Week 12 Review

Hi!  Ollie here.  Let's start at the end and go to the beginning for week 12.  On Friday, I attended a camp put on by Georgia State Parks for homeschooled kids where we learned about making dyes using plants.

In this picture I am holding a dyed painting I created using plants from the woods.  I laid the plants on the paper and then hammered - boom, boom, boom - them into the paper.  The natural dyes seeped out of the plants and were absorbed by the paper.

The bracelet I'm holding in the picture was created by dying cotton yarn with red cabbage leaves, turmeric, and purple onion.

I had fun at the camp.

Earlier in the week, I put to test some of the things I learned about static electricity with a few experiments.  The one I liked best we call, "Impress Your Date at a Restaurant" science.

Put some salt and pepper on your plate (not your date's).

Then, rub a ballon on your head to create a charge.  (Of course you should bring a balloon on your date!)

Then, take your charged balloon and place it about 2 cm above the salt and pepper.

Watch your date be amazed as the pepper dances away and jumps to the balloon.  After a few seconds, show your date the bottom of the balloon.  The pepper will be stuck to the balloon and the salt will be on the plate.  Aw-struck.

If your date can tell you that you created a static electric charge in the ballon that was powerful enough to pick up the oppositely charged pepper (and not the like charged and heavier salt), then he/she is a keeper!

Sorry this picture is vertical when it's suppose to be horizontal.

This is a picture of another project I completed during week 12.  I have been learning about the Three Branches of American Government.  We read books, watch some fun videos, learned some songs, and played some games - and then I had to put everything I learned into this project.

Here are some close-ups of what each branch of government is responsible for:

Some other things I completed during week 12 include:

• Finished reading Huckleberry Finn.  I got to watch two movies about Mark Twain's classics, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn.  The movies were called, Tom and Huck, and, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  I liked the movie Tom and Huck a lot.  The movies helped to show me what towns looked like in the early 19th century, and what people dressed like, what their homes looked like, etc.  
• Finished filming my stop motion animated movie report on Sign of the Beaver.  I will edit it this week and post it soon.
• Played with my new favorite game, Snap Circuits, to apply what I am learning about conductive electricity.  I LOVE this game!  You should buy it.  
• Of course my mom made me do math and grammar too.  

That's all for now.  Peace Out - 

Ollie and Mom

Week 11 Review

During week 11, we celebrated St. Patrick's Day.  Almost every year since kindergarten I engineer a leprechaun trap.  This year, I was given the assignment to create a leprechaun trap with my little brother.  This is what I came up with.

It's a shoe box, with a door cut into it, and a sign next to the door that says, "Disco ball with gold this way."  Then I taped a flashing green 4-leaf clover pin on the inside top of the lid.  On the floor was double sided extreme sticky tape, disguised with crystals and gold (the foil from my mom's expensive chocolate bar).  My idea was that the leprechaun would be enticed into the box and then stuck to the extreme double-sided tape.  But instead he left me rainbows and gold (Skittles and Hershey Nuggets).  I'm not complaining!

Also during week 11, I had 12 vocabulary words from two books I recently finished: George Washington's Spy and The Illustrated Tom Sawyer.  I decided to be festive and write a story about Leo the Leprechaun using my vocabulary words.  Here's my story:

LEO THE LEPRECHAUN

Leo was about to play a sneaky trick on this boy, when he noticed an edifice with gold inside.  He went inside, and no sooner had he, when the doors snapped shut and a very wily, snot-nosed kid grabbed him.  While the vane boy shouted for joy, Leo thought of his options.

One:  He could plummet to his doom.

Two: He could plea for the boy to let him go.

Three:  He could play dead.

It was very hard to think with snot all over him.  Leo wished he could decimate all that snot, but his conscience wouldn't allow him to.  Meanwhile, thought Leo, the village was dancing, having fun, and enjoying the balmy weather at the St. Patrick's Day festival.  

When the boy finally calmed down and came back to Earth, Leo tried plan 1, 2, and 3.  The boy caught him on plan 1; said no on plan 2; and just poked him a lot until Leo stopped playing dead on plan 3.  

Leo quickly asked the boy what he wanted.  "An x-box 1!" said the boy.  Leo gave him the gold to buy an x-box 1 and started running.  That was when a second snot-nosed girl grabbed him!  

Leo asked what she wanted.  "A barbie!" she exclaimed.  Leo gave her the gold to buy a barbie and then ran even faster back to where his village was celebrating.

When the whole village asked him where he had been, he told them his harrowing story.  At first they all thought he was crazy!  When he finally got them to believe, they were flabbergasted and then started laughing with frivolity.  Leo felt sheepish.

The End

Some other things I did during week 11, include:

• Learned about the Spring Equinox (it's officially spring y'all!).
• Started to learn about the Three Branches of US Government.
• Explored a new book about Ben Franklin and science.
• Learned about stocks, bonds, and investments with my Dad.
• Filmed 4 scenes in my stop motion book report.
• Completed a lot of iXL math and language arts.

Happy Spring!

Ollie and Mom - Out

Fox Brothers BBQ - Review

Last weekend we went to Fox Brothers BBQ, in Atlanta.  We went with my Aunt and Uncle and it was a 40 to 1:30 minute wait!  We decided it would be best for all the kids to go home and swim while my dad and uncle waited for the BBQ.  When they got home everyone was excited to eat the BBQ.  It was sooo good!  It was probably the best BBQ I have ever had. I will list all the food items I had: Ribs, mac and cheese, beef brisket, pulled pork, and chicken.  My two favorites were the mac and cheese and beef brisket.  After it was all gone, I felt as if I were going to go into a food coma because I ate so much!

If you're in Atlanta, and you like BBQ, try Fox Brothers.  It's rated one of the best in the countries by many critics.  Be prepared for a long wait, bad parking (says my mom), but amazing BBQ!

Here's the link to all of their awards:
Fox Bros BBQ Awards and Press

Here's a link to their website:
Fox Bros BBQ

Ollie and Fox Bros - Out

A Library Like President Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was an avid reader.  He collected thousands of books about hundreds of subjects throughout his life.  His books were lost to fire several times, but he kept buying and refurbishing his collection.  

During the war of 1812, the British burned the Library of Congress.  Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his collection of nearly 6,500 books to the Library for a minimum amount.  Today the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. 

I am also an avid reader.  But I prefer fiction, fantasy, and adventure.  If I were to donate books to the Library of Congress, here are the ones I would contribute:

1.  Harry Potter - The Complete Series by J. K. Rowling.
Genre: Fiction and Fantasy
A young boy discovers he is a famous wizard.  The series is about his adventures at wizarding school, and how he and his friends save the world from evil.

2. Percy Jackson the Complete Series by Rick Riordan.
Genre: Fiction and Fantasy
This series is about a boy who finds out he is a demigod and goes to a camp called Camp Half Blood. Later in the series he and his demigod friends need to stop the Titans from taking over the earth.

3. The Heros Of Olympus the Complete Series by Rick Riordan.
Genre: Fiction and Fantasy
This series is about seven demigods Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Frank, Hazel, Jason, and Leo. They need to save the world from the Titans and the Giants.

4. Game Changers, Play Makers by Mike Lupica.
Genre: Fiction
This book is about a boy who loves to play sports with his friends.  Everyone thinks he is the best until the new kid comes. 

5.  The Maze Runner by James Dashner.
Genre: Science Fiction and Action
This book is about a boy who had his memory taken away from him, just like all the other boys in the Glade.  That is until the first girl comes and changes everything, eventually giving the boys hope that they can escape the Glade.  

6.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Genre: Science Fiction and Action
This book is about a girl named Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers (to save her sister) to go into the games where there are 24 kids her age who have to fight to the death for the entertainment of the Capitol.

7.  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.                                             
Genre: Science Fiction and Adventure
After the games, Katniss Everdeen thought she was going to live a free life for winning the games, until the president says that for the the 75th Hunger Games, 24 victors will be chosen to go back in the games.

8.  Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen.
Genre: Historical Fiction
 When 13 year old, Samuel, comes back from the woods to his village, he discovers it's been burned down.  He goes on a journey to rescue his mom and dad from the Redcoats, and becomes involved in the American Revolution.

9. George Washingtons Socks by Elvira Woodruff.
Genre: Historical Fiction
This book is about a boy and his friends, and a tag-along sister, who travel back in time to the American Revolution and fight alongside the Patriots.

10.  George Washington's Spy by Elvira Woodruff
Genre: Historical Fiction
When Matt, Q, Tony, Hooter, Elizabeth, Lily, and Katie go back in time again, they all get split up.  Tony, Q, Matt, and Hooter get stuck with the Patriots, and Katie, Lily, and Elizabeth get stuck with a Loyalists family.  They struggle to get back together, and try to return to their own time.

11.  Geronimo Stilton by Elisabetta Dami.
Genre: Fiction
This book is about a mouse who is a reporter at the biggest newspaper in the world. In every book he goes on a new adventure.

12. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.
Genre: Fiction
This book is about a boy who is the only survivor of a plane crash.  All he has is his hatchet his mom gave him to survive in the wilderness. 

13. Baseball Card Series by Dan Gutman
Genre: Historical Fiction
This series is about a boy named, Joe Stosh, who can travel back in time through baseball cards.  Each book in the series is about a different baseball player and Joe's adventures in meeting them.  


Ollie, Mom, and Tom - Out

Sublime Donuts Review

Last weekend my family went up to Atlanta to see my aunt and uncle.  We decided to go to Sublime Doughnuts because we read it was rated one of the best doughnut shops in the country!!!  There are two Sublime Doughnuts - one in Atlanta and one in Bangkok.  Since my family is moving to Bangkok, we decided it would be fun to try both locations.

I got the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup doughnut.  This is what it looks like:

It was soooo delicious!!!  Very pricy though - $21 for 12 doughnuts!!  Here are the doughnuts my family ordered: Nutella, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Strawberry and Cream, Orange Cream, Chocolate Raspberry, Double Chocolate, Thin Mint, S'more, and Caramel Apple Fritter.

Don't those look good! Look at the bottom of the picture we took and you will see how much we liked the doughnuts.  My favorites were the S'more, Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, and Strawberry and Cream.  My least favorites were the Chocolate Raspberry, Orange Cream, and Caramel Apple Fritter. 

If you want to know more about Sublime, check out there website:

Sublime Doughnuts Website

See you next time,

Ollie and Sublime Doughnuts - Out