New Years Resolutions 2011

K: Get more sleep
Do more chores (except for vacuuming)
Use 3 sections of toilet paper
Read more
Do more badges in Junior Girl Scouts
Try to form a Pokemon club
Have more playdates
Do a teensy weensy more complicated math
Shop at the consignment store more
Eat more healthy - try new foods
Do more stuff on Flash and Microsoft

M: Get outside more
Get enough sleep
Continue fiscal prudence
Plan and implement family getaways
Donate unused things
Live simply

D: Slowly start working on the house again
Walk 12 miles a week
Order vitamins earlier
Aim for 100% private clients (getting closer)

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Morris Classical Academy!

The Pacific States

The Pacific states are California, Washington, Oregon, Hawaii, and Alaska. These states hold some of the biggest cities in America, but also have national parks, like Yosemite in California. This land is mountainous with little flat land. Alaska has the highest mountain in America called Mount Mckinley, which is about 20,320 feet above sea level. Of all the states, California is the most populated. Even though Alaska is the biggest of all the states, it is the second to least populated. The least populated state is Wyoming.

California produces the most fruit and vegetables, because it has a mild climate and good soil. Some of the fruits and vegetables that grow there are lettuce, grapes, sugar beets, strawberries, oranges, almonds, walnuts, peaches, lemons, celery, carrots, and cantaloupe. These states also lead in lumber and have many forests.

Besides growing food, these states also manufacture things. Boeing and Microsoft both have their headquarters in Washington. Boeing makes airplanes, and Microsoft makes computers.

Electric Circuits

A circuit is a path that electrons move on. For instance, to make a fan work electrons flow from the battery, through a wire, to the motor. Inside the motor, the wire is coiled around a magnet. The current moves in a circle and produces a magnetic field and that spins the magnet which spins the fan. The current then flows back to the battery. If you put a switch in, then you can turn the fan on and off by opening and closing the circuit. Above is the fan I made.

The Mountain West States

The Mountain West States are Colorado, Idaho, Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Utah, New Mexico, and Wyoming. Many of these states are square, or almost square. The borders of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona meet at a place called Four Corners. There is a monument at Four Corners that is smack in the middle of the four states. If you were to stand in the circle on the monument, you would be in four states at once!

Another cool feature in this area is Mesa Verde National Park in southwestern Colorado. Mesa Verde means green table in Spanish. This area is flat like a table and has more trees than some other parts of the area. A Native American tribe called the Anasazi, which means the ancient ones, built a huge city under the mesa. Their buildings included a palace, and apartment houses several stories high. The Anasazi were skilled at making things such as baskets, pottery, tools, and fine cloth. During the late 13th century, they began building a huge structure, The Temple of the Sun, but they suddenly left the area and never returned.

The Mountain States are some of the least populated states in America. Still, you should visit them, because they sound pretty cool!

The North Central States

The north central states are North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Michigan, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Some of these states are farm states, and some also produce steel and cars. The land in this part of the country is flat.

Flat land is good for farming corn, soy beans, spring wheat and winter wheat. These crops need vast plots of land to grow, which is why Iowa is one of the leading growers of corn, producing a little over 2.5 billion bushels of corn per year!


While some north central states are big farm states, Michigan is famous for making cars. The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village are in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford set up a museum that shows what it was like in the 18- and early 1900's. Thomas Edison's entire workshop is there, and loads of dirt were moved from NJ to Michigan so the workshop could still stand on NJ soil! The Wright Brothers' home and bicycle shop from Dayton, Ohio are also there.


A good way to get the automobiles, corn and other products made in the north central states out to other parts of the country is by boat. The Great Lakes are like a major highway for boats. The Saint Lawrence River connects the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean, allowing goods from the area to be shipped around the world.

The South Central States

The four south central states are Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas. When you think of these states, you probably think of oil drilling. Louisiana and Texas are the leading oil producing states in the nation. Natural gas is also a big deal in the south central states. Oil is used to make plastic, gasoline, fuel oil for furnaces, solvents, and lubricants. Drilling for oil and natural gas can be very dangerous. Sometimes there are big explosions called blowouts. When a bit of an oil drill bites into a very high pressure gas zone, a blowout happens.

Not only do the south central states produce a lot of petrochemicals, they have interesting histories. Texas was once a Mexican territory. Then, Americans starting moving into this part of Mexico. At first, the Mexican government allowed them to come in, but soon, too many Americans came in, and decided their colony should be a free country. They also wanted to have slaves, but that was illegal in Mexico. In 1835, the settlers signed the Texas Declaration of Independence, and fought a famous battle at The Alamo.


Although we lost that battle, Texas eventually became it's own country, with its own flag. The flag was red, white and blue, with one single star. That is why Texas is called the Lone Star State. In 1945, Texas became a state of the United States.

The south central states are big in oil, history and culture.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Morris Classical Academy!

The Southeast

The southeast states are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, and Virginia.

Many of the states' capitals are in a line known as the "Fall Line." The Fall Line is a region between the Atlantic Coastal Plain and the Appalachian Mountains. It is also home to many waterfalls, hence the name "Fall Line." The capitals are there because throughout history, people have used the power of running water to make things. At first, the towns were small, but as more people came to work in mills, other workers followed, such as doctors, teachers, and tailors. Small town turned into big cities.

One of the southern sates, North Carolina is a leading producer of phosphates, used in fertilizer, and the leading producer of furniture and tobacco. Like New Jersey, North Carolina also has barrier islands that protect the mainland from high waves and storms. On one of those barrier islands, in 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the world's first airplane at Kitty Hawk.

The southern states are quite warm, and I recommend you go there in the winter.

Solar Powered Ice!

I recently found out that my local skating rink, plus other nearby schools and buildings, are going to use solar energy! When I went to my rink to check it out, it was huge! These panels are over 10 high in the air over the parking lot. The news says that these panels will only make 1/3 of the rink's electricity. On the bright side, they won't spend as much on power as they used to, which was $75,000 per month.

The rink's panels will be photovoltaic, which means they produce electricity from light. When light photons strike the photovoltaic cells, electrons are bonked out of position on the front of the cells. Electrons from the backs of the cells will rush in to fill the holes left by the bonked electrons. This flow of electrons is what produces electric current. The electric current from the panels is direct current, and has to go through an inverter and be turned into alternating current before it is used.

Solar energy is a great way to make electricity instead of fossil fuels.

New England

New England is made of six states. They are Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. New England is big in industry but also in things like produce and lumber. There are also many historical sites to see in New England.

One of the many historical sites you can see is Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. Mystic Seaport recreates the 1820 whaling port. At Mystic, there are shops, craftsmen, and even the last real live whaling ship, the Charles W. Morgan. You can climb aboard the ship and learn about it.

Another great place to visit is Boston. Boston is the capital of Massachusetts and the biggest city in the state. The city is a mix of old buildings and new. Its biggest industry is electronics and education, with 47 colleges and universities. One of the colleges, Harvard, the oldest university in the United States, was founded in 1656!

New England is a great place to go on vacation and I hope I can visit it someday.

Symbols of America

When we think of America, what do we think of? The Stars and Stripes, the bald eagle, Uncle Sam? Well, those are a few of the many symbols of America.

Our flag is the most common symbol of the United States. It has 50 stars and 13 stripes that represent the original thirteen colonies. There are a lot of names for our flag, including "Old Glory," "The Stars and Stripes," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and many more. We also had different styles of our flag before it became the flag that we know today.

The bald eagle is our national bird. It used to be endangered because of poisons and pesticides that were weakening the eagles' egg shells. It is now protected by law and is still as beautiful as it was before. The eagle is on many other symbols, such as the Great Seal and the dollar bill.

You may think that Uncle Sam is a fictonal character, but Uncle Sam was actually Samuel Wilson, who sent meat to U.S. troops during the war of 1812. The stamp on the package was written "U.S." for "United States," but people came to think it was from "Uncle Sam" (Samuel Wilson)! Over time, Uncle Sam became the Uncle Sam we know today.

First Days of Autumn and 86!

The first month of the fall term has come and gone, but summer-like weather persists!
Today, the weather is sunny and 86F!

We've had a warm and beautiful September, still dry. This month has been filled with lots of activities as well as infusion of all subjects and reconvening our history study group.

Summer's End : )

It's hard to believe we are already at the traditional end of summer, with the fall term and activities beginning soon!

We had an enjoyable and most successful summer term, with a lot of social events and visiting. The weather made for a lot of great outdoor time.

Happy Independence Day 2010!

We are celebrating by attending a local parade, eating traditional summertime foods, and swimming on this very hot Independence Day 2010!

Happy Summer 2010!

Here we are, already a week into summer by the calendar. We've had some hot weather in June! MCA is on break until July 5, when the summer term starts the 2010-2011 school year.

We're enjoying outdoor activities such as swimming, biking, and hiking, and have lots of great literature lined up along with our summer spanish, math, and music lessons.

Jobs and Taxes

A job is work in a community that you get money for. There are two types of jobs: Private and Public. A police officer has a public job while a waiter has a private. The government pays for public services with money collected through taxes. People pay for private services.

Jobs supply goods and services. A good is anything that is made e.g. furniture, food, computers. A service is a job that someone does for someone else. For instance, Pro Haircutters (That's the place we go to) is a service.

Food, water, shelter, and clothing are all needs that we need to live. Wants are things you don't need but want. This includes TVs, video games, computers, etc. You don't always get what you want, though. Say that you have $20 and you see hot dogs for $20 and you see an iPod for $20. Which will you choose? You only have $20 so you can't have both.

American Values

American values include tolerance, liberty, and innovation.

William Penn was a Quaker, and was in danger of being prosecuted in England. He wanted a colony that accepted all kinds of religions and backgrounds, so he founded Pennsylvania. Penn called this the "Holy Experiment" in religious tolerance. The Amish are an example of a people who still practice their religion freely, just as the first Quakers did.

Liberty is another American value. In 1776, the representatives of the 13 colonies signed the Declaration of Independence. John Hancock was the first to sign it, and he signed it very big. He said, "There, I guess King George will be able to read that without his spectacles."

Immigration boomed from 1892 to 1954. Aside from escaping religious intolerance, many families moved to America because of lack of education, jobs, or food in their home countries. People from all over the world came to America to seek a better life. The trip was sometimes two weeks by boat, but it was worth it for those seeking liberty.


Immigrants found the freedom to be creative in America, and we've always embraced innovation. You may think of New York as a booming city of skyscrapers and lights, but did you ever wonder how it was built? It was built by immigrants. Thomas Edison also made it a great place to live. He invented the light bulb. On September 4, 1882, the first electric lights switched on at Pearl Street in New York.

American values are what makes America America.

Summer 2010 Plans

This summer we will do:

Elementary Spanish Grades 5-6

Saxon Math 65
Calculus Without Tears Vol. I Constant Velocity Motion

Literature Study
Independent Reading

Music Theory
Piano
French Horn
Art

Hiking
Walking
Bicycling
Swimming

Playing
Lots of time outside
Lots of time to contemplate life

End of Grade 4 : )

Today we completed 4th grade and celebrated with a special dinner! Congraulations!

For the rest of the year we will study topics in history, science, and math, and write a research paper on Benjamin Franklin as well as continue our literature studies.

The Mariana Trench

The Maraina Trench is the deepest part of the world. At one point, called the Challenger Deep, it reaches an outstanding 7 miles into the crust. You could fit a Mount Everest in there!

The trench is formed where two plates meet and cause a subduction -- when one plate moves under another. The weight of the plate is so huge, it's dragging the rest of the sea floor with it.

The weight of the water over the trench is so huge, your head would be crushed to a pulp! Even so, two people did go to the Challenger Deep in a very super-strong submarine called the Trieste. They had to live in a little sphere and had to stay down there for 9 hours. They could not believe their eyes! They never thought life could survive down there, but they saw a flatfish. Nobody has been back there since, and no one has broken the record set by the Trieste.

National Poetry Month - April 2010

April is National Poetry Month, a special time to celebrate poetry and its place in our culture. The Academy of American Poets sponsors the poets.org website, and explains that National Poetry Month is celebrated by poetry readings, book displays, workshops, festivals, and other events.

We are celebrating National Poetry Month by reading more poetry (already love and avidly read poetry), attending a poetry reading at our county library, and participating in a poetry writing contest.

Culture, Ethnicity and Family Values

Culture is what you belive, what you wear, what you eat, etc. Culture is something you learn over time. You should be proud of your culture and ethnicity. Just because someone's culture and ethnicity are diferent than yours dosn't mean that you're right or wrong. Ethnicity is the history of your cultural backround.

Vernal Equinox

Vernal Equinox
Spring Equinox

An event that occurs once a year, when the Sun reaches a point in the constellation of Pisces known as the First Point of Aries.
As the Earth orbits the Sun, its poles always point at fixed positions in the sky. The north pole points toward Polaris (the Pole Star), while the south pole points towards the constellation of Octans. The planet's orientation is fixed relative to the stars, subject to a long slow change over the millennia known as precession.

This fixed inclination means that, as the Earth travels around the Sun, each pole is sometimes angled towards the Sun, and sometimes angled away. From the Sun's perspective, the Earth 'tilts' backward and forward each year, and it is this 'tilt' that causes the seasons.

When a pole is oriented towards the Sun, its hemisphere has six months where the Sun is high in the sky, and days are longer than nights (that is, summer). For the other six months, the pole is tilted away from the Sun, which is low on the horizon, and nights are longer than days (winter). These differences are more noticeable at higher latitudes: at the poles themselves, the effects are extreme, and result in months of daylight followed by months of darkness.

The equinox is the point where one season turns to the other. The word is Latin for 'equal night' and refers to the fact that, on the equinox, day and night are of equal length. There are two equinoxes each year, with the vernal equinox usually occurring on 21 March. Vernal comes originally from the Latin word for 'bloom' - it refers to the fact that, in the northern hemisphere, this equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. The name is less meaningful in the southern hemisphere, where this equinox actually marks the beginning of autumn, but nonetheless the traditional name vernal is commonly retained.

Photo and text courtesy of http://www.glyphweb.com/esky/concepts/vernalequinox.html

Happy Vernal Equinox! On a superb weather weekend we are outside enjoying the warmth and the sun and will hike to mark the occasion.

Identifying Winter Trees

Trees are a big part of the environment. Trees provide us with maple sugar, fruit, shade, lumber and good tree houses. You can identify trees, even in winter! You can look at a twig to tell what tree it came from. I did this and found out a twig came from a hickory tree.

• We looked at the buds. They were pointy.



• We looked at the branching. It was alternate, which means one branch on the left, then one on the right, sort of like a vine.



• We looked at the leaf scars. The leaf scars are the little marks under or near the buds, and on a hickory tree, they look like smiley faces with dots in the middle.



• We looked at the pith, which is the pattern on the bottom of the twig, but we couldn't tell what shape it was.



• We found out the twig's age by counting the bud scale scars. We discovered our twig was about 12 years old!



• We used the Virginia Tech Twig Key for help.

Trees can be identified in winter and summer, whether beech, ash, or hickory. We shouldn't cut down trees too often, and if we cut one down, we should make sure to plant another one in its place.

Great Backyard Bird Count

Here is our report for the 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count:

Observation Date : FEB 12, 2010
Start Time: 9:45 AM
Total Birding Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Party Size: 2
Skill: excellent
Weather: good
Snow Depth: 6 - 8 in (15.2 - 20.3 cm)
Habitat(s):
suburban
Number of Species: 3
All Reported: yes
Checklist:
Dark-eyed Junco - 7
Northern Cardinal - 1
House Sparrow - 2

This is the report for our town:

Species [taxonomic]
[alphabetic] Number of Birds

Canada Goose 14
Mallard 24
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 3
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Mourning Dove 21
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 9
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Blue Jay 30
American Crow 13
Black-capped Chickadee 7
Tufted Titmouse 10
White-breasted Nuthatch 7
Carolina Wren 4
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
American Tree Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 8
White-throated Sparrow 94
Dark-eyed Junco 94
Northern Cardinal 55
Red-winged Blackbird 131
Common Grackle 62
Brown-headed Cowbird 4
House Finch 11
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 63
Total 696


A total of 29 species were reported.

Winter Birding

This week in science we learned about the parts of a bird and made a presentation to the group about our individual bird photo. We learned how to use binoculars and how to focus in on birds with our eyes first before using the binoculars. After that we put on snowshoes and hiked and saw some birds. It was fun!

Glaciers

I am taking a class at Pyramid Mountain Natural Historic Area. We learned about glaciers and the teacher gave us some homework. here is somthing that I found out about the Carbon Glacier:

• Name of glaicer: Carbon Glacier


• Location of glacier: Mount Ranier


• Type of glacier: Mountain glacier


• How it has changed in size over time: In 1970s, growing. Currently, shrinking.

This information came from the National Snow and Ice Data Center, and from the National Park Service site on Mount Rainier. I also saw a video on Discovery Streaming about glaciers called Glaciers: Movers and Shapers. Here's the video:

The Sun

The Sun is a medium sized star, but one million earths could fit in it. It may look like the Sun is burning but it's really exploding like a giant bomb. The Sun is exploding because hydrogen atoms are being split apart and being put together again as helium atoms. This is called nuclear fusion.

This fusion takes place in the Sun's core which is 27 million degrees Fahrenheit. Next the heat goes to the radiative zone which surrounds the core. Then the heat travels to the convective zone which is like a conveyor belt. Last but not least is the photosphere, which churns gasses.

Not only heat comes from the photosphere,but also tiny particles called the solar wind. When the solar wind hits the earth, it creates an aurora borealis or northern lights. They are seen in Russia, North Pole, Alaska, and Canada.

The solar wind may not be harmful to humans but solar rays can be. Ultraviolet rays can cause major or minor damage to your skin. To protect yourself against these harmful rays, wear sunblock. 15 SPF and up will do.

The Sun is a very interesting star to study. It is about 4.6 billion years old, which is middle aged for a star. The Sun will be around for a long time, much longer than we will.



Works Cited

Dowswell, Paul. The Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space (First Encyclopedia). New York: Usborne, 2001. Print.

Tachell, Peter. Science Encyclopedia (Usborne Internet-Linked Discovery Program). New York: Usborne, 2003. Print.

Walker, Richard. The Kingfisher First Human Body Encyclopedia (Kingfisher First Reference). New York: Kingfisher, 1999. Print.

Martin Luther King's Message

That was a message of freedom and prosperity and living your own life, and breaking apart and being joined together.

My favorite part was when he said to march together, to work for freedom together. to go to jail together, to struggle together, to work together, and to pray together.

Seth Boyden

Seth Boyden was a tinker. He invented stuff, and he really didn't know that it would change the world. He invented patent leather, malleable iron, the first locomotive that could climb hills, and strawberries that could get so big they filled coffee cups. He gave away his discoveries and died poor. This is from my text book You, New Jersey, and the World by John T. Cunningham.

Phases of the Moon and Eclipses

Photo courtesy of Moon Connection

Phases of the Moon (in order):

New Moon
Waxing Crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter
Waning Crescent







Solar Eclipse Friday, January 15, 2010

Photo courtesy of Reuters

Eclipses:

Solar Eclipse - Moon passes between the sun and earth, covering the sun. This occurs only during the New Moon. We had one yesterday, January 15, 2010.

Lunar Eclipse - Moon passes behind the earth, blocking the sun's rays from shining on the moon. This happens only during the Full Moon. The next one is December 21, 2010.

Tip: NEVER look at a lunar eclipse or solar eclipse. It could cause permanent blindness or serious damage to your eyes.

Morris Canal

Photo courtesy of the Canal Society of NJ

The Morris Canal was one of the most busiest canals in America. It started at Phillipsburg in the west and ended at Jersey City in the east. People used the Morris Canal for shipping coal from Pennsylvania as well as other goods like paper, dried fruit, animals, etc.

The Morris Canal had locks which helped raise the barge up to 10 feet higher in the water so it could keep on going. There was also something unusual at that time. The Morris Canal was the only canal to have inclined planes. The inclined planes were used to pull the boats up because there were many hills along the Morris Canal.

One lock (not to change the subject) is Lock 8 East. If you live in Denville, you know exactly where this is - it's Atillios (now La Cucina), my favorite italian restaurant!

At the time, just a little after the Morris Canal was being used a lot, trains were being used more and more to carry cargo. Eventually, trains became more popular than canals because trains were faster and they were bigger so they could carry more stuff than the barges could.

Even though a lot of the Morris Canal is now part of the Newark subway and also a part of some parks, you can still see some remains of the Morris Canal.

Apple Tansey - A Dish from the Colonial Times

This recipe is circa 1730 from The Compleat Housewife, as pictured below. This is one of the real books that we had the librarian extract from the vault. We had to wear gloves when interacting with the book!

The updated recipe we will use is complements of
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Lunar Outpost

Man has already gone to the moon and survived to tell about it, but what if the Earth has some deadly threat that would change our lives forever? Where would we go? Scientists have been wondering about that for many years. If it happens, we might have the equipment to make a colony on the MOON!

NASA set up THIS SITE to show some of the tools they're working on.

The Lunar Electric Rover (LER) is a "space RV" that astronauts can live in. It can be a rover and a habitat for up to 14 days. The really cool thing about it is that when the astronauts want to explore they can by crawling into a hole that connects the spacesuit with the LER.

The All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer (ATHLETE) is a robot that can lift payloads and habitats off the landers and put them where they need to be.

The Lunar Habitats will be where the astronauts live. The habitat contains a kitchen, office, bathrooms and beds. The habitats can be put together or rearranged like little pods, and are powered by solar panels sticking up on the roof.

One day, there will be enough money and enough time for us to build a real-life colony on the moon. When this happens, not only will people be able to live on another planet, but also, if our planet dies, we will have a back-up. I hope we can all go there some day.