Setting Up Toy Army Men Battlefields

     Setting up a battlefield for toy army men is effortless and fun!  All it takes is imagination, and the ingredients.  First you find a place to build your exciting battlefield, indoors or outdoors. You should do it on a hard flat floor so your men stand up. If you don't have flat floor you can set books out on the floor.  It is okay if the books are different sizes or thicknesses because it will make your battlefield more realistic, and it will make the ground lumpy and bumpy like hills.  To make your battle a little more fun, you can spread the books apart to make trenches between them.  Plastic boxes, and laundry baskets make good buildings for your battlefield.  With a little bit of imagination and smart thinking I bet that you could come up with some awesome ideas too!

Why We Should Have a Playground In Our Neighborhood

James Vaughn

 97707 55613 Swan road

Dear OWW2 POA,

     I think that our neighborhood needs a playground.  There are many ways that a playground would benefit our community.  I know that a park would have some expenses connected to it, however there may be ways to reduce expenses through neighborhood involvement.  Most parents in this neighborhood  don't like to take their children to other parks because they are too far away.  If the park got messy the community could lend a hand and help clean it up.

     Most adults in this community dislike driving their kids to other parks because they're too far away.  If we had a park nearby then our parents might trust us kids to ride our bikes to the park.  If it was built at the Marina during the remodel then it would be nearby almost everyone in this neighborhood.  If it was build there then people would be able to swim in the river and play on the playground.  The playground would be an attraction that people of all ages could enjoy. It would help increase the population and help build friendships in our community.
 The park would help build friendships.  The friendships would help teach the people in our neighborhood to: keep others safe, not argue, create growth, and increase community involvement.  If the people in our neighborhood were always bickering and not caring for others no one would want to live here.  The more friendly people there are here the more people will want to live in Oregon Water Wonderland 2.  There are some things that would need to be payed, but at the same time there are thing that we would not have to pay for.

      This extraordinary attraction would have expenses that we would have to bear.  However, some of the expenses that we would not pay for are lawn mowing expenses and cleaning up after the park.  If we just put rubber padding or bark chips on the ground then we would not have to mow lawn and that would save us money and energy.  Another cost that we would not need to pay is cleaning up after the park visitors.  If the park got messy I could organize a group of people from the community and help them clean up the park. I would be responsible for posting flyers organizing park clean up days. My friends in the community would be happy to assist me with this effort.
      A playground would be a big improvement for our community.  The park would be close to most everyone in the neighborhood, help make OWW2 a caring and strong neighborhood, and have a few expenses that wouldn't require payment for.  If there was a park it would help bring people together and help them to get to know one another better.  Thank you for reading my letter, and I hope that you will decide that this neighborhood needs a playground. Thank you for all that you have done for our community.

A reliable and thankful friend,
James

Nero's Martyrs

     Nero killed many people in his life.   He killed many Christians including Peter, and Paul.  Nero had a lot of ways to kill people.  Nero even had his own symbol!
     There are several ways that Nero had people martyred.  One of the ways that Nero had Christians killed was that he would put them on a stake in his garden and burn them to help give light to his palace at night.  He killed some people the way most other kings did sometimes he beheaded them,  poisoned them, and crucified them.  Nero even had people torn to pieces by big hungry animals!  There are a lot of people that Nero killed and one of them was Peter the apostle.
     Peter was crucified under the order of Nero.  He chose to be crucified upside down because he didn't think he was worthy enough to die the same way Jesus did.  The governor offered peter his life if he just denied God, but Peter stayed faithful to God.  In 1 John 2:22 it says "Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son".  Peter knew the reward waiting for him in Heaven.  Nero didn't only kill Peter but Paul too.
     Paul was beheaded under the order of emperor Nero.   Before Paul was executed he was arrested for two years for stirring up a crowd of Jews.  He was sailed to Rome where he was put in jail for another two years.  After two years of custody he was executed.  He too stayed faithful in God and was not afraid to die for God.
     What we all know as the peace sign today is Nero's symbol for peace without Christians.  It has a broken upside down cross in the middle of a circle.  The upside down cross represents no Christians and the circle means world peace.
     Nero was an awful man.  He ordered the execution of all the Christians and he had regular innocent people martyred.  This man was a very bad example and I hope not to turn out like him ever.

Why I Should Have a Birthday Party Before 13

Dear Mommy,

     I know that birthday parties can be crazy, expensive and drain a lot of my parents' energy. I also know that you want me to postpone having parties with several friends until I'm older.However, there are many reasons a birthday party before 13 years old could be appropriate for me. 
     One of the reasons I want a birthday party before thirteen is because I don't want to have to say to one friend, "Hey you get to come to my birthday!" and to the other, "I am sorry; you don't get to come".  It makes me sad to have to tell them that.    The only two friends I can think of that I would want two invite would be: Ethan Ossana and John Taylor.  I really like the idea of playing with two friends on my birthday and letting them meet each other.  These two boys are both very respectful. That  would make it easy to  keep my friends busy.
     Keeping my friends entertained wouldn't be a problem.  My friends and I would play outside the whole time.  We may come inside to get Legos or something, but we would probably take them outside to play with.  We would play safe games like: capture the flag, Nerf war, and water balloon fight.  We wouldn't play any games that were not appropriate.  The house would be peaceful if I had a birthday party.  There would be no kids bouncing off the walls. If we ate a whole bunch of sugar we could eat it at the end of the party and then send everyone home to their families.  If I was wound up to you could just send me to bed (after everyone was gone).  I might also offer to entertain my sisters half the time of the birthday party. None of our entertainment would come at a  high price.
      The party would not be very expensive.  We would play outside the entire time.  I would be willing to work within your budget.  It could end up being a little cheaper than a regular birthday activity.   It wouldn't only be cheep for you but it would be cheap for other people too!  The invitations would say not to bring a present because having fun at the party would be enough of a present for me. I would also clean up after the party, saving your time and effort. Another way I could take responsibility for the work of the party is to make my own invitations.
     I could make the invitations by myself and you wouldn't have to worry about it. The invitations would say no presents, would give strict hours for the length of the party, and would request that they bring quiet entertainment to help keep us busy.
     There are many reasons why I should have a birthday party.  I would entertain my friends the entire time,  keep the party inexpensive, keep the house peaceful, and make the invitations myself.  I hope that you agree that I should have a birthday party before thirteen.  Thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

Your loving son,
James

Cockroaches

     Cockroaches are interesting bugs.  They live in various places. Some people think cockroaches look scary, however other people think they look amazing.  Cockroaches love food!  Like many creatures cockroaches lay eggs.  Some of them are kept as pets! Usually people think of these bugs as pests. Can you guess how many types of cockroaches are really pests?  

      Cockroaches live in areas where it is heated, dark, and moist.  A lot of them live in walls because inside the walls it is very warm and dark.  Places that have food already available is where they'll want to be. We don't see cockroaches often because they hide in these dark, enclosed spaces. However, some people think they are handsome insects.

American cockroach

     Cockroaches look really neat!  They possess two tiny compound eyes and six legs. Compound eyes are eyes that have numerous  mirror-like lenses that help the insect see in every direction.  Cockroaches are several colors.  In tropical places cockroaches can be red, yellow, and green.  Being bright colors helps them blend in with their environment.  Black and brown are the color of the cockroaches in other areas.  Like turtles cockroaches have a hard shell on their back to help protect them from predators.  The hard shell helps make them hard to kill.  Normally, cockroaches are about 15 millimeters (almost a half an inch) long.  They can grow up to be about an inch long.  Some roaches have wings.  They don't only look neat they eat heaps of food.
     Cockroaches eat a ton! But, they can survive without eating for at least a month.  That is probably why they eat a lot.   Cockroaches like to eat almost everything: cheese, sweets, meat, grease, starch, you name it.  They will eat household items like wood, leather, and book bindings.  Plants and vegetables are another thing they like to eat.  Cockroaches love to eat dead things. Eating is not the only thing they do; like every other creature they reproduce.

nymphs= smallest bugs with stripes on their backs

     Like every other animal on earth cockroaches must reproduce themselves.  Their offspring are called nymphs (nimfs).  Nymphs are born in egg-cases the size of a bean you'd find in chilly.  The egg-cases hold 16 to 50 nymphs.  The nymphs grow up to be adults and lay eggs of their own.  At this rate areas where they live could quickly become infested.

Oriental cockroach

Asian cockroach

    Only Four kinds of cockroaches are pests: the American cockroach, German cockroach, Asian cockroach, and the oriental cockroach are the four  household pests. They'll eat your food and destroy your walls and belongings that are made from natural materials.  They will leave a smelly odor everywhere they go.  Worst of all cockroaches can give you allergies, diseases, and asthma.  Some of the germs that they carry can kill you especially if you are unhealthy already.

American cockroach

     There are 4,000 species of cockroaches!  It's amazing that only 4 kinds of cockroaches are pests.    Most cockroaches live away from people and don't bother us. A small number of Madagascan hissing cockroaches are even pets!  People keep them as pets because the roach will eat leftover food, dead animals, and dead plants.  Most cockroaches live in places where they never encounter people.

German cockroach

      Don't you just love cockroaches?  Encountering these bugs is a little rare because they like to hide.  If you see one take a moment and look at how neat-looking they are.  Once you are done you should keep it as a pet because unlike some other pets it will eat almost anything.  Only keep it if it isn't a pest.  After the cockroach reproduces you can let it go out in the wild again.

Great Wall of China

     The Great Wall of China is an amazing structure!  It is an important part of Chinese history.  It was made of many strong building materials, and is of enormous size.  Many things were lost during and after the construction of the wall. These included people and parts of the wall.

     The Great Wall of China was built to keep intruders out of China.  It was constructed during the Ming dynasty and the reign of emperor Qin Shi Huang (co-chang-she-wan).  The Chinese discontinued building the wall, and intruders soon found out they could go around it into China.  The Chinese saw that the wall was impossible to finish because China is a big country, so they abandoned it.
     In around the 7th century, BC the Great wall was being constructed.  It was made out of stone, brick, dirt, tamped earth, and wood.  Did you know that the Great Wall of China is 5,500 miles long?  It is 15 to 30 feet wide at the base and 16 to 26 feet tall!  It took 276 years to manufacture.  Soldiers, prisoners, slaves, farmers and other civilians helped build the wall.  The Chinese built watch towers on the top, and made a path wide enough for troops or wagons to travel on top. However, all this construction came at terrible price.
     Lots of people were lost before and after they abandoned The Great Wall of China.  Chinese workers were drafted against their will to work on the wall.  It is said that at least one person died for every foot that was built.  At least 3,000,000 people died.  Some of the great wall has disappeared because people have taken pieces from it to use on their own creations. The great age of the wall has caused disintegration because of weather. War also helped destroy the wall.
     The Chinese risked their lives and built the Great Wall of China to save their country and emperors.  Even though lots of people died and intruders still got around the wall and into the city the Chinese still stayed loyal to their country because of the great emperor Qin Shi Huang who had the vision to unify his country.

Friendly Letter to E.B White

James Vaughn
Swan Road Bend, OR 

3/19/2012

Dear E.B White, 
     I love your book Charlotte's Web!  I learned LOTS of significant life lessons from it!  When Fern told her dad not to kill Wilbur I gained lots of important knowledge.  I was taught other lessons From the animals in the barn.  When Templeton, Charlotte, and Wilbur went to the fair I acquired meaningful information.
      I learned countless lessons from when Fern told her dad not to kill Wilbur.  everyone deserves a chance to live, and all life has value.  I was taught that I should treat others the  same way I want to be treated.  The lessons I learned will help me in hard times in life. That is not all the things I was taught; there is more educational advice I learned from the animals in the barn.
       The animals taught me that I need to stick up for my friends even if I die trying.  That life lesson ties in with a verse from John 15:12-13 "My command is this: love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this to lay down one's life for one's friends."  I need to be an example to others who are being disrespectful and selfish, yet again,  those aren't the only life lessons I have been taught from your Incredible book.  There are more I was reminded of from Wilbur going to the fair.
     Wilbur and Charlotte taught me that I should not give up and keep trying.  The second thing I was taught was that I shouldn't be like the bad people.   The third thing was that I not only need to have good friends but to BE a good friend.
     The life lessons I learned will help me in the future to be an awesome friend.  Now I know that I need to be there to help my friends with their needs, be kind, and never give up.  I hope to read more of your books SOON!

Thank you for writing Charlotte's Web!  What a book!
Your Reader
James Vaughn