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Start this School Year Off Right with Some Totally A+ Tips

Are you having a fun summer? Well that’s going to end this month when school begins! But don’t get bummed out! Here are some tips that may help you get off to a good start:

• The day before school is no time to get a haircut! Do it two weeks before classes start to leave a little wiggle room in case it's cut to short.
• Wear pink on the first day. (Boys probably won’t want to do this.) Pink reduces stress! A bubblegum shade has soothing powers that lower blood pressure.
• Meet new kids. Try to talk to one kid a day, and by the end of September you'll have a bunch of new friends.
• Even if you’re nervous, stand up with your shoulders back and your head up. Your body language can say more than your words.
• Get a one-of-a kind backpack, or put your own decorations on one you already have. That way, no one will mistakes your backpack for his/hers.
• Bring your own lunch on the first day of school instead of buying it. Then you can see if the school lunch is good or blah.

China Hosts World Expo 2010

The 2010 World Expo is going on right now! Actually, not that many people in America will see it because it’s in China! The city that it is in is called Shanghai, (Shonhie)— one of the biggest cities in China and the world.

I got as close to it as I could when my mom, my sister and I went to another city in China called Harbin (Har-er-been) to visit my relatives. We also stopped by Shanghai to visit some friends.

The 2010 Expo started on May 1 and will end on Oct. 31. The first Expo was held in the Crystal Palace in London (United Kingdom) in 1851. It was the idea of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. It was the first international exhibition of manufactured products. Since then it has been hosted in many countries; the 2010 expo is the 57th one.

When we got into a taxi at the Shanghai Pudong airport, the driver told us his taxi was a new one bought by his company just for the Expo. All the taxi drivers were trained to speak English in order to better serve visitors from all over the world! In fact, the cleaning up of Shanghai used more money then Beijing (Bay-jeeng) used to prepare for the 2008 Olympics!

Everywhere in Shanghai there are sculptures, billboards and signs about the Expo. The fairgrounds are along both sides of the Huangpu River. The most popular pavilion is the United Arab Emirates. My friend, Isabell You—who was born in Canada, raised in the United States and is now living in China—went to the Expo. She told me that for the popular pavilions the lines are so long that some people just bring a bunch of chairs and sleep in line! There are beautiful fireworks every night at the Expo. And there are five medical clinics on the site.

On July 27, by 4 p.m. the medical clinics on the fairgrounds had treated more then 442 visitors with 59 minor injuries and 28 heatstroke sufferers. Learn more online at http://en.expo2010.cn/.

Mount Lemmon Blows You Away

My family and I went to Mount Lemmon. On the drive, we got to witness the beautiful scenery and rock formations all the way up the mountain. An interesting fact is that the foliage ranges from Mexican desert scrub to Canadian conifer forest!

After a stunningly beautiful and scenic drive, we reached Summerhaven, a town on Mount Lemmon, and went into the General Store. Inside, there were many things ranging from fresh fudge to gemstones. Then we decided to find a picnic site to eat our lunch. The site was pretty but very windy—so windy that our lunch almost blew away!

We had a wonderful time on Mount Lemmon!

Bake Sweet Treats to Fight Childhood Hunger

Food Network star Sandra Lee and C&H sugar are teaming up with Share Our Strength for a Great American Bake Sale. It’s part of the “No Kid Hungry in 2015” campaign. How are they doing this? With your help, of course!

All around the country, people are helping by holding bake sales. The funds raised are donated to the campaign to help put an end to childhood hunger. Did you know that more than 14 million American children live in poverty? What’s worse, one in four children here struggle to get enough to eat! That’s almost 17 million kids. And kids who go hungry often get sick and have trouble concentrating in school.

Anyone can host these bake sales—even you! If you can’t host one, you can still support this cause by going to these bake sales. For more info, visit www.chsugar.com/bakesale.

Follow Rules for Success in School

Here are some ways you could do well in school. You should listen to your teacher. You shouldn’t talk when the teacher is talking or when you are doing your work. You also you should behave well.

You should do your best on your work and homework. Also, when you finish your work you should work on unfinished work. You should not play with your friends when you are in class.

Last but not least, you should be on your best behavior when you have a substitute teacher.

Sing Your Heart Out with the Tucson Girls Chorus

Joining the Tucson Girls Chorus is a great way to express your feelings through music. Every time we sing, we inspire girls all around to sing with us!

I not only have sung many fantastic pieces, I have also gotten a better understanding of music. I believe TGC to be good motivation for girls to sing out and speak up.

My choir teacher, Marcela Molina, and my fellow choirmates are the ones who have kept me singing. They are some of the best people I’ve worked (and sang) with. Chris Fresolone, our piano player, and Molina are very enthusiastic about helping us learn. They are extremely important to me because they give me the notes to sing and help me share those notes with everyone! In TGC we do more than just sing. Every summer we have music camp. We also have concerts all over town and sometimes in other cities. The two top choirs, Jubilate and Advanced, also go on tours once a year; they travel all over the U.S. and even overseas! It takes a lot of hard work to get there, but that is my drea —to travel with the Advanced Choir!

In my opinion, the Tucson Girls Chorus is the place to be if you want to sing and meet new lifelong friends! I have learned music theory, how to harmonize with others and great ways to make friends.

If you are ready to come and make music with us now, or just want to take a look around, Placement Auditions are on Aug. 20 & 27 from 4 to 6:30pm, and Aug. 21 & 28 from 9 a.m. to noon. Everybody makes it in, so don’t worry!

Tell your parents that you want to come sing with my friends and me! For more info, visit www.tucsongirlschorus.org.

Koreans Take School Seriously

You know how you get breaks from school? Well in South Korea, you don’t get very many! In Korea, education is way more important than anything else.

Every other week, you have to go to school on Saturday! Also, there is only one month of summer break. And on Wednesdays you have two extra hours of school!

I’ll tell you a story about myself. I left America when summer break just started. I spent three days in my grandpa and grandma’s house before I started school. All I got is four days of summer break! Believe it or not, in Korea students have to finish 16 books before the end of the school year. If you don’t finish the books, you’re stuck in the same grade as last year.

In Korea, there is no such thing as a school bus. Almost all the children in Korea take lessons every day until almost 7 p.m. They take lessons in music, math and computers. You can’t imagine what they look like when they get home! You’d think they would be tired, but actually they look fine!

YR Finds Friends in Ireland, But Misses Home Terribly

As I hugged my dad good bye, I felt a wave of excitement wash over me. We were at the airport, and I was off to the land of the leprechauns! It has been a tradition in my family that each child is sent to Ireland for eighth grade. Now my time had come.

My mom, who was born in Ireland, was coming with me for two weeks to settle me in. I was nervous, but I knew a little of what to expect. At least I thought I did. My three older siblings had already been there, and I had plagued them with questions.

“It’s hard in the beginning,” they all had told me, “But it gets better, and you make a lot of friends.” When we finally landed in Dublin airport, Mom and I stumbled out of the terminal, half-asleep. It was 8:30 a.m. Irish time, and about midnight back in Tucson. All we wanted to do was see a bed! My nana greeted us, and we started the two-hour drive to her house in Kildare.

I met with the principal of the Presentation Secondary School the following day and immediately felt better. The staff at the school was so polite and kind to me, understanding that I was scared stiff.

Over the next week, my mom and I had a lot of fun with nana. We explored, shopped and hung out. It was nice to get some time with them, away from my five other siblings and the stress of a never-quiet house. But then I was off to boarding school. That first night was unforgettable!

The nine other second year (eighth grade equivalent) boarders had all known each other since last year and had formed their own little group. I was the new kid, which naturally caused people to stare. Moreover, I was “the American girl.” That first night in the dorm was a little tense, but then we all got talking. I answered as many of their eager questions as I could. And, in turn, they told me about school here. I was accepted into their group as if I had always belonged. It was an amazing feeling.

The second day is when major homesickness kicked in. I had too much free time, so I had a lot of time to think. That night, I felt so sick that they moved me to a spare bed closer to our prefects. I got through the rest of the week with only one other minor breakdown during study.

Finally it was the weekend, and I was able to go to my nana’s house. When I came back to school the next week, I knew how to try and control my feelings. The school Musical Theatre show was coming up, so I threw myself into that, keeping as busy as possible. I also joined the Traditional Irish Music group, orchestra and choir. Even though I’d made even more friends, I didn’t understand how my sister had told me it got better quickly. It took me two-and-a-half months to get over my homesickness. It was still hard to accept that I wouldn’t see any of my family until Christmas.

I had the choice to stay home after Christmas if it didn’t get better, but I guess the leprechauns really worked their magic on me, because I came back. I’m glad I did, too. I still miss my family and friends, but knowing that I’ll be seeing them soon enough helps.

A Culinary Feast Awaits on China’s Wuyi Mountain

Last month, my family went to see the Wuyi Mountain area in the Fujian province of China. The first thing I learned about the place was that it is famous for its rock tea. Rock tea is not made with rocks, as the name might suggest, but with the leaves of tea trees that grow in the cracks in the mountains. The rock tea produced there is called Da Hong Pao, or Big Red Robe, which is a very grand name in Chinese.

The rock tea trees grown there are all cuttings from the original six trees planted in the region. Tea from the first six trees is highly sought after and only saved for dignitaries such as the chairman or visiting presidents. One year, 12 grams of tea from the original six trees was auctioned off for 120,000 yuan—or $17,000!

The first thing we did at Wuyi Mountain Park was to climb Tianyou Peak, or Walk the Sky Peak. Then we went bamboo rafting in the Nine Bend Brook. The second day, we went to see the six original Da Hong Pao tea trees, and then we went white water rafting. We even saw a water snake swimming our way with its tongue flicking in and out of its mouth!

The food at the Wuyi Mountain area is exceptional—wild boar, pheasant, wild poultry, snake, venison, hare, river snail, muntjac and even fish from the Nine Bend Brook. Snake meat does taste like chicken, but it has a lot more ribs! Vegetables include wild celery, edible ferns, carrots, silk melons, snake melons, FuRong flowers and wild mountain mushrooms. Even though I am not an avid mushroom lover, the mushrooms there are truly amazing. Red mushroom turns soup or any dish it is served in a bright pink or red! The mushroom itself is also pink. These mushrooms are hard to come by because they cannot be human cultivated. They only grow on the mountain peaks, so they are very expensive. The wild mushrooms that grow on the Wuyi Mountain don’t get soggy if you boil them for a long time. Instead, they get crunchier and chewier the longer they stay in the pot!

Kids Will Love ‘Despicable Me’

Hundreds of people lined up in front of the AMC Theater at Foothills Mall to see the 3-D screening of “Despicable Me.” I was one of them!

This outrageously hilarious movie features the voices of Steve Carrel (Gru), Jason Segel (Vector), Miranda Cosgrove (Margo) and more. Gru, a devious super villain, has just discovered that his spot as the “best villain” has been taken by another villain, Vector. Gru has to take back his rightful place. While trying to attack this new villain, he discovers three orphaned girls who can help him with his plan. After adopting them, Gru needs to figure out what matters to him most—being the best villain or being a dad.

“Despicable Me” is filled from the bottom up with laughs; but it also contains a good dose of heartfelt love. It’s a funny and wholesome movie. The storyline is great! It kept me interested and anxious. I also laughed the whole time, even when the 3-D effects made me jump. Overall, I give “Despicable Me” four stars out of five. This movie is rated PG.

Ranch Connects Family to Past

Last spring, we went to our ranch in Lochiel, two hours away from Tucson in the San Rafael Valley. It has beautiful, wide-open spaces. Since it is on the Mexican border, border patrol vehicles drive around the area to help keep us safe. Zip, our dog, chases them!

The ranch is a working range cattle ranch with 12 cows. It is 100 years old! My dad’s great-grandparents built it. The house is so old that it has no heat! We have a very old wood/gas burning stove and fireplaces going every day. At night, we use electric blankets to sleep. Also there are no TV and Internet, electronics or cell phones. There is a home phone that works down there. And the closest fast food or grocery stores is an hour’s drive! We had to pack everything we would need for one week down there.

Let me tell you about the cows. My favorite is “Moo Moo the 2nd.” My brother’s favorite cow is “Mellow.” “Moo Moo the 2nd” had a son named “Bob Ellie Roberts.” He is adorable! We also have a bull named “Gonzo.” He is huge! But he is nice (when you have hay). We had to find our cows because they had wandered off. It is a typical job to round up the range cattle here on the ranch.

My aunt came with us, and she showed my family some of her old dance dresses. She said that my grandmother had made them from a pattern on a piece of paper. They were complicated. There are many eye-catching and interesting old objects at the house. It was cool looking at all of them. There was a trunk that was more than 100 years old!

I know this might sound weird, but I liked doing the chores down there! I washed and dried the dishes (no dish washer!), and I cooked with my mom. I also had to separate the recycled items from the trash! Yuck!

But my absolute favorite thing at the ranch is horseback riding! I could ride for hours! I like gathering the horses, and I can bridle and saddle them by myself! I also like riding to gather up the cows. I ride a black gelding horse named “Tornado.” He is very gentle and can run really smoothly. I am able to ride without using the saddle! That is a very hard thing to do on a fast cattle horse. Being on our ranch was an exciting experience. I really enjoyed it. I am so lucky it is our ranch!

‘World of Color’ Opens in Disney

You’ve probably seen the classic Disney movies, like “Toy Story,” “The Lion King” and “Fantasia.” But you’ve never seen them like this!

“World of Color” opened this summer in Disney’s California Adventure theme park in Anaheim, Calif. If you’re planning a Disneyland trip, be sure to put this show on your to-do list.

Before the show starts, you can enjoy a fun pre-show where Disney characters representing colors compete against each other. Once that is over, “World of Color” is not far away. When the show starts, colorful water shoots up into the sky. Then the real fun begins! Scenes from Disney movies appear on mist screens—you feel as if you’re in a theater on water. And it continues to get better. The scenes are enhanced with water (and occasionally fire!) “dancing” along to the Disney music.

If you want a good view of the show, make sure to go to California Adventure when it opens for a FastPass. They are distributed right next to Grizzly River Run. You are not charged for the pass. However, the line can be from five minutes to an hour long, so be sure to bring something that will keep you occupied. If standing in line for a long time isn’t your thing, or you want even better seats, other options are available. For $40, you can get dinner—at Ariel’s Grotto, the Golden Vine Winery or a picnic dinner—and get special seats for “World of Color.” If neither of these options sounds appealing, you can still get an adequate view without using them. However, the views are better with a FastPass or dinner package.

In my opinion, “World of Color” was absolutely phenomenal. The intensity of the scenes made chills run down my spine at every gripping moment. Not surprising for Disney, hints of heart and humor are featured, too. With your favorite movies, songs and characters, plus astounding water effects, you can’t ask for much more than what this amazing show provides. The show is approximately 25 minutes long, and some scenes might be scary for young kids.

D.C. Trip Beckons Future Continental 8th-Graders

Continental School eighth-graders recently took a trip of a lifetime, going to Washington, D.C.! The plane ride was more than five hours long. The students toured several monuments, war memorials and museums.

They also went to Ford Theatre, where President Lincoln was shot; laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; and met U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.
I think I’d like to tour the White House when it’s my turn to go! Unfortunately, you have to have a background check and then get approval from the White House before you can go on a tour. This year, they just didn’t have time to get approval. But boy did they see a lot while they were there!

The Continental Civics Club helps with the funds for the trip so that every eighth-grader can go. It cost $1,700 for each student! If you are interested in helping next year’s students go on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, contact Continental School.

Restaurant Review: Risky Business

Kid Kritic and Dessert Demon, also known as the Taste Bud Twins, review local kids’ meals and restaurant atmospheres.

This month, we decided to go to Risky Business in Oro Valley. When we walked in, it was weird because the hostess took us all around the restaurant before seating us. The server was friendly and talkative. The service was good, and we liked how she described the menu.

We both ordered the macaroni, which was a little soupy and needed more cheese on top. It rated a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. For dessert, we ordered the Cookie Monster. It was chewy in the middle, and the presentation was awesome. This was the best part of meal! They also had root beer, which is our favorite. The atmosphere wasn’t as fun as we thought it would be. We liked the designs on the walls, but we think they should make the dining room more exciting with more things to look at. We would suggest more TVs in the dining room and more activities on the kids menu.

On a scale of one to 10, we agree that Risky Business rates a 5 or 6. The restaurant is good for a regular family night but probably not for a special occasion.

Sorry, no Scoops this month.