Kids Think About Arguing

by: D’Arcy Lyness, PhD
August 23, 2009

 

People don’t always get along, and when they don’t, it’s called conflict. We wanted to know more the arguments and disagreements kids have, so we did a KidsPoll to find out.

 

We asked 1,245 boys and girls ages 9 to 13 about conflict and here’s what they said:

• There’s plenty of arguing going on — 38% of kids said arguments occur in their home every day; 26% said it happens every week.

• More than half of kids (56%) said they argue most with brothers and sisters.

• For some, fights get physical. About a quarter of the kids (26%) say they usually hit or get in a physical fight when they argue with another kid.

 

But it wasn’t all bad news. A third of the kids also had this to say:

• When they’re in an argument, they try to talk or work it out.

• They’d like some help from adults to work out their differences.

 

Let’s start with those brother and sister squabbles. It’s normal and natural to disagree with your siblings. And it makes perfect sense that kids argue most with brothers and sisters. Kids spend lots of time with siblings and they feel more comfortable with them — two conditions that make arguing more likely.

Arguing with siblings can become so normal that, just like breathing, you might do it naturally without even thinking of it. But that doesn’t mean lots of arguing is OK. (Just ask your parents!) And it’s never OK to hit or get in a physical fight with a sibling — or anyone else, for that matter.

If you’d like to argue less with siblings (and everyone else), follow these three steps:

 

 

Control your temper. This is one of the true secrets to arguing less. So often, kids (and adults) let their tempers take control. Before you know it, they’ve done or said something that they don’t mean and wish they could take back. Staying calm and polite makes it easier to resolve conflicts and helps the other person stay in control, too.

Seek out adults when you need them. It’s great when kids can work out their differences without needing mom or dad to be the referee every time. But sometimes parents or other adults are helpful. They can enforce some basic rules, like “no hitting or name-calling allowed.” They also can remind kids of other rules that have been set in the house, like you can’t go into your sibling’s room without asking first.

 

Try to see the other person’s side. Everyone says to do this, but how? The next time you’re arguing with someone, take a time-out and switch sides. You take the other person’s side and he or she will take yours. State the argument just as the other person has been stating it and try to understand what the point is.

For example, if Jane and Mark were fighting over the last cupcake, Jane would have to make Mark’s point about how he only got one cupcake so far. And Mark would have to make Jane’s argument about how the last cupcake should be hers because they were from her birthday party. Once you’ve stated the other person’s side, ask: “Did I get it right?”

You might be thinking that resolving an argument this way is going to take a lot of time. It can take a while, but it’s well worth it. After all that talking it out and trying to understand each other, Jane and Mark were probably ready to split that last cupcake! Mmmm!

 

 

What’s a KidsPoll?

The group that took this KidsPoll included an almost equal number of boys and girls. They answered the questions on handheld data devices while visiting these health education centers and children’s museums:

• CDC Global Health Odyssey — Atlanta, Georgia

• Children’s Health Education Center — Milwaukee, Wisconsin

• Health World Children’s Museum — Barrington, Illinois

• Hult Education Center — Peoria, Illinois

• Kansas Learning Center — Halstead, Kansas

• McMillen Center for Health Education — Ft. Wayne, Indiana

• Poe Center for Health Education — Raleigh, North Carolina

• Robert Crown Center for Health Education — Hinsdale, Illinois

• Ruth Lilly Health Education Center — Indianapolis, Indiana

• Weller Health Education Center — Easton, Pennsylvania

A poll, like the KidsPoll, asks people a list of questions. Then researchers compile all the answers and look at the way the group answered. They calculate how many — or what percentage — answered “yes” to this question and “no” to that one. Polls give us clues about how most people — not just the ones who answered the poll questions — feel about certain issues. We’ll be conducting more KidsPolls in the future to find out what kids say — maybe you’ll be part of one!

Source: Kids Health

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Safety Tip: Strangers and Other Dangers

By McGruff and Scruff
August 23, 2009

In 1974, a neighborhood crime watch group was organized in South Dade County. Citizens met with their local law enforcement departments to ask what they could do to help the police apprehend a rapist terrorizing their community. From this first informal meeting, communities and law enforcement began to work together to keep neighborhoods safe and free from crime. An organization was formed, and Citizens’ Crime Watch of Miami-Dade County, Inc. (CCW) was registered as a 501(c) (3) non profit organization. Today, over 1,600 neighborhoods participate in the crime watch concept.

In 1979, the crime watch concept was introduced into the public school system at one school. Because it succeeded in curbing school crime, the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) requested we, CCW, expand its student crime watch program from one school to include all public schools in the county. Since that time, Youth Crime Watch of Miami-Dade (YCW) has functioned as an allied program of the public schools.

Methodology The public school system contracts with YCW to educate and train students in violence and crime prevention strategies. Children also learn that good citizenship and personal responsibility include watching out for family, friends, schools and community. YCW maintains a presence in all M-DCPS.

The foundation of the YCW program is built upon a “school safety survey” which is administered at the school during the first few months of the school year. It asks respondents to rank their particular safety concerns – those issues which they believe have the potential to cause harm to themselves or their schoolmates. YCW students, student advisors, and our staff are then enlisted in the effort to resolve those issues impeding the safety, health, and education of young people. The results of the survey are prioritized and comprise the core content of the YCW program.

The YCW program is structured to teach leadership skills to students who volunteer to learn about school safety. While they learn how to keep themselves safe, they also learn public speaking, critical thinking, leadership, and other skills that will serve them into their adult lives. This, in turn, reinforces their self-esteem and promotes positive involvement, again curbing misbehavior, crime and violence in the school.

I’m McGruff the Crime Dog – world famous for my advice on how to stop crime before it happens, and for my great sense of humor. But seriously, my job is to help people, especially kids, learn how to be safe and make their neighborhood safer. Something else you should know about me is that I go all over the country to talk to people about how they can take a bite out of crime. So if you see me in your town, come on up and say hi. You can recognize me by my tan trench coat – I never go anywhere without it.

This here is my nephew Scruff. He helps me show kids how they can stay safe. Scruff’s a good pup but sometimes gets himself into a bit of trouble. Lucky for him he’s got a good memory – eventually he remembers the right thing to do to get out of trouble. Want to know more about me and Scruff?

You can read more about yours truly in the story How McGruff Became the Crime Dog, and you can read some of Scruff’s adventures in these comic books. Today’s Tip: Help others in the Community.

You and your friends can help out in your neighborhood by taking some few simple steps each day:
Ask your teacher if you could help by erasing the blackboard, or if he or she needs help carrying supplies.

• Bake some goodies for the elderly people in your community.
• Offer to rake the lawns of those in your neighborhood who are not able to.
• Ask your parents if they need help around the house. For example, offer to fold the laundry while you watch the television…that way you both win!
• Collect donations for a local shelter or Red Cross office. These are just a few ideas that you can do to help out around your community.
• By helping out, you are saying thanks to all those who make your neighborhood great!

Today we will talk about: Strangers and Other Dangers

 

A stranger is a person whom you have never met. You may have seen the person before but don’t know anything about him or her. Strangers don’t look like monsters, aliens, or the bad guys you see on TV. They look like ordinary people.

What’s the Big Deal?

Most strangers are nice, but some are not. You can’t tell if a stranger is nice or not by looking at him or her. But you can tell if a situation is good or bad.

What you should do:

• Be aware of dangerous situations. If a stranger asks you for help or to keep a “special secret,” it could be a dangerous situation. Say no and tell a trusted adult.
• Trust your instincts. If you feel scared or uncomfortable, get away from the situation. Make an excuse or just run away, and go to a safe place.
• Know what to do. Think No, Go, Yell, Tell. If you’re in a dangerous situation, say no, run away, yell as loud as you can, and tell an adult.
• Ask your parents first. If a stranger invites you to go somewhere, offers you a gift, or just wants to talk, say you need to ask your parents for permission first. Then go do it.
• Stick with friends. It’s always safer to play in a group

Source: McGruff

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Starting Kindergarten

by Alexander
August 22, 2009

 

 

 

Dear Alexander,

(Q) I am going into kindergarten this year. My mom has always watched out for me, but now I’ll be in school without her. I am allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, and I am scared of not having my mom with me to make sure I don’t get a reaction. What do I do?

(A) I am sure you have been taught many things by your mom about taking care of your food allergies, such as not to eat any food except for the food that she or another trusted adult says is okay. You know to clean your eating area and wash your hands before and after you eat, and to ask questions about food ingredients.

Each year, thousands of kids who have food allergies go to school, but it takes some work from parents and the people who work at the school to come up with a plan for how food allergies will be taken care of. You can get involved, too, by teaching your new classmates about food allergies and why it’s important for you to be careful about what you eat.

Remember the teacher, nurse, and all of the people who work at the school are there to help you stay safe. If you have a question, or if you don’t feel good after eating, tell them right away. Also, be sure to talk to your parents about how you are feeling. They will help you so that you do not feel scared.

Good luck!

Your friend,
Alexander the Elephant

 

Editor’s Note: The information above is not designed to take the place of a doctor’s instructions. Patients are urged to contact a doctor for specific information regarding guidelines for care.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Food Allergy

Movie Review: Shorts

by Kerry Bennett
August 21, 2009

When Toby Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) finds a rainbow-striped rock capable of granting his every wish, the unpopular boy is sure his prospects are looking up. But when the other neighborhood kids and their parents get their hands on the magic stone, the whole world turns upside-down.

In-Depth Review

Shorts is rated PG: for mild action and some rude humor.

About all filmmaker Robert Rodriguez doesn’t seem to have done during the production of his latest family film was sew costumes and cater lunches. He may have been too busy in his roles as director, producer, writer, cinematographer, music composer, visual effects supervisor and film editor to worry about sandwiches.

He does, however, manage to find time to procure roles for three of his five children. Rocket and his brother Rebel star as schoolyard bullies who carry out the demands of the bossy and cruel Helvetica Black (Jolie Vanier). His son Rebel plays Lug, a young boy who uses the powers of a magical, rainbow-colored rock to conjure up an imposing rock fortress and a float of crocodiles.

But Lug isn’t the only kid to take advantage of the mysterious stone. When Toe Thompson (Jimmy Bennett) finds the rock and discovers its abilities, he believes all his problems at home with his sister (Kat Dennings) and at school are over. The first item on his wish list is friends. Yet before long, the flotilla of tiny alien spaceships that appear to keep him company prove to be more troublesome than friendly.

Tossed around the neighborhood of Black Falls, the polished, multi-striped aggregate grants the innermost desires of other adults and kids as well. Unfortunately most of the residents don’t make particularly wise choices when it comes to having their hopes realized. Their adventures with the rock unfold in a series of non-sequential shorts that take place at school, at the office and in the homes of the unusual residents that inhabit the town.

While the storyline resembles the fanciful undertakings seen in Rodriguez’s early family-oriented films (Spy Kids 1, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams and Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over as well as The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3D) where bullied children also live secret, powerful lives, parents may be less comfortable with this script’s amount of mimicable violence. Toe is stuffed into a garbage can headfirst even after trying to talk his way out of trouble with a gaggle of goons. On the way home, the boys pelt him with rocks and he falls from a tree after being knocked out. As a way to taunt Toe, a mean-spirited classmate swallows his pet fish, hits Toe in the head repeatedly and calls him names. Not only do students fall from the roof of the school after falling through an open window, there are also kids who intentionally break the windows of a house to gain access to the inside. Although most of these stunts are played for comedy, they, along with plenty of more fantastical depictions of a destructive robot, a defecating Pterodactyl and a living piece of nasal mucus may be too graphic and/or gross for younger viewers.

Jumping randomly from one mini story to the next like a cartoon on caffeine, this film about making your wishes come true may appeal most to audience members with very short attention spans.

Studio: 2009 Warner Brothers Pictures. Visit the official movie site.

Content Details: Beyond the Movie Ratings…

Bullies, adult and child, molest their employees and classmates with name-calling, threats, physical aggression and yelling. Students hit a boy with rocks. A character is stuffed in a garbage can and later falls from a tree. Students fall off the roof of a school. Characters are attacked by miniature aliens, a giant robot, chased by crocodiles, and carried off by a dinosaur. An explosion occurs in a science class covering the students with an unknown substance. A girl intentionally swallows a live fish. Siblings fight among themselves. A married couple experience stress and alienation because of a shared work project. A boy is swallowed by a crocodile and defecated on by a flying dinosaur. A boy repeatedly picks his nose. A blob of his mucus turns into a living, animated monster. A boy is covered with mucus after meeting up with the monster. Adults attack one another at a house party. Boys break a house window and enter the premise illegally. Characters scuffle with one another. A character is hit in the head and knocked out. Characters ride motorcycles without a helmet and talk on the phone while driving. Characters are frequently in peril. The script includes mild crude humor and a term of Deity.

Discussion Ideas: Talk About the Movie…

How are families portrayed in this film? Which family would you rather live with, the Thompsons, the Noseworthys, the Blacks or Lug and his brothers?

Robert Rodriguez often features bullied children in his films. How can children and teens best deal with bullies? How can adults help intervene? What positive attempts does Toe make to reason with the bullies?

Video alternatives

Although actor Jimmy Bennett is only 13-years-old, he already has an impressive number of credits on his acting resume, including roles as a pint-sized superhero in Daddy Day Care, the son of a shipbuilder in Evan Almighty, and a young James T. Kirk in Star Trek.

Source: Parent Previews

Editor’s Note: Kerry Bennett is interested in media from both a journalist and parent perspective. Along with authoring articles for several family-oriented publications, she has written for Parent Previews for nearly 10 years. She serves as Vice President of the Alberta Association for Media Awareness. She and her husband Garry have four sons.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

FOSI Supports Point Smart Click Safe

By FOSI
August 23, 2009

Washington DC – Stephen Balkam, CEO of the Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), made the following statement in support of the new PointSmart.ClickSafe. report, Task Force Recommendations for Best Practices for Online Safety and Literacy:

“The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) strongly supports the recommendations from the PointSmart.ClickSafe. Task Force and its emphasis on research, education and evaluation of existing online safety methods. Kids today are increasingly tech savvy.  It is vital that we help them develop digital media literacy skills and guide them how to use technology in a safe and responsible way.  At FOSI, we are working with various stakeholders to build a culture of responsibility online and this report will add impetus for a cohesive and collaborative approach to not only keep kids safe, but also to encourage personal resiliency and responsibility for their online actions.” Read the report & learn more

About FOSI
The Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI) works to make the online world safe for kids and their families by identifying and promoting best practices, tools and methods that also respect free speech. FOSI’s members include: AOL, AT&T, Blue Coat, BT Retail, Comcast, Computing Technology Industry Association, France Telecom/Orange, Google, GSMA, Loopt, Microsoft, MySpace, Ning, Nominum, Optenet, Privo, Rulespace, Sprint, StreamShield, Symantec, Telefónica, Telmex, The Wireless Foundation, Verizon and Yahoo!. FOSI hosts an annual international conference to bring together Internet safety advocates from a variety of sectors, including global corporations, government, non-profits, academia and the media, to discuss the current pulse of online safety and emerging solutions that will enhance it.

For more information on FOSI, www.youtube.com/fosi.

Source: Family Online Safety Institute

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Las Vegas CBS 4:00 News with Stephen Balkam

Wish of the Week – Priscilla 13 Years Old

By MWF
August 22, 2009

Millions of children dream about becoming superstars, and using their talents to reach audiences around the world. Priscilla’s dreams revolve around music—she wants to be a professional singer.

Priscilla is 13 years old, and when the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida entered her life, she knew exactly what she wanted to do. She wanted to record her very own CD. With a little help from her new friends—namely legendary music producer Emilio Estefan—Priscilla can now proudly call herself a professional recording artist.

After determining her wish, the budding young star was whisked to Miami for a star-studded weekend. After spending her first evening at a 5-star hotel, the hotel staff knew they had a celebrity on their hands. At the hotel salon, Priscilla received a full makeover, before she headed to her photo shoot—after all, every professionally recorded CD needs a cover.

Finally, Priscilla arrived at Emilio’s studio—the same location artists such as Jon Secada and Emilio’s wife Gloria began their paths to stardom. Priscilla never imagined that she would achieve her lifelong dream by recording with one of the world’s most renowned music producers, and much less that it would happen when she was 13 years old.

After a long afternoon in the studio, Priscilla’s CD was completed and the music industry was introduced to its newest recording artist.

Source: Make A Wish Foundation

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Soldier of the Week – Joshua Simson

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
August 22, 2009

Editor’s Note:
Hometown: Overland Park, KS
Awarded: Silver Star

In 2007, Navy HM2 Joshua Simson was embedded with a joint U.S. military and Afghan National Army patrol to conduct key leader engagements in the village of Saret Kholet.  Simson was serving as an advisor on how to be a medical first responder.

On July 27, Simson demonstrated what committed first responders do when he repeatedly placed himself in the line of fire from machine guns, AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades to single-handedly provide aid to more than a dozen wounded U.S. and Afghan National Army soldiers during an attack.

“After talking with the elders, we pushed further east to establish an observation post to watch a certain river crossing.  A squad of Afghan National Army had pushed across the river to clear two houses and spotted bad guys,” Simson explained.  “The Afghans fired at them, causing the Anti-Afghan Forces to initiate their ambush prematurely.”

“We were in the kill zone, but since we hadn’t pushed as far down the road as we had intended, we weren’t entirely surrounded,” said Simson, who joined the Navy in September 2005 out of a sense of obligation and ‘to pay back a small part of the debt towards the cost of freedom.’

“I knew about the heritage of corpsmen before I joined and the job appealed to me…taking care of my brothers on the battlefield,” Simson stated.

The ambush led to a seven-and-a-half hour battle.  At one point, Simson pulled a wounded soldier into a nearby bunker to provide cover.  Immediately after entering the bunker, it suffered a direct hit.  Dazed, but undeterred, Simson finished treating the Afghan soldier.

“We were caught in a very deadly crossfire.  We took a lot more casualties during this phase of the movement.” Simson said.  “I was taking care of casualties as best I could during the march out without becoming one myself.”

Throughout the ordeal, Simson said he repeated a sequence of tasks over and over.  “See or hear somebody need help, put out suppressive fire, move the man to cover if possible, and render lifesaving aid.”

Eventually the unit got to a clearing where it was safe to evacuate the injured.

“I was just trying to help out,” Simson recalled. “We were all a little exhausted by the end of the day.”

Simson was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on the battlefield; his willingness to expose himself repeatedly to potential injury or death coupled with his composure under fire was exemplary and inspiring to his fellow servicemen and the Afghan soldiers.
“There are many, many other sailors out there who perform incredible acts but fail to get properly recognized,” he said of the medal.  “It feels weird to have the attention for just trying to do the job that was required of me.  The men with me that day displayed great courage and determination in the face of withering fire.  This is what gave me the strength to do my job…my buddies who were right there with me.”

• Hometown: Overland Park, KS
• Awarded: The Silver Star

 

Editor’s Note: Excerpts from an article by Loren Stanton, Sun Publications, Sept. 23, 2008.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Source: Our Military

Patient of the Week – Bria Brown

By Shands/PIO
August 20, 2009

Bria Brown, a 13 year-old Miami girl, calls herself the Queen Bee Survivor — and that she is. When she was only 6 years old, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare, progressive form of bone cancer. The disease targets the knees, one of the fastest growing areas in the legs. Osteosarcoma is so rare that only one baby in a million will develop the disease.

Bria’s mother Carol took Bria to the emergency room to be treated for an unrelated illness when Bria reminded her to talk with the doctor about the pain she was experiencing in her left leg. “I thought the pain had come from her jumping around and running,” said Brown.

Bria’s mother said after Bria was diagnosed with bone cancer, their lives were turned upside down. “Bria was hospitalized for almost nine months in Miami Children’s Hospital. She lost all of her hair from the chemotherapy, and I lived at the hospital,” said Brown.

After Bria completed chemotherapy seven years ago, she and her parents learned that the bone cancer had spread to other areas in her leg. The recommended solution was amputation. “That just wasn’t an option for us,” said Brown, who was determined to spare her daughter’s leg and quality of life.

Bria’s physician referred her family to a University of Florida orthopaedic surgeon in Gainesville who was helping patients avoid amputation thanks to a new rod implantation procedure.

“My husband told the doctor that we were radical people who were willing to consider anything besides amputation,” added Brown.

Life-changing surgery

In 2001, Bria and B. Hudson Berrey, M.D., a professor in the UF Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, met for the first time with the hope of sparing Bria’s leg.

“Because the disease had almost spread to her hip, they didn’t think she was a candidate for a limb-sparing procedure, which is why they recommended amputation,” said Berrey, who performed Bria’s initial surgery seven years ago at Shands at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Berrey said the most difficult part of performing the seven-hour surgery was removing all of the cancer, then removing the diseased femur (thigh bone). Berrey reconstructed Bria’s leg using a custom-made implant.

“The first rod grew her leg a fair number of inches, and then two years ago she had a revision. I replaced the original one, which had gotten as long as it would go. I redesigned the proximal end and put a new rod in to continue to watch her grow,” said Berrey.

As Bria grows, her leg can be lengthened by heating an element in the implant that allows a spring inside of it to expand, thus allowing her left leg to grow the same length as the right leg.

Berrey has shared this procedure with other orthopaedic surgeons but says there are very few surgeons who will do this type of procedure and address these problems. “You have to believe in it, and I believe it is the best solution that we have at this point in time,” said Berrey.

Building lasting relationships

Bria and her family make the trip to Shands Jacksonville every three to four months to have her leg adjusted. Berrey, who was appointed chair of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville in 2002, have continued to develop a very special relationship with the Brown family. Bria says because Berrey saved her leg, she now wants to attend the UF and become a pediatrician.

“I want to give back because it is something I enjoy doing,” said Bria, who spends a lot of time dancing, and participating in extracurricular activities. She currently holds a 3.7 grade point average and has raised more than $120,000 for the American Cancer Society as a volunteer. “I will be going to Washington, D.C., in May to represent the state of Florida for the Spirit of the Community Award that will be presented by the American Cancer Society.”

Berrey said it has been a rewarding experience working with Bria and getting to know her family. “When I first met Bria, her sister Jada was just a baby and now she’s 6 years old, the same age Bria was when I performed her initial surgery. Now I have a special relationship with her father Ed Brown and her grandparents.”

Source: Shands Children Hospital

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Summer Trip Globetrotting in Europe

By Ash Proenza
August 21, 2009

This summer trip could be homework for history class, only much more fun!

I visited Europe this summer, starting with Barcelona, Spain. The reason I went to Barcelona was to visit my mother’s’ family. It was the

first time we met! They were a little shy and so was I. My family was very nice and gave me a tour of the whole city.

Barcelona is one of the oldest cities in all of Europe. I saw several old buildings in the Gothic Quarter. Something did confuse me during my visit. When my cousins spoke to me they would speak in Spanish, which I understand. But when they spoke to each other, they spoke in a language I never heard before. It’s called Catalan and it’s only spoken in a few parts of Europe.

I got a chance to ride on the Metro, which is similar to the subway in New York City. I saw a lot of great sites in Barcelona, but my favorite part of that trip was meeting my cousins from across the Atlantic.

Next on my itinerary was Paris, France. I was in Paris for only one day, but oh what a day!

The first place I saw was the Notre Dame Cathedral. Have you ever heard of Quasimodo? Well Victor Hugo was inspired to write his famous novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, because of that cathedral. When I saw the gargoyles on the roof I thought of the Disney movie about the hunchback. For a spilt second I thought they would start talking just like they do in the movie.

The next stop was the famous Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre, perhaps the most well-known museum in the world. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa more than 500 years ago!

I climbed the wonderful Eiffel Tower at night while it was all lit up. The line was long, but it was worth the wait. Looking down at Paris from the heights was a grand sight. If you ever go to Paris, remember that the nights are chilly, so bring a coat. I learned that the hard way.

My last destination in Europe was London, England. I rode The Underground (also called The Tube), which is yet another version of New York City’s subway.

London is similar to New York in many ways. For example, in New York we have Times Square. London, has a similar area called Piccadilly Circus. Both have theater districts where all the plays and musicals are staged.

While I was in London, I saw Big Ben, the clock tower of the Houses of Parliament (similar to our capital building where Congress works). It is the world’s most famous and recognizable clock. That was my favorite thing to see because in the Disney movie Peter Pan, Peter flies past Big Ben.

After Ben, I rode the London Eye. The Eye is a spectacular site. It’s the biggest ferris wheel in Europe. I also visited Buckingham Palace, home to Queen Elizabeth, to see the changing of the guards. I didn’t get to see much because there were too many tourists trying to get a glimpse of the Queen’s guards.

We finished are sight seeing with two bridges: the Tower Bridge and London Bridge. Both bridges cross the River Thames, but are very different. The London Bridge is more modern, while the Tower Bridge looks more like old England with a tower on each end.

After all that, the best part of this trip was returning to the hotel for a nice, long nap.

Editor’s Note: PHOTO: Kid Reporter Ash Proenza in front of his favorite sightseeing spot in Europe: the Big Ben clock tower in London. Photo Courtesy Ash Proenza.

We would like to know what you think and how was your summer? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Scholastic News Online

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