Bike To School

You know you love it! It was your first taste of freedom. And it nourished in you an immediate sense of your surroundings and the great outdoors! So what are you waiting for, Tudygirls? Grab those handlebars and pedal away! Bike to School~ you'll get your morning workout done and feel more alert the rest of the day :-)

Here are a few Tudy Tips to help you feel safe and cycle-sure:

1. Have Dad, Mom, or a grown-up map out the safest route to school.
2. Always wear a helmet. Always!
3. There's safety in numbers so bike with friends. (It's just more Tudylightful that way!)
4. Stay on bike routes. Steer clear of roads.
5. Follow the flow of traffic. Never bike against it. Remember, the rules of the road apply to bikers as well.
6. Always lock your bike. Always!7. Stay hydrated and connected. Two Tudy must-haves when biking: a bottle of water and a cell phone. (You never know when you'll need the lift!)

So cycle away! You'll breeze through traffic and that endless congestion. You'll help ease the morning commute and pollution. But most of all, you'll get to school on time, all the time. And your mind and body and heart will love you for it!

Tudy's Swim Tank

Tudy's all time, make-her-summer sport is swimming!  And she's all ready for swim camp next week!!! She's the 20th fastest and 20th slowest swimmer in the pool.  Now, assuming no two swimmers swim at the same speed, Tudygirls, how many swimmers are in Tudy's camp?

(Tudy's Tip:  39 swimmers and a host of reasons to love summer !!!  Check out Tudy's Fave suits just for you!)

Get Into The Swim of Things!

Swimming is making a huge splash everywhere ~ what with Michael Phelp's Great Haul of China, Rebecca Adlington's remarkable new record, and Dara Torres's spectacular performances (she's 41 years old!)! Even my Fave Sport Poll has swimming winning by a tidal wave! So it's no wonder my Under The Sea Tudy Party is your favorite party theme!

So get into the swim of things with a Tudy~licious book with lots of water in it! (Plus a mermaid, for even more underwater flavor!) Read Natalie Babbit's The Search For Delicious and find out how a word and water can start a war! It all begins with an argument about (of all things!) the meaning of the word "delicious". And with some nasty rumors thrown in, a civil war is about to break out! It's all up to Gaylen, a young boy who means well, to believe in the old legends and, hopefully, save the kingdom! What more can I say? It's a Tudy~licious book about understanding others and believing in what truly matters.

An Olympic Feat

On you mark, get set...

Run with The Magic Tree House's Jack and Annie, as they race against time to retrieve a lost story in ancient Olympia! Read Mary Pope Osbourne's Hour of the Olympics, and its primer, Ancient Greece and the Olympics, for real time travel (about 3,000 years ago!) to the first ever Olympic games!

You'll meet Plato, Nike (sooo NOT the shoe!), and that famed, winged wonder, Pegasus! You'll read about what the ancient Greeks wore (a Tudy note: tunics and sandals ruled!) and ate (baklava, anyone?). You'll wake up in Athens and shop around the agora (poso kami, Tudygirls, I'll trade my obolos any time for the golden fleece!) And most importantly, you'll meet the gods and goddesses of Mount Olympus. But here's the clincher: it wasn't all fun and games. Unfortunately, girls were usually caught between Scylla and Charybdis! Girls couldn't compete in the first Olympic games ! No girls allowed, that was the golden rule (excuuuse me, did Athena know about this?!)!

So, cheer on whenever you see female athletes competing! Women weren't always welcomed in the Olympics or any sporting event for that matter! It's been a long time coming.

Here's to all female athletes the world over: Godspeed! May the gods be with you!

08 08 08

It's Olympic Fever! From Athens, Greece to Beijing, China, on August 8, 2008, the whole world's tuning in to the greatest games!

And aren't those five mascots just tooooo cute? Meet Fuwa - Beibei the Fish, Jingjing the Panda, Huanhuan the Olympic Flame, Yingying the Tibetan Antelope, and Nini the Swallow! Did you know that the first syllable of their names form the greeting "Beijing Huanying Ni" or "Welcome to Beijing"? And the color of each mascot was chosen to match the colours of the Olympic Rings?

So bring the Olympics close to home - watch your favorite games and cheer for your team! Get into sports - learn a new one or join a team, even if it's just in your neighborhood! And design your own mascot for even more team spirit! Let the Games begin!