I always thought Minnesota was over next to Colorado. I know it's lame, but I'm geographically challenged (wiped out in the first round of my 7th grade geography bee), and that's just where I pictured it. As I discovered not that long ago, Minnesota borders Canada and is nowhere near Colorado. Maybe I thought since they're both cold, they'd be right next to each other on the map. Minnesota is where Laura Ingalls and her family had "The Long Winter" and Colorado is where people go to ski, so they're probably close to each other, right? I also thought Missouri was down near Mississippi. Still not certain where that logic came from, but the point is I'm clearly not meant to be a topographer or a geography teacher. There would be some very confused 14 year olds wondering how to get to Minneapolis if I was at the helm of their land based education.
It's only marginally comforting that I'm not the only natural science ignoramus out there. In Affluenza, a college kid is quoted as saying, "I thought potatoes grew on trees." I laughed when I read that, but the chuckle petered out when I got to this "Bioregion Quiz":
1. Trace the water you drink from precipitation to tap.I could make wild guesses for most of these questions, but they'd probably be Minnesota answers.
2. Describe the soil around your home.
3. What were the primary subsistence techniques of the cultures that lived
in your area before you?
4. Name five native edible plants in your bioregion and their seasons of
availability.
5. Where does your garbage go?
6. Nave five resident and any migratory birds in your area.
7. What spring wildflower is consistently among the first to bloom where
you live?
8. What animal species have become extinct in your area?
9. What kinds of rocks and minerals are found in your bioregion?
10. What is the largest wilderness area in your bioregion?
1 comment:
I could answer some of those, but not all. I gotta read Affluenza. It's been on my list for some time.
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