The World Around Us

November/December 2004

Outer Space Bound: November/December

Welcome to



          O U T E R


                    S P A C E


                              B O U N D

         Come in for another adventure into space, time and fantasy . . .

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Where anything is possible,

If you close your eyes and dream . . .

So let’s take a ride on the star express.

We’ll sail the ocean of mighty space

Cresting the waves of planets.

Come on and surf with me

For nothing limits you, but your imagination.

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Welcome to the world

Of the Outer Space Bound


I m a g i n a t i o n !

         In The World Around Us we get to go everywhere! We’re not just stuck on the planet Earth, of course. We can voyage into space and visit Mars and Venice, or go to planets that we’ve never heard of. We can talk with aliens and have adventures in space. We can ride a comet and take a spaceship through a wormhole. We can even play music on an asteroid. Anything is possible for us!

         In fact, we can go into alternate worlds. Alternate worlds -- that's the place where magic happens, where dragons get toothaches and animals revolt because they want to be in the Olympics, a place where cows solve mysteries, and people live inside their spaceships, where space pirates zoom into classrooms and pick up children who complain about homework. Would you like to travel with me into those worlds?



          Be cautious. Remember, I said, anything can happen there. We could be attacked by Martians . . . We could meet someone dreamy while picking up pencils, books, and binders for our school in outer space. We could even turn a robot dog into an ice cream maker . . . Well, I did promise you a trip to a fantasy world, didn't I? So, ready? Here we go!

I have to change the format here a bit. I’m going to tell you about a story, and then you’ll need to click down to the bottom and read it. I think that’s kind of neat. That means you get to be in charge of when and how and what. So buckle up your seatbelt because here comes the first story:

#1 First, I’m going to start you off with a silly poem. It’s short, folks, and you can’t skip it because I think it will make you chuckle. It’s all about a boy who rebels at writing the typical assignment: Tell me about your vacation. He writes something unbelievable. What do you think? Did it really happen like he says?

#2 The second piece follows the same theme. What if you don’t like your teacher’s assignment? This student has an entirely different answer to the dilemma. Can you guess what he does to his teacher? Can you guess what the teacher does to him in retaliation? Hold onto your seat. This is a fast-paced adventure.

#3 This story is about getting ready for school. You know how you have to collect all the things you need: pencils, paper, rulers, books… Supposing that you got a list from your school… (Remember how Harry Potter gets a list like that?) Well, this teen isn’t going to wizard’s school, but he is going away to school. His school is at an Academy in Outer Space.

Grab your time machines for this story because you’re going into the future. Is this what it will be like?

You know, while we’re talking about the future, I have a question for you. What do you think will change in the future? Can you write a story or an essay about it? I’d love to read it. Remember to send all comments, suggestions, poems, stories, and pictures, or writings of whatever kind to:

Shaara @
Outer Space Bound
Venus 88
2651 HW Berkel en Rodenrijs
The Netherlands

(Yes, that really is the address! Bianca lives In the Netherlands. The rest of us live all over the world. I live in California.

Isn't it cool, though that Outer Space Bound has headquarters on Venus? LOL)

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#4 Okay, while we’re on the subject of homework and assignments, I have another school-related story. This one involves a mystery. Who has stolen the teacher’s assignment book? Was it aliens? Was it elves? Was it the wizards? Was a witch, or a dragon, or a dinosaur, or a student????? Only Bessie, the cow can figure it out, and she does so with her usual flare.

Having fun? Are you ready to live on a spaceship? The next story is about a boy who does just that. He likes it very much because his parents live with him, too. But sometimes he misses out on things. What would you miss if you lived onboard a ship? Would you be able to meet with your friends? Would you get to roller skate or play miniature golf? Would you be able to go to the park or go swimming in the pool or lake? Would you get to surf in the waves at the beach or build a sand castle? What would it be like?

In this story, the main character wishes for something you probably never even think about. He wants to make ice cream. See how he figures it out while he’s in the middle of space…

#5

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         Time for dragons. Sometimes they’re friendly. Sometimes they’re not. In the following stories, they are the kind of dragons we’d like to be friends with:

#6 and #7 The first two are about dragons with toothaches. Can you imagine? Different dragons with the same problem.

Then, next come two other stories about dragons. These have different problems. What kind of problems do you think a dragon might have? Would you help a dragon solve his problem?

# 8 In this story, it is really the dragon who solves the problem. #9

All right, while we’re in the world of animals. How about a tale about the Olympics? No animals in the Olympics you say? Not in this story:


#10


         

Supposing someone had given you tickets for the Olympics, can you think of a reason you didn’t go? Well, in the following story, aliens are the reason. Time, kids, for some more good, old science fiction!

#11

And now, I have a real surprise for you. Have you ever wondered what caused the big, bad wolf to be so mean to Little Red Riding Hood? Do you suppose he had a reason? Could people have been cruel to him? Could the other wolves have picked on him? Could he have had a toothache like the dragons? Or could he have just been having a bad day?

I’d love to hear your ideas. After you jot some down, or write a story or poem, be sure to read these two stories. They are two different reasons why the wolf went bad.

#12

#13




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Stories:

1.

Dear Teacher  (ASR) A bad, bad poem for Pita: My summer vacation in Senryu. #847234 by Shaara

2.

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3.

Shopping For School Supplies  (E) He was just picking things up for school, and then he met her... #875764 by Shaara

4.

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5.

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6.

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7.

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8.

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9.

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10.

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11.

Why We Never Made It To the Olympics  (ASR) We set off for the airport, but we never made it there. #849534 by Shaara

12.

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13.

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I think elves are little guys who like to help you out,
But if you want, they’re big as trees, of that I have no doubt.
Unicorns are usually white, but polka dots look great,
With a silver mane, pinkish-orange, curly, fringed or straight.
The dinosaurs can come to life and gobble up your books
Or friends from outer space can land and teach you how to cook.
It doesn’t matter what you choose, adventure’s all around.
So come on board and take a flight.
We’re the Outer Space Bound.



          Sorry, I don't have a magic wand, and my face is not a cool shade of alien green, but I smile lots and love to dream, and this is who I am - a teacher, a mother, and a poet-author.



Smiles until next time,
Shaara