Practice Random Acts of Environmental Kindness by Isaac, Noah, Isabelle, and Jake

Did you know that it takes a plastic six pack ring 450 years to decompose?  How about the fact that it takes an aluminum can 350 years to decompose?  Those wool gloves you wear in winter will take a full year to decompose.  At our house we are gearing up to do our part to save the Earth.  We have made a pledge to practice random acts of Environmental Kindness daily.  Did you know that you can do this too?  Here are some ways you can help save the Earth too.

1. RECYCLE ~ it is the most important thing we can do
2. Take care of plants and trees ~ water them if you have them, if you don't have them, PLANT them
3. Save water and energy ~ take shorter showers and turn off the lights when you leave a room.
4. Do not Litter ~ if you see any litter, pick it up and tell others to do the same
5. Don't use things like paper plates and paper towels, instead use things that can be washed and reused.

We were surprised to learn that it takes Glass bottles 1 million years to decompose.  Glass jars can be re-used.  It scares us to think of the end of the world and what we do to our planet.  That is why we should all do our part to save her.  We are killing the earth by not taking care of her as we should.  We should take a lesson from the Native Americans ~ they only took what they needed from the Earth and they used it all.  They loved the Earth and they took care of her.  We should all do like they did.

Endangered Species: The Cheetah by Isabelle

The cheetah is gold with black spots.  It is the fastest animal.  It can run up to 60 mph but can only run that long for a few seconds.  If their prey can last for more than a few seconds they can get away sometimes.  The cheetah is endangered because alot of their of babies die.  Isn't that sad?  They are losing their natural homes which is another reason they are endangered.  They are very beautiful and I would be very sad if they became extinct and we never saw them again.

Hurricane Irene by Isaac, Noah and Isabelle

Hurricane Irene weakened before hitting the US this weekend but it still caused 27 deaths across 8 states.  Hurricane Irene has caused severe flooding and even washed away two houses into the ocean.  One death was caused by a heart attack while he was boarding his windows, preparing for the Hurricane.  Some people died while they were in the ocean.  It is never a good idea to be in the ocean during a Hurricane.  Don't get in a boat either, or a car or you could die.  We are glad it is almost over and that it weakened before it hit or it could have been very much worse and could have killed many more people.

More Lessons on Colonial Kids by Noah

If you were a slave and a child in Colonial America, life was pretty hard.  The only time they stopped doing work for their Master was on Sunday.  On that day, they would help tend to their garden and chickens if they had any.  The game they played was Mancala which was a way to help slaves learn to count. Most of them never even learned to read or write.  It sounds like I wouldn't like it very much if I had been a slave during the colonial period and I am very glad that slavery is gone and everyone is treated fairly today.

Your Weather by Isaac, Noah and Isabelle

Good afternoon fellow Texans.  Today's forecast is high temperatures of 106 with a 10% chance of rain.  High pressure is over much of the state, so it doesn't look like relief from these hot temperatures is coming anytime soon.  Good news for the weekend, there is a chance of rain for Saturday and Sunday.  Drink lots of water, maybe try some frozen yogurt, and keep cool.  Stay indoors if you can.   

Nature Walk ~ August 24, 2011

We went on our first Nature Walk today.  The kids look forward to this the most of all the fun things we do.  It is a way for them to get outside and explore the natural world around them.  Because we are in Abilene, today, where nature has been turned into pavement, we decided to take a walk to the Episcopal Church.  When you see the pictures of this magnificent church, you will see why it holds such fascination for the children.  When we sit in Glenn's back yard, you can see the church tower lit at night.  It is truly beautiful. It looks very much like a castle from the Middle Ages. The kids had fun pretending there were knights just behind the doors. I think we even glimpsed one. ;)

We also saw the effects of the devastating drought impacting Texas residents right now.  In fact, according to the LCRA what we are experiencing is the worst it has been since the 1950's.  To quote them, "The 10 months from October 2010 through July 2011 have been the driest for that 10-month period in Texas since 1895, when the state began keeping rainfall records. Across most of the Hill Country and the Austin area, rainfall since last October is between 16 and 20 inches below normal. Across the eastern counties of Central Texas and the middle Texas coast, rainfall is running more than 20 inches below normal.  Despite the severely dry conditions, this drought is not as bad as the worst in history – the 10-year drought of the 1940-50s. Lakes Buchanan and Travis are in better condition than they were then, even with the low inflows, increased evaporation and water being used. The lakes are about half full "  This devastation to our region was evident everywhere we looked on our journey.  It is so sad to see beautiful trees dying due to lack of rain and record high temperatures.

Colonial Kids by Isaac, Noah, and Isabelle

You may think not going to school would mean all fun and games for colonial kids but it wasn't like that at all.  Colonial kids had lots and lots of chores to do everyday like chopping wood, churning butter, going out hunting, learning to read and write, watching younger kids.  Boys learned to shoot and helped their dads.  Girls learned to mend clothing and cook to help their mothers.  They had no electricity.  They had no tv, no computer, no air conditioning, no Gameboys but they did play games when they finished their chores.  A colonial kids life seems hard.  It doesn't sound so fun and we feel bad about it.