See how we hunt cicada nymphs, watch them shed their skins, and then free the adults
Cicada Hunt!		 Salt the Sandbox 
  
Helping kids pursue their passionate 
interests in the world around them

Click here to go directly to our special section on Periodical Cicadas.
   
My kids' lives are ruled by their passions for things.  Twelve-year-old Ethan usually loves things from nature -- fossils, rocks, bugs, leaves, shells, and more.  He's currently in a Pokémon and birds phase.  With ten-year-old Aaron, it was cars, cars, and more cars for two-and-a-half years, until he developed an even stronger passion for trains, which lasted three years.  Now, Aaron loves birds, music, and Pokémon most of all.  Both boys seem driven to discover, observe, and, when possible, collect their objects of desire.  
See the amazing variety of rocks found near our home -- and learn how to find your own
Neighborhood Rocks
Follow Aaron through his car-filled day
Aaron Likes
Cars

The Salt the Sandbox Web tries to help other parents support their kids' passionate interests in the world around them.  
  
In the real world, this year Dad and the boys are paying special attention to Periodical Cicadas, which emerge this year in the Chicago area.  We've even started a CicadaBlog.  We also are involved in the Academic Fair at Irving School.  We also help with ESCONI Juniors at the spring Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show.  Dad works for Selinda Research Associates, Inc., in Chicago, Illinois.
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Here are some smaller Web sites we have developed:

Ethan's Dinosaurs.  This site is about how seven-year-old Ethan relates to dinosaurs, rather than about dinosaurs themselves.  It's really about understanding -- and learning from -- one particular child's interest in these prehistoric animals.

Trees Near Our School.  This site has a photographic key to trees found near our school, plus links to many other Web sites about trees.

Dad has published two articles in Chicago Parent magazine.  One is about the Islands of Expertise that kids can develop about their passionate interests. The other is about kids' collections; it's called Aaron's Treasures.

We also maintain more-or-less archival websites related to our volunteer work with nature and science programs at Wonder Works, a Children's Museum in Oak Park, and the Nature and Science Club at Irving School.

Go here to see our images of Redpolls.

  
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This page was created on August 30, 2000, and it was last updated on February 22, 2008.