My Ideal World

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In my Language Arts class, we read The Last Cuentista and we had to imagine our own ideal world. It is no mystery to anyone around me that yellow is my favorite color. That is why in my ideal world, Planet Flavum (meaning yellow in Latin) everyone and everything is yellow. We created these books by imprinting different designs and collaging, we created our own ideal world books. If you want to dive deeper into this yellow world of wonders, read my story which explains everything about my ideal word!

Planet Flavum

By: Julia

Location: Galaxy Colorum

“Beep, Beep, Beep,” I wake to my blaring alarm. Golden sunshine filters through my window, warming my face. I smell my favorite breakfast cooking in the kitchen, flavo pulchritudinis, a traditional dish to my people. I live on Planet Flavum, the third planet in Galaxy Colorum. Each planet represents a color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Every planet circles our sun, Album Vita, or as we call it, The Great Start of Vita. Here on planet Flavum, everything is yellow. I know what you might be saying. “All yellow? Like, everything?” And the short answer is yes, everything is yellow.

I live in the capital city of Planet Flavum, Flavo Spe. After finishing my heaping flavo pulchritudinis dish, I head to school. In Galaxy Colorum, all schooling is free. We start school at age three and end at fifteen. Each school day is ten hours with nine classes: math, language arts, science, arts, physical education, garden, history, communication, and survival. I know ten hours of school must seem like a lot, but remember that each day is thirty hours total with fifteen hours of night. Everyone gets twelve hours of sleep minimum each night. Alert from all the sleep I got, I jumped into my pod and headed to school.

Ten hours later, I walked out of school, happy but tired. I jump into my pod and begin the ride home. On our planet, the trees grow tall, and flowers are everywhere. Wildlife is an extremely important part of my people’s culture. I like to watch the scenery through the glass bottom of my pod on the way home. Our pods are bean-looking contraptions that fly through the air without giving off any gasses. And no, this isn’t advanced technology. The pods grow on a species of tree, the genus Arboris, which can grow three hundred feet tall, one of our smaller species of tree.

I keep observing the landscape as we fly over my favorite spot. In the center of our capital city, a giant tree stands. It is the centerpiece of our existence and the very roots of our ancestors. Over thirty thousand feet tall, this tree towers over even our largest trees. With branches extending hundreds of feet outward and leaves bigger than a person, this tree is fit for its name, The Great Yellow Spirit, or as we call it, Flavo Spirtu.

Flavo Spirtu is our planet’s “Spiritus Radices,” or Spirit Roots. Each planet in our galaxy has a place most spiritually connected to the people. This can be anything. On Planet Rubrum, there is a volcano, Red Spirtus. Flavo Spirtu, our Spiritus Radices, has provided and supported our people for millennia.

Not only this, but Flavo Spirtu has also chosen a leader for our planet every decade. The person chosen is called the “Spiritus Carrier,” and they unite with the other planets’ leaders every other year in the Color Testimonii, a meeting to discuss matters of importance. Our planet is run on Daoism, where fewer laws are in play, and the government lets its citizens live peaceful, happy lives in harmony. We follow the Dao and flow with the natural way of life. The leader of Planet Flavum doesn’t install many rules because doing something wrong comes with natural consequences.

Our current leader is Flavo Capite, a woman who has led our planet into light and hope. Every time the gender of the ruler switches, both genders have an equal number of leaders who have ruled our planet.

Our planet treats men and women equally, with no restrictions to either. My people have equal rights for all genders, races, and religions. There is zero tolerance for discrimination anywhere, anytime. We treat each other with love, respect, and care. Everyone has a flavo anima or yellow soul. Our spirit and soul lead us to a joyful and carefree life. Everyone’s flavo anima is connected to Flavo Spirtu, the giver of my people’s souls and minds. My people are spiritually connected to the land and other people because of the origin of the seven planets.

Planet Flavum’s core is said to have once been a sad and depressed spirit named Tertio Tristitiae. When Tertio Tristitiae saw the magical light of The Great Star of Vita, it was filled with happiness, transforming it into Planet Flavum. This happened to all seven spirits with different emotions, turning them into the seven planets that now orbit The Great Star of Vita. The Great Star of Vita is said to be the spirit of light and joy, named Vita. This spirit was one of the most powerful in the universe. Other stars got jealous of this immense power and banded together. When Vita passed through Galaxy Colorum, the other stars created a net, winding together, catching Vita, and trapping it in Galaxy Colorum. But, despite being betrayed and trapped, Vita didn’t want revenge. Instead, Vita, now the Great Star of Vita, wanted to help other lost spirits see the light of goodness. Not only has the Great Star of Vita helped spirits and their inhabitants, but it has also encouraged comets that fly by the Galaxy to calm down and proceed to a happy and joyful life. This historical event was named Vide Lumen, or “See the Light.”

Some may say that yellow is an obnoxious color, but yellow has brought enthusiasm and joyfulness to our people for thousands of years. As I slip under my yellow blankets, I look at the beautiful golden sunset basking the world in its auburn rays. You might say that yellow is annoying and might even say it burns your eyes. But one day, I know that you will realize that yellow is the best color of all.

Hamster Care

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Many people don’t think much about hamsters. They mostly think “Oh, it’s so small, it can just live in a tiny cage.” This turns out to be completely false! So I’m going to talk to you about proper hamster care.

The first topic I will cover today is a hamster cage. One important factor to keep in mind is that unlike humans, hamsters don’t have the  luxury to leave their cage when they want to. For them, their cage is quite literally their entire world.  When picking out a hamster cage you will want to make sure that the hamster cage is at least 10 inches deep to provide enough room for bedding and enrichment (I will get to that later). Additionally, your hamster cage needs at least 400 square inches of floor space (the space that your hamster can walk on).  These cages do get pricy and can be anywhere from $200-$400.

Keep in mind that if you’re not willing to spend this (and even more), maybe you shouldn’t get a hamster. Remember, pets are a luxury, and no one is forcing you to get a hamster.

Another extremely crucial part of hamster care is bedding. In the wild, hamsters are burrowing animals, and will create deep and intricate underground tunnels. This means that you will need to provide your hamster with a safe bedding that can hold a hamsters burrows. You must include AT LEAST six inches of bedding! Ten inches and up would be better. If your hamster is already three inches thick it can not burrow in four inches of bedding! Bedding will add up over time and can cost anywhere from $200-$300. This is another factor in hamster care that is absolutely necessary.

Hamster wheels are also an essential when considering a hamster for a pet. Hamster wheels are important because in the wild hamsters can run three to five miles each night! When picking out a hamster wheel, make sure that your hamster wheel is at least eight inches for a Dwarf hamster and ten inches for a Syrian hamster. Wheels are a one time purchase item and can cost $20-$50.

Hamsters need to saw down their teeth, and need things to entertain! Hamster chews will do just that. You can buy safe hamster treats online for cheap or you can DIY them. A hamster will be just as happy with a toilet paper tube and a piece of cardboard. Also, there are lots of DIY hamster toys online. Since you can use cardboard for your hamster, toys will only cost you 0$-20$.

Another hamster product that you need for your hamster are substrates. What are substrates? Substrates are different textures like coco fiber, coco chips, beach ships, aspen shavings, hemp shavings, and more. One substrate that is 100% necessary is sand. What is a hamster going to do with sand? Giving your hamster a sand bath will allow them to clean themselves. Unlike most animals, hamsters should NEVER be washed with water. Washing your hamster with water will remove the natural oils from their coat and make them stressed. Instead, give your hamster a sand bath. They will roll around and dig in the sand which will clean them. Adding other substrates like mentioned before will provide your hamster with new textures and smells to explore. Like sand, your hamster will roll around and dig in the different substrates. After adding these all up, this could reach anywhere from $50-$100.

Obviously, your hamster has to eat. But something many people don’t know about hamsters is that they are omnivores, meaning that they need animal proteins to survive. The best way to provide your hamster with animal proteins is to mix in dried mealworms in their seed mix. Speaking of seed mixes, in the wild, hamsters will eat a variety of seeds. Sadly, very few store bought hamster seed  mixes have a wide enough variety, but some seed mixes on eBay do. Another thing to consider when feeding your hamster is that they will need a fresh fruit or vegetable at least once a week. Overall, a hamsters food can cost $30-$70.

I hope that you have learned something about hamster care! If you are considering getting a hamster, I highly recommend watching Victoria Raechel. She owns hamsters, and I wouldn’t know how to take care of my hamster if it wasn’t for her!

 

Comic

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Wisdom tales are very important. They teach us useful lessons that you can use in real life. In our Language Arts class, we read a couple dozen wisdom tales, and were told to pick one and make it into a comic. I chose a wisdom tale from Greece, called Antlers. In the story Antlers a stag is unhappy with the appearance of his legs and  he praises his antlers and wishes that he could hide his legs. Suddenly, a hunter sprang out of the forest! The stag tried to run away, but his antlers got stuck in a tree. Finally, he wiggles free! He escapes the hunter and realizes that his legs are useful! The moral for this story is everything has a purpose. This is a very important lesson that can be used in real life! After we chose our wisdom tale, we started to make a comic about the story that we chose.

To help us create our comics, our school had a professional artist, Brittan Peck, who specializes in comics, to give us advice. One thing that he told us was important was to give a perspective. Zooming in and out of view helps create interest. He also told us that the amount and size of the panells was important. Another tip that was important is when you are making a multiple page comic, to leave the reader in suspense on the last panel. This helps people really dive into your comic and stay hooked! Overall, Mr. Peck gave some amazing advice to help us in creating our comics.

To make my comic, I first used SketchBook to draw the pictures I wanted in my comic. Thankfully, this app has layers, which is helpful to draw multiple scenes in my story. Then, I used ComicLife3 to take my pictures and make a comic. ComicLife3 easily allows me to customize the background and add speech bubbles. If you are interested in making a comic, definitely go with these two apps!

All things considered, the process of creating my comic was fun and engaging. I definitely learned a lot. From using an app to learning morals for life, I took a lot away from this project! Thanks for your time, and make sure to comment!

 

Plank Challenge

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Are daily habits actually helpful? Well, I’m here to tell you that even just a small task each day can help you immensely. For a couple weeks my Language Arts class has been doing a plank every day, adding 15 seconds each week. We started at 30 seconds, but by the time we ended, we got up to 2 min and 15 seconds. This challenge seems hard at first, but from this challenge I learned that it is all about your mindset. If you tell yourself, “I can’t do this, this is too hard,” then it will become true. On the other hand, if you tell yourself, “I can do this, this is easy” then that will be the outcome. 

At first, this challenge was, well, challenging! It was hard to keep up with it every day. During this challenge I asked myself, is it really worth it? In the end, I knew that this challenge would have benefits so I tried my best to keep up with it. With the help of my sister, who joined me in this challenge, we reminded each other to do the plank, and we ended up doing it every day! 

From this experience I have decided to make my bed every morning. Even though this is not as hard as the plank challenge was, it is still helpful. I have found that making my bed every morning is just a small chore that can improve my mood. When I get home from school or sports, having my bed already made, just makes me feel more calm and collected. Also, when I enter my room and see my bed made, it feels welcoming. This is just one of the many daily habits that can change your life!

Getting to Know Me as a Reader

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Image from Unsplash

I continue to read because I enjoy diving into books and seeing a whole new world. The most recent book I have read is The Good Earth. I love this book because it is a historical fiction book that helps me learn more about ancient China, while letting the author take me on an adventure. Reading is difficult for me when the book I’m reading isn’t quite capturing my attention, and I easily get distracted. On the other hand, when the book is amazing and nothing in the world can distract me, then I can read extremely well. When it comes to reading I consider myself to be a pretty good reader. My only problem with reading is that sometimes I have trouble reading a wide range of different genres, so I’m trying to have more of a diverse spectrum of genres. My favorite genres include dystopian (futuristic fantasy), fiction, and historical fiction. Reading is one of my favorite leisure activities. It provides me with a sense of calm that nothing else can replicate. Since I love to read, I usually read outside of school for pure enjoyment. To find out the best option of what to read next, my first choice is always my sisters. My sisters also share a strong fondness of reading and are always full of spectacular book recommendations. If you would like to read one of their recommendations too, try reading The Good Earth!

Window or Mirror?

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I am reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer. This is a dystopian novel. I chose this book because it is an adventure through the future. This book is a window for me. A window book is a book that you are learning about and have not had a close connection with the story line. I often choose window books because in mirror book you have a connection to the book personally and usually there are similar events or characters. This is because I’m not very interested in reading a story that is similar to events in my life because I’m already living my life, so I don’t want to read about it. In all, I would recommend this book for a chance to look into an unimaginable world!

 

How to be a Energy Giver

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Being an energy giver is very important. It makes others feel better about themselves and if you are an energy giver you can also make yourself feel better! Here are some tips and tricks that you can use to make a positive environment wherever you go!

  • Don’t talk badly about others
  • Say hello 
  • Do kind gestures, (these can be big or small)
  • Be respectful to everyone and everything around you
  • Always think about what you are going to say and how it will make others feel
  • Include others

These are just some of the things that you can do to be an energy giver. There are lots of ways that you can make a positive impact on someone’s life. So today, I challenge you to do at least one thing from the list to become an energy giver!

Matched Book Review

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Overall, I really enjoyed reading the Matched series. These books kept me reading all through the night! Ally Connie took me on a wonderful journey through the future, traveling with both main perspectives. If you like a dystopian romance, this series is for you! In this book an impossible love triangle is at play. Cassie must find the hidden path to an improbable future with Ky, while Xander hides in the sideline longing for a life with Cassie.

Camp Kirkwood

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One day, all 100 6th graders all crammed into 3 buses and set off to camp. You see, this would have been a good thing IF there wasn’t a hurricane going straight for our destination.

When we got there, surprise, surprise!! It was raining. Hard. So we all went to our cabins and got settled.Then, we went to lunch, which was a strange concoction of cheese, bread and meat. We attempted to enjoy some activities outside and swim in the freezing pool, but our plan failed. After a long dreary and extremely wet day, everyone ate a dinner consisting of slimy noodles and a questionable sauce, and went to bed. 

The next morning the lake expanded from the rain, and it was STILL RAINING. For breakfast, we “enjoyed” ham that was similar to cardboard. When we finally finished a lecture on forest ecology, it stopped raining. Everyone was sent off onto a lake with four people, a canoe and little to no instructions. Thankfully my dad had sent me on canoeing adventures before, so I already knew how to properly steer the boat. Another activity we participated in was a zip line that went over a lake which I have to admit was pretty cool. After a meal of cold Mac and cheese, everyone went to bed. 

All in all, this camping trip was hysterically, hilariously not what I expected. I do think that this whole experience could have been better if they had just decided to reschedule it. Even though the zip line was fun and canoeing could be considered fun, I will need some convincing to do it a second time.

Find Your Jam!

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