One of my favorite things as a parent was to delve into a subject my kids were interested in and experience learning new things with them. My favorite subjects they learned about were ancient history and archaeology. Before there were pyramids and mummies in ancient Egypt, there was another civilization, Sumer, in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians…
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According to the National Day Calendar, April 15th is National Tax Day. But if you and your family don’t normally celebrate taxes, there are several other unique ways to observe this mid-April day. Here are a few that won’t “break the bank.” National Banana Day To begin with, let’s talk nutrition. Bananas are a great…
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A hundred years ago, in 1922, our library was founded. On November 4 of that year, the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamen (commonly called King Tut) was opened for the first time in over 3,000 years. Among the many treasures discovered inside were four beautiful games of Senet, a popular game played by the ancient…
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Growing up, my family didn’t own gaming consoles. They were expensive, and, according to my parents, a waste of time. Thus, going into my teen years, I had a rather disdainful outlook toward the “gamers” of the world. I couldn’t understand the obsession with sitting in front of a TV for hours on end, mashing…
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It’s March 14th, and today’s date happens to share some numbers with a very important mathematical constant: pi! Pi expresses the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. Simply put, the distance around a circle is just a little more than three times the distance across a circle (3.14, to be more exact). Pi…
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As I wrote last month, I have been thinking a lot lately about family traditions. Growing up, my siblings and I spent car rides looking out the window for Volkswagen Beetles. I loved being the first to spot one because the game opened up a wormhole of permissible behavior and allowed me a single sharp…
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Each month, we host Facebook Friday Recommendations online. You can get personalized recommendations — all you need to do is find our Facebook Friday post and comment with two or three books or authors you like, and we’ll help you find your next great read! Here are the recommendations from June 2017. Request: I like to switch it…
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A boy with thick glasses sits cross-legged, reading a book, as a different boy walks by accompanied by his father. “You know what we do to nerds, right?” the father asks. His son grins. “Yeah. Learn from them!” The scene described is a sequence in the “Lunarbaboon” webcomic. Lunarbaboon is half human and half moon…
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Today is Chips & Dip Day! What are your favorite chip and dip combos? I can’t turn down a bowl of guacamole and tortilla chips or garlicky hummus and pretzels. The other day a friend of mine mentioned gooey, baked brie cheese served with jam on crackers and my mouth is still watering. And what…
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