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Travel Review: Roatán, Honduras

June 8, 2017 By Lucy

During spring break, my family and I decided to go to Roatán for the second time. The first time we went, we went with another family; we didn’t get the same experience that we would have had going on our own. So, about 3 weeks ago, we went again.

Roatán is an island off the mainland Honduras- we chose to go there instead of the mainland because it is less dangerous and the snorkeling is exceptional. It is known for its diver shops, which we didn’t have time to experience on our 1-week trip. However, we will definitely do it in the future. The island is only 32.5 square miles with a population of 50,000 people. I appreciated going to Roatán because we were fully immersed in Hondurian culture and we got to learn about the natives – and ourselves – better.

Even though most Hondurians would be considered to be “below” the poverty line of the United States, they live life to the fullest and work for everything that they have. In the United States, it’s not uncommon to see people begging on the streets instead of going to work. In Roatán, I didn’t see one person doing that; people were working, and more importantly, they were happy.

We stayed in a private home in Roatán to get more of the full experience of the island, but there are a few hotels that accommodate everyone, suggest travel locations, and help you plan your itinerary. The few main hotels are:

  1. Barefoot Cay in West Harbour: a boutique resort that features a private oceanside front. There is a PADI-certified dive center on site, so this hotel would be perfect for anyone who would spend a majority of their time diving.
  2. Infinity Bay Spa and Beach Resort: this is a larger hotel that is popular for travelers that want to snorkel. It is a upscale resort that helps you plan your itinerary: including fishing, snorkeling, and scuba diving.
  3. Grand Roatan Caribbean Resort: this is a hotel that is often mentioned in traveling books for Honduras and Roatan. It is a luxurious, laid-back hotel with many different rooms and rates.An example of a Hondurian classroom in Cayos Cochinos, Honduras

I would suggest going to Roatán rather than a more touristy location like Hawaii or Costa Rica:

  1. It is quite a lot cheaper- you can get a lot of food for a low price, there are lower rates in hotels, and overall, it is just less expensive.
  2. You get to experience the culture- in places like Costa Rica, the natives are focused more on tourists than their own traditions. In Roatán, the tourists merely complement the natives’ lives rather than completely taking them over.
  3. The reefs are amazing- it is bordering the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is one of the biggest, most abundant reefs. However, one thing that I noticed is that the coral in some areas is starting to “white out,” or be exposed to global warming and too much sun.
  4. There are still many touristy things to do- Even though the locals focus on their own life, there are still an abundance of fun things for tourists to do in their free time. Some things that I did were zipline, meet sloths and monkeys, and go to a zoo.

Going to Roatán is one thing, but staying there is another. I have noticed that Roatán has a lot of bugs and sand flies, so I would suggest buying the following products.

  1. Cactus Juice Eco-spray, 6oz– this spray is not sticky or smelly, yet it deters bugs like no other. Also, there are no chemicals or things that are bad for your skin.
  2. Cactus Juice 20 SPF Sunscreen, 2.5oz– this is the same thing as the spray, it is just for when you are more in the sun because it has SPF. It’s also a lotion. We used the spray for the beach (sand flies!) because it’s hard to apply lotion over sandy legs.
  3. White Sierra Women’s Bug Free Jersey Long Sleeve Crew, Large, Lavender– these shirts are a little bit expensive, however, they can be used anywhere you go that has bugs. It is a great long term investment. When I wore this shirt, I did not get one bug bite for the duration of the trip.

I definitely would say that I spent my week in Roatán to the fullest. Some of the highlights of my trip were the constant snorkeling and kayaking trips, going on a giant canopy zipline, and meeting animals like monkeys and sloths. Overall, Roatán is a great tropical vacation spot for all families, couples, and children. I would definitely go there again. In fact, I am going to Roatán on a scuba diving summer camp trip this summer.

IMG_0925

How native garifunas on Cayos Cochinos cook
How the native garifunas on Cayos Cochinos cook!

Filed Under: Blog, Just For Fun, Uncategorized Tagged With: barrier reef, caribbean, diving, honduras, hondurians, mesoamerican barrier reef, monkeys, roatan, scuba, scuba diving, sloths, snorkel, snorkeling, tropical, tropical vacation, vacation, zipline

3 Apps to Make Your Own Video Games

December 30, 2015 By Lucy

Have your students ever played Minecraft, Fallout, or Halo and curious how the developers made it? I’m going to show you 3 video game apps to make your own video games. Also – GameSalad and Flowlab have teacher and classroom options.

Top 3 Apps To Create Your Own Video Games

  • GameSalad (https://gamesalad.com) lets you make the games on the computer and then transfer it to different platforms. They also have a student/teacher discount of 50% for the PRO package, so it would be $9.50 a month. Using GameSalad, you can also make money from your games using in-app purchases. You can load in art and sound effects and you can easily test the game at any time. This is a very well-known site – 3 games from this website have reached #1 in the United States app store. GameSalad also supports most-if not all- platforms: Apple, Android, HTML5, Windows, and Amazon.

    This is an example of someone making a game on the GameSalad app.
    This is an example of someone making a game on the GameSalad app.
  • Flowlab (http://flowlab.io) is a beta game software that can be accessible from home, needs no installation, and has a teacher dashboard. You can create games by signing up for free or you could get access to the teacher dashboard and unlimited students for $12 a month. Flowlab currently only supports playing games online or using an iPhone. A great feature of Flowlab is that there are no downloads needed- everything is right in your browser.

    This is an example of a Flowlab tutorial level using the Flowlab developing app.
    This is an example of a Flowlab tutorial level using the Flowlab developing app.
  • Sploder (http://www.sploder.com) is a completely free service which allows students to make games online, but you cannot transfer it to a mobile device. You can make your own games or play other people’s games. These games are more “low quality” or less advanced than GameSalad or Flowlab games. Using Sploder, you can share your games with everyone and vote on which games you think are the best. Currently, Sploder is only available for playing and developing on the computer.

    This is an example of a Sploder game creating using the Sploder developing app.
    This is an example of a Sploder game creating using the Sploder developing app.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Just For Fun, Portfolio

5 Study Tips for Gifted Children

October 7, 2015 By Lucy

Organization

  1. Use a planner.  I always write ‘TEST DAY’ on the actual day of the test in my planner, and it also helps to use a color-coding method (red for due tomorrow, yellow for in a few days, green for a few weeks away.)
  2. Create a “study plan”. In your notebook write down when your tests are, what material they are on, and how long you want to study per day. I usually study for most classes 20 minutes a day, starting 3 days before a test.

Studying Habits

  1. Use different sources. I have found that it isn’t very useful to just read a textbook over and over again, you could use other materials such as online flashcards, mnemonic devices, and video and audio resources. Crash Course is a very good resource, and I also use a online site called Quizlet which can be used on the go!
  2. Put the information in your own words. Many textbooks and teachers use big words, so an easier way to understand it is to put it into shorter, commonsense words that are easier to remember.
  3. Go to a museum, visit a historical site, etc. If you see something in person, it is easier to ‘connect the dots’ and be able to understand the material better than you would just reading your notes.
Study Planner Gifted Kids
This is a page from my 7th grade planner. See how it is color coded?

Filed Under: Blog, Math, Portfolio, Reading and Writing, School Subjects, Science Tagged With: gifted, kids, study

Labs for Gifted Children- At Home and Easy!

September 19, 2015 By Lucy

Rock Candy Lab

You will need:

  • A wooden skewer
  • A clothespin
  • 1 cup of water
  • 2-3 cups of sugar
  • A tall narrow glass or jar

What to do:

  1. Clip the wooden skewer into the clothespin so that it hangs down inside the glass and is about 1 inch (2.5 cm) from the bottom of the glass. (as shown)
  2. Remove the skewer and clothespin and put them aside for now.
  3. Pour the water into a pan and bring it to boil.
  4. Pour about 1/4 cup of sugar into the boiling water, stirring until it dissolves.
  5. Keep adding more and more sugar, each time stirring it until it dissolves, until no more will dissolve. This will take time and patience and it will take longer for the sugar to dissolve each time.Be sure you don’t give up too soon. Once no more sugar will dissolve, remove it from heat and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes.
  6. Have your friendly ADULT carefully pour the sugar solution into the jar almost to the top. Then submerge the skewer back into the glass making sure that it is hanging straight down the middle without touching the sides.
  7. Allow the jar to fully cool and put it someplace where it will not be disturbed.
  8. Now just wait. The sugar crystals will grow over the next 3-7 days.

Slime Lab

You will need:

  •  1/4 cup of water
  • 1/4 cup of white craft glue (like Elmer’s glue)
  • 1/4 cup of liquid starch (used for clothes)
  •  Food coloring (optional)
  •  Mixing bowl
  •  Mixing spoon

 

What to do:

  • Pour all of the the glue into the mixing bowl.
  • Pour all of the water to the mixing bowl with the glue.
  • Stir the glue and water together.
  • Add your food color now – about 6 drops should do it.
  • Now add the liquid starch and stir it in.
  • It should be nice and blobby by now. As you play with your slimy concoction, it will become more stretchy and easier to hold.

Soap Powered Boat Lab

What to do:

  • A foam tray (like the kind meat comes in) or a piece of non-currogated cardboard
  • A tray, bowl, or cookie sheet full of water
  • Liquid dish soap
  • A toothpick

You will need:

  • Cut the foam tray or cardboard into a boat shape as shown below:

soapboat1

  • Dip the toothpick into the liquid soap and use the toothpick to put soap onto the sides of the notch at the back of the boat.
  • That’s it! Now carefully place the boat onto the surface of the water and watch it scoot across the water for several seconds – you’ve made a soap-powered boat! To demonstrate the boat again, you will need to rinse out the tray to remove any soap from the previous demonstration.

 

*Also, another fun idea would be to get a science kit- it provides a variety of different experiments that can be easily cleaned up and stored. For example, here’s one from Amazon.

SmartLab Toys Extreme Secret Formula

Filed Under: Blog, Crafts, Portfolio Tagged With: boat, candy, gifted, kids, labs, rock, rock candy, slime, soap

5 Best Educational Apps for Gifted Children

September 8, 2015 By Lucy

Math Bingo- The best app for gifted children to work on their math skills and have fun!
Math Bingo- The best app for gifted children to work on their math skills and have fun!

Math BINGO App

I used to play this app when I was younger! There are 5 different types: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and mixed, and there are 3 levels of difficulty. You get to choose a avatar, and by playing, you unlock BINGO Bugs- the goal is to get them all. This kept me hooked on the game even after I got all the BINGO Bugs!

Simple Physics App

“SimplePhysics lets you design complex structures for everything from tree houses to ferris wheels and then simulates your design with a sophisticated physics engine.” This is a very interesting app which you use to make structures, and then you can test it with a close to reality physics simulator. This is perfect for children who like to be creative and imaginative, but still stimulates their brain.

Trainyard App

In Trainyard, the goal is to get every train to its corresponding station. “As the game progresses, you’ll have to use colour theory to combine trains of different colours, use timing to merge and split trains, and use every inch of your brain in your quest to beat the game.” This app requires a lot of concentration and smarts- perfect for a gifted child to play in the car, waiting for their sister’s gymnastics practice to end, and more.

Stack the Countries App

As you learn country capitals, landmarks, geographic locations and more, you carefully build a stack of countries that reaches the checkered line to win each level. You earn a random country for every successfully completed level. All of your countries appear on your own personalized maps of the continents. Stack the Countries was really  easy to learn and was challenging to beat sometimes! It is great for gifted children because it keeps them occupied, because they are playing to get something (get all of the continents.)

Unblock Me App

Unblock Me is a puzzle app. The goal is to move the red block off the board by sliding the other blocks out of the way in the least amount of moves. There are 3 game difficulties ranging from Beginner to Expert, and there are 2 game modes- regular mode and challenge mode. In challenge mode, each puzzle has 3 stars to earn. This is a great game to play when you are trying to pass the time or just want to have a little challenge.

Filed Under: Blog, Games for Gifted Kids, Portfolio Tagged With: apps, educational, giftededucationalapps, mathbingo, simplephysics, stackthecountries, trainyard, unblock

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