Hi! It's Zoe. Recently, I had a radio talk show interview! My first. Deborah Simpson, on Blog Talk Radio, interviewed my Mimi, mommy, and me about the Lae Lae book collection and my blog. I had an interesting experience being on the radio for the first time. (Actually, I have been on the radio one other time when I called into Kids Place Live on XM radio to request a song for my birthday. But this was different.)

First, I was nervous. Before Deborah talked to me, I had to take many deep breaths. Who knew how many people were listening to this radio talk show? Deborah was really interested in my blog. She was happy that I wrote about taking care of the earth. She said she recycled as well. After the interview got going, I was happy when suddenly my nerves disappeared. 

Deborah asked many questions about my blog. For instance, she asked me what I was hoping the blog would lead to. I told her that I hoped it would add up to a college scholarship at M.I.T. University, so I could become an exceptional architect. She was so impressed she couldn't believe I was only ten years old. After the interview, I was scared what people would think and I hoped the interview would advertise the Lae Lae books more. My mommy said I did a great job and she was proud of me. It had been a fun experience!

Doing the interview was awesome. It let me practice calming my nerves and the questions helped me think more about what I want to do in life. It was a terrific learning experience. Mommy videotaped me talking on camera. I think I look nervous, but I started having fun. You can watch the video below. Or you can check out the original recording on Blog Talk Radio. Bye!  

Hi! It's Zoe. Summer has now started and I'd like to talk about the dangers of the sun's rays. I don't want anybody getting hurt by sunburn or something even more serious. Here are some neat tips I found on a helpful website.

One way to protect your skin is not to be outside during the sun's peak hours, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.. These times will burn your skin much faster. When you are in the sun always have a reasonable SPF (Sun Protection Factor) in your sunscreen. "To determine your sunscreen strength, multiply the amount of time it takes you to burn by the SPF number." So, if you get red in 10 minutes without protection, and you use a SPF of 30, 30 x 10 is 300 and that's the amount of time in minutes it would take to burn using a sunblock 30 SPF. Be aware of how much time you spend in the sun. My mom says to keep putting sun block on throughout the day and not just once.

You may not know it, but if you hung your arm out of the window of your car you could be burning right then and there. Never be in the sun unnecessarily without sun protection on.  

Another key way to keep healthy in the sun is to keep hydrated. That means drinking lots of water. Dehydration is very serious. It means you aren't getting enough water to replace the water you lose sweating and moving around. If you are going to play a sport outside in the sun, remember to keep a water bottle handy. Drink a lot while you're in the sun.

Sunburn isn't the only way the sun's rays can damage your body. It can also damage your eyes and cause cataracts. A cataract is when your eye clouds over and you lose your vision! That sounds awful, so protect your eyes now. Remember to wear sunglasses when you are out in the sun. And don't be fooled if you're in the car. Even tinted windows cannot block out all of the sun's rays. That includes being in water like a swimming pool. The sun's rays can travel three feet deep!

One of the most serious things sun can do to your skin is cause skin cancer. Skin cancer is very serious and unfortunately, more common now than ever. When you get older never try to tan your skin. Doing this can lead to skin cancer. Protect your skin, it's the largest organ in the body!

Now you know how to be safe and the importance of protecting yourself from the sun. Let's be sun safe this summer. Just for kicks, try saying that really fast three times. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe. Have you and your family ever saved a wild animal? This week, my mother and I did!  We saved a bird called a Great Kiskadee. It is yellow bellied and it has black and white stripes on its head. We named hime Twinkie because of his bright yellow belly. 

My mommy found Twinkie after he hit our window and hurt himself. So, we got out an old tortoise tank and put him in it. Sadly after his accident, he kept falling forward, unable to stand on his feet. When he fell over he would kick with his claws into the air, and eventually he scratched himself under his beak. After that we wrapped him gently in tissue paper and set him upright so he wouldn't fall over. He calmed down and seemed much more comfortable. He started to get better. 

Feeding Twinkie wasn't a problem. He took food easily. (Watch the first video below to see us feeding him.) To feed him, my mommy used long metal tweezers made especially like a mommy bird's beak. We bought canned crickets and mealworms from a pet store and he loved them! (I didn't know they canned crickets and worms and grasshoppers.) 

I was too scared to hold him because of the tiny claws on his feet (until we wrapped him up and he wouldn't squirm in my hands), so I only helped feed and water him. He was doing great!

Even though Twinkie was getting better, taking care of him would be extremely hard because he had a serious injury. We decided to take him to our local Pet Smart. They told us about a rehabilitation center in our city that might be able to save Twinkie. When we went there we were met by a really nice woman named Valerie Ciomperlik who runs the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. 

She told us that it looked like Twinkie had some brain damage, but he might be able to get better. (watch the last two videos to see how she checks out Twinkie just like a doctor.) Then she told me an interesting fact about Twinkie being in the Flycatcher family because he has bristles on his beak. When he flies the bristles catch bugs. His beak must be sensitive because when we held him and stroked his beak he would calm right down and almost fall asleep. 

Valerie said she would try to get him well and then she took him in. Hopefully, Twinkie will be healed! In saving Twinkie, I learned a lot about taking care of injured birds and about the Great Kiskadee. 

If you ever save a bird or wild animal, be sure to go to a local pet store or vet and get advice. I'd like to give a shout out to Valerie and thank her for her generous help. She really knows a lot about the Great Kiskadee and she helped me feel better about Twinkie's future. Bye!