Saturday, April 19, 2008

Daily Soup for Saturday, April 19th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

a·non·y·mous [ə nónnəməss]
adjective
  1. unnamed: whose name is not known or not given
    the anonymous author
  2. with name withheld: with the performer's, maker's, or creator's identity withheld
    an anonymous letter
  3. indistinctive: lacking individuality or distinctiveness
    a quirkiness unsuited to an anonymous shopping mall
  4. preventing identification: obscuring somebody's identity, or allowing somebody to go unnoticed
    a thief who lost his pursuers in an anonymous crowd

Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Daily Soup for Sunday, April 13th: Mendham Township Elementary School Students Participate in St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Math-A-Thon


The children of Mendham Township Elementary School are participating in a Math-A-Thon to raise money to help St. Jude Children's Research Hospital find new treatments for cancer, sickle cell and other diseases. At St. Jude, no family ever pays for treatments not covered by insurance, and families without insurance are never asked to pay. Thanks to millions of kids who help to raise money, St. Jude's is also able to pay for transportation for patients and their families and give them a place to live while they are at St Jude. Since opening in 1962, St. Jude has treated patients from all 50 states and more than 70 foreign countries. Your participation in Math-A-Thon makes you a part of a mission to find cures and save children.

By making an online donation, you too can help St. Jude continue its life-saving work against pediatric diseases with your donation. Thanks for helping the kids at Mendham Township Elementary School reach their goal for the kids of St. Jude!

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Daily Soup for Wednesday, April 2nd

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

dictate

verb [dík tàyt, dik táyt]
1. speak aloud words to be written: to speak the words of a text or letter to be written, either to somebody writing it down as it is spoken, or into a tape recorder for later transcription
2. rule or control other people: to rule over or make decisions for others with absolute authority, or attempt to do so
dictates their every move
3. control something: to have control over something (usually passive)
The decision to go will be dictated by the weather conditions.

noun [dík tàyt]
1. command given: an order telling people what they must do
dictates received from their superiors
2. governing principle: a rule or principle that governs how people behave
the dictates of fashion

Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

Daily Soup for Monday, March 31st

Kid Book of the Day:

Last night at bedtime, we read Young Thomas Edison by Michael Dooling. He's a local author and illustrator who came to Mendham Township Elementary School earlier in the year. We got an autographed copy....

Monday, March 24, 2008

Daily Soup for Tuesday, March 25th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:
in·nards [ínnərdz]
plural noun (informal)
1. internal organs: the internal organs of the body, especially the intestines
2. internal parts of a machine: the internal working parts of a machine or mechanical device

Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter Daily Soup!


Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:
sed·en·tar·y [sédd'n tèrree]
adjective
1. involving sitting: involving a lot of sitting and correspondingly little exercise
sedentary work
2. usually sitting: tending to sit most of the time and getting little exercise
e.g. "my mom is a sedentary person"
3. marine biology not moving: describes shellfish that remain in one place, usually attached to a rock, for most of their lives
4. birds nonmigratory: describes birds that remain in the same area throughout the year and do not migrate
Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.

Kid Project of the Day:


My younger daughter received a kit for her birthday: The Orb Factory "Sticky Mosaics Princess," basically a "mosaic by number" kit consisting of five different princesses covered in numbers. The girls attached the appropriate color sticky mosaic to each number and created the princess. I thought it was a pretty cool birthday gift. After completing the first hard copy princess, my girls logged on to the Orb Factory web site. Their online Fun Zone features several online mosaics in different patterns. Good free fun!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Daily Soup for Thursday, March 20th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

de·luxe [di lúks]
adjective
of a luxurious standard and surpassing all others of the same type


Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Daily Soup for Thursday, March 13th

Today's Weather for the Roxiticus Valley:
Partly sunny, highs in the upper 40s. Light and variable winds. This evening, mostly cloudy, lows in the lower 30s.

Monday, March 10, 2008

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Daily Soup for Saturday, March 8th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

Giddy:
adjective
  1. Having a sensation of whirling and a tendency to fall or stagger; dizzy;
  2. Disorienting and alarming, but exciting; 
  3. Excitable and frivolous
Today's Weather for the Roxiticus Valley:
Rain, rain, go away....


Microsoft® Encarta® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Daily Soup for Friday, March 7th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

har·mo·ni·ous [haar mṓnee əss]
adjective
  1. showing accord: characterized by friendly agreement or accord
  2. relating to harmony: relating to or sounding in musical harmony
  3. blending pleasantly: having a pleasing combination of parts or colors

Today's Weather for the Roxiticus Valley:
Areas of fog this morning. Mostly cloudy with rain this afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s. Chance of rain 100%. Funny (at 9am), it doesn't really feel like rain.....but not long after: rainy, rainy, rainy. Tonight: more rain, heavy at times in the evening. Early lows in the lower 40s.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Daily Soup for Thursday, March 6th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

Relent [ri lént]

  1. become less rigid or strict; to become more sympathetic or amenable and do something previously ruled out or allow something previously forbidden;
  2. become less intense; to slacken or become less intense
    At last my headache relented.

Today's Weather for the Roxiticus Valley:
Partly sunny and breezy, highs in the upper 40s. Flood warning remains in effect. Mostly clear this evening, then becoming partly cloudy and colder, lows in the lower 30s.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Daily Soup for Wednesday, March 5th

Kid Vocabulary Word of the Day:

Proclamation: a public or official announcement, especially one dealing with a matter of great importance; a clear declaration of something.


Kid Book of the Day:

John Phillip Duck

From the book jacket: "When young Edward first brought his tiny wild duck to the grand hotel where he worked with his pa, his only thought was to keep it hidden. After all, he just needed a warm place for his little pet to stay during the day. Everyone helped keep his secret. Until one day, when Mr. Schutt, the blustery hotel manager, discovered the duck swimming in the lobby fountain! Surprised but not defeated, Edward showed Mr. Schutt how his duck could perform, even march to a John Phillip Sousa tune. Maybe Edward could train other ducks to do the same. All he needed was Mr. Schutt's okay -- but could he get it in time to save John Phillip Duck? Patricia Polacco brings the first of the famous Peabody Hotel ducks colorfully to life in this warm and wonderful story about a boy who wouldn't give up and his unforgettable duck."




My girls liked this book so much that we read it two or three times over the course of the couple of weeks we had it on loan from the school library. Having been to the Peabody Hotel, I was totally sucked in and came to believe that this was a true tale of how the hotel came by its ducks....but the last page reveals that it is an "entirely fictional story of a young man who dared to bring his pet duck to the marbled halls of the famous Peabody Hotel."

Today's Weather for the Roxiticus Valley:
Partly sunny and breezy, highs in the mid 40s. Flood warning is in effect. Tonight, partly cloudy and colder, lows in the upper 20s.
EDIT 3/6: The highs actually got into the 60s. Warm but rainy.

The Daily Soup -- First Blog

The Daily Soup takes its name from something they do in my daughter's first grade class. In first grade, it is actually The Daily Scoop, but my faulty hearing caused me to hear it as The Daily Soup.

I'm going to use this blog (as opposed to Roxiticus Desperate Housewives) for daily posts such as Vocabulary Word of the Day, Thought for the Day, Book of the Day, Song of the Day, Quote of the Day, etc.