Math, Maps, amd More ~ SB #1 ~ page 64

I want to own an I-pod touch. To do this, I will have to save up my money. Right now, I have been saving my money for a year and a half. I spend $5 to $15 dollars total on gifts or other things. I need less than $100 to get the newest version. At this rate, I think I will have an I-pod before next Christmas, possibly in the next 6 months. The newest version costs anywhere from $215 to $240 excluding tax. The cheapest place to get it is amazon.com they sell them for $215 with free shipping. Other costs might include a cover, this would be to help keep your I-pod safe from dents or nicks and keep it newer, longer. The cost for an I-pod cover, would run from $.01 to $20. You could also get apps. These are for things to do with your I-pod. Games, music, weather, or Skype to name a few. Apps run from free to about $5, depending on what you get. There are no monthly costs, this would only apply if you had an I-phone. To find out all of this information, I enlisted the help of Mr.D. I also searched online and went to several different stores. Amazon is the best place to get the things that I have listed.

Paper Works ~ SB3 ~ page 134

Today I made two paper cut outs.  We have a kit that tells how to make things and provides a pattern.  Tools can be as simplistic as scissors and paper or you could  use a special knife.  Paper cutting is one of the oldest art forms. 

Creative Cooking ~CE4 ~ Pg54

Today we job shadowed a self-employed cake maker and decorator. To do this job, you need to be able to hold yourself accountable. You should be able to budget your time. A cake might have layers or it might be a sheet cake. It might be frosted or it might have fondant over the top. Fondant is type of icing used to make the cake look smooth. You have to be good at decorating; but you also need to know when to stop decorating. Sometimes, you have to be willing to start over when you make a mistake, or you need to try new things or different cakes.

Some pros to being a cake decorator are that it is flexible. You can do it over a period of three days, or you can do it all in one day so long as you have it done before the deadline. Another pro is that you can mostly do it in your style. The customer may tell you some basic ideas, but you can be creative.

Some cons are that it takes up a lot of time. One little cake took 4 hours plus baking and clean up time. It could take longer if you made your own fondant or icing.

Cakes are needed most on the weekends. This is both a pro and con. It is good if you want a weekend job for any reason, but bad because your weekends are always filled with work. As a cake decorator you can choose to be self employed or you can work for somebody else. All of that said, I would choose to be a cake maker, but my sister, FigNewTon would not.

Travel ~ T5 ~ page 40

At the airport, there are metal detectors that everyone has to walk through. If the machine beeps, you are asked to remove anything that might be a problem and walk through it again. If it beeps a second time, you are asked to go to another spot where you are given a pat down to feel if you have any knives or guns. Also in place, you set your bags and shoes in buckets to go through a different machine. If there is an excessive amount of metal or anything concerning, they may open your bags and search them. Another thing is that only the people who are boarding a plane can go past the gate except for special circumstances. Only a certain amount of liquids are allowed on board the plane. The limit is 3 oz per bottle or container and all liquids must fit into a quart size bag. The newest technology in airports is a full body x-ray. The people for this are selected at random.

Travel ~ CE4 ~ page 40

I wrote an article that I submitted to Family Fun's monthly feature Let's Go.  Every month, they feature an article about a destination in the US.  My article highlights places I visited and some I wish I had been able to visit.  The article and accompanying pictures I submitted are below. 

If you're making a list of places to visit, Detroit, MI should be one of them. This fantastic city has many things to do. An easy way to get around downtown Detroit is riding the People Mover. At just 25 cents a ride, you can see almost all of the Downtown area. It is a great form of transportation, especially if you've already parked your car for the day. It is also fun just to ride.

It's no wonder Detroit's nickname is "The Motor City". Home to such attractions as The Chrysler Museum and the Henry Ford Museum, there are tons of things to do in and around this city. The Henry Ford Museum houses exhibits like the JFK limo, the Rosa Parks bus, and Thomas Edison's Library, as well as many others. The Chrysler Museum is a bit of a drive and highlights the history of Chrysler.

My favorite of all the places we visited was the Detroit Zoo. The zoo is small enough to get through in a day, but exciting enough that I wanted to go again. One of the things that I liked about the zoo is that the exhibits are really good quality, allowing the animals to live in an almost natural habitat. My favorite part was that there were tons of hands-on exhibits. They also have a really neat polar bear exhibit where you can walk under the water that the polar bears swim in!

One thing that is a must do in my book is crossing the border into Canada, but to do this you MUST have a passport. Once you cross the border, you can spend a day looking around Windsor. There are two ways to travel between Canada and the US in Detroit. Make sure when you go, you cross the bridge going one way and use the tunnel going the other. Both are an experience in and of themselves. John Freeman Walls Historic Site & Museum this museum tells the story of a slave who traveled along the Underground Railroad. It is also a memorial to all of the slaves who traveled the Underground Railroad. The museum is located in Windsor, Canada. To visit, you must make an appointment.

If all you have is one afternoon to spend in Detroit, be sure to visit the Riverwalk and the GM Renaissance Center. Along the Riverwalk, there is always something going on. There are also signs that educate and inform about the history of the Underground Railroad. The Renaissance center is a nice way to finish off the day, strolling inside looking through the shops. After walking around the Renaissance center, we rode the elevator up 72 floors to the top and visited the Coach Insignia restaurant. The view was wonderful. Definitely worth the trip!

The Detroit Science Center is the largest science center in Michigan, and it has programs for both scouts and homeschoolers. the Science Center has various hands-on exhibits covering many subjects. Among them are exhibits about health and outer space. It also has several theaters for live performances and demonstrations.

Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum is home to more than 250 hands-on exhibits. Housing many different activities, the museum has lots of things for kids of all ages. some of them are an exhibit on how solar panels work to collect and store energy and an exhibit showing how trash in landfills can be transformed into energy, reducing our dependence on other forms of fuel.

No trip to Michigan would be complete without a visit to one of the great lakes that Michigan is home to. Whether you plan to spend a day, a weekend, or just a few hours, this is a wonderful thing to do any time of day or year. Dossin Great Lakes Museum teaches people about the history surrounding the Great Lakes. Located on Belle Isle Park, this museum was once housed on a commercial boat. When the boat became too run-down they moved it to Belle Isle Park. The exhibits include a hydroplane racing boat, the anchor of the SS Edmund Fitzergald, and one of the largest collections of scale model ships in the world.

Pets ~ SP* ~ page 70

My sister heard that our local Humane Society uses shredded paper as bedding for the animals. She told Mom about it and now instead of throwing it away, we're saving our shredded paper to give to them. I told the kids at co-op that the Humane Society takes shredded paper donations and told them if they bring it to co-op, we will take it there. Donating shredded paper to the Humane Society helps them and the environment. It saves the Humane Society money and cuts down on waste in landfills.

Travel ~ T5 ~ page 40

When my sister and I flew to Ohio, part of the security screening was a full body scan. The scan is a new thing, in the past airports have just used a metal detector. Some other things they do to promote safety are :

1. X-Rays for bags and other items like shoes.
2. Metal detectors.
3. A rule that all liquids must be no more than three ounces each.
4. People must have a ticket or a gate pass to get past the security checkpoint.