Go to a safe place outdoors, sit somewhere, and close your eyes. Spend several minutes listening for all the sounds you can hear, and pay close attention to what you can smell in the air. When you open your eyes again, write some notes. Later, use those notes to write a poem or a personal narrative about your experience of the place through those two senses (smell and hearing).
nature
Outdoor School, by Diya Chakrabarti, 12
Diya Chakrabarti, 12 (Cupertino, CA) Where I live, it is usually pretty pleasant this time of the year. So, my school arranged an outdoor school to enjoy the weather and allow us to learn more about nature. Nature is so beautiful, and we need to look outside more often, and be more mesmerized by its endless beauty. Anyways, let me share a little about what I learned in my science class—let’s talk about fractals and FBI. A fractal is an infinite shape, you can search it up if you need a visual! I learned that fractal shapes can be found in nature, even in the minutest of places. The most common places to find fractals are in snail shells, snowflakes, and infrequently appearing clouds! Secondly, the FBI does not mean the Federal Bureau of Investigation, because that’s what I thought when I first heard that word. In this case, it means Fungus, Bacteria, and Vertebrates. The organisms can break down dead organisms and create new compounds, like soil. I had read a little about these before, but a refresher is always welcoming! The dead plants and bodies are like fertilizers, making the soil more fertile, which means plants will grow healthier. As I mentioned before, nature is mesmerizing and has endless opportunities to explore. By going outside, I discovered so much. Readers, why don’t you go exploring outdoors since you probably finished reading my write-up? Have a great summer peeps!!
Machu Picchu Viscachas
Priscilla Chow, 8 (Palmetto Bay, FL) Machu Picchu Viscachas Priscilla Chow, 8 My family and I traveled on a train from Cusco to Machu Picchu. Once we got there at noon, we spotted two Machu Picchu viscachas on a wall. I asked our tour guide why there were squirrels there and he said that they’re Machu Picchu viscachas. They looked like squirrels to me; they were just a little bigger. They both had short oval ears, fluffy grey pelts, and long curly tails. The Machu Picchu viscachas were climbing the wall. They didn’t seem scared at all; they were probably used to people around. Then I suddenly noticed another Machu Picchu viscachas playing in the field. As we kept walking, we went by an arch. I saw one more Machu Picchu viscachas inside the stone arch. I was so shocked that there were so many Machu Picchu viscachas in Machu Picchu. In fact, I thought they didn’t really exist. Before this trip, I had read a fairytale on Machu Picchu viscachas and I thought they were just fictional. After this trip, I did some research on Machu Picchu viscachas and found out that they usually come out at dusk. Then I realized how lucky we were on that day! I also learned Machu Picchu viscachas, which can be called Inca rabbits, live in Cusco and Machu Picchu. My new knowledge of Machu Picchu viscachas included the facts that they eat grass, seeds, and insects, they belong to the Chinchillidae family, and their relative, the chinchilla, is an endangered species.
