Author Archives: Jan Smith

Guest Post: Fun Facts from Abbie

Are you a trivia buff? I am–it might be a job hazard, I’m afraid. Thank goodness for people like Abbie who top up my facts. Have a read!

Hello fellow readers,

Have you ever heard facts so crazy that it honestly feels like your head is going to explode?  Some facts must be made up right?  Well some, but not the ones I will be telling you about today!  So hold your horses, and listen to these awesome facts!

All the information I got was from the books National Geographic Kids: Weird but True 2!  Be sure to check out their website to read all of the weird but true books!

Ultimate Weird But True 2
Vernon Barford School via Compfight

Facts:

#1.  Food travels through your esophagus at a speed of about one inch a second!

#2.  On average, the Empire State Building, (in New York City) is hit by lighting 25 times a year.

#3.  Chewing gum puts you in a better mood, especially mint flavoured.

#4.  It takes more than ten gallons of water to make one slice of bread.

#5.  Between 1886 and 1902 the Statue of Liberty was used as a lighthouse.

#6.  Hummingbirds flap their wings up to 80 times a second.

#7.  Toothpaste was once sold in jars.

#8.  About 6,000 hours of new videos are posted to YouTube every hour.

#9.  Each year, winds blow about 40 million tons of dust from Africa’s Sahara… To the Amazon River Basin in South America.

#10.  A study found that babies born in winter tend to crawl sooner than babies born in summer.

#11.  Scientists created a fork that measures how long you pause between bites to show how fast your eating.

#12.  Camels are born without humps.

#13.  Coffee with cream stays hotter longer than plain black coffee.

#14.  You can buy “smartshoes” that give directions by buzzing your left or right foot to signal which way to turn.

#15.  Canadians eat more donuts than any other country’s citizens.

Thanks everyone for reading my post, do you have any fun facts that are not on my post?  What are they?  Have you possibly found a crocodile that can climb trees? Or an owl that barks like a dog?  Can’t wait to hear all of your comments!

(♥Please comment on Abbie’s post)

Sincerely, Abbie
Edited by: Morgan
Edited by: Ayla

Food, Glorious Food & Wonderful Wikimedia

Miss Wyatt set us a challenge this week that we could really sink our teeth into: writing about foods that Canadians (or at least these Canadians) love. Easy-peasy: no one was lost for words. Check out the delicious posts below.

Albert Roosenboom The tempting cakeWe used the opportunity to learn more about how to use images appropriately in our posts. As we were reminded by Miss Wyatt, we can’t just grab any old image from Mrs. Google–we must have the photographer’s permission. People who want their art, writing, images, or videos to be used and shared by others give their work a Creative Commons (cc) license rather than attach a Copyright (c). Wikipedia has a large and growing collection of such images, linked to its articles, called Wikimedia Commons. We learned how to use these files and give attribution (saying whose work it is) by pasting code into the text tab of our blogs. To see attribution (try it on The Tempting Cake, by Albert Roosenboom, right), mouse over the image; to see the license details, click on the image. Should you wish to try it yourself, the document describing the process is below.

But first, the glorious food posts of my hungry Huzzahnians. Who knew they had such a weakness for poutine?

Food Favourites:

Poutine: Ben, Brooke J., Rowan, Tate, Connor, Harley, Ayla
Maple Syrup: Chantal, Cami Bacon: Alinna, Tyler B.  Salmon: Abby D.
Pancakes: Morgan Doughnuts: Nathan, Hayly Oranges: Kalea
Spaghetti: Kasandra, Elijah Pizza: Tyler M. Sushi: Brooke L.
Fajitas: Rylie Buffalo Wings: Owen Waffles: Autumn, Liv, Abbie
Apple SauceAerin Pies: Talia

Here is the how-to document: [embeddoc url=”https://huzzah.edublogs.org/files/2015/11/Add-an-Image-from-Wikimedia-Commons-25521bq.pdf” viewer=”google”]

Please take a look at these excellent posts and leave comments for our dedicated bloggers. If you use this how-to file, let me know how it goes. And please remember to leave your blog url (your blog address) in the comments.

Texas: What We *Think* We Know…

One of the coolest things about blogging is that you meet people from all over the world. Mrs. Kriese’s class in Austin, Texas has really set the bar high on getting to know their global neighbours. They have been learning about bloggers in New Zealand, Serbia, and us in British Columbia, with whom they had exchanged comments. First they brainstormed what they thought they knew about us, and then did some first-class research to find out more.

Well, we think that is a great formula. Below are the notes from our brainstorming session. Mrs. Kriese and Grade 7s of West Ridge Middle School–how did we do?

Created with Padlet
We look forward to your comments. Please leave your blog address!

Spooky Halloween Houses!

Halloween Victorian Mansions on PhotoPeach

Don’t go in alone!

These haunted houses were inspired by the work done here and here. We took a look at the features of Victorian homes: asymmetry in structure, a focal point front door, turrets and towers, bay windows, iron railings, roofs made of slate, brick or shingle siding, sash windows, and tell-tale gingerbread woodwork on roof peaks, porch corners, and around doors.

We sketched in pencil first, then went over the drawings with a Sharpie. The backgrounds were done using oil pastels for the ground and moon, followed by a two colour-wash of water colour paint. For detailed instructions, check out Tyler’s post or Abbie’s post.

The results….
  Spoooky!

The music, Night on Bald Mountain by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky, adds to the drama, I think!

What do you notice about these houses? Do you like the music or would you have chosen something different?  Have you done any Halloween art this year? If so, leave a comment with your blog address and we will come and take a look.

Cats? Dogs? Or Cats & Dogs?

A Tender Moment
Stephanie via Compfight

 Most people I know like animals. Many LOVE animals. And those who love animals  often have a cat or a dog–or both–or many of both!–for family pets. Sometimes, they have strong feelings about which make better pets, felines or canines.

This week students shared their preferences for these special animal companions, supporting their stance with a list of reasons.   They made their posts pop with Flickr Creative Commons images which they inserted using the Compfight widget. Students are beginning to understand that to use someone else’s creations (writing, photos, audio, video, etc.) you have to have permission and give the person credit (attribution) for their work.

So take a look at these terrific new posts. Click on the names below. Looks like there is a definite bias in favour of barking and panting over meowing and purring.

     Cats      Cats
& Dogs   
    Dogs    

 Cami

Fayth

Nate

Chantal

Hayly

Hana

Seamus

Alinna

Morgan

Autumn

Harley

Owen

Rowan

Brooke L. 

Connor

Abbie

Ben

Abby

Talia

Elijah

Kalea

 

Aerin

Tyler B

Kassy

 Ayla

Tyler M.

Brooke J.

Tate

Riley

Liv

But you have your own opinions, I bet! So agree, disagree, and share you thoughts. These bloggers are waiting to hear from you!

*If you leave a comment, and you have a blog, please include your blog address with your comment (ie ryliez13.edublogs.org) so we can visit you. Thanks!*