Summer Goals

Isn’t summer great?

I’ve been waiting for summer all year long. My summer is especially fun because I’m doing lots of awesome thing like a trip to Niagara Falls and two new books to read. I’m also learning quick ways to solve a Rubik’s© Cube.

Niagara Falls is probably the most beautiful sight in the world. Watching the amazing roar of falling waters is an exhilarating experience. I wanted to know what makes this water fall from such a great height and how it all got started. I did some research and this is what I found out:

    * Niagara Falls was probably created by glaciers about 10,000 years ago. When the ice melted, the water flowed into the nearby river. The Niagara River cuts a gorge and overflows through the Cliff creating the beautiful falls we see today.
    * And to answer why the cliff formed in the first place, one has to turn to geologists.Three types of soil formations interacted to create three major rock formations.These different layers did not erode evenly, so you see how each different kind of soil and rock settled to form the cliff.

I am reading two new books this summer: The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau and The Alchemyst by Michael Scott. City of Ember starts off with an interesting twist about things going wrong with city-threatening disaster-recovery plans. Things tend to slow down as the book progresses, though. I think the ending of The Alchemyst is much more satisfying and interesting

And about the mind-boggling Rubik’s© cube! To solve the puzzle, remember one important cardinal rule. Instead of trying to solve the cube side by side, try doing it in layers. Just keep organizing the layers and it will be done in no time.

Now I can do it pretty fast and once I did it in four minutes, which is not anywhere near the world-record, but that beats our best-ever Family record!

I hope everyone has a great summer!! Enjoy the break, but most important, stay indoors when it’s really hot outside. That’s when activities like summer reading and studying how to solve a puzzle come in handy!

—Gopa Praturi

PHOTO: A collage of summer fun by Gopa Praturi

Fiddlin' In West Virginia—Literally!

Summer fun from fish camp to music camp to a giant observatory.

I am learning how to play the fiddle, so each summer I go to a camp in West Virginia called Allegheny Echoes. The camp’s goal is to teach old time music to the next generation. This was year was my fourth year at Allegheny Echoes and my third year playing the fiddle there.

I recognized some familiar faces at the camp and knew my teacher from the year before. The first day we played a song I had learned before called “Boil Them Cabbage Down.”

After the lesson (which seemed to go by quickly), my aunt and I had lunch and then went swimming. In the afternoon we went to the Masters’ Jam, which is where a bunch of old time music geniuses play. Then my grandmother came and we went back up the twisting road to fish camp. Every day we drove from the fish camp to the music camp on this winding road. (It would have made my friend sick to ride on that road.)

Thursday night was concert time. Yikes! I was so nervous. We played an awesome song called “Liberty.”

The next day was Friday and I was sad that it was the last day of Echoes. I made some really cool friends and I was going to miss them. I learned a lot at Allegheny Echoes and I can't wait to come back next year.

Although I was sad Allegheny Echoes had to end so soon, I had a really fun time at the rest of my stay in West Virginia. My cousins from North Carolina came and so I had a fantastic time swimming in rivers, playing in creeks, and watching fireworks with them.

Then, we visited the National Radio Astrology Observatory, which is operated by the National Science Foundation. It operates three large telescopes that explore the universe. Researchers also detect and study radio waves emitted by astrological objects. At this very moment, researchers there are picking up signals from space that are billions of years old.

The observatory has made many important discoveries, including blackholes and double stars. Surrounding the observatory is something called a quite zone. People who live in the quite zone can only have certain electronic items that won’t interfere with the radio signals being sent and received from space.

All in all, I had a great time in West Virginia swimming, hanging out with my cousins, visiting the observatory, and most importantly of all listening and playing fiddle music.

—Ana Deluca-Mayne

PHOTO: Ana Deluca-Mayne on her fiddle. Photo courtesy Ana Deluca-Mayne

The "Write" Stuff!

Young authors help each other hone their skills in writers' camp.

In San Marcos, Texas, I met with a group of young authors every afternoon for two weeks for Young Writers Camp. The camp was held at Texas State University by the Central Texas Writing Project.

During the camp, we learned about different kinds of writing like poetry, essay, short story, and so on. We had an assignment everyday to practice our skills, and an hour to work on our big project.

My favorite assignment to pick out a picture from an old magazine and write a funny poem about it. One day we tie-dyed T-shirts to show how plain things look without adjectives, and how beautiful they looked with them. Our teacher was a great instructor, and she really helped us understand the whole writing process. 

At the end of each day, we had “author’s chair." This was a chance for everyone to read their writing aloud to the group. Sometimes, it was hard for the author to hear the comments that the other writers would bring up. The points were valid, but some things were said that hurt feelings. It all helped us to improve our work. We said some good things also, but we weren’t trying to just be nice. We wanted to make useful comments. The most important thing I learned at camp was to always be confident in your writing, and to believe in yourself.

On the last day of camp, all of our families came for the Young Writers Café to hear us read one of our pieces in the anthology we published. When it got to my turn, I was really nervous, but I did a good job. So did everyone else. I really enjoyed it. I made some great friends, and plan to go back next summer. 

—Maya Fleming

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Maya Fleming (second from left in the back row) with her fellow authors at Young Writers' Workshop in San Marcos, Texas. Photo Courtesy Maya Fleming.

This Summer, It's All About Winter

Canadians Prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Usually, kids look forward to the summer, anticipating sunny days spent swimming, eating ice cream, and, best of all, no school! In Vancouver, British Columbia, however, this summer is all about the winter. The 2010 Winter Olympic Games is approaching and will take place February 12- 28, 2010. When I visited Vancouver this summer for my vacation, I found that Canadians are hyper busy getting their community ready for visitors from all over the world.

The construction of the Olympic and Paralympic village is almost completed.  The Olympic rings at the entrance of the city have already been assembled. The Olympics are a popular topic on the television news and the newspapers.

Vancouver is located in the British Columbia province in Canada. Some of the Olympic events will take place on Cypress Mountain. Most events will be held at Whistler, which is a mountain known for its challenging ski slopes and posh winter resorts. Whistler overlooks the Pacific Ocean and has beautiful waterfalls. Just thinking about it makes me want to go back.

Whenever I went to buy some delicious maple cream cookies at a store, I couldn’t help but notice all the Olympic souvenirs that were everywhere: commemorative coins, mugs, T-shirts, key chains, stuffed animals, books, hats, gloves, and just about anything you could imagine putting an Olympic logo on.

The lovable mascots on sale everywhere were inspired by the First Nations people of Canada. Sumi is an animal guardian spirit and represents the Paralympics. Miga is a fabled sea bear. Quatchi is the most adorable Sasquatch ever.  These mascots are so adorable that their cute factor definitely competes with the charm of Uglydolls and Hello Kitty.

When the opening ceremony takes place, it will be the first time in Olympic history that the flame will be lit indoors, in a covered stadium. The torch will travel from Olympia, Greece to Vancouver through different forms of travel: on foot, by wheelchair, dog sled, airplane, snowmobile and horseback.  It will also travel the longest distance in Winter Olympic history—even traveling over the North Pole! It so exciting, I can’t wait to watch it all on TV!

—Mariam El Hasan

PHOTO: (TOP) Kid Reporter Mariam El Hasan at Brandywine Falls, Whistler Mountain, Vancouver, British Columbia. Photo Courtesy Mariam El Hasan

(BOTTOM) Vancouver 2010 mascots, Quatchi, Sumi and Miga start construction at the future home of the 2010 Olympic Superstore in downtown Vancouver. The 2010 Olympic Superstore is scheduled to open this fall as the one-stop shopping experience for all official licensed merchandise of the 2010 Winter Games. Photo Courtesy 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Summer Discoveries in Three Cities

What I learned about Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver in a whirl-wind 6-day trip.

Summer is a time to learn new things and discover new places. That's why I took a six-day trip to the three cities of Seattle, Victoria, and Vancouver. I found them all pretty interesting!

You probably know that the famous Space Needle is located in Seattle, Washington. But a little-known fact is that Seattle is also home to the world's first automatic car wash! I thought the sign, a big pink elephant, was pretty funny! The first-ever Starbucks to open up for business is in Pike Place Market. There was a line of customers down the whole block! Getting a Starbucks in Seattle should be no problem, however, since there are 79 other stores in the city!

Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, a Canadian province. As soon as we arrived there on a ferry, I felt like I had stepped back in time. It was great to walk down the cobbled streets and look at all the old fashioned stores (like Rogers' Soda Shoppe. Yum!) Victoria, nicknamed the City of Gardens, really cares about beauty. Ocean front parks and Butchart Gardens have flowers rarely found in other parts of Canada!

The word that came to mind when I visited Vancouver was fusion. The people of Vancouver are a blend of many different cultures. That's why Vancouver has ethnic markets like Chinatown, Little Italy, and the Punjabi Market. Out of the downtown area is the beautiful Grouse Mountain looking down on the whole city. You have to take a chairlift called the Sky Ride to get to the mountain top, which is at an elevation of about 4,000 feet. There's also a suspension bridge over a breathtaking waterfall in Lynn Canyon that was fun to walk across!

Back home in California, I'm making a collage from all my saved tickets, brochures, and photos. Little keepsakes from a super trip!

—Anjali Bhat

PHOTO: Kid Reporter Anjali Bhat on the suspension bridge at Lynn Canyon in Vancouver, BC. Photo Courtesy Anjali Bhat

Ash Trees in Danger

What you can do to save the trees in your neighborhood.

The big news in my area this summer is about a tiny insect called the Emerald Ash Borer.  A few days ago I was just hanging around in my backyard (trying to perfect my double back flip on the trampoline) when two official-looking men drove up. They were from the USDA Forest Service.

The men told me and my dad that the dreaded Emerald Ash Borer had arrived in my hometown of Randolph, New York!

These tiny insects lay their eggs in the bark of ash trees and when they hatch, they burrow and feed on the trees, and kill them.  The Emerald Ash Borer was first discovered in Michigan in 2007. Since then the bugs have spread to Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, and other parts of the U.S.  On June of this year, the ash borer was discovered for the first time in New York State in Cattaraugus County.

Scientists are fighting back! Spreading outward from the epicenter of Cattaraugus (in my neighborhood in Randolph), scientists are putting up roughly 1,200 traps in a 7-mile radius to determine a quarantine zone.  The purple traps are hanging from ash trees all over Randolph. I am monitoring the traps that are hanging on our property.

Ash trees make up about 95 percent of New York’s trees.  If these trees are damaged or killed, it will really hurt the local economy. Ash trees are used to make furniture and for firewood.

For good pictures of the Emerald Ash Borers, go to www.emeraldashborer.info . You can report any sightings in your area at 1-866-322-4512. 

Right now, a rare type of stingless Chinese wasp is being tested in Michigan to stop the ash borer. If the ash borer isn’t stopped and spreads to other parts of the country, about 7.5 billion ash trees are at risk of dying. Help stop this exotic but harmful beetle from spreading! Check out your ash trees to see if the bugs are coming your way.

—Joseph McIntrye

PHOTO: Workers from the FDA Forest Service are hanging purple traps like these from ash trees all over Randolph, New York. Photo Courtesy Joseph McIntrye

In the World's Submarine Capital

A tour of the USS Nautilus in Groton, Connecticut, is an undersea adventure.

On the banks of the Thames River in Groton, Connecticut, is the Submarine Force Museum and Library with the USS Nautilus sitting in the water. It is the only submarine museum operated by the United States Navy. I recently took an audio tour of the Nautilus. It was like having history blaring in your head!

The Nautilus was the world's first nuclear powered vessel and the first ship to travel UNDER the North Pole. It is named after the ship in the Jules Verne book,  "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea." An original copy of the book is on board the ship.

Submarines may look big from the outside, but the hallways inside are so narrow, I could reach both arms out and touch both walls, side to side The bunks, where the crew sleeps, are so tight, the sinks fold up! I felt like I was in a little kid's playhouse as I almost had to crawl to get through a small doorway.

Oh, but the good part of this was that I learned that if you worked aboard the Nautilus, you would only have to work six hours and then get 12 hours off! And when you were done with that work, you could easily grab a snack. They served food there every six hours! But there's a catch. You are on this narrow, tight, windowless sub for six months! That's half a year away from your family. Once you are back on shore, however, sailors can stay the next six months at home. 

Did you know that today's submarines are about as big as the one I toured? Touring the USS Nautilus was really cool because I got to feel like a sailor living on a submarine.

—Caitlin Wardlow 

PHOTOS: (TOP) Caitlin Wardlow before boarding the USS Nautilus submarine. (BOTTOM) A look inside a bunk on the nation's first nuclear powered sub. (Photos courtesy Caitlin Wardlow)

Big Fishing on Baffin Bay, Texas

Good fishing (and eating) from one of the biggest state’s smallest bays.

Baffin Bay, Texas, may not be the biggest bay. In fact, it's quite small. But, it has some of the best drum fishing in all of Texas. Along with drum, there are also:

    * speckled trout
    * sand trout
    * hardhead catfish
    * gafftops
    * skipjack
    * mullet

Some of the red drum in Baffin Bay can reach a length of over 40 inches. That's the size of a large toddler!

The trout there can also reach a whooping 25 inches. That’s the size of a large model train! 

Even the small and under-sized fish in Baffin Bay will put up quite the fight when you hook one. And did you know, one of the best ways to catch fish in Baffin Bay is with a live croaker?  When we were cleaning some of the fish, we found croakers still inside the fish. In one trout, we even found two!

One of the reasons Baffin Bay has such good fishing is because of the many reefs there. The reefs are composed of calcareous tubes of serpulid worms. The formation of these reefs began around 3,000 years ago and ended about 300 years ago. In addition, Baffin Bay has an abundant supply of croaker, which is the main food supply of ALL the fish listed above.

What was really fun on my fishing trip on Baffin Bay was going through a rainstorm that was so thick, it looked like fog. When we got ashore, we went to the guide's house and cleaned and gutted the fish. Then we went home and had a feast!

—Hank Carrillo

PHOTO: Hank Carrillo shows off a speckled trout caught fishing in Baffin Bay, Texas. Photo Courtesy Hank Carrillo

We (Finally) Have Liftoff!

Space Shuttle Endeavour heads for International Space Station

It took six tries, but the space shuttle Endeavour finally experienced a successful countdown and liftoff. My brother Bailey and I attended a launch party in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday for our friend, Astronaut Tim Kopra, who is on board the Endeavour. The shuttle is expected to arrive and dock at the International Space Station (ISS) today.

We ate nachos, ice cream, and cake as we waited once again for NASA to give the launch clearance. Three other times, the shuttle launch was scrubbed because of a gas leak. Bailey and I were at the Kennedy Space Center for the first three attempts. The next two attempts we experienced in Austin. Bad weather got in the way of those launches.

The party in Austin, was held by some of Kopra's high school friends and families. He went to school in Austin with my mom. We were all very excited to be able to finally see the launch after so many delays.

As Endeavour lifted off, we all sat in silence and watched in awe. Some people had tears in their eyes. We kept asking each other, “I wonder what the astronauts are thinking now? I wonder what they are doing right now?”

We are all extremely happy for Tim. He is going to be part of the first six-person crew on the ISS..  And we are very eager to get a chance to talk to him now that he is in space. We have a special email address just for him, while he is living on the Space Station. (That's got to be one of the coolest email address in the whole universe!)

This morning, I read on Twitter that the crew’s wake up song was “These Are Days” by the 10,000 Maniacs. My mom wasn’t surprised by this choice of music. She says Tim has always loved the 10,000 Maniacs, and Natalie Merchant.

I am currently following the leader of the mission, Mark Polanski, and reading his tweets from space. You can too. His Twitter account is Astro_127.

As soon as Tim gets to the ISS he will make his first walk in space! Then we are going to link up to his email and we will let you know more soon!

—Mason Pownall

PHOTO: Expedition 20 Commander Gennady Padalka uses a computer in the Zvezda service module of the International Space Station as he prepares to welcome the crew of the space shuttle Endeavour. Credit: NASA

We Have Liftoff!

 
Space Shuttle Endeavour heads to ISS on sixth try.

Kid Reporters Mason and Bailey Pownall finally saw their friend Astronaut Tim Kopra begin his space adventure when the Space Shuttle Endeavour achieved liftoff on Wednesday afternoon. It was the sixth attempt at launch for the problem-plagued shuttle. The first three attempts were scrubbed due to a gas leak. The next two attempts were delayed because of bad weather at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Today—the shuttle's second day in orbit—the crew will inspect the shuttle's heat shield and prepare for docking with the International Space Station (ISS).

Mason and Bailey will report back soon on this blog with a full description of the lift off and mission details.

—Editor Suzanne Freeman

PHOTO: Liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photo credit: NASA/Jeffrey Marino