There are not too many memories I have retained from my first year in elementary school, but making origami models is certainly one of them. One of my mother’s friends came into the classroom to teach us about origami. Ori means “folding” while kami means “paper.” Quite literally, it is the art of paper folding. She taught us to make several different models. One of the easiest, but most elegant designs was the butterfly. We were allowed to color on the paper to personalize our butterflies, and we were very proud of our work.

In fifth grade, I made a…

I was sitting in class the other day when I looked out of the second-story window and saw a bright purple object zoom past the window. “What was that?” asked another student who had seen the same spectacle as me.  ”A kite!” exclaimed yet another student. The object passed by the window again, and pretty soon the teacher had lost the focus of every student. There’s definitely something magical about kites; every person should have the chance to fly one, young or old.

Certainly, you can buy a kite from a nearby toy store, perhaps a large department store or…

So, this is part two of my discussion of whether school projects are good or bad for students.  For those of you who haven’t read the first part, here is a brief summary: projects are very good for students, although they do have some negative aspects.  If you want to read it, here is the link.

Now, this part focuses on a specific aspect of projects: large portions of parental help and whether it is right or wrong. Based on my past experiences, I feel it is far more wrong than right.  But, I shall try not to be biased…

This year in physics class, I have had a plethora of projects to do.  I made an egg-safety chamber, a catapult, a propeller powered car, a mousetrap powered car, and a bottle rocket.  So, I figured, “Why not write an article on the pros and cons of school projects?”  And guess what?  I wrote one!

First of all, I am going to list the pros, just to build up your little spirits and then crush them with the cons….

Not too many years ago, parents might have had trouble keeping their kids entertained (and not climbing on the walls) when it was raining outside. With all of today’s electronics, a rainy day does not seem to present itself as a problem anymore. Children have computer games, board games, video games, movies, and many more fun activities. The problem is, none of these activities really keep a kid active. Here are some activities you can do outside when it’s raining:…