Ka-Boom!

The boy is into video games, and especially loves broadcasting live. I decided to see if I could find some kid-friendly video game jokes to doodle.

I don't know if the ladies in first grade are going to appreciate the humor, but I'm hoping the boy loves it.

Oh, Ewe!

I've had the joke for this doodle laying around for a few weeks. When the boy decided he wanted to start getting facts, I'd already compiled a stack of future jokes. This is one of the last.

It also happens to be one of my favorite doodles to date. I have no clue what appeals to me most, but I just love this one.

Hope you all had a great weekend. Happy Monday!

Extreme planet action

The boy likes fun facts. Even though some of the other kids like the jokes better, I try to give him what he asks for. That means today is a fact.

As if sulphuric acid rain isn't inhospitable enough, Venus has more extreme weather.

Seeker had this info to share about the strange precipitation:

http://www.seeker.com/the-metallic-snow-capped-mountains-of-venus-1767586407.html

"As we now understand it, the snow on Venus’ surface is probably more similar to frost. On the lower Venusian plains, temperatures reach a searing 480°C (894°F). This is hot enough that reflective pyrite minerals on the planet’s surface are vaporized, entering the atmosphere as a kind of metallic mist, leaving only the dark volcanic rocks like basalt in the Venusian lowlands."

The metals found are galena and bismuthinite. 

One smart cookie

The boy requested a dino fact for today. He wanted me to write that they all went extinct because of a giant meteor. I told him I wanted it to be a fact he didn't already know.

Fun fact for me. Half of the Troodon pics I found for reference had feathers. Half of them didn't. Prehistoric wildlife had this to say about the feather situation:

"While old depictions of Troodon‭ (‬then known as Stenonychosaurus‭) ‬show a lizard like dinosaur with bare skin,‭ ‬most modern reconstructions place a covering of primitive feathers over its body.‭ ‬This is quite a reasonable supposition as not only did other smaller members of the troodontidae have feathers,‭ ‬Troodon is known from as far north as modern day Alaska.‭ ‬Such a northern latitude even at the end of the Cretaceous period would have been much cooler than areas just a few hundred miles south,‭ ‬quite easily necessitating the presence of insulating feathers."

So, no feathers for sure, but highly likely given feathers have been found on similar fossils. I'm going to be honest and tell you I went for the featherless version because it's easier to draw!

Atomic

When I shared yesterday's fact with the first graders, they asked if I could do a joke today. They miss the jokes. Since the boy didn't specifically ask for a fact today, I complied and sent in a joke. The first graders will be happy.

But then again, they might not. I don't know if any of them will get it. I'm pretty sure the boy will because he loves science and knows more than I expect most of the time.

If this one's a bust, I'll send in a consolation joke tomorrow.

Bye bye Bao Bao

Yesterday was Bao Bao's last day at the zoo. She is the newest panda cub born at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. Since the boy had day camp there yesterday, he came home with questions about pandas. He asked how many were left in the wild, and I told him I didn't know, but I knew there weren't many. He firmly believes that there are 12.

I decided to look it up and make it a fact for his doodle today. The problem is, there are only estimates of the population. We can't know for certain how many there are. This means that not everyone has the same number.

According to Wikipedia: As of December 2014, 49 giant pandas lived in captivity outside China, living in 18 zoos in 13 different countries. Wild population estimates vary; one estimate shows that there are about 1,590 individuals living in the wild,[11] while a 2006 study via DNA analysis estimated that this figure could be as high as 2,000 to 3,000.[13] Some reports also show that the number of giant pandas in the wild is on the rise.[14] In March 2015, Mongabay stated that the wild giant panda population had increased by 268, or 16.8%, to 1,864 individuals.

Presidential Edition

So, the boy doesn't have school today (which means I also don't work today, YAY!). However, he is at a day camp at the zoo today, so I still packed him a lunch. That means there's still a doodle for today!

Given that it's President's Day and the boy will be at the zoo, I felt this joke was perfect for today.

Happy President's Day!

Dangerous dinner

The boy gave me open choice of doodle today. I chose joke because it's been a while since we had one.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Elephant facts

I actually drew this doodle yesterday, before I remembered I had promised one about sharks. I was so thankful to have it completed this morning. We were running very late. It seems to be the case with us every Thursday since the boy has Chinese before school. Being out of the house by 8:00 seems to be impossible for us. Luckily, I had a spare doodle ready to be tossed into the lunchbox this morning.

At least this little pachyderm isn't alone. Rhinos and hippos, while they can run with all four feet off of the ground, do not jump either. Neither do sloths, though you have to wonder if they are physically capable and just choose not to. 

Drowning sharks

The boy has two favorite animals: elephants and sharks. Since I doodled an elephant yesterday, we felt it was only fair to show some shark love today.










According to sharkguardian.org

Shark Fact #92. Most sharks species will drown if they stop moving. Great white, mako and salmon sharks don't have the muscles they need to pump water through their mouth and over their gills. As long as they keep swimming, water keeps moving over their gills, keeping them alive.


It's a hammerhead because those are my favorite, but I checked and they are, in fact, one of the species that buccal - or cheek - muscles and therefore have to continuously swim to avoid drowning.

My Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day! I did something a little different for lunch today to make it super special. No joke. No fun fact. No napkin! There is a doodle though.

Hope your day is filled with love and laughter!

Rhyme time

I asked the boy whether he would like a joke or a fun fact today. He told me he didn't want either of them. He wanted a regular fact. He wanted a napkin that said 'today is Monday.'

He doesn't know it yet, but I vetoed the Monday fact. It wouldn't be a fun drawing to make and it's too obvious. I did honor his request, though, and made sure the doodle was neither a joke nor a fun fact.

It's a Valentine poem I found through a Google search when looking for Pokemon valentine ideas. Ten bucks says he tells me Charmander is orange, not red, when he gets home.

Silly rabbit

The classmates were happy to see the return of the doodle yesterday. And as much as the boy complains about it, I can tell he loves sharing it with everyone. Since it's Friday, I decided to send everyone into the weekend with a laugh.

Have a great weekend!

Hard to keep warm

It was almost seventy degrees here yesterday. The boy wore only a t-shirt home from school. I woke up this morning and it was snowing. It didn't last for long, but it's in the low thirties out there today. This winter is giving me whiplash. Humans really failed at evolving to tolerate cold temperatures.

Today's fun fact is about my favorite animal, who also happens to be much better at adapting to the cold than we are.

I'm going to go add another layer of clothes now before I have to take the boy to school. 

Doodleless

I asked the boy this morning whether he would like a fun fact or a joke. He told me neither! He said he's tired of everyone fighting over who gets to read it first. He wanted to take a break today. He said he wants one tomorrow.

So, we're taking an unexpected hiatus today.

Rock on

Today is the 100th day of school. That went by at lightning speed. The boy decided we should do a joke today because everybody likes the jokes. Isn't he a considerate darling?

Since he's supposed to be rocking, I guess I should have drawn an electric guitar. Just pretend it's the most rockin' acoustic song you've ever heard.

Enjoy your Tuesday, folks!

Just the Facts

I'm sure you've noticed that it's been mostly fun facts for the past week. The boy really likes them. He's been asking for them instead of jokes. I've tried to sneak a few jokes in, but he always asks for a fun fact the next day.

It should come as no surprise that today's doodle is a fun fact. I think it's a pretty weird one.

The fact is slightly incorrect as the hippos don't have to be upset and it's not technically sweat. However, I left it the way it is to keep it simple for the boy. 

Here's the truth, according to Scientific American:

"Hippos secrete a reddish oily fluid sometimes called "blood sweat" from special glands in their skin. But the fluid is not sweat. Unlike sweat, which some mammals (including humans) secrete onto their skin, where it evaporates and therefore cools the body, this fluid functions as a skin moisturizer, water repellent and antibiotic. It appears red when exposed to full sunlight, which led the first European discoverers in Africa to call it "blood sweat."




Another fun fact: because of this, hippo milk is also pink.

Hope your week is off to a great start!

A Day Late

I haven't missed a post in a while. I was proud of myself, thought I'd found a system that worked. Looks like I was mistaken.

Yesterday's post was another fun fact. I thought it was one that the little readers would find fascinating. It turns out I was wrong about that too. Either they didn't understand it or they thought it was a joke that wasn't funny. It crashed and burned a little. Maybe subconsciously I didn't want to post it for that reason.

Okay, campers, rise and shine

And don't forget your booties 'cuz it's cold out there today!

It's Groundhog Day! Today's doodle has absolutely nothing to do with that, but I love the movie and that quote runs through my head every year. It is chilly outside this morning, but we have yet to receive any serious snowfall this year. That hasn't stopped the runny noses from invading.

The boy has the beginnings of a nasty cough. I'm hoping we won't be breaking out the nebulizer this weekend. He has Chinese before school this morning, so it means we're pressed for time. I needed a doodle that would be quick and easy. I picked a joke because he didn't ask for a fun fact today.

Enjoy your Thursday!

That's gonna leave a mark

The boy chose to get another fun fact in his lunch today. Because he loved the cloud one so much, I decided to stick with weather. He asks me nearly every day about hail. He's very curious about how big it gets and wonders what would happen if it hailed stones as big as people.

While no hail has ever been measured that's human-sized, it does get pretty big.

I added the pineapple for scale (average 2 pounds) because I'm pretty sure 2.25 pounds will mean nothing to him otherwise. 

Happy Wednesday!