Form: Pet Rats?

Holiday Persuasive - Video Games for Presents?

   Many people, if they were asked the question, "What do you want for Christmas?", would answer, "Oh, I want this video game.", or "I really want this electrical appliance." But is it worth it to buy these expensive devices?

    First of all, games and game systems can be quite  expensive, such as that new X-Box Kinect on the market. It costs about $300, while good toys can cost only about $20. Most children's books cost even less than $20 dollars, and you can get some really good craft sets for about $25. And the best part about many of these less costing gifts is that they aren't as "brain numbing" as video games, and they can provide fun or relaxation, without a kid having to play through countless violent "adventures".

   But some video games can be rather healthy, such as Wii fit and tha dancing game franchises. These games provide you with a great workout! There are also games that can help you learn, like My Japanese Coach and Personal Piano Teacher for Nintendo DS. But then again, these games can be rather repetitve, and that can lead to the child wanting something like one of those bloody shooting games to "amp it up a little".

     So, It's your choice: what do you want or will buy for Christmas? Video games... Or not?

Dear Santa,








You have always been the hero of Christmas, and without you, Christmas wouldn’t be the holiday some kids, like me, strongly treasure. You have always given kids the toys they dreamed of, and most importantly, something to believe in.The Christmas gift I’m wishing you’ll give me is any remote-controlled Air Hogs helicopter or airplane. With all my hard work in 2010, in school or out of school, I feel that I deserve to get the toy that I have always wanted as a reward.


I have been interested in airplanes, helicopters, and their valiant pilots for a long time. In fourth grade, I did a project on Amelia Earhart, and I learned how brave you had to be to just casually hop into an airplane and start it up and get flying. Later, in fifth grade, I was rather surprised to find out that one of my favorite authors, Roald Dahl was a fighter pilot in World War II before his writing career. These are two heroes of my life, Amelia Earhart and Roald Dahl, and they both led me to my fascination in airplanes and helicopters.


As you may know, some toys prove to be more durable than others, and this can be quite frustrating. On my eleventh birthday, I got a flying pterodactyl made of soft foam. The minute I tried flying it, my piloting “skills” failed me, the pterodactyl crashed right into a wall, and the propeller broke off like it was glued to the tail with a tiny dot of Elmer’s Glue. Air Hogs helicopters and airplanes are made of sturdy plastic, and they offer more control over the aircraft, so there is less of a risk of the toy crashing into something, and even if it crashes, the helicopter/airplane wont momentarily break down and tumble to the floor in a million pieces.


Learning to fly and control a mini airplane/helicopter could also help me get better at hand-eye coordination, because I would have to learn to look at the airplane/helicopter’s position in the air, and almost instantaneously make adjustments with the controller. Learning to fly the airplane/helicopter would also provide me with a fun activity to do in my free time, and would replace watching television or playing computer games.


Even though it seems almost impossible, I believe that you will be able to deliver all the gifts you have been getting ready this year to all the happy girls and boys who wanted them, and I ask you not to forget to come to our house this year. If there were no presents under our Christmas tree this year, my little brother would throw a tantrum.






Alisa Lytvyn

Dwarf Video

The History of The Dwarf - Part One

    In third grade, my friend Zachary invented a little origami creature called a dwarf. The most interesting part about the origami dwarf was that it could open and close its mouth when you pulled on its ears. Almost as soon as Zachary brought a dwarf into school, people started asking if they could have one, and in only two days, dwarves were in high demand.
 
     The first dwarf ever made was called Smiley, and he was about as big as a small- sise water bottle. My first dwarf was the second dwarf ever made, a normall size dwarf (about two inches tall and having a earspan of about two and one half inches, made from a regular post- it note), and colored bright red, so I named him Pepperoni. After Smiley and Pepperoni, I forgot all the other dwarves, because so many people were ordering them. Soon, people even started making shops where you could buy special items like dwarf beds, food, houses, and even pizza! Everything was going along perfectly, until the most traumatizing and scary expirience in third grade happened: someone stole Mrs. Ulrichs best pens.

     That frightfull day, there was a great silence in the classroom. Mrs. Ulrich told us all that tomorrow, she would let us all go into the classroom, one by one, so that the perpetrator could put the pens back and not be seen by their classmates. However, the pens were not returned, and Mrs. Ulrich had to call the police. We know now that Mrs.Ulrich knows who was responsible, but nobody in the class ever knew.

    This long period of solemn gloom and worry was just like The Great Depression for all dwarf related buisness: Mrs. Ulrich started being extra disciplinned, and the long period of sadness was enough to stop the fun loving dwarf club from going on until summer break.

Next Time: What was The Bonner Massacre? What Happened To The Dwarf Population Next?

Thansgiving: Who Should We Thank?

  What most people know about Thanksgiving is only that it's traditional to eat turkey. Now if you said that on a history test, you would automaticaly get the teacher to start screaming at you, if they were as paranoid as Mrs. Patalano. Here are some facts that I dug up on thanksgiving that might give you a passing grade on a middle school "What is Thanksgiving" test:

           Thanksgiving originated way back from 1863, when the pilgrims first sailed to America in the Mayflower.That year, there was a bountiful harvest, due to the help and advice the Indians were giving the Pilgrims, so the Pilgrims decided to celebrate. They used the surplus of food to make a feast, and invited the Indians who gladly accepted to oin in on the festivities.

   Now that feast was the mother of all feasts! There was plenty of tasty food, the kids played games all day long, and, best of all, the whole party lasted for four whole days!!!

Everyone out there, Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

What I Am Thankful For

  As we all know, thanksgiving is drawing ever closer. This time on blogger, I decided* to reflect on what I am thankful for.

   I am thankful for many things, such as my friends and family. I am thankful for my mom and dad because they take care of me, and they do a good job of it. My little brother Alex is another thing I'm thankfull for, because without him, I wouldn't have anybody to completely pulverise in pillow fights.

   I am also thankfull for my friends Zachary and Akash. I am thankfull that they are my friends, because Zack and I share a lot of interests and really understand each other, and Akash is the mushroom, or the "fungi".

   One Halloween night, I was lying awake in bed, trying to fall asleep. I wondered what the next day would be like, the day I counted and sorted all the candy that I didn't eat tonight. Suddenly, I heard a noise outside of my room.

   The noise stopped, but then it started again. I could hear it more clearly now. It sounded like somebody was slashing at the door with a long knife. I shuddered in bed, but the more I ignored it, the noise only got louder and louder... And then I heard someone wailing right next to the door. I couldn't go to sleep, so I decided to try to face my fear. I opened the door...

   There was no one there. I was about to close the door, but then, I saw a pair of yellow eyes in the hall way. It was my cat Chucha! So it was he who was haunting me all night! I opened the door a little wider and let Chucha in. "What a relief!", I said to myself. "It was just the cat!"

     Have a happy Halloween!!!

Hello, Hedgehog

    When you see a hedgehog, you probably think it's a wild, undomesticatable animal- I mean, look at those spines! One of those getting into your hand = major problem!

    But hedgehogs can actually be domesticated! People who were not scared of getting occaisonally poked by sharp quills (a hint that your hedgehog is in a bad mood) and wanted to make some money started capturing wild hedgehogs, picking out the most calm and obidient, training them and breeding them to domesticate them. Eventually, they succeded, and hedge hogs were introduced to the small pet world.
Nowadays, hedgehogs are still pretty rarely found as pets. I, having knoledge of most small pets, was very surprised to walk into the small animal vet building and seeing that they sold hedgehog food.

   If you want a hedgehog of your own, then you will be surprised at what great pets they are! If you are nice to your hedgehog, it will even flatten its quills along its body so you can pet it! But to keep your hedgehog happy, you would need to feed it 1 1/2 tablespoons of hedge hog food ( you can find it on the internet ) and a bug or two ( mealworms, crickets and ecceterra all can be found in Petco or Petsmart). Hedgehogs love to roam, so it's best to get one if you don't have any other animals in the house, or even better, you can spare a room. Im not an expert on hedgehogs though, so it's best to buy a manual before driving off to buy a hedgehog.

   If you want to see hedgehogs in action, you can watch the video on the top of this arcticle: Boogie Boogie Hedgehog!!!

Why Patriotism Stil Matters

 

Think about this: what if we had lost our freedom in any of the wars our country has fought in? America wouldn't be anything like what it is today. We would either be ruled by king or emperor, who could do whatever they wanted to us, rather than a president who we knew would make the right choices.

Only with our burning patriotism we could have won all those wars, including the current victory in Iraq. Because many people wanted to prove their patriotism, we now have a great Army, Navy, and Air Force. Does patriotism still matter? To many of us, apparently it does.

What helped our troops survive and urged them to keep fighting? Their children and families, sending food, pictures, letters, stories, and anything else that they thought would convince the soldiers that even in times of doubt, there is still something worth fighting for. This is pure patriotism: doing anything we can to keep our army people fighting for our country, and maybe for other countries too.

Patriotism is true belief in our country and that with our help,America will always survive times of hardship,and that we can protect ourselves from anything that happens. When disasters hit, patriotism keeps us believing, and because we believe, it's easier to face the troubles we come across.

When you try to reach a goal, it's easier to reach if you believe you can. That's how patriotism helps us: when we start believing, it is easier for us to survive the meanest of wars and the worst natural disasters. You might think it's impossible, but patriotism, just a bit of belief, can help us do amazing things!

So does patriotism still matter? I think it does. A new disaster or war could spring up at any moment, but if we have patriotism, America will prevail. Patriotism is a simple but amazing thing,which helps us through all the tragic points of history, can start simply by one person trying to help. So choose now. When it is time for our country, America to face more hardships, will you prove that you have patriotism? The question isn't “Can you help?”, it's “Will you help?”!

Reflecting on Ralph Fletcher

       Here are some of my opinions about two of Ralph Fletcher's short stories:

   When he wrote "It was just a cheap BIC, the kind with a clear barrel so you could see how much ink was left in the cartridge.", he was using descriptive language. I could actually imagine how the pen would look like!This was a really good closing sentence for First Pen.

   In Last Kiss, he wrote "Even though I was confused, one thing seemed clear-- my father and I had drifted away from each other in a small but important way, a way that I couldn't explain, not even to myself.". This was very deep emotion, and I think he wanted to get it out somehow, so he wrote a story.

   Ralph Fletcher is a great writer, and he must inspire many people to write great narratives!

  

Gerbils - Always Great Pets, Always Overlooked.

   When you want to buy a small pet, what pets do you think of?
We all know the answer - guniea pigs, hamsters, and chinchillas, the rodents that everyone wants. But what about the other small pets, like rats, ferrets, mice, gerbils? Rats and ferrets are talked about as if they are pests, with mice sliding into the conversation here and there. But people rarely ever know anything aboyt gerbils.

    Most people think that like many other rodents, that gerbils are nocturnal. this isn't true. Gerbils react to seeing something move in the enviorment around them, so they will wake up when you normally wake up, so they'll adjust to your normal schedule very quickly, and they wont be sad without another gerbil in the cage.
 

   Gerbils are the perfect small pet for children! Whether or not they are frequently handled, they do not really care, and they leave small amounts of feces and pee, so their cages are easy to clean. The gerbil is the perfect pet fo someone who wants a small pet but doesn't like hairless and scaly tails, because the tail of a gerbil is covered in fur.

    Gerbils are great pets, and you should really give that nice little gerbil alone in the petstore cage a chance in your house, because once you're friends, his life will be a lot better!

The Rapid Growth of Bugs

     Today, on my way back from gym, I saw a crowd of students, looking and pointing at a wall. When I looked at the top of the wall, I saw a praying mantis, and it was at least six inches long!

   What could have caused this giant bug to spring up? Could this gargantutar insect be the result of a mutation or some other cause? But as I came to the side of the school to wait for the bus a little later that afternoon, I saw a crowd gathered around another spectacle: another supersised bug, this time a cricket about two and a half inches long! But weirdest of all, the cricket was missing a leg. This points to the idea of the cricket having a mutation.

   But how could it be possible- two mutated bugs, at the same time, in the same area? Then, another idea creeped into my head: could global warming be causing the smaller insect species to grow? That would be a reasonable explanation, because bugs flourish in warm weather, and this afternoon was warmer than normal. I even saw a monarch butterfly flying around outside, dancing in the breeze while it should have already migrated to Mexico! We can only guess what is happenning, or if it will get worse. Lets all hope that in ten years, we wont have crickets the size of cars!

How I Got Interested In Small Pets

The first time I saw my friend Zachary's pet guinea pig, I felt like I really wanted to know more about that cute little fluffball. At that moment, my small animal craze had just begun. I started reading all types \of small animal books and magazines I could get my hands on! But then I realized why I was doing all of this reasearch: I wanted a small pet, like Zachary's guinea pig, Peebo.

   To get a small pet, I would first need to decide on which pet to buy. First, I thought of getting a guinea pig, like Peebo, but then I came across an arcticle about how rats can be trained to do really fun tricks, and that they have a great ability to love. I started to read more about pet rats, and I found plenty more reasons to get a pair of female rats. So I asked my parents if they could buy me a pair of rats. It was a long debate, but my parents finally made up their minds when they saw that my A.S.K. scores were good enough.

   We went to the pet store, and we selected two young rat sisters, and named the black hooded rat Kusa, and the gray rat with a white belly Peeka. And as two sisters got a new home, I got the best pair of small pets that I could ever imagine. I never really stoped learning about rats, because if you have a pet, you learn more about them every day.

Birds And Squirells Go Into Overdive

    Today, when I went into my backyard, my day started off with a nut hitting me on the head. I looked at the nut and found that half of it had been bitten off, so I looked up. As soon as I looked into the trees of our yard, I saw squirells which were throwing down nuts like crazy, and birds who were flying from tree to tree, branch to branch. In fall, squirells go into food gathering overdrive as they prepare for winter, so don't be surprised to come outside and find a bunch of half-chewed nuts falling on your head. The squirells must store the good nuts and throw down the bad nuts in hope that theyll grow into trees,

    Now the birds, they go crazy in fall! As soon as it's October, the male blackbirds start their mating displays up in the trees, hoping that a female will be impressed. Impressing a female is hard for a blackbird, because the girls will spend hours choosing, by which time most of the males will have given up.

      Do you have interesting displays of real animal incstincts in your backyard? Send an Email to me about it and your arcticle will be posted here! Just remember to tell me your first name only so you and only you will get credit! My Email adress is
metherat@Gmail.com.

Rats: dirty pests or clean pets?

Rats have been getting a bad rap for eons of time. For example, what do we call a dirty liar? Thats right, a rat. And isn't "ratting someone out a synonym for tattling on somebody? I am here to prove a few points and bust some myths told by people who are woefully ignorant. If you say that rats are dirty and unclean, you have just never watched a rat licking its pelt every few minutes, cleaning itsself just like your favorite animals: cats. I have seen my pet rats  my pet rats, Laura and Kusa being their "little lady' selves, washing and brushing their fur as if they were little fashionistas! Another great myth about my furry little friends is that rats "brought the Black Death to Europe". It wasn't the rats that brought the Black Death, it was the fleas on the rats! The fleas that were taking rides on a rats pelt gave the rat the disease, and when the rat died, the fleas found a new host: either a rat or a human.
   The reason I'm a rat fanatic is that rats are very curious and loving. Does your cat care about what that shirt on the floor smells like? Will a cat carefully investigate the shirt and find out where you bought it, when did you last wear it, and what you had for lunch? A young rat is like a little child: curious about everything they see.

                         Next blog will be another small pet arcticle, but a different pet is featured every time I post!

The Gym Locker Thief

In the girls locker room of my middle school, there is a mystery that remains yet unsolved.
I have heard about how a girl who left her gym clothes in a locker without a lock on it, only to find that it was gone on the next day! I am suspecting that it is a group of eighth graders "playing jokes" on all of the new sixth graders. I wish to publicaly ask them to stop, because who would like their clothing stolen? As some advice, I would ask people to only leave their gym clothes in their gym locker!  Lets hope that the criminals are caught before they steal any thing else.

Evidence of Owls Near Lincoln Elementary School

   First of all, I want to give a big "hip hip horray" to Zachary, blogger of the week in my middle school and also one of my best friends. To let you all know, im new to blogging, and this first post may not be as good as some others.

   For any of you who live in Edison, I believe there's an owl in that area. The first sighn that told me of an owl here was a dead mouse ( poor little creature) that I found while walking. As I looked at the tiny little corpse, I saw that it had been pierced by large talons, possibly those of an owl. That night, I heard owl hoots in the distance, but the next night, it was back to normal again. Maybe the owl was just passing through. I just wish that it could have stayed here longer, because I wanted to try and find it. I wonder if the owl was migrating, or why would it be going here?