Holidays & Seasons
Before you gobble up all of that candy (or if you have some left over that you just can’t possibly think of eating for some obscure reason) try out this great recipe that incorporates some of your favorite flavors. Best of all, you can use candy to make even better candies. What could be more exciting?
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Arts & Culture
In case you’ve never heard of the mythical Fountain of Youth, legend tells of a spring from which flows water that will render the drinker forever young. In Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, Winnie discovers that this fantastic myth might actually be true when she befriends the Tuck family. The Tucks have accidentally drunk from a well whose waters freeze them in time and grant them eternal life. Sounds pretty good right?
But, if the Tucks reveal their secret to the world, it would change the face of humanity, and the natural order of things would run askew. And when Mae Tuck kills a man, their secret is in danger of being revealed. For if they attempt to execute her, they will discover that she cannot die. At the same time, if they put her in jail, they will see that she does not age. Still sound good? What should they do? What would you do?! Uncover the secret behind Tuck Everlasting — it really is a fantastic book.
Food & Recipes
People have been making pancakes for thousands of years. Different recipes are used all over the world. In European countries the pancakes are usually very light and thin and are often served with fruit or cheese. You may have heard of a “crepe” which is the French version of the pancake. American pancakes are generally much thicker and are served with butter and maple syrup. Try to make your own pancakes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner using this American recipe. Just make sure that you ask an adult to help you with the cooking.
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Holidays & Seasons
Many people love to eat warm pancakes covered with butter and syrup in the morning. But did you know that there is actually a holiday where people celebrate and eat pancakes with their families and friends? It is a tradition that started many years ago in England.
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Arts & Culture
Ever wonder who the heck you are? Like, “Who Am I?” You know, the big question that we all ask at one time or another while looking in the mirror. In the book I Am Regina by Sally M. Keehn, Regina Leninger asks the exact same question. Except, for one thing, her story takes place in 1755, and secondly, she happened to have been captured by Indians. This tribe had killed her father and her brother, who were Pennsylvania Dutch settlers.
As she travels north with the tribe that holds her captive, she is heard repeating the phrase, “I am Regina,” over and over, trying to hold onto one scrap of her identity. She stays with the tribe for eight years, and undergoes an enormous transformation. She learns the Native way of raising and cooking corn, gathering and refining maple syrup, taking part of sweat lodge ceremony and living off the land with the ceremonious intent of the Native people. What do you think she repeats over and over when she is reunited with her family of origin eight years later? Read this adventure story and find out.
Sports
Dogs are supposedly “man’s best friend,” right? Well, can you imagine depending on old Rover to carry a crucial shipment of vaccine to a remote snowbound village in Alaska? This actually happened, during an event which later became known as “The Great Race of Mercy to Nome,” in 1925. People in the town of Nome, Alaska were suffering from an outbreak of diphtheria, and they needed serum to fight the disease fast. Driving there was impossible, because of the frozen terrain. Likewise, flying a plane was out of the question, because the -40 degree temperatures could have paralyzed the machinery, which would send the plane crashing down– and the serum would have been lost for good. So, people gathered together 20 drivers, and 100 dogs, and the dog sleds set out from Nenana to Nome, covering 674 miles in a mere 5 1/2 days’ time. Believe it or not, the serum arrived intact, and the people to Nome were saved from a looming epidemic. From that time onward, the trail has been used to host one of the grandest dog sled races going, called the Iditarod.
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Fun & Games
Make your room look like the moon! This is a very easy project, and you’ll feel like you’re no longer on earth. It won’t cost you hundreds of millions of dollars, and it will be far safe. Happy traveling!
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Wondrous World
We can see things during the day because of the big, bright, shiny sun that glows in the sky and illuminates the earth. But did you know that the sun is actually just a star, similar to all of the other stars that light up our night sky.
The sun is in fact the only star in our solar system. All of the other stars in the sky are located in other solar systems. Those other solar systems might also have planets in them that orbit around stars, just like our solar system, which has nine planets that orbit the sun. We do not know for sure. There could be people just like you and me on a far away planet that is orbiting around one of those far away stars. Or, there could be life on another planet that is different from what we know on earth. Imagine all the possibilities!
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Arts & Culture
The Logan family works hard to keep their farm running smoothly during the hard times that have befallen the country. Cassie Logan and her brothers have been raised with the understanding that they must be proud, honest, hard-working members of their community. And though they are of the Black minority in Mississippi during the 1930’s, nothing should keep them from their dreams.
But Cassie’s pride is being tested as she is confronted by racism in its most frightening and humiliating forms. Men driving to their farm at night imbue her world with a danger that she hadn’t been faced with before. The mean-spirited behavior of racist classmates at school shakes her up. Moreover, people in her community have begun to suffer cruel indignities at the hands of the people in power.
Not only is Cassie’s family feeling the effects of local violence, but her very spirit is threatened. Roar of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor won a Newberry Award in 1977 for this rich and provocative look into the Logan family’s fight to maintain their land and their pride. You’ll feel like you’ve lived the molasses-thick nights and buzzing days on the Logan’s farm. Likewise, you’ll get to know the Logan family as if they were your own kin.
This book is a true gem.
Fun & Games
At the center of a tornado is a spinning column of air called a vortex.
Create a real mini-vortex with this cool experiment.
You will need and adult’s help operating the drill.
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Sports
For those of you who might not have heard of curling before, do not think that it has anything to do with hairdressers. Seriously! Curling is a highly revered sport that has controversial beginnings, and an ardent following in the northern regions of the world.
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Wondrous World
Why do you think owls have such a reputation for being wise old birds? Is it their big, haunting eyes? The way they swivel their heads around, looking for answers? Maybe it’s their shrugged shoulders and nocturnal schedule?
Well, let’s just say that owls are some of the most highly refined creatures alive today. For example, the Burrowing Owl can imitate the sound of a rattlesnake if a predator approaches their home. These owls also are fond of collecting odds and ends, which they leave around the entranceway to their burrows for decoration. And Screech Owls and Long Eared Owls do a great broken-wing routine to trick prey into thinking they are injured when they are actually just plain old hungry!
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