Stuff We Like :: 12.7.18

In our big Enlightenment madness competition at Jason’s school this week, it came down to Swift (“A Modest Proposal”) versus Swift (Gulliver’s Travels), and it was so fun to listen to all the arguments about why Samuel Johnson Dictionary was more representative of the Enlightenment than Hogarth’s “A Harlot’s Progress” — and vice versa. It was the highlight of my week — well, that and the latkes. 

What’s happening at home/school/life

• It’s our giant mythology reading list!

• Maggie has some tips to bring community service and project-based learning to your language arts classes. (It’s like the homeschool trifecta!)

• From the archives: Celebrating Nelson Mandela and the lazy parent’s guide to holiday cheer

• You may be interested in: Some of our favorite holiday readalouds

Links I liked

• THIS. I have seen so many beloved magazines shut down over the past decades: Sassy, Mademoiselle, Gourmet, Blueprint, and now Glamour. And while I get it —the world changes and especially the media world — it feels even sadder not to give these magazines the real goodbye they deserve.

• This is why I love philosophers: Is it ethical for Chidi (from The Good Place, which you should start watching now if you haven’t already!) to be so darn buff?

• Relevant to my interests: Co-parenting with Lord Byron

• Also relevant to my interests: The Victorian occultist accused of killing men with her mind

• This made me laugh so hard.

Things I didn’t know but now I do

• Apparently, it takes 1.71 days to poop out a Lego.

• Smooth guardian frogs are really good dads.

What’s making me happy

• The Art Institute of Chicago has made its archives open access, and they are AMAZING.

• This “Honest Diversity in Tech Report.”

• These awesome Hanukkah cards.

• This Totoro hoodie. (I’m so excited to see my Ghibli lover’s face when she opens this!)

• This game. (Check it out if you loved Sagrada; skip it if you can’t get into abstract games.)

• These out-of-control snickerdoodles.

(We’re Amazon affiliates, so if you purchase something through an Amazon link, we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Obviously this doesn’t influence what we recommend, and we link to places other than Amazon.)

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