Blue

Blue is the color of the big night sky,
Blue is the color of my dad's big tie

Blue is the color of the jacket that my mom calls green,
Blue is the color of a big limousine.

Blue is the color of an eraser box,
Blue is the color of a fairy tale ox.

Blue is the color of a big, big book,
Blue is the color of eyes that look.

Blue is the color of our lunch tote,
Blue is the color of birds that boast.

Blue is the color of the reminder board,
Blue is the color of flies that hoard.

Blue is the color of writers work shop, let's write,
Blue is the color of doors that lock so tight.

Blue is the color of bells that ring,
Blue is the color of the blues we sing.

Blue is the color of my big, big pool,
Blue is the name of the unfinished poem of Wayside School.

St.Charles Community College Summer Camp for Kids

I give it 10 stars!!!  If you like the hunger games go to the Hunger Games Theater Camp! If you like Chemistry go to Test Tubes and Beakers Camp.  If you like Cooking go to the Cup Cake Wars Camp!  There are camps for almost every thing!   You do crafts, games, theater games and more!  The councilors are nice, there food is great, they even have recess!!!  I went to the Cup Cake Wars, Hunger Games and Lights, Camera,  Action camps.
 
In the Cup Cake Wars camp you get to decorate cupcakes.  In the Lights, Camera, Action camp you learn how to direct and edit movies.  The Hunger Games Camp is great because it is fun and you can create your character. 

I would recommend going to these camps.

How to make Minestrone

This is a fun and easy recipe to make a soup called Minestrone.  It is a really healthy food that tastes good.  I got the recipe from a book called "Kid's Fun and Healthy Cookbook" and changed it a little.

Ingredients: 

•  1 cup of pasta bows
• 1 large onions
• 2 potatoes
• 2 sticks of celery
• 1 large carrot (we used a 1 1/2 cups baby carrots and chopped them in thirds)
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• parmesan cheese

Equipment:

• small sharp knife
• cutting board
• medium sauce pan
• wooden spoon
• large sauce pan w/ lid
• ladle

 1)  chop onion to small pieces.  Peel potatoes and cut them into bite sized pieces.  Slice celery and carrots into bite sized pieces.








 2)  heat olive oil in large sauce pan and fry onions over medium heat until softened or golden.














3)  add celery, carrots, potatoes, oregano, and bay leaf.  Stir well and pour in the stock and diced tomatoes and bring to boil.

4)  when soup is bubbling reduce to low and simmer for 15 mins with lid on half way.

5) bring a med sized pan of water to a boil and add pasta and cook half way, 5-6 mins.  drain and set aside.

6) Remove lid from soup after 15 mins has gone by and add pasta then let cook for 5 mins.

Ladle out, add parmesan cheese and enjoy!!! You can eat bread with it too.

(needs parents help and permission to do)

Very Simple Skirt

This is a fun project to do with your mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle or friend, if they know how to sew.  My friend Lily gave me these instructions from Quilted Garden Design in Edwardsville, IL.  For a 10 year old with a little sewing experience, this is a medium hard project, so my mom helped me.  So here are the instructions...

Materials:

Below are some of the items you need, plus  as sewing machine & iron.  I used denim for my material.  For a first timer I recommend not using denim.  It is hard to sew through and broke my mom's needle at the end. Just use regular cotton material.

 

Measurements:

#1 Your waist = ______

#2 Your hips=_______+ 10 inches=______

#3 Length from waist to knee (or length you want your skirt)=_________+ 6 inches= _______

1)  Use these measurements, cut #2 (hip + 10") by #3 (length+6") to cut one piece of fabric.  Make sure your fabric design is running in the direction you want it to before cutting.

2) Cut 2 pieces of fabric 4.5 inches X 42 inches for sash (can be the same or coordinating fabric or you can use ribbon or pre-made sash) and 3 pieces of material 2 inches by 3 inches for belt loop.

3) Cut a piece of half inch elastic the length of your waist (get a large safety pin to help you thread it later).

Sewing:

1) First sew half inch finish seams on edges by folding fabric to the wrong side and then fold and press a half inch fold on the bottom of the skirt and then fold over another 2 inches and sew along the seam.

2)  Sew the back seam by folding the finished edges right sides together and sew a half inch seam, but stop sewing 4 inches from the bottom of the skirt to make the vent in the back then backstitch at the beginning and the end.

3) Press that seam open and press the vent seam open to match the seam.  Top stitch the vent.

4)  Now fold the top of the skirt over a half inch and press, then fold over another three inches and press.

5) Pin and topstitch close to the folded  unfinished edge all the way around the skirt leaving about a half of inch on either side of the back seam.  This opening will be for inserting the elastic later.

6) Now measure one inch from the stitching in step 5 and top stitch all the way around and again leave an opening at the same place you did in step 5.

7) Make belt loops (we suggest 3, 2 more than the original instructions) by folding in half long ways and pressing.   Then lay flat and press.  Then open and fold the edges in towards the center long ways.

8) Fold each end under a half inch and pin in place over the casing on the back of the skirt seam and equal distance in the front of the skirt and stitch in place. Do not stitch over the casing you made in step 6.

9) Then pin a large safety pin on the end of your elastic and feed through the one inch casing you made in step 6 and then sew together.

10) Make the belt by sewing the two long pieces with right sides together along the short ends. Press seam allowance open. (I skipped this part and used a belt I already had)

11)  Fold in half long ways and press.

12) Like the belt loops, open then fold both sides into the center fold and press.

13) Fold in half, press then topstitch along the folded edge.

14) Feed sash through belt loops then you are done.

Here is our finished project.

My mom helped me type all these instructions out...it was a lot of work.

Hope you like this project.

Brave

Brave is a movie where a girl named Merida wants to change her fate.  Her mom is the queen.  Her dad is the King and her three brothers, which are triplets and younger are the princes.  Merida and her mom got in a fight one day.  Merida took off for the woods and saw whisps, a  magical creature, and followed them to a witch's house, which gave her a magic cake to change her mother.  She fed it to her mom and it changed her...into a bear.  Her dad wanted revenge on a bear named Mor'du. Merida and her mom escaped the castle and went into the woods.  Her dad went out to search for the bear thinking it was the one he wanted revenge on.  Her mom and her went on a adventure and found the bad bear and realized it was Mor'du, a selfish king that got turned into a bear.  They escaped from Mor'du and went back to the castle.  Her dad saw her mom as a bear and thought it was Mor'du. He gathered his kingdom and tried to kill her.  Merida fought her dad and tried to convince him that was her mom.  Mor'du showed up and tried to kill Merida. Her mom fought Mor'du.  After a small battle Mor'du got crushed and killed by a piller.  Merida thought her mom's spell didn't break but after a few minutes of crying and wanting her back, her mom turned back into herself and they both appreciated each other of who they were.