Wisdom Tale Comics: Vihaan Edition

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Don’t we all just love a good comic? Isn’t it even better with a moral? Well, Mrs. Donnelly’s class of 2023-24 used a book called Wisdom Tales from September 2023 till January 2024 to make comics with a moral.

 

  • Well, what was their process? First, they created a slideshow where they learned about the history of stories and how they came to be today.
  • Next, they read stories that had a moral or religious message. Some of the stories were from India, China, Africa, the Middle East, and there were also some Christian tales. 
  • Soon after that, Mrs. Donnelly told the class that they had to make a comic related to one of the wisdom tales that they read in class.
  • They got to meet a visual storyteller/artist named Brittain Peck. Mrs. Williams’ class was also there because they were doing the same things as Mrs. Donnelly’s.
  • Brittain Peck taught us about many things which we all incorporated into our drawings. Some of the things that he taught us were how to make shapes tell a story, how to make drawings pretty and simple, and how to incorporate emotion into a drawing.
  • After that, they started their comics. There are drawing apps that they used to create their art. Some of the apps were Paper 53, Adobe Draw, Sketchbook, and Sketchpad. Mrs. Donnelly also taught them about how to use an app called Comic Life 3.
  • Comic Life 3 is an app where you can choose templates and insert text and/or images to make a comic.
  • Next, they drew images on Sketchbook and pasted them into Comic Life 3. Then, they had a rubric.
  • The rubric had conditions such as name, date, class, and many more. They needed Mrs. Donnelly’s permission to get printed. 
  • Once they got printed, they would paste them on the wall and keep them under which class period the creators of the comics were in. 
  • Then, they wrote a blog post about their comic. You are reading one just now.

Well, I guess that’s it! Thank you for reading my…… Oh. I almost forgot! Write in the comments which story you “comiced”. My story was Antlers from Greece.

The Plank Challenge

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Small things are the base for bigger ones. A daily habit causes a compound effect. First off, what is a daily habit? A daily habit is a routine that you do every day. It could be good or bad. I think James Clear put it best in his book, Atomic Habits. His quote was “A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic.”-James Clear. A compound effect helps with adding something small to your normal routine until you get to your goal. Mrs. Donnelly’s class of 2023-2024 had a daily habit starting on October 24th until the week of December 11th. That is seven weeks! The daily habit for them was to plank for 30 seconds each day for one week. The next week, they added on 15 seconds until  the target of 2 minutes and 15 seconds was reached.

 

Firstly, there were a lot of challenges in doing the plank. We needed to do it every day. If we don’t, we cannot mark it as done on our tracker. Worse, we would lose that daily habit and its compound effect. Another problem that I encountered was that I had some other things to do. I had to prioritize my to-do tasks. Prioritizing is definitely not my strongest point. Some days, I had to plank 5 minutes before sleeping or in the bathroom (great time management). I was also scared that I wouldn’t plank or I would forget to write it down. The former never happened, but the latter did. But, I pulled through, stayed on track, caught up my tracker, and slept happily.

 

Next, I find emotions and mindset to be a major part of success with a daily habit. The emotions I felt were stress, anxiety, relief, and happiness. How did I feel stress? I felt stressed because it was difficult to plank for 2 minutes and 15 seconds or more. I was anxious because I did not know if I could plank every day. Sometimes, my planned schedule may go haywire. I also felt relief. I finished the plank challenge and could finally breathe. The final emotion that I felt was happiness. I finished the plank challenge with double my expectations. I was happy with my performance in the challenge.

 

Well, that was it for the plank challenge! Thank you for reading my blog and feel free to comment on your planking time, challenges that you may have had, and emotions you felt. See you next time!

Reading for Me

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Photo courtesy of unsplash.com

I enjoy reading. Facts and nature are my jam. This is why my favorite genre of book is nonfiction. When I was little, I was obsessed with information. Now, I am more exposed to many different genres and authors. The main reason I read is for enjoyment and that it also strengthens my vocabulary. I love to find out facts and other peoples’ thoughts. An important thing for me is to try to ascertain what the author wants to convey with the book’s message. 

Even though I enjoy reading, it can be difficult sometimes. If I am in an uncomfortable spot or constantly disturbed, I find it difficult to enjoy the book. It is simple to look for books by genre and enjoy your favorite type. I look at what my friends suggest and I heed what they recommend. Sometimes, some writers write with a pseudonym which makes the title more attractive to a reader. For example, Dr. Seuss is a pseudonym for Theodore Geisel. Who doesn’t love his books? That is why I find pseudonyms to be more attractive. 

I consider myself to be a decent reader because I can find the theme and new words in a book. A new word that I found out by reading was Deoxyribonucleic acid. This is my favorite word in the English language. Oftentimes, I don’t read as much as I should. That is one thing that I will work on. I am also looking for many ways to improve my vocabulary and thoughts about the world. Vocabulary is a crucial element in reading and language arts in general. 

My favorite book is Shivaji by Ranjit Desai. I enjoy this book because it is an amazing read for fans of Indian history. The book is about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the Maratha guerilla king who helped end Mughal rule in India. I really enjoyed this book because it taught me more about my own history. For me, it feels like each letter leaves me deeper and deeper into my own family tree. This is why Shivaji is my favorite book. What is your favorite book? What genres do you enjoy? What books do you recommend? These are all questions I want you to answer in the comments below.

Reading is an enjoyable pastime which I love and you should too! Thank you for reading my post!

Window or Mirror? Vihaan Edition

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Photo Courtesy of Unsplash.com

Have you ever read a book that really shows you how to be persistent and confident? The book that I read was Break Point by Kate Jaimet. This book is about a 16-year old boy named Connor. There was suspense because the tennis club was broken into and they needed to save it . Will they find a way to save the club?  I really liked the phrases and ideas in the book. Was this book a window or a mirror for me? Well, let’s find out! 

What is a window book? A window book is a book which gives you a different feeling about something that you did not feel or it gives you a new experience in life. What is a mirror book? A mirror book is one where the main character(s) have similarities with you. It doesn’t have to be all the same though. I think that this book is a window and a mirror for me.

Why is this a window for me? The reason why the book is a window for me is because I have not had any outsiders and people ruin my creations and dear things before. I feel like losing something big and having to pay for it is very stressful. That is what the main characters felt as well.

This is also a mirror for me because I play tennis and have been in a tough spot while playing a sport. This is also applicable with chess for me.

In conclusion, I enjoyed the book and I think that this is a great book for tennis fans! Thank you for reading my blog post.

Trip to India

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Have you ever been to India? If so, did you like it? In the summer of 2023, I went to Thane, Maharashtra, India. It was an amazing trip of which I will sum up some of my favorite parts. Firstly, I had to go to Minneapolis Airport and board the plane heading to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam, we were seconds away from missing our flight. Turns out, our flight got a little bit delayed and we arrived in Mumbai, India at 3:45 A.M., while my grandparents were wondering where we were. Turns out, my grandparents met us outside at 4:30 A.M. and my mom and I were so happy to see my grandparents and vice-versa. Unfortunately, we lost our luggage in Amsterdam but we got it back in three days. Coincidentally,  We were in the car and we drove to my grandparents’ residence, Primrose. It seemed like a hotel and it felt so nostalgic coming there after 6 years. First order of business; take a shower. In Primrose, the bathrooms are a little different compared to the bathrooms in the USA. But, I got the hang of them quite quickly. Instantly after showering, I took a two-hour nap.

Once I woke up, I was greeted with open arms by my grandparents. They gave me plenty of hugs and kisses. First thing that I did was I drank some milk and biscuits. That was the start of the best trip I have ever had. 

An interesting thing that I did was play tennis in 104-degree weather.  I played well but jet lag and extreme heat got the best of me. That night, I went to a street shop called Prashant Corner.  The pain puri was delicious. I had street food for dinner.

I went to Pune and experienced crazy traffic. I got to meet my great-grandmother and the rest of my family in Pune. There, we ate great food and our drivers were also very good. On our trip, we went to Lonawala with my cousin who is 3 years younger than me but still calls me ‘naughty’. She told me that her parents told me that I was a crybaby the last time I visited India. That was 6 years ago.

I went back to my Thane home and it was monsoon. There was so much water that it felt like it was a small creek. I put on my grandma’s rain jacket which could fit me. I had so much fun jumping in the puddles. Unfortunately, I had to go back inside. But, it was not that bad. I got to make roasted corn with Indian spices.

During the trip, we went to a lot of temples. The food at the temples were really good. I ate sugar and laddoos. I did namaskar to the gods at the temples. It was very crowded. But, it was still quite decent. 

During the end of July, we were very sad to have to leave India. We wish to go there soon. It was a fun trip where I got to do so many amazing things. I want the next trip to be forever. 

CAMP KIRKWOOD

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Just last week, we went to Camp Kirkwood in Watha, North Carolina! There was a lot of anticipation and excitement to go there. Unfortunately, the trip nearly got postponed or even canceled. Thankfully, the camp counselors worked things out and we were on the bus in time. The ride there was interesting. I played blindfold chess against Deven and emerged victorious. I was also chit-chatting with Rohan. It was a two-hour bus ride.          

Once we arrived at camp, it was raining. We were caught in a hurricane! The hurricane’s name was Hurricane Idalia. We rushed into the pavilion where we were safe and sheltered from the rain. Once the storm cleared out and the safety instructions were given, we were assigned to cabins. We were in Cabin 8. Once our group got to the cabin, we changed into swim trunks and shirts. Then, we went to the flagpole which was the most common meeting place for finding out our next activities. I was in Group #4 and we did the Low Ropes course and the walk was sublime.

The next thing our group did was the Kanga Jump. The Kanga Jump is basically a squishy trampoline that made many people in our group fall off. After that, we went swimming. It was a lot of fun. Once we arrived back at the cabin, we played some games and went to sleep. To conclude, an amazing first day.

On the second day, we went to have breakfast. Breakfast was quite decent. They had a yogurt bowl which I really loved. The best activity in my opinion was the V-Swing. The V-Swing was basically a rope that holds you 30 feet in the air and makes you drop down in a parabola. It definitely gives you the fright of your life. I loved when we got to rest in hammocks. They were super comfy. Another thing that I really liked was that we went on a hike to a campfire. We made s’mores and sang songs. It was one of my favorite parts. We also swam again that day. We went to sleep as a tired but hopeful group.

On the third day, which was in my opinion the best day of the trip, we woke up and got ready for breakfast and our first activity. My first activity was canoeing on the lake. We even had a race in which we got second. There wasn’t a prize but it was still exciting. We were all half-drenched in the water when we came out! Our next activity was a zip line over the lake. You just have to trust yourself to survive. It was awesome.This was probably the second best activity in my opinion. The last activity was playing Gaga Ball and soon after, we had to bid farewell to Camp Kirkwood and its awesome staff. 

In conclusion, Camp Kirkwood is a phenomenal camp with a lot of great opportunities. Everybody missed Camp and hoped to go there again.