Our First Semester of Home School Comes To An End!

Wow, I can't believe it. Moments ago we closed our last textbook for the spring 2013 semester. What a journey this has been! When our family made the decision in the fall to move to New Jersey, we all agreed that we would use this move as a great time to begin homeschooling. As with everything in life, we began this journey with the mindset of "one day at a time." Several have asked what our plans are for next year and the year after and our response--we are taking one day at a time. I must admit, I was scared to death to take on this new responsibility. I quickly learned that it is much easier and less stressful to send my kiddos off each morning, leaving this task to the professionals. There seems to be a big weight on your shoulders (for this Mama anyway) when you realize that your child's success (or lack thereof) is completely in your hands. While it took us a couple of weeks to figure things out and get in a "groove," the remaining weeks and months have turned into complete joy. I can honestly say that of the past ten years of my children’s' lives, these past five months have been some of the most enjoyable for me. Were there days that were tough? Absolutely! But the joy that I have had in teaching them and, more importantly, watching them learn has been one of my most fulfilling and greatest accomplishments to date as a Mom.

As of today, our plans are to attend the New Jersey Homeschool Convention on Friday and then anxiously await the beginning of the fall semester in September. I've quickly learned that homeschool looks very different for every family who decides to embark on this adventure. For us, we have had a bit of an advantage because of the amazing school that we left behind in St Joseph, MO. When we pulled our kids out of school in December to move, the school very graciously sent all of their textbooks with us so that we could pick up right where they left off. We've also continued to receive emails from the teacher every week letting us know what the class lesson plans are for that week. While that has been a huge help to us, we quickly realized we could go at a faster pace. We've done what the classroom has done in a few subjects, but by going at a little faster pace, we managed to complete all of the work in our textbooks today. Subjects that we have covered this semester are Handwriting, Phonics, Spelling, Language, Math, Science, Social Studies, Reading, Religion, Computers, Piano, Guitar and of course, this blog...Writing. Our morning begins at 7am! Yes, my children are definitely morning people and finishing each day by 2pm. We covered all of our subjects every day except our blog writing, which has been one of our Tuesday assignments.

We also made the decision to make Fridays our day outside of the classroom. Fridays are Aaron's day off so we have typically tried to use this day for fieldtrips. We've been blessed to go on some amazing fieldtrips seeing places like Washington, DC, SeaLife Aquarium, the 9-11 Memorial, NYC landmarks, museums, and the list goes on and on. We've enjoyed some fun science experiments and have had a lot of fun with the Robb Family Multiplication Game Show. Checking-out ten books from the library each week has been one of the trio's favorite activities and keeping prayer and Bible reading part of our school each day has been a huge blessing to all of us.

In wrapping up this morning, I shared with the kids we were having a quiz. I know I have enjoyed our time together, but thought this would be a great way to get some of their thoughts on the last few months. They were asked ten questions and I’ve posted their answers below.

 

Katie's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Math

What was your least favorite subject?   Language

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?   Multiplication

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Spending time with my Mom.

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?   Dealing with Windows 8 during computer time.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   Art

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   Not having computers.

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Who is the world’s best teacher?   Mom :) :) :)

Kelsie's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Spelling

What was your least favorite subject?   Math

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?   Learning how to make a budget.

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Getting finished with school before everyone else.

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?   Not seeing my friends every day.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   History

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   I would like to go on more fieldtrips.

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Lasagna Rolls

Who is the world’s best teacher?   Mom!!! :) :) :)

Caleb's Quiz

What was your favorite subject during your first semester of homeschool?   Handwriting

What was your least favorite subject?   Social Studies

Of all the subjects we studied, what was your favorite topic that we studied?  Space and the Solar System

What was your favorite homeschool field trip or event?   The Aquarium

Of everything we did, what was your favorite part about being homeschooled?   Fieldtrip Fridays

Of everything we did, what was your least favorite part about being homeschooled?  The one week I didn't get my work done and had to go to Friday school.

What is one topic you would really be interested in studying when we start school this fall?   Space

What is one thing you would like to see us change for next year?   A new homeschool room (He is ready for us to buy a house. He wants a tree house at the new house and our classroom to move to the tree house)

What would your dream homeschool lunch be?   Steak and Mac-n-Cheese

Who is the world’s best teacher?   My Mom :) :) :)

After grading those quizzes (paying special attention to the last question - lol), I think it’s safe to say our first semester was a success. I can't close this blog entry without saying how thankful I am. First and foremost, I am so thankful to God. Homeschooling has been one more example of how faithful He is and what a true joy it is knowing that we have been obedient to his calling, despite sometimes difficult situations. I give Him all the praise for bringing us to this point and for blessing us in ways we could have never imagined. Finally, a huge thanks to my amazing hubby. His love, support and encouragement through this journey is yet one more reason I am so thankful he is mine. Thanks Aaron Robb, for all that you have done and all that you are. I love you!

 



Our last day of this semester - a little excited we are finished with all of those textbooks behind us!

Photos of 9-11 Memorial

Our friends, Paul and Carol, who went with us to see the 9-11 Memorial

The 9-11 Memorial by Kelsie

On Friday, we went to see the 9-11 Memorial. We had to walk a long way to get to the memorial. We started in upper Manhattan and went all the way to lower Manhattan. When we finally got close to the memorial, we had to go in this building to get our tickets. We didn’t have to pay, but they asked for a donation. After we got our tickets and paid the donation, we probably walked another five or six blocks. When we were pretty close, we saw that they were building a shopping mall close to the memorial. But it is probably going to take a couple of years to finish the mall. Before we went in, they asked everyone to please be quiet. Then we had to go through a lot of security. They had a lot of security there because they wanted to make sure that nobody bad got in there.

  Once we walked up there, we could see both the memorials. First, we visited the South Tower Memorial. Then we visited the North Tower Memorial. In each of the memorials, they engraved the names of all of the people who died in each of the buildings.  After that, we headed back home. It was a sad, but cool experience at the same time.

September 11, 2001 by Katie

On September, 11, 2001, there was a terrorist attack in New York City. Some men wanted to hijack some planes to hit the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and maybe the White House. So, the men got on planes. They got out of their seats and killed the pilots. They turned the planes around to New York City and toward Washington D.C. They went full speed ahead. One plane hit the South tower. Most people thought it was just an accident. Then, a few minutes later, the second plane hit the North tower. Later, another plane hit the Pentagon. Firemen went to the buildings to try to save the people, but some of the people that were on  in the twin towers started to jump from the building. Soon, the south building fell, and a few minutes later the north building fell. So, it was a sad day for the USA.

A few weeks ago, we went to the place where the World Trade Center stood. There was a fountain with all the names of the people that died. It was so cool. If you go to New York City, you need to go there. There you have it. Thank you for reading…….Katie

9-11 by Caleb

Hi, it's me Caleb. I am going to talk to you about what happened on 9-11. At first first people thought the first plane was just a bad crash, but when the second plane hit the other building, people knew it was a terrorist attack. Where the plane hit on the building, it burned. Many people died from falling or jumping out of the building because they didn't want to burn to death. The good news was that a lot of people did live. Police and firemen were brave because they ran into the buildings to save people. Not everyone was rescued, though. Then, one of the buildings fell down. People ran and ran for their lives.Then the second one fell.
I hope you like this story, even though it is very sad. I'll see you again soon. Bye.

My Invention by Katie

This week in Social Studies, we have been studying inventions. So, I will tell you what I would invent.

I would invent a robot that cleans my room and takes my dogs out. My robot would cook for my mom, too. It would give me the answers to my multiplication problems (which I know, but are still hard). My robot would be red with black lines on its head. I would make it about four feet tall. It would also have a girl’s voice, and it would also brush my brother’s teeth, and mine, too. When I’m sick, it would bring me Root Beer. I would also program it to read a book to me in the car, because I get car sick if I read.

I would also like to make robots to be sold. My robots would cost about $100,000. The best feature of my robots would be that you would only have to keep the oiled. If one did break, you would get a new one because it would have a lifetime warranty.

My Invention by Caleb

My invention is going to be a flying car, which could also go into space.  My first flying car will be blue. It will run on olive oil so that it will be nature friendly. It will have a computer built into it, too. My car will have 11 seats in it, in case your child has a play date and you have to pick up a lot of kids. Not only will it fly, it will also turn into a boat.  My flying car will have a TV in it, as well as a clock. Another neat feature would be that it could talk to you. It would also shoot lasers just in case a bad guy was there at your car. My car would also have a tracking device in it so you could find it anywhere. Thank you for reading about my invention, the flying car.

My Invention by Kelsie

This week in Social Studies, we are learning about inventions. If I could invent anything, it would be a foot massage/hand massage/nail painting/wash my hair machine. (I hate to wash my hair.) It would basically be my beauty machine. It would be my morning routine machine.  It would also be my best friend. This is how my morning routine would be with my machine: I would wake up and quickly make my bed because my bed right now is really easy to make. Then, when I get to the bathroom, my robot would have my toothbrush ready to brush my teeth. After I brushed my teeth, I would go to my room and call my robot to help me pick out my clothes for the day. They would be very fashionable clothes. Then, I would go downstairs to a wonderful breakfast. It would be delicious. Then, I would go back upstairs so it could fix my hair. It would do any hairdo I wanted. After that, it would paint finger and toenails any color I wanted with 15 second drying nail polish.  Finally, it would wish me a good day. I would push a button and it would turn off. After that, it would turn small and I would put in my drawer for tomorrow. So, that’s how my morning routine would go with my robot.

Scooby-Doo by Caleb

Scooby-Doo is my best friend. Scooby is my dog. Scooby loves to play fetch.

One day Mom was playing fetch with him. Then Mom said, “No more fetch” to Scooby. So, he started to get his own toy and throw it down the stairs himself!

Scooby-Doo loves bones. He could eat bones all day.  He is also neater eater than Snowflake. He is a very playful dog. He loves to lick my feet. One of the reasons that we named him Scooby-Doo is because I love the show Scooby-Doo. His favorite show is also Scooby-Doo. Scooby has tried Scooby snacks and he loves them.

I love to play with him. He loves to play with Sowflake.

The History of the Pekingese by Kelsie

Katie, Caleb, and I own two Pekingese puppies, Scooby and Snowflake. They are a man’s best friend (also a girl's best friend). Scooby is two years old. He is a golden-brown color with a little gray on his back. Snowflake is one and a half years old. She is black with white paws and a white chest. I think it is sort of rare to have a black Pekingese puppy. Now, I am going to tell you about the history about Pekingese puppies and a few other things--five to be exact.  (All facts are copied from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekingese)
 

#1 Innumerable portraits of the Pekingese have been done, over the Centuries, in any number of media, including Oils, watercolors, acrylics, drawing, pastels, etc...

#2 The Pekingese breed is over 2000 years old and has hardly changed in all that time.

#3 The Pekingese's flat face and large eyes are some of the breed's most obvious characteristics. The body is compact and low to the ground. Pekingese also have a muscular and durable body. The legs are noticeably bowed and restrict the Pekingese's movement. The breed's unusual rolling gait may have been deliberately developed by breeding to prevent the court dogs from wandering in ancient times.

#4 Around the turn of the century, Pekingese dogs became popular in Western countries. They were owned by such arbiters of fashion as Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom, and Elsie de Wolfe, popular American interior decorator.

#5 The breed originated in China in antiquity. Recent DNA analysis confirms that the Pekingese breed is one of the oldest breeds of dog, one of the least genetically diverged from the wolf. For centuries, they could be owned by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace only.

Those are my five facts. Obviously, the Pekingese breed is very old. Maybe that’s why they’re so obedient because they’ve had years of practice. Well, that’s all I have for today. Have a good day.

My dog Snowflake by Katie

My dog Snowflake is the best dog in the world! She is a Pekingese. She is the best lap dog in the world. She is the cutest dog in the world, too. Snowflake is about 1and a half years old. She is black with brown eyes and white paws.  We bought her a pink collar. She also has a smashed face. She loves us to dress her up. When we pray she closes her eyes. My dad doesn’t like her because the first day we had her she peed on him. Ever since, my dad hasn’t liked Snowflake. However, one thing for sure is that Snowflake loves Dad. I hope someday Dad will learn to love her. So when you come to my house, you can meet the best dog in the world--Snowflake!!!!

Father Daughter Bake-Off by Katie

Last week we had a father-daughter bake off. We first made our dessert. Dad and I made Ooey Gooey Cake. We will tell you how to make it at the end. Kelsie and dad also made a cake. They put stuff on the cake to make it pretty. The big day came! That night we went to the place at church where we needed to register the cake.  I registered my cake in the gooiest category. Kelsie put hers in the prettiest category. We started the evening by singing some songs. Then my Dad talked for a while. While my Dad was talking, people were tasting the desserts.  When Dad finally finished, it was time to eat. We first looked at the cakes. Then we got to eat them. Then when everybody got their desserts, it was time to announce who won the contest. You know what?  Kelsie and I both won first place.  Kelise won the pretty category and I won the gooey category.   And that’s what happened at the father-daughter bake off.

Ingredients

Cake:
1 18 1/4-ounce package yellow cake mix
1 egg
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1 16-ounce box powdered sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer.  Pat the mixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13 by 9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. 

Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Spread over cake batter and bake for 40 to 50 minutes.  Make sure not to over bake as the center should be a little gooey.

 

A Special Sunday by Kelsie

March 24, 2013 was a very special day. We celebrated Palm Sunday. So this is how our Sunday went. We had to wake up at 6:00 because we had to get to church early to practice for our children’s choir. Children’s choir is a group of kids practicing a song then every month we perform at a church service. We barely made it to the church in time to practice. Once we got through practicing, we had to rush to the lobby for our Sunday school choir practice. We were going to sing at the beginning of the service. We had to wait out their quietly forever. Just before we were going to start the kids who were in the children’s choir had to rush over to the other side of the lobby to get our costumes on because we were singing another song right after we sang with our Sunday school choir. But the bad part was that there were a lot of people there and it was really crowded. But we made it just in time. We had our palm branches and we marched inside. Then we sang ‘’sing hosanna’’. When we were done, our music teacher had prepared a lovely breakfast for us because we didn’t have time to have breakfast that morning. We had a yummy breakfast! My mom picked us up to go back up to listen to the rest of my dad’s sermon. There were so many people there that we had to sit in a room that lead out of the sanctuary to listen to my dad’s sermon. After church we went to Sunday school and then had to do everything all over again for the second service. But I won’t write about the same thing all over again.

That night we went back to church for the Easter Cantata. It was a very powerful story about Jesus dying on the cross and coming back alive. The choir, orchestra and actors were great too.  It was a wonderful musical.  Palm Sunday was a great day. I hope you had a good Palm Sunday too. Bye.

Getting Stuck in Pennsylvania by Caleb

Last week, we decided to go to Hobby Lobby because my sisters needed some “things” for a bake-off.  We went to the Hobby Lobby in Easton, PA.  We went into Hobby lobby and it took my sisters forever! Finally after the shopping was finished, we came out and guess what?  It was snowing.  We left the store and started home.  It was snowing hard.  We ended up getting stuck in the snow in the hills of Pennsylvania.  We didn’t know how we were going to get home.  I started feeling a little scared.  My Dad said, “Don’t be scared.”  How can you not be scared?  We decided we were not going to make it home, so we needed to try to find a hotel.  After finally making it back to Easton, it took us a while to find a hotel that had rooms available.  Finally, we found one.  We went up to our room, then I discovered that my bed was very uncomfortable.  After we got in, we decided to watch “The Bible” on the History Channel.  After that, we went to bed.  When we woke up, we went downstairs for breakfast and then decided to try to find our way back to New Jersey.  Thank goodness the roads were cleared.  So here are three things I learned from this adventure.  1.  ALWAYS CHECK THE WEATHER BEFORE YOU LEAVE.  2.  ALWAYS KEEP FOOD WITH YOU.  3.  IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE SNOW DAYS, EVEN WHEN YOU HOMESCHOOL.  Yee-haw!!!

The Maple Tree Farm by Katie, Kelsie & Caleb

After church on March 17, 2013 we went to a farm called the Lusscroft Maple Tree Farm.  We first drove to the farm that was about 20 minutes away. The drive was beautiful. On the way we saw a zoo called the Space Zoo. They had water buffalo, lamas, deer, and a big bear, but it was locked up for the winter. We didn’t go to the zoo, Mom said that we could check it out some other time. Then we sang a song that reminded us about water buffalo. Once we got there Mom got confused where to park. Once we figured out where to park (with the help of our smartness of course) we had to go on a long walk to get to the barn. Once we got to the barn we went in, but it was next to impossible to open the barn doors. When we got in there it smelled like pure maple syrup. We would of paid $15 just for the smell, it smelled that good. We would have paid 100 bucks for the syrup. We thought it was really cool how they made the syrup. They had a plastic tank just outside the barn where there was tubing that connected from the trees to the tank.  Once the sap was collected in the tank, the tank was moved to the barn and the sap was then emptied out into a maze like machine.  While the sap traveled through the maze, it was being heated up to a certain temperature. After reaching a certain temperature, the sap is then filtered and finally bottled. The people were really nice to us. We got to taste the maple syrup and it was the best maple syrup we’ve ever had. (It tasted a little different, but in a good way). We went back outside. We listened to a man share with us all about the sap and the trees. After a while we kind of got bored so we looked around at some other stuff. Before we went inside we looked at how people made maple syrup long, long ago. The sap inside the little tin was almost frozen.  Back inside the barn, one of the volunteers started talking to us. He talked to us about the farm being in the newspaper and asked us to look in the book to see all the articles. Once we looked at the articles he started to talk to our mom and they talked for a long time. My mom learned about a lot of fun things to do in New Jersey. After that we started back to the car. It was a very long walk but we finally made it. The trip to the maple tree farm was a great experience

During our trip we learned a lot. We are going to share nine facts:

#1 sugar maple sap contains 2-4% sugar

#2 the natural sugar of the maple tree is sucrose

#3 it takes 40 gallons of sap to make a gallon of syrup

#4 warm days 40-50 degrees in the days and below freezing at night makes the best syrup

#5 maple trees should be at least 40 years or older to begin tapping

#6 maple trees should also be at least 10inches in diameter before tapping

#7 maple syrup contains 66.9% sugar

#8 one table spoons of syrup contains 50 calories

#9 maple syrup has to be 219 degrees in the boiler to go to the next step

Katie checking out the old fashioned way of tapping the trees.

The white tank is where the sap goes after leaving the trees.

A close-up of a tap in a tree

The sap entering the maze and beginning the process of heating

The sap going from the tank to the maze inside the barn

Part of the filtering process

The finished product - YUMMY!

Tubing from all the trees to the tank

The Trio - after being educated on maple syrup!

The Tiger

At our new church they have a Pinewood Derby race every year.  The men who lead Boys Brigade gave me a block of wood and told me to choose a shape.  I went with the #1 style.  A man from our church cut out my wood and then I was ready to begin.  Once it was cut out and I got it back, my Dad and I began sanding.  After sanding was finished, we brought it home to finish the work.  The next day, Dad and I spray painted my car shiny orange.  The day after that, we put the black tiger stripes and a big “T” on the front.  After painting we started working on the wheels.  We sanded and polished the axles.  On Wednesday, Dad and I put the wheels on my car in his office.  It was now ready for testing.  All the boys raced from our church and I won every race except one.  We now thought it was ready for Race Day! 

Race day was this past Saturday.  The races took place at Bethlehem Church in Randolph, New Jersey.  We woke up at 7 in the morning to get to the race on time.  Once we got there, we had to weigh it.  My car was too heavy so we had to drill it.  We weighed it again and it was still too heavy so we drilled more.  We weighed it again and finally it was right.  It was now ready for the race track.  My car was in four races and I won first place in all of them.  I was so excited!  The only problem was that at the end, I didn’t even get into the finals.  Even though I won all my races, my speed wasn’t fast enough.  Oh well, I had a great time with my Dad and all my friends.

Caleb and Dad ready for Race Day!

Caleb, Dad and his Cheerleaders!

Standing in line to register the cars

Weighing the car

Oops, too heavy - drilling the car

Watching the races

 

Caleb and Jayden

Caleb and the other boys from his group at LFC

 

 

 

Seeing Eye Dog by Katie

A few nights ago we went to see the Seeing Eye Dog demonstration with the Sussex County Christian Homeschool Group.  The dog’s name was Mac.  He was a Golden Retriever.  He was 15 weeks old.  He was a good dog.  He stayed up there and sat through the whole thing. The lady told us some facts: The organization began in 1929.  It costs more than $25,000 to complete each dog’s training.  It takes 24 months to train a guide dog.

That night they also had a bake sale for a dog named Doc. He was another guide dog.  While people were eating, we got to walk the Mac.  He is a strong dog.  The lady said never to play with a dog that is leading a blind person.  He also liked us to pet him.  He knew a lot of tricks. We played with him for a while and then we went home.  I had a lot a fun!

Katie, Kelsie, Caleb and Mac

The Tabernacle by Kelsie

 The Tabernacle

My Sunday school class is a lot of fun. My Sunday school teacher’s name is Miss Kathy. She is an attorney in Manhattan.  The assistant Sunday school teacher is Miss Sheri.  Right now we are learning about the tabernacle in Sunday school. We are learning about the furnishings, the priest in the tabernacle, and about the exact instruction God had given Moses and the Israelites. One of the neatest things that I have learned about the tabernacle is that a good part of the furnishings were made of gold. It was also cool to know that the priests were Aaron and his sons and two of his sons died because they were fooling around in the tabernacle and God killed them for not following God’s instructions. Also I went online and these are two facts about the tabernacle and the tent of meeting.

Fact #1 

They made the mercy seat of pure gold.

http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/The-Tabernacle-196252.html

Fact # 2 

God choose Bezaleel and Aholiab to be in charge of the building of the tabernacle.

http://www.furtriva.com/en/subtopics/The-Tabernacle-1962.html

I thought that Moses was in charge of building the tabernacle. Another thing that is so cool about our Sunday school teacher is that she even takes us on fieldtrips (well we don’t go away from the church but you get what I mean). An example of what I mean is last week when the third and the fourth grade got to go on a fieldtrip to the “tabernacle’’. It wasn’t really the tabernacle, but it still was very fun to go outside. Every week we have worksheets and memory verses we can do. We don’t have to, but if we do then we get a prize. I get a prize almost every week. I have tons of friends in Sunday School to talk to when we’re allowed to do so. If you don’t go to Sunday School, then maybe you should join one at your church. It is really fun. Bye!

Why I Love Living In New Jersey by Katie

Well, let me tell you. First, let me tell you some facts. I got these facts from New Jersey Puzzle Book in the Highlights Which Way USA? book. The nickname for New Jersey is “The Garden State.” Second, there are five cities in New Jersey with more people than Trenton. Third, the first dinosaur fossil discovered in North America was found in New Jersey. So, there are some facts.

 

Another thing I like about New Jersey is that it is so pretty. I really love all the mountains. They are so big. I also like the diners! They are so good. The best diner in my book is the Chatterbox Drive-In Diner. Yummm. I also like that we live about 45 minutes from New York City. Going to the city was so much fun. If you want to read about the trip, read our blog from last week. I also like that our church has a children’s choir and that Kelsie and I are in it. Another place I like is my home, and my favorite place in my house is my room. Not far from my home is High Point, New Jersey. It is the highest place in New Jersey.  

 

That is what I like about New Jersey.                                                                                             

Shopping - Just One Reason I Love New Jersey by Kelsie

I am quickly falling in love with New Jersey. It is a wonderful place to live.  I love New Jersey even though there are a lot of 500 pound bears. New Jersey is called the Garden State. They call it the Garden State because they grow a lot of crops in southern New Jersey. There are so many interesting facts about New Jersey. One fact I love is ….

 

“The first set of twins to have both flown space are Mark and Scott Kelly, identical twins born in West Orange, NJ. In March 2011, the Kelly brothers became the first set of blood relatives to meet in space. In October 2010, Scott Kelly started his 5 1/2 month mission to the International Space Station, and Mark Kelly blasted off in February and reached the Space Station on March 1, 2011” (www.njeha.org/njfacts.html).                           

 

That’s a wonderful fact, isn’t it?  Then I researched another fact that said that there are more horses in New Jersey than Kentucky! (www.njeha.org/njfacts.html)

 

Then I found another fact that made me almost faint of excitement!!! (By the way, it has to do with shopping):

 

North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area than any other place in the world, with seven major shopping malls in a 25 square mile radius. (www.njeha.org/njfacts.html)

 

I love shopping so much that I was so excited when I found this fact. I’ve been to a couple of shopping malls since we’ve gotten here. Our family has been to Rockaway Mall, NYC shopping-of course- and two other malls that I don’t remember the names.  

 

That’s about all about New Jersey. But there are a lot more facts about New Jersey so maybe you could look up some more. And that is just some reasons why I love New Jersey.

Facts About New Jersey And Why I like Living Here by Caleb

One of the reasons I like New Jersey is that there are bears here. Here some bear facts:

* American black bears are omnivorous, which means they eat both plants and animals. They eat fruits, nuts, insects, honey, salmon, small mammals and carrion. In northern regions, they eat spawning salmon. Black bears will also occasionally kill young deer or moose calves. (www.defenders.org/black-bear/basic-facts)

* There are at least 600,000 black bears in North America. In the United States, there are estimated to be over 300,000 black bears. However, the Louisiana black bear (Ursus americanus luteolu) and Florida black bear (Ursus americanus floridanus) are threatened subspecies with small populations (www.defenders.org/black-bear/basic-facts).

These are just some facts about black bears which are also in New Jersey. You know what? Bears aren’t that bad if you think about it.They get rid of bad food.

 I also like New Jersey because it’s nice. I have new friends here.  Also, Scooby and Snowflake have a bigger place to run. People that vist us usually stay longer. The best part is, my Mom homeschools us and after school we play downstairs. We see a lot of deer here, too. New Jersey's air is so good and fresh. New Jersey has a lot of fun stuff. Goodbye for now. See ya.

Photos From Our First Trip to NYC!

The Staten Island Ferry

The Ferry Ride across the Hudson

Inside the Ferry Station

Just getting ready to board the ferry

Our foggy/rainy view of the Statue of Liberty from the ferry

The New York Skyline from the ferry

The Subway Station

Our ride in the subway

Kelsie so excited she is about to pop!

Times Square

Times Square

Times Square

Katie & Kelsie in the American Girl Store

The girls having their picture made with Saige

In front of St Patrick's Cathedral - in our "unfashionable" ponchos

Soooooooooo unfashionable...according to Kelsie

The Big Piano

Just a little soggy

The Big Piano

After the fall, but VERY THANKFUL to have made it back to the subway

The last stop before the Emergency Room