Carnival de Ponce!

Ahoy, mateys! We meet again! Can you guess where we arrrre? We're in Puerto Rico! This is a wonderful little island off the coast of Florida, and we've been celebrating something big! It's called the Carnival! People in Ponce, Puerto Rico celebrate Carnival during the month of February. There are lots of parades, masks, and costumes to be seen during this special celebration in the season of Lent, the six weeks before Easter. I was really sad that you couldn't make it sooner, so I've dug down deep into Captain Moonbeard's treasure chest to find you something extra special! You're going to make your very own Carnival mask! Isn't that awesome? But, in order to make your mask, you have to be a good listener and follow directions very well. I gave Silly Stephenson all the directions you'll need. I hope you have fun making your masks! Your friend, Sparky the Parrot

Land, ho!

Ahoy, me hearties! I apologize for not being it touch lately. Captain Moonbeard and I have been treading some dangerous waters! We got caught in a hurricane and it spit us out right on the coast of Africa! Africa is a wonderful continent, with plenty of animals to see and places to explore! Our first stop is the Sahara Desert. Don't let the purty name fool ye...the desert is definitely no place for a parrot! Silly Stephenson promised me that she would show you what the Sahara Desert looks like with a special geographic tool...Google Earth. I'm going to stop squawking now so you can get exploring. After you look at the Sahara Desert, I'd like you to write me everything you know and I also want to know if Google Earth helped you. Until next time, me hearties! Sparky the Parrot

Symbols, Symbols, Symbols!

Ahoy, me hearties! I loved me Valentine's Day! A parrot could get used to eating chocolate and getting presents. But, do you know what me favorite part of Valentine's Day is?-----Knowing that I have great first mates like you! (Tear) Today, I want to take you to the land of Australia. Can you find Australia on the map?

Here's a closer view of it.

I bet you want to know why our merry vessel sailed us here? Well, it all has to do with making ye better map readers. Whenever you look at a map, you'll see little pictures on it, like this one.

These pictures are called symbols. What are the pictures and what are they showing you? Why are these pictures important? Now, use this merry knowledge to learn about how symbols are used in math! Me hearties, you'll soon be captain of this ship if you keep using your noggins like that...but don't tell Captain Moonbeard. He may not like that too much. Fair winds! Sparky the Parrot

Another snow day?

Ahoy, me hearties! I missed you during the blizzard. Did you build me a snowman? Captain Moonbeard's ship was stuck in the ice momentarily, but the friendly whale I told you about came and pushed us out. With that, we hoisted our sails and headed toward the Island of R. Why do we dare to make this treacherous voyage? So we can catch us some magical words, me hearties! Something happens when you put an R beside a vowel...they change their sounds! Get Silly Stephenson to show you more about R-controlled vowels. They're very intERRRRRRResting! Fair winds, Sparky

Thar she blows!

Ahoy, me hearties! Have I got a story for you! Captain Moonbeard and I were sailing on our merry vessel, minding our own business in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, and all of a sudden we felt a HUGE bump! It rocked our ship so hard that we were seeing stars. After we found our sea legs, we looked to our right, and we saw a GIGANTIC water spout! And, lo and behold, there was a whale smiling at us. Can you believe that he just wanted to play with us? Captain Moonbeard and I know that the whale must have been pretty large to make such a giant bump, but just how large? That's what we need ye to find out. Silly Stephenson has put ye in groups to go around the room and measure our whale friend with different objects. Now, hoist yer anchors and let's get measuring! ~Sparky the Parrot

What's yer pirate name?

Ahoy again, Mateys! Have you picked out a pirate name yet? Silly Stephenson told me you learned about what a pirate is, so now you can pick a pirate name. Most pirates pick a name that describes the way they look or their personality. A word used to describe something or someone is called an adjective. I can't wait to hear what names ye all come up with! Fair winds, Sparky the Parrot

Ahoy!

Ahoy, me hearties! Me name is Sparky the Parrot and I have had a lot of adventures on the high seas with me pirate crew. It's really interesting being a pirate's parrot...never a dull moment. I'm here to invite ye on a real pirate adventure! But first, ye have to prove to me ye can stand up to the likes of Captain Moonbeard (me pirate pet). If ye feel up to the challenge, ye need to research how to be a pirate and write about yer findings. When yer done, have Silly Stephenson put them in a bottle and send them to me to read. When I'm done reading them, I'll write ye back to let ye know who can come on me merry vessel. So, hoist yer pencils and set sail writing! Fair winds, Sparky the Parrot