Homeschooled Teen, September-october

Homeschooled Teen

The place for homeschooled girls <3 September/October 2006

Homeschooled Teen is both a magazine and an online forum for girls 12 and up. A place where girls can share their stories, poems, and thoughts. It's written by homeschooled girls for homeschooled girls.

WELCOME—to Homeschooled Teen! A little about the magazine by Mandi SK, age 13

Ok, so, here’s our second issue! Thanks to all of you - our subscribers Homeschool Teen is becoming a great success! Do you like scary stories? Be sure to read Caitlin’s story about Kat – it’s really good. I read it at night and couldn’t sleep! On a lighter note, the peanut butter and jelly muffins were delicious! Thanks Sarah ^_^ Alison’s jokes were very clever and funny. And Susan and Megan’s views on cheerleading got me thinking – what do you all think about it? Are you an anime fan? Lily is obsessed (in a good way!) with anime and knows just about all there is to know about it. Be sure to read her movie review (she got to see the movie premiere at the Japanese festival Otakon). Emily sent in a terrific adventure story, Elvenquest. I can’t wait to read the next chapter – send it soon Emily – pleeese! Do you know what a wishing box is? Read Hannah’s craft and find out. I think I’ll make one today (maybe I’ll wish for more great stories/articles for the next issue!) The next issue will be coming out in November, leaving you all plenty of time to write up some more fabulous articles/stories! Thank you everyone! Until next time! --Mandi

The Interesting Corner Interesting articles, facts…anything interesting ;-)

My own Space By Hannah O. Age 12 If any of you have younger siblings, and you have to share a room with them, then you probably know what a pain it is! I have been asking my parents if we could move because 5 people in a small 3-bedroom house doesn't really work too well. My little sis and I share a small room, and I just want some peace and quiet so I can be alone! My older sis was cleaning out her room and she had two chairs so she gave me one, and I found some pillows and now I have a little reading corner, and I have a place to hide my diary so my little sis won't find it! If you can't do that, find a place in a tree or in your closet (mines to small) and make your own “space” where you can be alone and get some peace and quiet.

Ubbi Dubbi! By Sarah B. age 15

Hubellubo! Dubo yubou knubow hubow tubo spubeak ububbubi dububbubi? I bet you don’t know what I just said. The translation is: “Hello! Do you know how to speak ubbi dubbi?” Well, ubbi dubbi is a secret language spoken on the television show Zoom. I don’t watch that show anymore, but I still speak ubbi dubbi! Here’s how it works: before every vowel sound, you add “ub”. So the name Sarah would be “Subarubah”. Now, like I said, you only put the ub before a vowel sound. Take the word “nice” for example. There’s a vowel in it, but you wouldn’t say “nubicube” because the E isn’t pronounced. Instead, you say “nubice”.

Ubbi dubbi is really difficult and confusing in the beginning, but the more you speak the more you get used to it! In the beginning, I would stutter and say the word wrong, but now I’m fluent!

Jokes! By Alison, age 12 Pa Won't Like It A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of corn. The farmer who lived nearby heard the noise and yelled over to the boy, "Hey Willis, forget your troubles. Come in and visit with us. I'll help you get the wagon up later." "That's mighty nice of you," Willis answered, "but I don't think Pa would like me to." "Aw come on boy," the farmer insisted. "Well okay," the boy finally agreed, and added, "but Pa won't like it." After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked his host. "I feel a lot better now, but I know Pa is going to be real upset." "Don't be foolish!" the neighbor said with a smile. "By the way, where is he?" "Under the wagon."

Working On The Fourth Husband A woman announces to her friend that she is getting married for the fourth time. "How wonderful! But I hope you don't mind me asking what happened to your first husband?" "He ate poisonous mushrooms and died." "Oh, how tragic! What about your second husband?" "He ate poisonous mushrooms too and died." "Oh, how terrible! I'm almost afraid to ask you about your third husband." "He died of a broken neck." "A broken neck?" "He wouldn't eat the mushrooms."

Don't Eat the Brown Ones

A guy took his girlfriend to the movies. During the pre-views, she asked him if he would go and buy her some M & Ms. When he returned with her candy, she opened the bag, picked out all the brown ones and threw them away. "What did you do that for?" he asked her. "I'm allergic to chocolate!" she replied.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts By Mandi SK, age 13 Every year, my family travels to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, to go camping. Cape Cod is a really fascinating place. For one thing, its shape is really interesting. It looks like an arm, doesn’t it? The arm is surrounded by water- the North Atlantic Ocean.

Ronald C. Nickerson State Park, where my family camps, is located on the inside of the “elbow” of the Cape. Nickerson is a great park, with 3 large ponds that are clean and really nice to swim in, and many other little ponds filled with fish, lily pads, tadpoles, frogs, snakes, turtles, and lots of other stuff. We have a really nice canoe, and it’s fun to go canoeing on the ponds. Cape Cod is an amazing place for biking. Last month my parents bought me a brand new Trek 3700 matte red bike, and I was DYING to try it out, and when I went to Cape Cod, I used it every day. The Cape Cod rail trail runs through much of the Cape, and it’s perfectly flat and GREAT for getting around. One year, my sister and I biked over 100 miles, traveling independently across Cape Cod without needing our parents to drive us (of course, now my sister has her license so we don’t need my parents, hehe). The portion of the National Seashore that is located on the tip of the Cape is called the Provincelands. There’s a bike trail (rated one of the 10 best bike trails in the world!) that starts out in this beautiful Beech Forest, then runs through mountainous sand dunes. (The trail is paved and well-marked.) The hills are HUGE and it takes all year to prepare for this bike trail. After an exhausting but exhilarating ride, you come out onto a cove where my dad and I always go for a swim. Then we get back on our bikes and ride for a few more miles and come out at Race Point beach. The views are incredible! My favorite part about going to Cape Cod is a town called Provincetown. It’s a really artsy place filled with unusual people. Portuguese fisherman and their families, young people, MANY artists, and lots of families of all different persuasions – all enjoying the freedom to be who they want to be. I really like going into all of the unusual shops that line the narrow streets along the bay. Another cool part about going to Cape Cod is when my family travels on a ferry to Martha’s Vineyard, an island near the Cape. The Vineyard has pretty little towns and friendly people. We bring out bicycles and bike everywhere. Cape Cod bay is one of my favorite stops. When it’s low tide, it’s amazing. There are tide pools and sand bars that stretch out for MILES. You can walk for hours and the water won’t come past your knees. And then, 12 hours later at high tide, that very spot where you walked is maybe 12 feet deep and you can swim just like it’s the ocean, only without big, scary waves! These radical tide changes take place twice a day, and are caused (mostly) by the gravitational pull of the moon --wow! In some spots, the sand is a pretty pink, and it’s a really awesome place! Well, that’s all I can say about Cape Cod. Here’s a website if you’d like to learn more: http://www.capecodchamber.org/, http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/nick.htm

Whale watching

The famous Pilgrim Monument in Provincetown

Nauset Light house, a famous lighthouse in Cape Cod

Debate Club Readers express their different views on subjects

THE ISSUE: Is cheerleading a sport?

SUSAN J, AGE 14: Cheerleading. A sport? Are you kidding me? Cheerleading is as much as a sport as drinking tea. All they do is wear little girly girl outfits and wave pompoms!! What’s up with that?? It’s not a sport…

MEGAN, AGE 13 I think Cheerleading is a sport. They do have competitive cheerleading or something like that (I dunno I've never done it but I've seen it in movies lol.) and it does take a lot of work I'm sure, because it's a lot like gymnastics and dance, which I also think are sports and I've done them both (I ended up quitting, I'm not bendy enough hehe).

Next issue’s debate: vegetarianism. Should humans continue eating animals, or should we leave the animals alone?

RECIPES Try some of this delicious food!

Peanut butter and Jelly Muffins! By Sarah, age 16

Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 tablespoons granulated sugar ¾ cup creamy peanut butter 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/3 cup of jelly **Add salt if you’re using unsalted peanut butter** Directions: Heat oven to 350º. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking power, and sugar. In a medium bowl, beat together the peanut butter and egg. Gradually add milk. Pour the peanut butter mixture into he flour mixture and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter will be very stiff. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into greased muffin tins. Smooth it with your fingers. Add a heaping teaspoon of jelly and top with one more tablespoon of batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are lightly browned. Makes one dozen muffins.

Crafts! Wishing Box By Hannah O. Age 12

Have you ever heard of a wishing box? A wishing box is a very secret little box, and what you do with it is you write your wishes down on a piece of paper, and put them in the box. You can buy them everywhere but they can be kind of expensive!! So all you have to do to make one is find a little box, and if it has something on it already, put paper around it and color it how ever you want--and you have a wishing box!!!! I put a pencil and a roll of paper in mine! So just write your wishes and hide your Wishing Box!!!

Stories By Caitlin G. Kat stepped inside the old Victorian house, She hadn’t wanted to move to Rangeley. As a matter of fact, as she told her mother the previous night, if she’d had anything to say about it they would’ve stayed in Kittery Maine. After all, Rangeley was over one hundred and fifty miles away! To Kat it might as well be on the other side of the world. With a sigh she picked up another box labeled ‘Josh’s room.’ Tucking a bit of her brown hair that slipped from the ponytail at the nape of her neck. “Third floor ” she reminded herself.

Entering her older brother’s room she dropped the box onto the floor and turned ran to the stairs and slid down the wide banister. “Alyssa Katrine!” Her mother said sharply. “Sorry mom” she mumbled climbing down at the bottom but it was too late, her mother was off with a great start now. Muttering something about “irresponsible…. Dare Devil…last thing I need to do today is to go to the emergency room!” She thrust another box at Kat. Glad to make such a clean escape she darted as fast as she could back up the stairs. She glanced at the box she was holding as she ran, but when she saw what it said she slowed down. ‘Attic’ it said in bright red letters.

Suppressing a shudder she stopped. The attic was the thing in the old Victorian house that freaked her out the most. She looked around; she was on the third floor. Looking down the hall she saw that her bedroom door was open just far enough to see her bed, on which rested her favorite stuffed animal, Teddy Pig. She walked down the hall, put down the box and closed it with a satisfying ‘SLAM!’ Kat

then picked up her box and turned, but hadn’t walked ten feet before she felt a shudder go up her spine. She turned around slowly holding her breath, but gasped when she saw that her door was open, and Teddy Pig was staring back at her with smiling eyes.

Shaking for a moment she collected herself and said in a less-thenconfident, almost shaky voice “I-it’s just a draft. Old houses u-usually have drafts, right?” She walked with a false confidence to the door to the attic stairs, opened it, and began walking up. The staircase to the attic had a depressing feeling, It was badly lit, just one faint light in the middle on the left, the walls were covered in an old fashioned, and rather ugly, creamy wall paper with blue flowers on it She was almost half way up when the lower door she had just come through slammed shut with the same force she’d shut the door to her room. Kat’s heart started racing “That isn’t funny Josh!” she shouted, her voice weak and shaky. She climbed a bit faster wanting to get back down stairs as fast as possible.

She got to the top and opened to attic door, ran to the back where her Mother had been putting all of the boxes, added hers and was almost at the door when she heard a strange, but pretty tinkling noise, in a corner that was covered in sheets and older boxes. Her curiosity overwhelmed her and she walked over, slowly. When she reached it she heard the tinkling sound again.

Pulling a sheet away she saw them. A clown marionette puppet that had a awful grin and was holding up three fingers on the left hand, a doll with red hair pulled into pigtails wearing a dress, another doll, this one with black hair, pale skin and a faintly surprised look, wearing a pair of black jeans and a dark blue shirt, and one last doll, this one being a curly blonde with green eyes and jeans with a light purple top.

With a small smile Kat reached forward to try and find where the pretty sound had come from, when, to her surprise, she realized that the puppet was gone. She pulled her hand back as if she’d been burnt and turned just in time to see the door slam close. Everything went

pitch black. She jumped up and ran as fast as she could to the door, her heart racing, and her body was colder then ice. She tripped over some unseen object, and got up continuing her run. Breathing hard she reached the door and yanked hard. To her horror it was locked, and she didn’t have a key. Now terrified and desperate she kicked and hit the door as hard as she could, screaming for help.

She felt a chill run up her spine and turned around with a snap, She heard footsteps in the dark, and that awful little tinkling sound. Kat screamed again, this time out of pure terror and felt herself go cold, she couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe, she fell to the floor, but didn’t hit as hard as she should have. Felt herself being picked up and set where the other dolls were. In the dark, she could see, that on the clown puppet’s left hand, were four fingers.

Elvenquest : The Search for the Ruby of Serenity By Emily D. Age 14 Today is my birthday. I’m eighteen. Father says I am old enough to go on my own to find a couple of creatures to help me find the Ruby of Serenity. By the way, I am an elf. My name is Taylon. I live in the enchanted forest where many creatures dwell. I am eager to find companions for my quest. My father has bestowed me with a special sword that will help me defeat the evil emperor Korzac and his minions. My sister is 15. Her name is Indris. She is very hyper. My mother is on the verge of dying and I want to help her. She was affected by the spell of sickness by Korzac because of the loss of fruit he was getting from our forests. He is greedy, has a bad temper, and will make his minions destroy everything in his path. I have said goodbye to my friends and family. I am trying not to be sad or it will make me feel terrible so that I won’t think straight. Oof! A dwarf just threw a rock at my head. “Aha, I hit the bear!” exclaimed the small man. “What are you doing here?” I asked him. “Um, I’m Um” said the dwarfish man feebly. “Wait, do you want to be part of my clan to defeat Korzac and his evil orcs?” I said excited to find a companion. “Sure I will help you; Korzac has forced us to give away wine to him.” He said in a nice manner. “What is your name dwarf?” I asked wondering if he actually was one. “I am not a dwarf, I’m a human and my name is Hit. It is short for Hitter, but I like Hit better.” He said. I told him. “My name is Taylon. Tell me, which way is to the Enchanted Springs? Maybe we will find another friend to help us in our quest.” I said wondering. “I think we have to go northwest, but there are dragons over in that area so we better be careful.” “Thanks Hit, you are a good friend.” On our way we had to fight giant spiders and orcs, but we were just fine. Hit tells me that he only likes dwarfish stuff and that everyone calls him a dwarf. He is very interested in the stories I tell him of our elvish culture. We camp out mostly every night and tell stories and sing songs. The nightingales come out at night and drift us to sleep. We mostly have to eat acorns, seedcakes my sister made me, and some fresh water from the nearby bodies of water. We can’t talk much because of the dragons and their caves. Hit and I found a baby dragon egg so maybe I can keep it. It was abandoned next to a willow tree. Willow trees bring luck, so maybe I can befriend it. We are almost to the enchanted springs. It is very beautiful here. There are lots of fruits and the trees are all healthy. I think I am going to take a nap near this tree… I wake up finding pollen all over my face. I fell asleep listening to music from a flute. I remember that there was a faerie sitting on a flower and the most beautiful butterfly I ever saw. It had silver on the edges, green in the spots of the wings, and red on the rest. The thing that amazed me most was how big it was. It was bigger than a normal

butterfly. Hit is doing nicely with his manners about speaking today. He either talks sloppy or talks when his mouth is full. My dragon egg is strangely warm. I put it in my bag with food so it wouldn’t fall out, but it has been slightly cold today. Oh, well. I miss home so much. I miss my mother and the way she made hazelnut and strawberry cake when I was little. The spell of sickness hit her when I was 12 but she seemed fine. It was only this year when it finally grew strong enough to make her sick. I also miss when my sister played the harp. It was so calming and peaceful just like the flute music but in a different way. I miss everything from home. Hit misses a lot of things too like fishing, hunting deer (which aren’t here), and other things. I hope at the next town we can find a book that will tell me about dragons. I need to know what kind I have because there are different types of them and the other things I will need to know. We are speaking about what supplies we will need on our trip since my ration of food is gone and Hit’s weapons need to be repaired. He broke his bow and arrows when he was fighting a bear and he broke his axe while trying to smash apart a rock so we could put the pieces around the campfire. My sword is in fine condition besides the blood stains. If my father were here he would say that I have become a man. I have grown a lot since I left home. We have faced many dangers including evil enchantresses, chimera, and hippogriffs. Hit brags a lot and says he is the best and he shows off. Christian and I don’t though. By the way, the faeries name is Christian. We care about our family and loved ones. I guess Hit doesn’t have any. Last night we went to sleep and woke up to a knife under our throats and the faerie was tied up and in a cage. The man told us he was a ranger and was looking for any enemies. He said that there were some of Korzac’s spies. The spies are hideous looking creatures with round mouths sharp with teeth like a worm monster, their skin is so scaled they feel like holding a bunch of cold snakes when they touch you, and their breath smells like a dog with rabies that has eaten rotten frogs. The ranger told us to stay down and to rub our faces and hands with gooseberry juice since the berries are poisonous to the monsters and will run at the faintest smell of it. His name is Eagan. He says he has never seen a male faerie or an elf before and he says he will always be friends with them. The faerie seems humiliated and bored since he is trapped and we aren’t. The spies finally left and he let us go. He says he was part of Robin Hood’s merry men and that we were welcome to dinner. We said we would go and he said they needed some entertainment. They say they have another faerie like our friend and that she is very lonesome and has no one to talk to. Looks like our friend isn’t going to be bored after all. He is used to having minstrels and other entertainment. But we will be the entertainment this time. I can’t wait to meet Robin Hood and the rest of the merry men especially Maid Marian.

EPAL SECTION: Want an online penpal? Well, it's an epal!

Here are how epal’s work: You write up a couple of sentences including your interests, your age, and your username on the homeschooled teen forums! Then, people will PM you! Mandi S-K Hey! My name is Mandi. I’m 13. I like reading, writing, hanging with my friends, shopping, drawing, surfing the web, talking on AIM, playing guitar, and listening to music! My favorite bands are Green Day, Evanescence, Kelly Clarkson, Avril Lavigne, Taylor Hicks, Meat Loaf, the Killers, the Dixie Chicks, and practically every other band that I hear (except rap)! My username on the homeschooled teen forums is Admin. I run the site, so feel free to send me a message! ^.^

PICTURE SECTION If you have any drawings or photographs you’d like to share, this is the place for them!

This is my sister and I 2,005 feet above sea level, on the tundra on top of one of the Rocky Mountains when I was 9!!!

MOVIE REVIEW: By Lily C. Age 15 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST THE MOVIE THE CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALLA Coming to *select* theatres on August 25th and on DVD September 12th, I suppose the movie isn't technically *out* in the U.S. yet.

However, I was able to see the English Premiere of the movie at Otakon! Thus, I am able to give you a pre-review. FANS BE WARNED. THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE ORIGINAL ANIME ALL THE WAY THROUGH!!! This goes for seeing the movie, also. I would strongly caution you NOT to see the movie until you are finished watching in anime, as it takes place after the end of the anime. It wouldn't make as much sense and would just be one big spoiler for the end of the anime. Getting on with things, the movie was a wonderful finishing-up-story for fans. Taking place on Earth, where Ed can no longer use alchemy *gasp*, it takes place around the time of the beginning of World War II in Germany. You may be thinking: "Why is it even called Fullmetal Alchemist anymore?!" …Well never fear. Alchemy is still a big part of the story, and it constantly switches back and forth between Ed and Al, who is still in their original world and trying to find out where Ed went so he can bring him back. Fans rejoice! All your favorite characters come back -- sometimes not quite in the way you expect! The movie is full of very satisfying surprises. It mainly follows a different Alphons (yes this is at first rather confusing, but you'll get used to it -- the old Al now dresses exactly like Ed used to) and Ed in Germany at a time when the Nazis are beginning to form. Replacing all the previous height jokes, you can laugh instead at the fact that Ed is just about the worst driver ever. It has lots of laughs, but it has sequences that are familiarly sad for fans of the anime -- the same realizations of the true meanings of equivalent exchange and the consequences when you reach a bit too far. In case you haven't guessed I give the movie triple thumbs up for great voice acting, animation and storyline. This is a must-see for fans (AFTER THEY HAVE FINISHED THE ORIGINAL SERIES)!!

Details about submitting articles: You can send in anything you want to share to: [email protected]. Here are some ideas of what to send in: Drawings Jokes Riddles Debate club: whatever your view on the subject is Recipes Fantasy stories (**Make sure all stories are under 10 pages**) Real life stories (like things that happened to you) (**Make sure all stories are under 10 pages**) Movie reviews CD reviews Crafts Photographs Book reviews Anything to do with being homeschooled Beauty advice, girl stuff, etc Most embarrassing moments Make sure when you send in anything you include your first and last name (I will only use the first initial of your last name, though) and a picture of yourself. And if you have a picture you think would be nice for the cover, email it to the usual email address: [email protected].

SPREAD THE NEWS!!!! Tell all of your friends that are girls ages 12+

and homeschooled about Homeschooled Teen!