Summer Family Trip!

   For the past four years, my family has gone to Illinois to visit my dad's family. While we are there, we rent a lake house and my uncle brings his boat out so all the kids(and some adults) can go tubing, water skiing, and knee boarding. We had our yearly trip a few weeks ago and it was a blast! We even went fishing on my uncle's boat and near the dock. Here are some pictures from the lake:

 Early morning at the lake. It was already around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.  

 Chillin' by the lake with my cousins.

 Creepy the Stuffed Beaver.

 Another sunny, hot day!

Pano of the dock.

   Another cool thing that we did that we can't do in California is catch fireflies! There are so many there and it is amazing to watch them light up in the dark! They are very strange looking bugs. When you catch them, they look like lean beetles.

   Although all the activities were very fun, the most important thing about the trip was making memories with friends and family. I know, it sounds REALLY corny, but it is true! You never know what will happen so, when you visit family from out of town(or family comes to visit you) try to make the most of the time you have together.
   I have told you about my trip, I want to here about yours! Please comment about your summer and any blog ideas are appreciated! Please share this blog with your friends, and don't be afraid to ask questions about middle school, or any of my other blog posts!
NOTICE: I have just started another blog about the animated mystery show, Gravity Falls! If you are interested, here is the link to it
http://thegravityfallsexplorer.blogspot.com 

Gravity Falls Fan? Here are some cute craft Ideas!

My friend an I are HUGE fans of the animated show, Gravity Falls. Today, we decided that it would be fun to make some Gravity Falls crafts! Here are the crafts that we did!

Here are clay models of Mabel, Dipper(who's real name is actually Michael!), and Waddles. Made from polymer clay.

This is the author's(Ford's) first journal. Made from an old journal covered with red-painted paper. I used tin foil for the hand, the corners, and the eye glass. On the back of the journal, there is the circle of symbols that can be used to defeat Bill.

These are Dipper(aka Michael) and Mabel balloon dolls. They are made of one or two balloons, brown, rough yarn, and fabric. Dipper has a large magnifying glass, and Mabel has her signature grapelling hook!

Yearbooks

   As the year is winding down, and summer nears, teachers pass out the YEARBOOKS. And most people get them autographed by their friends and teachers. I have a few tips about writing in year books.

   First, I would recommend not writing HAGS(abbreviation for Have A Great Summer) on someone's yearbook. I say this because it might feel like, to the person receiving the yearbook autograph, that you didn't take the time to write a nice note. Especially if you are good friends with that person. So take the time to write your friends a nice note before school is out.

   Second, try to write your name, or note, in your neatest hand writing. This person is likely going to keep their yearbook forever(and that's a long time) and you don't want the person to not be able to read your name. You want them to remember you. Write neat in other's yearbooks!

   Third, don't write mean or inappropriate things in others yearbooks. Then, that is how that person will remember you, as a mean or inappropriate person. You want that year to be a good memory for everyone, so be nice in yearbooks!

   Fourth, if someone asks you to sign their yearbook or ask to sign yours, ALWAYS SAY YES! No matter who it is. Just be nice. Even if it the girl who stole your sandwich or the guy who picks his nose.
   So this year, be yearbook smart!

Summer Fun!

   Summer is finally here! That means only a few weeks left of school and you are done! Hopefully, you have tons of things planned for the summer, but some days when you have nothing planned, you may get bored. Here are a few easy things you can do at your house to spice up a boring summer day:

• Make a new dessert recipe(challenge: Don't use the stove OR oven)
• Start writing a book
• Start reading a new book
• Find a craft in your closet or look up some fun ones on the internet
• Go through your closet and find old stuff that you haven't seen in YEARS!
• Clean out your closet and give the hand-me-downs to your siblings
• Make a movie
• Build with Legos
• Look through old year books
• Make a year book out of old photos
• Make a duct tape wallet
• Do a science experiment
• Look up random facts
• Memorize as many digits of pi as you can
• Start a blog on whatever you want
• Make a poster
• Do a neighborhood survey(ex. Hair color, car color, dogs etc)
• Make a music video
• PILLOW FORT!!!
• Scavenger hunt
• Water balloon fight
• Paint a masterpiece
• Make paper airplanes
• Learn how to make origami
• Write a poem
• Learn how to write a haiku
• Backyard Olympics(requires multiple people)
• Check out the local news
• Try to predict the weather
• Draw the shapes of the clouds
• Make a collage with magazines
• Learn to knit
• Make the most difficult math problem ever

And so much more! These are only a few ideas for things to do on a boring summer day. Now that I have told you my ideas, I want to hear about YOUR ideas? What do you do on boring summer days?

Friends in Middle School

   Kids can be mean. One second you think they are your friend, the next they are off with someone else and they are acting like you don't exist. It happened to me before. These things are called friend switches. And I know, it hurts. I needed to find some new friends who would talk to me, and accept me for who I am. And I did. I found new friend in elementary school, and some in middle school. They are the coolest people I have ever met and we can be ourselves around each other. Every day I look around at my group of friends and I feel happy because of all these wonderful people who are in my life and I appreciate them so much. They like me for me and I like them for the people they are. Friends will be ever-changing, and I found my group where I am loved for who I am.
   Middle school is such a great place to meet new people because you have so many classes! And in each class, there is a new group of people. You may have something in common with some of the people in your classes. All it can take to start a friendship is saying hi and asking their name. They may be shy and looking for someone to talk to. Reach out to them and who knows, they may become your next best friend!
   Another thing I want to say is something very important as well. This is something that I have been focusing very hard on in middle school. Surrounding myself with good people who you can be yourself around, and they can do the same. Good people are the ones you can trust and the ones that build each other up. They are there during the fun and hard times. They will always like you for the person you are. Good friends will be there for you.

Lunch in middle school doesn't have to be scary!

   The campus is sooooo big! There are so many people, you could be in a shopping mall! That is how busy middle school lunch areas can be. But it doesn't have to be that scary! Here are some steps you can take to make middle school lunch time more enjoyable:

Step #1: Talk to your friends before lunch on where you are going to meet.

Step #2: Establish a lunch spot, and sit there consistently so that you and you and your friends always know where to meet during lunch. If you don't tell your friends where you are during lunch, your friend might have to search the whole school before they find you. If you are going to change lunch spots, make sure all of your friends are notified, and know where the new meeting place is.

Step #3: Meet your friends at your new lunch spot and bon appetit!

Once you know where to meet your friends, lunch time will be a breeze, and you won't have to worry about trying to find them in the lunch time student frenzy. No more lunch time worries!

NOTICE!: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO WRITE ABOUT, PLEASE COMMENT! I LOVE READING COMMENTS!

Why You Need Study Buddies in Middle School

   Uh, oh. You forgot to write down the math homework in your agenda! And your teacher doesn't have a website that he/she puts the class work and homework in! What are you going to do? Call your study buddy! What are study buddies? Study buddies are people in each of you classes that can help you with questions about homework and class notes. If you were absent, call your study buddy from each of the classes you missed and ask about the homework that was assigned and the class notes so that you are ready for the next time you have the classes.

  How to get study buddies Choose two or more friends from each class that you have and ask for their numbers so that if you forget the homework(or if they forget the homework) you can text each other to find out what the assignment was and GET IT DONE on time.

NOTICE!: IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO WRITE ABOUT, PLEASE COMMENT! I LOVE READING COMMENTS!