Sample From November’s Issue

  Thanksgiving: the Symbol of November
Article by: Samantha, 13  from Arizona 
 
    Ah, the beginning of November. What comes to mind when you think of the month to come? Do you think of turkeys and pilgrim hats? Buckled shoes and pumpkin pies? If so, that can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is on its way!
 
A Brief History of Thanksgiving
 
Most people are taught that the pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving in 1621 and that it was celebrated every year since, but this is not true. Though it is possible that the pilgrims’ harvest-feast was the very first thanksgiving, the event was not repeated again until many, many years later. To the pilgrims, a thanksgiving was simply a religious day to thank God for a certain event (such as the good harvest in 1621) and was not a set annual day of celebration.
 
President Lincoln officially established the true national day of Thanksgiving in 1863. Though George Washington had proclaimed the holiday nearly a century earlier, some people were opposed to it…including the President-to-be Thomas Jefferson. It wasn’t until President Lincoln’s time when a woman named Sarah Josepha Hale campaigned to officially establish it that our modern day Thanksgiving was born.
 
At the Dining Table in 1621
 
What would it have been like to eat at the dinner table with the Pilgrims? It would have been much different from today, that’s for sure! They didn’t have forks, so they ate with just spoons and knives (and their fingers!) Salt would have been available on the table at the harvest feast, but pepper wouldn’t. Pepper was used for cooking, but not for sprinkling on their food. Cloth napkins were used to wipe hands, but also used to pick up hot food pieces.
 
What you ate in the seventeenth century depended on your social position. Important people had the best food placed next to them. Back then, instead of trying a little of everything on the table (like we do today), people ate what was closest to them.
 
It isn’t certain what the Pilgrims actually ate on their three days of harvest-feasting, but two items were definitely on the menu: venison and wild fowl.

 

The following are some other foods available to the Pilgrims that they may have eaten:
 
Seafood and Fish- Clams, eel, cod, and lobster
Wild fowl- Goose, duck, crane, swan, wild turkey, etc.
Meat- Venison and seal
Nuts- Acorns, walnuts, and chestnuts
Grain- Wheat flour and Indian corn
Fruit- Plums and grapes
Vegetables- Beans, lettuce, onions, radishes, carrots, peas, etc
And also some various seasonings and herbs.
 
Now you may notice some things missing from the list. Where was the pumpkin pie? The mashed potatoes? The milk and cider? Surely they must have had those at the very first Thanksgiving! Well, the truth is that the pilgrims were missing some key ingredients for such recipes. Sugar, butter, and oil were scarce, and they also didn’t have some of the necessary cooking utensils, such as ovens, for baking pies and things of that nature. Apples were not available, and some people even thought that potatoes were poisonous!

Sample From October’s Issue

More About Fairy Houses 

Anna, age 7 from Massachusetts 

 (continued from our August issue)
 

 

In September I went to the Fairy House Tour in Portsmouth, NH.  I liked meeting Tracy Kane, the author of the Fairy House books.  She even autographed her new book, Forest Secrets, for me!  It was fun to see all the different fairy houses people made, they gave me great ideas for making my own fairy houses.  At the end of the day I made a fairy house before I left.  I can’t wait until next year’s tour, I hope to participate in it. 

 

 

For more infomation on fairy houses please visit

www.fairyhouses.com

Sample From September’s Issue

 

 

 

  

 Fall,
A wonderful season for all.

 
A time of transition, a time of change,
A time for green to make an exchange,
With colors warm and inviting,
Oranges and yellows, the color of lightning.
Reds and browns in the mix too,
Show nature from a different point of view.
 
Fall,
A wonderful season for all.
 
Crunching beneath your feet,
Covering the paths up and down the street,
Announcing it’s almost time for long sleeves,
Appear greater and greater amounts of leaves.
You can rake them into a pile,
And jump in them with your own unique style.
 
Fall,
A wonderful season for all.
 
The year sure went by fast,
Before you knew it summer was in the past,
And here you wait for the rest to unfold,
Soon to come the Winter cold.
It is a time of transition, a time of change,
A time for the seasons to make an exchange.
 
Fall,
A wonderful season for all.

 By Homeschooling Kids Magazine Reporter Samantha, age 13  from Arizona 

Sample From July’s Issue

 

What’s Your Sport? 

Homeschoolers & Sports

  karate kayaking  baseball swimming

soccer rock climbing  football

 

What do you get when you combine a back catching baseball lover and a karate-kickin’ kid?  JESSE! Jesse started playing t-ball with the local little league three years ago, but it wasn’t until this year when he played catcher in the farm league that he really started to love baseball.  He agreed to play catcher because no one else on the team wanted to do it.  Suddenly, Jesse found his niche in the game!  He made it look so easy that several of his team members wanted to play that position.  They soon found that it wasn’t easy at all.  Jesse learned how to take a hit and keep on playing.  He got hit in the forearm and the shoulder many times.  Each time he told his dad, “I’m okay.  I can play.”  One time he got hit in the helmet with a fastball and saw stars, but he still wouldn’t quit!  Jesse attended a catcher’s camp offered by the local minor league team.  That prepared him for the fall baseball season.  Now he’s gearing up for a new spring season!!
 
            A little over a year ago, Jesse was a karate-chopping Ninja Turtle wannabe.  As his parents, we decided it was better for him to learn how to do it correctly so we signed him up for Little Dragon classes at Brian Mayes Karate.  We have gotten SO much more than we bargained for.  Jesse has advanced through 7 belts all the way to a gold belt.  He not only has learned self-defense moves, but he has learned character traits like respect and self-esteem.  At a tournament in the spring, Jesse won a 4-foot tall trophy!!  This October, Jesse was invited to join the Camo Club which is an elite group that gets the opportunity to do advanced techniques.  At his first Camo Club meeting, Jesse broke boards with his hand, foot and forearm.  At the Intermediate level that Jesse is currently in, he is required to practice on his days off, but the extra practice has really paid off.  In the next few weeks, Jesse will advance to the next belt.  Karate is a wonderful way for a homeschooler to do his PE.
 
            Jesse is only involved in these two sports. He tried soccer, but it wasn’t his thing.  He has no interest in playing football and only likes to play basketball for fun.  He commits all of his time, talent and energy to bettering his skills in baseball and karate.  We are very proud of him!
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Gymnastics Laina began gymnastics at eight and a half when she took a homeschooling fun class.  The teacher immediately moved her to the Homeschool Fun Gymnastics team and soon asked if Laina wanted to try out for the evening competition team.  Laina loved gymnastics and eagerly tried out and made the Xtreme Lee’s Summit Gymnastics team.  She began competing at level three and quickly moved up to level four.  She is now ten years old and competing at level five.  At that level, part of the beam routine is to do a cartwheel on the beam.  Laina won first place on the beam at her last meet!    Her team recently went to see Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin perform in the Gymnastic Superstars 2008.  Almost all day, you can find Laina turning cartwheels, improving flexibility by sitting in her splits or practicing new tumbling skills.  Gymnastics has not only helped Laina be strong physically, but it has also helped her confidence and willingness to try new things.  Laina is excited about improving her routines and moving on to level six soon.

 

As a young girl, Lexi played soccer and softball.  At age twelve, Lexi took a gymnastics class and worked hard to make the Homeschool Fun Gymnastics team where she competed at level three.  The next year, Lexi switched to trampoline when she tried out for and made the Xtreme Lee’s Summit Trampoline team.  Her first season begins this January, and she will compete at level six.   In January, Lexi will be fourteen, and she will also be coaching preschool and beginning gymnastics classes.  She is looking forward to trampoline meets and coaching.  For the past few years, Lexi has also taken ballet classes.  Last summer, she performed in A Wrinkle in Time with her ballet and modern dance classes.  In January, Lexi also begins en pointe.  When asked about being an athlete, Lexi said, “It makes me feel strong.”

 

Between gymnastics, trampoline and ballet, Lexi and Laina have practice every day but Sunday.  They both love conditioning, though they’d rather not run.  Sisters, they compete with each other to see who can do the most conditioning each week.  Last week, they decided to do spontaneous push ups and dropped in the middle of the aisle at the grocery store to do twenty push ups.  Most days, you can find them at the gym working out and training with team members. 

  

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  Kayaking   Nathaniel S. age 16, from MD. is an avid kayaker. He has kayaked for almost 6 yrs. now. He isn’t on a team, but kayaks with others including his mom, brother, sister, and a few friends. He does river kayaking and lake kayaking from clam to class 3 or 4 rapids. There are up to a class 5 rapids, sometimes there is not much difference between class 4 and 5 rapids.  Class 3, 4, and 5 rapids are considered extreme sports. He kayaks a lot in the Potomac River and Antietam Creek near where he lives. Depending on the time of year and amount of rainfall, these two rivers can be very fast moving and swift with many currents. In the spring when the snow melts and rains fall can be very exciting to kayak here but also can be very dangerous as well with class 5 rapids in places.
He also lake kayaks in Rocky Gap and Greenbrier State parks. He has helped a few others to learn how to do this sport.
     Nathaniel has been homeschooled for 7 years now and is on a 10th-11th grade level.
     Nathaniel also hikes sometimes. He hikes and backpacks on the Appalacian Trail. He has done backpacking and camping on the trail a few times. He and his mom try to hike together about 1 to 2 times per month.
He also hikes with other homeschoolers.
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Ahwatukee YMCA – Swim Team

Damin  from AZ answers…  
What is your favorite sport?
A: Snowboarding, though since moving to Arizona I don’t do it as much as I want. I like to go biking, fishing, skateboarding and swimming. When the weather is nicer, I am on the swim team at the Ahwatukee 

YMCA. I also love to build Knex carnival rides. I create my own rides, they are really neat.________________________________________________________

 

    

 

 

 My name is Chris, I am 11 years old and I play hockey for the Warriors in Colorado.  I play both forward and defense.  I have been skating since I was 3 years old.  I really love hockey and I have traveled all over Colorado.  I have also been to San Jose and will be going to Arizona for a tournament soon.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

Sample From June Issue

 View this month’s national issue by clicking below:

CLICK HERE TO VIEW

 

The Big Hunt:  A True Story

 

It all began when Sam, a thin, black lab with a beautiful, shiny coat and blue harness,
dashed past me and charged out the door.  He was loose in the neighborhood!
We started looking for him by riding in our blue van until we spotted him;
then, we got out of the van to chase him, two nine year olds, running up and down
the streets as he ran to every house, sniffing and marking his territory.
Every time we caught up with him, he charged toward us,
turning to run away before we could grab him.  He made it all the way to the highway! 
I almost cried because we were so scared he’d get hit by a car. 
I was relieved when he turned around and headed back into our neighborhood, but
I couldn’t believe that we were chasing a dog, rather than a dog chasing us!
At the top of a steep hill, he ran behind a green car and disappeared! 
We got back in the van to look around the entire neighborhood,
shouting out the open window, “Sam!  Here, Sammy boy!  Time for Treats!”  
We had to find him before the dog catcher got him and locked him away!
Next, we decided to look in a nearby neighborhood and found him digging at the park.
We jumped out of the van, again chasing him.  Again, he was too fast and eluded us. 
We followed him throughout the park until, finally, he ran into the open door of the van.
He panted.  After the hour of hunting and miles of running, we were all exhausted. 
When we got home, he rushed to his water dish for a long, cool drink before
begging for a treat, wagging his tail and gazing at us with loving, dark brown eyes. 
Unable to resist his adorable look, we gave him a treat and let him curl up with us;
our sixty-five pound lap dog sighed with contentment, his head resting on our legs,
as we crashed on the couch to rest before writing this tale.  The End  -Laina

Alaina is ten years old and lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her family.  Laina likes to color, play with friends, swim, travel, play soft ball and swing.  She is on the Lee Summit Xtreme Gymnastics Team.