Happy Darwin Day, Everyone!
I’ve been looking forward to this week for a long time.
Today I am going to add an additional activity to what we did last year. I’m still working it out in my brain but I think I am going to explore color with the kids as a metaphor for how all of life is made up of just a handful of basic particles. Just as all color and all its variety come from three primary colors and black and white, everything we see in the world with all its variety comes from a limited number of elements (I’m still not sure what I should break it all down to. Any suggestions?)
We’ll play with paint, beginning with red, yellow, and blue, expanding to the secondary colors, then the tertiary. We’ll add black and white for varying tone. I may use that to explain mutations and how some mutations help a creature to survive environmental pressures, allowing it to reproduce more, and some mutations make it harder to survive, preventing it from reproducing as much.
And of course, we’ll also be doing the traditional AgnosticMom stuff that I outlined in my HNN article:
Feb. 12: Introduction of Evolution through Family Book Reading
Dinner focus: The first phase of evolutionary life: shellfish, jellyfish, worms
A. Read The Tree Of Life: The Wonders Of Evolution by Ellen Jackson.
B. Dinner:
1. Very involved version: A smorgasboard of shellfish: shrimp, lobster, oysters
2. Simpler version: Shrimp dinner
3. After dinner treat: Gummi-worms (put them in cute gift bags or boxes on their
plates. The kids love that!).
C. Table decor theme: Under the sea
What are you doing today? Whether you have ever commented before or not, please leave a comment if you are celebrating Darwin Day and tell us what you are doing today! If you have a blog and have written about it there, leave us a link.
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February 12th, 2007 @ 10:57 am
I found you through a link on Babes in Blogland.
My labmates and I are just walking around saying, “Happy Darwin Day.” I am impressed with your list of activities. I am currently trying to become a mother, and I just may steal some of those activities!
February 12th, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
Happy Darwin Day to everyone. I guess I am called a lurker. I just want to express my gratitude for your thoughts and the opportunity to feel some connection to like minded people. Am astonished when readers question your focus on religious commentary. I live in Canada. Rural Southern Alberta is pervasively right wing Christian. By recognizing the depths of their influence on secular life we can all be reminded where the need is to react positively to attempt to counter the negative influences. Knowing that there are others, in other communities, with the same frustrations, joys, and hopes, smoothes out your mind when you read yet another news story about Harper or Bush mixing their personal religious beliefs with what should be secular governance. So… I just celebrated Darwin Day by coming out! Cheers. Judith
February 13th, 2007 @ 11:23 am
Happy Darwin Day!
I brought a cake to my office at lunch time yesterday (Darwin Day). My co-workers thought at first that it was a joke, and perhaps I was hiding the real reason for this cake. Finally, one of them Googled “Darwin” and confirmed that yesterday was, in fact, his birthday. I explained that my family is a part of the movement that on this day celebrates the advancement of science, in general, and pays respect to the person who first gave the explanation of the diversity of life and human origin, in particular. I was surprised (and a little disappointed) that I wasn’t asked any questions after that. It was nice to take a break from work and have a cake, though, and I promised that we’ll do the same thing next year!
The day before (Sunday), my husband and I went to a Darwin Day event organized by the Northern Virginia Ethical Society. They had a neuroscientist speaking about Darwin’s theory and how he applies it in his work. After his presentation, we had a chance to meet and talk to some of the Society members. I learned about the Sunday School for children ages 3 to 15 where kids learn various issues on ethical living in a theistically neutral environment. I am planning to take a closer look into the school’s curriculum. Perhaps, it could be a good place for my son (he’s 2.5-years).
That’s we did for our Darwin Day this year. Our first Darwin Day. I am looking forward to making it our family tradition.
February 14th, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
We tried Darwin day with a few of my friends. Our children are all under 2 we just had let them have fun. I filled up our sand box with fake fish and let them dig them up . For lunch I made Dino bite chicken nuggets and we sang happy birthday to Darwin, the kids had know clue what was going on but they were very happy about the dirt they got to eat (pudding with oreos and worms). My sister gave our little one a book called Frogs by Gail Gibbons and we read that to her before bed. It was a fun day over all and I am looking forward to it next year when she will understand more.
I found some other great books for pre-schoolers that I just ordered :Our Family Tree by Lisa Westberg Peters and Ocean Commotion:Sea Turtles (this on looks like she might have to grow into it) by Janeen Mason.
Hope everyone had a fun time like we did!
February 14th, 2007 @ 2:42 pm
HAPPY DARWIN WEEK! HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!! WHAT A GREAT WEEK IT IS!!!!!!
February 14th, 2007 @ 9:40 pm
I don’t want to bother you with any arguement about what is and what isn’t. I just want to say that I am a 24 year old mother of two that is unceartain about alot of things and am far from perfect but I do know one thing with a certainty that is beyond anything thing I have ever known…….it is that there IS a GOD and He sent his son Jesus to die so that whosoever shall belive in him shall be saved. He loves me more then anyone could and despite what you may think he loves YOU TOO.
February 15th, 2007 @ 12:34 pm
Hi Noell,
We had a great Darwin Day celebration this year. I discovered the day last year through your blog, but didn’t have time to plan much. This year was much better. I wrote a recap here
February 17th, 2007 @ 5:05 am
Like Stephanie, this is only the second time that I’ve heard of Darwin Day. I think next year I will plan to celebrate it in some way. I LOVE your original ideas of teaching your kids about evolution.
February 18th, 2007 @ 7:51 am
hi there.. I’ve been just listening to your interview on the humanist network podcast. I hope i will find me a nice girlfriend so i can be a humanist dad soon
many greetings from Germany 
!