Journal entry #4 – Things -- just moving along

I’ve been struggling a little bit with the idea of journey related to ‘things’. This is a component of the larger ‘big idea’ selected by the teachers of Nellie McClung Elementary School for next year’s theme. I’m having no problem coming up with resources relating to people undergoing journey whether it’s internal or physical. But ‘things’ are different. Journey is a human construct. Things just are. However, things do change, develop, get moved, disintegrate, become obsolete, are extended or developed, etc. So, this is how I’m framing my thinking around the idea of ‘things’ and journey.
What constitutes ‘things’?


Short answer: This is wide-open.


In terms of the natural world I’m looking at cycles, processes and occurrences. Some of these include life cycles, water cycle, and rock cycle (geological processes). Processes and occurrences kind of go together in my head and include evolution, seasons, migrations, global warming, violent physical phenomena, and other weather processes to name just a few.


Human impact on the natural world is a subcategory. These disruptions to natural balances might include endangering animal and plant species, disrupting habitats, pollution, creating land, etc. Global warming might fall into this area, too. These are often interconnected.


Human endeavors (or whatever word works for you) includes things like ideas, technology, industry, organizations, countries, cities, buildings, culture, artifacts (things, stuff), etc. –the big and small of life.


Some of the resources I’ve selected that address the above three characterizations, include:
Chew on this / Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson (394.12 ScC 2006)
Cycle of rice, cycle of life / Jan Reynolds (633.18 ReC 2009)
Fragile Earth: views of a changing world (550 Fr 2006)
How nearly everything was invented / Brainwaves (609 MaH 2006)
Ideas that changed the world (609 Id 2010)
The Jupiter stone / Paul Owen Lewis (823 L5877J PIC BK)
Lucy of long ago: uncovering the mystery of where we came from / Catherine Thimmesh (569.93 ThL 2009)
Meadowlands: a wetlands survival story / Thomas Yezerski (577.69 YeM 2011)
The Patchwork house / Sally Fitz-Gibbon (823 F577P PIC BK)
Stars beneath your bed: the surprising story of dust / April Pulley Sayre (551.51 SaS 2005 PIC BK)
A Street through time (936 MiS 1998 PIC BK) and A City through time (936 NoC 2004 PIC BK)
Technology (Groundwork guide) / Wayne Grady (303.483 GrT 2010)

I’m always open to suggestions.