h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks, Willem!

So how are things going for you and PaperBaby? The date is getting close now, isn't it?

*points to name*

Very close! And the baby dropped a couple days ago Though, since this is my first, it could still be 2-4 weeks, which still puts everything on schedule...

Well I'm waiting with very eager anticipation!

Are you aware of my extreme interest in the health and education of kids? Would you be interest in ideas I have?

I do know--I've read stuff you've said And sure, I'm interested

Well ... kind of, I'd like to wait until s/he is born ... but here are a few things.

Firstly ... frequent interaction with the baby is very important. But I'm sure you know that! And I'm sure you'll be interacting with him/her a lot! Sounds, sights ... at least when the eyes can focus ... and touch, all very important. Something I said before ... music! I think music is really, really important for the development of children. I said already to sing and play music ... you said Tom sings better than you do ... but do you at least know many different songs? Not just kiddie songs ... any good songs! Baroque and classical music, and modern music too ... I of course think at least for babies not the noisy stuff, not hard rock, but anything with good melodies and harmonies. And poetry ... my dad read poetry to me since before I could talk, and I'm sure it stimulated my mind a heck of a lot!

But anyways for a baby that can't talk or walk yet, I think it's important that he/she gets to handle objects ... various kinds of toys that *feel* differently to the touch. Different sizes and shapes, and weights. Different textures. These things will, I'm certain, play a part in developing the baby's ability to use his/her hands ... and the use of the hands is ultra-ultra important! And also will develop his/her sense of touch. The senses need to be stimulated to develop properly.

Initially the baby's eyes will not be able to focus ... then they'll be able to focus close, but not far ... this is the time to look at the baby closely, make faces, and very important, smile a lot! Babies love to see people, especially their mommies, smile at them! Also it might be a good idea to let friends also look at him/her and smile and make faces! Learn the child to be familiar with different faces early in life.

But anyways once s/he can focus on objects further away ... might be a good time to be taking him/her out a bit to see the big world! Anything that might be visually interesting. I think animals, birds, plants, stuff like that ... children should be introduced to these as soon as possible. Even just a short while after a baby starts talking might be a good time to teach him/her the names of different kinds of birds, mammals and other animals ... take him/her to a zoo, a petting zoo even! And also learn him/her about different kinds of plants. With plants, I think textures and scents are very important. The textures of different leaves ... soft and thin, hard needle leaves like pine needles, succulent leaves of desert plants, and so on ... and the different textures of the trunk and bark of trees ... and scents! I don't know how much you know about aromatic plants, but for me that's a very important thing; when I have my botanic garden one day, I will really emphasise the different kinds of aromatic plants in it, and if I have kids, or if kids come there, I'll let them smell all the different kinds of scents of the plants. The world of scent is a very interesting one and I think many people underestimate it.

I really, really think that a very important thing is to introduce young children to nature: animals, as many different kinds as possible ... mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, invertebrates ... and plants. Also try to let the child get acquainted with *wild nature* ... ecosystems, like natural forests, woodlands, grasslands, deserts ... the different kinds of vegetation, different kinds of habitats and microhabitats ... natural features like hills and mountains, caves, rivers, plains, coastlines, the ocean ... teach the child something about the relationships that exist between the different animals and plants that constitute an ecosystem ... the water cycle, how rain falls and collects in rivers and flow to the seas and evaporate again to form the clouds ... and how water also passes through plants and animals and in this way also returns to the environment ... I think a sense of the importance of water may be one of the most vital things a child can be given. I really think children should be educated so as to appreciate nature and their connection to it. I really think that this approach will be one that will teach people to be balanced, and whole, and it will instill inner peace in them.

But anyways, these things are all very basic, and I'm sure you'll think of this sort of stuff on your own, and a lot more besides ... the really interesting period is when the kid starts talking!

All great ideas. And ones I'll certainly keep in mind! I'll need to learn more about plants myself, though...

Amy, you realise you're living in one of the most scenically beautiful states/countries in the world, and one not at all deficient in plants! You have everything from high-rainfall forests at the coasts, with the biggest trees in the world, to deserts in the interior! So what can you tell *me* about the wild plant life of California? You must certainly be able to find something out!

I'd have to do some research... I'm not really that educated, botanically...

Well, would you be willing to do some research?

Well, it'll be awhile before I have time. Since I'm going to be breastfeeding, Tom can't exactly help fed, so I don't know if I'll even be able to play around online, much less get any serious research done. Heck, I've not even had time to start on that research for an entry on cystic fibrosis I said I'd do months ago!

OK so how about *I* do some research and tell you about it?

Sounds good

Thanks

OK then! I can already tell you a few things. California is home to both the tallest trees in the world - coast redwoods, Sequoia sempervirens, and giant sequoias - Sequoiadendron giganteum. There are two main different areas in California that are hot and dry ... the first is the Sonoran Desert region, including the Mojave Desert, in the Southeast ... the other is the Central Valley, including the Sacramento Valleu and the San Joaquin Valley. Then there are mountainous regions with higher rainfall ... the Los Angeles ranges, including the San Gabriel mountains, the San Bernardino mountains, and the Santa Ana Laguna mountains in the Southwest; the Coast Ranges all along the West Coast; the Klamath mountains, and the Cascade Range in the North, that goes over into the Sierra Nevada mountains in the East-central areas. The wettest areas are covered by forest. These forests range from conifer forests that experience extreme cold and heavy snows in winter, to warm coastal forests that experience a growing season of over 300 days a year, in addition to heavy rainfall. Trees of the coastal forests include, apart from the redwoods and sequoias, Sitka Spruce, Madrono, Western Hemlock, Tan Oak, Douglas Fir, Canoe Cedar, and Lawson Cypress. Inland there is a more open woodland with broadleaved trees such as oaks, madrones, big-leaved maples, and California bays. Even further into the interior there is a kind of oak woodland with grass below the trees. This forest extends up to about 5000 feet on the mountains, and above this the trees are mostly yellow pines.

OK I'll tell you a bit more when I've done more research! Anyways you should go see The Hulk if you haven't yet ... great scenery and I figure most of it is actually in California!

How much of California have you actually seen yet?

I lived in the middle of the northern section of coastal redwoods for quite awhile, and I've lived in the foothills of Mount Shasta, and then right now I'm in the Sacramento Valley. Furthest south I've been on the coast is the Bay Area, been all the way up to the border on the coast (Crescent City's only 19 miles from the Oregon/California border), driven through the Trinity Mountains quite a lot... If you find a road atlas, you can see where I've been by looking at Highway 101 noerth of San Francisco (and especially north of Eureka and Arcata), looking at I-5 north of Sacramento, Highway 299 between Redding and the coast, and Highway 199, north and a little inland of Crescent City. I've not been in Southern California at all...