Clams

We brought a Chinese food lunch to the beach.

Dancing in the sprinklers

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The tide was way out

My mom was there too with a giant hat AND sun umbrella!

Collecting Clams.

Making a tide pool

My uncle

A "beach-made" necklace.

Yesterday, I went to the beach. When I was jumping in the waves, I felt something like tiny rocks under my feet. I picked up what felt like tiny rocks with my toes, but when my foot emerged from the water, instead of small rocks I saw very, very small clams.  They were too small to eat but they they were just interesting to look at because there were so many of them. 

Pop Rocks

I love science and candy. And, I think Pop Rocks are one of the greatest candies of all time!

Start by dumping a few of the tiny pebbles onto your tongue and, in a instant, they begin FIZZING, POPPING and SNAPPING about in your mouth.

What's going on here?

The secret behind the famous "popping" of Pop Rocks candy is pressurized carbon dioxide gas.

Each of the tiny little candy pebbles contains a small amount of the gas. These tiny carbon dioxide bubbles make the popping sound you hear when they burst free from their candy shells.

The popping is the sound of the carbon dioxide gas being released.

How Are Pop Rocks Made?

Have you ever made candy?  Pop Rocks start like any other hard candy. Start by combining sugar and water, flavoring and bring it to a boil.  With Pop Rocks, the hot sugar mixture is mixed with carbon dioxide gas under high pressure.

Tiny high pressure bubbles of carbon dioxide gas form in the candy.

When the hot candy mixture cools and the pressure of the gas is released, the hard candy shatters into tiny pieces of carbonated candy.

When the candy melts in your mouth, the bubbles of gas are released with a loud pop.

If you want to take this a step further, you and use carbon dioxide to inflate a balloon.  Carbon dioxide is also the gas that is in soda. It makes soda fizz.  Quickly open a bottle of soda and put a balloon on the mouth of the bottle and watch it inflate.

Huntington Gardens

Enter the Children's Garden through the little blue door.

I

I have a magnetic personality.

Looking at carnivorous plants

I think these flowers are Black-Eyed Susans.

In the Chinese gardens. 

Waiting for Chinese food.

Inside a waterfall 

Carmen Sandiego  was here

listening to NASA's satellites. 

About a week ago, I went to Huntington Gardens with my uncle Shane and his girlfriend Leah. We split up because we only had 2 hours and they were interested in seeing different things. Mom, Dalia and I set out to find the Children's Garden and Uncle Shane and Leah headed to the dessert.

The Children's Garden was really cool.There was a place full of  mist and a giant magnet that had iron filings in a bowl so that you could sprinkle them on top of the magnet, which made them stand up straight.

In the Cloud Forest we discovered carnivorous plants -  plants that drink blood. Yuck!

We then headed to the Chinese garden, which did not really look like a garden, but more like a mini version of China, with buildings, a waterfall, a giant pond and cliffs to climb.

I really enjoyed my visit to Huntington Gardens and I can't wait to go back. This time, I plan to see the dessert and more of the art.

A Wounded Hero

I recently read a story about Beowulf and summarized it.

Once upon a time, a dragon lived in cave greedily guarding treasure. One day, a runaway slave came to the cave and stole a golden goblet. The angry monster, with fire spewing from his nostrils, ran after the slave. The angry monster searched  through the towns terrorizing the people. King Beowulf, who had to stop the dragon, called him to fight. The monster's steps shook the ground as he walked toward Beowulf. Beowulf and the monster fought fiercely. Beowulf brandished his sword, but then the monster grabbed it and  broke it, then the monster seized Beowulf by the neck. A youngster climbed up the monster's back, and  stabbed the monster's neck until the monster let go of Beowulf's neck. Together they stabbed the dragon until he died. The town was safe, but Beowulf
was wounded badly.