Alexandria with Bettany Hughes

The baby is now two months old.

Here's what I do during the day: sit and feed the baby.

Here's what I do during the night: sit and feed the baby.

Makes Netflix Instant Queue really appealing. And there's only so many episodes of "What not To Wear" and "Yes to the Dress, Bridesmaids" that I can take.

So I decided to ping off the documentary list and watched Alexandria with Bettany Hughes, which chronicles the history of the great city Alexandria. Which I knew nothing about.

But 48 minutes interesting minutes later, I was entertained and educated about Alexandria and the influential female mathematician, Hypatia, who lived there.

If you have the slightly, littlest, most minuscule amount of interest in Alexandrea, Alexander the Great, Hypatia, or this time period, this is worth watching.

Would be great in a history class, home or public.

Genetics Book for Kids: Found One!

I asked a while back if anyone knew of any genetics books for kids, and the authors of one such book responded on my blog.

And so I bought the book. It seemed only fair.

It's called When Will Broccoli Taste Like Chocolate: Your Questions on Genetic Traits Answered by Stanford University Scientists by Bodian and Starr. It's is written deliberately in engaging prose and the authors try to tone down the academic speak.

So after I glanced at it, I handed it to the most reliable kid book critic I know: my kid. The one who had the questions about genetics in the first place. And it keeps being moved, and read, in different parts of the house. So I think we have a winner.

I have to say that I think most of concepts in this book are over his head. But he's 8. So the fact that it interests him at all is what impresses me. I think it's a great addition to our book shelf, and any home library bookshelf (homeschoolers and school kids alike) where the kids are interested in genetics.