feature story, has it all calmly figured out. She has 6 young children and fully intends not to stop there. Most impressive is her putative acceptance of her children’s view of her as “uncool”. The children like to challenge her with comments like, “’Mom, you can’t play this (video game). You won’t know how”. She is quietly certain that some day those children will see how capable she is. Not likely, Angelina, if my experience is close to typical. Do my adult children view me as “capable”? What a silly idea: I am still “Mom”. But, be of good cheer, Angelina. One day, your grandchildren will discover your precious gifts, both the ones you bring along on visits and the ones you have personally possessed all along.
Dr. Brodkin -- Would you be interested in sharing the following information with your readers?
Like other inventors of the time, children who attend the week-long Camp Invention program think green. Recycling and ecology-minded brainstorming are prominent during both Camp Invention and the after-school Club Invention programs. Both are programs of Invent Now Kids, a subsidiary of the nonprofit National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation. Across the country, more than 65,000 children attended the Camp Invention program at local school, museum and college sites last summer.
What is Camp Invention? A nationally recognized program of the National Inventors Hall of Fame Foundation, last summer more than 3,000 teachers and over 65,000 children participated at nearly 700 locations. The Harvard Family Research Project has found Camp Invention to be an exemplary summer program success.
What is Club Invention? It’s a complimentary program for Camp Invention, available for after-school hours and out-of-school breaks.
What do children invent? Camp Invention’s many hands-on activities inspire youngsters to do inquiry-based exploration and to learn the tools that will make them inventors of the future. Children are exposed to various storylines and subject material as they explore, discover, create and invent in five thematic classes each day. Subject material aligns with state and national standards in science, math, history and language arts.
When is it? Camp Invention is a week-long, summer day program. Club Invention is scheduled during after school and out-of-school breaks.
Who is involved? Children entering grades one through six are invited to attend Camp Invention. Children in the same grades can participate in Club Invention.
When are programs scheduled? Parents, teachers, administrators and others get in touch with Invent Now Kids to schedule an upcoming program.
What does it cost? There is no cost to the local school district. Parents pay an enrollment fee.
Check us out at Camp Invention: www.campinvention.org and ask how to host a Camp or Club Invention program in your area.
Posted by: Sherry Paprocki | October 30, 2008 at 13:54 PM