A Terrific Producer

             Walt Disney was born in Chicago in the year 1901, soon after his whole family moved to Missouri, and Walt's boyhood was spent on a farm.  When he was 16 he studied art.  In 1920 he went to the Kansas City Film Ad Company, which made cartoon advertisements for theaters.  In 1923 he moved to Los Angeles to be a film producer.  Unfortunately he failed and because of this he went back to making cartoon advertisements.  During these years Walt Disney moved around a lot to find the right job for him.

            Walt Disney made his first film in 1928 called "Steamboat Willie," which was the first movie to star Mickey Mouse.  His first full technicolor movie was "Flowers and Trees". In 1937 he created a full-length animated movie called "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves". Because of this he also made "Pinocchio","Fantasia," "Dumbo" and a bunch of other films. His first movie with live action was "Mary Poppins," although it also had cartoon mixed in with the film.  Walt Disney became an extremely famous producer, because of his awesome movies.

 
          Walt Disney wanted to have a theme park where people could have fun.  Finally in 1955 Disney opened Disneyland in Anaheim, California, with attractions based on his films.  During his last years he had plans for an entertaining and educational theme park in Florida called Walt Disney World.  Disney had already died in 1966 when Walt Disney World was completed in 1971.  Walt Disney was a terrific producer and park designer.  Because of Disney people everywhere today enjoy his wonderful films.

Steamboat Willie

Walt Disney

Walt Disney's Signature 

Us at Walt Disney World

Extraordinary Music Composer

         Johann Sebastian Bach was a wonderful German composer.  He was born in  1685 into a very musical family.  His parents dies when he was 10 years old.  He would quietly seek into his older brothers room, take his music and copy all then notes. Because of this he learned how to write music.  When he was 18 he got a job playing the organ at a church. He was a Christian man and wrote his own music for church.  On his sheets of music he would write JJ Jesu, juva, which means Help, O Jesus.  He died when he was 65 and computers and musicologist have tried to figure out Bachs musical patterns ever since.  Bach definitely was an extraordinary music composer. 

Johann Sebastian Bach

A Wonderful Girl Named Therese

           Therese Martin was a wonderful girl who was called The Little Flower of Jesus.  She was very devoted to her faith, she was born in France on January 2nd of 1873.  Sadly her Mom died of cancer and her funeral was at Notre Dame.  She suffered from Nervous Tremoses. One time she had a very horrible moment with the devil and her family brought the statue of Mary into her room and she was better,  Because of this she wrote " Our Blessed Lady has come upon me, she has smiled upon me. How happy I am."  She also suffered from scrupulosity.  Although she was only the young age of 15, she wanted to enter a Carmelite Convent.  So she journeyed to see the pope for permission.  The pope said " Well, my child, do what the superiors decide... you will enter if it is God's will." Eventually the Bishop said yes and she entered on April 9, 1888.  On September 30, 1897 she died at the age of 24 after suffering from tuberculosis.  Her last words were " My God, I Love You."  She was buried on October 4, 1897.  Therese was a wonderful person and we can follow her way to be closer to Jesus.

St. Therese

St. Therese

St. Therese

St. Therese as a Nun

St Therese hair when they cut it for the habit

America's Common Clothing Creator

                 Levi Strauss was a famous man who invented the common clothing we wear today called jeans.  He was born in 1829 in Buttenheim which is near the German/Austrian border.  When he was 18 he moved to New York.  Then in 1853 he moved to San Fransisco to work in his brother's store.  During the gold rush a man asked Levi if he could make him pants out of canvas.  So he did and people asked for more.  Once he asked more canvas but instead he got demand named then jeans.  People loved Levi Strauss' jeans.  In 1902 sadly he died and because of his popularity people closed their shops to go to his funeral.  Levi was an amazing person to have created America's most common piece of clothing.

A Wonderful Children's Author

   

                Theodore Geisel, also known as Dr. Suess, was a famous children's author who was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on March 2, 1904.  During college he wanted to become an english teacher.  He married Helen Palmer and they moved to New York,  Theodore drew cartoons and signed it "Dr. Suess". Remembering his home town he wrote And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street. He also wrote Horton Hatches the Egg and If I Ran the Circus, and for beginning readers he wrote The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham.  He called it "Puzzling my Puzzler" when he wrote his stories.  When he would have turn 100 years old the United States Postal Service came up with a Dr. Suess stamp.  Sadly he died when he was 87 so there will be no more books by this wonderful children author.

Dr Suess Books

Dr. Suess Stamp 2004

Beautiful Pearls

   

                 Pearls have an amazing way of forming.  Oysters are great for food and production. To form a pearl a small object travels under the mantle of the oyster which causes irritation.  Because the oyster secretes a substance, a mother-of-pearl forms and it stops the irritation.  It takes a long time for the layers of substance to form the pearl.  The Japanese encourage the oysters to make artificial pearls, since it takes 3-4 years for a pearl to form.  After the beautiful pearls form, we collect them and make jewelry.

Pearl in Oyster

Pearl Bracelet

Pink Pearls

My ways to cope with worries

       
                By finding ways of coping with my worries, I can be happier.  One way I cope is to draw for my Etsy shop or for people.  Reading is great because your mind is in another land.  I also like to play games like Simon Says or card games.  Schoolwork keeps me busy too.  I love to run outside to happily jump on the trampoline or swing.  I often write in my red journal which allows me to write my worries down. I talk a lot with people about my worries.  Although not all of these helps make it easier for me to cope with my worries, most of them do.

Sharing the Truth

                  Catholicism is the true religion.  Jesus founded the Catholic Church when He gave the keys to Peter who was the 1st pope in Matt 16:18.  The Holy Spirit and the Pope spiritually lead the Catholic Church.  Baptism and Confirmation are the two Sacraments that make you Catholic.  Catholics believe that Jesus is in the Eucharist.  Among the unbelieveable 1.2 billion Catholics in the world, 78.2 million are in the U.S.  Because they love their faith, Catholics share with others the truth about Catholicism.

                                                                             Jesus

The Current Pope

                                               

                                                        Jesus giving the keys to Peter

Harmful Food

                       

                           
                   Food Allergies can be really harmful to some people.

                   There are a few ways you can get food allergies.  Some harmful foods are wheat and eggs. Really harmful foods are nuts especially peanuts.  If a mother munches peanuts or other foods while she is nursing the infant could become allergic to that food because of the exposure.  The child who is fed peanuts could become allergic to it as they grow for example.  If we live in a super clean environment, the body doesn't fight off germs.  Instead they fight food we should be able to eat.  Families can pass-on food allergies to there children.  Food allergies are usually discovered in children rather than adults.

                   When you swallow food you are allergic to you can have horrible symptoms.  Some symptoms are runny nose, rashes, and sneezing.  People who gobble peanuts, milk, wheat, and nuts can also get tummy aches, diarrhea, and itchiness.  You can find out why you have food allergies by taking blood test.  When you find out the problem, hardly any symptoms appear because you won't swallow that food.

                    Celiac Disease is like a wheat allergy.  Wheat allergy is often confused with celiac disease.  Because celiac disease is a condition in which gluten affects the whole digestive system., people with celiac disease have a higher risk of losing red blood cells and lowering bone density.  Most people outgrow wheat allergies or can swallow other grains, but people who have celiac disease need to avoid other grains sometimes too.  Wheat allergies aren't always a major disease but celiac disease is.

                     Food allergies can be harmful to me, but more harmful to other people who have food allergies.

Peanuts

Grains of Wheat

The Fish that isn't a Fish

                There are 2,000 kinds of starfish who live in the world's largest oceans.  They consume oysters and clams.  Most starfish have 5 arms but some have 10, 20, or 40.  If a starfish loses an arm, it will quickly grow it back, because it has important organs in its arms.  Scientist say a starfish is not really a fish.  Some peplum call them sea stars.

Starfish

                                                                 

Starfish 20 arms

  

Fascinating Whooping Cranes

       
                 Whooping Cranes are fascinating.

                 Whooping Cranes live in swampy, marshy places.  They live in Alberta Canada during the summer which has pleanty of fish, snakes, and eggs to hunt.  In the winter they fly 4,000 km to Texas because it's much warmer.  While they are in mild Texas they gobble plants, insects, and frogs.  Eventually the whooping cranes go back to wetlands and live their lives.    

                 Whooping cranes are great parents.  They build their nests out of brown grass around
shallow water.  The parents take turns watching 10 times a day while they incubate their eggs for 28-36 days. Because it takes 5-6 years for the chicks to become mature, the parents are very supportive.  When predators sneak up, the parent who is watching over the eggs gets up cautiously and starts hissing and flapping its wings.  Disaster is more likly to hurt the chicks than having poor parents.  When those cranes grow-up they will build another nest and become great parents too.

                   Extinction means an animal is no longer in the world. For example dinosaurs are no longer alive because they are extinct.  Whooping Cranes became rare in 1941 and only 15 cranes survived.  Cranes only lay 2 eggs.  One of the eggs hatches with a stronger chick who pecks at the other egg.  Unfortunately the other fragile chick dies. In 1980 there were 83 cranes, but many cranes got hurt in a drought.  Predators would gobble the eggs.  The whooping cranes never became extinct probably since the sand hill cranes adopted the orphans.  Luckily the cranes are still not extinct today compared to other animals.

                     Their habitat, parenting, and risk of extinction are just a few reasons why I think cranes are fascinating.
             

                                                                   Whooping Cranes

                                                                             
                                                                  Whooping Crane Nest
                                             

                           
                                                            Whooping Crane Chick
                       

The Father of Our Country

The Father of Our Country
by
Jamie Driver

            George Washington was the first President of America in 1789.  He didn't want the people to treat him like a king, so he highly recommended them to call him "Mr. President."  Because Washington cared for his young country, he traveled the 13 states.  During the French Revolution, Washington, Who didn't want war, helped keep peace, between America and England.  He also believed if Americans lived virtuous lives, we could keep our country strong.  George Washington will always be called "The Father of Our Country."

"

The Dog and the Cat

The Dog and the Cat

 by

 Jamie Driver

 

              In a farmyard there lived a dog and a cat who usually were nice to each other.  But today they had a tremendously terrible fight over who scared the chickens off.  The dog was hurt and went to a place to hide.  The cat went to the middle of the yard and meowed to declare victory.  The farmer who was walking by, saw the hurt dog.  He went over and carried him into the house.  After the farmer cleaned the dogs wounds the cat and the dog said they would never fight again.

The Girl and the Apples

                                                           The Girl and the Apples

                                                                           by 

                                                                   Jamie Driver

           There once was a young girl who was at an apple farm.  She saw a bucket which was full of apples.  She reached in and grabbed as many apples as she could and pulled.  The apples would not come out, because her fist was bulging with apples, so she burst into tears.  Suddenly the famous American Girl, whose name was Kit, walked up and told the girl, "If you want to be satisfied you will have to take fewer apples."  Sometimes you have to give up a little of what you wish.

(adapted from Aesop's "The Boy and the Nuts")

Pill Bug

Pill Bug

by

Jamie Driver

                 The pill bug are common inhabitants of this world.  If it is disturbed it will roll up into a ball shaped like a pill.  The sowbug is a close relative.  It is similar to the pillbug but is flatter and can't role up.  Like lobsters and crabs they are crustaceans, which use gills to breathe not lungs.  The pillbug breathes from his underside and lives in moist places.

Some Information About Sea Snakes

                                     
                                               Some Information About Sea Snakes 
                                                                            By
                                                                      Jamie Driver

              Sea snakes are the most poisonous snakes in the world.  Scientists say the sea snake's venom is  50 times worse than the King Cobra.  They do not always inject venom when they bite, which nobody understands why.  The poison is slow to take effect at a fatality rate of 25%.  Fishermen are careless by stepping on and handling sea snakes.

NEW WRITING PROGRAM

You will notice the writing assignments for this year will look a little different.  I am using a new program for our homeschool that utilizes existing written pieces of work and rewrites them.  Like a budding musician who needs to practice playing existing music in order to internalize styles of composition prior to creating original pieces of work, a budding writer needs to practice rewriting existing articles of language in order to internalize the writing styles.  Jamie and John Paul will have the same writing assignments, so you will notices their pieces are very similar, yet uniquely their own.  I hope you will enjoy reading them! -Teacher Mom :)

Me and my dog

       My family and I have a dog named Lady.  She is eleven years old and she is a Lhssa Apso.      

Lady has some tan patches, but she is mostly white.  Lady is very gentle with people. My mom and dad got her before I was born.  They also said Lady was a shy dog when they went to get her, but Lady came straight to them. I love her and I'm glad she is part of the family.

Lady

Lady and Angel.

 Christmas, When i'm a baby.

 Lady

 Lady & I

My drawing

Magic Kingdom

               In January my family went to Disney World.  We were there for the Homeschool Days and visited each park.  On the first day we went to The Magic Kingdom.  In The Magic Kingdom I saw tasted, touched, heard, and smelled different things.

              First we went on the Fairy Boat which took us across the lagoon to the Magic Kingdom.  On the boat I heard the water moving and the seagulls chirping.  We saw tons of people on the boat, talking, standing, and sitting while they were waiting to get to the park.

             After we entered the Magic Kingdom, the first ride we went on was Journey of the Little Mermaid.  We sat in the moving clam shells that felt plastic.  The ride was dark, but I saw bright moving robots that described the movie. Music on the ride was loud, and I recognized it from the movie.  It was exciting because it was my first ride.

            When it was around lunchtime, we found a hot dog place called Casey's Corner.  When we walked in, I smelled the food.  We ordered hot dogs and french fries which tasted hot and salty.  While we ate lunch, I saw some ducks by our table.

             After lunch, the girls went to see the princesses.  We had to wait about an hour before we could see the princesses. During that hour we were bored and thirsty.  When we finally got to see the princesses, I saw Rapunzel with her long yellow hair.  Sleeping Beauty had her pink dress on, and Cinderella wore her sparkly, blue ball gown.  I really liked seeing the princesses.

             For the last activity in The Magic Kingdom, we went on Aladdin's Magic Carpet Ride.  The ride was exciting because we went around slowly, and we could control if we wanted to go high or low.  The seats were colorful, and when we were high I could see people waiting in line, palm trees, and Mommy, Daddy, and Josie in front of us.  I really enjoyed The Magic Carpets.

            The Magic Kingdom was fun because we got to do things we've never done before.  I used all or my senses to collect memories.  I can't wait to go back someday.

 On the fairy boat

 On the fairy boat

 In front of the castle

 In the clam shell seat

A robot of Areil

Eating lunch

Eating lunch

Eating lunch

Waiting in line

Rapunzel

Sleeping Beauty

Cinderella

Cinderella

Magic Carpets

Magic Carpets

Magic Carpets