Sample from May, 2012 Issue

Meet Homeschooler Adam Krist

Adam recently completed commercials for UFC,  Union Bank, and a nationwide commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken.   
Adam

Adam Krist found his calling on the stage at age 7 in a community theatre production of Jr. High School Musical taught by Broadway veteran, Susan Swanson. At 8, Susan named him Sparky for his ability to light up the stage with his smile and energy as he entertained those around him. Under Susan, her brother Topher, and their mother, Carol, Adam studied acting, dance, and voice at their studio, Broadway West in Henderson, NV and he became a triple threat. Adam continued in musical theatre productions eventually playing lead roles in the Wizard of Oz, Damn Yankees, Gleeks, Bye Bye Birdie, and dual roles in ASAP .

 Last May, Susan connected Adam with manager, Debra Manners and he signed with DMTA  and continues to advance in the entertainment business. Last month, he completed his run as the Wicked Cousin Kevin in a production of the Who’s Tommy at the Met in LA and recently completed commercials for UFC,  Union Bank and a nationwide commercial for Kentucky Fried Chicken.  In addition to the KFC commercial now airing across the country, Adam and the rest of the Broadway West Theatre Co will be performing on a 4 day cruise to Mexico for Carnival Cruise Lines in May. 

 Adam and his family, 3 younger brothers and his parents, Kristina and Vince divide their time between their homes in LA and here in Las Vegas.  Adam still attends classes with the Swansons at Broadway West, he  hangs with his friends in and out of the business, loves the downtime with his friends in the Las Vegas Valley Homeschool Network group and like most men, his time playing Xbox with his Dad.  Like his mom, when there is idle time Adam finds a new project to work on, currently he is writing a book and composing songs on the piano.  Adam gets his inspiration from old movies with Al Pachino, Bill Murray, Adam Sandler, Woody Allen, and Monty Python.The KFC commercial can be seen nationwide at different times through summer and a small clip can be seen on www.kfc.com    http://www.kfc.com/promos/commercial.asp too.

For more information on Adam’s article you can subscribe for FREE at this link: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=0014Ogu2wnBvl9kyLays6Rx-A%3D%3D

Sample From the April, 2012 Issue

My Trip to the St. Louis Zoo

By: Katie 

Age: 11 years old

State: New York

 

Katie  

This month my mom took me on a field trip to the St. Louis Zoo. The St. Louis Zoo gets you face-to-face with animals. It also is known for creating exhibits that are similar to each animal’s natural habitat.  The amazing thing is that the zoo is free! Parenting Magazine and Zagat’s call this zoo the top zoo in the country. It was so much fun to see all the animals, get snacks, and play but, let’s start off with the basics.   

The types of people that work at a zoo are called zookeepers. They help check people in at the entrance to the zoo, or take care of the animals.  When I was there, I learned that there are 18,000 animals at that zoo and the employees make approximately 10,000 meals per day.  Wow. I don’t think my mom could ever cook that much food!

The animals I saw at the zoo were bears, lions, tigers, penguins, sheep, goats, sea otters, alpacas, birds, apes, monkeys, and many more.  My favorite animals at the zoo are the penguins. They are my favorite animal because they are so lovable and cute.  The only problem is that they always splash me.   The best part was learning new information and researching more about animals. 

River otters are the most water loving member of the weasel family.  It can close its ears and nostrils under water and its oily fur can repel water.  Their favorite foods are frogs, fish, and crawfish.  The river otters come from North America and can be spotted sliding down a slippery river bank or chasing its friends under water.  Meerkats are found in Africa.  It lives with its friends and family in a colony.  They often make their homes in abandoned termite mounds.  They take turns on watching out for predators and feeding and babysitting each other’s babies while the parents are out.  They like to eat insects, eggs, and plants.  The craziest part of my trip was seeing an armadillo run around in circles when people came to the glass window, and then, stopping when no one was watching.  I also, had the opportunity to watch baby snakes hatch out of their eggs.  It was really cool.

The animals that are at zoos usually come from the wild but, some are born at zoos.  To help take care of the animals, the zoo has fundraisers and sells products in the gift shops.  It is very important to protect the animals.  I found out that some of the animals are critically endangered and almost extinct in the wild.  About 21% of the world’s mammal species, 12% of the bird species, and 33% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction.   It is our job to help protect the world’s animals.  When your local zoo is having a fundraiser, try to attend. Also, visit your zoo whenever you can to learn about all the wonderful animals that live with us on planet Earth.  Just think what you can do to make a difference in the life of animal. Then, do it. Research, wildlife management and conservation of habitats is so important. By taking care of animals today, we will protect animals for future generations.

Katie is 11 yrs old, she turned 11 on March 2nd of this year. Her hobbies include; competitive swimming, playing the piano, ballet and modern dancing, junior worship leader on the dance/singing team at church, volunteering, and singing.   

Sample From March, 2012 Issue

 Homeschool Robotics Team – Part 2:
 Explosive Pops at the Robotics Tournament
Qualifier team
 
FIRST Lego League Qualifier
The first thing we did was wake up very early in the
morning(about 6 AM).Our team had to be checked in by 7 AM. Once we got there we set up our pit table. We then got ready for judging.
Qualifier table
 Judging Rooms
Before we went to the game table we went to the judging area. There were three parts: our project presentation, our core values presentation and our robot design presentation. Our project presentation was about the problem we found with bananas. Our core values presentation was about how we did stuff as a team such as choosing the banana as the fruit we wanted to learn about. Our robot design presentation was about how Zippy (our robot) was built, how we attached our attachments, and how we programed Zippy.Qualifier
 Robot Game
The robot game is the robot part of competition where we send zippy out to do certain missions. We sent zippy out 5+ times. The first time we sent him to go knock over the blue ball, collect the rat, shove the yellow truck to base. Then Zippy went to get the corn and knock over yellow ball. Then we sent him to get pink bacteria, then get the green bacteria. Then Zippy dropped stuff in sink until times up. We got points for every mission we completed.
 
 Closing Ceremony
After waiting for about a hour the Closing Ceremony began. There are 6 awards, the Judges Award, the Robot Design Award, the Robot Performance award, the Core Values Award, the Project Award and the Championship Award. I was very nervous. We actually managed to get the 1st place championship award!!!!!
 
My favorite part was seeing other teams and that we got 1st place, I was so shocked. After the qualifier we had 4 weeks to prepare for the state competition. Nobody on the team could wait.

Ben is 12 years old and he lives in Utah.  He likes reading and computers.

December, 2011/January, 2012 Sample Article

THE LAST STAND

By Christian M.

We don’t know,

What happened that day,

We don’t know,

How long it was,

We don’t know,

How glorious it really was,

We just have to imagine,

We just have to ask the one who was there,

And read his mind,

We just can guess,

So here is my guess.

A crimson sun rose in the east.  It rose slowly, it seemed; sad, but yet happy; none could explain.  It seemed to cry out to them.  As it rose higher, the bugle call reached the ears of every soldier, the morning call to wake them.  At the mess hall, the news reached their ears that at noon they were leaving.  This seemed to puzzle them for they thought they were going to wait for the other generals, and more support.  But they obeyed their command, and their commander, General George Armstrong Custer.

They loaded their rifles; they filled empty food packs and ammunition belts.  They trimmed up their horses, just the way they liked them best for battle.  When all was ready, Custer rode out to the front.  A cool breeze filled the air; a chilly one, a deathly one.

At first they trotted out of the camp. Then they sped to a canter.   ”Just through those two little hills, sir. Little Big Horn, sir, up ahead,” a scout reported to General Custer. “And, sir, clouds of smoke all over.” He threw a salute and retreated to the rear of the line of horses.

Custer called a halt and the soldiers brought forth what food they had to their mouths.  Everything was checked over again, and the soldiers were then told what was about to happen.  They were to attack through the two hills.  There the horde of Sioux Indians were waiting.

As they advanced at a gallop, Custer should have seen the mirror and smoke signals.  Major Reno, who had taken a group around to a different side of the valley, should have known that the village he rode down upon was a fake.  But it was all too late.  The mass of Indians were upon them; a million arrows whizzed by every ear of every soldier.  A whir of knives, screams, spears, arrows, swords, bullets, and men were all in tangled mess.  Crazy Horse, the Sioux leader, could not stop his Indians from making a mad rush towards the U.S. Army.  And Custer could do nothing to stop it.  The U.S. was outnumbered 15 to 1 and they could not do a thing about it.  It was hopeless.  All they could do was to die with as many Indians as they could.  

Your guess is as good as mine as to who was the last left alive. Was it Custer?  Maybe it was Major Reno?  Who was it?  None know but one, and his name was Comanche-a horse.  He was the horse of Captain Myles Keogh.  He was the only creature still breathing.  He lived for a few more years.  But none did he ever tell, who was the last man left alive.  Or who killed Custer.  Or anything.  It is all with him.  One, we can never get an answer from.

We can only, imagine…

Christian M. lives in northern Michigan and camps each summer on an island in Lake Michigan.  He loves to play baseball, play basketball, and write, but he can’t choose between them!  He is twelve years old.

November’s Contest

Turkey  
FIND THE TURKEYS!
In honor of Thanksgiving we are holding a
contest. Count how many TURKEYS you find
throughout this month’s issue.
Send your answer to us at:
 

(Hint: some are big and some are small, make sure you find them all)
Good Luck!  GOBBLE…  GOBBLE…

 
Send us your answer by November 28th
 
CLICK HERE TO FIND THE TURKEYS