Cub Chronicles, November, 2012

Volume III Issue II 2012-13 Lower School

Insight & Innovation

Newspaper Staff Alexia Barr Molly Braun Grace Coale Cecilia Duncan Gabrielle Finn Ellie Hartman Sumner Hill Mary Clare Marshall Hadley Noonan Mairead O’Connor Isabelle Pipher Sofia Pye Lily Santangelo Claudia Schmidt Maia van Biesen

Cub Chronicles A CELEBRATION OF SUSTAINABILITY And the MARKETPLACE Come to the PA Fall Luncheon!!

Interview with Therese Giacomo, Chair

By Hadley Noonan and Gabrielle Finn

How did you get the idea for a marketplace theme??

It was close to thanksgiving and at first we were thinking a Christmas themed luncheon at first but then thought it might be nice to do a Thanksgiving themed luncheon because it is also close to Grand parent's and special visitor's day so maybe some guests could come. The market place is open to EVERYONE could you ask your neighbor's to maybe come stop bye??? We will be selling organic turkeys, pies, centrepieces and some Christmas gifts and ideas!!!

Is this the first time you have planned a luncheon??

Yes, it is also the first time we did this kind of theme.

Dr. Ann Marr

Can you remind the readers what day it is??

November 19,2012

Inside this issue: “The Market Place”

Pg.1

Fall Festival

Pg.1

Bead for Life

Pg. 1

What Makes Food Organic

Pg.2

Fun Facts About Our School Garden

Pg. 2

Fresh Foods

Pg. 2

The Fun Fresh Recipe

Pg. 2

Fresh Farm

Pg. 3

Stew Leonards

Pg.3

2012 Drought

Pg.3

My Brother George

Pg.3

My Animal Advice

Pg.4

Venus Fly Trap

Pg.4

CROPS

Pg.4

Interview w/ Caitlyn Dahnke

Pg.5

How can you be sure the food you serve will be fresh??

We make sure it’s from a local place like the Aldon Farm in Westchester that only uses rain and no bug spray to keep pests off the plants.

How many guests do you expect??

Around 350. Make sure to remind your parents!!!

Will all the food come from NY or CT??

Is this a harvest luncheon?

Yes, this is a sustainable harvest luncheon.

Did you pick this topic because fall is harvest time?

Yes, we changed the date from December to November and this is now harvest time.

What is sustainability ?

To grow food to preserve the land. We don't use fertilizers or tap water. We rely on nature ie rainwater, and natural ways to get rid of bugs.

What are some of the foods that will be served?

There will be lettuce, grass-fed chicken, raisins, nuts and salad.

Will the food be organic?

Yes, the food will be organic, fresh, and sustainable What do you think will really be memorable about the luncheon?

So many people helped plan the event. Students made logos and are part of the documentary about the CSH garden. Another cool thing is that parents can pre order gifts or food online. The website address is www.cshgreenwich/marketplace.org

Fall Festival!!

By: Claudia Schmidt

Hi everyone!! I am happy to tell you the fall festival is coming soon, on Saturday, 20 th of October. I am very excited to tell you all about the upcoming events, and they are … Soccer w/ Aldwin, face painting, a bake sale, a haunted house, the pumpkin patch, guest DJ and of course a Build-a-Dog, and Much, Much, More!!!

This will be my fifth fall festival, and I have enjoyed them all!!! My favorite highlight was last year’s hair feathers. And all the haunted houses….. SOO SCARY BUT FUN!!!!

I hope you are as excited about the fall festival as I am. Looking forward to seeing you all there!!!

Bead for Life By: Cecilia Duncan , 4B Bead for Life is a non-profit organization that helps Africans living in poverty improve their lives.

People can help by hosting a bead party, buying jewelry or shea butter. I learned about Bead for Life through my godmother who gave me a pretty bracelet that was made by them.

Ugandan women turn colorful recycled paper into beautiful beads. Women in Northern Uganda who had to leave their homes because of war try to rebuild their lives by gathering shea nuts and pressing them into shea butter for soaps and cosmetics. The proceeds provide income for food, medicine, school fees and give the women hope and independence. You can go online and learn more about them and buy their products.

What Makes Food Organic By: Grace Coale What makes organic food different from non organic food is that organic food is grown differently and also has a different process.

Non organic farmers use insecticides to prevent pests and diseases. Insecticides are types of chemicals that kill pests and diseases. Organic farmers use insects and birds, or traps to reduce pests and diseases.

Non organic farmers use different kinds of chemicals to manage weeds. Organic farmers use environmentally made weed killers.

Non organic farmers use a whole bunch of different chemicals for fertilizer. Organic farmers use cow manure for fertilizer.

Organic foods are better for the environment and for us because they are not processed; they are natural.

Sometimes Mother Nature knows best.

Fun Facts About Our School Garden By: Lily Santangelo

Fresh Foods By: Gabby Finn

Our school garden is organic which means we don’t use chemicals or fertilizer. The tomatoes are the hardest to harvest because they are ready in August, and no one is here to pick them. This year we grew about 30 eggplants. Lettuce and herbs are the easiest to grow. The weeds are hard to keep up with. I love our school garden. What about you?

We enjoy foods that are fresh. It is nice to know that some food is organic. if you look at Our csh farm, some foods are growing like mint and red cabbage.

The Fun Fresh Recipe

By Ellie Hartman

This recipe is yummy, healthy, and fun to make. It’s quick and easy. What will you need?

One fresh frozen strawberry, raspberry and really any frozen fruit! Also, you will need fresh local honey! Fun Fact: Fresh local honey helps with allergies and sneezing and coughing. But it has to be local honey because the bees have to be local to help with the allergies. I suggest that you buy your local honey at Augustine’s Farm at 1332 King St, Greenwich, CT 06831! Which is right by our school, CSH! Ok, so this is how you make your frozen fruit with honey! First combine all the yummy frozen fruit; my family uses wild harvest organic which I think is great but you don’t have to use this brand. If you want to, you can make frozen fruit yourself by freezing the fruit; strawberries, raspberries or peaches work best but you can use any frozen fruit! So after you’ve combined your frozen fruit in a bowl, take about 2 to 3 spoonsful of honey—-dump that into your bowl (and you can always add more if wanted); mix your frozen fruit and honey. Then, get a spoon and dig in! I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Stew Leonards

Fresh Farm By: Isabelle Pipher

By: Mary Clare Marshall

I went to a working farm in the Catskills, HullO Farms. It was so exciting to see all of the fascinating animals and their babies! There were so many animals with so much to give!

The cows provide milk to feed all the other animals and chickens give eggs to feed the people! It was such a cool experience to feed every animal. My favorites were the goats!

When farmer Frank called the goats, they ran so quickly it looked like a stampede! There were calves or baby cows that I fed from a large baby bottle. I milked the cows and gathered eggs.

Farmer Frank grows corn to feed the animals.

I fed the bunnies fresh lettuce from the garden. There were 20 cats in the barn and five kittens. I ran through the corn maze and picked two pumpkins from the pumpkin patch.

Then I caught two fish in the pond. A working farm is a great experience. It was all very fresh, organic, and so much fun.

Stew Leonards is a grocery store in Norwalk that opened in 1969. At first Stew Leonards only sold fresh dairy products from the Clover Farms Dairy. Now Stew Leonards sells dairy, fish, meat, produce, bakery, cheese, and wine. Instead of selling lots and lots of items, Stew Leonards focuses on selling fresh, locally grown food. Stew Leonards tries to use food from close places. Not only does that keep the food fresh it also saves gas for shipping.

Using locally grown products, Stew Leonards makes most of their baked goods in front of you. This saves on gas, too. Stew Leonards is a lot of fun to shop at and if you do go please try their ice cream or the frozen yogurt.

2012 DROUGHT By: Maia van Biesen

In a Times for Kids magazine, I read about the 2012 drought. A drought is when there is low rainfall and a lot of sun. Experts say that 2012 may turn out to be the hottest year on record. 57.2% of the U.S. was in drought. People are comparing the current drought to the country’s largest in 1934. A lot of farms have corn only good for grinding. Some of the farms even had to go out of business. The prices on corn and soybeans have gone up because of the 2012 drought. We all hope that everyone who was affected by the 2012 drought will live happy lives again!

MY BROTHER gEORGE By: Molly Braun

My brother George is a wonderful farmer. He has his own garden in our backyard. He grows different plants and vegetables, Such as eggplant, hot peppers, tomatoes, soy beans, and many others. My brother has an egg and nut allergy. It is great for him to be a gardener so he can grow healthy foods that he can eat. If you have food allergies, I recommend starting your own garden. it’s fun and healthy, so try it!

My Animal Advice By: Sumner Hill It sounds fun to have lots of animals. What you may not realize is there is also a lot of work when you have animals and pets. I should know because I have experience.

On my ranch in Texas, I have horses, dogs, llamas, alpacas, cats, cows, chickens, zebras, goats, sheep and peacocks along with many more animals.

I’m in charge of taking care of the chickens. First thing in the morning the rooster wakes me up by crowing. That means all the chickens are waking up and they are hungry. If I don’t feed them, they will find food like my mom’s flowers and vegetables. So, I go and feed them. When I go down to the barn I have to run past my dogs because they try to attack me. Not bite me, but lick me to death. I don’t have time to play. I rush around the dogs to get the bucket in the chicken coop. Then I go scoop hen scratch from the big trash can and spread it outside. I have to spread it or else the cows will find a way to eat it. I also have to check the water to make sure they have plenty to drink. Because it is so hot in Texas, the water can evaporate and if I don’t refill it the chickens might die. And we definitely don’t want that happening! One reason is because I sell their eggs at a Farmer’s Market and make money. It’s hard to make money!

Later in the day, I collect many chicken eggs from the nesting boxes. I bring them up to the house (trying not to be attacked by the dogs) and wash the eggs. I use water, a little soap and a soft sponge. It take a long time to wash them because I have to be careful since they can crack easily. The eggs are beautiful and look like Easter eggs. Really! The eggs are green, blue, peach, pink, and cream. Other eggs from different chickens are chocolate brown. Wow, this is making me hungry! Why? Because eggs taste great! I promise.

So, while I love holding little chickies, I know they’ll grow up so I spend as much time with them as I can. I have names for them like Charlie Brown, Espacio, Dorothy Dot, Geraldine, and Chipmunk. Espacio looks like a big fur ball. Seriously. He’s a type of chicken called Silkie and he’s my favorite. Chickens are fun but they’re also a lot of work. My advice for anyone is that you need to have everything ready before you get animals. Plan on spending a lot of time taking care of them, and enjoy them as much as you can.

Venus Fly Trap By: Mairead O’Connor One of the many things we need in our world is a Venus Fly Trap and I will tell you why. A few weeks ago I got a Venus Fly Trap which is a carnivorous plant that eats bugs. You may be thinking how does it eat the bugs? Well, when a bug comes into its lobe (mouth) and lands in the Venus Fly Trap, the plant closes and squirts acid onto the bug and kills the bug. Venus fly Traps eat 33% of ants, 30% of spiders, 10% of beetles, and 10% of grasshoppers. So the reason why we need Venus Fly Traps is because they eat a lot of bugs and without them there would be a bigger population of bugs and that would not be good. And that is why we need Venus Fly Traps.

CROPS By: Alexia Barr

My uncle says that growing your own crops is so much fun. He said it’s a lot of responsibility. Watering the plants is a lot of work, too, he said. You never want to drown a plant but you never want it to get too dry. Sometimes when it’s hot out, we get sprayed by the hose.

In the spring time, we get all the fruits and vegetables and make a giant salad.

It always tastes great.

Interview w/ Caitlyn Dahnke By: Grace Coale

A fourth grader named Caitlin Dahnke wrote a letter last year to President Obama about lowering the prices on healthy food and raising the prices on junk food. I asked Caitlin why she felt that healthy food prices were too high and that junk food prices were too low. Her goal was to persuade the President to lower and raise the prices. I asked Caitlin if she got a response. She told me that she did, about a month later. I asked her what the response said. Caitlyn said President Obama likes getting letters from kids who want to change the world.

I asked if she wanted to get a more informational letter about her topic. She said that she would have liked to get a letter more about healthy foods and their prices.

I asked Caitlyn if she would write another letter to a different president. Caitlyn answered, “I will write another letter to Mitt Romney, if he wins the election.�