Best Gas Mileage in Town........for a Bus!

Does your school age child whine that she doesn't want to take the bus to school while your preschooler begs to go on the bus? Here's a bus that everyone can ride. The best part is it gets excellent gas mileage and burns some energy too.

Start with a regular cardboard box. We used the size that paper comes in. Cut off the flaps, if any, and cut a 12" X 16" rectangle in the bottom of the box, which will become the top of the bus. If, desired, paint the box yellow and let it dry overnight.

Develop cutting skills and shape awareness by having your child cut basic shapes using shiny paper for rectangular windows, black construction paper for round wheels, and red construction paper circles for lights. Point out these details the next time you see a real bus to connect the project to life experience. Smiley face or character stickers can be stuck on the windows to make it look like your bus is full of passengers.

Your child can decorate a paper plate for the steering wheel while you use a utility knife to cut two 1" slits in the top of the cardboard (see picture) and fold that piece upward. Now use a brass paper fastener to attach the steering wheel.

As your child runs around he can hold the bus up himself, or you can make suspender straps to hold it up with string, yarn, or a belt. Just punch holes and run the string through like the one in the picture. It helps to cross the straps in the back like overalls.

Now have some fun with your bus: play Red Light Green Light, draw some sidewalk chalk roads and have someone be a police officer directing traffic, or even try what my daughter did---put on roller skates so the bus can go really fast! Try to encourage creativity. One friend rode the bus down our slide, pretending to be driving over really big hills. My other daughter started a tour bus company, offering in the family tour of our backyard. You could even set up an obstacle course or a bus driver training course.

Before you know it the real school bus will be back with big brother, sister, or friend, who will want to make a bus of his or her own.

Early American Espionage

Ruff Ruffman's not the only one who can teach us how to solve a mystery...our first president can, too! George Washington's days as a spy date all the way back to the 1700's, when he was a dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America. It was his savvy spying abilities that led the United States to victory in the Revolutionary War.

Tricks of the Trade:

One trick to sending a message during the war was to write a letter. I know what you're thinking - what if someone stole the letter and revealed the secrets inside? British General, Sir Henry Clinton knew that this was a possibility as well, so he created something called a mask letter. He would write a letter that seemed unimportant to readers unless you cover it with a mask to reveal the true message.

To view more spy letters from the Revolutionary War Visit:

http://www2.si.umich.edu/spies/index-gallery.html

Men weren't the only ones acting as spies during the war. Women would send messages using their clothing lines that would go completely undetected. Anna Smith Strong was one of the brave souls who sent messages to the Culper Ring (Washington's spies). If she hung a black petticoat on her clothing line it meant that another member of the ring, blacksmith and boatman Caleb Brewster, had arrived on his boat. The number of white handkerchiefs on the line indicated which of six coves Brewster and his boat were hiding in.

Codes were an extremely important means of communication during the Revolutionary War. Major Tallmadge invented a secret writing system that substituted digits for words.

Codes: "Long Island" - 728

"Arms" - 7

"January" 341

Words without codes were each given a cipher, which means each letter in a message was replaced by another letter or number.

Another tricky way to send a message was by using invisible ink. The spies would write their messages between the lines of a normal letter so that no one, except for those who knew to look for it, could see the writing. Often times the spies would place the letter in a bottle and leave it in a hole (known as a timed dead drop), for someone else to pick it up and read the secret message.

As you can see, George Washington and the men and women of the Revolutionary War thought hard to create ways to out-spy the British. In the end, their efforts were a great success.

If you're in learning some spy techniques of your own check out some of our upcoming events!

-Kerri, PR Intern

I Spy Shadow Boxes

Just had to share this fun, environmentally friendly craft for all ages that my children have been continually making and playing with for months now. Using odds and ends from around the house or from your recycling bin, create a collage in a shoebox. Then use the collage to play "I Spy", an all-ages game that most children never get tired of. Close the sheoebox lid and take it with you for an entertaining game while you wait at a restaurant, doctor's office, or in the car.

Like in the national bestseller I Spy books by Walter Wick and Jean Marzollo , kids can choose a theme to create their collage around, or go completely random. Some ideas for materials include pictures cut from magazines, material scraps, shells, small toys left over from birthday party goodie bags or Happy Meals, stickers, foam letters or shapes, puzzle pieces, or anything you can think of.

I Spy clues can vary based on age, such as 'I see something red', 'something that begins with b', 'something that rhymes with wish', or 'something you find at the beach'. The game can also be played in a 20 Questions format as well, where the guesser is only allowed to ask yes or no questions about the mystery object. Games such as these build thinking skills, and are more engaging to children when their own works of art are involved.

My kids made their first I Spy Shadow Boxes at the Raynham Public Library's summer art workshop led by Lee Gullens, local artist and children's book illustrator. If your children are interested in art classes, the museum offers Art Exploration, a drop-in for preschoolers on Friday mornings, and Judy's Art Studio, art classes for children ages 5-18 held at the museum after school and in the evening. A local business recommended by Mrs. Gullens is Turtle Feet in Easton www.turtlefeetonline.com, newly owned by Kevin Hebb, which offers "art classes with an academic twist" for ages 3-12.

One final I spy idea: Another mom once told me when your kids do something that makes you want to pull your hair out, don't scream... take a picture. Someday you'll look back and laugh. So one day when my kids' room was extremely messy, I went around taking pictures. We now use those pictures for playing I Spy on long car trips. And yes, it brings us lots of laughs.