My girl wanted to go shopping this weekend with her bff. Christmas money was burning holes in their pockets. So I took them to Target. While they were busy I perused the book section and chose 5 to buy on behalf of my kids. Not to make them read, not in service to some specific curriculum, but just to leave laying around. Because the things laying around home are things they will stumble upon. More like as not, books stumbled upon often get read. They surely can't be read if they aren't here. Yes, the kids do choose their own books from the library. But my choices are generally outside favorite genres and often above their radar. I tend to buy up and have never been sorry.

We are now working our way through the history of New York by PBS on Netflix. Last night we watched the first one, beginning in 1609. I chose this series randomly in the same way I chose five books at Target this weekend. I have a dim notion we will visit NYC one day and history can only enrich, right? I had no idea I was bringing in an excellent introduction to the history of the United States with special emphasis on our political heritage and the development of Republicans and Democrats.

Over simplified: there are Hamiltonians and Jeffersonians. Hamiltonians are civic oriented and believe investing money from the public into public works creates jobs and wealth for the community. Jeffersonians believe our strength as a nation is largely agrarian and the national government has no business concerning itself with the economy of its citizens. Perhaps ironically, Hamilton was an orphan immigrant and completely self made. He was a brilliant creator of wealth and brought the entire city (and it could be argued, our country) up with him. Jefferson inherited his wealth and died deeply in debt. Republicans love to tout their self made self reliance. ..Star Belly sneetches and all that.

The other thing I found rather electrifying was an explanation of The Grid. Sometime in the early to mid 1800s city officials decided to completely level the entire island of Manhattan. Every hill, every spring rivulet and pond, every quirk, every bank (The steep banks of Brooklyn?!), every thing was erased. They wiped it all in an effort to triumph over nature, and to simplify real estate and navigation. It was purely intentional. Some of that worked. To say they forgot about planning green space would be silly. The entire continent behind Manhattan was green space. They simply claimed the island.

Which is why I feel creeped out to the depth of my soul when I am in Manhattan. I thought it was just me being a country mouse. No, it is partly my culturally Jeffersonian roots, to be sure. But its also my inner perception of a profoundly perverse intention.

So, shopping and Netlix both offer excellent ways to do something unschoolers call Strewing. We sprinkle information all over the place. You have to walk around it to get the bathroom. And push it off the table to find a place for your drink. Enticing information is hopefully part of the atmosphere around here. At least, that's the basic idea.