September 10

Are kids eating too much sugar?

plaisirs gourmands de l'enfanceCreative Commons License Melodie RGB via Compfight

Parents today are letting kids eat too much sugar. I think kids should have less sugar. First for doing chores parents are used to giving kids candy as a reward. Kids are literally addicted to eating sweets. I have been asking my friends about what chips and dips are good, Then the conversation ends with “yeah donut oreos are really good”. Kids are eating way too much sugar and that is REALLY unhealthy. I am used to my pantry being filled with chips ahoy and reeses and other unhealthy foods. I am used to me asking my friends, “Hey do you like celery” and they say, “Ewww no I like cookies”.             

Whenever I am at a restaurant my little brother always asks, “Can I get soda?” I ask that too and I regret that because it is unhealthy for my teeth. And it is because i am used to my parents giving me those kinds of foods and drinks. Kids need to eat healthier. Kids should only have at least 24 grams of sugar a day, one serving of Captain crunch has half that. Captain crunch is supposed to be a healthy kids breakfast cereal and giving kids half the amount they are supposed to have in one day is extremely unhealthy.

Our parents were used to eating healthy as kids. So why shouldn’t kids today? Kids need to have less sugar. Kids are getting more and more obese today because they are eating more sugar then they are supposed to have. I have always heard my dad telling stories of his grandma making him fried okra and salads. And my friends are telling me stories of how their mom puts oreos and snickers in their chocolate cake flavored milkshake. My dad always says “The better it tastes, The worse it is for you, The worse it tastes the better it is for you.” I agree with him

Kids need to eat less sugar if they want to stay healthier and live longer, Sure sugar is addictive but kids need to resist.

September 10

The Miwok Tribes Arts & Crafts

Miwok Indian basket

Miwok baskets were beautiful and functional.

Imagine you are a Miwok women, sitting in a hut made of straw with a half woven basket.  The basket you are making is big and deep. It will be great for gathering . You have some grass next to you that you pick up and start weaving into the basket.  You weave and weave until your hands hurt. You have finished the basket. You start to decorate the basket with the shell beads you made yesterday. When you finish, it looks beautiful.

Crafts

The Miwok Indians made many different crafts and beautiful things.  The Miwok would make many different kinds of baskets using the natural resources like grass. The Miwok made beautiful designs on the baskets like zig zags and butterflies. They also made shell beads that they would use as money, also jewelry, and to decorate baskets.The Miwok also made paint.  The Miwok would use chalk to make white, and charcoal to make black.

The Miwok were skilled basket makers.   The Miwok made a type of basket that wasn’t like a basket but it was a basket.  It had sticks tied together at the bottom so they would form a v shape.

At the top there was a big stick in the shape of  an o. This was tied to the top of the other sticks.  This basket was called a seed beater basket, and it was used to harvest seeds.

They even made a basket that went on their back.  There was a strap that went around their head and onto the basket.  The basket was a big deep one that could hold many things like a baby.

The crafts the Miwok made weren’t just to look pretty, they helped them with their everyday lives.  The baskets held the stuff they gathered. But some stuff was made to be pretty. Like with the shell beads,  they were used as jewelry and to decorate basket.

Using The Resources

The Miwok made very nice crafts considering they didn’t have a Michael’s store down the street.  They had to go out, and find the natural resources they were going to use. I know it would be hard to weave a basket from scratch, or make paint from chalk or charcoal.  Maybe even make a shell bead. Imagine trying to weave a basket. Imagine how much effort it would take to drill a hole through a shell just to make a single bead! These were the things the women of the Miwok tribe had to do in their everyday life. If  you like basket weaving, making shell beads, or making paint, than you might like to be a Miwok Indian.

June 15

Should Sports Teams Change Their Names and Logos?

Did you know that there are over 500 Native American tribes in the United States of America. About 2,100 sports teams contain Native American names and logos. Since 2005 NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) told 18 teams to change their names or logo because it is offensive to native americans and they don’t like being called indians or redskins. From my point of view, sports teams should change their names because they can be offensive to Native Americans because it makes look like savages. Many Native Americans don’t like the team names because it makes it look like they all have the same culture even though there is many different cultures of Native Americans.

Many of the team logos make the Indians look like savages. In fact many Indians were rarely at war or violent. People don’t want to accept the fact that the Redskins name is racist and offends many Native Americans. Nine out of 10 Native Americans think the Redskins name is racist because it makes them look like savages and violent people.  In 2017 California governor Jerry Brown banned any school to have the name or logo of the Redskins.

The team names make Indians look like one culture of people. The cartoon like logos make them all look the same. For example, the Chief’s logo of Chief Wahoo has a painted face and feathers. Not all Indian tribes painted their faces or wore feathers. One thing fans do is that they go to baseball games and they go to the game with feathers even though not a lot of tribes do that. There are 500 plus different Indian tribes in the United States and they are all very different.

The Seminoles are at FSU (Florida State University) because the Native American tribe the seminoles said they can use their name as the school name and logo. The Seminoles the tribe says represents bravery and courage. Also, San Diego State University there has been multiple petitions to get rid of their name and logo and mascot of the Aztecs. Surprisingly in the year 2000 about 95% of people voted to keep the name and mascot of the Aztecs. I think the mascot is fine. It shows the culture of the Aztecs and doesn’t make them look like a cartoon or savage.

Did you know that most protests for the Cleveland Indians happen on opening day?  In 2019, the Cleveland Indians are changing their logo, Chief Wahoo. They’ve had this logo since 1947.  I think it is good that they are changing their logo because they are hosting the All Star Game the year they are getting rid of their logo. That makes me think they are honoring tribes. So, in conclusion those are my reasons I think that they should change the names and logos. But then again, some teams say that they will never ever change their team names because it is an important part of team history. It seems to me that all teams should change their names if it’s offensive.

Photo credit: https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/no-more-wahoo-cleveland-indians-to-discontinue-chief-wahoo-logo-in-2019-L7uHOdUyT0CFjXVK4hnHKw/

June 15

Should We Ban Plastic Bags

Imagine yourself as a fish. You see a weird thing that is clear. You try to eat it and you suffocate. Later you become a shark’s dinner which means that the shark is now polluted too. Think of all the creatures that eat plastic and die. I think we should ban plastic, especially plastic bags. Plastic trash ends up in the ocean and can really harm marine life.  Another reason for banning plastic is all plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.

To begin with plastic trash often ends up in the ocean. Have you ever heard of a trash island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? This  island is made up of trash that is the size of Texas that is still growing in size. Trash island is estimated to be about 5,800,000 square miles!  For instance plastic bags are usually only used for twenty minutes and then begin the journey to the ocean through the sewers, because most owners of the bags just leave them in the street to be blown away into the sewers. Did you know that more than 17 billion pounds of plastic trash ends up in the ocean each year?

Second, plastic bags can be harmful to marine life. For instance in Norway 30 plastic bags were found in the stomach of a beached whale.  Plastic bags consumed could lead to death by suffocation which is very sad. Did you know that at least 1 million seabirds and 100,000 mammals die each year from plastic materials.

Third, plastic bags can also contribute to global climate change.  Plastic bags are made out of a material that will release greenhouse gases when they decompose. Which is a very big core material in global climate change. The amount of trash that is burned each year in the dump will make massive impact on global climate change. Climate change will heat up the earth melt all of the ice in the world and make more water which will consume all the land in the world.

I think we should ban plastic bags. Did you know that California banned plastic bags last November? I say every state should do that. It’s easy to think plastic bags do not do any harm to the environment and can be recycled, but most don’t recycle them and put them in the regular trash or let them blow away. When you face the facts really plastic bags add to global climate change, harm marine life, and end up in our oceans or landfills. In the end you are sacrificing creatures to your benefit to live in your everyday life. Next time you go to the store think twice about your plastic bag or paper bag choice.

Photo credit: https://nuscimag.com/the-ocean-needs-you-not-your-trash-7d5967aa9e83

June 15

Cats or Dogs?

Image result for cat v dog

There’s no question that Americans love both dogs and cats. About 48 percent of people own dogs and 38 percent own cats. That’s according to the American Pet Products Association. But one thing many people can’t agree on is which animal makes a better pet.

Cat lovers say their pets are easier to care for than dogs. They point out that cats don’t bark or jump on visitors. Also, it’s cheaper to own a cat.  Dogs often need training classes and eat more than cats do.

Still, dog owners say the money they spend is worth it. They argue that dogs are more social than cats. Plus, scientists who studied the brains of both animals determined that dogs are smarter than cats. Dog lovers also point out that canines help people in ways that felines can’t. For example, dogs can be trained as service pets for people who are disabled or have food allergies. What you think?

June 15

Ocean Protector

The beautiful blue-green ocean looks as pretty as the sky but, it is not nearly as big.  The ocean is bigger than all the land masses on earth put together. It covers 70% of the Earth’s surface.  Many creatures live in or depend on the ocean which is what makes the ocean so important. Lots of them we used for food, but many others are interesting to learn about and watch.

My favorite marine animals are sharks, octopus, dolphins and bioluminescent creatures.  These animals are my favorites because they have special skills to help them survive. Sharks can replace their teeth many times during their life because they have many rows of teeth.  An octopus squirts its ink out to distract the predator so it can escape. Also, an octopus will pretend to be the predator so it won’t get eaten. A dolphin’s dorsal fin can make it look like a shark.  They hunt in a pod or group and use teamwork. Bioluminescent creatures live in the deep parts of the ocean. They use their bright and colorful light for both protection and to catch food. These are some of the reason why I like these animals the best.

The ocean is in great danger! Every second there’s a ton of trash dumped into the ocean. Some states and countries don’t want to make areas for trash. They put their trash in the oceans.  If we don’t stop them the ocean will get polluted with bad things. Many animals will eat ts are sold every minute around the world.  People should recycle the plastic water bottles. Also, people should buy reusable water bottles. Everyone needs to get involved, even kids. Ocean Connectors is a group here in San Diego for kids to learn about ocean conservation.  Kids go on field trips to clean-up beaches and learn about marine life.

Image result for x-ray plastic in birdsThe ocean is in great danger! Every second there’s a ton of trash dumped into the ocean. Some states and countries don’t want to make areas for trash. They put their trash in the oceans.  If we don’t stop them the ocean will get polluted with bad things. Many animals will eat ts are sold every minute around the world.  People should recycle the plastic water bottles. Also, people should buy reusable water bottles. Everyone needs to get involved, even kids. Ocean Connectors is a group here in San Diego for kids to learn about ocean conservation.  Kids go on field trips to clean-up beaches and learn about marine life.

We are all connected to the ocean so we have to protect the ocean.  We should defend all the living things in the ocean because if we do not, no one will.  The end result will be that as the ocean plants die the fish that eat them will also die.  This will cause a chain of dying because many of the ocean animals will starve.  Eventually, the oceans will die. All the ocean animals will become extinct.  It is our job to make the ocean clean and keep the ocean animals safe so we all can survive. This is an important job that everybody is obligated to do. Tell me, what would you do to help save the ocean?

 

June 14

Let’s end factory farms

Chickens in cages

Many chickens are stuffed together in each cage just to get their eggs.

 Have you ever heard about those factory farms that adults are always talking about? Well, I’m gonna show you why we should ban them. First of all the factory farms produce more CO2 than volcanoes and that is causing global warming. Also, It is one of the worst forms of animal abuse right next to keeping exotic animals as pets and Bullfighting.
To start it off, factory farms make about %86 of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. That is like 8 times more carbon dioxide produced than volcanoes! Carbon dioxide traps heat inside the atmosphere and that is what has been causing global warming. The planet Venus’ surface is completely covered in carbon dioxide making it the hottest planet in the solar system! And it’s not even the closest to the sun! Would you like to boil alive like venus?
To make things worse it is a severe form of animal cruelty. Like in the picture above many animals are smushed together in order to get more eggs. This is very painful and uncomfortable to the animal. If you want this to stop you should say something.
May 7

Exotically Cute But Not a Good Pet

蜥蜴 (Lizard): Olympus E-M1 MII / Leica DG Vario-Elmar 100-400mm f/4-6.3 O.I.S ansel.ma via Compfight

Imagine you’re in a new home away from your mom and dad, and you eat werid food and drinks. That is what it’s like as an exotic pet. In my opinion exotic animals should not be pets! As far as I am concerned they can ruin an ecosystem, it’s bad for the animal, and the owner might not know how to take care of them  

First of all, the exotic animal can ruin an ecosystem. For example, the ferret is banned in California because it eats the bald eagle. The bald eagle is needed. The exotic animals might do things they’re not supposed to do.  Another reason it’s bad to keep exotic animals for pets is that if the pets are released into a new environment, they could give diseases to other native animals in the region.

Also, the animals can even get killed by some of the thing in your yard. In other words you have to watch them in when playing outside and with things in your yard. loris remove sharp firmt teeth painful to the animal. Some animals living conditons! Also gitter can hunt animals like tulers. One day they fonded a whale with paistic bags inside!

Furthermore, the owner don’t learn to take of them. The need a certain item like sheither, medicine, foods. And if the owner feeds it a type of food the owner can hurt or even kill the animals. Also its cruel with the wrong things and invermeant.

In conclusion, the reason exotic animals SHOULD NOT be pets is because they can ruin an ecosystem, it’s bad for the animal, and the owner might not know how to take care of them properly.

May 7

Homework should be banned

Ever wonder why most teachers give you homework and for some kids lots of it? Because they think it is good for the “average kid’s brain” Well that may be so for some people but I will prove those people wrong. 

First of all, it takes too long to do homework. Kids need social time and time to be active, Kids have sports and homework just gets in the way. Kids stay up too late doing homework and are tired in class, Meaning they don’t finish the work in class making it homework, Then the kid stays up late doing homework and the cycle goes on and on and on and it gets harder and harder.

Most Important of all, homework stresses kids- Kids are always so happy to get home and flop on the couch…until their mom says, “Do your homework sweetie!” And that ruins everything, Especially knowing it will happen again tomorrow. And kids spend several hours at school a day and only have two days of break, But sometimes kids do weekend homework. Kids give up sometimes if they have parents who don’t help them with their homework, Then they will have trouble getting the answer.

Also, kids already spend many hours a day at school- most school students spend at least 6 hours a day at school 7:00 to 2:00 in Alabama, South Dakota, Louisiana and Texas kids spend about 7 hours a day at school. Where is the time for sports? Exactly. There is time but kids need to RUSH right after they get home from school. Then when they get home from sports, Mom says “ Hurry and do your homework before dinner!” The solution, GET RID OF HOMEWORK. Imagine having about 15 pages of homework each night and then sports, How hard would that be? This is how homework is unhealthy mentally and physically for kids. In conclusion, homework should be banned.

May 7

Exotic Animals should not be pets

 

Can you imagine a slow loris getting its teeth removed suffering screaming of pain and then being locked up in a cage depressed and hurt on a truck ready to be sold. That is how exotic animals are treated before being sold to people illegally or legally. I think you should not have exotic animals as pets. People don’t know how to take care of them, the exotic pets get released into different habitats, and the pet have to go through painful procedures.

First of all, people should not own exotic animals because they often don’t know how to care for them. 75% of exotic pets die in the first year. They need expensive equipment to survive and some people don’t have the money. Other exotic pets die because their owner don’t do the research before buying the pet. For example, if you’re going to get a snake you need to learn what it eats and what kind of cage it needs. If you don’t research you won’t have a clue what to do and the pet will most likely will die in a short time or In two or three months of the year.

Also, exotic animals get released into places where they don’t belong. If that happens the animals can ruin the natural food chain and in other cases, the animals can destroy it. Most likely the animal will die in the wrong environment because the food they eat is maybe not natural to them. The animals are also not used to the climate of that area. If it is a predator it can be really deadly or bad if the area has tourists.

Also Exotic animals have to go through painful procedures to be sold as pets. For example, the slow lorises get their sharp front teeth removed for the safety of owners because the animals get aggressive sometimes to show their anger. Others do not eat for several days which sometimes leads to death which is bad.

I think you should not keep exotic animals as pets. People often don’t know how to care for the animals, they can get release into local habitats, and they go through painful procedures. It does not matter if you are a good owner they will still not be happy because they are not in their natural habitat. I think it’s cruel. So next time you want a snake have a heart a just get a dog instead of a exotic animal.

May 7

Too Much Sugar!

Sugar Cubes (7164573186).jpg

By david pacey from LEEDS, West yorkshire – Sugar Cubes, CC BY 2.0, Link

Who here has ever been offered some candy or a piece of cake, you know you shouldn’t eat it  but you can’t help yourself. You gobble it down and it tastes amazing! It might taste amazing right now but 20-30 years from now you will really regret eating it. Sugar is in everything we eat, even stuff that seem healthy. Sugar has many bad effects on our body, but we can’t stop eating it! We eat at least three times as much sugar as we’re supposed to daily which is leading to obesity in kids and adults. In the U.S many kids are obese and more people are becoming obese because of sugar and high fructose corn syrup. People are having way too much sugar, we need to cut back on sugar and eat more healthy starting now!

Although sugar tastes amazing, it’s not good for you. Sugar has many negative effects on your body. It damages your brain, your joints, your liver, your heart, it even makes your skin older and more wrinkly. Sugar causes Heart Disease, Heart Attacks, Strokes, Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, obesity, and a higher risk of Cancer. When you eat a lot of sugar it will make you more sad when you are an adult, it will also be eaten by bacteria on your teeth causing your teeth to rot. Your probably thinking just stop eating sugar but that’s hard because when you eat sugar your brain feels good and releases a chemical called Dopamine, but when your eating fruits or veggies your brain doesn’t feel as good and releases little Dopamine. This is one reason why people are addicted to sugar.

Sugar is hiding in everything we eat! Some things that seem perfectly healthy have more sugar than you think for example, a peanut butter and jam sandwich has 18 grams of sugar in it. The American Heart Association says that every day your only supposed to eat 25 grams or in other words 6 teaspoons of sugar. More than 70% of the U.S eats at least 22 teaspoons of sugar, sometimes even more everyday! Right now 13% of our diet is added sugar, that is so crazy! Natural sugar from fruit and stuff also has an effect on your body but it isn’t as bad as having sugar spoonful from spoonful. One day I recorded how much sugar I had for breakfast. I had 72 grams, that what just from 3 pumpkin muffins! 72 fits in 25 almost three times I had way too much sugar.

Lately, people have started to battle against obesity. One reason people are becoming obese is because of chocolate milk. The chocolate milk they are having has 28 grams of sugar in it. That is 3 more grams than they are supposed to have and if you add the grams of sugar they have already had then you get something like 80 grams a day! One reason why the chocolate milk has so much sugar in it is because it contains high fructose corn syrup.The syrup is basically plain sugar so people have tried to come up with new chocolate milk but in many cases kids don’t like it. People think the important part about the milk is that it contains calcium but it also contains a lot of sugar. “If somebody proposed giving kids caramel apples so they would eat more apples, my guess is that most people would look at them like they’re crazy,” says Brent Walmsley. He’s the one who started an organization called SugarWatch.

Sugar is a big reason why kids are becoming obese. The obesity rates have gone up like crazy! From 1980-2008 it went from 6 out of 100 people to 20 out of 100. Right now 1 out of 3 kids are obese and the rates are still rising. Obese kids are more likely to have health problems and as an adult have more severe problems and get worse. No one wants to be obese, so if you exercise, eat healthy, and not watch too much TV then you should be fine.

You might be wondering how to prevent eating sugar, here are some ways. You can check the nutrition label and on the back, look for the word sugars and once you find it there should be a number next to it telling how many grams of sugar it is. Some of it is probably natural sugars so check if anywhere else it says added sugars. You can also check the ingredients section and if you see words like beet, honey, and high fructose corn syrup and many other names then you know there is sugar in it

To sum up , some people rely on sugar to feel better but really it’s hurting them. We have 16 more teaspoons of sugar then we’re supposed to and sometimes more. Stuff like honey nut cheerios have 9 grams of sugar! That is more than ⅓ of how much we’re supposed to have! Kids are becoming obese across the U.S because of one reason, SUGAR! We really really need to stop eating too much sugar. I tried to eat less sugar and I ate around 60 grams, that is better but not enough. Some people think sugar is delicious but would you want to be unhealthy and overweight but eat treats or be healthy and strong but not eat as many treats. Today I challenge you to try and eat around 30 grams of sugar, I know I’m going to try!

May 7

Exotic Animals Shouldn’t Be Sold As Pets

The slow loris may be cute but it does not make a good pet.

Imagine your a 2-year-old baby sleeping in your crib but then…..rah! Then you get eaten. That’s what happens when you have an exotic animal as a pet. Do you really want to get eaten by a tiger or snake? Then I suggest you don’t buy an exotic animal a pet. The pet could be dangerous or sad to be your pet. You shouldn’t be selfish to get a cool pet. They need proper care, or they can be dangerous, and it’s cruel to the animal.

Proper Care

To begin with, people don’t know how to properly take care of exotic animals, like reptiles, and let them go. For instance, owners don’t know what reptiles need like a big tank. In Florida, owners end up letting boa constrictor snakes go because they grow too big, sometimes more than 17 feet. As a result, it damages the natural ecosystem.  

Wild Animals Can Be Dangerous!

Second, exotic animals can be dangerous. It could attack you. Also, the animal is from the wild so it can carry diseases to you. Another reason is when people sleep with wild animals the animal can wake up and wonder where it is and attack you by mistake. Lastly, when you go on a vacation you can’t bring your gigantic pet and it’s not like anyone will want to take care of a dangerous animal, like a tiger.

It’s cruel to the animal

Third, people have to alter exotic animals for you to get them as a pet.  Let me start off by saying slow lorises have sharp teeth so when you buy them as a pet their teeth must be removed. It is very painful to the slow lorises. Also, slow lorises are not as happy as pets. Slow lorises could be living under unnatural living conditions when they live with owners. As a result, they can be distressed. Many die in the first year.

Movie To Reality

Additionally,  do you like the movie Finding Dory? After the movie Finding Dory people wanted their own “dorys” or blue tangs. Blue tangs need a giant tank. You also need a blue tang that costs a lot of money. As a result, the bill costs more than $3000. Next, do you like the Harry Potter movies too? After Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone people wanted their own Hedwig. Owls are very messy. Owls also need a lot of space to fly.

In conclusion, I think people should not have exotic animals as pets. The exotic animal can eat you, not have proper care or it’s cruel to the animal. Is it really worth having a cute or a cool pet for the animal to suffer? Next time when you are looking for a pet don’t look at the exotic animal and say “ I’d like this one.” Instead look inside it’s eyes and think about if you were that exotic animal not wanting to be a pet. So next time just get a cat, dog, hamster, or bunny so the animals don’t have to suffer.  

May 7

Should Glitter Be Ban?

Glitter might look golden but it’s not.  Did you know that about 8 trillion microbeads enter the ocean daily!  Glitter is made of microbeads. Once the microbeads enter the ocean the sea life eats it. The sea life will no longer be able to live. Think about all that plastic in one fish.  And what about when we eat the fish. Its seems to me that glitter should be banned.

Micro plastics are small plastics that are found in glitter. Micro plastics go down the drain and get into the waterways and sea life eat it and die.  Did you know that glitter takes just as long to break down as a plastic water bottle and a Image result for glitter on handplastic water bottle takes 450 years to break down. Imagine that!  

Glitter should be banned from beauty products because it’s bad for your health. Glitter is in beauty products like eyeshadow and lipstick can get into your skin and that could be bad.  If your lipstick has glitter it might get into your mouth and you would have a bunch of glitter in your body! YUCK! I mean it’s like swallowing a bunch of plastic. Why would you want to do that?  If glitter isn’t going to be banned, then it should at least be banned from beauty products.

You might have thought that only food could be in the food chain, but I bet you didn’t know that glitter is in the food chain. Let’s start from from the start of the food chain.  Glitter goes down the drain and that goes into the ocean. When it gets into the ocean the fish can eat it. Then fishermen go to catch fish and the fish gets put into a grocery store with the plastic still in it!  Then we buy the fish and eat the fish. Now the glitter is in our body. It’s like eating a plastic water bottle! Disgusting!

In the end glitter should because it can harm everyone and everything.  It’s just not worth it. Some people think that by throwing glitter in the garbage it might stop it from getting into the ocean, but with one guest of wind it can blow out of the dump into the waterways, including the ocean.  You still might think that it looks so pretty sand it makes my lips sparkle, but it’s bad for your health. So the next time you think about buying that can of glitter, think again.

May 7

The “Kill”auea Erupts


Image result for the kilauea

Although the recent eruption of the Kilauea has taken no lives it has taken many homes and valuables. Also, the poisonous gases haven’t taken lives, it has come very close. Here are some facts about why the gas is poisonous and how scientists are able to predict explosions.

The reason the gas spit out of volcanos is poisonous is because magma contains dissolved gases, which provide the driving force that causes most volcanic eruptions. As magma rises towards the surface and pressure decreases, gases are released from the liquid portion of the magma (melt) and continue to travel upward and are eventually released into the atmosphere. By far the most abundant volcanic gas is water vapor, which is harmless. However, large amounts of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen halides can also be spit out from volcanoes. Depending on their amounts, these gases are all possibly dangerous to people, animals, agriculture, and property.

 While volcanoes may give off several warning signs they are about to blow some are taken more seriously by volcanologists, who alert and advise government officials regarding when evacuations need to take place. These signs may include very small earthquakes beneath the volcano, slight inflation, or swelling, of the volcano and increased emission of heat and gas from vents on the volcano.
Now you know a little bit about volcanoes and if you are still interested in volcanoes you can find out facts about volcanoes at livescience.com/27295-volcanoes.html 
Video Credit: Youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfDAfxOu0Fs

May 7

Is playing video games a good option?

Image result for video games kids playingThink about it–is playing video games the best option that you have when you have spare time? In my opinion, it isn’t the best choice for you to do in your spare time. I rather read, draw, or write other than sitting in front of a screen and getting addicted to this video game. First of all, you have better things to do other than playing video games, second of all you can get really annoyed when playing video games, and finally, you take advantage.

First of all, you have better things to do other than playing video games all day. You have many other options to do other than playing video games all day. You can go ride your bike around your neighborhood, you can even read a book outside. If you did not know, video games can get you very depressed. Have you ever realized when you play a video game it makes you very intense? To most people, it does and they can get really mad and “act” frustrated. Video games can take advantage us. They can make you play on them forever and ever.

So, next time you have some spare time ditch the video games and go outside!

 

May 3

Is it ok to miss school for vacation?

BEACH DON'T KILL MY VIBE JoannaColeen via CompfightHave you ever wondered when you take a day off of school what your class is doing? I have, and honestly, it’s pretty fun missing school. My opinion is, it’s ok to miss school if you’re going to Hawaii or France. First of all, it gives you a break from school for a couple of days, second of all it gives you a little fun, and finally’ it gives you more family time.

It gives you a break from school and homework for a couple of days. You can have a little break from homework and writing assignments. I bet you rather be having fun in Hawaii other than staying stuck at school with a sub doing something totally boring. When you go on vacation you probably have a bunch of fun. You could be in water parks, the zoo, and the beach other than boring school. You’re going to be going to school forever until you graduate college so mine as well as a little bit of fun and go to England. You get some more family time when you go on vacation. When it’s a regular school day you may not get so much time with your family because you have a homework assignment due to tomorrow.

I hope you agree with my opinion, when you go on vacations you have so much fun. First of all, it gives you a break from school, second of all, it gives you a little bit of fun and finally, it gives you more family time.

May 2

Amazing Volcanoes

You are there 

Have you ever wondered what a volcano is or why they happen? Imagine you are in a hotel enjoying the view by the volcano Mount Saint Helen’s, then suddenly BOOM  out of nowhere ash and smoke start spewing out of the top. Then you see that half of Mount Saint Helens is gone. You see smoke coming your way but lucky you get into your car and drive away as fast as you can.        

What is a volcano?

A volcano is a mountain that opens downward to a pool of molten rock below the surface of the earth. When pressure builds up, eruptions occur. Gases and rock shoot up through the opening and spill over or fill the air with lava fragments like lava and ash. Eruptions can cause, lava flows, hot ash flows, mudslides, and avalanches. Volcano eruptions have been known to knock down entire forests like the one by Mount Saint Helens, the whole forest was gone. Volcanoes are formed when magma from within the Earth’s upper mantle works its way to the surface. At the surface, it erupts, and forms lava flows and ash. Over time as the volcano continues to erupt, it will get bigger and bigger.

Why do volcanoes erupt?

The Earth’s crust is made up of huge slabs called plates, which fit together like a big puzzle. These plates sometimes move. The friction causes earthquakes and volcanic eruptions near the edges of the plates. The theory that explains this process is called plate tectonics.Scientists have volcanoes into three main categories: active, dormant, and extinct. An active volcano is one which has recently erupted and there is a possibility that it may erupt soon. A dormant volcano is one which has not erupted in a long time but there is a possibility it can erupt in the future. An extinct volcano is one which has erupted thousands of years ago and there’s no possibility of an eruption.

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What is the Ring of Fire?

The Ring of Fire is an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions in the basin of the Pacific Ocean. The Ring of Fire has 452 volcanoes and is home to over fifty-one percent of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes. Ninety percent of the world’s earthquakes and eighty-one percent of the world’s largest earthquakes occur along the Ring of Fire.

Why are volcanoes good for the earth?

Volcanoes are good for the Earth because they provide nutrients to the surrounding soil. Volcanic ash contains minerals that are beneficial to plants, and if it is very fine ash it is able to break down quickly and get mixed into the soil quickly. Volcanoes have formed many islands, mountains and parts of continents. Igneous rock is the rock that is formed by cooled lava and It helps build roads. Also, beautiful stones like amethyst are turned into jewelry. Pumice is a natural glass that helps polish and grind stones and metals. It is also used in making hand soap and other household items like cleaners. You know we have global warming if volcanoes erupt the ahs will cool down the Earth and make it better.  

Did you know that a volcano can reach temperatures like 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit or 1200 degrees Celsius? Volcanoes are very cool and interesting but very dangerous. People who live by volcanoes are endangered and constantly having to move. Scientists are studying volcanoes to better predict earthquakes and eruptions and make life safer for people who live near volcanoes.

May 2

The great pacific ocean garbage patch

The Great Pacific Garbage patch.

Floating in the northern pacific ocean there is a huge trash island the size of Texas. When you leave your trash at the beach where do you think it will end up? Did you know there are 79,000 tons of plastic that are floating in the pacific ocean! To stop adding trash to the trash island we need to start recycling. Imagine you are on a boat and you see a huge trash island with plastic, paper, bottles, cans and many other pieces trash floating by the size of Texas. Have you ever seen a turtle trapped in a piece of plastic fighting for his life?we need to bring awareness to the dangers of not recycling and littering.

Filling most of the space between Japan and California in the upper part of this gyre,  a few hundred miles north of Hawaii ,is where warm water from the south pacific crashes into  cooler water from the north. Known as the north pacific subtropical convergence zone, this is also where the trash collects.The trash island is like a galaxy of garbage, populated by million of smaller trash islands that may be hidden underwater or spread out over many miles.

The damage is that the trash island is in endangering marine life. The trash island harming and killing animals in the pacific ocean. We can all help stop the trash island by picking up our trash at the beach, to recycle, and to stop littering. People are trying to help out and tell other people to do the same thing. Once the trash island is stopped we should not start another so let’s clean up after ourselves, to stop littering and to recy

Now do you see what harm the trash island has done? Researchers have collected up to 750,000 pieces of micro plastic from a single square kilometer. The discovery of the pacific garbage patch, capt. Charles Moore once said a clean up effort “would bankrupt any country and kill wildlife in the nets as it went.” We can all help stop the trash island by recycling and to throw away your trash at the beach. Now all of us can help marine life and to stop the great pacific garbage patch.

 

May 2

YAY! I got perfect attendance!

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Above: Illustration by Robert Matson; Below: Photos Courtesy of Families

At some schools in California, kids who have perfect attendance this year will get a new bicycle and helmet! Other schools in the U.S. also reward kids who don’t miss any classes with prizes like movie tickets and even money! Why should they get rewarded? It’s just coming to school every single day. Parents have to go to work every day and don’t get rewarded for that!

All they are doing is coming to school! They could have gotten all F’s in school but still got a pizza party or something just because they came to school! What if you got straight A+ all year and only got a sticker because they missed a day of school? How would you feel about that?

Plus, Parents have to go to work every day and do they get rewarded? No, so why should the kids get rewarded? they should have to work hard to earn something special! I mean I can understand if you got A+ all year and got perfect attendance, but just for attendance? It is just plain unnecessary.