The American poem known as, “’Twas the Night Before Christmas,” turns 200 years old on December 23rd. The poem first appeared anonymously in an issue of the Troy Sentinel, a New York newspaper. Fourteen years later, Clement Clarke Moore claimed that he had written the poem for his children. A family friend visiting from upstate New York, where the Troy Sentinel was published, heard the poem and submitted it to the newspaper without his knowledge. I thought my dolls would like their own copy of the poem, so I found the original newspaper on the Troy Public Library website and made a miniature version. I removed some columns and enlarged…
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Sharleen’s Field Trip
Recently, Kitty Friend Sharleen’s class took a trip to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, TX. Sharleen was particularly interested in the dinosaurs and other fossils. Here are some highlights from her trip. Sharleen is standing next to two dinosaur skulls. One is a carnivore (meat-eater), and one is a herbivore (plant-eater). Do you know how to tell the difference? Look at their skulls. In the illustration below, notice that the carnivore cuts and slices food when chewing, like a pair of scissors. The herbivore clamps down on plant matter, like a pair of pliers, grinding and crushing food with a side-to-side motion. This lumpy rock contains…
