Monty and a camper at Camp Inquiry '09

Let me tell you a story about one of Monty’s songs. Monty and I met at Camp Inquiry last summer, where he taught songwriting to the campers during the day, and entertained us with his own songs around the campfire in the evenings. It is hard to say which of his songs was our favorite, since they were all so fun, but one that had everyone humming all week was his astronomy-based ditty Roundy Round. Monty couldn’t come to camp this year, so my Handsome Skeptic Husband brought along his twelve-string and played several Monty tunes each evening as we ate S’mores. On the first night of camp this year, Roundy Round was new to many of the campers, but the younger girls who had been at camp last year jumped up to dance and spin in circles as soon as it began. By the end of the week, all the campers knew the song. I was surprised, though, at the last campfire, to see kids of all ages, even teenagers, jump up and start spinning in circles to Roundy Round. In my experience, it takes a lot to get a teenager to act goofy in front of their peers, and to let go and have fun, rather than worry about how they look. But the infectious fun, and sneaky science, of a Monty song has the power to get a cool teenager to let loose and enjoy the moment.

You could wait until later in the fall to buy Monty’s new album, or you can play a part now in getting it produced. Monty is crowd-sourcing the cost to professionally produce this album by getting pledges on Kickstarter. You can listen to Episode 21 of Podcast Beyond Belief to hear Monty explain the whole project, or watch the video on the Kickstarter page.

Monty is already more than half way to his goal, but the deadline of August 22, 2010, is fast approaching. If, instead of waiting to buy the album later, you go to Kickstarter and pledge $20 now, you will receive a physical copy of the CD once it is ready, as well as two bonus MP3s. Of course you could pledge more to help him reach his goal faster. In fact, if you pledge $750 or more he’ll give you and your group a free concert. $2000 or more will even get you your very own song, based on your favorite science topic, included on the album! This is a great idea for your local skeptics group. Band together to raise $2000, and Monty will write a song specifically for your group. How awesome!

Watch this fan video my Handsome (and Multi-Talented) Skeptic Husband made for Monty’s song Roundy Round and try to picture 70 people around a campfire, singing about Copernicus, and dancing in circles. Because Monty makes science fun.

Roundy Round by Monty Harper

We’re looking for someone to take on a once-in-a-lifetime assignment: spend a Month at the Museum, to live and breathe science 24/7 for 30 days. From October 20 to November 18, 2010, this person’s mission will be to experience all the fun and education that fits in this historic 14-acre building, living here and reporting your experience to the outside world. There will be plenty of time to explore the Museum and its exhibits after hours, with access to rarely seen nooks and crannies of this 77-year-old institution.

If the contestant is successful in staying inside for one month, he or she will win $10,000 and a bunch of tech gadgets. Plus, you get to explore as much as you want! The museum has a lot of very cool things, like the only German U-Boat in the U.S., a coal mine, and the Silver Streak passenger train.

The contest information page is here. But hurry–submissions are due by August 11th.

Being an American, I find these things kind of intriguing. As a kid, I felt like professional sports were about as interesting as flipping a coin. Since the team owners can hire players from anywhere, a pro team was just a collection of random professional athletes owned by someone I don’t know, regardless of whether the name of the team included my city or state. So the World Cup is a bit of a novelty for me because the teams really correspond to countries. As collectibles go, this one seemed more interesting than Leo’s previous interest: Bakugans.

Then another parent pointed out to me that — for my son to get all of the stickers to complete his album — it costs 90 francs. That’s nearly $90. Naturally, I asked myself “Would I pay $90 for a picture album of all of the players on all of the teams competing in the World Cup?” Answer: “Duh, no way!”

With baseball cards, at least there was some logic to having a card of each player — the back side had all of the player’s statistics in a convenient format, and to follow baseball seriously, you need each player’s stats. For the world cup, you can buy a pack of “cards”, but they’re really just stickers that you can use to build yourself a (very expensive) picture album.

So is it rational to participate in this? Perhaps not, but I guess we’re doing it anyway. At least this year…

This routine took place during a “World of Dance” competition and the internet is abuzz with outrage over the bawdy moves and risqué costumes. While talented, the dancers do sort of look like…well, women who dance for a living--and I’m not talking about at the Met. Two of the parents made an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America to defend the video. They say it was taken out of context and never meant to be viewed by millions of strangers. Apparently, this type of routine is normal, according to the parents.

What bothers me, other than this lame explanation, is the crowd reaction. The bumping and grinding get the biggest cheer from the crowd, which surely is made up of kids, parents and other adults. It’s all just so weird to watch. But, are we overreacting?

Yes, the girls dance in a sexually suggestive manner, but they won’t automatically become promiscuous later in life. That assumption would be ridiculous. I took a lot of dance classes as a young girl and we had recitals and performances. The costumes probably were a little more bathing suit-like than burlesque, but still pretty form fitting. Still, I don’t remember doing moves like this. Not because I couldn’t do them (I couldn’t) but because I shouldn’t. Like Chris Rock said, just because you CAN drive with your feet doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Just because an 8-year old can shake her moneymaker doesn’t mean she should.

So, I don’t fault the girls. The song is catchy and they are clearly great dancers. Long-term harm? Most likely none. But, I’m wondering what kind of parents think this is normal? What world these parents have immersed themselves in where this is age appropriate?

Or, am I just out of touch with what “age appropriate” means?

Let’s hear it, moms and dads out there. Weigh in on what your reaction was….

What really made me laugh was the comment by the author, Mark Frauenfelder:

“Take that, helicopter parents.”

I’m not sure if the kids look scared, bored, or excited. But, don’t you wish you lived next store to this woman so you could at least use her hobby as a threat against your kids? “If you don’t start behaving, I’m going to send you next door for target practice!” I think that would scare at least a few kids straight.

The wonderfully insightful Lenore Skenazy (of Free Range Kids) argues that we’re overdoing it. Our kids don’t need us to jump through hoops to keep them entertained. Let THEM do it themselves.

You must play with your kids is so ingrained that we feel terrible when we’re bored sick by the idea of pouring another imaginary cup of tea. But maybe, like most pain, that boredom is trying to tell us something: Kiddie games are for KIDS. They really don’t need us!

No one is saying to neglect your kids. There are times for museums, classes, swim lessons, and games of Chutes and Ladders with Dad. However, it’s also important to let children do their own thing without an adult giving direction. Sometimes we forget that.

So, thanks to Lenore for the reminder!

Photo

The site, based on this series of books, is targeted toward tween girls:

What would it be like to build the first robot that could interact with people? Or to study human remains in search of criminal evidence? In Women’s Adventures in Science, readers will learn about the trailblazing women who are leaders in a variety of scientific fields, from robotics to forensics.

The site looks like a lot of fun and I hope that it inspires more young girls to embrace science.

[Via Science-Based Parenting]

I danced with several girls who had their PhD’s, Masters etc and it’s our obligation to share this duality with the public in an effort to help young girls feel comfortable following all of their dreams (and to help them understand how important education is and frankly how much fun science can be).

I couldn’t agree more.

Many people are shocked when sexy women are also smart. In fact, the woman in the article said she almost didn’t get hired at a science job because of the NFL cheerleader line on her resume.

It’s a pervasive stereotype in our country. Admit it–you laughed at the idea of Denise Richards as a nuclear physicist in The World is Not Enough. (Well, her character’s name of “Dr. Christmas Jones” didn’t help.) So it’s nice to see some non-Hollywood examples of real brains and beauty.

[Via BlagHag]

[Via BoingBoing.net]

Coincidence?

No, it’s They Might Be Giants!!!

Leo watching TMBG live — There’s John Linnell at the keyboard.

I absolutely love their new album Here Comes Science — I’ve written an additional post about it here counting the ways. So, when my husband noticed that TMBG were playing at a free music festival here in New Jersey, we knew we had to be there!!

Nico was a little hesitant about the heat and crowds, but Leo really got into it and had a fabulous time!!!

I had to hold Leo up so he could see and dance!

I asked Leo what his favorite song they played was, and he responded: “Bed, Bed, Bed, Bed, Bed.” (That’s from the album “No!” — I sometimes sing it for my kids at bedtime.) But, he explained, his favorite part was the part with the broom:

Before singing “I Am Not Your Broom,” we sang Happy Birthday to the broom.

I loved They Might Be Giants in college and grad school for their (more or less) grown up music, and I love the way they’ve moved on to this next life stage (parenting) with great educational songs that are fun for kids and their parents!