Mouse!

     I just got a new mouse! She is a mouse type called Fancy Mouse. I had to get a small animal and take care of it for 3 weeks for science class. I did talk my way from a cricket to a mouse! Her name is Ginger Sherbet Liloia.To make an aquarium we had "mousified", we had to get pine bedding, to keep the actual tank clean. We also got a special mouse food with extra nutrients to keep her healthy. To make her more comfortable, we got her a green plastic igloo that looked like the one she lived in at the store, but smaller. I gave her half a hairless coconut shell and a cardboard tube segment to play with and be happy. I'll post more about her more in the next few weeks.

Growing Shrooms

    I'm growing mushrooms in a kit I got in the mail. When I started it, I had to "comb" it with a fork! There was white stuff on it when we opened it, so of course, it's frozen, right? Wrong! It was the fertilized mycelium! (growing spores) Now, we wait for it to grow. I'll post when it's making it's first mushrooms.

Paper lantern making!

This week we learned how to make paper lanterns. You are supposed to put candles in them, but they're paper lanterns! So, we put little electronic candles in them. Here are some instructions on how to make them.

     Materials Needed:

     Balloons

     Paper Plates

     Water

     Glue

     Tissue Paper

     Chisel-Shaped Foam Brushes

1.Mix glue and water on paper plate to make thick goopy "cement".

2a.Blow up and tie balloon (twice as big as a softball),B.paint either strips of tissue paper or balloon with glue, then affix paper.

3.Repeat 2b until at least 3 layers of paper are on the balloon.

4.Hang it to dry.

5.Once it is completely dry, cut a hole in the balloon, deflate, then cut the top out so it looks like the picture.

6.Lastly, peel out the balloon from the paper, now, you are done.

Valley Forge Battle

While we learned about The battle of Valley Forge, we wanted to feel what it was like walking in the snow without coats or shoes, so we tried it. It hurt my feet! Imagine pins & needles. Then imagine them frozen. Then imagine them frozen and on fire! Yeah, ouch.

Soldiers did this for hours and hours every day. At night, all the guys in one tent would give all their clothes to the guy on watch duty. Many men died on the trip.








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Eating... Ketchup?

   I read an article in Malcolm Gladwell's "What the Dog Saw".  The article is called The Ketchup Conundrum, and is about... well, you can read it for yourself. We, (my Mom and I), made up a test that corresponded with the article about taste. FYI. Heinz is the best ketchup.

HEINZ         Flavor Order        Flavor Rating (Strength)       Comments:
                     1.Salty                     6                                    Even flavors make it taste better.
                     2.Sweet                   5  
                     3.Tomato                 3        
                     4.Bitter                    5
                     5.Vinegar                 5    
                     6.Spicy Aftertaste?   5   MMmmm....
 Store Brand
                     1.Sweet                  6                                  Too sweet! Not enough vinegar!
                     2.Tomato                7
                     3.Salty                    7
                     4.Bitter                   4
                     5.Vinegar                2.5

 We tried to do this with Coca-Cola, but the flavors are much more subtle. Also, we are "trained" to only taste the trademark "Cola" taste.
           

Problem!

A problem in our town is speeding. People should be more careful drivers. People have crashed while driving in my area. Someone couldn't take a hint and crashed twice! It's a danger not only to the speeders, but others on the road too.

To stop people speeding on the island, I plan to ask the sheriff to speak at town meeting day. Also, to people who weren't  there, I will put notices in the voting booths, on the bulletin board at the front of the island, and on the board in front of the town hall.


           Sheriff's Script

Hello everyone, I am here to talk to you about speeding. We need to be more careful while driving. I have seen a lot of accidents, and I know there are some you don't walk away from. About 115 people die in accidents every day. Think about it. Thank you for listening.