Imagine going to school on a bus or a boat — that is, attending classes every day in a school headquartered on a bus or a boat. Around the world, there are also schools set up in caves, tents and even on the street. Such institutes speak to the resiliency of architects, contractors, educators and students who want to ensure access to education — which is the point of Susan Hughes' picture-book Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World. (Owlkids Books). While citing recent UNICEF statistics stating that, worldwide, some 100 million children have never been to school, the book paints an optimistic portrait of people who are bucking this trend by finding a way to make school happen.

"Many amazing people around the world aren't willing to sit back and let kids miss out on an education," Hughes writes in her introduction. Hughes covers economically and physically challenged schools in Haiti, Nepal, Iran, China, Uganda, Canada and yes, even the United States (New Orleans). She includes short interviews with students, fact boxes and inspiring stories — I particularly like the one about a Belgium college grad Arnoud Raskin, who decided to wheel a school on a cart through the streets of Cartagena, Colombia, to reach homeless street kids — in this colorful, photo-laden 64-page book aimed at students. Visit www.owlkids.com for more information.

Everything's relative

"The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science." So said Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the Nobel Prize-winning theoretical physicist who, among other accomplishments, came up with his own ideas regarding "special" and "general" relativity. What was his take on how the warping of space-time creates the effects of gravity, for instance? Find out when Bob Eisenstein of the Santa Fe Alliance for Science leads a student talk on the topic from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Education Annex of the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, 123 Grant Ave. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. The event is the first in this season's Santa Fe Science Café for Young Thinkers series. Google "Santa Fe Alliance for Science" for more information.

Open house for artists

Santa Fe Public Schools is coordinating with ARTsmart (which provides funding for arts education via its annual Art Feast weekend every February) to bring visiting artists into the schools this semester. Interested parties can attend an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Oct. 6 in the gym at Nava Elementary School, 2655 Siringo Road. Artists should bring a lesson plan, a materials list and biographical information, among other items. Call or email district arts coordinator Amy Summa at 467-2558 or asumma@sfps.info to reserve a space or learn more.

Laying down the law

Four score and about 140 years ago, our forefathers created the law of the land with the United States Constitution, adopted by the Constitutional Convention in September of 1787 (and amended many times since). This is Constitution Week, designed to encourage the study and reading of the Constitution. To that end, The State Bar Public and Legal Education Commission and the New Mexico State Bar Foundation are coordinating efforts to schedule lawyers to visit fifth-grade classes in Santa Fe to educate students about the Constitution. Each student will get a pocket-sized copy of the Constitution, and teachers will receive a teaching guide, materials, flashcards and a crossword puzzle to help with lesson plans. I plan to attend one of these classes this week and write about it for The New Mexican.