Sharing Season

It's almost Christmas!! I'm so excited about all of the fun things we get to do and see this time of year- Santa, special shows, shopping for presents, baking cookies, etc. And this year, we started a new tradition of giving. 

It all started with two presents from Christmas last year: The book Three Cups and this bank- it's called a Moonjar. It has three parts to hold money- one for save, one for spend and one for share.
 
Three Cups is about a boy and how he learns about money with his three cups. Once we got these banks, my mom and dad started to give us allowance every week. We have chores to do each week, like clear our plates, unpack our backpacks, clean up toys and water the garden- and at the end of the week we get four quarters. We put one quarter in each part of the bank, and the fourth quarter we get to choose which part gets an extra.

So, last weekend, we all took out our Share banks and counted up all the money.

Share Bank

Here is my pile of money

Here is my money in $1 stacks

Done counting, now what?

My brother is working on his money stacks too!

My sister only had $1.08, we're not sure what happened to all of her money!

The final tally

After counting up all of our money, my mom showed us all of the things we could choose to donate our money to. There were lots of great choices- it was really hard to make a decision!

My mom suggested that we take all of our pennies and donate them to our penny harvest at Ezra Baker (that's my school). We all thought that made sense, so we gathered up all the pennies and put them in my bag.

Penny Harvest Bag

With the rest of our money, we each chose which place to donate to. My sister Addy decided to donate her money (and dad's extra change) to the Rhode Island Zoo to buy a toy for the monkeys. Liam decided to split his money and give to two groups- the Chatham Shark Center and the Animal Rescue League. The Shark Center is in Chatham and they have a little museum that teaches people about sharks and other marine animals. The Animal Rescue League takes care of dogs and cats that don't have families. I chose to give all my money to Wild Care- which takes care of wild animals on Cape Cod that are hurt.

So this weekend we got to go deliver our donations. First, we went to the Animal Rescue League. We brought them some old towels and sheets that they need for the animals. We also got them some cat toys, a dog bone and some animal treats. They were really excited that we came! We got to meet some of their animals- dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, and even birds!

Animal Rescue League

Our next stop was Wild Care Cape Cod. We brought them our donation and also some things from their "wish list"- like tissues, dish soap, and cotton balls. We got to see some squirrels that were almost ready to be released. There were four of them, and they were all sisters.

Wild Care

This is their Wish List tree

The squirrels playing

Our last stop was the Chatham Shark Center. It was our first time to the museum, so we got to check out their exhibits and color some pictures.

Here we are in the shark cage!

 

 

 

 

 

We were really proud of ourselves for sharing what we earned. Now our Share bank is empty and we need to start saving for next year!

EPIC 10th

I just got back from my 10 year old trip! I went to NYC with my mom and dad- without my brother and sister!! We did so many AWESOME things- it was EPIC! Here's our weekend...

I was very excited about the trip- can you tell?!?

We stayed in Times Square at a hotel called "The Hotel @ Times Square"- they get right to the point. We didn't get there on Friday until late, so we got a good night's sleep so we could hit Manhattan in the morning. Saturday morning we headed to the Empire State Building first. It was SOOOO tall! We went up to the 86th floor and it was VERY windy! 

All of the cars looked like matchbox size on the street. We could see all parts of the city from the four sides of the building. We could see the Statue of Liberty, and she looked so small!

After that we headed to Times Square- what a place! There were characters and people everywhere! I got my picture with Elmo and Olaf- two of my favorites. 

 Then we went to the BIGGEST Toys 'R Us store I have ever seen! There was even a ferris wheel inside. We rode on the car that looked like the red and yellow car that little kids ride around in. 

 On Saturday afternoon we got to go to see The Lion King on Broadway. WOW! This show was spectacular! There were huge costumes of giraffes, rhinos, cheetahs and elephants. They sang all of my favorite Lion King songs and the characters walked by our seats when they went on stage!

After the show we took a ride on the subway to see our old friend Marcy, she gives me lessons on how to move better.  

 Finally we headed to dinner. We went to Rockefeller Center and found a place called Bill's Bar and Burgers. In a city that never sleeps, I managed to catch a few winks during dinner- it had been a LONG day.

On Sunday, we got up early and headed to Central Park. On the way we stopped at the Today Show for a quick photo op!

It was a beautiful sunny day and we went to Bethesda Fountain. My mom helped me practice walking to the fountain.

We stopped by the M 'n M Store and got the coolest treat: M 'n M's with my name on them! I also put my brother and sister's names on them too. We got to pick the colors and push the big button to make them! 

They even had a computer that told you what kind of M 'n M you were. It told me I was purple!

After that we had to pack up and head home. On our way out of NY we stopped at my mom's old roommate's office where they run a "School of Rock"! It was so cool- they had tons of instruments and practice rooms!

We finally made it home on Sunday night and I was beat! I had so much fun hanging with my mom and dad!

Hello 4th Grade!

This post is dedicated to my new class! I want to introduce myself to you all. My name is Kai and I am 9 years old. I know that I am probably older than most of you- and that's because I am really in 4th grade! I am also in Mrs. Johnson's class and will stay at Ezra Baker until 5th grade. I'm going to miss some of my friends who went on to Wixon School this year, but I am so glad to be back in Mr. Kliment's class again!

I know some of you might have some questions about me because I have some differences, but I want you to know that I am also similar to you in many ways.  I have a condition called cerebral palsy because when I was born I had a hard time breathing and that hurt the "computer" in my head. Now it is really hard for me to do things that most of you can do easily- like walk, talk, and move. I also have a little difficulty seeing. I use this chair to help me get around and other people help me get what I need. But some things you may not know, are that I like to have friends talk and read to me. I really love music and swimming. I love animals too, and go horseback riding every weekend. I really love to go on my swing at home and ride a bike specially made for me. 

I have a younger brother and a younger sister named Liam and Addy. I live with my mom and Dad too. My mom writes this blog with me, and we usually write more often, but we have had a busy summer. Do you want to know what we did this summer? Here are some highlights...

Here I am with my favorite "shark" in front of the library in Chatham. We went here on the first weekend after school ended to go to the band concert.

Here I am at the Heritage Gardens playing the xylophone in Hidden Hollow.

I'm waiting to get on the carousel at the Heritage Gardens.

Riding the carousel with friends!

Happy 4th of July! We had a great weekend going to the parade and watching fireworks.

My dad and I waiting for the parade to start.

The color guard- my Dad was in the Coast Guard and these guys are his friends.

Dinner on the beach, waiting for fireworks.

Dancing on the beach!

On the beach waiting for fireworks with friends.

We went to the drive-in to see Minions!

Our seats for the drive-in movie!

One of my favorite places to visit in the summer is Dream Day. It is a special camp. This year we did not get to stay overnight, but we went fishing and canoeing, did crafts and archery.

There is a great playground at Dream Day!

Getting ready to shoot the arrow during archery, with an adapted bow.

Making a bracelet with my mom.

Friends from my class with me at Dream Day!

Here I am at horse camp with my teacher, Leslie. This is Ziggy, I only ride him sometimes. Most of the time I ride Little Duke, who is a small pony- and he is brown. 

Of course summer is all about ice cream. Actually, I'm not a big fan of cold treats, so I get whipped cream instead!

We made a trip to visit the windmill and labyrinth  because for the summer reading program at the library we had to visit a monument in our town. Did you do the summer reading program at your library? It was all about HEROS!

My Dad and I walking the labyrinth.

We all made it to the middle!

We really wanted to go in- but not open today!

 My brother had his birthday party in July and it was a reptile party. There were all kinds of reptiles- a snake, tegu and even an alligator! 

Here is my brother and I with the alligator.

Dad and I holding a snake!

 At the end of the summer we drove all the way to Illinois to visit my Grandma and Grandpa. We visited with some of my mom's old friends too! We even went camping at Jellystone Park with Yogi Bear!

Here we are with Yogi

Meeting Cindy Bear

Making crafts with my mom at Jellystone

Old friends come to visit!

We went on a boat ride on the Fox River- here I am with my mom.

Here we are on the boat!

We also got to visit with some of our first and second cousins!

My mom took me for a bike ride on the Great Western Trail!

 After we went to Illinois we drove to Pennsylvania to visit my other Grandma and Grandpa. They live on a lake and have a boat that we got to go tubing on.

My mom and sister and me.

Dad and I swimming in Lake Meade.

On the boat with Grandpa Bob and Dad.

 It was a great summer! Can't wait until next year!