Hi! It's Zoe. Last weekend I got glasses. They have thick red frames with something called cat eyes design because of their slanted sides. It was interesting to see the world in a whole new way.

At first, I thought I didn't need glasses because I was so used to seeing blurry and I thought it was how people saw the world. But over time my vision started to get worse and we went to see the optometrist (a fancy word for eye doctor).

At the optician's  office, I had to go through many tests to see how bad my eyesight was and find out if I needed glasses. the doctor said my left eye was a "1" and my right eye was a "2", meaning I had poor eyesight! It was funny because my brother had his eyes checked the same day and he has 20/20 vision, that means perfect eyesight. The optometrist prescribed glasses and my mommy and daddy helped me find a pair that I liked.

When we got home I quickly put on the glasses and saw everything in such detail! I could see every leaf on every tree and every single blade of grass. It was a wonderful experience.

On the first day of school, I was a bit nervous about what people would think about my new glasses, but people said that they thought they were nice, or the glasses looked good on me. I was relieved they thought these things.

So, if you ever get glasses, don't be afraid about what people are going think. Enjoy how wonderful the world will look when you can see everything clearly. It might be better than you expect. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe. Over the summer, I went on a big family trip with my mommy, daddy, and big brother. I had so much fun, I got a bit behind on my blog. To make up for it, I will share the many amazing things I saw on my trip. 

Our first stop was Tuscon, Arizona. Since it was a long drive to get there, we stopped off in El Paso for the night. The next day we were off again. I was very excited because in Tuscon we were going to meet a few cousins for the first time. As we arrived, I was exploding with questions about them. 

Quickly I dressed for the pool and my family went to meet my Aunt and Uncle and my cousins. When we got to the pool I met my cousins, Cealan and Rory, for the first time. (My other cousins, Enzo and Hudson, were arriving the next day.) They were also very keen for our arrival. My brother and I were shy at first, so were Rory and Cealan. Soon though, we warmed up to each other and were playing happily in the pool. We had lots of fun. 

The next day we went to the pool again and I met my other cousins, Enzo and Hudson. At first they were shy, but soon we were splashing and playing the entire afternoon. The first part of our trip was playing and hanging out at the Omni hotel pool a lot! 

On our last day in Tuscon, my family and my Mimi went to see Biosphere II. A place that has habitats from around the world. It is a huge research facility to study the Earth. It was very interesting and exciting. (See the videos below) Our guide told us about the eight people who lived in Biosphere II for two years doing research and never coming out of the building! I was fascinated. Two hours later the tour was over. I had just done one of the 50 things to visit before you die. That's one off my bucket list. It was amazing.

We got back to the hotel and met up with Enzo and Hudson and my aunt and uncle. (Cealan and Rory and their parents had already left.) We played that last night and said goodbye with lots of hugs. I miss them all. 

The first part of my trip was so much fun. We had a family reunion, visited Biosphere II, and played at a great hotel. 

Hi. It's Zoe. During the week I made a stop motion animation film, with the help of my brother and my Daddy, called "Romance In New York".  I learned how to edit it and photograph the pictures. It was a fun experience, but boy, did it take a lot of patience.

I used a erase white board to draw the pictures. After I drew a picture, I would take a shot of it with a camera. (I made sure to not move my camera or the board so everything would line up from shot to shot.) After I took the picture, I had to erase and move something in the scene and take another shot. The road was the hardest. I had to erase all the cars and then draw different ones to make it look like it was moving. Sometimes I would have to redo a picture I drew because it didn't look right, so I had to be really patient. It was fun and it taught me a lesson; learning to be patient!

When it came to editing my Daddy and my brother helped me. I learned how to slow down the image on the computer for close-up views, and to speed it up on actions (like walking, running, the bus pulling up). We used a handy website that had sound effects, so I could add noises to my video. It was great fun!

It took about four days to make my movie. Calling my family into the living room, we watched gleefully, as the characters came to life and interacted with each other. I was happy to see my movie was a success! You can watch it below.  

I think the two most important things to remember when making this film are (1) being patient, and (2) keeping a positive attitude. I feel I definitely reached that. Maybe there will be a sequel to come. Bye!

Hi! It's Zoe. A few days ago, my mommy's business partner, Hilda, brought to the office a Great Dane puppy. She called him Oreo. He is the runt of the litter and needed special attention. He was only a three weeks old! I learned how to take care of him and his special needs that day. Having to feed and burp him was work. (We took a lot of pictures and video!)

I fed Oreo a special baby formula for puppies from a bottle that looked just like a baby's bottle. It was so cute when he scrambled to get the milk. Sometimes he would suck on my finger accidentally. It tickled and made me giggle.

After feeding him, I needed to burp him. He was very full and I didn't want him to get a tummy ache because of all the gas in his stomach. I had to put him on my shoulder and gently tap him on the back to get the gas bubbles out of his tummy. Soon, he was tired and happy. 

Since Oreo was tired I had to put him to sleep, I sat on a rocking chair and rocked back and forth with him in my arms, lulling him to sleep. When he slept he kicked and growled! I guess he was having puppy dreams. It was too cute for words. 

I feel that taking care of Oreo must be similar to taking care of a baby. It also reminded me of the story in the book My New Puppy, where Lae Lae learns how to take care of her puppy. I loved caring for Oreo!

Hi! It's Zoe. During this summer, I have been on my electronics much more than I am supposed to be, so I decided to get creative. I have since made many fun things with my family and friends with the help of a book my grandmother gave me called, 365 Things to Make and Do. 

Scientists say that art triggers the creative part of our brain, causing us to become more original, or that's how I understand it. They also say that kids, like me and you, get better grades if they're exposed to art at an early age. 

Yesterday, I made a pinata with my friend, Isabella. We decided to save it for another day, but here's how we made it.

The Things Your Need:

• Balloon
• Newspaper
• Flour
• Water
• Scissors
• Decorating materials: paint, markers, stickers,
• Bowl
• String

We blew up the balloon. The we mixed flour and water together in the bowl until it looked like thick cream. We ripped the newspaper into strips and pulled each piece through the flour mixture to get it completely covered. And we spread these pieces across the balloon. It was really messy, but that's the fun part. Here's a tip: As you put the strips on the balloon to cover it up, don't overlap them too much because it will take longer to dry. Also, you want to leave a small space on the balloon that's not covered because when the paper dries you'll pop the balloon by pricking the uncovered area and filling the balloon with stuff. 

The really fun part comes when you get to decorate the balloon however you want. We added paint, stickers, ribbons. The brighter the balloon the more festive it looks.  And the last thing to add is the candy! Hang your pinata somewhere where it's safe to hit it with a stick. 

Like I said, I'm saving our pinata for later. Maybe, I'll have my friends over for a end-of-summer party and we will hit it then. Sounds like fun, right? 

This is just one fun activity you can do this summer. Remember, being creative can make you healthy and happy. Bye!

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!

Hi! It's Zoe. This week my classmates and I performed in a play, reenacting the Alamo. It was my school's 16th annual performance, and it was in honor of my teacher's book, Journey to the Alamo. It took lots of practice and patience, but we did awesome. I tried out for the role of Davy Crockett and I got it! I'm the second girl to get the role. The last girl to play Davy Crockett was 10 years ago. I beat out 20 boys trying out for the role. Go girl power! 

When I tried out, I was extremely nervous because I thought many of the boys would be better than me. Turns out I was wrong. 

I had lots of nerves before we performed the play, but when it was my part I just pretended everyone wasn't there and that it was just another practice. It really calmed my nerves down. (Check out the second video below to see how packed the auditorium was!) 

By participating in the play, I learned lots about Texas history, like how 189 Texans were up against 4,000 Mexican soliders. I also learned that seven Texans survived the battle, including Davy Crockett, but sadly they were executed by orders from Santa Anna after their capture. Later, Sam Houston defeated Santa Anna at the battle of San Jacinto, who was forced to sign a peace treaty agreeing that the Mexican army would leave the region. That lead to the creation of the Republic of Texas. Texas became its own country before joining the United States in 1845 as the 28th state! Just think, had this not happened Texas would still be a part of Mexico! 

Have you ever seen the real Alamo? It's an interesting place where you can learn many fascinating facts. I consider myself lucky to have seen it myself and to have participated in a play about it. I will never forget this performance and the facts I've learned about my state's history. Bye!. 

Hi! It's Zoe. From an earlier blog, I wrote that I was entering a poetry contest. After writing many poems, I entered the one I liked best called, "Life". Guess what? I, and fifteen other kids from my school, had our poems chosen. I guess there may have been about 200 entries, so I'm proud that I was among those picked.

The exciting part about entering contests, and being lucky enough to win, I build up successes over time and they contribute to my ability to get scholarships for college. A scholarship is where you are allowed to go to college for free or part of it for free based on your grades or some talent or both. I plan on going to college. Doing my best now, so I can get several scholarships, is important to me. That's because going to a good university can cost up to hundreds of thousands of dollars without scholarships. There are many ways to earn a scholarship.

One way to get a scholarship is by making A's all through high school. High school can be hard, so only really smart and hard working people can make it through their high school years with all A's. I believe if you really work hard it's almost guaranteed you will earn a scholarship. That's my plan anyway, and I'm starting now even though I'm only in the fourth grade. It's something my mother has talked about with me since I could remember. Remember the saying, "Practice makes perfect". Well, it's never too early to practice making good grades. It builds a strong education by the time you enter high school.

Another way to earn a scholarship is by doing well in sports. Men and women have earned scholarships this way. Are you a natural at a sport? Maybe if you try really hard and practice a lot you can get a scholarship this way.

Did you know, I have already won a small scholarship by writing an essay? Things like essays and art projects can help you win scholarships if they are chosen. Maybe your school has opportunities for you to enter and win a scholarship. Or, you can search online for competitions for kids that you can enter, and hopefully win!

Here's a tip. If you win competitions and scholarships along the way, be sure to put them in a folder so you don't forget to use them when you apply to college. They just may help you go to college for free! Bye!