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The Statue of Liberty

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

“Wake up children before you miss the Statue of Liberty. We will be passing her by in just 10 minutes,” said Grandma Maureen.

Arthur J, Annie and Kathy, rubbed their eyes trying to wake up fast and ran to the balcony . Off ahead they saw the Statue of Liberty just as she looked in pictures. “Let’s take a picture for show and tell in school,” said Kathy. ” Good idea, ” said Grandma Maureen as she ran for her camera.

picture of the statue of libertyThey all stood in awe of the statue as they passed in front of her.

“Can any of you tell me who gave us the Statue of Liberty,” asked grandma.

Arthur J, Annie and Kathy all thought for a minute. Then Annie said, “If Orrie was here, he’d know the answer.” Grandma Maureen laughed and said, “You are right. He would know, but he isn’t here so I will tell you. The Statue of Liberty is a gift from France. They gave it to us in friendship to welcome immigrants and visitors to America when they come through New York Harbor.

“I think the Statue of Liberty is welcoming us home,” said Annie. Grandma said, “What a nice thought, Annie. We went to another country and now we are home.”

Once they past the statue they all returned to their room, looking a bit sad. Soon they would dock in New York harbor. “I wish the trip wasn’t over,” said Kathy. Arthur J added, “I will miss the friends I made in cruise camp.” Annie looked at both of them and said, “Hey, we had a great time didn’t we”?

Grandma Maureen smiled at her grandchildren saying,” It’s natural to be sad when something we enjoyed is over, but we have so many stories and pictures to share with all our friends and families back on “Can Do” Street. Arthur J you can email your cruise friends, can’t you”? Arthur smile,”Yes, grandma, I got their addresses at the kids camp going away party last night.”

Just before they got ready to leave the ship Arthur J, Kathy and Annie each gave grandma a big hug and thanked her for a wonderful trip.

Soon they were on the bus heading towards the airport and the plane that would take them home to “Can Do” Street.

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Harbour Hopper and Theodore Tugboat

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

As Kathy, Annie and Arthur J skipped along the dock in Halifax, Grandma Maureen said, “I have a surprise or two for you today. Let’s walk along the harbor until we reach our first surprise.”

Arthur J. saw Theodore Tugboat first. Running up to he yelled for his sisters to follow him.

Theodore Tugboat“You found my first surprise of the day,” said Grandma. “We are taking a cruise and listen to stories on Theodore Tugboat,” she added. With that, grandma purchased their tickets and they got on board.

What a fun-filled ride; what a great surprise!

After the ride, Arthur J, Kathy and Annie were sad to say good-bye to Theodore Tugboat. Annie turned to grandma saying, “That was so much fun can we go again”?

Grandma smiled and said, “I am glad you enjoyed your time with Theodore Tugboat, but you don’t want to miss my next surprise. I think you will find to be just as much fun. It might be even more fun than Theodore Tugboat.”

Arthur J, Kathy and Annie looked at one another, then at grandma. Kathy said, “What could be more fun than a tugboat ride”?

With that they turned a corner and found themselves staring at ‘Halifax Harbour Hopper’, which looked like part bus and part boat! They had never seen anything like it before!The Halifax Harbour Hopper photo

“What’s that, asked Arthur J. “That is your next surprise. The Halifax Harbour Hopper will take us on a tour of the city and all its historic places; then it’s into the water for a harbor cruise”, said grandma.

Annie, Kathy and Arthur J rushed to get on board. Once seated, a man got on a microphone and introduced himself as their tour guide. He said he would be telling stories about landmarks and historic sites in Halifax, but first he wanted to tell them about this strange vehicle they were riding in, called Halifax Harbour Hopper. He described Hoppers as refitted vehicles originally built for US Military use to carry men and supplies from ship to shore and through jungles.

It was so exciting to go from the streets of town into the harbor!

As they made their way back to the ship, Annie, Kathy and Arthur J talked about all they could share with family and friends at home.

“What’s our next surprise,” asked Arthur J”?

Grandma Maureen smiled saying, “This is our last port of call. We sail back tonight, docking in New York City. From there we catch a plane back to “Can Do” Street.”

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The Biggest Fiddle in the World

Saturday, June 25th, 2011

Arthur J woke to the sound of voices that were coming from outside the ship. How could that be? They were at sea. He got up, opened the drapes, pulled open the glass door and went out on the balcony of  his cabin. He looked below. They were in port, tied to the dock in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The voices were coming from the people on the dock; he hadn’t imagined hearing voices. They were real.

He turned to the right and saw the biggest instrument he had ever seen. It looked like a big version of the violin that Yundi played in the “Can Do” Street Community Center orchestra back home.

Just then Grandma Maureen joined him on the balcony. Arthur J said, ” Look Grandma, a large violin.” Grandmas Maureen gave him a smiled and gave him a morning hug.

larget fiddle in the worldShe replied,”No Arthur J. That is a fiddle. The largest fiddle in the world.”

Arthur J looked confused and asked, “But why is the largest fiddle in the world here and not in a big city”?

Grandma Maureen answered saying, “It is here to remind visitors of how important fiddle playing is the the people who live in this part of Canada and just how many wonderful fiddle players and other musicians come from this region.”

Arthur J thought a moment and asked, “When we get off the ship, can I get my picture taken with the fiddle for show and tell at school in September”?  Arthur J and Grandma Maureen were too busy looking at the fiddle to realize that the girls were up and standing right behind them until they began to say, “Me too, me too we want our pictures taken with the big fiddle!”

So that is just what they did after getting dressed and having breakfast; they got off the ship and got their pictures taken with the Biggest Fiddle in the World!

Be sure to come back soon to read more about Arthur J’s,  Annie’s and Kathy’s continuing cruise adventures!

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It’s Cruise Day!

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Arthur J, Kathy and Annie were so excited as they made their way into the cruise terminal with Grandma Maureen.

Their cruise ship looked so tall and long to them !

The night before their parents saw them off at “Can Do” Airport. They flew to New York City where they spent the night in a hotel. It was their first time on a plane and they loved it! They watched a movie and had a snack on the plane.

When they got in the cruise terminal, they had to go through a security check. Then they had their pictures taken and were given an ID card to wear on board.

When they got on the cruise ship they couldn’t believe their eyes! It was beautiful! Their stateroom had a small sitting area, bathroom, refrigerator, TV and bedroom area with four beds and an outside balcony. Kathy said, “I love this cruise already.”

Everyone quickly unpacked so they could have lunch in the buffet restaurant. For dinner they would go to the dining room. Kathy said, “Grandma, you went over dining room manners, but what do we need to know about eating in the buffet restaurant”?  Grandma Maureen thought a moment and said, ” Just use you school cafeteria manners and you will be fine.” Arthur J looked nervous and said, ” Um, my cafeteria manners aren’t so good. Please tell me what I should and shouldn’t do.”

Grandma Maureen sat Arthur J, Kathy and Annie down and went over the following manners for cruise buffet dining:

  • Get on line at the end of the line and don’t cut in line
  • Don’t jump ahead of someone as they are selecting their food; wait your turn
  • Take only what you think you can eat;you can always go back for more if you are still hungry
  • Once you put food on your plate you cannot put it back on the serving dish
  • After you get what you want, wait for each other and we will all find a table together
  • If you go back for seconds, get a clean plate; don’t use the plate you just finished eating from
  • Don’t look for napkins and utensils; they will be at the table when we get there
  • Don’t look for something to drink; when we sit down the waiter will get us what we want to drink

The “Can Dos” were amazed to see all the foods they had to choose from in the cruise buffet…salads, fruits, sandwiches, hot meals, breads, cakes and cookies.  They tried a little bit of everything and then went out to the ice cream bar and got cones.

After lunch they signed up for a crafts activity and Grandma Maureen took a nap. After the craft session, they all went swimming and then back to their room to change for dinner.

Soon it was time to use their cruise dining room manners. They were seated with a grandma and grandpa traveling with their grandchildren, Billy and Julie who turned out to be around the same age as Kathy, Annie and Arthur J . By the time dinner was over, they were all friends. The kids went to an evening movie in the kids cruise camp and Grandma Maureen went to a show in the theater with her new friends from dinner.

That night, as the kids were falling asleep, they all thanked Grandma Maureen. Arthur J spoke for Kathy and Annie when he said, I can’t wait until tomorrow. Taking a cruise is the best!”

To Be Continued…

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The Class Trip

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

can do kids are sitting around tables in the classroom Miss Pat called the class to order and announced, “Class, on Monday, the 23rd of May,we are taking a class trip to a working farm outside of town.”

The class all clapped and Hector asked, “Will the class trip be all day”? Miss Pat smiled and answered, “Yes, it will be an all day class trip so we have some planning to do today so we are ready for the trip.”

As Miss Pat handed out the class trip permission request slips, she reminded the class that they needed to take the slips home and get a parent signature in order to go on the class trip.

“Remember class, do this right away, before you forget. Get the slips back to me as soon as you can. I can’t allow any one of you to take the trip if I don’t have a signed permission slip from a parent before the day of the trip. There are no exceptions to this school rule about trips.” The whole class sang out at the same time, “Yes Miss Pat.”

“First,” said Miss Pat, “We need to talk about what to wear. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes that are good for lots of walking. Wear a sweater or jacket if it is cool. Other than lunch and morning and afternoon snacks, don’t carry anything else. I will get bottles of water from the school kitchen and that is the beverage we will drink during the day and at lunch.”

Miss Pat took out a list of suggested snacks and lunches that are fine for a trip when you don’t have anyway to keep them cold. She got the list from the school nutritionist. She asked Bobby to hand out the list to each child in class to being home for a parent to read.

Here are some of the things the nutritionist recommended to take on the class trip that don’t need to be kept cold:

  • Whole fruits: apples, bananas, pears, grapes, berries, oranges
  • Trail mix (avoid those with candy; stick with nuts, dried fruit, and seeds)
  • Peanut butter/jelly in a sandwich or on crackers
  • Dry cereal (look for varieties with less than 5 grams of sugar per serving)
  • Whole-grain pretzels or baked crackers
  • Popcorn, without butter or salt
  • Fruit leathers (made with 100% fruit juice or puree), or dried  fruits
  • Applesauce (check labels for sugar content)
  • Beef/turkey jerky
  • Nuts or seeds
  • Cookies: fig bars, animal crackers, oatmeal cookies, graham crackers
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