Farewell Blog

Posted on June 21, 2016 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

As you know it is getting close to the end of the year and that means it is time to end blogging. There is only a matter of days till the end so this will be my final post of the year. This has been a great year and I had many great experiences.

My favourite thing we did this year was go to Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Center in May. We got to do a lot of fun activities (high ropes, kayaking etc.) but my favourite was stand up paddle boarding. It was a little tricky standing up and balancing at first but after a while it was easy and I had a lot of fun.

This is the end of my final post, I hope you enjoyed reading this post and my other posts! Thanks for reading,

~Kalea

Edited by: Abby

The Mayans

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

As some of you may know I went to Mexico right after spring break and while I was there I decided to do a little bit of research on their culture since I was staying in one of the most historic cities in Mexico (Tulum). Here is what I found out,

The Mayans are the most popular Aztec culture in Mexico. That is mostly because they had the biggest population so they made more ruins for people to visit. When I was in Mexico I visited the ancient city of Tulum and found out a lot of interesting facts such as,

The Mayans didn’t use seconds or minutes they used moments to do things like tell time or know when it was a good time to plant crops.
They were very short. All the doorways in the ruins are 4′ 9″ at the most.
No one knows what really happened to them.

There are many theories about how the Mayans aren’t around such as they used up all the resources in their land or others believe there was a huge natural disaster like drought that could have wiped out all of the big Mayan groups. The average height of the Mayans was 4′ 8″- 5′ 2″ which was why all of the doorways were so short. The ruin that I saw used to be the city of Tulum which apparently Justin Bieber is banned from for climbing on one of the ruins. The main ruin was made with a gap in the middle so the Mayans would know that when the sun shines through the gap it would be time to start farming in the spring and when the rainy season started in the fall.

I hope you enjoyed reading my post! Have you ever been to Mexico? I would love to hear about it if you have!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

The Cutest Dogs Ever!

Posted on March 23, 2016 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

wsilver via Compfight

I absolutely love dogs! My dog is a Alaskan Malamute and he can be a real idiot. Here are some of my favourite dogs,

Leonbergers:

A Leonberger is a German mountain dog that can grow to be 80 cm tall! They are really friendly dogs with a great temper meant. Their fur is usually brown and black.

Alaskan Malamutes:

Alaskan Malamutes are known for their sweet and lovable personalities and their absolutely adorably fluffy faces! They are also known for running till they die if they see another animal (speaking from experience) . Most will get bored easily if not entertained.

Finnish Lapphund:

Finnish Lapphunds are working dogs usually used for herding reindeer. They are very intelligent and active dogs kind of like a malamute. These dogs are most commonly owned in Finland, Europe, Great Britain, Australia and the US.

What do you think the cutest dog is? I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

My Favourite Desserts!

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Kalea

xelipe via Compfight

Hi Everyone,

One of my favourite things to do is bake. I used to bake a lot a few years ago but not as much now. Here are some of my favourite things to bake.

Pavlova:
Pavlova is something I usually bake around Christmas but is good to make all year round! It originated in New Zealand and was named after Russian Ballerina Anna Pavlova. Pavlova is a meringue based dessert topped with whipped cream and fruit.

Blackberry Cheesecake:
This summer was the first time that I made cheesecake and it turned out surprisingly well! Cheesecake originated in Ancient Greece. When I first saw cheesecake when I was little I thought is what cheese with icing on it! That turned me off of trying it for a while.

Sugar Cookies:
Sugar Cookies are one of the simplest things to bake but they taste amazing! Recently I made these for the div. 12-13 bake sale. Usually people will roll them out and make circular cookies or use cookie cutters.

What is you favourite thing to bake? I hope you enjoyed reading my post and try to make some of these things!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

Early Human Ancestors

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Kalea

Jaroslav A. Polák via Compfight

Hi Everyone,

Recently our teacher has taught us a lot about early humans and their way of life. If I could be any of the early humans I would be a Homo Neanderthal. In this post I will be telling you my perspective of them.

Neanderthals were the first ancestor of ours to develop a language. If something was going to attack someone you could warn them or you could just have a friendly conversation with someone. I would want to live in a timeline with a language because we could communicate with each other.

Another reason I would want to be a Neanderthal is because they were very good at building shelters and structures. Benefits of being able to build good shelters is that if there was a big storm you wouldn’t have very much damage to clean up if everything was inside. I would want to be good at building shelters because it is a main thing you need to survive.

The last reason is because they are extremely strong! Archaeologists are saying they could pick up a pick-up truck. Some benefits of being short and strong are that you would do well in the cold and fight off any predators.

I think that a Neanderthal was one of the more superior human species. Once all of the species were living together at the same time! I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

Me And My Shadow!

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

For the past two weeks our class has been working on an art project called Me And My Shadow. We have also been learning about how to add value to our art when we are shading.

In the picture my pose is thinking about being a dancer. I chose a dancer for my shadow because I have been doing dance for seven years and really enjoy it. I am doing a kick in for the shadow pose because it is on of my favourite moves to do.

First we drew a line 10 cm from the bottom then cut out our picture and glued it on. Then we drew and filled in our shadow. After we drew our background we added shading and drew the sidewalk or other grounds. Finally we added extra objects in the background. One way to add value to your art is to add shading. If you have a window that is facing the light source you could add shading to make it look more realistic.

One good thing I noticed in my post is that all of my shading is facing the same way. Another is that I think the drawing was pretty good. In my picture my arms are not the same length! The one in the air looks way shorter to me.

I would love to hear what you notice about my shadow! Whats your favourite part of my picture? I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

My Top Three Favourite Books!

Posted on January 22, 2016 by Kalea

Steve via Compfight

Hi Everyone,

I love to read and I try to finish a book at least every two months. In the past year I have read many good books but these three stood out. I hope you will read them if you get the chance!

The Great Gatsby:

The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and was published on April 10th 1925. This is my third favourite book. I really enjoyed reading this book. Here is the summary,
After his war service, Jay Gatsby accumulates a fortune from organized crime and invents a new persona for himself. He buys a luxury property on Long Island, across the water from the mansion where Daisy now lives with her new husband. He throws extravagant parties to attract her but but her arrival only signals the unraveling of Gatsby’s cherished dream. This book is really good I recommend reading it if you have the time!

Snow Like Ashes:

Snow Like Ashes was written by Sara Raasch and was publish October 14, 2014. It is my second favourite book. Here is the summary,
Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and it’s citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now the people of Winter’s only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been searching for a chance to steal back Winters magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.
Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee. Training to be a warrior she would do anything to help Winter rise to power again. So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore their magic, Meira decides to go after it, only to find herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics- and to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

Cinder:

Cinder is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles which was written by Marissa Meyer. These books are my favourite series! Here is the summary,

Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future
This series is really good, I recommend reading it if you have the time!

I would love to hear what you think of these books. I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

Archery

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

Archery is my favourite sport. Recently I became a member of the Courtenay Fish and Game Protective Association which has an archery range, gun range, campsites, a boat launch and public beach access.

There are four different kinds of bows such as Re-curve bows, Long bows, Compound bows, and Crossbows.
Long bows were the first bows to be recorded in 1298 and were a deadly weapon on the battlefield. I shoot a Re-curve bow which is kind of like a Longbow but it has a resting point for the arrow. Compound bows are by far the most modern and deadly of all the bows. On a Compound bow you have sight lines so you have a better chance of getting a bulls-eye whereas on a traditional bow you have to do the math in you’re head. A Crossbow is like a Compound bow but turned on it’s side and it has a trigger instead of having to pullback the string.

Arrows are kept in a quiver that is strung around your back or around your waist. Actors make pulling out an arrow off your back look a lot easier than it actually is! Whenever I try to pull out an arrow the quiver slides making me have to reach back further. Luckily they make quivers that have a strap that goes around your waist. In my quiver there is a 3 inch cut in the side that is meant to help get the arrow out.

Have you ever tried archery? I would love to hear about your experience if you have. I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

Charlie Brown Christmas

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Kalea

Hi Everyone,

This year is the 50th anniversary of Charlie Brown Christmas. Recently our class watched Charlie Brown Christmas and learned a lot about how it came to be one of the most popular movies in North America. In the movie Charlie Brown isn’t happy that Christmas is getting so commercial.

Charlie Brown likes Christmas but he is very unhappy that everyone is talking about expensive gifts that they want. Even his dog is getting to commercial! My favourite scene in the movie is when Linus quotes from the Bible to tell them what the true meaning of Christmas is, appreciating what you already have and spending time with the people you care about.

Fun Facts About Charlie Brown Christmas:

When Linus and Charlie Brown fly across the skating rink Linus originally flew into a Coca Cola bill board
Coca Cola sponsored Charlie Brown when it was in the news paper
Charlie Brown’s face is never facing diagonal

What is your favourite scene in Charlie Brown Christmas? I hope you enjoyed reading my post!

Thanks,
Kalea

Edited by: Abby

How to Make a Christmas Snowflake

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Kalea

LollyKnit via Compfight

Hi Everyone,

Every year around Christmas time my Mom and I make snowflakes to hang around the house. My Mom originally found the steps on Pinterest. Here are the steps,