Homework Club - Part 2

A few blogs ago I wrote about the Homework Club that some of us started so we would not get behind at school. Well, what happens when a bunch of girls get together to do their homework? Not homework! We ended up chatting and giggling and having a great time, but did not get much accomplished. I started to worry about this when I heard that a few girls were getting concerned about keeping up at school and wondered how I could help. Then I had a great idea! I decided to ask Miss Samantha for help. She is the oldest and wisest doll in Pleasantview, so I knew she would be the one to turn to.


I went to the Parkington mansion and had a chat with Miss Samantha and her little sister, Amanda. Miss Samantha listened carefully and looked like she had a few good ideas brewing.



Miss Samantha said, "Don't worry, Kiki. I have a plan. Tell the girls to come over to my home tomorrow after school and everything will be ready." I left, looking forward to the next day to see what Miss Samantha had in mind.



The next day the girls began to arrive one by one and were ushered into a room that had been transformed into a classroom. Kit got there first. "Miss Samantha, I have been so busy working on the school newspaper that I am way behind on my math homework." "Don't worry, Kit," replied Miss Samantha, "just have a seat."



Ella came in and plopped right down in a desk without even stopping to greet anyone. "Sorry, Miss Samantha. I'm just so exhausted from running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, that I can barely stand up. I need to get organized!"

"I know just the thing you need," responded Miss Samantha. "I'll be with you shortly."



Emily came in with a concerned look on her face. "I have a science project due on Friday and I haven't even decided what to do it on! Can you help me?" she asked.

"Of course!" was Miss Samantha's reply.



But, just then Eva came bursting through the door. "O-M-G! I am sooooo going to fail my next spelling test! I've never gotten an "F" before and if I get one now my grade point average will be ruined. I'll never get into college or get a scholarship. This is like the worst thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Calm down, Eva," said Miss Samantha. "English words can be hard to spell and you just need to take some time and memorize them. I will help you."



The room was filled with tension as each girl worried about her problems, but Miss Samantha looked on with a calm demeanor.

...to be continued soon...

hugs,

Kiki

Fall Surprise

Happy fall! I love this time of year. This week Daisy and I spent time in the mountains of southern Colorado looking for signs of fall. We found lots of them, and a surprise, too!


We camped right here, on a ridge above this beautiful lake. This is an early morning photo.



And this is what Daisy and I were wearing. It's chilly in the morning so we had on our sweaters and hats, which is definitely a sign that it is fall. But, soon the sun would warm us up and we would take those off. Plus we were ready with our shorts on!



The trees in this area are piñon pines and spruce trees. Have you ever had pine nuts? They come from the piñon trees and are yummy! Daisy found this pile of shells, so we know the squirrels and chipmunks think so, too! I bet they are storing them for the upcoming winter.



We took a drive into the high country and found that the aspens had put on their fall colors.



The hollyhocks are still in bloom!



On our drive we saw a few animals. Look at this sweet cow!



And these are wild turkeys. They ran away from us quickly, so I bet they know Thanksgiving is coming!



Can you guess what the surprise was? I saved it for last. Here's a hint: you can see it in the distance in this photo.



Snow!!! The night before there was a dusting of snow that fell on the higher peaks. It was gone by the end of the day, but still... SNOW!!! That is a sign of fall in the peaks of the Rocky Mountains!

I hope you are having a nice fall and let me know what you find.

Hugs,

Kiki

Fall Camping = Outdoor Ed

Hi everyone! Some of us girls are homeschooled, so that means we got to go camping last week. HOWEVER, Meli made sure it was a learning experience since this is fall after all!


Clara and I did all the usual camping things like hiking...



... until our little legs got tired and we got carried!



And of course we roasted marshmallows...



... and got to play in this cool teepee that someone built.



We also studied wildlife behavior. Bears are attracted by food in dumpsters so these have special locks that even Meli can hardly open.



A bear was seen in the campground just a few days before we arrived, so we were extra careful to clean everything up at night before going to bed in the trailer. If a bear becomes a problem they have to kill him, which is really sad, so it's best not to attract them to areas where people are.



You know I love birds, so I was busy studying my favorite bird guide every afternoon. We saw downy woodpeckers, stellars jays, and lot of other birds.



But, my favorite one was this western tanager that we saw when we first arrived.



There were lots of chipmunks and squirrels around, too. They would pack their cheeks full of food and then run off to their homes to store it for winter.



Clara loves plants! She identified and wrote about the ones we saw. This is sage and smells wonderful.



And a few Indian Paintbrushes were still in bloom.



This is called harebell and is very dainty!



I liked these pretty red berries, but Clara warned me that they are poisonous! There are kinnikinnick or bearberries.



Look at this baby pine tree that Clara found! There have been a lot of trees killed by a pine beetle, so some new one are being planted. The tree is protected so animals won't eat it.



We learned how to cook on a campfire by raking the hot coals out and burying the food in them. It was so yummy, especially the sweet potatoes!



Clara and I agreed that camping is a great way to learn about nature!

See you again soon,

Kiki

The Homework Club Part 1

Hi everyone! It's Kiki here, with a special blog honoring back to school week. My friends and I are very excited about school starting and we really want to do our best this year.


Remember the beach house? Well, it is now...



...The Homework Club!!!



I spent all day setting up the treehouse to get it ready to be a place to study. We have a calendar, a globe, a map, dictionary and books and notebooks. I think we will need some snacks, too! Want to meet the members of the club? I am going to interview a few of them.



Kiki: Welcome, Clara. Will you please tell us why you joined the homework club and what you want to be when you grow up.
Clara: I want to be a teacher when I grow up! I just love school. I am excited about doing homework with my friends and maybe I can even teach them if they need help.



Kiki: This is Kit. Kit, what do you want to do when you grow up?

Kit: Well, Kiki, I want to be a writer. I might be a journalist or a novelist, but definitely some kind of writer.

,

Kiki: And, this is Eva. Tell us a little bit about what you want to do with your life.

Eva: Well, I want to be an actress, or a pilot, or an interior designer, or a veterinarian, or ...

Kiki: Okay! It's good to keep your options open!



Kiki: And last of all we have Ella. I think I know what she wants to be!

Ella: Yes, I am already a gymnast and I want to continue that and win a gold medal. But, later I'll probably coach or teach or something. Gymnastics takes a lot of my time, but school comes first, so I joined The Homework Club to stay motivated.



And there you have it! The beginning of a successful school year. If you want to, you could start a homework club, too. Let me know how it goes and good luck with school!

Kiki - your ace reporter who still wants to be an ornithologist!