“Wow…” You exclaim as you take in the smell of the river, the trees that sway with the wind, the view from the peak you are standing on, the stars in the sky when you go to bed, and the animal noises you hear as you walk the trails. This is what a mountain should feel. I think that going to the mountains is a better idea than going to the beaches. I think that mountains have more wildlife, better views and mountains are nature’s gym.

     My first reason why tall mountains are better than sandy beaches is that they have more wildlife. On a mountain, you can find animals that are harder to find than in the ocean. Some animals only live in the mountains. Animals such as An American Black bear, Snow leopard, Bobcat, Mountain goat, Monarch butterflies, coyotes, and a steller’s jay live on high peaks.  It would be more amazing to find a wild animal on land than to nearly see one in the water. The only animals I have seen on a beach are seagulls and crabs. Seeing a wild animal on your trip makes it feel more unknown. While some people on the beach say it is quieter when there are fewer animals, when you are in the mountains you also never know what kind of animal you might face in a mountain.

     My second reason why mountains are better than beaches is that mountains have better views. I’m sure you can agree that a mountain has more views than a beach. When you are on a tall peak, you can almost see the whole world! When you are on a beach, all you can see is sand and water. Not only does a mountain have better views, but it also has way more stuff to look at in all directions! A Mountain can have multiple terrains, but a beach only has sand or rock. Most mountains don’t have cell service, so it helps you stay more aware of your surroundings. I have also noticed that when you come back from a trip to a mountain you also come back with more memories. The most amazing part is how much more stars you can see in the mountains than on the beaches. Most stargazers watch for stars from the mountains rather than the beaches. The answer to this is because mountains don’t have very many lights from buildings or cars. 

     The third reason why I think tall mountains are better than sandy beaches is that mountains are nature’s gym. Mountains have way more elevation than beaches do. If you like to hike, a mountain is a great place to go hiking. There may be some hikes near beaches but a hike in the mountain is better. There are more areas to go hiking in a mountain because there are different things to do at different places. People on the beach like to be level with the water because it doesn’t hurt their ears, but higher elevation helps your body with getting stronger and you almost don’t realize how much your ears hurt until you get to the top. 

What do you think? Do you agree with me?

Tap, tap tap went the sandpiper’s beak as she opened her eyes to see a field of food.

In this story a hungry little sandpiper learns to find food for herself. But she gets splashed by a giant wave. After meeting a hermit crab, Piper learns that the ocean has a bright side. The theme of the story is learning new things and pushing past the fear.

In the beginning of the movie, the theme is learning. First, Piper’s mom shows her how to find food for herself. This shows that her mom wants her to learn new things and keep trying. Next, Piper tries to catch a clam of her own. I used to think Piper was copying her mom but now I think that the theme here is about learning to catch clams and get food for herself like all the other sandpipers.

In the middle of the story, the theme is learning. After Piper tries to find food for herself, she gets splashed by a giant wave. The important thing about this is that the theme is about Piper learning that finding food is harder than she thought. Suddenly, Piper has a fear of water and doesn’t want to find food for herself anymore. When Piper meets the hermit the theme is learning because Piper learns how it eats and uses its shell

In the end of the story, Piper goes with the hermit underwater. She sees all the clams and at that point she realizes that the water is not as scary as she thought. This connects to the theme learning because Piper learns that the water is not big and scary. Piper thanks the hermit and goes to get clams for her mom and her family. 

The story Piper shows a great way of learning new things. In Pipers case, it was so she could find food for herself instead of having her mom feed her. Piper never gives up on her goals. She is always trying to prove to her mom that she can learn new things. I hope that everyone stays curious and learns new things all the time. 

What was your favorite part in Piper?

Piper hopped around triumphantly when she caught her first clam.

     In this story a hungry little sandpiper learns to dig up clams in the sand to find food for herself. But she gets she gets washed by a giant wave. After meeting a hermit crab, Piper learns that the ocean has a bright side. In the animated short Piper is a very curious bird.

     In the beginning of the story, Piper is curious when her mom shows her how to find clams. Her mom wants to teach her to find food for herself instead of feeding her like a baby. Then, Piper goes out and tries hard to get a clam like her mom. She is curious of how the process works. This is how Piper starts to learn how to find food for herself. 

     In the middle of the story, Piper gets washed by a giant wave. This is when her fear stops her from learning. She is curious when she meets a hermit and goes with him to watch how it eats. Piper is very curious about her new friend. When she watches it bury itself in the sand when a wave comes, she rushes over to see if he is okay. She is also curious when the hermit shows her what it looks like underwater.

     In the end of the story, Piper sees what it looks like underwater and learns that it is not as scary as she thought it would be. When the wave goes back out, Piper is not afraid and collects clams for everyone. She is excited to help her community and play in the water. 

     Piper is always wanting to prove to her mom that she can learn and pushes herself in learning ways. Curiosity leads to learning and Piper will learn more if she is curious. For Piper, being curious helps her see things in a different way, I hope that people will open a window of curiosity and learn new things.

Have you ever had a problem like Piper?

Down below are some of my favorite books I have ever read. 

Gregor the Overlander:

If you like to read fun adventures, Gregor the Overlander is a good choice. It was written by Suzanne Collins, the author of Hunger Games. There are 5 books in this series. Gregor is a kid who lives in New York and has a baby sister named Boots. They were doing laundry  when something went terribly wrong. Gregor and Boots get sucked into the Underland. Gregor then meets giant cockroaches, bats and many other creatures who go on quests to save the Underland. This is an action packed book and I encourage you to read all 5 books!

Wish in the Dark:

This book is very interesting. The main characters are Pong and Nok. This book takes place in Chattana with glowing orbs as their light. The governor created that light after a big fire and brought light back to the city. Pong, who was fascinated by the governor’s light, met the governor after he got caught making a bad decision during the governor’s speech. The governor told Pong that light would go out in the world if people would make bad decisions all the time. This scared Pong, so he ran away from jail when he got his chance. Pong soon realizes that he can’t leave and he has to save the  town on his own. The end of the book made me cry and I was moved by Christina Soontorvat’s amazing writing.

Wishtree:

Wishtree is written by Katherine Applegate. Bongo is my favorite character, he is a crow, and the animals can talk. Red is the name of the Wishtree. Some other animals live in Red, like raccoons, owls, squirrels and some woodpeckers. Suddenly, Red has a problem. Every year people tie a piece of cloth on its branches, they write what they wish for and hope it will come true. This time, someone wrote: LEAVE on his tree. Bongo and Red try to find a way to stop people from cutting him down. The ending is heartbreaking, and I think that anyone interested in talking animals and trees should read it.

Ida B:

Ida B is a girl who goes out of her way to maximize fun and avoid disaster. This is written by Katherine Hannigan and is an interesting book. The theme in Ida B is: Life is About Fun. Ida B goes about her day the same way everyday, she gets up at the same time, she eats the same food, and she does the same thing like they were planned to be. Then, out of nowhere, her plans fail and she sinks into a pit of horrible feelings. She first noticed this when she talked to the trees. They tell her the same thing every time: Something bad is coming. Her mom has cancer. Ida B crumbles and she has to lift herself up with the little bit of hope she has left. 

Pax:

Pax is about a boy and a fox who get separated because of a war. Pax is the name of the fox and Peter is the name of the boy. Peter is sent to his uncle’s house while his dad fights in the war. Pax is left behind at the house. they both take hard risks to find each other again. Pax meets other foxes and Peter meets a woman named Vola. Vola is also my favorite character, she is really funny. The chapters go between Pax’s point of view and Peter’s point of  view. The ending is very sad and sorrowful. 

What books sounds interesting to you?

Do you like any of the covers?

Do you like fantasy?

     I hope you guys are ready because today you are going to learn a lot about Grand Ronde. This placed is mentioned in our global read aloud book “Indian no More” for 2020. 

When or why was Grande Ronde Established?

Grand Ronde reservation was established because of a treaty on June 30th 1857. In the mid 19th Century all Idians from west Oregon were forced to move away and be placed on this reservation. As time passed the Indians started to get used to their new home. 

Treaty= An agreement between countries  

     Did anyone other than Natives want their land?

Yes, People wanted land for farming or houses knowing it was easy to overpower the Indians. In 1901 James McLaughlin declared 25,791 acre tract of the reservation and the U.S agreed to sell it for $1.16 per acre. 

     Why did the government take back the Natives Land?

In 1954 the Government took back the Reserve in order to free the land for American pioneer settlement and left the Natives to find a home for themselves. The act took effect in 1956 when treaties and the Reservation were terminated.

Terminated= Bring to an end

How long did the Natives get separated from Grand Ronde?

For 27 whole years the Natives were banned from their home. Until Congress passed the Grand Ronde restoration act on November 22, 1983. President Ronald Reagan signed the Grande Ronde Restoration Act making it so that tribes could go back. In 1988 the reservation regained 9,811. Now the land is 10,052 acres.

What does Grand Ronde look like nowadays?

Grand Ronde nowadays has around 5,400 Natives living there with 10,800 acres of land. It is located in Yamhill county. Now Grand Ronde continues to live peacefully!  

I looked up at that terrifying ride, so big and so dizzying to look up at, towering over me. The giant ride seemed like it was looking at me in disbelief,  I was not doing this, I thought. I watched my mom and dad who were motioning for me to come. I shook my head. I am not doing this! I waited for a while and saw a girl coming, don’t worry, she said, I’m not doing it either. I nodded then looked back at my family who were sticking their tongues out at me. I looked back at the ride who was crossing its arms. FINE. I’ll do it! I ran over to them and waited in line for what seemed like forever until I realized I was getting into my seat. We got buckled up and I felt like I was getting ready to launch into space. The ride started moving, going up and up and up. I looked up and noticed that I couldn’t see the top because it was covered. I looked out over Silverwood and saw all the rides. Such a pretty view. All of a sudden the ride stopped and I looked down, BAD IDEA. Then we plunged to our death.

I could no longer feel the seat, my breath was taken away, I couldn’t scream. I was screaming in my head though, the seat belt was tight against my shoulders, my heart in my throat. Then just like that the ride was over it took me a minute to gather myself to get out of the seat then I felt really dizzy and walked out of the line. Ok, not so bad, it was totally worth it!  “Ok.” my mom said, “time for Timber of Terror!”

Since summer is coming soon I wonder what we are going to do. Some of the things that I like to do is go hiking. Hiking is a tradition for us and our friends. We go hiking every summer and the adults have to plan everything. Elle and Jonah know what I mean because our parents are really good friends and they go hiking with us. We like to discover all the new hikes!

Another thing that I do for summer is doing outdoor things like volleyball and badmitten. Even doing it just with your family is really fun! Summertime is my favorite season because you get to run outside and not be cold.

Summertime is a good time to go to the beach or a park. Since covid-19 is around we cannot go to a park, but we can go to beaches! This weekend my family and I went to glass beach really early and it was so peaceful and fun. We were the only ones there and it felt really good to get out and do something other than being cooped up at home. I feel the same thing for my chickens because they have to be cooped up all the time and when we let them out, they go and destroy our garden so my mom gets really mad and we don’t let them out anymore. 

Sometimes people just like to relax in the summer and not be active. I can definitely see that in my sister because she loves to lay in the weirdest places (Most of the time in the sun).

What do you like doing in the summertime?

Glass beach

Hello everyone! I am going to share about all my pets!

The pets that I have had the longest are chickens. We have about twenty of them now and I think they are nice. Chickens lay eggs and we have decided that we are going to sell them. My mom is not a baker and we don’t use eggs very much. Even in this time we are still selling. We only sell to people we know and there is free delivery. The cool thing is that we have a huge yard and a big chicken coop. Our chickens have also hatched their own babies too! Except, we half incubated them. I am glad that we have a whole bunch of chickens!

We also have two dogs that are black labs. We have a boy and a girl. The girl is named Maddie and the boy dog is named Hunter. We recently got Hunter after the robotics challenge. Our dogs are really great. We trained Maddie to not run out of our yard so she doesn’t go chase a dear or something.

Did I not mention we got chicks? Well, we did. Right before Corona we bought 5 chicks and named all of them except for one. My dad hasn’t named his chick yet. I named mine (The smallest) nugget. My sister named hers Darky and my brother named his Fuzz. My mom named a black chick Happy Feet.

I love my pets! They are very special to me. All of my family loves them and they bring us great joy to be with.

Fuzz

Nugget

Darky

Happy Feet                                        (Chick with no name)

Maddie                                                      Hunter

Hello future self!                                                                                         May 11-May 15                 

How are you and your family? Right now we are in the Covid-19. I hope it ended before you read this! Can you look back and remember this? It was painful when Wayne’s brother died. 

The things that are important to me is that my family doesn’t get the virus. My goal is to fight through the virus! I hope this can end soon-as-possible. Can you name the date this ended?

When I heard that I was going to get this letter 5 YEARS LATER, I was surprised! I think you are fifteen years old or fourteen years old. I think you are in ninth grade also? Wow you are only three years until you are out of school for good! You are also one year away from getting a car! What car do you think you are going to get? Are you good at driving?

Right now my favorite thing to do is play foursquare. I also want to see how gaga ball will turn out. Think back to your 5th grade life and tell yourself if you liked it or not. Right now I have baby chicks. They are getting bigger. How are they now? Are the Silkies looking cool? Can you identify if they are boys or girls? I hope nugget is a girl! I bet Happy Feet is a rooster! 

My advice for you is to not follow other people. Don’t go around and try to be like others. Be you! You are awesome and you know that everybody is different! Be kind and fight over your weakness of shyness. If you are a shy person, be shy! If you are a kind person, be kind! You can choose to bring people up or break people down.

My questions are: Do you still have friends like Elle and Jonah? What is your teacher’s name right now? If you think past the years what is your favorite teacher? What grade is your brother and sister in? What are your goals? 

I know that there is no way to write back to me. So instead of that, answer my questions by thinking about them. Or write in a journal or a piece of paper.

Always be you!

Yours Truly, You 

Hello! For my emoji work I made a puzzle. How you play is you start at the square that is outlined with green. Then you end at the square that is outlined with red. What you do is you try to find a pattern from the green square to the red square. My mom took a while trying to solve it. I hope you like it! Let me know if you don’t get my instructions!