Think About It

Making Our Own Notebooks

We have been shredding paper and taking it to the recycling center. But, this is a great way to reuse the paper ourselves once before shredding it. Click above. We'll post some pictures when we finish them! We cut cardboard from cereal boxes, saved paper and used the blank side to make a notebook, then we went to Staples and had it bound. Simple. And, it means the paper doesn't go to recycling until it has been used on both sides!

It's the Year of the Frog

Top 8 in '08 – Ways to Help Frogs (click above to access more educational resources)

Frogs are going extinct. So are toads, salamanders, newts, and the intriguingly unusual caecilians. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums is highlighting 2008 as the Year of the Frog to mark a major conservation effort to address the amphibian extinction crisis.

1. Look, listen, and learn: educate yourself and your family about amphibians.
With more than 6,000 frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, and caecilians worldwide, there's a lot to learn. Pick up a book, hop around the Internet, or watch your favorite animal television show to educate yourself and your family about amphibians.

2. Visit an Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited institutions near you and experience your very own amphibian adventure!
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums are helping to save frogs and other amphibians through breeding programs and by providing support for field conservation. They are also some of the best places to see and learn about amphibians from around the world. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting an institution dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things.

3. Create amphibian friendly environments by providing clean water, hiding places, and insects to eat.
Prime amphibian real estate includes leaf litter, rocks, logs, and a source of water — backyard ponds make a great family project!

4. Do your part to keep garbage, chemicals, and non-native plants and animals out of the natural environment. Amphibians absorb chemicals through their skin easily. They also fall prey to non-native species.

5. Be a responsible pet owner.
Discourage your canine and feline family members from pestering wildlife, especially amphibians and birds. Curious cats and digging dogs cause a lot of stress for frightened amphibians. If you or your pet encounter an amphibian, study, look, listen, and then leave it where it is.

6. Conserve water at home, school, and work.
Save water by using collected rainwater for watering gardens and potted plants. The water you save now remains a clean habitat for wild amphibians without being chemically treated.

7. Reduce the use of fossil fuels, such as oil, coal and natural gas.
Climate change is impacting amphibian populations worldwide. By using less energy or choosing renewable sources of energy, you can help slow the rate of climate change. Drive less, buy fuel-efficient cars, and use compact fluorescent light bulbs!

All of the information above comes from the AZA.

Act Now to Help Protect Our Planet

Click above and watch the video. Then, do something!

Voter Registration

The girls had a bit of free time today, so they delivered 85 voter registration forms to people throughout our neighborhood. Hopefully, some of them will register.

Update: On May 6, the girls both volunteered in Obama's local office. They made phone calls, helped answer phones, and put labels on campaign materials.

Swim Against Malaria

So, for school, our mom told us we had to figure out a way to do something positive with our skills that would help others and then, miraculously our Aunt Debbie sent us this cool email about swim for malaria.

Malaria is the largest killer of children in the world. 1 to 3 million people die from malaria each year. 70% of the deaths are children under 5 years old
One child dies of malaria every 30 seconds. That’s equivalent to seven jumbo jets full of children dying from malaria every day. Malaria kills so many because...
Over 60% of the world’s population lives in malaria infected areas. Malaria-carrying mosquitoes feed on human blood. That’s how people get infected. People living in malaria regions cannot take malaria-protecting drugs. The drugs taken by travellers are too strong to be taken for any more than a few weeks. Malaria is preventable and treatable. The best prevention is to avoid being bitten at all. Sleeping under a bednet is the single most effective way of preventing malaria. Bednets protect people at night when mosquitoes are most active. We can help by supplying and fitting bednets (mosquito nets). Every £ 1 million we raise can help to stop almost 20,000 people from dying. U$ 5 buys one bednet, U$ 100 buys twenty mosquito nets and saves 1 child's life. Every net matters.

More than 250,000 swam on 3 Dec 2005 for the first World Swim Against Malaria. It is already the largest participatory swim ever. 100% of the money raised so far will buy 300,000 long lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) costing US$5 each. 600,000 (mainly) children will now be protected at night from biting insects. This will save the lives of 15,000 children. The first 175,000 nets have been or are being delivered and 125,000 are on their way.

So, in the month of April, we are swimming 100,000 laps (2,500,000 yards) for malaria.

We hope you'll swim too and get others to sponsor you or just donate some money to help kids in another part of the world. If you'd like to sponsor us or you just want more information, click the title above or go to www.worldswimagainstmalaria.com. If you want to see who has sponsored us or how many nets our sponsors have paid for, search for swimmin twin 1 and swimmin twin 2.

Update: We finished our swim and we raised $625 for 125 nets!!! Thank you for sponsoring us.

Posted by T and H

Earth Hour

Last night, we spent an hour in total darkness. We played Blokus and enjoyed the quiet. Click on the link above to read about Chicago's celebration of Earth Hour. After we wrote our Mayor and Town Board our town also signed on to Earth Hour. Next year, we hope they'll publicize it more. Next year, join us for EarthHour 2009.For more information go to www.earthhour.org.

Update: Our family near Toronto joined the celebration and here is what they had to say: Our neighbourhood was almost completely in darkness, just a few houses with lights on – 90% off. We had dinner and arrived home by 8:10 p.m. and enjoyed our family time in the darkness. As we drove home we saw industrial, business and residential buildings participating in shutting off the lights. I would say that 60% were off. In some high rise buildings with the exception of the stairwell areas up to 80% were off, it was quite amazing to see the unity.

Check out the pictures of Toronto too!

Experimenting with Creating a PSA

The girls created this video about the importance of technology in education. I will only leave it here for a few days. Videos take up too much space on the blog. They do need to learn a bit about audio!

Activism

This week the girls wrote a letter to the Mayor and Town Commissioners asking them to participate in EarthHour. Here is their letter with names removed:

Dear Commissioner:

We are homeschooled eighth grade students who have recently come across this website: www.earthhour.org. Last year, more than two million people in Sydney, Australia, participated in an hour long vigil to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions in their community by turning out their lights. It was such a successful event that cities like Tel Aviv, Toronto, Melbourne, Brisbane, Atlanta, Phoenix and San Francisco have signed up to participate this year. Earth Hour is the perfect time to raise awareness of climate change and to encourage citizens to switch to energy efficient lights.

This year, Earth Hour will take place from 8-9 PM on March 29th. We’d like you to consider adding our town to the Earth Hour participants list because climate change is one of the most significant issues that our planet is facing today. The average annual carbon dioxide emissions in the United States is over 20 tons per person. This is an opportunity for our town to help address this problem and bring about change. Climate change is affecting everyone and we must act soon!

They have already received the following response from a town commissioner:

"I’m sold and supportive. Have you sent this message to other Commissioners and the Town Manager (copied). I think we should do it"

They are so excited that their activism seems to have worked. We'll keep you posted.

Practicing Timed Essays

We are working on timed writing. This is not something the girls have ever done before. So, the girls each wrote a 15 minute timed essay on the following topic: If you were running for President of the United States, what would be the three primary elements of your political platform?

H's Essay:

If I were running for President of the United States I would stop global warming, drilling in Alaska, and the death penalty. These three elements of my platform are extremely important to the future of the United States and the world.

To stop and prevent global warming, I would require all builders to install every household with special energy lights. These lights would help reduce the use of electricity considerably. Also, I would make builders install tankless water heaters in all homes. These water heaters help reduce the amount of heat and water used every day thereby reducing each home's carbon footprint. It is important that everyone reduce their carbon footprint so that we can reduce global warming. Our future depends on it.

Secondly, I would stop drilling in Alaska. I would do this because animals are dying everyday. Drilling causes habitat destruction, oil leaks, and horrible smells. If we stop drilling in Alaska, the animals would be happier and our environment would be safer. Also, by stopping the drilling in Alaska we could reduce our reliance on oil for energy. Alternative fuel sources would help us and our environment.

Lastly, I would stop the death penalty. In my opinion, the death penalty is a cruel act that should be abolished. Since the 1800s may people have been hung, electrified, and shot as a means of punishing them for their crime. If someone commits a terrible crime, they should go to jail for life but killing people is wrong. And, there is no evidence that the death penalty prevents crimes.

In conclusion, I would try to make a difference in the world. I would stop global warming, drilling in Alaska, and the death penalty. If I could do this with the help of the American people, I could make the world a better place for all of us.

T's Essay:

If I were President of the United States I would work endlessly for what I believe in. I would fight for the protection of the environment. I would secure equal schooling opportunities for children. And I would radically reduce of our country’s debt.

As President I would fight tirelessly to protect the environment. Although it would be difficult, I would try to protect our children’s futures by stopping global warming. Everyone can play a part in this by using energy efficient lighting, using community transportation rather than cars, and finding other more environmentally friendly sources of energy to use in their households. I would fight to reduce the number of endangered animals. I would create reservations for animals to live in peace; I would create a law making it illegal to drill for oil near habitats of native animals; and I would study the mutations of animals to help prevent them. I would protect the land we live on. I would station “roadside” cops, to fine those who litter. I would pass a law that everyone has to use reusable grocery bags, reuse water bottles and recycle all of the products they have used. Every single little thing makes a difference.

In addition, I would secure equal schooling. Despite, Brown vs. Board of Education many children of different races and income levels are denied the schooling they deserve. I would work directly with these children to show them what equality looks like, what it feels like to have a school that is worth their time. I would love to have more grants for children to go into higher schooling. I would love to make a difference on these children’s lives.

Finally, I would radically reduce our country’s debt. I would manufacture more goods in our country so that we wouldn’t have to depend on other countries and therefore would not be indebted. I would stop the war in Iraq so that it would stop sucking out all the money that could be used for bigger and better things. I would not stop until I was satisfied that the next generation would have to deal with the debt a previous President had caused.

Reducing our country’s debt, securing equal schooling opportunities for children, and fighting to protect the environment are only a few things I would do, but I know could be the change one wants to see in the world.

Women's Rights -- What are they?

Today is the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. That landmark Supreme Court decision gave women the right to a safe and legal abortion. Thirty-five years after Roe, the struggle to protect women’s health and safety continues. Now, though, the battle isn’t limited to abortion, but it is a battle over access to contraception and comprehensive sex education. The anniversary of Roe v. Wade is an important and powerful reminder that deciding whether and when to become a parent is one of the most personal and important choices we make. So, today we spent some time discussing this important issue for teens and adults.

Politics

We plan to use this quiz as the basis for discussing the issues of the 2008 campaign: http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460.

International Goodwill

Every year children from the United States (probably mostly elementary aged kids) send butterflies to Mexican students who leave near monarch sanctuaries. At the sanctuaries in Mexico children protect the butterflies all winter and they send them north in the spring. United by the monarch butterfly, children across North America learn lessons of conservation and ambassadorship. We decided to send some butterflies just for fun. And, we wrote individual messages in Spanish on the back so we could practice our Spanish! Click on the title if you want to send butterflies. The deadline is Oct. 12.

Plant for the Planet

Today, we pledged to plant trees in October. We hope you will too. Forests cover 30 percent of the planet. Trees absorb carbon dioxide. It is estimated that the world’s forests store 283 Gigatonnes of carbon in their biomass alone, and carbon stored in forest biomass, deadwood, litter and soil together is roughly 50 percent more than the carbon in the atmosphere. But, carbon in forest biomass is rapidly decreasing. The loss of natural forests around the world contributes more to global emissions, and consequently global warming, each year than the transport sector. Deforestation continues at an alarming rate of about 13 million hectares per year. Curbing deforestation is a very effective way to reduce emissions. Other solutions include increased energy efficiency, reduced energy demand, better transport and the use of green energy. Play a part in reducing global warming. Plant some trees this fall. To join the campaign, click on the Link above or go to www.unep.org/billiontreecampaign.

Lessons in Activism

This week we talked about the differences between the Vietnam era and the Iraq War era. It began when the girls were studying two different pieces of music -- Waiting for the World to Change and What a Wonderful World. They started thinking about the differences and similarities between the 1960s and today. Of course, our discussion of the 1960s turned into a discussion about activism. That discussion then prompted us to discuss activism today and what motivated citizens to be activists.

Ironically, just as we were discussing these issues, we got an email encouraging us to invest in carbonfund.org to reduce our carbon footprint and thereby help reduce global warming.

The girls, little environmental zealots, promptly encouraged me to email our friends and ask them to invest and reduce their carbon footprints. They also sent the information to a few friends. Although we only sent this personal request to about 10 people, 5 of them responded that they had made a contribution to help reduce their carbon footprint. And, one of them promptly encouraged another 20 people to do the same.

So, now the girls have witnessed first-hand the effectiveness of activism!