Being away is "Jamaican" me miss you!

Hello kids! It's me, Chet, of course. I feel badly that I left in such a rush last Friday, but Mr. Pinchot needed me to go to Jamaica with a member of his class. I will write more on my trip later. I'm still trying to get to know my new fourth grade friend (and figure out when I'll be coming home). Did you know fourth graders know how to do division? I just learned to add! It's crazy!

What I am trying to decide is whether or not I should by this dreadlock wig I saw in a souvenir shop. Many people in Jamaica have their hair styled this way and I want to live like a local, while I am here. This is what the wig looks like. Should I buy it?




While I am resting and relaxing on the beautiful white sandy beaches, I am going to practice some games on my hundreds chart. You have a green one in your homework folder. I learned a new game called "Guess My Number." All you need is a 100's chart and a partner to play this game. Here's how you play:

1. Secretly pick a number on the chart, but don't tell your partner what it is.

2. Your partner asks you questions about the number, but they must be yes or no questions.

3. You answer the questions by saying yes or no. Your partner can keep track of what number they think it might be or the numbers they think it can't be on a separate sheet of paper (if they want to).

4. Keep track of the number of questions it takes your partner to guess the secret number. Each question is a point. The player with the fewest points wins. Be sure to play a few rounds and let your partner pick a secret number for you to guess, too.

Let me know if you try this game...you could even type to me and tell me some of the questions you use when trying to guess a secret number. I want to be able to ask questions that will eliminate many numbers at once, so I won't have to ask very many to make my guess.

P.S. If you don't play the game, at least write to me and let me know whether or not you think I should buy the dreadlock wig...I'm having trouble deciding if I would look good with hair that long; I've always been a clean cut bear.

Fall into Math Games

Hey kids! It's me Chet! Miss Hoffmann and Miss P are letting me type on the blog again. They say that they are too busy eating cupcakes and complaining about how badly they need pedicures to type to you, so I am helping them out. I like being their little secretary.

First, I want to say thank you to the person who brought me that wonderful hooded sweatshirt with the snowflake on it. I was so warm and cozy today when it was dreary and rainy outside. It was great. I was able to squeeze in a pretty great nap while you were all at Media.

Anyway, Miss Hoffmann and Miss P wanted me to write to you about the math games we've been playing in class. I love "Tens Go Fish," but "Close to 20" is really growing on me. It is challenging because you have to use three numbers to get close to 20, but I am getting better the more I practice. Speaking of practice...this weekend I went over to my bear friend's house. Maybe you've heard of him. His name is Winnie. I call him Pooh Bear. Pooh Bear doesn't go to school. He's too busy eating honey. I try to visit him and teach him things that I'm learning, but sometimes he tries to trick me when we play the math games.

I need your help. We were playing Close to 20. I had the following cards: 3, 10, 5, 5, and 6. I played the 10, 5, and 6. I added the cards on my scoresheet. I know that 5 and 6 make 11 because they are almost doubles and I've been practicing those. Then I added 11 with 10 and got 21. I told Pooh that my score for the round was a 1 because 21 is just 1 jump away from 20 on my 100's chart. BUT he said that I could have gotten a better score. He said that I should have used different cards for my turn, but then he wouldn't tell me which ones would have been better. Can you help me? I was really stumped. Please write me and let me know which cards would have been better...also, if you could help explain how to add them up and get the score, that would be great. Like I said, I'm new at this game and I'm still having a little trouble.

Well, I gotta go. Miss Hoffmann and Miss P want me to ride my bike to Publix and get them some Limited Edition Pumpkin ice cream. They can be very demanding, but I love them.

Good night! I hope to hear from you all soon. :)

Clementine

We may have finished reading Clementine, but we don't have to forget about her. We are curious about what you thought of the book. Choose one (or more) of the questions below and let us know what you think.

1. Clementine reminds us of young girls like Ramona, Junie B., and Judy Moody. Does she remind you of any of these characters from other stories? What does she have in common with them? What is different about her?

2. Clementine helped her father find a solution to the pigeon problem, by having Mrs. Jacobi feed them Cheerios from a different window. Describe a solution that you came up with to help a friend or family member.

3. On the back of the book, it says "Clementine is having not so good of a week." This is also the first sentence of the book. We had fun laughing about all the things that happened to Clementine, but to her they were very serious (at least at first). Have you ever had a "not so good of a week" that you were able to laugh at later? Describe what happened.

4. Clementine loves to draw, whether it's a picture of a lady eating lentils with a toothbrush, or a picture of her brother wearing bologna glasses. Talk about something you like to do in your spare time.

We hope these questions will be a fun way for you to continue to talk about Clementine, even though we are done reading the book in class. Feel free to come back and comment on the posts left by your classmates, as well.

P.S. If you really loved Clementine, then be sure to look for the two other books in the series: The Talented Clementine and Clementine's Letter. Enjoy!

Chet's NYC Pics

Here I am posing with "Hello Kitty" in an office building courtyard. The city was full of statues and fountains of all different types.



This is where Miss P and I ate cheesecake in Central Park.



I loved this sculpture at MOMA...it made me laugh! It looks like a cartoon!



Ninja Star dessert. I love chocolate!



Ninja Restaurant.



This is the cat I met at Bleecker Street Records when I was shopping for new cd's.



This is me with a giant M&M!



This is me making new friends at the M&M store in Times Square.



This is me near a Picasso statue at NYU. Look for me near the bottom. The statue was a little big compared to me!



Here I am waiting to get into the U.S. Open.



The giant dog "balloon" statue at the Met.



The view from my seat at the U.S. Open. It's a good thing I'm not afraid of heights.



This is me posing near a statue in Chinatown.

I Loved New York!

Hi kids! It's me...Chet the traveling adventure bear. I just got back from New York City, where I spent a lovely Labor Day weekend. Boy, did I have a great time! It was much different from my home in Jacksonville. Before I begin, I want to thank Miss Hoffmann and Miss P for letting me use their blog to write to you.
Probably the best thing about my trip was what happened when I first arrived in Manhattan. I was walking around Chinatown, trying to find some food to eat for lunch, when I saw some baby clothes that were just my size. I got a great deal on a little Chet-sized suit. It says, "I love New York" all over it. I slipped it on and continued on my way, looking much more civilized. The first day I walked around Central Park for a while and watched all the people playing there. People were playing football, frisbee, baseball, soccer, and many other games. Then I took a nap on a bench, near two young people playing mandolins. A little girl and her dad were dancing around to the music. It was hilarious! After my nap, I was feeling very refreshed, so I walked to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to look at some sculptures. There was a new exhibit that focused on the clothes that superheroes wear. I got to see the real suit that Christian Bale wore in "Dark Knight." I spent a lot of time on the roof, where they have a rooftop garden. There are huge statues that look like inflated balloons. My favorite one looked like a giant dog! It was fun looking out at the view of the city skyline. All that walking really took it out of me, so I was happy to go out for a big dinner that night. I went to Palapa in the East Village. It serves Mexican food. Delicious! I ate so much homemade guacamole that Miss P and her friends had to carry me home. I couldn't even walk. I also ate beans, rice, and some very spicy chicken. Salsa verde is a little too much for this bear to handle!
The next day I woke up early. Miss P wanted to sleep in, but I squeezed her nose until she woke up. She wasn't very happy with me, but I really wanted to get out and experience the city. We ate breakfast at a small Italian cafe. I ordered banana pancakes and was not disappointed. Yum! Yum! After breakfast, I rode the train all the way through Queens, which is on a whole other island. Miss P had a surprise for me...I was going to the U.S. Open to see Nadal play. During tennis matches, you have to be very quiet during the points. This was hard for me because I like to yell and shout cheers of encouragement. Later in the day, I also got to watch Serena Williams play. It was very exciting. We were quite high up in the stadium but I could still see all the action down below. I have watched tennis on television since I was a cub, so this was a big moment for me. Wow! I still can't believe it; it was so much fun seeing all my favorite players in person! As if that wasn't great enough, I got to have ice cream for dessert after dinner because Miss P was so impressed at how well behaved and quiet I was during the tennis matches. We went to a place called "16 handles" where you get to make your own sundaes. You choose what kinds of different ice cream flavors you want to mix together, and then you get to choose what toppings you would like to have. I was so overwhelmed and excited that perhaps I didn't make the best combination. I chose chocolate, white chocolate, and cheesecake ice cream, and I got to control the handles and put as much in the bowl as I wanted. So far, so good. But there were so many toppings that I accidentally mixed strawberries and Butterfingers together. These toppings were good on their own, but not so good together. Still, it was a lot of fun, and I would love to go back.
On Sunday, I went shopping for some shoes to match my bear suit, in Soho. Most of the stores weren't open yet, so I just walked around and then checked out the neighborhoods around NYU (New York University). There are many interesting shops and cafes. I went into a record store on Bleeker street and met a friendly cat, who lived in the store, when I was browsing for new music to listen to. Next, I rode the train to Times Square to look at the billboards and lights. Yow! What a bustling place! The lights were almost too much for me, so we rode the subway home to take a long nap before dinner. We had special reservations at a place called Ninja. It is a Japanese restaurant where ninjas bring you your food. They also jump out and scare you when you are walking to the bathroom. I did not like this at all! The restaurant is below ground and it is decorated like an ancient Japanese village. We ate in a small room that looked like a jail cell. Miss P's friend ordered a first course called the "clam bombshell." When the ninja brought it to the table, he said it wasn't ready yet. It had a rope sticking out of it, which he lit on fire. There was a huge flame and the clam eventually opened. There were all sorts of pieces of seafood inside! We ate and ate and ate some more...four whole courses. When it was time to pay the bill, I hid in the bathroom...bears don't make much money, you know! I will make it up to Miss P by sharpening some pencils now that we are back at Chets Creek.
Monday was our last day in the city. I begged Miss P to take me to NBC studios, so I could see where the "Today Show" is filmed. I didn't see any of the hosts, but I did see cameras set up for a segment in the plaza outside. There were many people gathered around holding signs, just like you see on television. I was going to wait for the segment to be filmed, but I wanted to keep going so I could get to MOMA (The Museum of Modern Art) before it got crowded. There were many interesting paintings, sculptures, and models to look at. I didn't stay long though; I was pretty tired from walking around. Miss P thought it would be a good idea to recharge ourselves by eating some giant pieces of New York style cheesecake in Central Park, so we had a little picnic. We sat near a pond and listened to a man play the saxophone while we ate. It was very relaxing. Then we watched people riding in horse drawn carriages. Eventually we made it back to where we were staying, to pack our bags and take a nap before dinner. What a day. Miss P let me try some of her artichoke ravioli at dinner. It was much more delicious than the twigs and berries I am accustomed to.
Man, what a trip! I just can't believe all the fun things we did in such a short amount of time. I can't wait to go on another trip soon! Who will be next to take me on an adventure? Will it be you? Where will we go? I just can't wait to start another journey.

P.S. Pictures of my trip are coming soon! :)