Nature’s Classroom – Neha

A couple weeks ago the 6th and 7th grade went to Nature’s Classroom. Nature’s Classroom is a place in Becket, Massachusetts. There are teachers there who have different and funny nicknames like Bloodhound or Sassafrass. There was a lunch room and a manor where all the kids stayed. The boys were on the top floor, and the girls were on the bottom floor. At Nature’s Classroom we did different and fun activities and learned about nature (hence the name). Nature’s Classroom is a school trip so some of the teachers at our school went  with us.

 

The 6th and 7th graders went to Nature’s Classroom for 4 days. We went Monday and came back Thursday. I got homesick, so I came back early (Tuesday night). Anyway, on Monday we were supposed to leave at 8 am but because of the snow it got delayed to around 1pm. I think we left on the coach bus around 1:30. We got to Nature’s Classroom around 3:00 or 4:00 because it was a three hour drive. We did one activity and then we went to our bunks and got settled in. Then I think we went to the art room, which is a room where we do activities in. Later, we had dinner at 5:00. The food in Nature’s Classroom is pretty good. After we ate we went back to the bunks and had some free time. After that, we went to back to the art room and did some activities. At night we had a sing along, which was kind of fun. So, that was our first day at Nature’s Classroom.
My favorite thing we did in Nature’s Classroom was an activity called Feed your Face. This class was with Anna, or Blood Hound (her nickname). In this class we learned how to use natural things to cleanse our faces. For example, we made a face scrub using oats and honey. It felt really good on my skin. We put vanilla yogurt on our faces to open our pores and then we used steam and lavender essential oil to close our pores (we put hot water water and a drop of the oil and put the cups close to our faces). This  was my favorite activity I did there because it was really relaxing and we got to learn that most of these creams, lotions, or face cleansers are mostly chemicals, and not natural for our skin. So if we use natural things, we’ll know exactly what it is and it’ll help make our skin smoother. So that’s what my favorite thing at Nature’s Classroom was and what Nature’s Classroom is.

 

 

 

 

 

My Passion~ Piano

Since this week the topic for  quadblogging is what is your passion , I chose mine as playing piano. I absolutely love piano. I take private lessons (outside of school) every Thursday at Paul Effman from 4:30 to 5:00. The reason why I chose to start taking piano lessons is because I didn’t play any instruments. Also because my mom had taken piano lessons when she was a kid , but now she has forgotent how to play. This is my second year playing piano.

 

I really love to play piano, my parents say it’s a natural talent that sort of just came to me and it was just really easy for me to play. I have recital at the end of February each year. This year, my piano teacher, Lauren said she thinks I’m ready to participate in NYSSMA which stands for New York state school music association. NYSSMA is basically held at a school and you go into one of the classrooms and perform a piece of music, 3  scales and you have to sight read (but they give you that), for a judge. There are 3 levels with 1 being  beginner and 3 being advanced. Since this is my first year doing NYSSMA, Lauren  thinks I should go as a level one. You can play any instrument you want. (The reason why I knew this was because my friend has done it for a while and she told me).


I have learned many different songs on the piano, I know how to play Ode to Joy , a Waltz and many other songs. My piano teacher is a really good teacher in my opinion and I really think she teaches me a lot. I have a keyboard right now at my house which I use to practice , but we are thinking about getting a piano! Which I’m very excited about. I don’t consider actually becoming a piano player, but to just have it as a hobby. Anyway, I think piano will be something that will always stick to me and be my passion and I hope to learn more and more and really become a skilled pianist.

 

Here is a link for the history behind piano: http://pianonet.com/all-about-pianos/history-of-the-piano/

Here is another link for more to know about NYSSMA:  http://pianonet.com/all-about-pianos/history-of-the-piano/http://pianonet.com/all-about-pianos/history-of-the-piano/

 

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A picture of a piano.

Mike Davis via Compfight

Igloo By Neha

Have you ever known how it feels for your life to turn upside down in an instant? In 2013 I had major back surgery. It is called scoliosis and is a condition where your back isn’t straight. Anyway,  it started off on a cold January night, when me, my sister, mom, dad, grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousin all went to New York City at the Belair Hotel. This was where my mom, dad, grandparents and sister would stay while I was in the hospital. The hotel was very close to the hospital so it was very convenient. Anyway,  when we got there we went to the hotel. I was nervous and scared for the next day. I slept at  the hotel the first night, but I would have to go to the hospital the next day. The hospital was like any ordinary hospital, it had a place for kids to play with things. It had the big round desk where all the nurses sat. The name of the hospital was The Hospital for Special Surgery. I was really scared, I had never had surgery before. I didn’t want to have surgery, but I knew it had to be done.

 

First I had to get a halo, which is a traction thing that got nailed into my head. It was also attached to a hook. You would add weights to it to stretch my back out before the surgery. The halo kind of felt like you were trapped because you couldn’t really do anything you could just sit and look straight ahead. Luckily since my parents were both doctors, my doctor let me go home in it. I was happy to go home. I think I was in the hospital for 3 or 4 weeks and knew I would be staying there longer for the surgery. So I was happy to return home for a while. A tutor came to my house because I couldn’t go to school. Her name was Laura. She was a nice lady, probably in her 50s. Basically what she did was,she went to my school, to my teacher (Mrs.Rifenburgh) and my teacher would give her work for me to do that she thought I would be able to do and Laura, my tutor brought it to me and helped/teached me it. Anyway, my back doctor was amazing, he was the best doctor I could ever have. He was so nice. He was a really good doctor. He goes to Ghana, Africa every year to do back surgery on kids who need it, and he does it for free. He does surgery on homeless people too. His name is Dr.  Boachie. He built this hospital in Ghana, Africa to help the  people of his country and his whole staff goes with him.

 

I was really happy when I came home, I still had to go to New York City for appointments and things. I had to get prepped for surgery before I even got the halo. I had to have x-rays, MRI’s, cat scans, blood tests and IVs. I had to have MRI’s of my heart and back because I had had heart surgery when I was 3 months. I also have to get MRI’s of my heart every 10 years. For me, I think that was the worst part because you have to go all the the way to New York City, wait for the time to go in and then get the thing  done.

 

Finally, it was time to get the surgery. It was on February 24 (I think) and was scheduled to be done at 5 A.M. I was so nervous, and scared. But mostly nervous. Anyway, the surgery went really well and we were all very happy. Most of the time I was half asleep and didn’t really notice anything but soon I was better. I have to say even though I had to lay down most of the time, having the actual surgery wasn’t even bad. I was asleep during it and after it I didn’t really feel any pain. I had to wear a brace and then after a while I went home. After I took the brace off I went for physical therapy to get back in shape, for example I had to stretch my back out a lot. I still do it to this day and will for the rest of my life.  Before I had my surgery and had the halo on, my mom brought this stuffed animal she got at a nearby drugstore. The stuffed animal was a white polar bear with turquoise eyes. On the tag it said the name was Igloo , so I just kept the name (I am not good at making up names.) I was so happy when my mom brought that for me because it was something I could hold onto and keep with me at the hospital.  

Now, I went to a back doctor appointment, except it was not with the same doctor, he has moved to Ghana , Africa and will be continuing his work  on patients there. I’m kind of upset because he changed my life and now all of a sudden I won’t be able to have him as my doctor. Now I have a new doctor, his name is Dr. Lenke and he is a very good surgeon. Anyway, I went for an appointment with him a couple weeks  ago and he said in about 2 or 3 years, I will have to have back surgery again. I will probably take  Igloo with me.  

 

here is a link if you want to learn more about scoliosis : http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Scoliosis/scoliosis_ff.asp

What I do for the Holidays By Neha

My family and I celebrate a holiday called Eid. We don’t celebrate it during this winter time of year. Eid depends on the phases of the moon. It has to be a full moon the night before to confirm that it will be Eid the next day. Eid happens 2 times a year, one in July or August and the other one in September, October or November. During the one in the summer we also celebrate Ramadan which is before Eid. During this religious time of year we don’t eat at all from sunrise to sunset (we fast), and we also pray. Then after Ramadan which is a month long (usually in June or July), we celebrate Eid in celebration after Ramadan is over. My family’s tradition for Eid is that we go at about 9 in the morning to a hall to do a special prayer and then we usually go with friends and family to Red Line Diner for brunch. Now you might be wondering,what do I do during this winter break. I usually go on vacation to a warm place to get away from the cold! This year I’m going to Costa Rica.  Well, that’s what I celebrate! What do you celebrate? Please comment on the blog! Here’s a link on more of this topic:

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque - Abu Dhabi UAECreative Commons License Black Zero via Compfight 

(This is a picture of a Masjid, and we go there to pray during Ramadan)

Week#7 Falling into Waterfalls By Neha

Since I was about 6, I have loved looking at waterfalls and walking through the mist. It never occurred to me that I didn’t know  much about them. So now I think this is the perfect time to talk about them and do some research on waterfalls.

Ok, so  first let’s start to talk about their form. Waterfalls are commonly formed in the upper course of the river . The channel is soft, narrow, and deep. Whirlpools are created in the turbulence as well as sand and stones carried by the watercourse that  increase erosion capacity.

Last summer, when my family and I went to Turks and Caicos there was a waterfall and my dad and sister went in it but my mom and I didn’t. There were stones in the water and when my dad went in, he had to wear his flip flops because the stones were too  hard to step on. Maybe that waterfall had erosion. Anyway, a river sometimes flows over a large step in the rocks that may have been formed by a fault line. Waterfalls can occur along the edge of a glacial trough where a stream or river flowing into a glacier continues to flow into a valley when the glacier has melted. That was just a little bit about waterfalls and how they form.  Here is a picture that might help you understand: 

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This is a diagram of how a waterfall is formed. From Wikipedia 

 

There are many beautiful waterfalls around the world. I will list some famous ones. Yosemite Falls which is 739 meters ( 2,425 ft.) located in Yosemite National Park , United States.  I have been there a couple years ago and it is amazing, the park is beautiful. The Waihilau Falls,  is at 792 meters ( 2,598 ft.). Angel Falls in   Venezuela is  the world’s  tallest above-water waterfall at 979 meters  (3,212 ft).  


   Salto Angel Arnoldo Lara Giménez via Compfight

Angel Falls , Venezuela.

There are many different types of waterfalls , here are some of them. A block/sheet  waterfall is when water descends from a relatively wide stream or river. A cascade waterfall is when water descends a series of rock steps. Slide waterfalls are when water glides down maintaining continuous contact. A frozen waterfall ( you probably guessed it ) has an element of ice or even snow! Anyway, these are just some facts about waterfalls. I hope this post was very helpful to you!

 Here’s  the link to where I got all my information from wikipedia

Blogging Challenge Week #5 Activity #1

My family  is from a country called Pakistan ( except we  live in America). In Pakistan we eat a lot of different foods that are all very spicy because we like to eat spicy food. (My grandma is from there and makes Pakistani food). The food we eat is very similar to indian food. Anyway, some things that we eat are,  Naan or  roti , which is a type of bread. Naan is more  soft and fluffy while roti is more dry.(I like naan better). We eat this with chicken or Kebab ( which is basically meat either round or long). They taste like  meat with a lot of spice ( but it usually depends on how the person makes it. I personally like both,( I’m a meat eater). We also eat brown rice or white rice with chicken or lamb.  Chicken from my country is spicy ,and very delicious. I don’t really like lamb though. For dessert we have a lot of things. I don’t really like Pakistani desserts that much but a lot of people do. Anyway, the things that are mostly popular , are Gulab Jamaan which are  milky balls dipped into syrup. We also eat Kulfi which is dessert based on milk. Ras Malai which is also based off of milk but is more liquidy. Barfi which comes in square shape. All of these desserts mostly taste sweet. Anyway, these are just some of the things we eat  from Pakistan.


Here is the link to where I got all my information.

 

Cheese and Chicken Kabobs Striving Bean via Compfight

A plate of Chicken.

Blogging Challenge Week #4 Activity 3#

During Halloween , my family and I go trick or treating in my aunts neighborhood. Her neighborhood is big so we usually go there to trick or treat. Before that we all eat dinner together and then go trick or treating. Anyway, this year my parents friends invited us to a  Halloween party (on halloween of course). We’ll go trick or treating after. This year for halloween I am going to be a hippy. I hope everyone has a happy Halloween!

 

Jack-o'-lanternCreative Commons License William Warby via Compfight

– A carved pumpkin

The House By Neha

Whispers in the Wind TumblingRun via Compfight

Once there was a girl named Sara who went trick or treating and was never seen again. It all started on a normal day, on Halloween. Sara was excited to go trick or treating because it’s her favorite holiday and she couldn’t wait!

 That night she ate her dinner quickly and did her homework. Then her mom told her to get her costume on. She went with her older sister because she was young. They went driving around their neighborhood and Sara got out and rang the doorbell to each house saying, “Trick or Treat!”   

 Later on her sister had to go home because she had a lot of homework to finish. She told Sara she could still trick or treat, but was not to go far.  Sara  promised she would stay close by. Her sister went home and Sara walked on, trick or treating.                                                                       

 Sara went to all her  neighbors houses and got candy. She decided to walk down the road and  turn the corner, which was where she wasn’t supposed to go. But she thought, “What could go wrong?” Her sister and parents would never know where she went. She decided she wouldn’t tell them. She walked down until she came to a very big house. She was not familiar with it, but decided to go to it. She walked up the steps to the house and knocked on the door. The door slowly creaked open, with no one opening it. Now Sara was scared, but it was too late. A hand reached out and grabbed her. She screamed. She disappeared.

When Sara didn’t come home,  her parents got worried. They called the police and searched everywhere for her but couldn’t find her. Her family was very sad and they never saw her again.

Blogging challenge week #3 Activity #1 by Neha

One memory I have with my family is when we went to Quebec, Canada and Bar Harbor Maine during spring break last year.  First we went to Quebec for two days and then we went to Maine for a couple of days. We drove the whole time.  Anyway, I went with my mom, dad and my little sister. It was a lot of fun and Quebec was really pretty. We went on a horse carriage ride there. Mostly, we walked around and shopped because we  only stayed there for two days. Then we went to Bar Harbor, Maine which was about four hours away from Quebec (I think). In Bar Harbor we went to Acadia National Park which was beautiful. We went on a great  jeep tour and had really good food. There were a lot of places to walk and shop in Bar Harbor, so that’s what we did. We even met someone we knew who was on vacation with his family (it was a doctor my parents knew). All, in all it was really fun and I had a great time there.

Blue hour in Old Montreal Jim Nix via Compfight  

– City of Quebec ,Canada

Blog Post Challenge Week #1by Neha

Activity 1:  My name is Neha and my favorite color is lavender and I love art.  I am sort of the same person online as I am in real life. but usually I am more quiet in real life.

Activity 2: This is the link for the avatar I made : Bitmoji

I chose this avatar because I think it looks like me and I just like it.

 

Activity 3:           

My name is Neha and  I’m in  6th grade. I love art.and reading. My favorite color is lavender. I also like making these bracelets that are called Rainbow Loom bracelets. They are basically rubber bands made into a bracelet by putting them on a loom and looping them on a hook. I love to paint. I’ve painted a lot of paintings. I like to write in school. My favorite favorite subject in school is  history because I like to learn about the past and all the wars we have had in the past. I don’t have any pets. I have a little sister.