You are currently browsing Laura Mann’s articles.
Tis’ the season! Ducky and the gang are so excited for Santa to come! They have written their letters to Santa, hung their stockings, trimmed the tree, wrapped their gifts to each other, and are now patiently waiting for Christmas morning!
We hope you are having a magical Christmas Season filled with family, fun, and of course good food!
Happy Holidays!
Ducky, Ted, Pembleton, and Blizzard are so excited about Christmas this year! Not only is it their first Christmas in England, but Star Wars: The Force Awakens, is coming out! They are so excited about all the Star Wars themed Christmas decorations. So far, their favorite Star Wars themed Christmas item is their Advent Calendar. Ducky says, “Counting down for Christmas has never been so much fun!”
Do you have an advent calendar?
How are you getting into the Christmas spirit?

May the Christmas Spirit be with You!
Before the holidays kicked off, Ducky and the gang went on a family vacation to the Lake District in Northern England. They went on several boat rides, hiked lots of trails, and even rode some old fashioned choo-choo trains. Each had their own favorite moment.
Ducky’s favorite part was when we got caught in a “lamb jam” (traffic jam caused by grazing sheep), when driving on old country roads. They got several good laughs as humans tried to shoo the sheep off the road.
Pembleton’s favorite part was hiking around Lake Derwentwater. He cataloged different plants and animals he spotted along the hike in his science journal.
Ted’s favorite part was the bird show at Muncaster Castle. He liked seeing the hawks soaring in the sky and swooping over the crowd.
Blizzard’s favorite part was eating lots and lots of sticky toffee pudding! It is his favorite dessert in all of England, especially when topped with ice cream.

Hello from the Lake District!
Earlier this summer, Ducky and the gang found out some exciting news! A new human is going to be added to the family!
Then they found out the baby human is a GIRL! (Something Amanda Panda and Penelope Penguin are very excited about.)
It took them a little while to get use to the idea, but now they love their little sister, and can’t wait to teach her “the way of the force”, and how to “live long and prosper”.
Now they are getting some more news! They are going to find out their baby sisters name!!
Here is how it happened:
Ducky, Pembleton, Blizzard and Ted,
Gathered in the living room right before bed.
The mama and the papa told them some news,
That a brand new baby would be joining them soon.
Ducky asked, “will the baby be a brother?”
“No, not a brother”, said the mother.
“Then we’re having a sister”, shouted Ted and Blizzard.
Pembleton asked, “what is her name?”
The papa replied, “let’s play a guessing game.”
Ducky declared, “her last name has to be Mann because she’s joining our clan.”
“Right”, said papa, “and what will her middle name be?”
“I know, Dorothea! For our Grandma Dee.”
“Now let’s finish the game,
what about her first name?”
Blizzard laughed, “This should be easy”,
Ted giggled, “Let’s call her Evie.”
“Evie?” asked Pembleton.
“Is that short for Evelyn?”
“Yes”, said the mama, “that is her name,
Evelyn Dorothea Mann.”
To celebrate the 800th anniversary of the signing of the Magna Carta, Pembleton introduced Ducky, Ted, and Blizzard to his old friend Mr. Peabody.
“Who is Mr. Peabody and why are you so excited for us to meet him?”, Ducky asked.
“Just wait. You’ll see”, Pembleton replied.
When they arrived, Mr. Peabody talked on and on about something he called a “wayback machine”. They all got inside the machine, and to Ducky’s surprise, they were suddenly transported back in time to 1215 in medieval England!
There were a bunch a funny looking men, all standing around a fancy piece of paper. Pembleton started geeking out, and Mr. Peabody explained that this historical document meant that the King or Queen of England had to follow their own laws. In essence, the Magna Carta established that no man, or animal is above the law.
After the signing of the document. Thy all got back in to the “wayback machine” and were instantly back in the year 2015. Ducky was really happy to be back home, because he was really hungry and it was snack time.
DtPb are sad to hear one of their heroes, Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock) has passed away.
Thank you for the memories, they will live long and prosper in our hearts.
Artwork from 2012
Ducky and the Gang are moving to Jolly O’ England after two years living in Israel! They are excited about their new adventures! Pembleton wants to visit the British Museum first, while Ducky wants to visit the Tower of London. Blizzard and Ted don’t have a preference as long as they get their sticky toffee pudding for dessert! However, they are a little nervous about making new friends at their new home.
We hope you are all having a wonderful holiday season filled with lots of family, fun, and holiday cheer!
Here are a few of our favorite holiday memories from past years.
- Caught Red Handed!
- To us a child is born…
- Silent Night, Holy Night!
- 1. A shiny new telescope.
- I think your nose is glowing!
- Gesegnete Weihnachten und ein glückliches neues Jahr! (A blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year!)
Ducky and the gang are thankful for so many things this year! Here are few they would like to share:
- Family and friends
- Sharing laughs
- Pumpkin pie
- Space camp
- The new Avengers trailer
- Christmas is almost here!
Check out the Ducky Thanksgiving Story:
Science is so cool!
Ducky and Pembleton like to keep up-to-date on all the cool science news, especially Pembleton (who was a Mad Scientist for Halloween this year). Here are some of the latest Robotic News that has Ducky and the gang super excited!
NPR News: The Robotic Baby Penguin That Spies For Scientists http://n.pr/1vWxMTN
NASA: Rosetta International Mission to a Comet, In Search of our Origins http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.gov/
Ted and Blizzard asked Pembleton: “What is a Robot? ” Pembleton got so excited he took them to his laboratory to explain.
“Robots come in all shapes and sizes. They have a computer for a brain, and sensors and moving parts that help them complete specific tasks. Robots are used to make cars, computers, to help rescue people or animals from disasters, and clean around the house.” Pembleton explained to the Lil’ Guys.
“Wow, they can clean up around the house?!?” said Ted super excited.
“Did you know robots can also be your friend, and play games with you?” Pembleton added.
“We need one,” Blizzard and Ted said at the same time while they jumped up and down.
Until Next Time, Pembleton wants you to KEEP BEING CURIOUS!
Pembleton asks, “What science subject would you like me to explain next?” Please leave in the comment section…
View original post 1 more word
We hope you ghouls and gals have a safe and fun Halloween!
Safety Tips for a fun & safe Halloween:
http://www.cdc.gov/family/halloween/
http://www.safekids.org/tip/halloween-safety-tips
Fall is a beautiful time of year. The leaves change colors and fall. The apples are ripe for the picking. The air becomes crisp. It is the start of the new school year and other new beginnings. Ducky and the gang love fall. They enjoy playing in the leaves, apple picking, and most of all Halloween. Every year, they go to a local pumpkin patch and pick the perfect pumpkin for carving. Unfortunately, in Israel we don’t know where a pumpkin patch is, and the local stores do not have traditional American style pumpkins. Then today at the grocery stores, we saw the cutest little acorn squash! They are perfect for DtPb, and helped get them get into the holiday spirit! Plus later tonight the humans are making pumpkin spice cookies (from the US!).

“Wait a minute, these aren’t pumpkins!” -Ducky “Nope, but they are gourds.” -Pembleton “What’s a gourd?” -Ducky
*Sorry we haven’t been blogging like we would like. We enjoy Ducky Adventures so much! But this past year has been very difficult (with cancer on both sides of the family and the passing of Laura’s mom). While we’ve been dealing with a lot, it’s time to start up the Ducky blog again.Thanks to everyone for being patient and spread the word- Ducky and the gang are back!
Ducky and Ted decided to go squirrel spotting while visiting relatives in the United States. Ducky hadn’t realized Ted had never seen a squirrel in person, because there are no squirrels in Israel. They had so much fun, luring in squirrels with peanut butter crackers and some acorns.
Pembleton woke everyone up early this morning and said, “We’re going on a hike.” Pembleton had already packed their backpacks with sandwiches, water, a map, and a compass. They spent the whole day going up hills, going down hills, over fields, and under thick forests. What a fun way to spend the day!
Today, Ducky and the gang had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza (TMNT) Party. Wow! It was awesome! There was pizza and they dressed up like their favorite Ninja Turtles. Ducky originally wanted to have the party in the sewers, but luckily, Pembleton talked him out of it.
This is a special re-blog that goes out to anyone who is battling Cancer or any other illness, especially two wonderful women, OUR MOMS! We love you both so much.
Ducky is a World Champion Heart-lifter. If it was an Olympic sport, Ducky would have the gold medal, no contest.
What is a Champion Heart-lifter, you might ask. Well a Champion Heart-lifter, is someone with the unique gift of bringing joy and happiness to people having a rough time in life. Ducky often visits children who are in the hospital, or the elderly in nursing homes to lift their hearts and make them laugh. He always enjoys sharing his snacks with them.
Ducky is a Champion Heart-lifter, but you can be one too. Just be a friend to someone in need.
“Why did the Ducky cross the road?”
(Click image to enlarge)
Ducky has a lot of friends.So many friends that it can be hard to keep track of all of them. In Ducky’s character profiles, we will be introducing some old and new friends, as well as, fun facts about them. We hope you enjoy.
Name: Rudolph & Gretchen Lamb
From: Bavaria, Germany
Profession: Handy Man & Nanny
Relation to Ducky: Mr. & Mrs. Lamb help to take care of Ducky and the gang. When they are not getting Ducky out of trouble, they are trying to keep him out of trouble. On their day’s off, they like to relax next to a refreshing mountain lake. Occasionally Mr. Lamb will hike to the top of the mountain to pick edelweiss for Mrs. Lamb.
Favorite Food: Pretzels and Sauerkraut
Fun Fact: Mr. & Mrs. Lamb love to watch the panda cam at the National Zoo. They are often involved in fundraising events to support the Smithsonian.
“Ladies and Gentlemen! I give you the Grubby Lil’ Paws!”
That’s what the announcer said when he introduced Ducky’s new band at a local music festival. Ducky is the singer, Banjo Bear plucks the banjo, Rusty the raccoon plays the jugs, Franky the elephant toots the harmonica, and Stink the skunk is always up for a DRUM SOLO! The performance went so well, they had to play an encore of “Empty Cookie Jar Blues”.