How Much Does Wonder Cost?

A very happy swimmer on a recent field trip.

Imagine a few things with me, please.

Imagine you have never seen a deer or any wild animal bigger than a bird. Imagine you have never even seen a forest. Imagine you have never eaten at a restaurant, not even a McDonald's. And you certainly have never stayed the night at a hotel.

The 3rd, 4th and 5th grades up a tree.

Hard to imagine isn't. But not if you are a child living at the Akany Avoko children's home in Madagascar. Most have lived a life that would make you very sad or even frighten you. Some were hurt by their families. Some were so poor they were lucky to eat just one meal a day. Some had no families or homes at all and lived on the street under bridges and behind dumpsters. Some were sick and nearly dead before they came to the home. And almost all of them were not able to go to school.

They had hard lives. Sad lives.

Cool. Even Miss Frizzle's bus didn't have flames.

Now they have better lives. Akany Avoko has given them a safe and loving home with food, warmth and even school. But this is where you came in; you gave them more.

Thanks to very generous donations from caring individuals and from some hardworking classes and kids at Community Park and Litltlebrook Elementary schools in Princeton, NJ, the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders at Akany Avoko have been given some wonderful field trip opportunities.

And wonderful is the exact right word to use. You have given them the gift of wonder. Wonder at the sight of a sea of green trees. Wonder at the sound of a lemur calling far in the forest. Wonder at the touch of rich moist rainforest air on their skin. Wonder at swimming in cool clean wild water. It is difficult for them or me describe what this wonder means.

Nine out 10 trees have been cut down in Madagascar.

That's why all but two of the kids had never seen a forest.

But they thanked you with every smile and there sure were a whole lot of smiles. Even the bus rides to the field trips were big deals. The trips your loving donations payed for provided an escape from lives that very much need an occasional escape or fairy tale.

A nice big lunch...and she didn't waste a bite of it.

Fruit bigger than your head. Jack fruit to be exact.

A nice big spread for supper too. And as always, lots of rice.

Eat all that rice and you may have to take a break after lunch.

Now they don't have to imagine eating at a restaurant, staying at a hotel, walking through a lush forest or the sight of lemurs leaping from limb to limb. They don't have to imagine anymore.

You have done a good thing for some very good kids. From the bottom of my terribly-moved heart, I thank you. And the kids? The smiles in the photos show how incredibly thankful they are.

A hotel was quite a nice treat.

Swimming is always the biggest smile-enducing hit.

Virtual Field Trip: Zoo in Tana [Part 1]

[Lemurs behind bars. No this isn't lemur jail; this is the zoo. Thanks to some very generous donations I was able to take the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from Akany Avoko children's home on a field trip to national zoo in Antananarivo, Madagascar. It's close to us but probably a bit of a haul for your class (unless your teacher is Ms. Frizzle). Don't worry though. Read on and join us for a virtual field trip instead.]

Right. Every one off the bus and line up at the gate. Anyone have to pee? I'm not stopping later, so unless you want to spend the field trip bouncing around and walking funny, go now.

Timmy! Stop that!

"But you said go now."

Ok, Timmy gets an F for the field trip, but the rest of you still got a shot at an A. Let's head out.

Any questions first?

"Can we see the bears?"

No. There are no bears.

"Can we see the lions?"

No. There are no lions.

"Can we see the hippopotamuseseseses?"

No. There are no hippos.

Yes, Becky?

"Mr. Lebo, are you sure we're at the zoo?"

Notice all the cages and souvenirs? Yes, we are most certainly at the zoo, but this zoo only has animals from Madagascar and there are no bears, lions or hippos here. And Becky?

"Yes, Mr. Lebo?"

You get an F for the field trip now too.

"But I...I just asked a quest--"

Don't push it. One more word and you'll get a G instead.

"But I don't think there even is such a thing as a G?"

"Okay, a G minus then. Any more questions?"

This zoo is a marvelous place. Dozens and dozens of wonderful animals that can only be found here on the Great Red Island of Madagascar. Hundreds of out-of-this-world endemic plants with amazing adaptations to survive harsh and special climates.

All outstanding things you may even get a chance to see after you stand here and listen to me yak on and on about lemurs for while.

"But we've already listened to you yak on and on about lemurs before."

What did you say Becky?

"Uh...I said, 'But we have already had the wonderful opportunity to listen your incredible and amazing facts about lemurs'."

So you already know they aren't monkeys?

"Yes."

You already know they are the oldest primates in the world?

"Yes. They are our great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandparents."

Excellent. But I think you missed a great.

But there is one thing new to learn. How they got to Madagascar in the first place.

"Fine, but we can see some actual lemurs after you're done talking?"

Certainly. But Becky?

"Yes?"

You now have an H.

Here we go. Raise your hands. How do you think Lemurs got to Madagascar? Bobby?

"They swam."

Nope. Lemurs can't swim. So-Ling?

"When my mom wants to go somewhere, she uses her frequent flyer miles."

Is your mom a lemur?

"No."

That's right, because lemurs can't fly.

Alright, we'll come back to how they got here in a bit. First, let's figure out how here got here.

Madagascar is the oldest island in the world. But it is not as old as the Earth. Take a look at this globe I just happen to have in my pocket. See all the lovely continents?

"Yes."

Well those big hunks of rock and dirt are a lot like Willy.

"They're allergic to peanut butter and don't comb their hair?"

No, they can't sit still.

"Oh."

And, by the way, has anyone seem Willy lately?

"He said he was going to go pet the crocodiles."

Fine, now back to the continents. The continents and plates of the crust are floating on top of molten rock that boils up and pushes them around. Sometimes they get pushed apart and sometimes they get smooshed together into supercontinents.

"Ooh! Does that mean they can fly?"

Not that kind of super. Two-hundred and fifty million years ago when crocodiles like the ones that are now digesting Willy first showed up, there was one big supercontinent called Pangea. Madagascar was just a hunk of land in the middle; it was not an island. And even about 100 million years later or so when Africa broke free it wasn't an island either, because Madagascar was still holding on to India.

"Did it like curry? I like curry."

Do you also like failing grades, Ben? Madagascar, the island, was finally born about 70 million years ago when it kissed India goodbye and set off on its own. It wasn't completely on its own though. There were all kinds of plants and animals living on it, but something was missing. There were no lemurs anywhere. The lemurs were left behind back in India and Africa and other places too.

"Mr. Lebo is this story ever going to end?"

In a bit, Becky. And congratulations you are now the first student in elementary school history to earn a J.

So, we are still left with our first question. How did lemurs ever end up on Madagascar in the first place?

Grab a map, turn your brains on and come up with some ideas. In the meantime, I'm going to go check on Ben. I hope the crocodile isn't choking on him.

I really like crocodiles.

[Note to students and teachers who just endured part 1 of the virtual field trip to the zoo: Give the challenge a whirl and send me your ideas about how lemurs came to Madagascar. Try and use your brain and not Google. Give it a shot. Get it wrong. Who cares? Just leave a comment with your best thoughts. Next week we will finish the virtual field trip and find out the real answer. We will also find out how low Becky's grade can actually get.]

Akany Avoko children enjoying the non-virtual tortoise during their non-virtual field trip to the zoo. There used to be thousands of these on the island (tortoises, not Akany Avoko children), but now they are extinct. This one is a similar species from a neighboring island group.

These are the most popular animals at the zoo. Lemurs aren't such a big deal when you grow up in Madagascar, but camels sure are. These were actually gifts from the leader of Libya in northern Africa.

The lucky and grateful kids. Thank you so much to the all the wonderful donors who helped raise money for this and future field trips.

More Fun than You Can Shake a Really Long Black and White Striped Tail At

Some animals just get all the attention. And in Madagascar, this is the animal that has stolen the show. Everyone wants to see ring-tailed lemurs. Hundreds or different frogs. More chameleons than any place on earth. Insects that look like aliens designed them. Thousands of strange and wonderful plants. But no, everyone wants to see King Julian and his ring-tailed buddies.

Well, fine. Here you go. I finally got to see some of these attention hogs on a recent trip south. Enjoy the cute pics, But I am going to force you to learn a bit as you go. I am a science teacher after all.

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #1:

There is no King Julian. There may be a Queen Julia though. Almost all mammals (furry, milk-drinking, not-hatched-from-an-egg animals) have kings or they just get along fine with no one in charge. But hyenas and ring-tailed lemurs kicked the kings out and have queens instead. A female runs the lemur troop. That's why a group of lemurs is called a matriarchy.

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #2:

Ring-Tails are talkative little lemurs. They are a teacher's nightmare; they never stop yapping. They have calls for everything. They moan, click, purr. They talk to each other to keep the group together as they bound and walk through the forest in search of food. And the yell to let everyone know a lemur-eatin' foe is nearby. Click here to listen to some samples.

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #3:

Though they still love the trees as much as the next lemur, Ring-tailed lemurs do spend more time on the ground than any other Malagasy prosimian (lemur).

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #4:

Madagascar is in the tropics, but that doesn't mean it's nice and warm all the time. Nights can be chilly. That is why ring-tails like to plop down and face the sun in the morning for a good ol' tanning session. They face the sun and expose their thinly-furred belly to the warm sunshine. And if the night is particularly nippy, the lemurs huddle together to form a big toasty lemur ball. Now how cute is that?

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #5:

Being a boy lemur can really stink. That's not exactly right. Let me try that again. Boy lemurs can really stink. There, that's better. Both boys and girls have scent glands they use to mark their troop's territory, but the boys also use their foul cologne to fight. Stink fight to be precise. They rub their stink on their tails and then duel it out to be king. (Ok, not king. We already learned that isn't true in the first fact.) And when it comes time to mate and make baby lemurs, the boys use their stinky tails to attract the girls. I guess lemurs don't care for flowers and chocolate.

Ring-Tailed Lemur Fact #6:

Lemurs are not endangered, but they are classified as Near Threatened which means they are on their way to endangered if they aren't protected. And actually it isn't the lemurs that need protecting; it is their forests. Farming, grazing, mining, you name it. It is destroying the trees of Madagascar. Nine out every ten trees have been cut down. And since Madagascar is a very poor country, people do what they can for food and money. That means that sometimes people eat lemurs or capture them and sell them as pets. But the Malagasy government and many environmental groups are doing their best to make sure Ring-tail lemurs always have a home.

Malagasy Money

Malagasy money usually has more dirt on it than a 4 year old boy.

When it is clean, crisp and new, it is quite nice. This is a 100 ariary bill. It is like a US $100 except a US $100 bill can buy a lot and a 100 ariary bill can't. It is actually the smallest bill. Everything smaller is only in coins. That means instead of a $20 bill there is a $20 coin.

This is the largest bill, the 10,000 ariary note. It is worth about US $5. It isn't the biggest bill in the world. There is even a US $10,000 bill. But nothing beats the $100,000,000,000,000 bill from Zimbabwe. I am not making this up.

The 10,000 ariary bill is also special, because it is probably the only money in the world that features a dump truck and commemorates road construction.

Here is a 10 ariary coin. Let's compare it to a US $10 bill. How many cents or pennies are in a US $10 bill? I'll give you a second...right, 1,000. Now how many iraimbilanja (Malagasy pennies) are in a 10 ariary coin? 1,000. Nope. Try 50.

Almost every where currency is a dollar (1) and cents (100 parts of that 1) thing. There are only two countries in the entire world that do not break down their money into decimals. Mauritania and Madagascar. The base unit of Malagasy currency, the ariary, can be divided not into 100 equal sub units, but only 5. Each sub unit is called a iraimbilanja.

But in reality, that 10 ariary coin is worth about nothing. Or rather, it can buy about nothing. Even a small piece of hard candy usually costs 20 ariary. A lot of stores just ignore anything less than 100 ariary when it comes to making change. In over a year in Madagascar, I think I have used a coin or coins only twice to buy something. The economy runs on dirty bills not clunky coins.

Between a Rock and a Hard Science

I am heading out to do some real science, some real and fun science. For the next 3 weeks, I will be out and about on the granite rocks of south central Madagascar. My wife and her fellow scientists will collecting and study the amazing endemic plants that grow only these amazing rock outcroppings. I will tagging along with my climbing gear to help collect the hard-to-reach plants on the steep bits.

Since we will be traveling to different locations every few days, I may not be able to post or respond to your comments normally. Please be patient and the blog will be back to normal in a few weeks when we get back.

Then you can learn all about the tremendously cool plants we find.

Virtual Field Trip: Croc Farm

When taking kids on a field trip, it is always best to do a head count. But since I took the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders from Akany Avoko to a crocodile farm, I thought it best to be thorough and do hand, finger, foot and toe counts too. And when all was said and done, we were all accounted for down to the very last toe.

And what did the excited Malagasy students learn at the crocodile farm? Well, why don't you tag along for a virtual field trip and find out?

Right, welcome to the Croc Farm. Make sure to stick with your buddy and no sharing your sandwich with the man-eating reptiles. Last chance, anyone need to tinkle? Good, let's get started.

Crocodiles are pointy-toothed time machines. That doesn't mean you can crawl inside one and zap yourself to the future. In fact, I would advise you to never crawl inside a crocodile. (Except for perhaps you, William.) Crocodiles are like a time machine, because when you look at one you are looking backwards 200 million years!

Dinosaurs saw the same kind of crocodiles that you see. That is because crocodiles are nearly perfect reptiles. Unlike Sally's spelling, there really isn't much room for improvement. They pretty much stay the same.

Most animals and plants change over time as certain genetic mutations and features work out better than the ones their parents and grandparents had. The new slightly different animals or plants do well and have lots of babies. Do that for millions of years and things can really change. But crocodiles don't really change anymore. They made all the right adaptations a long time ago.

Yes, Timmy?

"What are some of those adaptations that make them so perfect?"

Excellent question, but please take your finger out of your nose while I answer it. Thanks.

Well, for one thing check out that long, strong tail. That puppy is chock full of muscles. It can use it to gently swim through the water or ambush a poor defenseless bird that was just trying to have a little drink. Poor bird.

Their fat webbed feet aren't used for paddling. They are used to steer and to support their body as they walk, run and even hop on land. No small feat considering a large crocodile can weigh as much as a car.

They don't hunt down their food. They use their excellent camouflage (and patience) to wait for food to come just a bit too close before they ambush it and bite down with their world famous jaws.

A crocodile can really bite. I know Ruby, your little sister can really bite too, but she is nothing compared to a crocodile. Their bite is 5,000 pounds per square inch. Yeah, what does that mean. I get it. Well, let's compare it to another toothsome foe, the great white shark. That seal-eating super fish can only chomp down with a measly 400 pounds per square inch.

But with all those big muscles used to bite down, there aren't many left over to open the mouth back up, so a crocodile is a bit of a weakling too. Even you could hold a crocodile's mouth shut, Pete (even though you don't seem to be able to keep your own shut for more than two seconds).

Now let's shuffle over to the next pond.

Crocodiles are cold-blooded; just like math teachers. Just kidding, Mr. Weedle. Thanks for coming today and please put down that rock. Right, you are able to eat delicious food (or the food they serve in the cafeteria) and turn that food into energy and heat. That means you are warm-blooded. You pretty much stay at 37.5 degrees Celsius. Cold-blooded animals can't really warm themselves up. They have to get some help from the sun. Their blood can get hot and cold and it doesn't really hurt them.

Crocodiles can't sweat to cool off like you. So when they get a bit past toasty, they open up their mouths to cool off like a dog. They can take a swim to cool off too. To warm up, they drag their big bellies up onto a nice beach to catch some rays and maybe eat a wildebeest.

In Madagascar, there are some special crocodiles that have learned--eyes on me, Lester--to love the cold. They are the only crocodiles in the world that live in caves. Caves are cold. That means the crocodiles are cold. And when a cold-blooded animal gets cold, they get slow. And in the Madagascar cave crocodiles' case--sorry, head up and eyes on me, Lester--they get so cold they can't even eat. They have to get out into the sun to warm up enough to have a meal. It's not too much of a hassle though. Some of them only eat once a year. And during certain times of the--right, that's it! Mr. Weedle, would you kindly pick up Lester and feed him to the crocodiles?

Thank you.

Yes, Becky?

"Why does Lester get to play with the crocodiles and the rest of us don't?"

Because I like him best. Now let's move on.

Take a close look at the crocodile skin. It may look old, rough and clunky, but it's really top-of-the-line high-tech stuff. It has special receptors that allow it to feel even the tiniest movement in the water. And the scales are so tough and protective that some tribes in Africa even used the skin as shields. A crocodile's armored outer shell even helps on chilly mornings. There are thousands and thousands of small capillaries running with blood just beneath the thick bits. The scales absorb the sun's heat and transfer it to the blood. Nifty, no?

Simon?

"This is getting boring?"

Simon, you're getting an F for today, but you don't see me complaining do you?

Fine, I'll shut my trap about the wonderful world of crocodiles and we'll see what else the Croc Farm has to offer.

"Mr. Lebo, the ostrich looks angry."

Oh, it's probably just upset, because it can't fly. Or that it's so far from home. Ostriches never lived in Madagascar. They did have elephant birds though and they were almost twice as tall.

Here, you can see two very special turtles who appear to be in love or involved in some sort of turtle car accident. The little one in the midst of being run over is a radiated tortoise. One of them lived to be 188 years old making it the oldest known living animal. And the big one doing the running over is a Seychelles giant tortoise and it is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Madagascar used to be crawling with similar giant tortoises, but they became extinct shortly after people arrived about 2,500 years ago.

"Mr. Lebo, why would people be so mean to big lovable turtles?"

I don't know. Maybe because they asked too many questions.

Alright, that's it for blabbing. It's time for some fun. Take off your shoes and you can each have eleven seconds to enjoy the bounce and wonder of the trampoline...................... ...................................Excellent, fun is over.

"But you said we could have ice cream?"

I also said you wouldn't have homework this weekend. Do you believe everything I say?

Oh, for goodness sakes, stop crying or you can all go help Lester wrestle the crocodile.

"I almost got her, Mr. Lebo! Ouch. I think she's getting tired. Ow! Pointy teeth. So many pointy teeth. Ow!"

Good work, Lester. Now, while the crocodile finishes her snack, we can all go have some ice cream...if it will keep you from whining.

"Thank you, Mr. Lebo!"

Yeah, yeah.

Ok, it's the real Mr. Lebo here. Not the mean one from the virtual field trip we just took. I just want to let you know that the real thanks don't go to me. They go to Mrs. Schwimmer in Princeton, NJ for being ever so kind and loving by donating her own birthday money to help send the kids from Akany Avoko on a wonderful, wonderful field trip to the quite real Croc Farm. And, yes, we did get ice cream on the way home. And, no, none of the kids spilled it all over their nice clean shirts. I was the only one to do that.

If you are interested in sending the kids of Akany Avoko children's home on another cool field trip, please email me at chad_lebo@monet.prs.k12.nj.us to find out how.

The Other Side

Life for most kids in America means clean clothes to put on in the morning, a free school they can go to, three good meals a day and plenty of safe water to drink. Life for most kids in Madagascar is very different.

They may only have one or two sets of clothing. There are not many schools to even go to. And even if there is a school the books and uniforms are not and that is money their family does not have. They work as farmers and animal herders. They do not have electricity. They eat rice or boiled roots two times a day, three if they are lucky. The water they drink and wash in does not come from a clean sink. It comes from dirty soiled rivers and wells. There are very few doctors to help them if they are sick. There are not many toys to play with besides stones, old tires, plastic grocery bags and beat-up homemade toys trucks. Even if they could get books, most cannot read. Or do math. Because they do not get enough calories, vitamins or minerals, they are shorter and skinnier than most of the kids their age in the world.

It is not a life you know. It is not a life I knew. But it is most certainly the life they know. And most bear it with dignity. They do not complain or whine. It is even possible to find smiles on the faces of the children near me who live behind dumpsters and spend their days picking through the trash to find scraps they can eat or empty bottles they can sell.

This is not an easy problem to solve, but it should most certainly not be ignored. Talk to your families and your teachers and ask about some ways that you or you class may be able to remember or help those that the world and fortune have forgotten.

[Students and Teachers: If you are interested in helping the children of Madagascar, please email me at chad_lebo@monet.prs.k12.nj.us about the opportunities to help kids at the children's home where I work, Akany Avoko.]

All of the photos on this post were taken by last weekend in the small town of Ibity, Madagascar. When looking at these photos, keep this in mind: compared to most of the country, this village is not a poor one. It has a primary school, a local cement factory and good farmland.