Walking Wednesday - Getting To Know Argentina

Ferdinand Magellan
Do you know who Magellan is? Ferdinand Magellan was a Portuguese sailor. He wanted to reach southeast Asia where many spices grew. He hoped to find a passage through South America so that he could sail all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Magellan left Spain in 1519 with 5 ships and 260 men. At first, he did not tell them where they were going because he thought they would be too frightened to obey him. Magellan found the strait that is now named after him by chance. Magellan named our ocean “Pacific” because the ocean was calm and peaceful when he entered it. The crossing took 3 months and 20 days. Magellan and his men suffered a terrible hunger. They ran out of fresh food and many died of scurvy, an illness caused by a lack of vitamin C found in fresh fruit and veggies. He died on the 27th of April in 1521 on an island in Malaysia.

By Claire P.

10/24 Jungle Club Meeting

Our trek across South America begins at the southern most tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego (see the photo). What an amazing place to begin! We learned about the flag of Argentina, the Incan Sun God Inti, Magellan's travels through the Strait of Magellan, and how he named the Pacific Ocean, Tierra del Fuego, and Patagonia. The kids spent a lot of time taking the information we presented and creating wonderful morning announcements for the school that they will read each Wednesday on Walking Wednesdays.

For our snack (thank you, Miss Trish) we sampled Empanadas.
Our empanadas were purchased at our local Trader Joe's but if you have time (and a sense of adventure), try this quick and easy recipe. Your kids will love them!
http://www.grouprecipes.com/sr/20305/quick-and-easy-empanadas/recipe/

Walking Wednesdays - Learning About South America

Last week the entire school walked 1/2 mile during recess plus 10. That’s 300 miles toward our Walking Wednesdays Walk Across South America trek. Soon we will begin recording our daily walks to and from school. We will add them all together to help us walk from the Andes to the Amazon in South America.

Friday we had our first Walking Wednesday Jungle Club meeting. Here are some things we learned about South America:

South America is the fourth largest continent in the world but it only has 12 countries.

South America is home to the driest place in the world and the wettest! East of the Andes Mountains in Columbia, the Amazon Rain forest gets 463 inches of rain per year. To the west of the Andes Mountains in a desert in Chile, there has never been any recorded rainfall!

The Andes mountains are the longest mountain range in the world stretching all along the west coast of the continent.

Most South Americans live near the coast of their continent. In the middle of the rainforest there are less than 2 people per square mile!

By Natalie M.

First Jungle Club Meeting

Hello, Stoneleigh!
We tasted two delicious snacks this week at our first Jungle Club meeting.
Plantains are a crop of bananas that are typically used for cooking. The plantain crop is sometimes called the dessert banana. They are grown as far north as Florida, the Caribbean, and Central and South America in countries like Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia, southern Brazil, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Egypt, Cameroon, Nigeria, southern Japan, and Taiwan. We ate Plantains at our first club meeting. We cooked them by slicing them lengthwise, deep fried them, and then we sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar on top.

Brigaderos are simple Brazilian chocolate candies created in the 1940s and named after Eduardo Gomes who was a Brazilian Air Force brigadier. Their shape is similar to some varieties of chocolate truffles. The brigadero is usually served at parties and is popular among both children and adults. It's about one of the most popular candies in Brazil. They were excellent!

Below are the recipes we used at home. Enjoy!

By Ariel B.

Brigadeiros (chocolate balls)

1 can sweetened condensed milk

5 heaping T. of Nesquick, or to taste

1 heaping T. of butter or margarine, or to taste

Chocolate sprinkles

Mix all together over medium low heat for approximately 15 minutes or until mixure has a thick consistency. Take off heat and put in the fridge until cool (about 1/2 - 1 hour). Butter fingers and shape into small balls (about the size of a small superball). Roll in chocolate sprinkles and place in little foil confection cups. A sweet Brazilian treat to enjoy! Makes approximately 24 little balls.

Fried Plantains (Brazilian Style)by

2 - 6 plantains, black in color

sugar and cinnamon

Slice blackened plantains length-wise and thinly. Heat vegetable oil in fry pan (approximately 1/4 inch thick with oil). Carefully place sliced plantains into hot oil. After a minute or so, turn the plantains and fry on other side. Remove from oil unto papertowel covered plate to dry. When cooled slightly, coat slices in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon and eat while warm.

Day 5: International Walk to School Week

Congratulations, Stoneleigh Students, for completing our 5th annual International Walk to School Week! 

We saw more walkers than ever this year.  

We ended our week-long festivities with fresh, hot coffee for our parents and chocolate for the kids - all to kick-off our yearlong trek across South America.

Thanks, especially, to our local Starbucks (located in our York Road shopping center) for their generous donation of delicous coffee, cups, cream and sugar.  THANK YOU!!! 

Day 3: International Walk to School Week

From One Less Car...
This week, all Stoneleigh students received a brochure to participate in the The Community Pace Car Program. This program gives Maryland residents a chance to impact traffic safety by taking charge of their neighborhood streets. People who sign the Community Pace Car pledge (see below) agree to put the Maryland Community Pace Car sticker on the back of their car and to actually obey the posted speed limit in their neighborhoods, thereby acting as a “pace car” for other motorists. Only a small percentage of vehicles acting as pace cars can effectively slow motor vehicle traffic in a neighborhood. When enough people join, traffic can be calmed city or county-wide. This makes conditions safer for bicyclists, pedestrians and transit users. As safety conditions improve, people feel more comfortable walking, cycling or just waiting for the bus. This, in turn, makes conditions better for motorists by taking cars off the streets. A successful Pace Car program leads to tangible benefits for all road users.

COMMUNITY PACE CAR DRIVER PLEDGE

1. I will drive within the speed limit on all community streets in Maryland.
2. I’ll treat all pedestrians with respect and will share the road safely with them.
3. I’ll treat all bicyclists with respect and only pass them when I can give them at least 3 feet of safe clearance.
4. I’ll give myself enough travel time so that I’m not sacrificing courtesy or safety.
5. I will not be pressured by other driver’s impatience to drive above the posted speed limit.
6. I will devote my full attention to driving and avoid distractions such as cell phones.
7. I will choose to DRIVE LESS by walking, bicycling and taking mass transit when I can in order to reduce traffic, save money and improve the environment in my community.

WANT TO JOIN MARYLAND’S COMMUNITY PACE CAR TEAM?
If you didn't receive your pledge email sesjungleclub@gmail.com or email One Less Car directly- rchambers@onelesscar.org

Day 2: International Walk to School Week

Superintendent, Dr. Hairston, Ms. Roddy, and Mr. Leake from the Baltimore County School Office visit Stoneleigh Elementary to observe our Walking Wednesdays - International Walk to School Week festivities.

Day 1: International Walk to School Week...a huge success

Good morning!
Our first day of the International Walk to School Week was a huge success!

Child safety, the environment, and community awareness were highlighted on local news stations. Watch Fox 45 at 10pm to see kids from Stoneleigh walking to school and our interviews.

From Fox 45
http://www.foxbaltimore.com/players/news/top_stories/wbff_vid_1463.shtml

International Walk to School Week!

International Walk to School Month gives children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking. In 2007, millions of walkers from around the world walked to school together for various reasons – all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk. (www.iwalktoschool.org)

Stoneleigh Elementary is so excited to celebrate International Walk to School Week with children around the world.