Africa and Locgical Thinking

Our family is absolutely addicted to this website that my friend Betsy (www.homeschoolblogger.com/Tenneessee) shared with us.  It is a live video of a waterhole and surrounding area in a South African Game Reserve.  The site is www.wavelit.com:80/popup/playerAfricam.asp.    We have a seperate line for the computer, so it stays on most all day, and we keep an eye on it when we're in the room.  They are 7 hours ahead of us, so the sun comes up at about 9:30 or 10:00 pm EST.  It sets around noon EST.  There doesn't seem to be much activity when it's dark there, although we did see an elephant just after dark.  They have the area lit up and with night shot.  You can see bugs zooming by.  So far, in the last few days, we have seen an elephant, several giraffes (including a baby),  hundreds of gazelle or impalas (or something similar)--including babies, lots of wildebeasts (including babies), monkeys, turtles, hyenas,  a warthog, several zebra (including a baby), and lions-male and female.   All of the time you get to listen to the crickets chirp or the birds singing.  I asked Marissa yesterday if she wanted me to turn the sound down while she was working her math.  She said, "No ma'am.  I like it.  It makes it seem like I'm working outside."  Marissa loves working outside!
The camera has someone manning it all the time, although, it depends on who it is is to how good of a shot you get.  One of them doesn't do as good of a job at zooming in.  It is so neat to see the animals, knowing they are in the wild, and you are seeing live video.  You can't wait to see what might wander up next! 
The other day James was talking to Marissa (9), and the hit on the subject of school work.  Marissa says, "I don't know why I have to do Spanish and handwriting (cursive).  There is just no point to them.  I mean, I can understand why I have to learn math.  It has a point.  But Spanish and handwriting don't have a point.  I can already write in print.  Why do I have to know cursive?"
James-  "When you get older you will need to know how to write things in cursive.  You need to be able to sign your name to a check."
Marissa-  "I can already do that.  You just write an 'M', then scribble."
I cracked up when James told me that.  Touche!  That is exactly how James signs his checks!  "J-scribble, scribble.   I don't think he could argue her point.     They are paying attention to the details! 
It poured snow here for a short while today, but at 40 degrees, no hope that it would stick. 
I'm off to finish lunch, and then read On the Banks of Plum Creek.

Letitia