Aesop's Fable: The Donkey and the Lap Dog

What this fable was about: This fable is about a donkey and a lap dog. The lap dog jumped up and liked the man's face. When it was dinner time the donkey burst in the house and started acting like the lap dog. The donkey wrecked the table and smashed the dishes. Some servants beat the donkey and put him back in his stall.

What do you think about the donkey?: I Josie think the donkey is a really bad donkey. He was trying to be like the lap dog but he shouldn't because he is a donkey and he doesn't fit on his master's lap.

The moral of the fable:

Be yourself.

Don't try to make other people like you by being something that you're not.

Aesop's Fable: The Ant and the Grasshopper

The Grasshopper didn't prepare for winter. He said "Don't worry about getting food for winter. We would have plenty" The ant was preparing for winter. When winter came the grasshopper was hungry so he learned to prepare before winter. (by Josie)

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

There is a time for work and a time for play.

All Saints Day

Saint Josephine Bakhita by Josie

Saint Josephine was kidnapped and became a slave. Nobody had taught her about God but when she saw the sun, moon and stars she said who made all this beautiful stuff, I would like to know them and pray to them. She finally did learn about God and became a nun. Kids used to love he because she used to pat them on the head. She was always smiling even though she suffered a lot. At the end of her life she was really sick and as she was dying she saw Mary and said Our Lady Our Lady!. Those were her last words. She is the patron Saint of Sudan, where she was born and is special to those who suffer.

All Saints Day

Saint George by Georgia

Saint George is the patron Saint of England, horse riders, equestrians, saddle makers etc.

Pictures of Saint George usually show him slaying a dragon to save the king's daughter who was going to be fed to him. The dragon means evil and the daughter is God's holy truth.

He was a soldier for a man who didn't believe in God. The man killed Christian's. He went up to the Emperor and told him to be better and quit the army. They tortured him and cut his head off. He was a soldier for Christ.

Columbus Day

In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed from Polos, Spain. He was born in Genoa, Italy. They had three ships called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. There was 90 men. They were trying to get a route to the Indies across the Atlantic Ocean to find spices and gold. They landed in the West Indies. It took them 5 weeks. Two islands that Columbus visited are Cuba and Hispaniola. He called the people there Indians because he thought he was in the Indies.
This boat is one like Columbus sailed on. The Santa Maria sank once it got there. After that the Nina and the Pinta went back to Europe.

Books we've been reading

In this book we read about the one and only rock (well, maybe not the only rock)that was in Plimoth, Massachucetts. It was about a medium size.You should read this before Thanksgiving.
This book is about the Pilgrims at Plimoth.The first winter was bad and I mean bad for them. Many people got sick and died.They had funerals at night so the Indians would not dig them up and take thier clothes.The next winter was much better. Sqonto thier Indian friend taught them how to plant maize(corn)and how to catch fish.On November 26, 1621 they had a big feast called Thanksgiving.

This book is about giving thanks.The pictures are cool. You can click the book to look inside.

This book is about.......... yep you guessed it.Food! Thier are some neat recipes the pilgrims at Plimoth made. Also guess what? In one part, for plates they had stale bread and after they finished the meal they ate the bread! Click the book to see inside.

Thanks for visiting my blog!

Reduce Reuse Recycle

We learned about recyling, reusing and reducing. It is important because animals get stuck in our litter, we could use up our resourses.

You can reduce by 1. buy fewer throw away things 2. don't buy things you don't need 3. use cloth shopping bags 4. don't get junk mail

You can reuse by 1. use food containers again 2. give your unwanted things away 3. compost food scraps

You can recycle by 1. take your things to a recycling center


WEEKS: loose leaf paper 2-4
most vegetable peels 2-5
MONTHS: cotton T-shirt 1-5
orange peel 6
YEARS: woollen sock-1
woollen sweater3-5
paper plate 5
plastic bag 10-20
painted wood 13
plastic film container : 20-30
leather shoe: 25-40
nylon parka: 30-40
rubber boot: 50-80
steel can: 100
aluminum can: 200-500
plastic cup: 250
plastic six pack holder: 450
disposable diaper: 500
glass bottle: 1,000,000 YEARS
plastic bottle: 1,000,000 YEARS
NEVER: polystyrene foam cup: NEVER
this is from the book Household Waste by Kate Walker

Isn't this picture sad. Never litter a plastic bag because a stork might get caught in it.


Other animals can too like this turtle.

Garbage can get into the ocean and hurt animals there too. Once I saw a penny in the water and animals like ducks can swallow them.

I forgot this gross one

I also read this book. It was about a group of pioneers trying to get to California. They had to hurry because winter was coming. One person thought they had a shortcut and they took it even though one woman didn't want to. It ended up NOT being a shortcut. They got stuck in snow storms, people froze and starved to death and eventually they "used what God provided". At first I didn't understand what that meant. But then I discovered that they actually had to eat some of those that passed away. There were only a handful of people that lived to get to California because of the bad weather.

What I have been reading (Georgia)

This book was about a young man that snuck into the Lewis and Clark expedition. He didn't want anyone to know so he hid for a while. Finally one day he showed himself and because he could write Lewis wanted him to write things down for him to be sent back to President Thomas Jefferson. Lewis studied animals and plants. They were trying to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean.

In this book Sofia goes to America. When she gets to Ellis Island they put her in quarantine because they think she has an eye disease. She met a friend named Maureen who was Irish. Sofia was very scared and worried not knowing where her parents were. I bet her parents were very scared also.

Sofia's family moves to north Boston. It's hard for her family to start new. Her mother makes tortellini and sells it to make ends meet. Sofia has to go to school and Gabriella, her older sister has to be in the same grade which doesn't make them happy. Her teacher and a doctor ask her what she wants to do with her life. Sofia has never thought about that before. She learns that here in America you can be whatever you dream of being.

On the trail to Oregon Jedediah losing his family. He decided to continue on without them and is adopted by another family but they aren't very nice to him. Well Mr. Henshaw isn't but Mrs. Henshaw is. Every time they have to cross a river, which was very dangerous to do with wagons, he gets really scared because that is how his parents and sister died. He finally makes it to Oregon and he is happy becuase this was his parents dream.

His uncle went to the "Golden mountain" during the gold-rush. He is from China and they thought there was a real mountain of gold. When he got to California he realized it wasn't the case. They had to work hard and hardly ever found gold. They thought they were going to be rich to help their family back in China but instead they found out people were bad and stole and even killed to get the gold they dug. People were mean to him and told him he should go back to China.

Happy Birthday Great Grandma!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREAT GRANDMA H. I HOPE YOU HAVE A GREAT BIRTHDAY. WE LOVE YOU!

LOVE, GEORGIA, JOSIE, EMELINE, AND MARGIE SUE

brad and jenny too!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

My America Westward to Home

Title: Westward to Home , Joshua's Oregon Trail Diary (Book one)

Author: Patricia Hermes

Characters: Pa and Ma, Joshua, his little sister Becky, Uncle Arther, Aunt Lizzie, Rachel (Lizzies baby), Charlie (Joshua's cousin), Grampa.

Setting: They start from Missouri and travel down the Oregon Trail to Oregon where they live in tents.

Summary: This book is about Joshua McCullough traveling on the Oregon trail to Oregon. It is very hard for him and when little Rachel gets hurt and dies under the wagon he takes more and more carde of Becky. Many people die of cholera and accidents. They forded many waters which were scary moments. For example Becky fell in one of the rivers and Joshua jumped in after her. They are lucky they both didn't drown. Some people did drown though. It was hard for the oxen to travel that far and even they died too. The people had to leave some of their belongings along the trail to make it easier for them. Eventually they reached Oregon to start a new home.

Neptune

Who or what was Neptune named after?

Neptune was named after the mythical Roman God of the seas.

How far is Neptune from the sun?

Neptune is 2,795,084,800 miles from the sun.

What is Neptune's diameter?

Neptune is 30,775 miles in diameter.

What is the temperature on Neptune?

The average temperature on Neptune is -353 degrees F.

How many moons does Neptune have?

Neptune has 13 known moons 8 are named:Naiad,Thalassa,Despina,Galatea,Larissa,Proteus,Triton,andNereid.

How long is a year on Neptune?

A year is 60,190 Earth days.

How long is a day?

A day is 16 hours and 7 minutes.

What are some important facts about Neptune?

Neptune has a Great dark spot discoverd in 1989.In 1994 the Hubble space Telescope discoverd it dissapered.Neptune has three rings.

What is the composition of Neptune?

Neptune is another gas planet made mostly of hydrogen and helium.

What is the air like on Neptune?

The outer layer is about 80% hydrogen and 19 percent helium with a little of methane, ammonia and water ice. The next layer is a super heated liquid of water, ammonia, and methane, mostly. The core is mostly made of iron and nickel.

How much do I weigh on Neptune?

I would weigh more on Neptune than on earth. I would weigh 66, Josie 49, Emmy 27 and Margie 13.

Uranus

Who or what was Uranus named after?

Uranus was named after the British astronomer William Herschel and was later called Uranus.

How far is Uranus from the sun?

It's 1,700,000,000 miles from the sun.

What is the diameter of Uranus?

Uranus is 31,690 miles in diameter.

What is the temperature like on Uranus?

The average temperature is -357 degrees F.

How many moons does Uranus have?

Uranus has 27 moons here are some of the moon's names: Cordelia,Ophelia,Bianca,Cressida,Desdemona,Juliet,Portia,Rosalind,Belinda,1986U10,Puck,Miranda,Ariel,Umbreil,Titania,Oberon,Caliban,and Sycorax.

How long is a year on Uranus?

A year on Uranus is 30,687 Earth days or 84 Earth years.

How long is a day?

A day on Uranus is 17 hours and 15 minutes.

What are some important facts about Uranus?

Uranus has 11 faint rings made of rock and dust.The cool methane gas gives Uranus it's blue- green color.

What is the composition of Uranus?

It is mostly made up of different ices like water ammonia and methane. It probably has three layers - an outer layer of hydrogen and helium gas, an icy mantle and a small inner core of rocky material.

What is the air like on Uranus?

The atmosphere of Uranus is made up of hydrogen, helium and methane.

How much do I weigh on Uranus?

I would weigh 51 pounds, Josie 38, Emmy 21 and Margie 10

Saturn

illustration of Saturn's rings

Who or what is Saturn named after?

Saturn was named after the Roman God of agriculture.

How far is Saturn from the sun?

It is 885,904,700 miles from the sun.

What is Saturn's diameter?

Saturn is 74,898 in diameter.

What is the temperature range on Saturn?

It's averge temperature is -288 degrees F.

How many moons does Saturn have?

Saturn has 60 moons. Most of the moons are really tiny but Saturn does have the second largest moon in the solar system called Titan.

How long is a year on Saturn?

It is 29.46 Earth years or 10,759 Earth days.

How long is a day?

A day is 10 hours 39 minutes.

What are some important facts about Saturn?

You can see Saturn with the naked eye. There could be life on one of Saturn's moons called Enceladus because it has liquid water. Saturn would float in water becaust it is less dense.

What is the composition of Saturn?

Saturn is another gas planet made of hydrogen and helium.

What is the air like on Saturn?

Under the cloud layer of mostly hydrogen and helium is a layer of liquid hydrogen then a layer metallic hydrogen, then a core of rocky and metal elements.

How much do I weigh on Saturn?

I would weigh 54 pounds on Saturn, Josie 42, Emeline 22 and Margie 10.

Jupiter

Who or what is Jupiter named after?

Jupiter is named after the Roman primary God, Jupiter.

How far is Jupiter from the sun?

Jupiter is 480,000,000 miles from the sun.

What is Jupiter's diameter?

It's 88,700 miles.

What is the temperature range on Jupiter?

The average temperature -234 degrees F.

How many moons does Jupiter have?

Jupiter has about 63 known moons so far. The four largest are in the bottom picture above. They are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

How long is one year on Jupiter?

A year is 4,331 Earth days or 11.86 Earth years.

.How long is one day?

A day is 9hours and 56 minutes.

What are some important facts about Jupiter?

Jupiter rings that can barely be seen of rock particles and dust. It is the third brightest object in the night sky. It is the largest planet. There is a great red spot on its surface which is a storm that has lasted over 400 years.

What is the composition of Jupiter?

It is made mostly of hydrogen and helium gases. It has an inner core of iron and rock.

What is the air like on Jupiter?

There is no oxygen on Jupiter. The air is made up of nitrogen, hydrogen, helium, methane, and ammonia. You wouldn't be able to walk on Jupiter because it is not solid.

How much do I weigh on Jupiter?

I would weigh 128 pounds on Jupiter, Josie 100, Emeline 55 and Margie 25.

Earth (I guess we will do Earth too!)

Who or what is Earth named after?

I think God named the Earth "Earth" in Genesis when he created everything. The word means soil.

How far is Earth from the Sun?

It's 92,955,820 miles from the sun.

What is Earth's diameter?

In diameter it's 7,926 miles.

What is the temperature range on Earth?

The temperature ranges from -127 F to 136 degrees F.

How many moons does Earth have?

Earth has one moon called "the Moon".

How long is one year on Earth?

A year on Earth is 365 days.

How long is one day?

A day on Earth is 23 hours and 56 minutes .

What are some special facts about Earth?

It is the only planet in our Solor System that can have life living on it. It is the only planet with water.

What is Earth's composition?

The surface of Earth is made of land which is rocky and water which can be fresh or salt water. The next layer is the mantle which is rock which flows like tar. The next layer is liquid iron and the middle of Earth is a solid iron ball.

What is the air like on Earth?

It is a thin layer of gases. It is made up of 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 0.9% argon, 0.03% carbon dioxide.

How much do I weigh on Earth?

I weigh about 60 pounds on Earth. Josie 47, Emeline 26 and Margie 12.

Mars

Who or what is Mars named after?

Mars was named after the Roman God of war.

How far is Mars from the sun?

Mars averages 141.6 million miles from the sun.

What is the diameter of Mars?

Mars is about 4,222 miles in diameter.

What is the temperature range on Mars?

The temperature ranges from a high of 68 degrees F to a low of -220 degrees F.

How many moons does Mars have?

Mars has 2 tiny moons,Phobos and Deimos.

How long is one year on Mars?

It takes Mars 687 Earth days to go around the sun for a year.

How long is one day?

A day is about 24.6 hours.

What are some special facts about Mars?

There is a huge canyon system called Valles Marineris that is about 2,490 miles long (roughly from NYC to LosAngeles). Mars also has the largest volcano in our Solor System called Olympus Mons

What is the composition of Mars?

The surface is mostly composed of iron-rich igneous rock. It is covered in an iron dust too.

What is the air like on Mars?

Mars has a very thin atmosphere. There is no oxygen. It is 95% carbon dioxide. There are a lot of fine dust particles in Mars' atmosphere.

How much would you weigh on Mars?
A 100 pound person on Earth would weigh 38 pounds on Mars.

I would weigh 22 pounds, Josie 17, Emeline 9 and Margie 5. (about, mom is not sure exactly what we weight right now)

Venus

Who or what is Venus named after?

Venus was named after the Roman Goddess of love.

How far is Venus from the sun?

Venus is 67,230,000 miles from the sun.

What is Venus' diameter?

Venus is about 7,521 miles in diameter.

What is the temperature range on Venus?

The average temperature on Venus is 870 degrees F.

How many moons does Venus have?

Venus has no moons.

How long is one year on Venus?

A year on Venus takes 224.7 Earth days.

How long is one day?

A day on Venus is 5,832 hours.

What are some special facts about Venus?

A person would asphyxiate in the poisonous atmosphere, be cooked in the high heat and be crushed by the atmosphere pressure. Venus rotates the opposite of the other planets.

What is the composition of Venus?

It has several large inactive volcanos. It has a rocky crust of hardened lava.

What is the air like on Venus?

The atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide.

How much would you weigh on Venus?
A 100 pound person on earth would weigh 91 pounds on Venus. I would weigh 54 pounds, Josie would weigh 42, Emeline would weigh 22 and Margie would weigh 13.

Mercury

Who or what is Mercury named after?

Mercury was named after Mercury the swift messenger God of Greek mythology.

How far is Mercury from the sun?

It is 36 million miles from the sun.

What is the diameter of Mercury?

3,o31 miles

It's the smallest planet.

What is the temperature range on Mercury?

It ranges from -270 degrees F to 800 degrees F.

How many moons does Mercury have?

Mercury has no moons.

How long is one year on Mercury?

A year on Mercury is 88 earth days.

How long is a day on Mercury?

A day on Mercury is 58 earth days.

What are some special features of Mercury?

It has a cratered srface and metal core. It also is covered in dust.

What is Mercury made of?

It's made of rocks.

What is the air like on Mercury?

The atmosphere is thin and is made of hydrogen and helium.

The sky would be pitch black even in the day.

What is your weight on Mercury?

To calculate your weight on Mercury you multiply your weight by 0.38.

I would weigh about 22 pounds

Jo would weigh about 17

Emmy about 10 and Margie 5

We are learning about the Little House on the Banks of Plum Creek. They live in a sod house under ground and the walls are made of dirt! There are flowers growing on the roof. There is a creek nearby called Plum Creek. Laura went near the creek and disobayed Pa. The next day Laura had to be watched by Ma and stay inside.There is no rooms in the sod house. It is one big room.

May 5th

Here is the Mexican flag.

Today is Cinco de Mayo. Here are some Mexican Dancers.

Cinco de Mayo is celebrated because the Mexican army won a war against the French in the town of Puebla. The Army was small and the United States celebrates the holiday because it reminds us that you can do anything if you put your mind and effort into it.

The Month of May for Mary

Aunt Joann sent us a box full of goodies. We got a bunch of stuff so that we can celebrate the month of May for Mary.
Here we are after saying the Rosary. Here is Emeline with her silly smile. Joann sent the crocheted roses. There is a white one for the Our Father and a red one for each Hail Mary in a decade. Amy made these Rosaries for us. Thank you Aunt Joann!!

Kirsten

This is our conversation after reading Kirsten Learns a Lesson. Kirsten is "a pioneer of strength and spirit who settles on the frontier" 1854.

Kirsten said at one point in the story she missed home. Where was home for Kirsten?

Josie: In Sweden.

What is someone called that moves from one country to another looking for a better life?

Josie: An immigrant.

Would you be afraid to introduce yourself in front of the class like Kirsten was?

Josie: no

Georgia: no

Why do you think Kirsten was so nervous?

Because it was her first time at school, and it was a new teacher and she doesn't speak English well.

Marta was best friends with Kirsten. When she got sick on the Eagle (the ship that brought her to America) and passed away Kirsten was devastated. How would you feel?

Sad. I would probably stay in my bed for a month.

I would feel sad and I would feel like my heart is cracked in two. I might have a nervous breakdown. I would probably stay in my room for a long time.

In Minnesota Kirsten made friends with an Indian girl named Singing Bird. Even though they couldn't speak to each other they became good friends. How?

They left things by the river bank. They meet each other at the river almost every day.

They left things by the river bank for each other. The girls drew pictures in order to talk to each other. If it was a half sun it meant meet in the evening.

If the sun had an X on it she couldn't go tomorrow but if the sun didn't have an X on it she could.

Was Kirsten able to recite her poem?

Yes because she kept thinking of the Eagle and it helped her remember the poem.

Yes. Miss Winston gave Kirsten a new poem that was about a man that sailed on a ship and it made her be able to memorize it better.

What was the lesson that Kirsten learned?

To speak English. To say her name out loud in front of all the kids in the classroom.

To not be afraid. To be brave because she was in a brand new country where every thing was different.

Happy Earth Day!

Margie

Our baby sister Margie is super good! She is awake for about one hour and a half everyday. She dosn't cry much,only when Emmy does. Emeline has been the most trouble for us lately. We love Margie. She loves to look out the window. She sleeps awesome. We are so glad we have beautiful Margie in our life. We hope everyone had a happy Easter!

We're reading Josefina

"Josefina Montoya is a Hispanic girl whose heart and hopes are as big as the New Mexico sky. 1824"

Dear Josefina,

I would be a little scared of that mean goat too. I would be sad if my mommy passed away. I like the clothes that you wear. I like the flowers that you planted. You take good care of the flowers. The rebozos you wear are pretty.

Love, Josie

Prairie life

We finished the Little House on the Prairie Book. I (geo and jos) learned that prairie life was hard. They had to build everything like thier house, well. beds. chairs, tables, fireplace, barn etc. The prairie had a fire and they almost lost everything. Pa took the plow and plowed a dirt path around the house and then set backfires to save the house and barn. Laura described the prairie as having lots of grass and a big sky. They were in Kansas. These are pictures of the Kansas prairie.

Here is a prairie chicken. Pa would hunt and they would eat a lot of prairie chicken. (jos) I wouldn't like the food they eat. They didn't have a lot of sugar it was really special to have sugar. They mostly drank only water and milk after they got the cow. (Geo) I would love the food they ate because I like chicken and milk and cornbread. (mom) Would you like to eat that every day? (Geo) NO!

At the end of the story they heard that Washington was going to make the settlers leave so they had to pack up and they had to leave to find another place to live.
(Jos) It made me feel sad because they worked so hard to build their house then had to leave it. They just started their garden.

(Geo) This is a wagon like one that the Ingalls family used to travel in.