Build a Global Icon

It's one thing to collect pictures of the world's best known buildings and landmarks (See earlier blog post, "Picture the World"), but learning how they were made is something else. In a non-fiction book for children, Patrick Dillon tells The Story of Buildings From the Pyramids to the Sydney Opera House and Beyond, while Stephen Biesty's illustrations show the step-by-step details.

     Now, children also can build famous landmarks. Using 3-D world monument puzzles from National Geographic (shopng.org), children can build the Eiffel Tower in Paris, London's Big Ben clock, and Russia's St. Basil's Cathedral. New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art (store.metmuseum.org) and many book stores sell LEGO architecture sets, such as the ones that build London's Big Ben and the Imperial Hotel in Japan. British model builder, Warren Elsmore, who has used Denmark's LEGOs to create London's red double decker buses, the Paris Louvre and Eiffel Tower, and other famous icons, shares his creative process with words and pictures in the book, Brick City: Global Icons to Make from LEGO. In the virtual world, Minecraft builders can create the Taj Mahal and other landmarks using the Swedish video game.

     Parents and other adults who probably will need to help construct these icons won't mind the fun of sharing the experience with youngsters. Working on these forms also provides an opportunity to talk about other countries and travel. While the puzzle pieces and LEGO bricks may be too little to keep around children who still put everything in their mouths, it might be worth buying the puzzles and book now to have them on hand when children are older.

     Finally, when The Lego Movie failed to receive an Academy Award nomination in the Best Animated Feature category in 2015, one of the film's directors used LEGOs to create its own Oscar statue.

Earth Day

Today is a good time to reflect on the progress and potential work still to be done to clean up the environment. Since the first Earth Day was on April 22, 43 years ago, it is clear that children living today have been exposed to information about the dangers of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and declining water resources all of their lives.

     Compared to 57.06 degrees Fahrenheit in the period from 1970 to 1979, children living in the past few years have seen the average global temperature reach 58.11 degrees in 2005 and 2010, the warmest years on record. While an increase of a little over 1 degree Fahrenheit may not seem like cause for concern, the 2007 report from the UN-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reminds us that temperature increases have a major impact on such things as water shortages and the increased violence of storms that arise in warmer ocean water. In the wake of the Oklahoma tornado and Sandy hurricane, it might be time to take these predictions to heart.

     After posting "A Healthy Environment" on August 27, 2012, I have continued to update this blog post with information about what young people can and have done to combat environmental problems. Recently I read that angels also help protect the Earth. Among the nine ranks, or choirs, of angels identified in the Bible, the rank of Virtues is said to carry God's messages and commands to the seasons, stars, sun, and other members of the universe. If true, we can only welcome their help along with all the other help the Earth gets from every source, including its children.

     The World Wildlife Federation invites young people to sign a pledge to make environmental changes in their own lives and to become advocates for social action to protect the planet. To sign the pledge, go to worldwildlife.org/youthpledge.

Airport (and train station) Outings

Every rainy season presents both a challenge for entertaining children and an opportunity to introduce them to travel. No tickets (except maybe for parking) are required to push strollers or to let older children pull their own roller suitcases filled with toys and snacks through major airports, including those that have separate buildings for international flights, and railroad stations. Since these environments cater to travelers who need information and who have waiting time to kill, they provide some unusual teaching experiences.

     Just consider the "Arrivals" and "Departures" boards with their cities, times, concourse and gate/track numbers. Help children choose a city, see the current time, figure how long it will be before a plane or train arrives or leaves, and begin the process of going to the concourse letter, gate or track number. Once there, watch people arrive or go through security. See how they might have to take off their shoes, put metal items in a basket, or how they might set off an alarm. Count how many travelers are women/men, how many carry their own luggage or wear hats/caps, how many have people welcoming them or seeing them off.

     What if a family misses the next plane or train? Check the airport's board to see how long they would have to wait for the one after that. See if there is a paper train schedule and help children study what stops a train makes, if trains have different schedules on weekends, and the cost of tickets for children and adults.

     In the area where travelers claim their luggage, see if there is a rack of brochures describing local attractions. Choose a few that might lead to your next outing. Watch luggage arrive on carousels. Look for signs that tell where travelers can get buses and taxis, go to a parking lot, make hotel reservations, exchange currency, or rent a car. Explain why someone would need a currency exchange (See the earlier blog post, "When to Buy/Sell in the World Market.") or to rent a car. And why would someone in the luggage claim area be holding a sign with a person's name on it?

     Some transportation centers might offer a bit of foreign language study. Look for signs identifying telephones and restrooms in languages other than English. What are these languages and why are they needed? At an airport or train station there also might be some attraction brochures and restaurant information printed in a variety of languages.

     The chairs and benches provided for waiting travelers give little visitors a chance to sit, have a snack, listen to announcements (or even a piano or musical group), and look for people arriving in their native dress. Once rested, there often are exhibits to visit and even playsets to climb. In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the airport has a ping pong table and an exhibit of foreign coins found in the airport's "wishing well" pasted on cards with the flags of their countries. Some airports and train stations have art exhibits and display items from local museums. Then, there are the gift shops and book stores. Since these market to travelers, they have items for amusing children on trips that also can amuse them at home.

     After an airport or train station outing, when kids start thinking about taking their own trips, you'll find some family travel ideas at the earlier blog post, "See the World."