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.