Stars and Wishes . . .

Star: I've gotten good marks in Math, E.L.A, Social Studies, but I need to improve in Science.


Star: My stuff is all organized so I never lose things but my locker's a mess!

My Wish: I want to organize my time more wisely so that I have my assignments and projects done sooner (that way I don't have to go crazy a day before the due date) so I have more free time.

Technological Discoveries!

Today I visited the following blogs: Little Ox, Bub's Baluba Blog, Jenna's Blog, Chelsea's Creative World, and Sara's Site of Stuff.


At Little Ox I learned that paper was invented over 2000 years ago by Ts'ai Lun in China. People back then would sometimes pound rags, roppes, and even old fishing nets into pulp to make good paper-making fibres. They also used the hemp plant or the inner bark of the mulberry tree for fibre.


At Bub's Baluba Blog I learned that flat glass mirrors were invented in 1291 by an exclusive group of artisans. These new glass mirrors gave clear and undistorted reflections so that people could see themselves more clearly.


At Jenna's Blog I learned that glasses were invented in Italy around 1281 by Salvino D'Armate.


At Chelsea's Creative World I learned that the pocket watch was invented in the 16th century (1510) by Peter Helein, a master locksmith who's from Nuremburg, Germany.


At Sara's Site of Stuff I learned that the pencil was invented 1795 although graphite was discovered 1564 in Borrowdale, England. The wooden pencil was invented by Nicholas Jacques Conte.

The Caravel

The caravel (a light sailing ship) was invented in the late 1400s by the Portuguese. They were built to explore along the West African Coast and into the Atlantic Ocean.  It was an improvement of older ships and could sail very fast and well into the wind. Caravels were smaller and lighter then the later made Spanish Galleons (which were made in the 1500s). The ship’s thick planking on the hull replaced thinner and less adequate planking. They were broad-beamed ships that had two or three masts with square and triangular sails (which are called lateens). Caravels were about 65 feet long and could carry lots of cargo (around 130 tons)          

Sources:

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/inventors/page/c/caravel.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caravel

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~vaucher/Genealogy/Documents/Asia/Ships/caravel.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.iro.umontreal.ca/~vaucher/Genealogy/Documents/Asia/asiaShips.html&usg=__9bxbLSv0ePCtXxFWQq3QJtt_5FU=&h=600&w=690&sz=100&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=mgKS1XwPSZ48RM:&tbnh=156&tbnw=174&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcaravel%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Dactive%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D791%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C237&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=992&vpy=346&dur=593&hovh=209&hovw=241&tx=173&ty=151&ei=JBztTP3TNsqmnAeE2vneAQ&oei=JBztTP3TNsqmnAeE2vneAQ&esq=1&page=1&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:23,s:0&biw=1276&bih=791

                            



All About Me!

Journal,

                        The very first thing you should know is that this is a journal; not a diary. So don’t except any girly secrets about crushes or other stuff. Today is my birthday and this journal was given to me as a present from my parents. I have a feeling that mom wants me to write my feelings in here but she’s going to be rather disappointed. Because this journal will just be used as a record of my life. So that when I grow up I can see how stupid and immature I was back when I was thirteen.

            It’s March; the muddiest month of the year. I hate March;  the snow has just begun to melt and it’s filthy outside. To make everything worse the Music Festival is also in March. The Music Festival is a series of weeks where people who play instruments compete against others who have the same instrument and level. I play grade 9 piano and it’s not easy. As the levels go up competition gets really fierce. So in the end we’re all tackling each other for first place. But thankfully I don’t have to compete today. I need time to relax,  after all it’s my birthday.

            Another thing filthy in March is my dog Puffy. Puffy loves to run around in the yard and she always gets super muddy. I started off just wiping the floor where she made her muddy paw prints but now I don’t even bother. Right when she gets back from going crazy in the yard I just throw her in the bath tub for a wash.

                       

            March is also busy season. At school everyone is frantically trying to finish science fair projects while getting ready for unit tests. If the teachers gave us any more work I’d collapse. The only things I enjoy in this messed up season are my friends and family.

            I have a very small family; just the three of us Mom, Dad, and I. For a small family we are quite lively; Dad is always laughing and joking and Mom is her motherly self. Adding all my pets we are louder than ever. My friends are just as loud, probably even louder. We have lots of fun at school though we always get into trouble (unintended of course). Another part of my life are my teachers. The teacher’s at Acadia are always supportive and they teach us of lots of useful things. I know it’s for our own good but students can live with less homework for a while.

I also have many hobbies. I love hanging out with friends and playing with Puff. There’s also of lots of books to I like to read and movies I enjoy viewing. But for now I’m too busy to do any of them. Hobbies, family, and friends make up my happy world. So my birthday wish is this: I wish that everything will stay like this, happy and together.