Hi, it's Zoe. A few days ago, I performed in my school's choir at a high school auditorium. We had been practicing for nearly four months for this performance and nothing could stop our voices from projecting off the stage. Guess what? Practice makes perfect...again.

In my previous blog, I talked about practicing tennis, I thought it would be a great idea to share how I practiced choir and my solo parts too. At first, Mrs. Martinez (our choir teacher) gave us a few songs to learn. These were "Seasons of Love", "Fly! I Believe I Can", and "Viva La Vida". We practiced these for the first month and then she introduced us to some other songs; "Island in the Sun", "Just the Way You Are", "Man In the Mirror", and "Survivor, I Will Survive". We had plenty of fun with these songs and practiced them for another month. "Survivor! I Will Survive" is my favorite song. And when my teacher announced there would be tryouts for the solo parts in the song, I was ecstatic. I practiced everyday for several weeks preparing for the tryouts. It paid off. I got the part! I was so happy.

In the end, we (the entire choir, about 45 kids) practiced everything together, over and over again for another two months. We also had to practice some dance moves. When it was time to perform we rocked the stage. I sang and danced. I was given a lot of good feedback about my solo part. You can see me singing and dancing in the videos below. (The videos are bit bumpy at first but they calm down.) 

I love to perform and I enjoy trying out for parts in my school productions. I know I get nervous before I tryout and before I perform, but I just try to turn those "butterflies" in the tummy into focused energy on the performance. It usually works. But the best medicine for being nervous is to practice a lot, long before you have to perform. The more practice you give something the easier it becomes to perform it. Well, that's my news for this blog entry. Hope you enjoy the videos. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe, today my daddy and I went to the University's Wellness and Recreation Center to practice my tennis techniques. First, we played a little bit to see where I can make improvements. My front hand swing was fine, but my serve and backhand swing went all over the place. We needed to find out what was happening.

We focused on the serve first. I learned it was critical to throw the ball straight in the air without it going forwards, backwards, or to the sides. Then I learned how to hit it. The wrist needs to be straight and you have the racquet facing down so you'll get the ball nice and low over the net. After this quick lesson, my serves really improved.

Next, the backhand. I learned to run up to the ball, but without getting too close, then holding my racquet with two hands, swing level and make contact with the ball nice and hard. This hit will make your opponent speechless!

I hit the ball around a few more times with my daddy, feeling really proud because of my serves and backhand returns were better. I think the lesson today is that practicing improved my game a lot. Practicing and my daddy's wonderful coaching helped me get better at tennis.

Do you do an activity such as sports? I like to play tennis, volleyball, badminton, rock climbing, rollerblading, swimming and the list goes on and on. I love to be active. And remember, if you practice you'll become extremely good over time at those things you practice a lot doing. Remember, practice makes perfect. Want to tell me something you improved on? Just post it online. I can't wait to hear about your improvement. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe. I've been writing poems for the past month to enter one in a contest. You might think that all poems rhyme, but many, called free verse, don't. Here's a few ways we can write great poems.

Sometimes poems can be descriptive and meaningful, usually these are in free verse. I've written many poems and I have picked one to show to you. Here it is.



     Life
Life is the shimmer of hope,
That lives in everyone's souls,
Life is the force of peace,
That turns the Earth,
Life is the warm, gentle rays of the sun,
That wakes you from fantasy dreams,
And life encourages us to love,
And hug and kiss and smile,
And life is the reason for all our hearts to beat,
And all our brains to think,
Because life is a force that nothing can stop,
And nothing can regenerate.
But life is something you only live once,
Live it well,
Live life.

Another type of poem would be to write a silly storyline one. Have you ever read, "Where the Sidewalk Ends", by Shel Silverstien? In this book, there are many funny and witty poems. It was one of my brother's most favorite books when he was younger. I like it very much and I recommend reading it. I have written two silly poems myself. Here they are.

    I'll Greet You With A Sneeze
I am sick.
So, I'll greet you with a sneeze.

Don't try to greet me first,
Don't try to shake my hand,
Don't try to shout.
No matter how much you pout,
Cause I'll greet you with a sneeze.

Don't try to say hello,
Don't try to wave,
No matter  the time of day.
Cause I'll greet you with a sneeze.

So, now you know,
Better stay away,
Cause I'll greet you with a sneeze.
And you should a...a...achoooo!
Believe what I say.


    Birthday Troubles
I came with a present,
I even said, "Happy Birthday!"
But still I get no cake!
Why? I"ll tell you why.
You smushed your face, yes you
Smushed your face
In that cake!
And now it's covered in FACE germs!
Ooooh, what's that?
A Pinata!
Hey! Who cares about cake?
It's candy time!

Do you know how to write a poem? Remember to always capitalize the first letter in a line, no matter if it is the beginning of a sentence or not. And, good titles always catch people's attention. So, remember to add that in too. Rhyming poems are good to do, but once in a while writing some meaningful poetry is a good way to improve your writing. So, I write all kinds of poems.

Would you like to be a poet? Remember, if you practice you'll get better. If you have written a poem share it with me. I'd love to see it. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe. Easter just happened. Did you have an egg hunt? And do you have a sibling you shared it with? I had a Easter egg hunt with my brother, and I found the most eggs. We had a hard time sharing and getting an equal amount of eggs each. We argued a little bit over them. I think we shouldn't have squabbled. In the end, we shared them. Sharing is the best thing to do.

First, by sharing we are being fair to other people. We are letting them enjoy equally in something we have. Sharing helps others feel good. I believe sharing is a great characteristic that we always want to show.

There is another thing about sharing that's important to remember. If someone asks us if they can have a bit of something, and we share it with them, we cannot turn around and say that they owe us something in return. Remember, when we share that means we're being kind and friendly. It's not really sharing if we tell someone they owe us after we decided to share with them.

Sometimes, if you share again and again someone may take advantage of you. I'm thinking of my brother. Sometimes, he has the same amount of something as I do, but he wants more and asks me to share mine with him. We bargain a lot with each other. It's up to me to decide whether I want to continue sharing with him. We always work it out in the end. It evens out. But we talk it over.

Do you bargain with your sibling or friend. At times, I do. Maybe with this blog we can improve our sharing techniques. Share with me your ideas. I'm all ears.  Bye!