In the newspaper today the MCAS results are listed, every school and the percentage of children who scored "proficient" or above. (MCAS is the required standardized in Massachusetts.) On the top of the page are the schools who had the highest percentage of children deemed "advanced" - and the lowest. I've never been a fan of standardized tests, but this is the first time it has really bothered me to see these numbers. All this…

  This was going to be a post about our experience painting with tennis balls. But there's not much to say, because we never got very far. 

     I put some paint on a paper plate and Kay rolled the tennis ball in it, then bounced it hard onto the paper I'd placed on the ground. She bounced it one more time, then said, "It makes an ugly design." Then, "Can I paint with my feet?" Does all of our painting projects have to devolve into body painting? Apparently. …

  I found some leftover colored sand, and I left it up to Kay to decide what to do with it. She had an answer right away, "We could put glue on the paper and make pictures." Okay, works for me. I got the glue and paper, she carried the sand and we brought everything outside. (This definitely seemed like one of those 'outdoor crafts.') She started by mixing all the colors together, making a less-than-attractive combination, but the glitter that was also included at least made it sparkly. She…