The Advantages of Homeschooling

by Hannah

      The advantages of homeschooling and why I think homeschooling is better than public schools.
   
      Some of the advantages that homeschool has is that there is no bullying in homeschool, which is a major problem in almost every public schools. Another advantage of homeschooling is that if we start early, we finish early and public schools usually start in the middle of August and end in the end of May. Also another advantage of homeschooling is that we get sleep in to nine o clock, meanwhile other kids in public schools have to get earlier than we do. The last advantage of homeschooling that I will list is that there is one teacher that knows you already, while the teachers at the public schools has to get to know you.
       
         And those are advantages of homeschooling and why I think homeschooling is better than the public schools.

One of My Trips to Maryland Late posting....She still needs to edit.

One of my trips to Maryland
by Nicole

the 2nd time i went to was for my uncle's reception. We had to get up early to leave for maryland. I was the 2nd one up but the 1rst child up. After we all got up we had to get all the bags out to the car.After a little while, we had to make a lot of stops becuase of hannah, esther, and me kept on saying "we're hungry," "are we there yet" and "I have to go to the bathroom." when we got there it was night and hannah, esther, and me "we're tired" contasley. The hotel we were was near a walmart and JCPenny.After we left that hotel we went shopping for shoes for mom and me and clothes for esther for the recepetion because she had nothing pretty to wear.Then we went to the next hotel and by the time we got there it was afternoon and we checked in (we went to that hotel becuase dad got a coupon from work to go to one of those hotels anywhere and we used in maryland) and unloded all of our stuff and went to our room (our room had a balcony which was near a set of stairs which lead to the parking lot).then we went out and went walking around Washington D.C. before heading back to the hotel to get some rest. When we woke up we went downstairs to have breakfeast and the went back up to our room to read and drink.  Then when we were finshed we went to our cousins house and played a game that had the playset as an carnival we used leaves as tickets that we found near the playset, the tire swing as a vortex coaster, and the swings as a swing coaster while the parents talked.then we took th two cousins who wanted to go and there names are Alexandra and Lucy.When we left we went to a McDonalds and had some food and a ice cream cone most of us finshed our ice cream cone in the car and mom said in the "wow, Lucy you're a slower eater than Nicole (me)". once we got there, there were no parking spaces and a lot of us had to go to the bathroom and so mom asked dad "if he would drop us off to go to the bathroom and he could go and find a parking spot."After we went to the bathroom we went through the gift shop and got a few things like the decalartion of independence and Alexandra and Lucy each got one big coin.We also made sure everybdy had a flavored water (we actullay made sure everybody had a water in the car and then flavored it) and started walking.After a little while Esther strated to complain she said "are we finshed yet". While we were walking our uncle and our other cousins were watching a football game. after we visted the last mounment we were going to see we started walking to the car and after a little while walking to the car Esther started to complain again this time Esther said "are we there yet".By the time we got to our cousins house only aunt laura and her sister was there so we let the parents talk and went downstairs to the basement to play after eating pizza for supper.then we went back to the hotel to get some rest. In the morning we all got up and got dressed to go down stairs and have some breakfeast and do a little more walking before the reception.Once we were finshed walkig we went back to the hotel to get dressed up for the reception.
once we got there we were the first ones to arrive while they were still preparing.Soon after almost all of people arrived my cousins T.J, sammy, lucy, and alexandra arrived then my aunt and my uncle arrived. Alexandra and Esther tried all kinds of food and when Esther tried the shrimp in cocktail suace and said "I will not eat anymore seafood".We all tried the shirley temple and we all liked it even if my dad told  Hannah, Esther, and me to drink it . the shirley temple is made out of sprite, canberry jucie (any flavor), and grapefruit jucie.Once we got down to the dining area we had to take our cards to get in and get our table.Table i was at there was only one boy and7 girls (inculding my self).the table i was sitting at was pink table with lots of pink candy.When came over he asked for a peice of candy alexandra wouldn't let but the rest of us helped him get a peice of candy.Before the main course we got up alot mostly because we went to the photo booth and we had lots of fun with each other. once the meal camewe ate it then got up again to go to the photo booth again but this time more of us went there.Once it was over we went back to the hotel to get some rest. in the morning we packed up after eating breakfeast checked out and then loaded up the car so we could go to our cousins house before heading home we had lots of fun at there house because we played while the parents talked. that was the most fun time i had.

How to Care for a Corn Snake

by Hannah

                If you are a beginner corn snake owner and you don’t know how to care for one, then these steps will teach you how to care for a corn snake or for any non- venomous snake.

                First, you need supplies for a corn snake. I suggest a tank about 10-12 gallons, a warmer stone, food (frozen pinkies-pinkies are baby mice-will do), a lid for the tank, clasps to keep the tank closed tight because a corn snake will escape, a hide for the corn snake to hide in, water source, and mulch.

                Second, you need to clean the tank. First, you will need cleaning supplies. I will suggest that you use a wash cloth, wet and dry, and soap. Then, you pick a day of the week because you only need one day of the week to clean the tank. You use the soap and wet wash cloth to clean inside and outside the tank. After that, you use the dry wash cloth to dry the tank.

                Next, you will have to set up the tank for your corn snake. You pick a good spot for the tank (in an area where you can see it mostly all the time). Then, you put the mulch in the tank creating ground for the corn snake. After you put in the mulch in the tank, you can put in the hide, the water source, and a warmer stone. Finally, after you put all this stuff in the tank for your corn snake, you need a lid, but before you put the lid on top, you got to put your corn snake in the tank, and then you put the lid on the tank, locking the tank using clasps.

                                Finally, you will have to pick a day to feed for your corn snake. First, you let the frozen pinkies thaw warm water, so that they are room temperature. Then, you put the corn snake into another container (it could be a paper bag), for feeding. You never want to feed your snake in the same place it lives, as it could attack you when you put your hand in to hold it or clean its cage.  After that, you put the thawed pinkies in the paper bag and close the paper bag. Finally, after your corn snake is done eating, you put your corn snake back into the tank.

                I hope this helps you in your decision to own a corn snake and know how very easy they are to care for.

NOTE: (from mother) while Hannah would love to own a snake, we own a dog who would willingly kill said snake. So while she has handled as many snakes as she can as often as she can and has learned as much as she can to care for snake when she gets one, at present she does not own said snake. When said event occurs, she will probably make changes to this How To article.  

George

A Poem by Nicole

I have a kitten named George
George goes around the house chirping
When he plays with his brother he meows
I love George

The Red-Bellied Piranha: Deadly or Friendly

By: Hannah 

            What do you think of when you hear the word piranha? According to Sue Anne Zollinger in “Piranhas – Ferocious Fighter or Scavenging Softie?” most people think of the horror films version of piranha, fish with large, sharp teeth tearing a person apart after they fall into the water. Red-Bellied Piranhas are more than what is seen in a horror movie.

            According to Wikipedia, Seriously Fish, and WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums), the scientific classification for Red-Bellied Piranha is that they belong to the Family: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Actinopterygii, Order: Characiformes, Family: Serrasalnidae, Genus: Pygocentrus (pygocentrus meaning ‘tail’ and kentron meaning ‘sharp point’), Species: P. nattereri (nattereri for an Australian naturalist from the 1800’s). They belong to the same family as pacu and tetras. They are fresh water fish that are omnivorous, scavengers.

            Red Bellied Piranha gets their name because their bellies are red. They also have broad, serrated, triangular, razor sharp teeth that make slicing chunks of fish free. Animal World said that red bellied piranha can reach up to 13 inches in the wild, but are smaller in an aquarium. The website Bristol Zoo said that red bellied piranhas can weigh up to a maximum of 3.5 kg. Baby red bellied piranhas have silver bodies with dark blotches. Red bellied piranhas get blackish spots behind the gills and the anal fin is usually black at the base, while the pectoral and pelvic fins vary from red to orange. It was also noted that males have a darker red belly than females.

            According to Seriously Fish, Wikipedia and Animal World, red-bellied piranhas live in tropical freshwater areas. These fish have a wide distribution throughout the Amazon and Orinco Basin Rivers in South America. Red-bellied Piranhas are found to be an abundant component of the fish in the Mamiraua Sustainable Development Reserve on the flooded forest of the Amazon River according to Magurran and Queiroz. They have also been found in the waters of major rivers, like Rio Paraguay. They have also been found in white water streams of South America. The water in these areas is about 15 to 35 degrees Celsius.

            Although red-bellied piranha have been portrayed, in horror movies, as being blood thirsty killers who eat large animals and humans who stray into the water, they are actually omnivores and scavengers. Large piranha hunts for food in the dawn, late afternoon and early evening. Younger, smaller piranha hunts for food during the day and hide from the larger piranha that would eat them. According to Animal World, red-bellied piranhas are not picky eaters. Red-bellied piranhas tend to eat fish, molluscs, insects, crustaceans, snails, algae and other water plants. According to Seriously Fish, they will attack sick or dying fish, feed on fins from larger fish and scavenge carcasses. They will hide and chase some fish from vegetation in shallow waters. It is during the dry season, when food is scarce that shoals of piranha are known to attack and have feeding frenzies. It is rare, according to Magurran and Queiroz, for piranhas to attack large, healthy prey.

            According to Edda Kastenhuber and Stephan C. F. Neuhass, red-bellied piranhas can produce a wide variety of acoustic sounds. Red-bellied piranhas can use phonetic language such as “hums, growls, grunts, boat whistles, hoots chirps and many other sounds.” The red-bellied piranhas have two basic mechanisms to help generate sound. They use muscle contractions, a displacement in the swim bladder and a clicking of bony parts like teeth and fins. Sound making fish vocalize in a seductive manner during courtship and mating season. They make sounds to aggressively defend their territory and also for alerting to danger in their shoals. But it was noted that most of the vocalizations were heard only when the piranhas were captured in a hand or a net.

            According to Wikipedia, Margurran and Queiroz, some of the breeding habitats of the red-bellied piranha are unknown to researchers. Researchers say that red-bellied piranha behavior in nature has revealed certain behavioral patterns around their nesting sites. Adult piranhas will swim side by side in a small circle, sometimes swimming opposite directions. One female piranha can lay up to 5,000 eggs, which the male and female piranhas defend until the eggs hatch. Up to 90% of the eggs survive.

            Red-bellied piranhas form into shoals where the bigger piranhas are in the middle and the smaller piranhas are on the outside. According to Webster Dictionary, shoals are a pack of piranha all grouped together. According to Magurran and Gueiroz, red-bellied piranhas find their mates in their shoals. Their decision on who is in the shoal is based on the size of the piranhas. They also choose their mates depending on the sizes. When the water is high in the rivers, a shoal can reach up to 30 individual piranhas. Large red-bellied piranha showed a strong preference for large shoaling partners, while the smaller piranhas did not have a preference in the sizes of their partners.

            Red-bellied piranhas are known for their reputation for being ferocious carnivores.  According to Seriously Fish, Wikipedia, and WAZA, the red-bellied piranha reputation is only a Hollywood movie myth. Red-bellied piranhas only attack people when it is the dry season or they are provoked. According to Seriously Fish, the myth began when American President, Theodore Roosevelt made a visit to the Amazon in Brazil in 1913 and he witnessed an attack. Then a movie was made called “Piranha,” by Joe Dante, which has been compared to “Jaws.” These films and stories of large Piranha shoals attacking humans, just fuel the exaggerated and erroneous reputation of piranhas.

            During my research, I read a few articles where red-bellied piranhas were dumped into other fresh waters and then attacked humans. But these waters would become too cold for the piranhas to survive and were more than likely dumped from someone’s aquarium. It is because of these rare attacks and the fact that only a very well trained person should handle them, that the piranhas myth continues today.

Works Cited:

Animal World, Red Bellied Piranha, http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/characins/RedPiranha.php

Arkive.org – Red Bellied Piranha

Houston Zoo, http://www.houstonzoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Red-bellied-Piranha.pdf

Katenhuber, Edda; Stephan, C. F. Neuhauss; 20 December 2011, Current Biology; http://www.cell.com/current-biology/abstract/S0960-9822(11)01243-7

Magurran, Anne E; Helder L. Queiroz; University of St. Andrews, Scotland, “Partner Choice in Piranha Shoals”

The Nature Conservancy

Putz, Brian, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, “Pygecentrus Nattereri Red Bellied Piranha,” 10/17/2012

Queiroz, Helder Lima; Marcela B. Sobanski; Anne E. Magurran; “Reproductive strategies of Red-Bellied Piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri Kner, 1858) in the white waters of the Mamiraua flooded forest, central Brazilian Amazon”

Seriously Fish.com – Red Bellied Piranha

University of Zurich, Institute of Molecular Life Sciences; Neuroscience Center Zurich and Center for Integrative Human Physiology, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland, Current Biology, “Acoustic Communication: Sound Advice from Piranhas”

WAZA.org – Red Bellied Piranha

Wikipedia: Red Bellied Piranha

Zollinger, Sue Anne, “Piranha – Ferocious Fighter or Scavenging Softie?” 3 July 2009

Ben and Me Book Review

By Nicole

The title of the novel is Ben and Me. The author of Ben and Me is Robert Lawson. The story takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1745.

The main characters are Benjamin Franklin and Amos. The problems Amos has is to help his family get food so they can eat. He also has to free Sophia’s children and reunite her family. Ben’s problems are having to figure out how to get the heat into the middle of the room and how to protect houses and ships from lighting. Ben also wants to find out if lighting is the same as electricity.

An important choice Ben made was to go to France and ask for money for uniforms, powder, arms, and shoes. Another important choice was trying not to cause a war between America and Great Britain.

I liked Ben and Me because it tells the history of Benjamin Franklin and to know what happened during his time. I think people should read it because they can learn what happened during his time and learn how stuff came to be by enjoying it.

When Uncle Tim married Aunt Laura

by Esther

                When I first heard that Uncle Tim had finally proposed to Aunt Laura, I was more than happy. I was shouting, “Yay,” for so long and so loud for a day.

                Mom, Dad, Hannah, Nicole and I were going to Washington D.C. by a very, long car ride. We traveled through the back roads and mountains of West Virginia for a long time. 

                When we got to the hotel, I thought that it was an apartment. The name of the hotel is the Hyatt House. It had 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. My mom and dad got their own bedroom and our own bathroom, so did us girls and there was a hot breakfast in the mornings.

                When we got to the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, where there was a patio party before we could go to the main party room. There were cocktails on the patio with Shirley Temples and pop. I tried lots of food like chicken on a stick and shrimp with cocktail sauce. I didn’t like the shrimp with cocktail sauce at all. They had a saxophone player playing songs that we haven’t heard before.

                When it was time to go down to the main party room, we were all divided to different tables by flowers names. My sisters and I got to sit with our cousins at the daisy table with a topiary dog. When the announcer said Uncle Tim and Aunt Laura names over the microphone “All stand up for the bride and groom, Tim and Laura.” Everyone was so happy for them, that they were cheering.

We ate lots of candy while we waited for the food to come out, (lots of pink candy for the matter of fact). There was lots of dancing on the dance floor; I danced to the party rock song. There was a photo booth where we all had fun with the pictures.

                It was a great time at the Willard Incontinent Hotel and Washington D.C because we got to tour D.C monuments and to see our cousins at the wedding reception.