Riya Patel          

        Why Do We Eat Turkeys On                                 Thanksgiving?

     

         Do you eat Turkeys? Do you ever wonder why we eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving? Well, no one really knows how this started, but there are a few myths. I chose this topic because I think a lot of people wonder about this. I will be focusing on one myth that I learned about. Turkeys started around 16 B.C. Stay tuned to hear about more. This topic relates to Thanksgiving because we eat Turkeys on that holiday. 

1. The wild Turkey is a native bird in North America
2. They were known to drop dead from the loud noise of Air Force Jets
3. Turkeys have heart attacks               

         

                                    My Opinion

          I think that it is a good idea to attribute Queen of England in the 16th century. I think this because you should worship your rulers. I formed this opinion by reading an article about this topic. I found this information on wonderopolis/ and americanlivewire.com. This is interesting because I think that other people are wondering why we eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving. Also they might be wondering who started this tradition. I think that this helps give us a good understanding of why we do eat Turkey's on Thanksgiving.

                                 Top Ten List

1. A male Turkey is called a "Gobbler". An adult "Gobbler" can weigh up to 16 to 22 pounds on average and has spurs on its leg for fighting. A female Turkey is called a "hen". An adult "hen" can weigh up to 8 to 12 pounds and they don't have any spurs.
2. The Wild Turkey was nearly to extinction in the early 1900s when the population reached around 30,000 birds. Restoration Programs in North America brought the numbers up to about 7 million birds today. Without Turkeys we wouldn't be able to celebrate Thanksgiving the way it should of been.
3. Benjamin Franklin praised the Turkey once for being "a much more respectful bird than the bald eagle. Though the Turkey was never proposed as a symbol for America.
4. Turkeys can run at 25 miles per hour. They can get up to the speed if running. They could also fly to at least 55 miles per hour.
5. When a hen is ready to make little Turkeys, she will lay about 10 to 12 eggs. One egg every day. It is over in about a 2 week period. The eggs will incubate for about 28 days before hatching.
6. Female Turkeys prefer males with long snoods. This is because the snood length can be used to predict the winner of a competition between 2 males.
7. A Turkey's gender can be determined by its droppings. The females droppings are shaped like the letter J. The males dropping are spiraled shaped.
8. There 6 species of Turkeys. They are all native.
9.  A group of related males group together to court females. Though, only one male of the group gets to mate
10. The pilgrims brought several domesticated Turkey's to North America.

This information is found on http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com.



        So now you know all about why we eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving .Who came up with the idea to eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving? Anyways, I challenge you to find out who came up with the idea to eat Turkeys on this holiday. This is why we eat Turkeys on Thanksgiving.

Riya Patel

                                Cotton Candy

        Do you love cotton candy? Did you ever wonder who invented cotton candy and how did they make it? Well, if you did stay tuned because I am going to answer your question.Visit this website for more information: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/who-invented-cotton-candy/

        2 guys named William Morrison and John C. Warton. They were from Tennessee.

The machine spun cotton candy was introduced to the world in 1897. Their first cotton candy machines were unreliable. For example, they broke down several of times and rattled. Though the demands were very high.
          In 1949 the Gold Metal Products of Cincinnati,Ohio, introduced a new version of a cotton candy machine. This new version helped tremendously. It didn't rattle or brake down unless something was very wrong. Now they were reliable to make cotton candy.Even today the Gold Metal Products manufacture almost all of the cotton candy machines.
          Did you ever wonder what happens in a cotton candy machine? Well, first the sugar is melted until it becomes liquid. Then, the liquid sugar is spun as the machine forces it through tiny holes that shapes and cool the liquid.Right after it cools the sugar becomes solid again. The thousands of tiny crystallized sugar threads are then collected by gently rotating a paper cone around the inside of the cotton candy machine.Once the puff of the cotton candy is just right then it is time to eat.
          In 1904 William Morrison and John C. Warton took the cotton candy to the St. Louis World's Fair. They sold each box of cotton candy for 25 cents. This may not seem as much as today, but back then it was half the price of an admission ticket to the fair. They sold over 68,000 boxes of 'fairy floss' also know as cotton candy at the fair.That means that they got more than $17,000.
          The most popular colors of cotton candy is pink and blue. Do you know how they get that perfect color? Well, you may be suprised to know that cotton candy is just like sugar, it is naturally white. You make they colors by adding in pink and blue food dye.
          This is all about the world of cotton candy.Now, I challenge you to choose a topic on  http://wonderopolis.org/ and read the paragraph underneath the video. Make sure you gather information to inform someone else.

                        A Few Facts That I Have Learned

• National cotton candy day is celebrated on November 7 each year.
• There is only one ingredient in cotton candy: sugar
• There is about as much sugar in cotton can as in a can of soda.  

Riya's extra credit

  Extra Credit
  Riya Patel                      

                         Current Events  

     Have you ever read about current events? Well, current events are news that are happening right now. In other words the news is present.Have you have read current events did the news relate to you, someone you know, or even a character in a book that you're reading? Well keep reading to find out how some of these events could relate to the character in my independent reading book. 

     The book that I read is called "The Clique- Kristen". The character in the book that I am mainly focusing on is Kristen. One event the is happening is the voting. I think the Kristen would be interested in this article because she actually takes time to learn about what is going on around the world. In addition she is tutoring a girl named Ripple.I think that Kristen's opinion on the news is that she would get a little interested in it. For example, you probably are very anxious to find out who the winner of the voting is. This is one current event that Kristen would enjoy learning about.   
       Another current event found on is all about fashion and clothes. This is because she also enjoys being a fashionista. At the same time. though, she loves to learn about the world itself and what is happening all over the globe. Her opinion would be that  she loves learning about fashion as well as Earth's history. This is another current event that I personally think that she would love.
       A third current event that Kristen would be interested in is math. This is because she spends most of her time tutoring math to Ripple.So she would be really interested to find more facts about math. Her opinion might be that the article was very informative. This is another current event that Kristen would like to read about.
        A fourth current event that she would enjoy is about beauty pageants. I think this because in her spare time she sometimes helps the contestants get ready by putting makeup on their face,doing their hair, lining them up, and keeping them calm if they are to nervous. She would like this event because it could give her more ways to make the girls even more beautiful. Her opinion might be that it is informative and very helpful to her part-time volunteer job. This is the fourth current event that i believe Kristen would love.
      Lastly, the fifth current event that Kristen would enjoy is pets. This is because she has a little puppy that she volunteered to take care of. I think that this will probably help her get a better understanding of what puppy's necessities are. Another idea is that she may not know important things like when they have to go to the vet for a checkup. Also, you have to walk them every day. So, I think that Kristen would like the article. Her opinion would probably be that the news is very helpful for people who don't really have an experience with dogs/puppy's. This is the fifth event that Kristen would really enjoy.
     Finally, you know how current events can relate to you. It could also relate to another person that you know or even a character in a movie or book. I challenge you to find a current event that either relates to you, another person that you know, or a character. Now you have learned all about current events.