Wen's Mukilteo Adventure

12/20/10

Hello, Wen here! I made it safe and sound to the Reed home in Mukilteo. Guess what… I arrived in time for the holiday break, and boy is this family busy! Grandma Gerry and Bobo flew into town and we went to the Seattle Art Museum to see the Picasso Exhibit! Did you know that Picasso was born in December? Cool! While  we were there, I ran into some friends in the gift shop! 

12/25/10

Mukilteo is a nice little town. They are located right on the Puget Sound. The ferry boat goes to Whidbey Island right from the dock down the street. The Reed family can hear the Ferry horn and the train horns from their home.

Santa came to Mukilteo last night. Makenna, Skylar, Tyler, and the dogs Winnie and Snickers all had stockings full of goodies.

12/27/10 

Here I am with Mrs. Reed. Did you know she is a WAVA teacher, too?

This is Colter. He is very tired. He plays Lacrosse and wrestles. He did both today!

This is Skylar. She has a big tummy, because she is going to have a baby in 2 months. Guess what… it is a girl. Jaren and Skylar are going to name her Lila!

Here I am with Makenna, Grandma, and Bobo. The Reed family likes to go to a gym called Agoge Crossfit. They really work out hard and have a lot of fun doing it!

 

Now, I'm off to Demoines to visit another WAVA family!

I'll write more soon!

Have a Wonderful Break!

Week 15: Lesson Learned

 
Winter Break is just around the corner! Things to do before 2011: enjoy the decorations around town, eat a candy cane, read in bed, sip some cocoa and hug your LC!

Once again, it's time to share with your classmates! This is always such a fun post. It's great to hear about all of the wonderful things you are learning!  For this week's response, tell us about something you learned in one of your WAVA courses in December.

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, December 17th!

Wen's in Port Orchard!

11-28-10

Wen here! I have been hanging out in Port Orchard for a while!  It has been quite an adventure! I have seen snow for the first time, my friend Avonlea lost a tooth, the power was out for 3 days (Avonlea kept me warm), we celebrated Thanksgiving and I got to help decorate the Christmas tree!

11-29-10

Today I got to go hang out in a town near Port Orchard called Gig Harbor.  We got to go visit the library, get a hot chocolate, visit a toy store called Teaching Toys II where I saw a few monsters that looked VERY similar to me, and we got to eat at a yummy restaurant called Fondi pizzeria!  We forgot to bring the camera with but it was still lots of fun! 

Tonight I almost got squished by the dog Brodie but Avonlea saved me at the last moment!  Instead I got to ride around on Brodie's back until I fell off!

11-30-10

It was tree decorating time today!  Boy are there a lot of Christmas things in this house...I think it make take a week to get all of the decorations up!  I was afraid I might get lost in a box of ornaments!  

 

The best part was when my friend Avonlea read me the Christmas story near the tree.  

I also liked it when I got to ride in the train underneath her tree!

12-1-10

Avonlea and her big brother Chandler are really excited that it's December!  Only 24 more days until Christmas!  

 

They are very excited about the Advent Calendar being up because now they get a special chocolate each day up until Christmas!  I am not sure what chocolate tastes like but they sure seem to like it!  Each of them are talking about what they hope they'll get for Christmas and Avonlea whispered to me what she was getting for her family....but I can't tell, cause it's a secret!

12-2-10

Today is my last day here!  It has been a busy day around here!  We went to the YMCA for Homeschool PE, ballet and Tae Kwon Do.  Then we went to Costco and had lots of yummy samples while we shopped!  Later that evening I got to paint with Avonlea before her bedtime routine, which includes reading a Christmas story by the tree every night in December.  

I am going to miss that but I am excited to see where I will go next!  But for now I am going to snuggle up one last time with Avonlea in her bed and have sweet dreams!  Good night everyone!

Week 13: Lesson Learned!

Wow! It's already December? Where has this year gone? 

Time to share! I know you are learning fascinating things in your WAVA subjects.  For this week's response, tell us about something you learned in one of your courses in November.

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, December 3!

Week 12: Gobble Boggle

  In honor of Thursday's holiday, let's play a fun game of Gobble Boggle this week! Here's how you play...

Look at the letters in the word "Thanksgiving." Can you make a new word by rearranging a few of the letters? You can only choose a word that no one else has found. Let's see how many different words we can make!

 

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, November 26!

 

Walter's Enjoying Donuts in Auburn

November 12-18, 2010

Walter had a fun trip to the McNeill House.  It was cold in the mailbox, while he waited for us to get him.  We think he might have been in there a day or two, so when he came in, we warmed up with a hot chocolate party.  Walter decided to join us at the table, but he wasn't very thirsty.  One of the highlights of his stay with the McNeill's was the yummy doughnuts from the best doughnut shop ever (at least the best in Auburn, WA).  We took a picture of the sign, so Walter could remember it.   

He also got to make several trips to visit with Baba and Papa (Isaac's grandparents).  They live on the hill overlooking the valley.  They have a very nice view and can even see Mt. Rainier on a nice day.  The day we took the picture was a cloudy, grey day.   

Walter got to watch Isaac at his martial arts class.  He thought that looked like fun.  Walter also had lots of opportunities to sing and dance, do art projects, read, play Wii and just hang out with us.  I'm not sure what he would say is the highlight, but we suspect he liked the singing in the car the best.

Week 11: The Magic Seed

On my walk this morning, a rather small squirrel came up to me. He was holding a strange looking nut in his paw. Imagine my surprise when he looked up at me and squeaked, "Behold, the magic seed! Plant it wherever you wish. It will grow into anything you fancy!"

I am passing this magic seed on to you. Where will you plant it? What would you like it to grow into?

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, November 19!

 

Week 10: Remarkable Read Alouds!

For this week's response, we are going to try a new, super cool website called Vocaroo! Here's how it works.

 

1) Pick a page or paragraph from a book, a poem or something you have written.

2) Go to Vocaroo.

3) Click on the box that says "Click to Record. "

4) Say your first name.

5) Read your poem, page or paragraph aloud.

6) Click "Send to a Friend" and send your Voacroo to Mrs. Sol at rsol@wava.org

If you don't have a microphone, you can leave a comment about another student's read aloud. Just remember to be positive and kind.

As soon as I receive it, I will add your Vocaroo to the blog with your name, so others can listen. As a sample, the first comment will be MY read aloud. Please respond before Friday, November 12!

Week 9: The Arctic Trivia Challenge!

Hey Kids! Happy November! 

For this week's response, click on the following website and play The Arctic Trivia Challenge.  Once you have finished answering the questions, send me one interesting fact you learned about the Arctic!

Time for Kids - http://tinyurl.com/yuj79z

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, November 5!

Walter's Trip to Tacoma!

10/20/10-10/25/10

Hello!  I am glad to finally be out of my stuffy little travel box, but whoa! I have landed among giants! I am only 1/24^th of their height!  Do you know how TALL that makes them? I heard a baby and thought, “Phew, someone my size!” She rolled right over to me and thought I could be lunch! That’s right! She put me straight in her mouth! Yuck! Thank goodness the tall lady saved me! It turns out she is a teacher with WAVA. She started to tell me and the baby our schedule for the week…I have to tell you…I think it will be fun! We get to travel all around the Puget Sound area and visit with her students! I saw the camera get packed…I think there will be some photo ops, too! I’m just hoping she keeps me away from the gums of that baby!

During the day she lets me hang out here:

This is where she works with her students. Every now and then a deer wanders through her yard or a blue heron lands on the water feature. Pretty cool! Most of all, I like listening to the students as they ask questions. Sometimes she reads their k-mails out loud to me! She has a cool bunch of students!

While I was with Mrs. Stegeman, we were on the road nearly every day. She was meeting with her students to talk about writing. Let me tell you, there are a lot of good writers out there! I especially enjoyed all of the Personal Narratives and Memoirs! One of the days, we met at a coffee shop with another teacher, Mrs. Ritchie. I sipped some cocoa and visited with the students. Here I am with Mrs. Ritchie and two of her students:

I also had a picture with Mrs. Stegeman, her baby, Carolyn, and one of her students! We had fun chatting about her lessons and writing!

All in all, it was a busy week! The time flew by and then she said she had to put me back in the box and send me off on my next adventure. I can hardly wait to see what else I will do and who I will meet!

Week 8: Lesson Learned!

Can you believe it's the last week of October? I'm sure you learned a lot of new things this month! For this week's response, tell us about something you learned in one of your courses in October.

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, October 29th!

Wen's Trip to Bellingham

10/20/10

Today I arrived in Bellingham! YIPEEE!!! My friends here were very excited to see me. They took me on lots of adventures. I went on a bike ride and got to try Ethiopian food for the first time at a restaurant called “Queen Sheba’s” in Seattle. From there, we went to a hotel in Renton where I will swim and play tomorrow. I am so anxious for the thrills that lay ahead.

10/21/10

What a fun day I had today! I spent most of the day today in Renton with my Bellingham friends. I hung out by the hotel pool with my friend, Greysen.

 

I was afraid to get my beautiful fur wet, so I hung out in the life preserver just to be safe. 

 

From there, we went to the Fun Center where I played air hockey and rode my first motorcycle.

 

I had a great time and was so exhausted at the end of the day, I slept all the way from Renton back to Bellingham in the car.

10/22/10

Today was a restful day in Bellingham. We hung out inside most of the day because it was rainy and really windy. I was afraid I might blow away, so I played the car game with my friend, Greysen, and read some books. We read about mammals and reptiles. I learned all about the tuatara of New Zealand.

After that, I hung out with my other friend Olive-that is, until she tried to eat me. I was saved just in the knick of time, but had to shower to get all the baby drool off of me-yuck! Babies are cute but boy can they slobber. Overall though, I had a great day.

10/23/10

Today was another cold and rainy day here in Bellingham. We spent the morning resting and then went to a birthday party in the afternoon. It was a lot of fun! We painted pumpkins and ate cake and ice cream. We sat by the fire afterwards to get dry and warm and then watched a movie before going to bed.

10/24/10

Today was pumpkin carving day! I woke up early and had eggs and pancakes for breakfast-yummy. Then we picked out some pumpkins from a friend’s garden and spent the rest of the morning carving. I helped my friend, Greysen, carve a scary bat pumpkin. We roasted the seeds and gobbled them up by the handfuls while sipping mulled cider. I just love Fall!

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I will hop back in my box and head off to my next stop on my journey around Washington. I have had fun in Bellingham, but I am anxious to see more sights and meet more friends along the way! Stay tuned for more updates…

Week 7: Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell is one of my favorite artists. Every painting tells a story. I especially like the way he captures childhood memories. I'm sure all of you can relate to his paintings. I know I do.

For this week's response, look at the painting and answer the questions below. For a better view, you can click on the painting and enlarge it.

     1) What is happening in this painting by Norman Rockwell?

     2) What season is represented in the image? How do you know?

     3) What should the title of this painting be?

I will publish all comments on Thursday, so you can see what others have written (without spoiling your own creativity). Please respond before Friday, October 22nd!

Week 6: Grace's Show & Tell

party on Storybird

The Storybird above was created by Grace, a first grader in our class! For this week's response, let Grace know what you think of her book by leaving a compliment or question in the comment box. To read her story, click on the book above. Click again to turn the pages. 

If you would like to share something that you created this year, k-mail it to Mrs. Sol. Students will have a chance to admire your work in our Author's Chair Elluminate on October 27. Who knows, it might just end up on this blog in November as well! 

Your comment will not be seen by others until I approve it. Please respond before Friday, October 15th!

And They're Off!

This was an exciting day for us! We were packed into our boxes and shipped. Our adventure has finally begun! Sixty, yes SIXTY families have offered to take us in for a few days. This is going to be an amazing trip! We can't wait to spend time with WAVA families, travel around their towns and see the sites. Each stop will be a new adventure!

Walter is on his way to Tacoma...

and Wen is making her way to Bellingham!

Thanks for dropping us off at the P.O. boys! Goodbye for now!

Check back soon to see what we are doing as we travel around Washington!

Your pals,