~ Geo Larsnick

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So how do you talk to someone of another faith anyway? First, it’s important to have an open attitude. To do so you need to have respect for the other person and their faith. You need to listen with your heart and understand why they might look at things the way they do. But most of all, you need to see their humanity and that there is nothing wrong with them for believing differently than you do.

But what if you disagree, then what? Just accept differences. How?  You need to focus on what you have in common and be happy. Accept that differences will arise, and try to learn from them.

Do these things and talking to people of different faiths won’t seem so scary. In fact, people of other faiths will love to talk with you!

Fractals
By Geo Larsnick

Have you ever looked at a math book and thought, “This is boring?” Have you ever looked at an art book and thought, “This is interesting!” Would it surprise you to know that art and mathematics are closely related? That’s right, art and math come together in fractals.

But, what is a fractal? Fractals are complex mathematical equations that take geometric shape. They are vibrant, encompassing every color of the spectrum visible to our eyes. Imagine a series of triangles that repeat endlessly, constantly decreasing. This is one of the properties of a fractal, known as self-similarity. The repetition of the pattern is directed by the mathematical equation. So every equation will produce a different fractal. They can be simple or complex but all are artful representations of math.

Yet, fractals aren’t just pieces of abstract art or only for the mathematicians. No, we can see fractals in our every day life. They are hiding right under our noses, we just don’t realize what we are seeing. Ferns are fractals. Trees are fractals. The fruit we eat contains fractals. Even human beings! Every thing on the planet is a fractal—it can all be expressed mathematically. Fractals are a portal to seeing the world differently; math becomes art and art becomes math, and both are hardly boring.

So what am I going to do? I could easily rebel but a “Smart boy” as my dad calls it would not. So I guess the only thing I can do is buckle down and get my essays written.

There were a couple steps Mom and I had to go through before we could start.

First Mom and I had to pick the fabric out. We used two colors. On was a fabric made from cotton and as thin as a shower curtain with a pattern that consists 98% of pink and red Daisies and 2% of yellow ones. The second one was made from the same material as the first one was. The pattern was little yellow ovals arranged in such a way that the front end of the ovals were facing a red dot. The completed pattern represented flowers and used circular symmetry.

Next, Mom threaded the sewing machine. Threading the machine is really complicated to explain. When she was done, we had to use pins to hold the peices of fabric to each other. Then I sewed them together. When the pins were too close to the needle I would take them out.

We repeated the pattern 3 times and then made a tube for some elastic to run though. To do that Mom folded the edge of the the fabric to create the tube and ironed it down so it would stay. Then I sewed the tube together. I sewed the last thing, the hem, and presto I was done!!! Can you guess what I made? That’s right, a doggie-bag dispenser.

The most important thing was that I had a good time with my mom and that is also why my first sewing lesson was so great.

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The arrival of snow has been making kids happy for a long time. Why? It usually means a SNOW DAY! There are lots of things kids can do in the snow. Like sledding, snow ball fights, building snowmen, and making snow angels.

This week, snow made a lot of fun for me. I built two snowmen on the first day. The second day of snow I made one snowman almost as tall as me! On the third day of snow, two wacky teenagers destroyed my first two snowmen. I was really sad until I realized I could use the remnants of my creations for new snowmen. So, this time I made 4 more snowmen up on the yard out of the reach of wacky teenagers! By time I was done, I had made a whole family of snowmen including a baby!

Playing in snow can be so much fun you don’t even think about where it comes from. When snow falls it starts as rain. As is falls it freezes into ice crystals . The ice crystals clump together forming snow. This makes snow one of the four kinds of precipitation. Even the science of snow is fun!

Another thing to be thankful for are my pets. Our cat, Snickers, is extremely hilarious. She brings me lots of joy. Our dog, Sophie, is the sit-in-your-lap type of dog which is good for companionship.
Another thing that I am thankful for are my toys. My parents gave me the R.C.X. last year for my birthday and I’m still playing with it.  I also enjoy my Play Station 2 (PS2) and my chill zone where I hang out.
Mostly, I’m thankful for life itself and its many great wonders.