By: Sagal, Anisa, Mariam, and Ilham

Spring break is the time of year everyone looks forward to because it’s that time of year where you can travel. Go see new places possibly meet new people. There are a lot of places to travel, like Wisconsin, California, even outside of the country. I (Ilham) traveled inside the state to Eden Prairie where I helped my cousin clean her house. I also traveled to Minneapolis to eat at a really fancy Somali restaurant; the restaurant was called Hamdi. I had the rice and chicken, and man when I tell you the food was really good, it was really good.

During spring break I (Anisa) just stayed home and caught up on my shows that I missed. Watching shows during spring break makes me feel relaxed because I don’t have to worry about anything like school work and other stressful things. Netflix, Hulu and Xfinity Stream comes in handy during spring break because you can easily binge watch all shows. I also watched hilarious YouTube videos. The pranks that they do is so hilarious. Basically, I found out you don’t have to travel to enjoy spring break.

I (Mariam) didn’t travel far during spring, the only different city I went to was Minneapolis. I went to this famous Somali restaurant in Lake Street called Qurxloy; the food there is amazing. Most of my spring break I spent at my grandmother’s house, because it’s so quiet in there and I intended to be in relax mode all spring break long. Obviously, I started watching a new show during spring break. I started watching a show called This is Us, I strongly recommend people to watch that show, because it’s filled with family drama, and healing. I also spent some time with my younger brother because we don’t really hangout a lot, except for the weekends, so it was great to spend some time with them.

During my spring break I (Sagal) traveled to Dallas, Texas. I went to visit family. It was really fun. The weather over there was really hot, and humid. It also rained a little while I was there. But overall, my trip was great. I did a lot of fun activities with my cousins, like go-karting, bowling, golfing, and a lot more. I will totally be going back next spring break.

According to the U.S News Travel, these 10 top attractions are right for you and your family, and they include many fun activities and entertainment.

New York City, US
New York City is a popular place to go to because it includes arts, food, and fashion. Broadway is a popular place in New York, especially the shows and performances. NYCs main attractions are the Statue of Liberty and the museum about 9/11.

Paris, France
For first time visitors, the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum are great places to go to when going to France. Also, they have nice malls and restaurants like Forum des Halles and Carrousel du Louvre, and restaurants like Pierre Gagnaire and Ze Kitchen Galerie.

Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam has famous museums like the Van Gogh and the Rijksmuseum. They have places for families like Vondelpark and NEMO science museum. Leidseplein has night clubs, movie theaters, and concerts.

Florence, Italy
Florence’s attractions include art like visual art and architect. There are works hung in the Uffizi and Galleria dell’Accademia, and also Duomo and the Palazzo Pitti. Also, they have Boboli Gardens which is a big attraction that includes arts and a huge garden.

Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona has many unique art and architecture and has museums, churches, and parks. Some include: Casa Batllo, La Sagrada Familia, and Parc Güell. The main attraction is La Barceloneta beach and the FC Barcelona’s headquarters.

Singapore, Malaysia
In Singapore, they have both urban and natural attractions which include Orchard Road and Little India showcase. They also have Gardens by the Bay,  and the Singapore Botanic Gardens that provide fresh air. They have a huge playground for adults and children including Sentosa and Merlion Park.

Kauai, Hawaii
This island has so many outdoor activities including: hiking, kayaking, swimming, or just relaxing at the beach. The most popular attraction is Napali Coast which includes hiking and adventure. It is known as number 2, in the Best Romantic Getaways in the U.S. Also, Tunnels Beach is considered as one of the best places to go snorkeling.

Sicily, Italy
Sicily has so many attractions and adventures which include the Valley of the Temples, and the Segesta Temple. It has a Volcano, called Mount Etna, which has top activities such as hiking and a tour around the mountain. They also have the Valley of the Temples which includes Ancient Roman temples.

Savannah, Georgia
Savannah has historic areas which include Mercer Williams House, and the home of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scout Cookies. They have Bonaventure Cemetery and the City Market. They also have Tybee Island which includes a huge Light station, and a Marine Science Center.

Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh is known for their museums and castles. Some include: the Edinburgh Castle, Arthur’s Seat, the Museum of Scotland, and more. If you visit Holyroodhouse Palace then you’ll see Arthur’s Seat and Calton Hill. They have annual festivals like Military Tatto, the Fringe festival, and the Edinburgh festival.

By: Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

Spring break this year was great; we both had amazing experiences on our vacations. Gabe went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and I went to the Big Island, Hawaii. These are our best experiences.

In Mexico I had a great time, I traveled with my family and we did lots of fun activities. My top two favorite things from spring break were the food and swimming in the ocean. The whole trip, I never had a bad meal, I also ordered something different every time we went out. One of my favorite meals was at Joe Jacks in Old Town, I had fish on top of rice and beans.

My second favorite meal was at a fancier restaurant. I had sea bass on top of rice with shrimp, mussels, and calamari. This was on Easter, so the restaurant was packed with tourists.

My second favorite experience was swimming in the ocean. It was great because we could go whenever we wanted. Every day we were there, it was warm and sunny; perfect for swimming. We found a beach with waves that were great for boogie boarding. Other than swimming, we woke up to beautiful sunrises and dolphins in the morning, and sunsets at night.

My spring break vacation, to Hawaii, was my favorite trip I’ve been on. I have never been to a more beautiful state. My two favorite experiences were going on a helicopter tour and going to a luau.

The helicopter tour was my favorite for many reasons. First, because I have never been on one before and it is fun to try new things. Secondly, because we were able to see parts of the Island you can’t see by foot. From the helicopter we saw many waterfalls; my whole family lost count. We also saw the jungle where the wild pigs live. On the North West side, there was a sharp drop, that was from land that fell off the island because of an earthquake. The pilot was also very nice; he was a former pilot for the Airforce. Although I did many fun things, the helicopter tour was definitely the best.

My second favorite experience was the luau. Luau translates to “feast.” In the Hawaiian culture, families put on luaus to acknowledge and celebrate their past. There was hula dancing, which was very entertaining, and really good food. We went to a luau at the Fairmont Orchid, apparently, this was the best luau in the area. My favorite part about it was watching the dancers. They tell a story from their past through dancing; it is very clear what the message and story are even though they weren’t talking. Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures of the dancers. I did take a picture of a little message written out in dry coral on top of lava rock.  

China is a country in Asia that has existed for more than 5,000 years. There are many religious beliefs in China like: Confucianism, Buddhism, etc. Pandas are a very important animal in China, they are one of the things that they are most known for. They are most known for their Great Wall, which is more than 13,000 miles long.

In China, there was a very bad time period, with a lot of suffering: the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Many people were hungry and didn’t have a lot of money, and there were many fights that led to deaths. The Revolution occurred in 1966 until 1976 when the leader of it passed away. It happened because the communist leader, Mao Zedong, believed that China’s government was being led in the wrong direction. Mao Zedong said that he believed that the government was becoming more secretive, but his real reason for taking control was that he wanted more power in the government.

The main people involved in the Chinese Cultural Revolution was the leader Mao Zedong, the government, and The Red Guards, which were the people who worked supporting Mao Zedong. If the main reason for the Chinese Cultural Revolution wasn’t for them to make China and its government better, it would be because Mao Zedong wanted more power for himself. The Chinese Cultural Revolution finally ended in 1976 because Mao, the leader passed away.

There were many outcomes because of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, including that it impacted childrens’ education because The Red Guards were attacking teachers. The factories were affected because there was a short supply of resources, and there were many deaths.

A short term effect of the Cultural Revolution were the deaths, and the lack of education and resources. It is significant today because it changed most of China’s old customs, habits, culture, and the people’s ways of life. There were no revolutions after the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

By: Riley Lumpkin and Gabe Mattick

Spring break is a very popular travel time for many Americans. Especially, students and families. Many families choose to go to resorts, mainly because of how convenient everything is. Midwesterners like to travel to warm destinations because of the cold, harsh winter, but many people travel to cold climates over their spring break.

Here are a few warm locations that are popular destinations for midwesterners. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and  Orlando, Florida according to TripAdvisor.

Texas is a popular destination as well, with Houston, which has beaches, and Austin, to explore the city.

Hawaii is another popular destination for spring breakers, as families with older children like to explore the tropical islands.

San Francisco and Los Angeles are popular destinations in California for families as well.

Outside of the country, Central America and the Caribbean are popular destinations, with all-inclusive resorts that are perfect for families. They offer many things for everyone to do, like guided tours such as: hikes, bike tours, and snorkeling. The all-inclusive resorts also offer an abundance of food and services.

Mexico is the most popular spring break destination that is out of the country. Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, and Cozumel are the most popular cities in Mexico for spring breakers.

Not all people choose to go on tropical, warm vacations over spring break. Many people, and families, choose to go to cold climates. Skiing and snowboarding are very popular sports that many families participate in. In the western part of the United States; Oregon, Idaho, Utah, California have ski resorts perfect for all levels of skiers. Skiing is also popular in the east as well; Vermont and Maine offer many ski resorts that are popular spring break destinations.

Northern Minnesota is the perfect place to hike the frozen waterfalls, ice fish, and snowshoe.

In Montana, there is the Fairmont Hot Springs Resort, which is a popular location for many families.

Spring break is overall, a great time to get out and explore. Families and students take advantage of this time to relax and enjoy both cold and warm weather.

For more information, please visit:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalsBlog/2016/04/19/10-popular-summer-vacation-spots-midwesterners/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2016/02/17/spring-break-hotels/80461382/

https://travel.usnews.com/features/9-top-cold-weather-spring-break-vacation-ideas

Types of animals:

The Ethiopian wolf, Walia ibex, the mountain nyala, Somali wild donkey, black lion, Swayne’s hartebeest, Menelik bushbucks, the bale mountain vervet and gelada baboons, are animals that can only be found in Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian wolf is one of Earth’s rarest canid species, and Africa’s most endangered carnivore. Other canid predators have large and varied diets, but the Ethiopian Wolf hunts small rodents in the Bale Mountains of Ethiopia.

Only 500 Walia Ibex still exist in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia because of poaching and habitat loss.

The Mountain Nyala is on Ethiopia’s ten cent coin, marking its importance in Ethiopian culture. They live in Ethiopia’s Bale mountain park, with most of them living within 200 square kilometers. Despite once living in Somalia, Eritrea, and Ethiopia, the Somali Wild Donkey is believed to only live in Ethiopia now, mostly in the Afar plains. Although their numbers are small in the wild, there are a lot of  captive populations around the world to make sure they can someday regain their previous numbers.

The Bale Mountain Vervet is one of Africa’s least studied primates. They make their homes in the thick bamboo forests of the park.

Menilik bushbucks are part of a sub-species found only in the Ethiopian highlands, and they are very shy around humans. They are similar to the Mountain Nyala, except they are much smaller.

Gelada baboons can be found in huge numbers throughout the Simien Mountains. They are also called the “Bleeding Heart Monkey” because of the unique red skin patch each baboon has on their chests. They are very social animals, and will typically be spotted in huge family groups.

Swayne’s hartebeest is a large Antelope and are native to Ethiopia. They have been the target of large sanctuary projects to help save them from their current extinction danger.

The Ethiopian black lion is genetically distinct from all other lions in Africa. They are typically found in the Bale mountain park and have a distinctive black mane which they are named after.

Preservation and foundation: 

Ethiopia started preserving wildlife in the 1960s. The wildlife and forest areas of Ethiopia are very important to the people.

85% of Ethiopia’s population is dependant on the natural resources. The growing population is wearing down the environment, illegal animal trade, poaching, and wildlife are dwindling resources, so it puts more pressure on the government to prevent further damage.

Then came the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority or the EWCA. They started using tourism as a way to earn more money for the EWCA, and for farmers, so they could make money on their land over and over again.

Then came another organization 2 decades later, called Born Free. They rescue, rehabilitate and release animals back into the wild.

For more information, please visit:

http://hayo.co/10-animals-youll-find-ethiopia/

https://www.oliberte.com/pages/10-animals-only-found-in-ethiopia/

It’s that time of the year again, when the stores start putting out heart shaped everything and love is in the air. Another Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly; a time of year to show your loved ones just how much you appreciate and love them. So, here are some treats and gifts that’ll show just that!

Treats:

Sweetheart Cherry Pies:

If you’re looking for an easy but very delicious treat, this is the thing for you! It only takes about 25 minutes to prepare and bake. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Pie dough (you can usually find this in any grocery store)
• Fresh Cherries
• Ricotta cheese
• Sugar
• 1 tbsp of butter, melted
• Heart cookie cutter

Step 1: Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees and make sure to line a baking sheet with some parchment paper.

Step 2: Take your pie dough and roll it out to about an inch thick and then take your heart shaped cookie cutter and press them into the dough. Make sure to use all of the leftover scraps to make more!

Step 3: Take all of your cherries and make sure to remove the pit, an easy way of doing that is by using a straw to help push it out. After you’ve removed the pit, chop up the cherries into small little pieces.

Step 4: In the bowl of cherries add a small pinch of sugar, or more if you have a sweet tooth.

Step 5: On the lines baking sheet, take the heart shaped pie dough and lay them on gently. After you’ve placed all of the pie dough out, take a spoonful of the ricotta cheese and place it into the middle of each heart, doing the same with your chopped up cherries.

Step 6: Lay down the top dough and seal the edges with a fork. After you’ve sealed the dough together, take your melted butter and brush it over top.

Step 6: Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Make sure to let the little pies cool down before serving!

Step 7: Enjoy the sweet treat with your friends and family or with your significant other!

Candy Heart Bark:
This chocolate dessert is one of the easiest treats to make! All it takes is about five ingredients; here’s what they are!

• White chocolate
• Canola or vegetable oil
• Semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• Conversation heart candies
• Food coloring of your choice

Step 1: Take a baking sheet and like it with parchment paper or a silicone mat if you have one.

Step 2: Using a double boiler or a microwave melt down your white chocolate, taking it out every 20 seconds to stir it thoroughly, adding about a tbsp of your oil into the chocolate. After melting the chocolate you can add any color that you want.

Step 2: Melt your semisweet in the same exact way that you did with the white chocolate. After the semisweet chocolate is melted, pour it onto the lined baking sheet, spreading it out evenly.

After you finish spreading the chocolate, use a spoon to scoop up your white chocolate/colored chocolate and randomly pour it into different spaces on top of the semisweet chocolate.

Step 3: Using a tip of a toothpick or even a fork, to drag the white chocolate into different shapes, creating a water marble effect. Before the chocolate hardens up, take your heart candies and place them all around your chocolate.

Step 4: Put the tray into the refrigerator and let it harden for about 2 hours. After its hardened, take the chocolate and break it into pieces as large or as small as you’d like!

DIY gifts:

Heart Bath bombs:

• Baking Soda
• Citric Acid
• Fine Epsom Salts
• Jojoba Oil
• Love Potion Essential Oil
• Red food coloring
• Witch hazel
• Mesh strainer
• Spray bottle
• Silicone heart mold
• Plastic gloves

Directions:

Take your mesh strainer and place it over a large bowl, pour in 1 cup of your baking soda, 1/2 cup citric acid and 1/4 cup of fine epsom salts.

Stir baking soda, citric acid and epsom salts until well blended, making sure there are no lumps.

Next, slowly add 1/2 Tablespoon of jojoba oil to the dry mixture. Add 10 drops of Love Potion essential oil and 1-2 drops of food coloring.

Wearing plastic gloves, mix the oils and food coloring through the dry mixture, until it is well incorporated and pink.

Once mixture is blended, slowly add witch hazel, one spritz at a time, until the bath bomb mixture sticks together when squeezed.

You’ll need about 8 to 10 spritzes of witch hazel to get the right consistency. The mixture should not be crumbly. It should stick together when squeezed, but you don’t want it too wet or it may begin to fizz.

Pack the slightly damp mixture tightly into the heart shape molds. Be sure to pack the mixture well, fitting in as much as possible into each mold. (This recipe should make 5 to 6 heart-shaped bath bombs.)

Allow to dry for several hours, or ideally overnight, then remove the homemade bath bombs from the molds.

They should be very hard when you remove them from the molds. Wrap bath bombs tightly in plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place, away from any moisture.

Strawberry Sugar Scrub:

This perfect, and easy little gift is perfect for anyone who loves smooth skin! This strawberry sugar scrub is made in a few minutes, and smells absolutely amazing; here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup freeze-dried strawberries
• 3/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil, room temperature
• 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

Step 1: Take a big ziploc bag and place your freeze-dried strawberries in them. Make sure to seal it real tight, taking all of the air out to make it easier to smash it. You can use a rolling pin to smash the strawberries into almost a dust like consistency.

Step 2: place your strawberry dust into a bowl and add your cane sugar. After you’ve added your sugar, take your coconut oil and place it into the bowl as well, along with your vanilla.

Step 3: Combine everything together!

You can put this scrub into any container that you’d like, big or small! Enjoy using this while showering or while taking a nice hot bath! This will do wonders for you skin.

I hope you take your time to make these wonderful little treats and gifts, whether that be for your loved ones or even just for yourself! Have an amazing Valentine’s Day this year, spend it doing something fun!

Winter time is the time for staying inside and trying to keeping warm, so why not be productive and spend your time inside making different winter treats that will impress almost anyone who sees them. For those who need some different treat ideas, here are some that I’m sure that you’ll love.  

For those of you who are looking for a very easy, winter sweet treat, this is perfect for you. This treat is for those of you who have a liking for all things chocolate! Here are the things that you’ll need:

• White Almond Bark or a white chocolate of your choice (half package)
• Mint Oreos or another cookies and cream alternative (half package)
• White Peppermint M&M’s
• Red and green sprinkles

On a parchment paper, laid on to a square pan, you’ll want to spread out your melted chocolate, or your white almond bark, if you’re using that.

The next step is to crush up your Oreos; I find that the easiest way to do this is by putting them inside a bag and using a rolling pin to smash them into different pieces.

The next steps are pretty simple! Carefully sprinkle on your M&M’s and sprinkles on to the chocolate.

If you think that was easy, now all you have to do is put it into the fridge at let the chocolate harden; this took about 7-8 minutes for me.

After your chocolate has hardened, now all you have to do is take your treat and break them into pieces, big or small, it’s all up to you.

If you’re in need for an easy treat, one that’ll only take you only a few seconds, then I’m sure this little snack will tickle your fancy.

The simple ingredients that you’ll need are:

• Strawberries
• Vanilla frosting (either canned or homemade is just fine)
• Black gel icing

The steps to this treat are very simple.

All you’ll need to do is to wash your strawberries and cut off the top off each.

Once you’re done with that, you’ll need to cut each one in half, make sure to keep track of which half goes with which!

Once your strawberries are all cut up, you’re going to take your frosting and place some onto the middle of your strawberry halves, placing the top of the strawberries on to the frosting.

With that done, you can then have fun with all of the different faces you can draw onto the strawberry, creating a small little strawberry Santa!

This treat is for those who love all things cookies; which we all know is a lot of people!

The ingredients you’ll need are:

• 1 bag Hershey’s Kisses Candy Cane – Kisses
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Red and green colored sugar

The very first thing you want to make sure you do is preheat your oven to 350 degrees and also to remove your wrappers from the candies. You will need about 35-40 pieces of candies, depending on the sizes of each of them.

In a big bowl, you’ll want to mix together your butter, sugar, vanilla, and eggs until everything is blended in fully.

The next thing you’ll want to do is to begin adding in your dry ingredients, starting with the flour and then adding in your baking soda and salt.

Once that is complete you’ll want to add your milk and butter mixture into your bowl, making sure that everything is well combined.

Now it’s time for the fun part! Taking your cookie dough, you’ll want to roll them into balls, any size that you’ll like will do, with each ball you’ll take the cookie dough and roll them into either the green or red sprinkles and place them onto a parchment lined baking sheet!

You’ll now want to put the cookies into the oven and let them cook for about 8-10 minutes, making sure to rotate the baking sheet in between.

Once the cookies are done cooking, take them out and let them rest for about 2-3 minutes before you press your chocolate kisses into the center of each one!

These are a small sample of some different winter treats that you can make;  there are a lot of others out there, and I hope that you take some time to make these wonderful sweet treats. You won’t regret it at all; it’ll make the winter time seem ten times better!

There are a lot of places to go for winter break, and there are warm and cold places to go to; like in Mexico, it’s cold just like here, but without snow, and in San Diego it’s warm. Both are a good place to have a vacation, and you can learn, have fun, learn history about where you are, and learn how it became to be. Mexico is an amazing place to visit anytime, and San Diego is too.

MEXICO
This a good place to go to on winter break. It might be cold, but there are places to go to and have fun in, and places you’ve never been to, like the capital. There are amazing places to see and learn about history or your relatives. There is a lot of history in Mexico that people don’t think, or know about. People might think Mexicans might be bad or good, but all they care about is to get things better. Their cities are very beautiful and the places to visit are: Mexico City, Cancún, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Puebla, Guadalajara, and more. There are a lot of different cultures, and people there will surprise you.

SAN DIEGO
Fallbrook, in San Diego county, is the avocado capital of the world, and San Diego’s average year round temperature is 70 degrees. San Diego is a city on the Pacific Coast of California, that is known for its beaches, parks, and warm climate. They have amazing zoos, art galleries, artist studios, museums, and gardens. San Diego has a lot of beautiful things to see and learn about, like when, and how, and who, discovered it. People also can be in boats and sail. They have casinos, cruises, sports, and a lot more. There is a lot of history and activities to do explore with your family.

Thanksgiving weekend is great. You get a few days off of work/school, there’s Black Friday sales, you have a lot of leftover food, and you get to see friends and family. If you’re going to a Thanksgiving party, having friends/family over, or just want to do something over the long weekend, here are some easy and fun treats.

Mini Peach Raspberry Pies

Pies are a very popular this time of year, but here is something quick, and since they are mini pies, they might take a little more time, but it is worth it. Most of the ingredients needed are ones you should probably already have at home (flour, sugar, eggs, milk butter), but here are the ones you might need to run to the grocery store for:

-Peaches, diced
-Raspberries
-Prepared pie crust

Full recipe and steps here – https://www.hellowonderful.co/post/COOKING-WITH-KIDS–MINI-PEACH-RASPBERRY-PIES

Rice Krispie Pumpkin Pie

Since pies have always been a popular Thanksgiving treat, here is a twist on the classic pumpkin pie. This is a perfect idea if you’re short on time, as this recipe calls for easy to get ingredients. Again, most of these ingredients you probably have at home (butter, vanilla extract) but here are the ones you might need to stop and get:

-Rice Krispie Cereal
-Marshmallows
-Orange food coloring
-Pumpkin pie spice

Full recipe and steps here – https://www.justataste.com/pumpkin-pie-rice-krispies-treats-recipe/

Fruit Cornucopias

Here is one of the healthiest (in comparison to the other two I had above), and easiest recipes yet. It involves one key ingredient: waffle ice cream cones. Dice up fruit of your choice, place a small piece of parchment paper inside the cone so it doesn’t get soggy and serve!

The full recipe can be found here – https://kirbiecravings.com/2014/09/fruit-cones.html

If you’re still looking for more ideas I found most of mine on this website: https://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/thanksgiving-desserts-for-kids?utm_term=.hwRpRKQb4#.ueb4WyMYo

Hopefully these have inspired you to make something fun and festive with your family and friends! If you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you have a good one! 🙂