EARTH HOUR

On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities participated in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby.

The Aurora Season In A Bar Graph

According to the last 75 years of data, which 4 months are the best for viewing auroras (northern lights)? It appears they are most likely to occur around the equinoxes, or spring and fall. The reason for this is pretty complicated and not fully understood. Check out more here. March is the best month out of the year, so keep an eye to the night sky!

White Star

Here is a look at our new novel we are reading. This book does a very good job of blending facts about the Titanic with the fictional story of a boy who has found a true friend in a dog. Marty Crisp (author) includes a map of the Titanic's voyage, an illustration of the decks on the boat, a time line of events, fascinating facts, and mysteries of the Titanic. He also includes a list of survivors as well as victims. This chapter book is a great read for any student interested in the Titanic or dogs!

March Migration

It's now March and the biggest news at Lack Tuscarora is that the migration north is on! Each morning coming to school I see hundreds of canada geese migrating. A quick bird count today revealed flocks of canada geese, several species of ducks, hawks, blue birds, grackle, and 3 bald eagles! There is no doubt that spring is on the way, as these birds give us a clue. The weather was cold and windy, let's hope March goes out like a lamb.

Mystery Auroras

We know that auroras happen when charged particles from the sun slam into our upper atmosphere, which causes beautiful northern lights! This picture was taken Saturday night (3/1/08) from Norway. Here is the mystery...there were no solar wind gusts. Where did this come from? NASA hopes to soon find out. A year ago they launched 5 spacecraft to study these mysterious outbursts.

An Act of Kindness

Our class got a HUGE surprise when Valerie, Nathan, Audrey, & Marian Goates from Shippensburg, PA, purchased some awesome new books for our classroom. The books included...Raptor! A Kid's Guide to Birds of Prey, Birds of Prey Coloring Book, and Gracie Goat's Big Bike Race. Valerie saw how much we are into birds of prey and bike racing after reading our blog. We just want to say a big "THANK YOU" as we are inspired by her kindness! We will be sure to pass on her act of kindness, and put the books to good use!

Lunar Eclipse

Lucky for us the clouds cleared out just in time for the lunar eclipse! Here are two pictures showing the earth's shadow on the moon. I hope you got a good look, the next one isn't until December 2010.

What Inspires You?

Friday Bald Eagle

Another lucky Friday ends with a bald eagle sighting! The last two have been spotted from Mr. Hart's window. Mrs Ricedorf, our new principal was very excited and right out there with the kids observing the eagle. This eagle soared around long enough for me to snap a few pics of it. I even saw another bald eagle heading home from school right near the Millerstown river bridge!

Our Meat Eating Plant

About 3 months ago we got this Venus Flytrap, which didn't eat and slowly dried up and died...almost! New growth started to form and the plant keeps getting bigger and healthier. Last week it closed tight around its first victim, a common house fly. This week this carnivorous plant ate another fly! You can see the two buldging pods as our plant slowly digests the two victims.

Learn more about Venus Flytaps by clicking here...

http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=8&chapter=1

Mt. Everest

Click the play button on the video and see some incredible photography on Everest. I think you'll enjoy this 4 minute clip set to music! It makes you really appreciate what Peak and Sun-Jo are trying to accompish in our novel.

Hunter The Champ

Hunter Laird won the 3rd Annual BJ Prough Memorial Wrestling Tournament in Mt. Union. Hunter pinned both his opponents to win the 9 - 10 year old age bracket. Congratualations Hunter we are all very proud of you!

Everest Basecamp & Gear

In our novel Peak, the expedition to Everest has been a rough one to say the least. We have discussed things like altitude sickness, acclimatization, and the wicked conditions associated with being on top of the world. The students and I have really gotten into this novel and find it hard to put down. I wanted to include a real picture of base camp on Everest and then a picture of climbing gear. It certainly takes a tough individual to stay focused, healthy, and energized at nearly 6 miles up!

A True Hero

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. "

Martin Luther King Jr.

Winter's Chill

Here is the forecast for the upcoming week. We are getting an arctic air mass moving in from Canada. Prepare for the coldest air of winter so far. YES! You do have to wear a coat at recess if the wind chill doesn't keep us from going outside!!

Awesome Auroras!

I thought this picture was pretty cool! Someone in Quebec made these "polar bears" with snow. The arctic has seen auroras every night so far in 2008! Kind of makes you wish you were one of those polar bears getting to watch one of nature's awesome displays!

"PEAK"

We have just started a new novel, "PEAK" by Roland Smith.

Have you ever wondered what inspires people to climb mountains? What drives some to the highest peaks? Fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello was born to climb. Born to a couple of dedicated "rock rats," Peak has climbing in his blood. He has a chance to be the youngest person ever to summit Mt. Everest before his 15th birthday. Mt. Everest has the highest elevation on earth, with the summit at 29,029 ft. This monster of a mountain has claimed the lives of some of the world's best climbers...will 14 year old Peak make it to the summit?

Mt. Everest 29,029 ft.

Lance vs. Cancer

Lance Armstrong is done winning bike races, but remains in the spotlight for another reason. Lance continues to speak on the importance of finding a cure for cancer. Cancer affects us all as we all can name someone we personally know who was or is affected by the disease. Lance has helped raise millions of dollars for cancer research. He has saved lives by educating people on early detection and better treatment. Through the same perseverance that won him 7 Tour de France titles and allowed him to beat cancer, I have no doubt he will not stop fighting to win this battle as well. Check out http://www.livestrong.org/ for more on Lance's quest for a cure.

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Feel free to leave comments over the holiday break. Have a nice relaxing vacation, but get ready to work super hard in 2008!