Around the World from Z to A ... FINAL Day!

Hello my Apple-eating Academics,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. I can’t believe it’s your final day of school! Wow! Well, I have had the “awesomest” time with you, my electronic pen-pals from the other side of the world.

I am going to be joining you back in North America very soon. My final destination is Alaska. That is where my home is located. When I am not coasting around the world and writing to you, my job is to study Alaskan bears. My favorite is the grizzly bear!

I am going to be celebrating my birthday two days in a row! That’s right, I’m celebrating my birthday twice this year. Remember when I taught you about the International Dateline? Well, do you recall what happens when you travel across it going east? That’s right, you go back in time. So even though today is my birthday, when I leave Australia and travel east toward Alaska I’ll cross over the International Dateline for a second time and it will be my birthday again. I know it sounds a little confusing, but how many people in the world can say that they had two birthdays back-to-back? I feel pretty special!

I am not posting any links because I know you will probably have an end-of-year party. I always had those when I was in school. And I am positive Mrs. J will throw you one because she sounds like an AMAZING teacher.

I am sad for the 2nd graders who have to leave, but I know you will all do an A+ job in 3rd grade. I will miss all of you very much. I hope all of you have a wonderful summer and get into all kinds of trouble, no I mean fun!!!

I am bummed that I could not video blog with you. I will be in a plane flying over the Pacific Ocean while you guys are at school. I felt bad about that, so I wanted to give you all one last gift before I leave. It’s a very special picture: Me! Yes, that is me in the picture above. I am hanging out with my friend, Matilda. Don’t worry. She’s a friendly bear.

I’ll never forget you guys and our wonderful 26 days Around the World in the Alphabet Countdown!!!

Your Adventurous Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's cheerful, beautiful and amazing lads and ladies!!

Hello Bart!!!
WOW, we loved the pictures and links you sent us from the Great Barrier Reef!! We can't wait to go on a virtual trip of Australia tomorrow. We also want to wish you a very happy birthday!! What are you doing to celebrate your birthday? Where is home for you? Are you going to eat cupcakes or cake for your birthday?

We had a pretty crazy couple of days at school. Yesterday was day C and we ate carrots and celery and we were very cheerful with our friends. Today was day B and we ate bananas and were bouncy during water day. Water day took place near our schools greenhouse and we got the choice to run around in the sprinklers, play with bubbles or do a relay race. We had so much fun!!! We also watched a movie called, "Finding Nemo." Have you ever seen that movie? It is a great movie and Mrs. J's favorite part is with the cool turtle Dude Crush. He makes her laugh really hard!!!

We are happy and sad about tomorrow being the last day of school. Some of us are really excite for the summer time and some of us are really sad because it is our last day with our multi-age friends. Multi-Age is a program where we get to stay in the same classroom all three years until it is time for third grade. Some of us will be staying at Littlewood again next year but some of us are going to different schools and we will miss our friends and our teacher. We will be making autograph books tomorrow and having a picture slideshow for all our parents to see. We can't wait to show them all the fun things we did this year!!!

Well, Bart, we hope you have a Beautiful Birthday tomorrow and we can't wait to read your next blog!!

From the friends in Mrs. J's bouncing, beautiful and banana-eating class

Around the World from Z to A ... B Day!

G’day my Beautiful, Bubbly Mates,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. It’s B day and I am traveling down under in search for sea creatures. Did you guess Australia? If so, then you are right! I landed in Brisbane, on the eastern coastline of the continent. Check me out on the Map Link. As you can see from the map the Great Barrier Reef is not too far north from where I am staying.

Did you know that Australia is the only continent that is also a country? Pretty cool, huh! Have you ever wondered why they call it the “land down under”? Well, it’s because Australia falls below the equator. It is in the southern hemisphere. That means that the seasons are opposite from ours. Instead of summer they are getting ready for their winter.

Even though Aussies speak English they have different words for some things. They call sweaters jumpers. Candies are lollies. A diaper is a nappy. And cotton candy is called fairy floss!

Along with Australia’s coastal habitat it also has a dry, desert-like habitat in the middle of the continent. They call this habitat “the outback”. There are two unique animals that make Australia their home…the kangaroo and the koala bear. Both are marsupials. Do you know what a marsupial is?

Well, I am off to do some diving in the Barrier Reef. It is 1,250 feet long. And I'll have to be careful and watch out for sharks like the one in the picture above! Here’s a link for you to explore. You can learn some interesting things about some of the animals in the reef.

Well, I missed your blog yesterday. But I know you are all so busy learning many wonderful things. I hope you liked China!

I’m off to my next location. I’m heading home for my final destination. Oh, and I forgot to tell you…tomorrow’s my birthday! Post a blog for B day and I’ll sign on and check it out as soon as possible.

Your Bodacious Blogging Bud,

Bart

Around the World from Z to A ... C Day!

Ni hao my Cute, Carnivorous Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. It’s C-day and I am in one of the oldest and largest countries in the world. Did you guess China? If so, then you are right! I landed in Beijing, the capital of China. Check me out on the Map Link.

Ni hao means “hello” in Mandarin Chinese and is pronounced “knee-how”. Here’s a website with other useful (and hard to learn!) Chinese phrases. Can you pronounce any of the other phrases?

Bejing is a beautiful city with many colorful and cultural sites to see. It was the home city to the 2008 Olympic games. Did you get to watch any of the games on television?

My favorite site was the Forbidden City. It is the best preserved imperial palace in China. It is recognized as one of the most important five palaces in the world. The Forbidden City was home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The construction of the grand palace started in 1406 and ended in 1420. In ancient times, the emperor claimed to be the son of Heaven. The emperors’ residence on earth was built like the Purple Palace where God was thought to live in Heaven. Such a divine place was certainly forbidden to ordinary people and that is why they named the place the Forbidden City. Here’s a link to a virtual tour of the Forbidden City.

Well, I really enjoyed your last blog. The picture was very creative. I am so happy you liked the Taj Mahal virtual tour. I didn’t mean to deceive you. I wanted to send you a picture of me, but you know how camera shy I am. I thought that it was a good compromise for both of us.

I’m off to my next location. I’m going down under to check out some sea anemones. See if you can figure out where I’m headed. Post a blog for C day and I’ll sign on and check it out as soon as possible. Oh, and tell me how the carrots and celery tasted!

Your Cool, Chillin’ Cat,

Bart

Mrs. J's dancing, ducky, doodling dudes and dudettes!!!

Dear Bart,
Happy D day!!! We had a super DUPER day today! We loved looking at the pictures you sent us on the blog and we loved the virtual tour of the Taj Mahal! Our teacher, Mrs. J, even talked to us in her little Indian accent! It was DELIGHTFUL! One of the teachers in our Multi-Age family let us take her classes place in Music today. We would not have had a special all week so she offered the special up to us. We loved going to Music today and were so thankful to Mrs. Harner! Hey now, Bart, that picture you sent us was very DECEIVING!! We thought we would actually get to see you!!!! You were being very sneaky and we really want to see a picture of you in color but we understand if you don't want to because we think you are still really cool!

Tomorrow is day C and we are going to eat carrots or celery. We are also going to clean our tables with shaving cream. Some of our friends are even going to bring a camera tomorrow. We might read some Eric Carle books and clap really loud for our cool classmates and teacher!

Today during our reading block, our second grade friends got to go on a tour of the third grade classes. They had tons of fun and can't wait for third grade, although, they are still going to miss all of their multi-age friends. We did lots of dancing today with Spanish music and this funny little song called the "La La song." Maybe we'll sing it for you sometime!! Or better yet, we'll take a picture of us all putting our fingers in the same of an L!

We hope you have a COOL and CRAZY C day!
From the DAISY, DIZZY, DOODLING dudes and dudettes of Mrs. J's class

Around the World from Z to A ... D Day!

Suprabhaat my Ducky, Doodling Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. For D-day I traveled to Delhi, India. I am staying in the Dallupura Village. Check me out on the Map Link.

Suprabhaat means “hello” in Hindi. Hindi is only one language that is spoken in Delhi, India. Delhi is kind of like a melting pot of languages. Punjabi, Urdu, and English are also spoken in Delhi.

I visited one of the most famous landmarks in the world…the Taj Mahal located in Agra. The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum. A mausoleum is kind of like a tomb or the tomb may be inside the mausoleum. Building began around 1632 and was completed around 1653. Thousands of artisans and craftsmen worked on the Taj Mahal. It is considered one of the finest, most beautiful pieces of architecture in the world! The emperor, Shah Jahan, built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife Mumtaz, who died. The white marble mausoleum at Agra has become the monument of a man's love for a woman. Take a virtual tour of the Taj Mahal with this link.

I also took a very dangerous elephant ride. Here a picture of my group. I am the middle person on the elephant on the right. Asian elephants are different than African elephants. You can tell by the shape of their large ears. African elephants have ears that are shaped like the African continent. Can you tell the difference?

Well, I really enjoyed your last blog. I loved hearing about all of your adventures at the zoo and surfing through the butterfly garden site you sent me. Cool stuff! What did all of you think of the links I sent you for Egypt?

I’m off to my next locale. This country is one of the largest and oldest in the world. See if you can figure it out. Post a blog for D day and I’ll sign on and check it out as soon as possible.

Your Daring, Dancing Dude,

Bart

Mrs. J's Entemann cookie eating elegant pEEEEEEEps!

Buenos Dias, Bart!

Wow, we have so much to tell you and we loved looking at all your pictures and links! We had an amazing time on the field trip. Natalie, a second grader in our class, loved the show at the planetarium because it took us to the surface of some of the planets. Katherine, another second grader in our class, liked seeing the alligators in the zoo. The friends in Mrs. J's group actually did the gator chomp when they were by the alligators!!!! Mrs. J is a CRAZY gator fan!! Connor, one of the little guys in our class, liked the planetarium because it used a projector to show us beautiful images of the planets. One of the alligators at the zoo was hit by a truck and lost it's leg which is very sad, but our friends Zoe and Mark thought it was very good to see him staying safe. Finally, Savannah, one of our second graders, saw a peacock showing off for the ladies. It was really cool!!

So, today is day E and we have already had a very EXCITING day! August, one of the little guys in our class, brought in a cocoon of an Eastern Swallow-tail butterfly and it hatched right before our eyes!!! In our town of Gainesville, we have a museum for the butterflies. Here is a link for the Butterfly Museum. The butterfly hatched and then we let it dry its wings and we put it outside to fly away. It thought the yellow table we have outside was a flower, so he was hanging out their for a little while. He was sure pretty!!! We are also going to read to our pre-K friends for the last time today. We will make sure to read EXCITING and EXCELLENT books to them. For snack, we are going to eat Entemann's cookies and do lots of exercise.

Tomorrow is day D and we are going to eat Dorito's for snack. We are also going to doodle and dance. We could also act like ducks at recess and play dominos in math. These next couple of days are going to be pretty crazy, Bart. We have three half days on the last three days of school. We will be having a water day on Thursday and we are going to have a big party on Friday. On Friday, we will watch all our videos and pictures from the whole year with our families. Mrs. J also says she has awards and surprises for us!! We can't wait for Friday!!

Well, Bart, we are off to read to pre-K and our other friends are going to be working in the classroom. We hope you have a EXCELLENT, ELEGANT, and EXCITING E day!!

From the ELEGANT, EXTRAORDINARY, EXTRA-SPECIAL, EATING ENTEMANN'S pEEEEps

Around the World from Z to A ... E Day!

صباح الخي my Exceptional Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. Does the language I used in my greeting look familiar? It should—it is Arabic, the same language I taught you when I was in Libya. But now I am in Egypt. صباح الخي means good morning and is pronounced “sabah el-kheir”. Check out my location on the map link.

Arabic has been the language of Egypt since the 12th century. Long before Arabic became the language, ancient Egyptians used pictures to communicate called hieroglyphics. Here’s a link that lets you translate words from English to hieroglyphics. Maybe you can all spell your names in ancient Egyptian.

Egypt is full of wonderful history and landmarks. At one time Egypt was a very large, powerful nation. Their rulers were called Pharaohs. They built extravagant tombs to hold their remains when they died. Maybe you already know about the Great Pyramids. I also explored the sphinx. It is an old structure that was carved to have the head of a man and the body of a lion. This is a site that allows greater exploration of Egypt. There are lots of pictures and excellent facts!

Egyptians have a unique custom. When adults shake hands they also kiss the person once on each cheek. I don’t want to be rude, so I am participating in as many of their customs as possible. It is hard to imagine doing that in America, but that is because it is not our way of life. Whenever I travel to another country I always try my best to act as the locals act. I have to keep in mind that it is their country, and I am a guest in their land.

Well, I hope you all had a wonderful field trip. I can’t wait to read all about your favorite things, and details, details, and more details!

Post a blog and I’ll log on and read as soon as I can. Only a few more days left of alphabet countdown, but I still have four more very adventurous places to take you. I am off to my next destination. I’ll give you a hint: there are many elephants (but they are not African!).

Your Excellent, Ecstatic, Elephant-riding Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's funny, fabulous and frantic zoo finding friends!

Hello Bart!
This is Mrs. J writing you this morning because my friends and I didn't get back in time yesterday to write you back together as a class. We had a FABULOUS time at the zoo! Some of my friends liked the planetarium the best while my other friends liked the zoo the best. I asked each of the friends in our class that their three most favorite things were about the trip and they all came up with different things. My group of friends had a great tour guide, but some of my friends had a tour guide that gave not a ton of information so they were done in the zoo 20 minutes before everybody else!!!! Those poor friends!! We also had some great Moms and Dads come on the trip with us. They were awesome and we are so thankful to them for all they did for us! Thanks, Moms and Dads!! We loved having you there to share the moments with us!!!

Monday is day E and then we only have five more days in school. Isn't that crazy?! On day E, we are going to eat Entemen's cookies and do lots of exercise. We will be very energetic and excited to celebrate day E and I will make sure my friends do lots of dancing for exercise!! Oh and I forgot to tell you that one of our friends yesterday lost their name-tag in the bald eagle cage. The tour guide had to take a long stick and try to fish the name-tag out before the bald eagles tried to snatch it for a snack!!! That made for some entertainment for sure!!

Well, my friends are all at home having fun weekends, but I wanted to write to you, Bart and tell you that we had a great time on our field trip and that we hope you have a fun weekend too!!
Thanks for all your great posts and pictures!

From the funny, frilly, fabulous and fantastic Mrs. J

Around the World from Z to A ... F Day!

Greetings my Faraway, Frito-eating Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. Since all of you are going on a field trip today, I thought I would also go on a field trip to Farafangana. I am currently on my favorite island of all time—Madagascar! Check me out on the Map Link.

You may know a little about Madagascar from the popular cartoon movie. Well, based on my experience it is so much better in real life! Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. It is known as the “red island” for it’s rich, red soil. Madagascar is a very poor country. Many of the children do not have enough to eat like you do. But there is a bright future ahead, because the government found some oil that they may be able to sell.

There are 200,000 species of animals on the island and 150,000 can only be found here! The lemur is one of those animals. I am off on an expedition soon to see if I can find a few. If you have some time before your field trip, take a look at this link. It has all kinds of cool pictures and information about this fantastic island!

I hope you all enjoyed your field trip and see some animals that start with the letter “f”. I am looking forward to your blog on Monday and reading all about your fancy weekends. In the meantime, I am going to enjoy the rest of my time here on the island and head off to my next destination. Here’s a hint: Sphinx!

Your Far-out, Fabulous, Flying Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's Giggling, goofing around and goldfish-eating goobers!!

Goodness gracious, Bart, Mrs. J can't seem to say any "G" words right or type right!!! She's gabbing like a goofy girl!!!

Hello from your friends in Mrs. J's goofy class!
We loved your pictures from Greece. We went on a virtual field trip through the city of Venice. We rode on gondolas and we rode the Smart Board Express to all our destinations. We also graphed goldfish for day G. In writing today, we wrote about someone we admire. Some of us admire our moms and some of us admire our friends and some of us admire our teachers. We went out to recess today and got caught in the rain so we had to gallop under cover.

Tomorrow is a special day for us. Tomorrow is day F and we are going on a REAL FIELD TRIP!! We are going to be going to the Santa Fe Zoo and Planetarium. Take a look at all the animals, Bart and even look at the cameras in the zoo and you might be able to see us tomorrow. We'll be the friends in our green Littlewood shirts! We will also be taking our spelling test first thing in the morning so that we don't miss it because of our field trip. We'll try to write to you if we get back in time, but if we don't, don't worry because we'll be back next week!!

On the alphabet countdown day F schedule, we are going to go on a field trip, have fun with fractions and look at lots of different flags! We are also going to look at some animals that start with the letter F. We might see frogs, fish, falcons, flamingos, foxes, flies, and maybe a flying squirrel!

Well, Bart, it is time for us to sign out and get ready to go. We hope you have a great rest of the day and have a FUN, FUNNY, FRILLY, and FLYING Friday!!

From the friends in Mrs. J's goofy class

Around the World from Z to A ... G Day!

Yiassou my Galloping, Gum-chewing Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. Today I am in Greece! Ti kanis? That means “how are you” in Greek. And yiassou means “hello”. Greek is the oldest language spoken in Europe. The Greek alphabet uses different symbols to represent letters, just like the Russian, Arabic, and Hebrew languages. Here is a link to more Greek phrases you can learn.

Greece is a peninsula surrounded by many islands, some big and some small. Visitors love to come to Greece for the relaxing beaches and beautiful crystal clear water. It is very relaxing. But some of Greece’s most famous landmarks are located in it’s capital which is on the mainland.

Today I visited the Parthenon, Athens’ most famous destination. Like the Colosseum, it is a very old structure. It was built almost 2,500 years ago as a temple. This structure is a symbol of Greece's golden age, a time when ancient Greeks invented democracy, wrote famous stories and created beautiful art. Here are some really great and gorgeous pictures: Pictures. If you scroll down there are some links to other Greek sites and there is even a virtual tour.

Now, to your request…you know how camera-shy I am. Video blogging is a BIG thing. I cannot tell you yes or no right now. But I will say that I will think about it. Ok?

I am looking forward to your next blog. I’ll log on and check it out as soon as I can. Oh, and I would really love to see how your hotels look!

Your Googling, Gobbling, and Graceful Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's Hershey Hugs-eating Hippity Hoppers!

Howdy Happy Bart!
How are you this healthy and hip Wednesday morning? We loved learning about Holland and Corrie ten Boom. We think she is really inspirational and HEROIC! We also think you are going to have a great time on your sailing trip and we hope you don't sail into any sharks. Make sure you're careful, Bart, because we don't want you to fall off your boat with your laptop!! Maybe you should put a life jacket on your laptop ;)

Today is day H and we are eating Hershey Hugs and pretend to be hippos! We are going to play horseshoes at recess. Mrs. J also has a hip and happy project for us this morning. We are going to get to design our own HOTELS! Each friend in the classroom is going to be partnered up with another friend and given a certain amount of money to spend on their HOTEL decorations and planning. We are really HAPPY about designing our own HOTELS! We are HOPPING around the room with HAPPINESS! We are also wearing HAPPY faces because of our HAPPY teacher!!

Tomorrow is day G. On day G, we are eating goldfish for snack and wearing green. We are also going to be making graphs with our snack. So, we got to thinking, Bart and we were wondering if you might be able to do a video conference with us on day A. We would each have our own question to ask you and we won't make you feel scared or nervous. We love you, Bart!

Well, Bart, we are off to go on our virtual field trip and then design our own HOTELS! We can't wait for your next blog and we think you might be going to Germany or the little city where your friend is from called Gouda.

Have a happy, healthy, hip-hopping Hershey Hug-eating H day!
From the hilarious hippo-pretending hoppies in Mrs. J's class

Around the World from Z to A ... H Day!

Hoe gaat ‘t my Hoppy, Hoping Friends,
This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. Hoe gaat ‘t (pronounced “who-hot-et”) means “how are you.” For H day I am so happy because I am in Haarlem. Do you know where Haarlem is located? Here’s a Map Link. Can all of you put your noodles together and figure out where I am? A hint: Haarlem is a city in a Western European country that is famous for tulips!

Haarlem, Netherlands (which is also called Holland) is home to one of the heroes of World War II. Remember I told you that the Jews were being taken to the concentration camps? One lady, Corrie ten Boom and her family in Haarlem tried to protect as many Jews as they could. They built a hiding place in the wall of their upstairs apartment. Her house is now a memorial. Travelers can walk through the same hiding place Corrie and her family used to save the lives of many Jews. Corrie ten Boom even wrote a book called, "The Hiding Place." It is very popular and you will probably have to read it in middle or high school.

I am off to meet Dirk, one of my very good friends. He lives in Gouda. We are going on a sailing trip on the Ijsselmeer. Check the map I sent you to see where we’re going. On the way he is going to show me one of the most famous Dutch landmarks…the windmills.

In the meantime, check out this link to learn a little more of the Dutch language.

I am happy you all enjoyed the Colosseum so much. Yes, I did get to walk the pathways, but some of the entrances to the old animal cages were blocked. Visitors were not allowed in them.

I am looking forward to your next blog. I’ll log on and check it out as soon as I can.

Your Hip, Humming Pal,

Bart

Mrs. J's ice cream eating-ish Indians!!!

Buenos Tardes, Bart!
We really liked your pictures of the Colosseum and we decided to take a quick trip to the Colosseum ourselves! Did you actually walk inside the Colosseum? We took a INTERESTING virtual field trip but we didn't get to really walk inside. We got to see pictures of the Colosseum at night, the inside on the first floor and during the daytime. We noticed that there is a maze on the very bottom floor of the Colosseum and we wondered if you were able to go down there and walk through the maze. Thanks again for the great pictures from Italy!! Our smart noodles are working hard again and we think your next destination is Hungary (not to be confused with being hungry for gelato!!!)

Today is day I and we had some INTERESTING ice cream sandwiches and we wore our shirts and shorts inside out! We read the book Ish and I.Q. It's Time! and thought that the characters were really INTELLIGENT. We also went to the computer lab where we made INTRICATE webs of our weekends. We make these webs on a program called Kid-spiration. Mrs. J tells us to always write details. She INVENTED really INVALUABLE little phrase, "hold up a fist for main idea and then give me details!" Each finger represents one detail.

Tomorrow is day H and we are going to eat Hershey's Hugs and wear a hat. We are also going to put on happy faces all day and we're going to give hugs (especially to our teacher :). Some of us might even wear hairbands and horse shirts. The biggest thing that we are going to do tomorrow is HELP others.

Oh and we forgot to tell you, Bart, that we had a fire drill today. We were in the computer lab when an INTENSE fire alarm went off and we had to quickly line up at the door. We had to stand very quietly and walk quickly to the middle of the playground. Once Mrs. J tells us to stop, we turn around and face the school. Then we wait until the all clear bell rings and we walk back to the classroom. Don't worry, Bart, we're all okay and it was just a drill!!

Thanks again for all the neat pictures from Rome and we can't wait until your blog tomorrow! We hope you have a happy, healthy, helpful and not hungry H day tomorrow!

From the Indians in Mrs. J's INTERESTING and INVISIBLE classroom

Around the World from Z to A ... I Day!

Buon giorno my Intelligent Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. Mrs. J, your student’s super smart noodle was working quite well when she said, “Italy”. That’s where I am! Check it out on the Map Link. Buon giorno means hello or good morning in Italian. See if you can decode these other Italian phrases and words: buona sera, buona notte, arrivederci, per favore, grazie, and prego (no, not the spaghetti sauce!). I’ll give you a hint: They are all basic greetings and manners.

On Friday I flew across the Mediterranean Sea from Jerusalem and have spent the last three days traveling throughout one of my favorite countries. Italy is full of history. The Romans used it as a base to conquer the world long ago.

I began my visit in Venice, the city of canals. They use boats instead of cars to get around. So cool! Some say that every year Venice sinks a little bit more into the sea. One day it may only exist under the water. Here’s a picture of the canals.

After Venice I went to Florence. There’s art everywhere. Some of the most famous painters and sculptors works are on display in this beautiful city, like Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci. I visited one of the most famous cathedrals – the Duomo. That is Italian for church.

And finally I made my way to Rome, the capital. Rome is famous for many things but none more than the Colosseum. Construction began in 70 AD and lasted eleven years! It is one of the oldest structures in the world. The Colosseum was primarily used as a center for entertainment. However, ancient Roman entertainment was not like the entertainment we have today. Romans had real people fight for their lives against animals like lions and tigers. This is also where gladiators fought against each other, often to the death. There are many other sites to see in Rome. Would you be interested in taking another virtual field trip to Rome?

Italy also has some of the best ice cream. But they call it gelato here. Name any flavor and I bet they will have it. I ate so much my stomach is hurting!

Well, I have to go for now. I have to catch a plane for my H day destination. Write me and tell me all about your I day! I will look for your blog soon.

Your Ice-cream (I mean gelato)-Eating Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's jolly Jell-O-eating jiggling jokesters!

Konnichiha, Bart!!
That means hello in Japanese and we thought we would try to be jokers on day J with saying Konnichiha! We want to tell you a joke on day J. "Why did you see the chicken crossing the road with a hammer?" Do you want to know the answer, Bart? Did you guess? The answer is: to bang the cars so they won't go and the chicken can cross the road! Ha..Ha..Ha.. that's all of us laughing right now!!!

We loved your last blog, Bart and we can't wait to go on a virtual field trip to Jerusalem. Mrs. J, our super cool teacher, found us a site so that we can go to the same places you have gone to these past couple of days. Here is the link for the Jerusalem field trip. We also like learning about the Melting Pot. We know all about it since we have many friends in our classroom who are from different cultures and countries. Since today is Day J, we are going to jog around the classroom while eating Jell-O jigglers. We might even sing a silly song called, "Me and my JJ" from the show "Penguins of Madagascar". We don't think we are going to be able to go outside today because it has been raining for five straight days and WE are going CRAZZZZZZZZZY!

We have a three day weekend this weekend and we are going to celebrate Memorial Day. Some of the friends on our class are going to go to the beach, some of our friends are going to go to the lake, and some of our friends are going to do activities like rock-climbing and playing with friends. We will not be in school on Monday, so we won't be able to write you. Don't worry because we'll be back on Tuesday!!!

On Tuesday it will be day I and we will be eating lots of Ice Cream!!! We are also going to wear our clothing inside out. We will pretend our classroom is an igloo and dress like Eskimos! Oh and we think you are going to Italy. One of our friends was really using her super smart noodle!

Well, Bart, we are about to depart on our virtual field trip so we need to sign off but we wanted to wish you a happy early I day. Happy Memorial day, too!

From the joking, jolly and very very JUMPY peeps in Mrs. J's class

Around the World from Z to A ... J Day!

Boker Tov Jumping, Jello-eating, and Joking Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. I am in one of the oldest cities in the world. It is called the “City of Gold” and is located in the nation of Israel. I am in Jerusalem! Check it out on the Map Link.

Boker Tov means “good morning” in Hebrew. Hebrew is the native language spoken here in Israel; however, there are many cultures and languages spoken in Jerusalem.

I just love Jerusalem. It is so rich in religious history. It was founded as a Jewish city. Later it was taken over by the Persians, Romans, and eventually the Christian Crusaders. Each group left a little bit of their culture and customs behind. Jerusalem is a little bit like a “melting pot”. It’s a lot like America. Do you know what a “melting pot” of cultures is? Just look around your class and the people you go to school with and maybe you’ll be able to figure out what a “melting pot” looks like.

I took a tour of many of the famous sites of Jerusalem. I climbed to the Dome of the Rock, said a prayer at The Wailing Wall, and visited the Church of the Holy Sepulecher. Those three places represent three of the main religions of the world: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. Whew, am I tired from all my walking around. The streets of Jerusalem are like a labyrinth.

Well, I feel a bit silly now that I know what a Krispy Kreme doughnut is. They looked delicious, much better than a hat. Sounds like all of you are going to have a jolly good time today with all your jigglers and jump ropes. I hope you all have a lot of fun!

Well, I am off to my next location. I will give you a hint. It contains some of the most famous landmarks in all of the world and it is shaped like a boot.

Your Joking, Jamming, and Jovial Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's Kings and Lady Knights in her Kool Kingdom!!!

Hello Kindly friend, Bart!!
WOW!! We really really really loved the picture of King Kong in your last blog. We loved looking at the picture of the castle and we think we know what it reminds us of. It reminds us of a magical place in Florida called Magic Kingdom which is located at the Wonderful World of Disney. Have you ever heard of Disney World? Disney World is located in Orlando which is about 2 hours south of the lovely city of Gainesville. Most of the friends in our class have been to Disney World, although our teacher, Mrs. J, has only been to Disney World once.

Today was K day and it was also a KRAZY day! Our teacher, Mrs. J and our teacher aide, Mr. Feria, got to go out to lunch off campus. She went to a really neat restaurant called "The Flying Biscuit." All of us in the classroom think that the restaurant is really KOOL! Once Mrs. J got back we had reading centers and then we ate a snack of Krispy Kremes. So, did we stump you with what a Krispy Kreme is? Well, here's another hint and we'll put a picture of us with the Krispy Kremes. It is certainly not a hat, Bart!!! It is a kind of food that is circular and full of sugar.

Tomorrow is day J and we are going to eat Jell-O Jigglers and we will bring our jump ropes. We will also tell jokes and play jacks. We will read books from an author named Jack Prelutsky. We will jump, jingle and jive on the playground! One of our friends is even going to wear her jingly socks!

We can't wait until your next blog, Bart and we hope you have a kindly and kingly day! Good luck figuring out what a Krispy Kreme is and happy early J day to you!

From Mrs. J's Kingdom of Kindly, Kool, Keepers of Knowlege (a.k.a Mrs. J's peeps)

Around the World from Z to A ... K Day!

Guten tag my Kind Keepers of Kingly Kittens (I know that made no sense, but I just sounded kool!),

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. I am touring through the wonderful country of Germany! Guten tag means “good day” in German. I have made a stop on K day in the city of Kaltennordheim. Wow, that’s a tongue twister. Can you say it three times very fast? Check out my location on the Map Link.

I am learning much about World War II. You will study this war when you get older, but for now I will tell you that many people lost their lives in this war, especially the Jews. The German leader, Hitler, did not care for the Jewish people. He treated them very harshly and even killed many of them.

I visited a memorial for many of the Jews who lost their lives in the war. Do you know what a memorial is? It is located at one of the concentration camps. These camps were fenced in places where they kept the Jewish people as prisoners. Here’s a picture of some people at a memorial: Picture.

Well, I am off to visit the Schloss Neuschwanstein, one of Germany’s famous medieval castles! I am so excited! Here’s a picture: German castles. What does it remind of you of? Hmmmm.

I can’t wait to see if your next blog has the answer. I’ll log on and check it out as soon as I can. Oh, and I’ve never heard of a Krispy Kreme. Is that a sort of hat? Can you send me a picture of one in your next blog?

Your Kind, Kite-flying, and King-Kongy Bud,

Bart

Mrs. J's lemon icee loving little peeps!

A Lemon yellow Hello for you, Bart!!
We loved your last blog!!! We loved learning about the different symbols and characters in the Arabic language. We are going to try and write some Arabic in school tomorrow! We also compared the mosques to some of the churches that we go to. They are very different than our churches and the Libyan school is much different than ours. Our school is very spread out and composed of bricks. We walk into our school campus through gates but we noticed that the students at the Libyan school walk up steps to get to their classrooms.

Nice try, Bart, but you didn't stump us!! We know that Libya is made up of 90% desert habitat. Have you seen any Gila monsters since you've been there? Watch out for those super big desert monitors!!! The sandfish can be pretty sneaky too!

Today is L day and we have done some lovely little things. We read two books by Leo Lionni and we are going to be having lemon icees after lunch. We did lots of laughing today, we learned cool things about Madrid when we went on a virtual field trip and we did a ton of listening! We will walk in a straight LINE to LUNCH and LOOK very LOVELY for our LIVELY and LOVELY-LOOKING teacher!

Tomorrow is day K and we are going to eat Krispy Kreme's. Bart, we are very curious if you know what a Krispy Kreme is? We aren't going to tell you because we want you to guess. Good Luck, Bart and we can't wait to read your blog tomorrow! We are also going to be KIND and not-kicking tomorrow!

Thanks again for your LOVELY and LIVELY, blog! We can't wait to talk to you again tomorrow!
Ciao,
the peeps in Mrs. J's LAUGHING, and LIVELY class

Around the World from Z to A ... L Day!

Salaam my Little Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. I am back in Africa! This time I am in Northern Africa. Salaam means “peace” in Arabic, which happens to be the native language of Libya, the country I am touring today. Check out the Map Link.

Libya is a very different country from America. The main religion is Islam. Almost the entire country worships in places called mosques. They have many unique customs and beliefs. Here’s a picture of what many of the school kids your age look like: Picture.

There was a huge battle in this land long, long ago. It was called the Battle of Carthage. Carthage was a famous city that had a good port and an important military location. In 146 BC, the Romans destroyed Carthage and took over control of North Africa.

Here is a link similar to the Russian site I sent you. You can listen and see the Arabic language.

Before I sign off and head out to my next big adventure I wanted to ask you a trivia question – 90% of Libya is covered by what kind of habitat?

I can’t wait to see if your next blog has the answer. I’ll log on and check it out as soon as I can.

Oh, and by the way, I am sending you another special package! Let me know when you get it and I’ll tell you the story behind it and why I sent it to you.

Your Lippy, Long, and & Lime-loving Pal,

Bart

Mrs. J's Mighty Mad Minute Macaroni Art Making Muppets!!

Hola Bart!
Wow!! We loved the pictures from the Museum, the bullfighting and the parks. We had a pretty crazy M day here today. For our special today, we made macaroni art! Macaroni art is where you take a sheet of card-stock and make a picture of a person or background and decorate it with raw macaroni. Some of our pictures came out great. Mrs. J says she loves them all!!!! It was raining during recess so we had to eat our snack inside the classroom. We had some marvelous muffins!! Some of us had blueberry muffins and some of us had chocolate chip muffins. We also did something different today during writing. We had to write in a special booklet for our Principal Mrs. Munn to read. Our topic was a special day. We all did lots and lots of writing which makes our teacher, Mrs. J, very very happy!!!!

Tomorrow is day L and we are going to eat Lemon icees. We are also going to listen carefully and laugh. We are also going to read books written by Leo Lionni. We are also going to wear our Littlewood Lions shirt or light-colored shirts. We really hope it is not raining tomorrow because we have had to have recess inside for the past two days!!! Bart, we are GOING CRRRAZZZZZZY!!!! We are going to P.E. for our special tomorrow and we are going to do some exercises that begin with the letter L. We are going to lunge from side to side, lay down on a mat and do candlesticks, walk in a straight line, and not be lazy!!!

We decided that we are all going to be Littlewood Leaders tomorrow. Being a Littlewood Leader is a big responsibility. It means that you have to respect others, follow directions, be a good role model, listen, be a good sport and treat others as you want to be treated.

Thank you for all the great pictures and links, Bart. We loved learning about Madrid and we can't wait to go on our virtual field to Madrid tomorrow!!!
Have a marvelous, magnificent, magical, M&M munching rest of your mighty muffin day!!
Adios amigo,
the MIGTHY silly martians in Mrs. J's Multi-Age class

Around the World from Z to A ... M Day!

Hola my Mini, Marshmallow-Munching Friends,

This is Bart - your traveling Blogger. I am once again in a Spanish speaking country. Buenos dias, amigos! But you probably already figured that out based on the name of the country – Spain! And you all guessed correctly. I am in Spain's magnificent capital -- Madrid!

Spain is known worldwide for its famous and dangerous bullfighting. I do not like bullfights. The matadors do not treat the bulls very well at all. They tease them and hurt them. They do not care about the bulls. They only want to entertain the crowds. There is a big argument about closing the bullfighting rings. I really hope they do!

I also visited the Museo del Prado. Can you use your Spanish speaking skills to decode that location? My favorite part of the Museo del Prado were the beautiful paintings like this one: Link.

In a little while I am going to Pino a Pino. This is a 3 hour obstacle course. Check out the link to learn more about it.

I loved hearing about your mega-cool weekends. I can’t wait to read your next blog. I’ll log on and check it out as soon as I can.

Your Mighty Musical Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's Nappy, Naming, Nice, Nutter-Butter Eating & Not Naughty Peepers

Dear Bart,

We are so happy that you wrote us from Norway! Thank you such much for the links. We loved learning neat and nifty facts about the Vikings like how their ships are built. We also thought it was cool that if you were a rich Viking you could have your ship buried with you.

Here are nine things we did on our weekend:

1. Katherine, Zoe, August, Savannah, Lauren, Luke, Alex, Ellie, Mark, Ben, Holden, Mathew, and Anthony all went to the pool and swam.

2. Played at friends' houses.

3. Went and saw the movie, "17 Again".

4. Had a sleep over at a friend's house.

5. Had a ballet lesson.

6. Went and saw the movie, "Star Trek".

7. Played on the computer.

8. Watched the movie, "Magic School Bus" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

9. Finally, we had a nifty, neat, and nice second grade picnic with wonderful weather!

Well, Bart, we've got to pack up and go home or we'll be late! We can't wait to get your next blog. There were several Spanish M cities, so we're not sure which one you're going to. Maybe it's Madrid since that is Spain's capital.

Have a nighty-night, Bart,

Your nice, nap-loving, note-taking, nippy, and neat friends.

Around the World from Z to A ... N Day!

Hello my Nice Friends,

This is Bart - your Norway-visiting Blogger. Thank you so much for the survival tips! I will definitely use them on my next outdoor adventure! I also loved reading all about your Smartboard trip to the desert. I especially enjoyed learning all about the ostrich. I did not know it grew to be so tall. I did know that they can be a bit mean if you approach them near their nests!

I had a neat weekend! Oslo was a nifty city. It is the capital of Norway. I learned many wonderful things about the Norwegians and their land. Did you know Norway has a nautical history? Many historians think that the Vikings came from Norway.

The Vikings lived a long time ago. They were very good ship builders and fierce warriors. They loved to sail and explore new lands. They attacked many smaller civilizations and villages on the coast. People were terrified of the Vikings. They had no mercy for their prisoners.

One of the most famous Vikings was Eric the Red. He was known for his bright red hair. Some people think that the Vikings were the first people to discover America long, long ago. Check out this link for some real neat information about the Vikings. The site is written just for kids like you!

I can’t wait to read your next blog. Tell me nine things that happened to you over the weekend!

I’m off to my next destination. Hmmm, I’ll give you a clue. It’s a city in Spain!

Your Note-taking, Nap-loving Friend,

Bart

Mrs. J's outside oopsy-daisy's outstanding peep-o's

Hi Bart!!!
We missed you so much and are so glad that you are safe. We were really worried about you and your safety. We were really happy to hear about all the great survival things you had with you so that you were able to stay safe and healthy. We thought of a few more things that you might want to get before you go to your next destination. We think you might like a flashlight with extra batteries, a pocket knife, a sleeping bag, bug spray, sunscreen, first aid, and wristbands that keep insects up to 20 feet away. We agree with you that being prepared is the best way to be!

Today is day O and we are having OODLES of ORANGE fun! We just got back from the desert where we learned about some really BIG BIRDS!! The first bird we learned about was the Ostrich. The Ostrich can grow to be 8 feet tall and can run up to 40 miles per hour. We also learned that Ostrich has wings that are not strong enough to support their huge body. Next we learned a lot about the Galah. The Galah is a pink and pretty bird with a very interesting fact about it. Did you know that the Galah parents regurgitate their food to give it to their babies. Isn't that gross???!! We think it is super disgusting! Finally we learned about the Gila Woodpecker. Check out this cool link with all the pictures of the Saguaro Cactus we have been learning about, it is called Saguaro Slide Show. The Gila Woodpecker uses the Saguaro cactus as a habitat. It digs a hole in the cactus, then it take a right turn and goes further in and further in until it is happy with its home and it is called a Saguaro Boot. Once the boot is dead, the Indians take it and make food containers out of it. Isn't that cool?!!! We think it is awesome!

It is going to be Day N on Monday and we are going to eat Nutter Butter Cookies! We are also going to be nice, be neat and work with numbers. We might even use the number cubes for Math, make noodle art and write about nocturnal animals.

We hope you have a great, great weekend and please be safe, Bart, because we really want to continue blogging with you and we really like you a lot. Thanks for being such a great blogger and pal to us!
Sincerely,
your outstanding, orange, and oh-my-goodness great friends in Mrs. J's class

Around the World from Z to A ... O Day!

Hello My Orange and Blue Gator Friends,

This is Bart - your OK Traveling Blogger. I am back!!! You all must be dying to know where in the world I have been these past two days. I have a story to tell you! Well, I told you I was going on a hike to hopefully see some wild Siberian animals. On my hike, I encountered a Siberian tiger. Thankfully it did not see me. It could have been very dangerous if he had.

As I was backing away from the tiger’s habitat, I stumbled down a rocky slope and twisted my ankle. I could not get back to my train in time. It left without me. I was stuck in the mountains for two days. Luckily, whenever I hike I always bring survival resources and tools. I had my little one-man tent, some matches for a fire, and a bit of food. I survived eating only peanuts and granola bars.

I melted snow for water. Kids, it was sooooooo cooooollllld!!! But I am ok now. I was able to make a splint for my ankle. Do you know what a splint is? I slowly made my way back to the train station. That is why it took me so long to get to a computer to see your blogs and write you back.

It feels so good to be back in civilization! I am very grateful that you wrote to me. That meant a lot. I did miss reading your blog from yesterday, though. Why didn’t you write to me?

Well, it’s O day. I hope all of you are having oodles of fun learning awesome stuff in Mrs. J’s multi-age class!

I am on my way to observe a new destination…Oslo, Norway. It is in northern Europe. See if you can locate it on the map.

I am looking forward to reading your next interesting blog. Don’t forget to eat some oatmeal this weekend and draw some ovals!

Your Orange-wearing & Onion-eating Friend,

Bart

Where in the world is our blogger, Bart?????

Good Morning, Bart,
Where are you? We are very worried about where you are. Is everything okay? Are you feeling okay? We read your blog yesterday about the Siberian Tigers and are kind of worried about your hike. Did you happen to run into any tigers? One of our friends, Willie, hypothesizes that you dropped your computer and ran away because you saw a tiger and was too scared to come back to get it. Another one of our friends, Savannah, hypothesizes that maybe you lost your internet connection because you were so far out in the mountain and forests. Finally, one of our friends, Katherine, hypothesizes that you tripped on something and the computer fell and broke. We hope that you are okay and we really really miss getting to read your blogs.

Tomorrow is day P and we are really excited about it! We get to wear our pajamas at school and eat popped popcorn. We will also look at pictures of pets and participate in all our school activities. We will also practice patience because that is an important part of P day. We are going to read the Tumblebook Pirates Don't Change Diapers by David Shannon. Some of us are going to dress up as a Princess, Prince or Pirate because we don't want to wear our pajamas. We might do some puppet reading tomorrow too.

We are going on a field trip to the Planetarium and Zoo in 16 days and we are so excited! Since the field trip is 16 days away, we want you to try and figure out which day of the month we are going to the zoo and Planetarium?

We hope you are okay and that you can write back as soon as you can.
From,
your quiet, quirky and questioning students in Mrs. J's class

Red, Radiant, Radical and Rowdy reading Rebels in Mrs. J's class!

Howdy Bart!
Thank you so much for the great pictures from Russia!! We loved looking at the pictures of the train, the tigers and learning about the Russian language. We really tried hard to speak Russian, but we were a little off. We're going to keep practicing, though!!!

Today we took a trip via Smart Board Airways to the beautiful desert. We got pretty hot out there under the sun! We learned about some really crazy animals. The first animal we learned about is called the Gila Monster. The Gila Monster is pretty venomous and dangerous. We also learned about another animal that is very similar to the Gila Monster. It is called the Sandfish. They both have similar patterns on their body, they have similar ways to dig for their prey and they are both dangerous. Another animal we learned about is called the Desert Monitor. Here is a link to the desert we have been traveling to: Desert Explorer. Do you know how big the Desert Monitor can get? We know and we're not telling but we will give you one clue. It can grow to be as big as our teacher but not as pretty!!!! Here's another clue for you, Bart. It can grow to be 122 centimeters but you have to find out how many feet that is? Good luck, Bart!!

Today is day R and we did some RADICAL things in our classroom! We ate Ritz Bitz bits, read, and wore red. Some friends even brought in red roses for our teacher! We were respectful and responsible all day because it was R day. Tomorrow is day Q. On Q day, we eat quaker granola bars, be quiet, act like queens and play 20 questions. We will also be going to P.E. and Mrs. J will probably let us take a little trip back to the desert. She loves the desert!!!

We hope you had a great day today in Russia and we hope you had fun hiking.
Talk to you again tomorrow, Bart!!
Sincerely,
Your Ritz-Bitz eating rebels a.k.a. Mrs. J's super cool peeps

Around the World from Z to A ... R Day!

Greetings Really Rambunctious and Roaring Lions,

This is Bart - your railway-riding Traveling Blogger. I am chugging my way through some of the most beautiful habitat I have ever seen. Today I am in Russia. I am seeing much of this wonderful countryside through the glass of my train compartment window! Here are some pictures of the Russian Railroad also called the Trans-Siberian Express.

Russia is so big! It is the largest country in the world. I am in the part named Siberia. The name Siberia means “sleeping land.” Check out the Map Link. It is 26 degrees today and snow is predicted! Burrrrr. Cold!

The Russian language is very difficult to learn. They write their alphabet with different symbols and each symbol has a unique sound. Listen to the way the Russian language is spoken: Russian. Can you repeat some of the words? Even if you get it wrong it is still a lot of fun.

Siberia is rich in animal life. Among its more common mammals are foxes, otters, wolves, hare, moose, reindeer, polar and brown bears, seals, walruses, and Siberian tigers. So far I have not seen any from my train, but I am going hiking later today and I hope to see some wild animals!

I enjoyed seeing your “Life is Good with Mrs. J” poster. The Swiss Family Robinson is one of my favorite books. I was also impressed that you figured out how many days had passed since the volcano erupted.

I am looking forward to hearing about your R day. Post a Blog and I’ll read it as soon as I can.

Your Responsible & Sometimes Rowdy Comrade,

Bart

Mrs. J's super silly strawberry-eating students!!!

Hi Bart!
Thanks for the SUPER and SUPERB pictures of the coat of arms, volcano, and samurai! We loved learning about the volcano and seeing the neat picture of the samurai. We even figured out how many days it has been since the volcano erupted. It has been 53 days since the underwater volcano erupted... cool, huh?!

Today is day S in our silly striped school! We ate strawberries, we walked sideways, we read part of the book Swiss Family Robinson, we stomped on sand, and we slid on sand. We also went down slides, swayed, and we were super smart and smiled all day at our lovely teacher! Oh and we can't forget that we wore stripes, sneakers and socks! During our reading centers today, we worked on a Spanish book, took a test, and wrote about our pets because it is National Be Kind to Animals week.

This is Teacher Appreciation Week and we did something really nice for Mrs. J today. Alex and Matthew's Mom made a really neat poster that says, "Life is Good with Mrs. J!" and we all signed our names on it. We also have a drawing of each friend in the classroom. We love our teacher!

Tomorrow is day R and we are going to eat Ritz Bitz crackers with peanut butter or cheese. We are going to wear red, be respectful and read. We are going to read, read, read tomorrow!!! We can't wait to READ your message!

We hope you have a great rest of the day in Japan. We have a friend in our classroom whose Mom is from Japan and she loves Japan! Have fun and take lots and lots of pictures!

Around the World from Z to A ... S Day!

Salutations Smart Students,

This is Bart - your stoked and sun-tanned Traveling Blogger. For my weekend I slowly slithered my way through several islands in the South Pacific. After I made my way across the International Dateline on Friday, I landed in Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga. The picture at the beginning of my Blog is Tonga’s Coat of Arms. Do you know what a Coat of Arms is?

It is officially called The Kingdom of Tonga and it has 171 total islands, but only 48 of them are inhabited. Many of the islands are made up of coral and some are volcanic rock. Did you know that on March 19, 2009 one of the underwater volcanoes erupted and spewed smoke and ash 6 miles into the air? Here is a photo: Link. They have many underwater volcanoes in Tonga. I wonder when the next one will erupt!

The habitat in Tonga is tropical and the water is so clear you can see right through it straight to the bottom, which was perfect for more snorkeling!

For dinner I had grilled Octopus with coconut sauce. It is a common meal there and it is superbly satisfying! Have you ever eaten Octopus?

After my small island-hopping adventure in Tonga, I decided to head to a much larger island in East Asia. For S day I wanted to research the samurai. Today I am in Japan! Check out the Map Link.

I am discovering many fascinating facts about the samurai. They are ancient Japanese warriors. Most samurai were bound by a code of honor and were expected to set an example for those below them. They fought with thin swords and heavy plated armor that was made out of bamboo and sometimes steel or iron. Samurai warriors also named their swords. In 1868, the samurai class was abolished.

I am off to visit the Japanese National History Museum in Tokyo to get a closer look at real samurai armor and swords.

Oh, and by the way, I figured out your time trivia questions. I did need the help of the converter. If it is 9am on a Saturday in Gainesville, FL then it is 10pm on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. They have very unique cartoons here called anime. There is eleven hours between when you watch cartoons and when I will watch them way out here in Asia!

I can’t wait to hear about your weekends and your S day. Post a Blog and I’ll read it as soon as I can.

Your Samurai-Searching Studier,

Bart

Good morning, sleepy head Bart!!

Hello Bart!
Sorry to wake you up this early in the morning!! We did some converting with the neat time zone converter link you gave us and found out that it is 1:00am Saturday May 9, 2009 where you are!! We decided as a class to test you and your knowledge about time zones too! We all watch cartoons (even Mrs. J our teacher) on Saturday or Sunday mornings. Tomorrow morning we are all going to be watching Tom and Jerry at 9am. If it is 9am in the morning in Gainesville, FL what time is it where you are? Are you watching cartoons at the same time we are? Also, we have a brain teaser for you. How much time is in between the time we are watching cartoons and the time you are watching cartoons? Good luck, Bart and we hope you can solve these problems without a time converter!!!!

Today is day T and we are all wearing T-shirts or tank-tops and are going to be eating Townhouse crackers. We are going to be counting by two's, by ten's and by twenty-five's. We are having a special guest come into our room this morning. This special guest is our guidance counselor named Dr. D. She teaches us lessons about Fuzzy, the caterpillar. Fuzzy has to learn about following directions, being respectful, and paying attention to adults. We love learning about Fuzzy and having Dr. D spend time with us.

We are also getting all our Mother's Day projects finished today. We have one more project that we are going to make today. We are going to make a hand-print wreath with our pictures on it. We are also going to decorate a bag today with all our goodies in it so that our Moms don't see our surprises.

On Monday, we will celebrate day S. On day S, we eat strawberries, wear stripes, wear sneakers, watch Dr. Seuss and sway around the playground. We could also do splits and swing on the monkey bars. We are also going to begin reading the Swiss Family Robinson book.

Thank you so much for your last blog, Bart. We loved learning about sharks and the time zones. The International Dateline was really neat to learn about.
Have a nice twisty and tucked in T day!
Ciao,
the friends in Mrs. J's tremendous and terrific tip-toe class

Around the World from Z to A ... T Day!

Hello my terrrrrrrrific blogging buddies,

This is Bart - your totally tired Traveling Blogger. I’m exhausted from all this adventurous traveling. I am actually taking a much-needed break today. Which is good because I have time to answer all your tremendous questions.

I had a blast zip-lining! What a thrill. I saw so much rain forest and interesting animals like the sloth. That was not me in the picture with the manta ray. I wish it was, but I am too camera shy. The manta ray was gigantic, probably 15 ft long. I saw white-tipped reef sharks. Fortunately, they are harmless, but we kept our distance so we didn’t upset them in their natural habitat. Bull sharks are a whole different type of shark. They are very aggressive and are known to attack snorkelers. I am thankful I didn’t see one of those. I’ll let you in on a secret: My worst fear is being attacked by a shark!

Well, I’m traveling on T day across the International Dateline. The International Dateline is an invisible vertical line that spans the Pacific Ocean. When planes and boats cross over it heading west they actually go forward in time one day. How cool is that? And they don’t even need a time machine!

You’ll never guess where I’m headed for T day. Here’s a clue: It’s a little collection of islands in the South Pacific, just east of Australia. Check out the Map Link and see if you can spot my next destination.

Here’s a math question for you: If it’s 9am on Friday May 8th where you are in Florida then what time and day do you think it is in New Zealand, way over on the other side of the International Dateline? Hmmmm, that’s a bit of a brain twister, eh? But I know you will figure it out. You’ll have to use the time zone map in this link. For extra help, use the time zone converter. I’ll be looking for the answer in your next Blog!

I cannot wait to write you again with all the details of my next titillating trek.

I hope you all have a titanic, tasty, and tank-top wearing two-day weekend. Post a Blog before you leave on Friday and I’ll log on and read it after I land from my long flight.

By the way, that horned toad lizard video was AWESOME! Thanks for sending it.

Your T-Rex-loving Traveling Friend,

Bart

A blog from Mrs. J's ultimate, unselfish and uppity peeps!

Hola Bart!
How are you doing right now? We are doing great! We loved your last blog with all the cool links! Did you have fun zip-lining? Was that you in the picture with the manta ray? Did you see any other interesting things while you were underwater? We did some traveling of our own today! We went to the Gobi and Sahara desert today during our science class. We went traveling via Smart Board Airways with our crazy teacher as the pilot! We learned about some animals while we were in the desert. We liked the horned toad lizard the best! The horned toad lizard shoots blood from its eyes to protect itself from predators. The movie was really cool! Here's a movie of the blood shooting out from the lizard's eyes: Horned Toad Movie.

We also worked on our Mother's Day projects today. We are making our mothers bookmarks, books and cards. Some of us in Mrs. J's class were able to go to the cafeteria and decorate a cake for our mothers.

Today is day U and we ate fruit roll-Ups for snack. We also wore United States colors, we were understanding and unselfish with others. We went to Music for our special today and sang a song about crickets. We even sang the song for our teacher. She loved it!!!

Tomorrow is day T and we are going to eat Townhouse crackers, wear a T-shirt, count by 2's and 10's and 25's. We are also going to have a spelling bee tomorrow where all the words are going to be T words... the Spelling T! The words will be terrific for sure!

Well, Bart, thank you so much for the beautiful pictures and links. We have a few more questions about your time underwater. How big was the manta ray? What type of shark did you see? What did you do when you saw the shark? We would love to hear all about your adventures underwater. Mrs. J always tells us to write details, details and more details!! We also love details!! We even have a song about details that we'll teach you when we get to day D!

Have a great day and we can't wait to hear from you again tomorrow!
Sincerely,
Mrs. J's ultimate, upward, uppity and upside-down friends

Around the World from Z to A ... U Day!

Buenos dias amigos,

This is Bart - your underwater Traveling Blogger. That’s right I’m underwater. Well, not right this second, but I was just a little while ago. I just finished snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean, right off the coast of a little town in Costa Rica called Uvita. I saw sharks, manta rays, and other large fish. Check out the Map Link.

The manta rays can get to be quite large. Here, see for yourself: Picture.

Uvita and all of Costa Rica is filled with lush, green rain forest habitat. I love it here. There is so much to do. It is actually one of my favorite places to visit.

In little while I am going zip-lining over the jungle canopy. It’s a great way to see the wildlife and plant life in their untouched habitat. Here’s a site that talks all about it: Link. It sounds exciting and scary. I can’t wait.

It sounded like your V day was pretty vivacious. I had a teacher like Viola Swamp when I was your age. She was horrible. It sounds like your teacher is pretty nice. You should all be very thankful for her! Oh, and by the way, you were right; it was Easter Island. You guys are getting really good at these Geography trivia questions!

I am so eager to read your next Blog. I’ll sign on and read it as soon as I can!

I hope the rest of your day is the opposite of uneventful! I’m off to catch my zip-line tour. Ciao for now!

Your Pal,

Bart

Mrs. J's class was taken over by Viola Swamp and Vegetables!!!!!

Hello Bart!!!
Help us, we were taken over by Viola Swamp on V day today!! No, just kidding, we are all still sitting happily in Mrs. J's classroom and she's here with us too.... thank goodness! Do you know about Viola Swamp? Viola Swamp is a teacher in a storybook that is really Mrs. Nelson. The storybook is called, Mrs. Nelson is Missing and it is about a teacher, Mrs. Nelson, who has a very very rude class. The class is always throwing paper airplanes, not following directions, shouting out and not being nice to their teacher Mrs. Nelson. Mrs. Nelson decides to trick them into thinking she is gone and a new teacher, Viola Swamp, is going to teach them. Viola Swamp is a very scary teacher. She is a scary teacher because she dresses all in black and she demands them to do lots of hard work. She never lets them go out to recess and the kids realize that they really miss Mrs. Nelson. They decide to go looking for Mrs. Nelson. They can't find Mrs. Nelson so a bunch of the kids decide to dress up like Mrs. Nelson. Mrs. Nelson decides to come back to the school one day and the kids are so happy to see her and they act great for her. She told the class that it was her little secret about where she was the whole time. Maybe you'll get to see the movie or read the book sometime. We really recommend it!!!

Today is day V in the classroom, so we are going to eat lots of vegetables, draw pictures with the color violet and make vivid pictures in our heads. We are also going to use lots of verbs in our writing today and write about vegetables or some friends are going to write about Veggie Tales.

We are getting ready to go to P.E. (Physical Education) and we are all going to try to be victorious in our exercises. We hope that you have a great time in Venezuela and we can't wait to find out where you are going to be tomorrow. Oh, and Bart, we think the island that you are talking about is called, Easter Island. Are we right? We sure hope so because we have been working really hard at learning all about the neat places you have taken us to. Thanks for blogging with us and we will blog with you again soon!!!

Hasta la vista,
the friends in Mrs. J's vivid, vibrant and victorious class

Around the World from Z to A ... V Day!

Buenos dias amigos,

This is Bart - your victorious Traveling Blogger. I was successful and found a southern pudu! It was foraging in its habitat, the rainforests of Chile.

You asked if there was anything else I did in Chile. Well, I took a side trip to an island off its coast, just west of Santiago. You have a holiday with the same name. Do you know it? This island is filled with amazing adventures and things to see, like these cool rock statues called the Ahu Tongariki: Picture. You should visit sometime!

I loved the Tumblebooks site you sent me, especially the Espanol version. And the other Spanish site was AMAZING! I learned a ton of new Spanish words that I have already put into practice in my travels through South America.

Looks like you guys figured out where I was headed today. Yes, I am in tropical Venezuela. Check out this Map Link. Venezuela sits close to the equator, in the Northern Hemisphere. The USA is also in the Northern Hemisphere. The country has a bunch of islands located off the Venezuelan coastline in the Caribbean Sea. The flag colors are yellow, blue and red. The yellow stands for land wealth, the blue for courage, and the red for independence from Spain.

Venezuela is home to a wide variety of habitats, including plains, tropical coastline, mountains, and rivers. It is also home to Salto Angel, the world’s largest waterfall. You already know how much I love waterfalls; I had to go and explore it for myself to see just how tall it really is. It is HUGE! 3, 212 feet high. Can you imagine how high that is? That’s like 320 of your classrooms stacked on top of one another.

One of the animals that calls Venezuela it’s home is the Vampire Bat. I saw one and was able to snap a picture for you to see: Picture. This one is a little scary so I kept my distance.

Well, I’m off to my next destination. I think I’ll take your suggestion and pick up some vegetables on the way. Oh, and by the way kids, I’m so happy you liked the blanket!

Hasta la vista!

Your Traveling Amigo,

Bart

Wild, Wacky and Wonderful Friends say Hola!!

Hola Bart!!
Thank you so so so much for the beautiful blanket from Chile! We love it!! The colors and patterns are so pretty and it is very bright and bold. What else did you see in Chile? In North America, more specifically, the USA, we live in Gainesville, Florida and when we go to the supermarket, it is called Publix. At Publix, we can buy fruits, vegetables, meat, cereal, cheese, popcorn, juice, toys for dogs, but we have no blankets or quilts at Publix!!!!! We sure wish we could buy a quilt at Publix, but the one from your mercado is much prettier!!!

Today is day W or doble W day. We have been learning lots of Spanish in our classroom. We go to a great Spanish site and here is the link for our Spanish Lessons. Our teacher, Mrs. J, loves to sing with her pointer stick during our alphabet song!! We have learned the days of the week, months of the year, numbers up to twenty, and the alphebet in Spanish. We have also been singing another song called, "Buenos Dias" during our morning meeting. We have also learned some Spanish words for fruit and colors. We are also learning about weather and different week phrases. We love to use our Spanish whenever we can!!

We did some wacky things today. We ate watermelon, waddled at recess, watched a Walt Disney movie called, "Finding Nemo" and wore white with our watches! We wrote in our family journals which is a journal that we use to communicate back and forth to our moms and dads about the different things we do each day in the classroom. We also did a neat activity with reef animals that was wacky and wild!

We think we know where you are going tomorrow. Are you going to Venezuela? We are going to be learning more about Herman our worm tomorrow and reading Viola Swamp books. We are also going to watch a video about Viola Swamp. We are also going to wear violet and eat vegetables tomorrow! Make sure that you eat some vegetables tomorrow for day V!!

Thanks again for the wonderful, wild, wonderous, and WOW beautiful blanket!
Have a great rest of the day and hope to talk to you again tomorrow!!
Manana, Bart!
From the friends in Mrs. J's wild, wacky, and wonderful multi-age class