Still here!

Hi First Graders,

I told you that this time I would show you some animals that live here in Washington State. The first one surprised me a  lot. It is not an unusual animal at all, but it did something very unusual. This deer came right into the yard, and was not at all afraid of people.

We were so close that Mr. North could almost reach out and touch it. He didn't. Instead he took a picture of me. The deer in SC are white tailed deer. They're very shy, and hide or run away from people. These are called mule deer. They get used to being around people. You can see deer wandering around the town every day.

Another animal that I saw a lot in town is one that you will recognize.

There is lots of water, so there are lots of seagulls. These little guys were floating by the docks.

We wanted to see another animal that doesn't just hang around the town, so we had to make a special trip in a boat to see it. We went whale watching!



I'm ready to go!

This is the boat that took us out to sea.

The gray whales spend the winter down in the warm water near Mexico. They come up to the colder water near Alaska for the summer. They pass right by Washington State, so that makes this a good place to see them. 

The boat ride was bumpy because the Pacific Ocean waves were big. We were out for a few hours We saw lots of tails, and lots of water spouts, and sometimes a whole whale. They jump out and fall back in so fast that it is hard to take a picture.

Look! Here's one!



Whale watching was fun. On the way back we saw a buoy. That is a floating structure that shows the boats which way to go. That blob on the bottom is a sleeping sea lion. The buoy bobbing in the water probably rocked him to sleep. The birds on top are cormorants. They dive to catch fish. Looks like these are taking a break.

 

 

One other trip that we took was to the beach. It doesn't look at all like our Carolina beaches! The sea is much wilder. The water is full of rocks. The waves are bigger. The beach is covered with stones, not soft sand. There are piles and piles of driftwood. You don't see any swimmers on this beach!

 





On Friday, when you are having Field Day, I will be coming home. I have done a lot of traveling this year, and I liked sharing it with you. It is nice to know that our world is filled with wonderful places to discover. I hope that you will grow up with a love of adventure.

I'll see you at school.

 

Your Friend,

Flat Stanley

 



Hello from the Evergreen State

Hi First Graders,
The first thing that I noticed is that Washington State is very different from Washington, DC. Washington, DC is a city, and this is a big state. It is so much greener here.  There are so many plants. That's what I want to show you today.

It is so green because it rains A LOT. It is even called the Evergreen State. Evergreen trees are those that don't lose their leaves in the winter. Evergreens are everywhere. This big one is in the nearby park.

 

South Carolina has some evergreen trees, too - like the tall pine trees on your playground. 

 

Some other plants that I see a lot here are ferns. In SC, people grow them indoors in flower pots. Here they grow wild outdoors. They like cool weather and here summer never gets very hot.

 

I am standing in a fern plant.



 

These are the tallest kind of trees in the world. Do you know their name?

 

They are called redwood trees. California is famous for having lots of redwood trees, but they grow all up and down the coast of the Pacific Ocean - in Washington, and Oregon, too.

 

Here I am sitting in a berry bush. What kind is it? Blueberry? No. Strawberry? No. Cranberry? No.

 

It is a kind that you might not have heard of before. It is called loganberry. They look a little bit like blackberries. Right now, the flowers are blooming on the bush. In each place that you see a flower, a loganberry will grow later in the summer.

 

Here is are two plants with funny names. The first one is called an Elephant Ear, because the leaves get that big! The second one is a flower called foxglove. Do you think that a fox could fit its paw into one and wear it like a mitten?

 

 

 

Here is one last picture for today. Do you know what I am sitting on? It is a totem pole. There are many Native American Indian tribes in the USA. Those that live in the Northwest part of the country (Washington State and Alaska) carve wooden poles with animals on them. The animals are symbols of good traits. This pole has a beaver to symbolize hard work, and an eagle for strength and courage.

 

That's all for now. Next time I will show you some animals that I have seen, and some other things, too.







Your friend,
Flat Stanley

Hola from Costa Rica

Hi Ticos and Ticas,,

I am staying in Costa Rica for one week. It is a small country in Central America. Everyone here speaks Spanish. I know that you are learning a little Spanish at school, and that you know that I said, "Hello" to you at the start of this post.

Can you guess what ticos and ticas are? Those are words for boys and girls that are used only in Costa Rica.  Other countries that speak Spanish (like Spain and Mexico) use different words.

As usual, I spend time in the hotel while Dr. Kristie works. Here is my favorite spot in our hotel room - the hammock on the screened porch. Have you ever been in a hammock? It is fun because it swings back and forth, but you have to be careful. If you swing too much, it flips, and you fall on the floor!

 

 

On Saturday I had an outing. The first place we went was a restaurant. Here is what breakfast in Costa Rica looks like:

 

Starting at the top, the foods are a square of banana bread, black beans mixed with rice (called "Gallo pinto" or speckled rooster), sweet fried bananas, fresh pineapple and papaya, and a chicken empanada (which is a little turnover filled with meat). Have you eaten any of these foods?

When we paid, we used Costa Rican money, called colons. The bills are a lot more colorful than our money. Here is what they look like:

 



On the front they have pictures of famous                  On the back, they have pictures of animals 
people of their country from long ago.                        that live there.  Can you recognize any of
                                                                                     them?

After breakfast, we went to the beach. In South Carolina we swim at Myrtle Beach in the summer. The water is too cold in other seasons. Here it is hot here all year round, so you can always go swimming.

 



After a swim, we went for a hike at the beach. Look what we saw on the rocks! It is a lizard called a spiny tailed iguana. I'm not in that picture. I didn't want to get too close!

Another name for this animal is the ctenosaur. I think it's kind of cool that his name ends like "dinosaur". I suppose that they are in the same family.

We stayed out until the sun was going down. Sunsets look beautiful all over the world. This was the end of a nice adventure. I will come home on Wednesday, so this will be the only time I write to you from Costa Rica.

See you later! Hasta Luego!
Your Friend,
Flat Stanley
 

More from Utah

Hi First Graders,

Let me show you some more things that happened on my Utah trip.





Another day, another hike! We are ready to go.             

Trey and Tyler have hats for sun protection.
It is important to keep from getting too much sun
on your skin when you are outside for a long time.

We are going to hike on the Narrows Trail along the Virgin River.

The water is very cold...no swimming today!
There are lots of rapids in the Virgin River.
We had fun throwing in sticks and watching them float away before hiking to the slot canyon, Zion Narrows.

A canyon is a deep valley with steep sides.
This one is called a slot canyon because it is very narrow like
a slot for a coin in a vending machine.
There is a shallow river in the bottom.
You can hike inside it for miles, but it is so narrow that you have to hike in the river.
We didn't do that - BR-RR ! Too cold!
I'd like to come back when the water is warmer, so we could try it.

 

The trails have signs along them to teach you  about what you are seeing. Stopping to read the signs gave us a little time to rest along the way.

Another way that we learned about the park was from the Rangers. Ranger Zach talked to us about geology. We learned a lot about sandstone. We also learned about the animals that live in the park. It is home to grey foxes, mountain lions, elk, bighorn sheep, snakes, lizards, toads, tarantulas, and many, many more.

 

We finished all the activities in our Junior Ranger book. We are taking the pledge that we will take care of our planet, Earth. I will bring a Junior Ranger book back for you to see.
   If you haven't been to a national park, you should go. When you do, sign up for the Junior Ranger Program. It is so much fun!

 

Another great thing I did in Utah was to visit Trey and Tyler's school. I went to kindergarten for a day. The children were very friendly. After story time, the teacher took a class picture with the book that the children had heard. It is How the Chipmunk Got Its Stripes. Have you ever heard that story?

 

My trip is at an end. I will be back in Rock Hill soon. I know that your Spring Break is about to start. I hope that you all enjoy it and have a lot of fun. I will be at school when you get back.

 

 

Your Friend,

Flat Stanley



 

 

Howdy from Utah!

Hi First Graders,

I am having lots of fun out West! Dr. Kevin's mom, Mrs. Clarke, took me along on her vacation to Utah. Utah is in the southwest corner of the United states near Arizona and Nevada. It is the 13th largest state. Zion is Utah's oldest and most popular national park. 

We went on a camping trip to Zion National Park. I made 2 new friends, Trey and Tyler. We had to check in at the Visitor Center to get our Junior Ranger books so we could do the activities to earn our Junior Ranger badges. This is the National Park symbol. Can you tell what symbols mean plants, wildlife, and scenery?

 

It is pretty dry out here. That makes a good habitat for a cactus. I saw some of them, and took a picture with this one. I had to be VERY careful about not getting too close.

 

Zion is for hikers. Some trails have signs. I'm looking for frogs on the Emerald Pool Trail.
These are the colors of Zion...green canyons, red rocks and blue skies. I'm hiking high up!

 

 

On the hike back down the Emerald Pool trail I found a yucca plant. Now I have 2 plants to check off in my ranger book.....a yucca plant and cactus.

                                                 

I also spotted some pretty wildflowers along the trail. I remembered not to pick anything, just look.

 

 

When we got all the way down the trail, look at what we saw - horses. Would you like to go on a trail ride? I would!

 

I've done a lot of hiking. It's time to take a break and have a snack. My backpack will be lighter now.

 

 

This has been a great day at the park. I am so tired and happy. I can hardly wait until we have more adventures tomorrow.

 

 

That's all for now.

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

New York Again!

 

Hi First Graders,

I didn't get out at all during the week, but on Saturday I went to two famous places here in NYC. First we took a boat ride to see the Statue of Liberty.  It's on Liberty Island out in the harbor. It is important to go very early in the morning, because it is so popular that it gets more and more crowded as the day goes on. The lines get very long! We took the first boat, and so when we got there, we could go right up in the statue without a long wait. It was kind of dark inside, and full of metal steps to climb. When we got to the top (in the head) we looked out. You can see a long, long way.

I know that you have seen many pictures of the Statue of Liberty, but this is what it looks like up close. The Statue stands on a building. We were on top of that, right beside the statue, looking up. It gives a different view!

Later we went to Central Park. It is the
biggest one. There are playgrounds, fields,
gardens, fountains, and all of the things that
you always see in a park.

It also has a zoo, and a merry-go-round!
We looked at lots of animals.

The polar bear was napping in the sun.

The seals were swimming, even though to me it seemed WAY too cold to be in the water.

 

After that, it was time for a carousel ride. The merry-go-round is my favorite, because it is fun and never scary. I like the happy music. We went around and around until I was dizzy!

 

 

On the way back to the apartment, we passed the New York Public Library. There  are two huge lion statues outside on the steps. 

 

 

Their names are Patience and Fortitude. Do you know what those big words mean?

Patience means waiting politely, and Fortitude means bravery or courage. 

I'm not sure which one this is because the names are not on the statues. 

 

 

 

Another place we passed is the Empire State Building. It is one of the tallest skyscrapers in the city (and in the world!) It is 103 stories tall. Here is how it looks when you look up at it from the sidewalk.

 

 

 

This is my last picture. We took it at night, when we were out walking. It was the longest limo I have ever seen! (and the pinkest!) 

 

Tomorrow we will leave to go home. I'll be back at school soon to stay for awhile. I can't wait to come back to Richmond Drive!

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 

New York, New York!

Hi First Graders,

This has been a very different trip so far. It is the first time that I ever traveled on a train. Brook and I rode the Amtrak train. We got on in Charlotte on Saturday morning, and got off in NYC at night. It is fun because I got to see all of the things along the way. In a plane you mostly get to see clouds, but on a train I could see the woods, the towns, some cities, people's backyards, kids playing, and everything else that we went past. I found out that lots of boys and girls wave at the train when it goes by. I thought that was very nice!

In a car or an airplane you have to stay in your seat, but on a train you can walk around. There is even a car that is like a little restaurant. You sit at little tables and can order food. It is called the dining car. We had lunch as we were rolling along.

 

When we got to New York, there was another train ride. We took the subway to our friend's apartment. It was pretty dark, both because it was nighttime, and because we were underground. The subway rides through tunnels under the streets. It is faster than driving in a car because there are no red lights and no traffic jams. The subway goes very fast, and makes a clickety-clack noise on the tracks.



 

On Sunday the weather was nice. We walked around and went a lot of places. You can see some pretty unusual things in the streets of New York! Can you read this sign? I think they REALLY mean no parking!

 

Cities seem to have a lot of statues. This is a statue of a famous man named Atlas. He was very strong.  In a story he had the job of holding up the whole world. Do you think his story is fact or fiction?

 

 

Just down the street, we saw another statue.  It looks so rich - it is covered with real gold! This one is another character from fiction. His name is Prometheus. In a story, he stole fire from the sun, brought it to the earth and gave it to people to help them. Do you think fire helps us? How can it help?

 

 

Look at this big bridge! It is called the Brooklyn Bridge. It crosses the East River to connect two parts of the city.The cool thing is that you can walk across it. There is a sidewalk for walkers and bike riders, safe from all the car traffic. We went over and back. It was very windy up there high above the water. It is a good thing that Brook held on to me tightly, or I could have blown away!

 

 

After that long walk, it was getting late. We went to meet friends at a restaurant for dinner. This part of the city is Times Square. Its full of restaurants and theaters. There are always  lots of visitors here. People come to see plays, movies, and to eat fine food. Look at the buildings. They are covered with pictures from top to bottom. The pictures show so many things to buy, and things to see.

 

                                               

 

When we came out of the restaurant, it was dark. We went to this famous concert hall to hear music.

It is called Lincoln Center. I think you know who it was named for!

 

 

That was the end of my fun time on Sunday as a tourist in New York. I will show you more things after I have had some more adventures.

 

Be good and have fun!

Your friend,

Flat Stanley