SUPERMARKET SCRAMBLE - 4TH & 5TH GRADERS

Ok, here’s a contest for the 4^th and 5^th graders.  Are you game? 

I went shopping last week in the local grocery stores.  I think food prices here are higher than food prices in NC.  I’d like for you to help me confirm if this is true or not true. 

So, here is how to play.  Ask Ms. McSwain for a copy of this list and carefully read the directions which are also below:

·       Take the list with the 11 items on it and go with a parent or adult to Food Lion or Wal-Mart. 

·       Find the items in the store and record the regular price, NOT the sale price. 

·       If you cannot find the exact item, locate an identical item and make a note of that on your paper. 

·       An adult MUST sign your paper indicating that YOU did the work, not your parent, friend or family member. 

·       Return your paper to Ms. McSwain who will verify your list.

The first boy and girl in grade 4 and in grade 5 who successfully complete the task will receive a small prize upon my return.  

 

FOOD ITEM	COST IN CA	COST IN NC
Bush’s red kidney beans; 16 oz can	$ 1.75
Idahoan Mashed Potatoes in a Bag, 14 oz,	4.89
McCormick Taco Seasons Packet	1.19
Newton Fruit Thins (in the cookie aisle)	4.59
Tostitos (Chips)	3.99
Bananas, 1 pound (lb)	0.68
Green Cucumber, 1	0.99
Head of Lettuce	1.49
Block of store brand, Colby Jack cheese, 16 oz.	4.99
Tortillas - Fajita Size (packet of 20)	3.99
Kraft Light 1000 Island Dressing, 16 oz	4.29
TOTAL	$32.84

See what you can learn about shopping for food.  Talk with your parents about the cost of putting food on the family table.  Is there anything you can do to help with the costs of feeding the family?  Which items are the most expensive?  Which are the least expensive?  If you had to buy the food all the time, what would you purchase to eat? 

If my shopping list cost $32.84 and I gave you $40.00, how much change would I get in return? 

Have some fun shopping!

WE HAVE A BABY!

This has been a long weekend for our family and a busy day.  We came to California to help Jamie with the birth of her first child. Today, at 6:42 a.m., Syndey Lyn was born into this world.  She is beautiful and it was a beautiful moment as I watched her be delivered.  Syndey is 20.5 inches long and weighs  6 lbs 13 oz. 

THE REST OF THE FAMILY

Last week I introduced you to Jamie's and Wil's cat and fish, Junior and Oscar.  I promised I'd introduce the rest of the pets this week.  My nephew TJ and his wife Wendy have two dogs, two cats and a horse.  They live in Ceres, CA which is right down the road about eight miles; that would be like driving from school to the Food Lion in Norlina.  However, instead of driving through the country, we drive through the city.  Out here, you never know where one town ends and another begins because it is all houses and businesses.  LOTS OF TRAFFIC!


First let me introduce you to the dogs, Shiloh and Bella.  Both are German Shepherds, both females, both sweet and playful with LOTS of energy. 

SHILOH



BELLA

Bella and Shiloh are sisters, but Shiloh was chosen from the litter at 6 weeks and delivered a couple of months latter.  Bella lived her first 15 months in a cage in someone's garage. When she came to them, she could not stand erect as she had to crouch all the time in the cage.  For this reason, her feet looked webbed since she never stood on her pads.  They were not sure that she would stand upright much less be able to run which she loves to do.  One week after they brought her home, she contracted parvo virus and distemper from one of two causes, the absence of shots or bad vaccines.  She spent almost two weeks in the hospital and the doctors did not expect her to survive.  She is a fighter; you would never guess that she has been through so much.  

Since their lives started our so differently, their personalities are vastly different. Shiloh is very calm and sure of herself.  Bella is high strung and always seems to be afraid of being left out.  They will turn 2 in November.

In addition to the dogs, we have the cats, Butter and Binky.  They pretty much rule!  Butter was found in a cage in the rain, soak and wet, and covered in fleas.  When they went to pick up a kitten they had agreed to take since the mother did not have any milk and the family could no longer bottle feed the whole litter, they asked to see the mother.  Escorted outside, there lay Butter soaked and shivering.   They brought her home as well.   She was two at the time.  Butter is now 10. 

Binkey was also a rescue.  He was found in the bushes by a friend when he and his litter mates were about 4 weeks old. He turned one this last summer.



BUTTER

BINKY AT THE WATERING HOLE

Last to be introduced is the big guy, Drama.  He is the oldest of the pets and actually used to live in Manson, NC.  Say hello.  Drama was born on October 15, 2003; she just turned 8 years old.  Horses, if well cared for, can live into their mid to late 30's.

DRAMA

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!  Happy Saturday!

THE ORCHARD OWLS OF ORCHARD ELEMENTARY

Yesterday I visited the local elementary school to discover some of the similarities and differences in education in CA and NC.  Orchard, like EO Young, is a great school.  Review the chart to see how the schools compare.

EO YOUNG ELEMENTARY	ORCHARD ELEMENTARY
Enrollment:  300-325	Enrollment: 490
Grades: Pre-K to 5	Grades:  K-5
Average # of students in each class:    20-24	Average # of students in each class:  30
School Time:  8:00-3:00	School Time:  8:10-2:30
PE Teacher:  Mrs. Lee	PE Teacher: None, taught by each teacher
Primary Transportation:  Buses	Primary Transportation:  Walk and Car Ride
School Year:  August - June	School Year: August - June
Computers:  A lab and several in the classroom	Computers:  A lab and every 5th grader has an assigned laptop for use in school; 3rd and 4th graders share laptops in school

Main Entrance, Offices and Media Center

One major difference between the schools is the physical structure of the school.  E.O. Young is one building with all the classrooms, cafeteria, media center and gym contained inside and located off two main hallways.  Orchard Elementary is a series of pods or buildings connected by walkways.  Each grade has its own building, so all the Kindergarten classes are in one building, 1^st grade in another, 2^nd in another, and so on.  The Media Center and the Offices are in the front pod or building, and the cafeteria or multi-purpose room is in another.  If I counted correctly there are 8 pods and 4 modular buildings.  They have a very large playground and courtyard area where they often gather on Fridays to jam:  listen to music, dance and generally burn energy. 

Orchard Commom Area and Classroom Buildings



Center Media Center;
To the Right: Multi-purpose Room and Cafeteria

Media Center

All the teachers and staff with whom I spoke loved their school, as did the students.  One girl told me, “This was the best school; it was fun.”  I hope you feel the same way about E.O. Young.  One teacher, the 5^th grade math teacher, answered the phone with this greeting, “  Hello, you are calling the best school in Stanislaus County.”  Do you think Mrs. Pulley should try this when she answers the phone?  J    

     

Have you ever had a PENPAL?  Can you define penpal?  Wikipedia describes pen pal as, “A relationship often used to practice reading and writing in a foreign language, to improve literacy, to learn more about other countries and life-styles, and to make friendships.”  In this case, you might be writing to others in English, and you would be learning about another state, California, instead of another country.  Some of the students at Orchard would be interested in having a penpal from EO Young.  Would you be interested in having a penpal from Orchard?  Something to think about.

Principal, Mrs. Price

Meet two of my new friends, Mrs. Price, the principal at Orchard, and Mrs. Nelson, one of the two Kindergarten teachers.  Mrs. Price gave me a tour of her school and told me about the teachers, students and classrooms.  She is very proud of her school.  Mrs. Price is originally from Los Angeles, CA.  She now lives near Modesto.  See if you can find Los Angeles on the map.   

Ms. Melson, Kindergarten Teacher

Ms. Nelson is from Modesto.  She loves her job and her students.  She would like to meet the kindergarten students from EO Young.  This is Ms. Nelson's classroom.  BIG!



Ms. Nelson's Kindergarten Classroom

When you see this note, your weekend will have passed.  Hope you had a great weekend and a great Monday morning!

POKES AND POSTS - Mrs. Bowen's Class Part 2

I did not get the chance to answer all your questions this morning, so this is to Alexis, Chris, Jaquaveon, Keynia, Symag, Tyler

The Grand Canyon:  I have visited the Grand Canyon before, but will not have time on this trip to visit it again.  Someday, I hope to come and see it again.   The Grand Canyon is a beautiful and worth a visit.  Take sometime to look research the canyon on the Internet and look at some of the pictures.  See the colors, the trees, the river, the shape of the rocks.  See if you can find a picture of the donkeys or mules that can take people down into the canyon. 

The Pets:  The dogs are adjusting to California.  It is a little different.  Where live in NC they had lots of space to run and roam.  Here, they have a small backyard in which to play or they have to be walked on a leash because of the traffic.  

Oil Rig Pumping:  The oil rigs pump oil out of the ground and into a pipe to move it to a refinery, or a plant to process the oil so it is usable. 

General Questions:  I haven't really had a favorite thing to do since I have been here.   I have enjoyed the scenery and seeing all the different things. You asked if California is Cool?  I didn't know if you meant cool like the weather or cool like "neat."  So I will answer your question both ways.  The weather at night is cool.  Dips down to the 40s and then it is up in the 70s/80s during the day.  As to whether it is neat, yes.  There are a lot of things to see and do, but I like the quiet pace of NC.

We will be leaving California to return to NC sometime around the 17th of November.  I will be back at school the week after Thanksgiving, so I will see you in the halls then.  Once we return home, we will have traveled about 6000-6500 miles.  A long way!

Thanks for your questions.  More to come.  See you!

POKES AND POSTS - Mrs. Bowen's Class

Pumpkins and More – Javonte,  Jaquaveon, Ahbria, Xiaver, Alyssia, Tyler

Good morning to you, or almost afternoon your time.   It is 8:51 in the morning here.  Thank you for your questions. 

I like the sad pumpkin too Javonte.  We are going to have to carve some more pumpkins because it has been so hot here and the pumpkins are get mushy inside.  Too much heat!  We need cold air for them to last longer.  Xavier, we went on the internet and found free pumpkin carving patterns.   Then we enlarged it to fit the size of the pumpkin, traced it on, and then carved it.  If you have the internet at home, you might be able to find some free patterns too.  Alyssia, I’m glad that you like the pumpkins.  I cannot send you one, it would not last in the mail.  2,800 miles is a long way to send a pumpkin.  I think you will have to look for one around home.

Ahbria, Javonte, Tyler, and Xavier, to answer your questions about California – we did see some animals in the desert but not many.  We saw some sheep, cows and a goat or two.  Not many though.  We also saw some small animals that look like deer.  We were driving so fast though, that I couldn’t get the best look.  As to what I like most about California so far, I think it would be the scenery.  Orchards and the mountains.  We drove cross country in four (4) days.  We drove approximately 10-14 hours each day to arrive in that time. 

I have to go to an appointment now.  I will answer the rest of the classes questions when I return. 

Hope you are having a good day in school.  Please tell Mrs. Bowen hello from me and Ms. Virginia.

A CHANGE IN SCENERY

I last left you wandering the Tehachapi Pass.  The Pass was a welcome change after two days of traveling through the desert.  While the Mojave Desert often appeared desolate, barren, and never-ending, it was beautiful, and there really was a great deal to see. 

We continue our trip through the Tehachapi Mountains which are the entry point to the beautiful San Joaquin Valley.  Golden grasses cover the hillsides, along with an increasing number of trees.  The winds coming down off the mountain provide a comfortable breeze and make for a pleasant day.  The rainy season will turn much of this area to green.  Water makes all the difference in the color of the landscape.  Check out the picture to the below.  One area is green and the other golden.  The green area has been watered.

Grape Vineyards

Deeper into the valley, you begin to see green fields, farms and ranches that stretch again for miles.  California is a big agricultural and dairy state.   Cattle dot the pastures and dirt roads cut paths across the hills.  There is a definite change in the landscape from the previous days – green is seen almost everywhere and trees stand tall, looking healthy, not scrubby and dry.  The countryside is full of various crops.  At this point we see miles of grape vineyards and fields of orchards.  It was difficult at times, because of our driving speed and the distance of some fields from the road, to determine what was being grown.  We could however, easily see the grapes and the lemon trees.  We did pass hayfields and cotton fields and a stockyard filled with cattle.

Lemon Orchard

Water is a critical source for us as humans and to everything we wish to grow.  California farmers must use irrigation to grow their crops.  Can you explain irrigation to me?  You can see in the one photo the water sprinklers or the irrigation system at work across the fields.   We also saw several oil pumps scattered across the fields. The valley is an oil production area.

Irrigation - the white is water from the sprinklers

Oil Pump

Well, the sun is setting and we need to stop, walk the dogs, and grab a bite to eat.  More to come though.  Have a great day! 

Pokes and Posts - Answers to Your Questions

I have had repeat questions, so I think I'm going to do things a little different with regard to your questions.  I will provide my responses to your inquiries in a post entitled "Pokes and Posts".  So, look here to read the answers.  If this doesn't work well, we will try something different.

Congratulations to Dillon, M'Smrya, and Kyree for researching the question what river separates Arizona and California.  Their answer --- the Colorado River.  You are all correct.  Good work!

The Golf Ball House to Daiyana, Myiesha, Roquon, Jacqueline, Kyree, Giselle, Chris, Taylor, Destinee, Bryan --- The Golf Ball House is private property and is not open to the public.  So no, I did not go in the house.  I found some information on the Internet about the house.  "It has three levels and measures 40 feet in diameter.  Lake Havasu Estates built it in 1976 as a restaurant and cocktail lounge for a land developer. The company went bankrupt, however, and the sphere now serves as a private home. The owner has added aliens walking up the ramp and space ships. [Linda, 05/31/2005]"   It is just an odd figure on the highway in Yucca, AZ.  Something different!

The Pets to Daiyana and Kyree --- Oscar's tail has not always been crooked.  In the last year it has grown that way and more than likely is disease related.  Since the fish has swim bladder disease, it could be related to this.  Doesn't seem to stop Oscar from moving around in the tank. 

The dogs and Junior the cat, still have not officially met.  Junior is making more trips out of the bedroom, but generally when the dogs are outside.  Buddy did meet Junior the other night and Junior must have swiped her paw and claws at Buddy because he yelped and went running.  We are still concerned about Scrounge meeting Junior since Scrounge has never been around cats.  He will have a gradual introduction to the cat.   Junior is about 10 pounds and fluffy.  Her long hair might makes her look heavier.

The Cowboys and the Railroad to Roquon, Giselle, Tar'Naja, Destinee, Chris and Jacqueline --- First off, READ CAREFULLY, there WAS NO ROBBERY!  These are actors pretending, just like on TV or the movies.  So there was nothing to be scared of on the train when they came aboard.  Everyone had been told in advance that there would be entertainment.  These actors carried props or objects to help make the event look more real.  There were no weapons.

We did have a chance to talk with the cowboys on the train and at the train depot.  They have fun entertaining the crowds. 

The Cholla and Griffith Power Facilities to Kyree -  Both of these plants are quite large physically.  The structures are spread across several acres and the buildings and towers are very tall.  While we can find out how much power they produce, I do not know how many communities or houses the plants support with electricity. 

General Questions to Chelsea, Giselle, Brooke, Shania, Lidia, and Demarius --- We are enjoying our visit with my family.  Mr. Bruce and I are staying with my niece, Jamie, and Ms. Virginia and Mr. Tibby (my brother-in-law) spend the night at my nephew's, TJ's, and then come over to Jamie's for the day. 

Jamie is expecting a baby girl any day now.  We are still on baby watch, hoping that perhaps tomorrow she will be born!



Who Carved Which Pumpkin?



We enjoyed carving the pumpkins.  Unfortunately, because it has been hot during the day, the pumpkins are already starting to mold.  We might have to buy more and carve them!  I've attached the pictures of the pumpkins.  Can you guess which pumpkin is mine, which is Jamie's, and which is Wil's? 

I think this answers most of your questions today.  Hope your benchmark tests are going well.  Signing off for the night.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THE DESERT

By now you know we arrived safely in Modesto.  It was another long day on the road, but the weather was good and we didn’t have much traffic until we hit Bakersfield and the cities north. 

California Fruit & Vegetable Inspection Station

Once we crossed the Colorado River, we had to make a mandatory stop at the Inspection Station.  All vehicles entering the state must stop and be inspected for any food coming into California.  California has some very strict laws regarding the entry of fruits, vegetables and certain products into the state.  The reason for this, California grows about 70-80% of the fruits and vegetables in the United States.  In order to ensure that the plants are not attacked by bugs and diseases, they must control what produce comes into the state.  We had an apple and an orange in the car.  The inspector took a look at them and said they had been purchased in Washington State and we could keep them.  Washington State has some of the same regulations regarding food entry as does California. 

Joshua Tree

The landscape of California is very diverse – from the Mojave Desert which we crossed coming into California; to oceans and beaches in the west of the state; to forests, mountains and valleys spread throughout.   The Mojave Desert which welcomed us to the state is home to many different plants, trees, and cacti.  Did you know there over 2,000 of kinds of cacti, maybe as many as 6,000 kinds, that come in all different shapes and sizes?  One of the most famous trees in the Mojave Desert, and found mainly in this desert, is the Joshua Tree.  You can see the Joshua Tree and some of these unique plants in the pictures. 

    Cactus in

    the Desert









I know it’s before your time, but have you ever heard of the TV show “Wagon Train?”  Ask your grandparents or your teachers if they have heard of it.  Ask them if they remember the company that sponsored the TV show and their commercials.  The sponsor was 20 Mule Team Borax (a laundry product) and the commercials included the Twenty Mule Team.  Boron, CA is the home of the world’s largest borax mine.  The mule teams were used to move the mined borax out of the valley to the closest railroad.  Today this soap product is made by Dial Corporation.  Have you ever used Dial soap? 

20 Mule Team



Solar Power Farm - Much, much larger than it looks



As seen in previous posts, the desert is home to a variety of energy sources and projects.  The Mojave Desert is home to several huge thermal energy power plants.  The plant in the picture is located near Barstow, CA.  While I cannot confirm the name of this facility, I believe it to be the Ivanpah Solar Power Facility, the world’s largest solar-thermal power plant project currently under construction.  Besides thermal energy projects, again we find the wind turbines all across the mountains.  You have a sense of the size of these wind turbines at the Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm, located near Edwards Air Force Base, because the road passes right near them.   Previously, the turbines looked small because the road we traveled was so far away from them.    



Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm







Tehachapi Pass Wind Farm







Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), located in the desert, is part of country’s military.  As part of the US Air Force Materiel Command, Edwards provides direct support to military operations by developing and transitioning new technology; testing and evaluating new equipment with a major focus on aircraft and weapons systems, and for sustaining all the Air Force systems.   While primarily an air force base, it plays host to other U.S. military services that support or partner on air force projects.   Of major interest is the fact that the base was an alternate landing site for the space shuttles; Columbia, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavor all made landings here.  The base is situated on dry lake beds, a lake that has no water in it during the dry seasons.  Per Wikipedia, Edwards has two dry lakes, Rogers and Rosamond, and these have served as emergency and scheduled landing sites for many aerospace projects including the space shuttles.



Planes on the Tarmac at Edwards Air Force Base

I seem to be having technical difficulties today.  Nothing seems to be posting correctly.  There is so much to tell you about California, or maybe I’m just getting better at posting, that I’m going to break this into two posts.  So I will leave you today wandering around the Tehachapi Pass and pick you up tomorrow where we will finish the California leg of our journey when we pull into Modesto.