Daniel

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Tale Spinner Tuesday: Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal



Oh, hello!

So which did you see first in the video: a duck or a rabbit?  Were you able to see both?  I saw a duck right away!  Optical illusions are pretty cool...if you want to see more, go here.

So what are optical illusions?  They're just as confusing to define as they are to see!  So I'm going to let my friend Sage (he's a stilt-walking performance artist who knows all about illusions and magic!) explain what they are:

"Something that confuses the eye into seeing something that is not actually there."

And...one of my favorite illusion artists is Kurt Wenner...have you seen his chalk drawings before?  AMAZING!!  
Click here to see some of them.

A very good Tuesday to each and every one of you...see you tomorrow!

Claraboo


Saturday, May 26, 2012

Saturday Silliness: The Captain & his Clown Car!

I can't believe I haven't shared this video on here yet!  

Last December, the Captain was in a parade in Wisconsin...I'm not sure who was sillier: his clown car or him!  But I do know that this video makes me laugh every time I watch it and if you haven't seen it yet (or even if you have), you're going to giggle, laugh, and possibly snort also...



My favorite part is at 1:20 when the car spins around!  

The Captain has been busy working on his new television show lately (we're all oh-so-very excited to not only SEE it, but be in it too!) and he can't wait to show it to you.  

Thank you for being our friend on Facebook 
and for reading our blog!

Claraboo

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

What is That?? Wednesday: Juggling 5 Basketballs

Whoa.  Just whoa.

And I was excited that I finally learned how to juggle three balls...


Now THAT is one talented lady!!  I love this!  She needs to visit the Acres on a Circus Saturday sometime.  

What is your hidden (or not-so-hidden) talent? 
What talent would you like to develop and what's the first thing you're going to do to accomplish it? :)

Keep dreaming & making those dreams a reality, Kangaroonies, 
I believe in you!

Claraboo

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Author Tuesday: Blueberry Girl by NEIL GAIMAN

Good morning Kangaroonies!

Oh, I know what you're all thinking..."author" doesn't start with a "T"!  Well, I really, really wanted to feature some of my favorite authors on here, but I couldn't figure out a good day to do that.  So Tuesday it is.  :)

Today's author is Mr. Neil Gaiman.  He writes kids books and adult books, such as Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Blueberry Girl, and many more!  He has fantastic unruly hair, has the best storytelling voice ever, and he likes to sing songs with his musician wife, Amanda Palmer.   Oh, and did I mention he's a beekeeper as well?

This video is for his picture book, Blueberry Girl, and Mr. Neil himself reads it! This is another one of those videos that I like to watch to make me smile...


Oh! I just had a great idea...from now, when I want to do a post on my favorite author, I'll call it 

"Tale Spinner Tuesdays"!  

I like it.  :)

And don't forget...visit the Captain on his Facebook page and say hello!  We'd love to have you "like" the page and keep updated on all of our adventures!

Claraboo

Monday, May 21, 2012

Musical Monday: Three Little Birds by BOB MARLEY

I can think of no one better to start your week off with than Bob Marley and this song!

"Don't worry about a thing...'cause every little thing is gonna be alright!"


It's the time of the year at the Acres where the birds are all coming back from their winter hideaways, the flowers are bringing color back to our yards, and the sunshine is feeling glorious as I work in my garden.  

It's easy to worry; it's not as easy to remember not to get caught up in the worrying.  I have a hard time with that sometimes.  There will always be things to worry about and sometimes worrying is okay, but we have to remember hope.  Even when hope seems very far away...

My hope is that this video made you smile today and I REALLY hope that some of you who watched it really needed this pick-me-up.  Watch it again whenever you need!

Have a beautiful, hope-filled 
Monday everyone...
Claraboo

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Scientific Sundays: Solar Eclipse today!!!

This is so exciting!

Have you heard about the solar eclipse today? This happens when the moon passes in front of the sun and blocks most of the sun.  The only part of the sun you'll see will be a "ring of fire" around the edges of the moon.

Now, the most important part in all of this is that 
YOU DO NOT LOOK DIRECTLY AT THE SUN!
  Doing so can hurt your eyes and you don't want to do that!  

So please promise me you won't.  :)

But you can still see the solar eclipse!  Watch this video and it'll tell you how to make a solar eclipse viewer out of household items:


This will be the first time seeing the solar eclipse since 1994

Enjoy and be safe, Kangaroonies!

Claraboo

Saturday, May 19, 2012

Saturday Silliness: Lead-a-Band Act at the Big Apple Circus

It's the weeeeeeeeekend!!

I love everything about Saturdays...sleeping in, watching Saturday morning cartoons, eating three bowls of cereal, and....

Saturdays tend to get a little circus-y around the Acres.

A lot of us have a circus or performance background and Saturday is always our day to put on a show for each other, whether it's the Captain walking on stilts and juggling (he can spin plates too!), the porcupines tumbling through the air, or me performing on my unicycle

The Cap'n has a lot of performer friends who will stop by the Acres every now and then to say hello.  His one friend Glen is a clown who traveled with the Big Apple Circus a few years ago and he performed a very funny act for us that he did with them.  Enjoy!!



Wasn't that great??  If you had the chance to lead the circus band, what song would you want them to play?  

I think I'd choose a Beatles song.  :)

Happy Saturday, everyone!
Claraboo

Friday, May 18, 2012

French Friday: Little Pim Springtime!

Bonjour friends!

Today seems like a perfect day to give you a little bit of a French lesson.  :)  Why?  Because it's a beautiful language AND because today is my one month anniversary on this blog!  I'm going to celebrate by teaching you a little bit of the French language.  Yay!

As I've said before on this blog, I grew up in Quebec (in America, most people pronounce it as "Kwah-beck", but it can also be pronounced "Kay-beck").  My family speaks both English and French.  How about your family?  Do you speak two languages at home too?

Here's a short video to teach you some simple French words for food you eat.  Practice using these words today at home or at school/work!


Okay, and PLEASE tell me someone else giggled a little bit when you read "French Friday" and immediately thought of greasy, salty french fries.  I know you did.  Just reading it again made me a little hungry.

Happy day to all of you, Kangaroonies!

Claraboo

Thursday, May 17, 2012

They Might Be Thursdays: Photosynthesis by TMBG

Hello, hello, hellooooooooo everyone!

So this morning I woke up, made some tea, and stepped outside to enjoy a little fresh air and sunshine.  I was delighted and oh-so-very surprised to find a BEAUTIFUL Hibiscus plant sitting on my porch!  There was a little card inside saying this was a housewarming gift from the Captain and everyone at Kangaroo Acres.

Thank you friends!!



Since today is They Might Be Giants day and I have a new plant to take care of, I'm going to share a video from TMBG about photosynthesis....photo-WHAT??  Don't worry, the band will explain what it is and why plants are so fantastic-ly incredible!!


Have a lovely Thursday, everyone!

Claraboo & the whole Roo crew

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

What is that?? Wednesday: Table Ballet with Charlie Chaplin

Good morning friends!

 So I had the most oh-so-wonderful visit with my porcupine friend the other day.  Eppy stopped by to see my new place and have some tea with me.  We played croquet in the cour (er, backyard!), picked blueberries (or bleuets, as we call them in Quebec) with the elephants, watched old movies with the Captain, and taught the horse a new trick that involved three apples and a swing.

As you can see, we were very, very busy!

The Captain was having a movie marathon at his house...he loves old films (especially ones with circus clowns and comic actors) and one of his favorite actors is Charlie Chaplin.

I'd never seen any Charlie Chaplin movies before, so we watched "The Gold Rush", a movie that Chaplin made in 1925 (that's 87 years ago!).  I really want to share my favorite part of the movie with you...I think it will make you laugh as much as it did me!


Have you ever thought of making your dinner rolls dance the ballet before??  I love it!  If you do try this, promise me you'll ask your mom or dad first, okay?  (And if you're an adult who is thinking of doing this, please promise me you'll ask a child or your cat first, okay?)

Have a really outstanding and adventurous day today, Kangaroonies!  

Claraboo

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

By popular demand...Non-Animated, Educational Character Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday all!

So over on our Facebook page, a fan asked when we were going to do a "non-animated, educational character" day...he wanted to see the Captain do his own video (which, we PROMISE, you will see...the Cap is hard at work on one and we know you're going to LOVE it!), but for now, I'd like to present Neil DeGrasse Tyson and The Symphony of Science...

Scott, this one's for you!


I'd love to chat more, but I hear a knock at my door...I forgot that one of the porcupines wanted to see my new place!  I'm all moved in and enjoying my view of trees, flowers, and elephants.  :)

Claraboo

Friday, May 11, 2012

It's Friday! And Claraboo's moving!

Hello Kangaroonies!

You'll notice it's a bit late for a post...well, I forgot to mention yesterday that I'm moving into a bigger place this weekend. I'm oh-so-very excited! I'll still be living at Kangaroo Acres, so I'll still be able to share stories from here and keep you up to date on the Captain.

If you could live anywhere in the entire world, where would you live?  If I could live anywhere, I would still choose to live here at the Acres, but I would want to visit this gentleman as often as possible:


Okay, I need to get back to work...I've moved my kitchen and bathroom things over already, but I still have a lot more to do.  Whew!  

I just wanted to check in, say hello, and let you know where I'm at.  The Captain's taking over the blog for the weekend and I'll be back either Monday or Tuesday.

Farewell!
Clarabooooooooo

Thursday, May 10, 2012

They Might Be Thursdays: ROY G. BIV by TMBG

Today at Kangaroo Acres, we had the weirdest weather.  First it rained, then it was sunny, and then it got oh-so-very windy and then there was hail and then it was sunny again.  
And then it rained.

Whew.

We kept looking out the windows at the sky, trying to see our friend, Roy G. Biv.  What's that?  You've never heard of him?

Oh, here he is now!


I really hope it's a beautiful, sunny day where you live, but if it happens to rain, make sure to look upMaybe Roy will visit your house!

Love, 
Claraboo

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Maurice Sendak Wednesday: Pierre (A Cautionary Tale)

Good morning, Kangaroonies!

Everyone here at Kangaroo Acres is really sad about 
Maurice Sendak passing away.  His books were some of my very favorites.  I'd like to spend a few more days with Mr. Sendak's wonderful books and drawings...I'm sure you won't mind at all, right?

First up is Pierre (A Cautionary Tale).  This is a story about a little boy who always says "I don't care!" and what happens to MAKE him care!  The song is pretty fun also...it's a cover of a song by Carole King, performed by a band called The Dresden Dolls.


Which book is your favorite?  Read it with a loved one today, won't you?  I know that would make Mr. Sendak smile...

Until tomorrow,
Claraboo

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

IN MEMORIAM: Maurice Sendak's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE as read by President Barack Obama


Rolie Polie Tuesday: Mom's Night Out

-----------------------------------------
But first...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go — we’ll eat you up — we love you so!”

Maurice Sendak (1928-2012)



----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------



It's Tuesday...and that means Rolie Polie is BACK!


*waves arms around excitedly*  Yaaaayyyyy!

Haha...I just looked like Kermit the Frog when he gets really excited.  I wish I had a video of me doing that just now; you would laugh a lot.

Things have been quiet around here at the Acres today.  Most of us played outside, did some gardening (we have a beautiful vegetable garden), or took a nap in the sunshine.  

The Captain was stilt-walking around his house (I'm not entirely sure why, but I know he enjoys it!) and though I haven't seen him this evening, I can hear him laughing in the library.  What a good day!

Claraboo

Monday, May 7, 2012

Musical MONKEY Mondays: Animal Playground by Asheba (Putumayo Kids)

And a very merry, musical, monkey Monday to you!



Asheba has a great voice, doesn't he?  He is a singer from California, but he's originally from Trinidad, and he sings calypso music.  I can't listen to his music without wanting to dance!!

I hope you had a fun weekend; I know I did...I finally learned how to juggle!  The Captain was nice enough to teach me and I practiced the whole weekend long.  Next step is to learn how to juggle while riding my unicycle.  :)

I think I'll go practice that now, in fact!  See you tomorrow!

Claraboo the juggling Caribou

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Scientific Sundays: Head Rush - Disappearing Glass

Salut, mes amis, and welcome to Sunday!

 So remember when we posted a video of the Mythbusters making a Rube Goldberg machine?  It's okay!  If you didn't see it, go ahead and click on the link and I'll be right here waiting for you.

I'll probably sing a song and water my plants, if you don't mind.

Oh! And ride my unicycle around the library (Shhh...don't tell the Captain!).
...
......

You're back!

Okay, so there's this fantastic woman, whose name is Kari Byron, and she's on Mythbusters.  She also hosts her own show called Head Rush and that's where this next video comes from.  Make sure you have an adult's help with this one!


Enjoy the sunshine, Kangaroonies!  See you tomorrow!

Claraboo

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Saturday Silliness: Donut Brain Aliens by THE DIRTY SOCK FUNTIME BAND


*YAAAAAAWWWWWN*

*blink, blink*

Oh!  Good morning!  I slept in today!

But don't worry....I have a video allllllll set for you.  Today is  
Silly Saturday  
and I don't think there's anything MORE funny than having a donut for a brain.

WHY would you want donuts for brains?!?

So you can dance like Donut Brain Aliens, of course!


Those guys are pretty funny, don't you think?  I love it!!

Stay silly, Kangaroonies, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Claraboo

Friday, May 4, 2012

Fairytale (less) Friday: Instead, beautiful lights and colors from Belgium!

Ahem.


You may have noticed it's now early evening (at least where I am - Kangaroo Acres).


There is no video.


*hangs head*


Today was a really busy day and I wasn't able to find a good fairytale to share with you.


However!  The Captain shared these photos on his Facebook page and I really want to make sure everyone sees them because they're BEAUTIFUL.  

All photos below from: 





Make sure to click on the link above the photos for more information.  I love the colors so much...I wish I could visit this!

I'll be back tomorrow with a video, I promise.  :)  Have a beautiful day, everyone!

Claraboo

Thursday, May 3, 2012

They Might Be Thursday: Put it to the Test by TMBG

Bonjour Kangaroonies!

 I was riding my bicyclette around the Acres yesterday (it was such an oh-so beautiful day!  I hope you spent it outside too!) and I saw some ants trying to figure out how to get a berry back to their ant hill.  


I sat on the ground and watched them test different ideas: all of them tried carrying it, then one tried doing a wiggly dance behind the berry to get it to move, and finally some other ants joined them and they all managed to push/carry it back to the hill.


I love the idea of testing ideas and finding the solution.  Sometimes you'll find a different solution than someone else and that's okay!  


And you know what?  One of our favorite bands, They Might Be Giants, sings about that very thing!



Can you believe video games used to LOOK like that?  :)

Put an idea to the test today...let me know what happens!

Love,
Claraboo

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

What is That?? Wednesdays: Mythbusters make a Rube Goldberg Machine

Goooooood morning and welcome to What is THAT?? Wednesdays!!

Have you heard of a Rube Goldberg machine before?  I bet you've seen one even if you don't know the name.  It's a "comically involved, complicated invention, laboriously contrived to perform a simple operation".

Um, what?

Maybe it'll be easier to understand if you watch the Mythbusters make their very own Rube Goldberg machine for Christmas a few years ago:  



So have you seen one before? I usually see them at science museums.  They always amaze me.   

These machines are named after their creator, Rube Goldberg.  He lived from 1883-1970 and was an engineer, a cartoonist, a sculptor, and an artist.  Though he drew a lot of these machines, he never built one.  

Every year, there is an official Rube Goldberg Machine Contest for high school and college students to compete with their own machines.  This year's theme is "Hammer a Nail".

Looks like fun!  If you were going to build a Rube Goldberg machine, what would you make it do?

Love,
Claraboo

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Pocoyo Tuesdays: Juggling Balls

Kangaroonies, I have a question for you and I hope the answer is yes.

Would you mind very, very much if we did another Pocoyo Tuesday?  I loved it so much last week when the Captain posted that video that I want to do it again!

I found a Pocoyo video about juggling and I must admit I giggled a bit. The Cap is teaching me how to juggle because he juggles really well!  Have you seen him? 

(This photo is from a few months ago...I'd forgotten how short his hair was then!  He's been growing it out ever since...all of us at Kangaroo Acres told him we liked it better when he has longer hair.)  :)

Okay, I've talked long enough...here is Pocoyo!  And juggling!  And a performance!  Enjoy!!



Do you know how to juggle?  If you do, do you think you could help teach me too?  

Have an oh-so-perfectly beautiful day, Kangaroonies, and I'll see you tomorrow!!

Claraboooooooo :)