This blog post is about my dearly loved avocados.

Avocados

This post is about my avocado plant and how much its  grown.The avocado started off  as a puny little seed about 5cm tall on the 9th of June 2013 so check that post out if you want to learn how to grow an avocado for yourself.

http://thebloggingbrothers.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/avocados.html

It kept growing and growing and growing and it is still growing today.I did another post on the 14th February 2014 to show how much it had grown .

Today is the 28th of March 2017 and it is taller than a ten-year-old boy that is the tallest in his class and is not your average.I have got two more avocado plants but they are not quite as tall yet (growth mindset) .I have had to put the avocado plant on the floor because it is so enormous. 

Scratch

 http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/24577463/

This is my project on scratch .scratch is a computer coding website which allows you to make games and animations. Scratch is an easy-to-use website that uses simple codes but comes out with really good results. When I want to make a project I go onto you tube and I search cool projects to do on scratch and I comes up with some great results but sometimes if I want to do something simple I have a book with some simple codes in to mess around with. I am also doing scratch at school and I completed the Monkey Mayhem game at school in under 30 minutes go check Scratch out. It is easy to use and fun .

Weekend Box Club

I had a fabulous surprise today when I found a weekend box in the postbox. First of all I had to open it. That was a bit tricky. I tried not to rip it but I didn't quite manage. I like the way the box folds up and all the colouring pages inside. 

Inside the box there were a number of coloured packages and instructions for lots of activities.

First of all I made the green pancakes. We had to buy a huge bag of spinach but all the spices were in the box. We also used one of our lovely blue chicken eggs. We actually added two but the recipe only said one. 

We had to fry the mixture.The pancakes were easy to make and were OK. I think adults would prefer them because there were a few too many spices for me. We had them with roasted vegetables.

Next I followed the instructions on the sound Explorers sheet. We used balloons to make funny robot sounds in our mouths. We followed the link on the sheet to a video that was  fun to watch. I thought this was a bit too educational though and quite hard. 

The creative activity in the box was making a bird. There was even a glue stick in the box. I followed the instructions all by myself and added a few other bits from my making box.

I liked receiving the box. It was exciting getting something for me in the post. The box is aimed at 3-8 year olds which I think is perfect. 

Oscar

Extra bit.....for parents.....

Inside your Weekend Box you’ll find four activities, one from each of the following categories:

Something to Cook

Something to Make

Something to Explore and

Something Green

Each activity is designed to build sensory exploration skills within little ones aged 3-8 as well as help teach them about different life skills in a fun and engaging way.

At the oldest end of this age range Oscar managed to do the activities following the instructions by himself which gave a real sense of achievement. There was a good variety of activities in the box to keep his interest. 

Andy decided to set up Weekend Box after getting frustrated when he was buying gifts for his niece and nephew who are 5: he wanted to buy something educational yet fun, something that stimulated creativity and not something plasticky made in a factory in China; he couldn't find anything so his quit his job and started developing!

I have been given a unique code for my blog readers. 

Use this code to get a free weekend box including delivery.

Your unique promo code is APRYL39 and can be redeemed at www.weekendboxclub.com

Stomp!

Hi everyone, it's Oscar again! On Saturday we went to London. We went by train.

First of all we went to The British Museum. My favourite exhibit was the gun tree from Africa. All the villagers gave up their guns in exchange for a tractor. The artists then used the guns to make a tree. There were also gun creatures and a gun chair.I also liked the different weaving styles. I tried to weave a house for Flipper out of palm leaves and at the moment I am making a wool table runner on a weaving loom.
We also had a treasure hunt to find the crystal skull. We heard about the skull at Altun Ha in Belize and we were fascinated by the story. Unfortunately scientists have proven that it is a fake. I was a bit annoyed. It did look really cool though.

Then we went to Wagamamas for lunch. I love this Japanese inspired restaurant although the last time we went there I was sick on the bench! I had chicken and noodles. They were delicious but the noodles were a bit stuck together. We had to eat with chopsticks. I also had apple juice. I was a bit nervous when it arrived as it was green and very frothy. It was very refreshing though.

After lunch we headed to The Ambassadors Theatre we were going to watch Stomp. It was a really small theatre and no one was in front of me. Perfect! We had chocolate ice-creams at the start as we found out there was no interval. The show was fantastic. There were 8 people on the stage. I was surprised at the start when a man was on the stage sweeping with a broom. I thought he was a cleaner. Then lots more people with brooms came on and I realised that was actually the start of the show! The musicians created rhythms using weird objects such as matchboxes, pipes, dustbins and newspaper. Some bits were really funny such as the bit where the man made a skirt out of newspaper and he also stuck his tongue out of a hole in the newspaper in the right place in a picture of a lady.

Follow link to official video gallery. 
 http://www.stomplondon.com/gallery/video-gallery/#yt-z_KkC3bNAbM

The music made me feel happy and I wanted to dance. It was really noisy and crazy. We got to join a bit when the man asked us to clap in rhythm. I gave them a standing ovation.
After the show we went to the stage door and actually met the musicians. We told them we loved it and they gave us a thumbs up!

I give this 10/10 and would recommend it.

We had another great day. I don't really want to go back to school!

Discover Arts Award

Today was the last day of my Arts Award course. It was the big exhibition at Firstsite the gold banana art gallery in Colchester. I've been coming to Firstsite for 10 weeks to complete my award.

My Jackson Pollock inspired cake

 We have learned about lots of artists and different types of art . For example Dadaism, poetry, animation, sculpture and cartoons. We had to do lots of homework every week. I found out about Andy Goldsworthy, Gaudi, and Jackson Pollock. I made a cake for everyone inspired by his splodge pictures. 

My favourite part was making Mr Horny , my superhero, out of clay for the animation. We also had to fill in a sketch book. 

 I'm really looking forward to doing my Explore Award next.

There are lots of activities for children over the summer holidays at Firstsite including films to watch at a private theatre. The seats were really comfy.

http://www.firstsite.uk.net/page/whats-on-category-b

Oscar's Homemade Lemonade

When I was on our trip I used to drink a lot of fresh lemonade. Today I made my own.

You will need:

About 7 lemons (but today I used 5 and  2 limes) 

1 cup of sugar

4 cups of water

First make a syrup. Use 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. Mix in a saucepan and heat until all the sugar dissolves. 

Next squeeze all of the lemons until you have 1 cup of juice.

Mix the syrup and the juice. 

Add 3 cups of water and mix.

Pour into your best bottle and add a tag. 

Keep your lemonade in the fridge.

We bought this purple juicer in Mexico but I broke on the first squeeze! I was too strong!

 

The finished lemonade. 

Five days later - the cress jungle!

Oscar 

I can't believe how much my cress has grown in only five days. I tried some this afternoon. It was horrible. It was really spicy like hot pepper. Never again, not even in my favourite egg sandwiches.

Talking of egg sandwiches would you like to see my chickens?  I'm in the garden taking photos on mum's ipad straight into the blog. It is so much easier than using a camera.

 

 

This is a picture of me in the plum tree. Can you see the basket of nasturtiums? These are edible flowers.

Avocados!

Since we have been home from Mexico Mum and Dad have become obsessed with eating guacamole. Guacamole is made from mashed up avocados. I don't like them that much though. The seeds are really big so I thought I'd try to plant one. 

You need a jam jar with a small opening and some cocktail sticks. I poked three sticks in the seed about half way down then used this to suspend the seed over water. I ran out of jam jars so used the tops of juice bottles to start some off. 

 Fill the jar up with water so the bottom of the seed sits in the water. Change the water every day.

After a few weeks I peeled the brown skin off the bottom of the seed. This seemed to work as the next day it started to grow a root.

I was really excited when the root started to show in the jar. Then the top started to crack and I could see a green shoot inside. I decided to plant it. I left half the seed out of the top of the soil.

This is an experiment. I have lots at different stages of growth in the kitchen.

Then I wanted to grow something else but needed a pot. I found some old dinosaurs that we found because we are clearing out for a boot sale and mum cut the tops off. I planted cress inside.

Canoeing!

Lex
Today we got up really early at 5 am to go and see canoe racing. It was the start of a four day race from San Ignacio to Belize City called The Ruta Maya. There were three men or women in a canoe. When the race started five canoes tipped and they kept on tipping. When the last team finally started to paddle everyone cheered and clapped. There were TV crews and radio hosts everywhere and a band played on drums.

After that we drove to Barton Creek Cave for our own canoeing trip. I got in a canoe with Dad and Elmer from the hotel. We had to manoeuvre the canoes through a tight opening to get into the cave.

When we entered I was surprised because the air was warmer than I expected but the water was freezing. We stopped and talked for five minutes while our eyes adjusted. The cave was used by Mayans for ceremonies that helped their dead get to the underworld quicker. As we paddled the guide used her flashlight to point out skulls and pots resting in ledges, untouched for thousands of years. Along the way we encountered stalactites, about 70.5 m from the roof towards the water.they were so close to the water that we had to duck down as far as we could go. It was pretty scary. We had to dodge in and out trying not to break our necks. It was like being in a maze. It was also scary when the torch died and it was really dark. This is us with Dora our guide.

Cowboys and Coffee!

Honduras - Lex

I was really excited today as we were going on a horse riding trip. First we had to drive for an hour to get to our guides house. When we arrived we got ready with cowboy hats and lots of sunscreen. It was so hot. I thought my arms might fry. Luckily I was wearing long sleeves. When I got on my horse I thought my foot was not in the stirrups right and it really hurt so Carlos tried to help, unfortunately it didn't work but he told me to keep taking my foot out of the stirrups.the stirrups were different to English ones as they had a closed toe and lots of smooth leather to rest your leg on. They were also longer than English ones. This plan worked well. After about an hour and a half we stopped to stretch our legs. There were calves and foals. There was also a pregnant horse with a huge tummy. We had to help get the young horses used to humans by
hand feeding them.

After that we went back to the huge farmhouse to have lunch. It was stewed beef, vegetables, mashed potato, yucca, fried banana and homemade banana lemonade. It was delicious.
In the afternoon we went on a mini coffee tour. We talked about how the machines worked and what made a good and bad harvest. We felt the good and bad beans . If the beans are put in water the good ones sink and the bad ones float. We felt the beans in different stages of drying, they felt really crusty! I liked putting my hands in the sack to make a sound like maracas. To dry the beans they are put in the sun. I helped sweep them into piles ready to go into sacks.

Next we went to some hot springs. There were lots of different pools. We went to a sulphur smelling one, a boiling hot one, a foot massaging one and a waterfall that hit your neck and shoulders for a massage. I was really surprised to see a hot waterfall. Unfortunately we had to get out after three hours and catch our truck back to Copan.

Copan Ruinas

Today we went to see the famous Copan ruins. We met our guide and looked at the layout plan. There were temples , courts, plazas and lots of ruins. We then went into the mini bird sanctuary. There were giant macaws everywhere and I got a picture of one flying over my head in mid air. We looked around the sculptures. They were mostly replicas with the real ones in the museum.

There was a king called 18 rabbit because his picture had 3 bars that each represented 5 and 3 dots for 3. His face was a rabbit so he became 18 rabbit. After that we explored the ball court that was where the hero twins had a ball game. It was different to modern ball games because they were the Mayans. It reminded me of Zeus and Hades. We held one of the balls in the museum and it was so heavy. I could not lift it. They used a leather belt tied around their hips to protect their bodies. They could only use their hips and thighs to knock the ball around the court.

The place was a bit weird because the buildings were constantly being built on top of old ones. Archaeologists found a whole preserved temple underneath a pyramid. It was bright red. They also had altars for sacrifice that had grooves to let the blood run out! This one was also in the shape of a turtle.

We learned about the Mayan calendar. They have 18 months in the year and 20 days in each there were 5 days spare at the end of the year. I am POP rather than a LEO in their zodiac.

No one really knows why the Mayans disappeared from their cities. Some people believe they made too many demands on the land such as for food production, and clearing wood to burn.

After having a fabulous time we went to Macaw Mountain. Macaw Mountain is a bird rescue centre. W saw rescued parrots, toucans, macaws, lots of owls that had been hit by cars and some hawks. A guide showed us around and then we got to hold parrots and macaws. I held a parrot on my shoulder like a pirate.the scarlet macaw bit me on the head and pulled my hair. After that we went swimming in a river. We jumped into the current and it pulled us downstream. It was a great day and the cool water was such a treat on the hot day.

Visit to Oscar!

Lex
Lunes 19 th febrero

Today we met our PLAN sponsored child ,Oscar. First we drove for one hour to get to head office to meet our translator and film crew. When I saw the big camera I was scared, excited and very surprised all at the same time. First of all we went to visit Oscar's mum. She was really welcoming and gave us lots of hugs.
Next we went to the school and Oscar became a celebrity. We met him at the gates with hugs and handshakes. After that we walked around the classrooms. We talked to the children and looked at all the things PLAN had donated,especially to the new kindergarten.
Oscar's classroom only had one wall for the whiteboard and a roof. There were no tables but every student had a chair with a piece of wood on it as a mini table. I think these tables would be really hard to write on and where could you do art or science? I think they just used books.
Next we went to the 'mothers' house. Here they check on the pregnant ladies and then they wait here before they give birth. Lots of the mums live along-way away in outlying villages and so it's safer to bring them to this health centre.

We were given a PowerPoint presentation next by two children. They represented all of the villages children. They had been voted in by their peers and had to go to the mayor and tell the towns council what they wanted. They talked about the rights of children for example the right to play and to live without fear.
Next we went back to Oscars house. We played on his 3DS and PS3. I was surprised that his roof had holes in it but he had more DS games than me! Then his mum called us to the table for a meal that we had not expected. We had corn tortillas and a lump of meat that we had to try and eat with a spoon. It was impossible.
After that we gave Oscar and his family some presents. I had chosen an Air Hogs Vectron Wave, Chinese coin trick and a Rubiks cube. We had glass necklaces for his mum and sister. We showed him how to work the toys and then unfortunately we had to go back to our hotel. There were some tears as we said goodbye. It was a really memorable day.

Please consider sponsoring a child with PLAN. It really makes a huge difference to lives.Due to privacy rules we can't publish a photo of us with Oscar but we do have lots of photos for our own album.

http://www.plan-uk.org/?ns_campaign=Brand%20Product_Exact&ns_mchannel=ppc&ns_source=google&ns_linkname=planinternational&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=plan%20international&utm_content=u5CTQRaW%7Cgoogle%7C*Brand%20+%20Product_Exact%7CPlan%20International%7Cplan%20international%7CExact%7C24016159503%7Cg%7C&utm_campaign=*Brand%20+%20Product_Exact

Ometepe Island

Martes 22 Enero

Oscar

Ometepe Island is in the middle of Lake Nicaragua. We had to get on a ferry to get here. A man carried our bags on his head. We had to curl up really small as there was not enough space to sit down properly. We watched The Three Stooges on the TV, it was really funny. The boat rocked a lot and the waves crashed against the boat. Dad got wet as the water came inside. I felt really sick . It was really hot and hard to breathe. I liked it when someone opened the door and the water came in because there was also some wind. It was really crowded and noisy. When we arrived the taxi didn't arrive so Dad organised a ride. The suitcases had to hang out of the boot. The road stopped after half an hour and then it was a dirt track to the hotel. The hotel is called La Omaja and I really like it. I have met some other children and we play on the swing.

Miercoles 23 Enero

Today we hiked a mountain. First we had to fill our tummies so we had enough energy for the hike. I had French toast for breakfast. We climbed into the pick up truck and started to bounce along the road when suddenly a scorpion jumped on mums hand. We couldn't find it so we went the rest of the way in the back of the truck. It was really bumpy but fun. We had to hike for an hour . It was really sweaty and dusty. The waterfall was freezing. I moaned like Mona Lisa! The waterfall was really high and I couldn't see the top. On the way back I felt a bit grumpy but then all of a sudden I saw a snake. It was negro y amarillo ( black and yellow) . When we got to the end of the trail our guide picked us some fresh mandarins. They were delicious.

Jueves 24 Enero

Today we went to Ojo de Agua. First we drove up the bumpy road. I was surprised by the people's houses. They were made of cardboard, straw and metal. Some had pigs in them.
After that we went in the crystal clear spring water. It is supposed to have healing powers and make you younger. Then we had lunch next to the beach. I have never seen sand on a lake beach. Then we went to visit the petroglyphs. 3000 years ago people carved pictures into rocks because they had no paper nor pencils. They carved pictures of mummies and babies, scorpions, monkeys and calendars.


Viernes 25 Enero

Lex

Today we were really excited as we were going on a fishing trip. I had fished once before and knew what to do. When we reached the dock the boat was not there but we noticed another dock so me and mum walked to the other one just in case. When we got there we could see our boat back on the other dock, it had arrived while we were gone! We shouted across the bay and it really echoed our voices. When we eventually left the dock we had already cast our lines and were gently cruising along. When we reached Monkey Island we cast our lines again and waited. I was the first one to get a bite. It was a big fish but I didn't catch it. Unfortunately it took the lure and the next two as well. Next I tried proper fish as bait and it lasted the rest of the trip. I think I caught about three fish but they all got stuck in the rocks. I let the man have a go with my rod but he lost the bait. At the last moment our anchor got stuck in the rocks so we had to cut it off and attach a float and leave it there. After that we unfortunately had to go back to the dock but I really wanted to stay. I absolutely loved every little minute of this day.

Agricultura

Lex

Miercoles 9th Enero

Finca la Flor is an Eco-friendly place. Everything is reused or recycled. They try to grow as much food as possible using environmentally friendly techniques. They even use the moon to tell them when it's best to plant.

Today we went to work in the vegetable patch. When we arrived I couldn't see any vegetables because there were so many weeds. We had to hack all the weeds down with mini machetes. It was all pretty good fun until we came across an ants nest. The vicious ants attacked mum's arm and now it is swollen. Trust me it's big - almost the size of her leg!

Next Dad had to turn the ground over with a hoe. Then we scattered compost mix ( fertiliser) all over the ground. Later on I learned that the fertiliser was actually made by worms. After that we had to plant the baby lettuces. They had to be planted in a triangle. Finally we had to scatter mulch around the lettuces. The mulch of leaves created a seal ( microclimate) which kept all the moisture in to protect the the plants in hot weather( always!) then dad went back to weeding pineapples. Did you know that pineapple plants take up to two years to produce one pineapple. I thought that pineapples grew on trees not spiky single bushes.

After we had a juice break we went to the Lombrono - the worm house. (By the way the juice is not from a bottle it's crushed fruit. I prefer it when sugar is added. ) We had to water the worms. I thought that sounded really weird at first. After we had watered them 3 times precisely we had to collect all the soil that the worms had turned into compost. We actually filled 3 sacks. Then we watered the worms again and we were finished for the day.

I also helped the men on the farm to harvest vegetables, some for market and some to eat. Using secateurs I cut lots of herbs including thyme, chives, rosemary, lemongrass and coriander. I also harvested vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, yucca and a vegetable called a cahiba that seems like a cross between a cucumber and pepper.

Chocolate!

Oscar
Today we went to the rainforest to learn about chocolate. We had to cross a massive bridge. It was nearly as long as our garden.
First we tried some chocolate beans. After that we ground some beans and ate them. Eventually we made a drink. Next we had melted chocolate on a spoon and I had five spoonfuls. Finally we had milk and dark chocolate. I preferred the dark chocolate because the milk chocolate was crunchy.

Lex
The first recorded use of chocolate was in 1100BC.

Chocolate comes from cacao trees that grow naturally in a band 20 degrees north and south of the equator. The trees also need around 2000 mm of rain every year. They live in temperature zones of 21 - 32 degrees.

The Aztecs used cacao beans as their currency. A slave would have been 100 beans.

Cacao was so valued that it was offered to the Gods as a drink and only used by the nobles in society in golden goblets. When the Spanish came to America they were offered this cacao drink as a greeting. The Europeans did not like the bitter taste and offended the Aztecs causing the start of much trouble.

Later on the Spanish adjusted the drink using their own ingredients. They added milk and sugar to make it a sweeter drink.

Chocolate making is a complicated process. First the beans are grown then picked. The pods were not as I expected. They were oval shaped, brown , yellow or red and slightly smaller than a rugby ball. The indigenous people used their heads to open the pods.

Inside the pods were rows of beans coated in a white slimy substance. We tried the slime and it was horrible. Mum and Dad however thought it was sweet and delicious. In the past the saliva was used to start the fermentation process. This took seven days. Next the beans were dried, then cleaned then roasted. After roasting the shells were removed to reveal the cacao nibs. The nibs smelt like a delicious mixture of coffee and chocolate.

Next the nibs were ground using volcanic stones. (Oscar helped with this process using modern technology). Hot water was added to these nibs to create a hot chocolate drink. The Aztecs added various flavours including, chilli pepper, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon. I tried all of these and particularly liked the vanilla. ( I saw a vanilla pod growing naturally on a tree in my hotel garden today)

Finally we tried melted chocolate nibs . This was really thick and like melted cooking chocolate. We put this into moulds and then we had recognisable solid chocolate. We made two types, milk and dark. The powdered milk gave the milk chocolate a sand paper texture.

We all felt really energetic and happy after eating the chocolate and the man told us that it was the chemicals that it contains. There was some caffeine and other substances that were affecting our bodies. Some studies have shown that chocolate can help to reduce high blood pressure. These chemicals are also toxic to some animals including dogs.

According to the guide the best chocolate is dark and with a high percentage of cacao. Personally I still prefer Dairy Milk!

The Hobbit - my first film review

Lex

Today we went to see a film based on the book 'The Hobbit' by J.R.R. Tolkien. I read the book a couple of years ago with my Dad, it took sooooo long! It is an action packed fantasy film.

The plot in a nutshell is Bilbo Baggins joining a band of dwarves to win back their homeland. The first part of the movie was funny, light hearted and happy compared to the second part that was serious, dark and scary.

The character Golum was amazing. I enjoyed his riddles and his make up was seamless. His eyes were sad and wet. His voice was like stones rubbing against each other. I didn't know whether to feel scared or sad for him.

The best part was when Bilbo saved Thorin, the dwarf leader. Thorin was battling the pale Orc and Bilbo rose to the occasion and rushed to help him knowing that he was probably going to die a painful death. Bilbo had become a hero full of courage and leadership.

The film was so long we had to wake mum up!

The ending was definitely an annoying cliff hanger because Smaug, the dragon only opened his eyes.

I think the story had a message in it. To take all the opportunities that are offered to you.

My rating of this film is 10 out of 10 and I can't wait for the next instalment.

Living in Boquete

Lex

Good morning to all you folks around the world. I'm here to tell you about what we have been doing in Boquete.

After a short hop on a plane from Panama City to David our taxi dropped us off at the host family's house. It appeared to be the biggest house in the street. The others were run down, patched up,leaking and they reminded me of Charlie Buckets house in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. They had a porch full of wind chimes and rocking chairs that looked like my grandad's old people's home. The family were a bit lacking in enthusiasm except my mate Alberto. He's 13 and lives here. There are people coming and going here all the time and a week later I'm still not sure who actually lives here!

Let me describe the house. Well the bathroom ! Here we go! First the toilet, they have a rule that you cannot put any paper in the toilet. It's really hard to remember after a number 2! Mum has had to fish out quite a bit of forgotten paper. The shower is also a bit crazy because the water seems straight from a glacier. It's freezing! Abuela thinks hot water is bad for the bones!

Abuela cooks breakfast and dinner for us. We usually have egg something for breakfast with the most delicious juice. One morning though abuela thought we needed vitamins and we had a rice nutrient drink that I didn't really like. I felt like I was a contestant from 'I'm a celebrity ' and struggled to keep it down.
For dinner we usually have rice, beans and unidentifiable meat of some kind. One day as a treat we had McDonald's style sandwiches . They tasted exactly the same as a Big Mac. Incredible!

The noise in the house is driving me mad! Aaahhh! The dogs bark continuously day and night, the cockerels crow in stereo constantly from every house and the TV blares rubbish all day long.

This photo of us is was taken outside the shop where we wait for a taxi in the morning although today we had to take a 15 seater bus but there were more like 30 people on it! School starts at 8 but its only until 10 . Me and Oscar have our own teacher called Mitzilla. The lessons have been fun and we have learnt a lot of Spanish eg. the days of the week , the colours and occupations.

When we were at school we met a family from Texas and enjoyed playing chess and chase after classes.

It's now the end of the week and school is out! Do I hear the cockerel crowing ha ha ha