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Young Saint Louis.com wants to help you have fun with math. And, you might also win a prize.

(To meet Mr. Math Puzzler, click here.)

Starting this month, a series of Math Puzzlers will be included in each edition of YSL.com. These are for your entertainment. This is not a class assignment. But, we hope you'll have fun figuring out the answers.

If you want to submit your answers, we'll publish next month the names of those who answered all questions correctly. Also, we'll get an explanation of all the correct answers.

As an ADDED BONUS, we'll put all the correct entries into a hat and draw for three $10 gift certificates from Borders Book Stores.

A note: We've made these Math Puzzlers challenging, especially for younger kids. We don't mind if you get help from a parent or older brother or sister. We encourage you to make this a family activity, if you'd like.

Here's how to enter:

1. Print out the following entry form.
2. Fill out your name, address and telephone number.
3. Give your answers to the six Math Puzzlers.
4. Put your completed entry into a stamped envelope.
5. Mail your entry to:
   Math Puzzler Contest
   Young Saint Louis.com
   7733 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 1450
   Clayton, MO 63105
6. All entries must be postmarked by the 15th of the month to be eligible for a book prize.

----------Clip here to make entry----------

Entry for September, 2001, Math Puzzler Contest:

Name: _________________________________________

Address: _______________________________________

City:_____________________, State:______ ZIP_______

Contact phone no.(____)____________________

The Math Puzzlers
(Sept. 2001)

1. Which of the following is the odd one out?

Answer:___________

2. If you divide 552 by 1/4, and then divide the result by half of the original figure, what is the result?

Answer:___________

3. What is the answer if, from the numbers below, you multiply by five the number of even numbers that are immediately followed by an odd number?

4 7 8 5 3 1 9 7 8 4 4 7 8 9 2 3

Answer:___________

4. What number should replace the question mark?

 5----4    6----7    8----4    9-----3
 |    |    |    |    |    |    |     |
 | 27 |    | 40 |    | 71 |    |  ?  |
 |    |    |    |    |    |    |     |
 7----6    9----7    5----9    5-----4

Answer:___________

5. Find X.

    8 x 7
------------- = X
  2/7 - 2/1

Answer:___________

6. Find the secret number by using the six clues.

Answer:__________

Wayne Hesse believes math can be fun for all

Teacher Wayne Hesse has a poster at the front of his 8th grade homeroom at Green Park Lutheran School in south St. Louis County. It says: "Math Is Fun."

He's the school's 7th and 8th grade math teacher. He admits his students don't always agree with the "fun" part.

But, during his 25 years as an elementary and middle school teacher, he's collected a bunch of toys as well as riddles and puzzles to show the "fun" of math. A lot of these exercises are done without having any grading involved.

Young Saint Louis.com heard about Mr. Hesse's activities last school year. We asked him if he'd share some of his riddles and puzzles with the kids who look at our website. He agreed to become Mr. Math Puzzler.

Then, we decided to make up a contest and ask kids to submit answers. We'll check the answers and list all the kids who answered them correctly. Also, YSL.com will put all the correct entries into a hat and draw for three $10 Borders Book Store gift certificates.

YSL.com asked Hesse to make the contest questions difficult but try to include an element of "fun."

Hesse uses his toys, riddles and puzzles as extra-curricular activities for his students.

Kids who complete a regular assignment earlier than others can choose from among 50 manipulative toys or from a box of printed riddles and puzzles. Also, he might make a riddle and puzzle for weekend assignments but not grade the answers.

"I want them to put in serious time but I don't want them to worry about a grade," he said. He also urges the kids to involve their parents in the weekend activities.

Hesse is a guy who does other things besides math. For one thing, he enjoys riding his motorcycle long distances. "I enjoy riding more than when I get to the destination," he said.

This summer, he took a ride all the way to northern Michigan and back...in one weekend.

He also enjoys heavy lifting, such as when he works on a delivery truck for a friend who has a furniture store.

It seems logical that a guy who can have fun lifting furniture also could find ways to have fun and games with math.

Hesse hopes his riddles and puzzles will help kids develop an ability to find solutions in a logical manner.

He said, "Kids are very resourceful in finding answers to the riddles and puzzles, even if the way they do it is different than I might do. But, if their way also is logical, that's fine."

We welcome Wayne Hesse to YSL.com and hope you have fun with his Math Puzzlers.

News

You learn about history
while watching future unfold

Metro area kids are invited to eavesdrop on local planning for a 2003-2005 Lewis and Clark Bi-Centennial Expedition. They can learn important history lessons too.

The preliminary activities for the expedition already have started. And two local websites will keep you up to date all during the school year.

One of sites is run by the University of Missouri-St. Louis' College of Education. It's called Corps of ReDiscovery and you can reach it at www.urbanachievement.org/lc/

You can urge your local school to take an active part in planning lessons concerning the original Lewis and Clark expedition some 200 years ago. That started from St. Louis and explored the Missouri River basin.

Eventually, Lewis and Clark got all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Jim Sturm is a teacher in the Clayton schools. He's helping recruit schools to take part in the UMSL program. He's already written a sample lesson plan for the website. It will help teachers and students plan their own history and science projects.

He's interested in signing up schools all along the route of the original Lewis and Clark journey. Last month, he visited an Native American school in Pierre, S.D., to get those students involved.

Another Clayton teacher, Scott Mandrell, is planning to take a two-year leave of absence in 2003-2005. He will portray Meriwether Lewis during the re-enactment of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

The other website is for the Discovery Expedition of St. Louis. That's the group that includes boatbuilder Glen Bishop. He makes full-size replicas of the keelboats and other craft the original explorers used to travel up the Missouri River.

That website is www.lewisandclark.net.

Both websites already include a day-by-day diary and pictures from a recent trip by the keelboats crews in costume on the Missouri River through South Dakota. That August trip ran into huge man-made obstacles the original Lewis and Clark expedition didn't see.

The U.S. Corps of Engineers has built giant dams on the Missouri to attempt to control flooding.

As a result, the present-day expedition had to portage around the Big Bend, Fort Randall and Gavin Point dams.

The diary by Scott Mandrell, in costume as Meriwether Lewis, is already on both websites along with pictures. Mandrell is trying to write his diary with the same style the original Lewis used in the early 1800s.

He even signs off his diary entries with: "Your obedient servant, Scott Mandrell as Captain Meriwether Lewis."

Carl Hoagland is the director of UMSL's E. Desmond Lee Technology and Learning Center. That center is the host for the Corps of ReDiscovery website.

He said kids can get involved in the website when their schools register with the center. Teachers can get information by e-mailing Jon Basden at jbasden@mac.com. Basden is a graduate student who is in charge of the UMSL website.

Here's an example of a lesson plan written by Clayton teacher Jim Sturm which is already on the UMSL website.

The lesson proposition is: President Thomas Jefferson asks an aide to advise him whether he should support the Lewis and Clark expedition. He also wants advice on how to hide expedition expenses because Congress already has passed the current federal budget.

Students in a class would be divided into smaller groups to investigate different aspects of the problem. Those include:

• Assessing the military value of the expedition.
• Create a map of the United States for the year 1800.
• Develop a transportation timeline for the expedition. (Remember: there are no highways, railroads or motorized land vehicles at this time.)
• Assess living conditions in the 1800s.
• Detail what sort of preparations are needed for the expedition.
• Jefferson also wants background checks on Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

Another source of local information about Lewis and Clark is the Lewis and Clark Center in St. Charles. That website is at www.lewisandclarkcenter.org.

Of course you can survey this sites, along with other weblinks, just for your own fun also.

Nation

Kids find a perfect audience to read to: Dogs

Kids in Utah and Oregon are getting a chance to practice their reading skills on an audience that always pays attention and never criticizes the way they read.

The perfect audience is a dog, preferably one who's sort of a "couch potato."

(For a related story from St. Louis, see sidebar below.)

At weekend library reading programs, kids get to read a book to a dog that has been specially trained to be an attentive audience. The training makes sure the dog likes children, will pay attention and show interest while the kids are reading.

But, they never complain, even if they've heard the same book a number of times.

Sandi Martin of Salt Lake City is the founder of the Reading Education Assistant Dogs (R.E.A.D.) program.

She said, "The ideal dog is one that's comfortable around children, even a lot of children. And they should be a couch potato so that it's okay even if the child lays on them while he or she is reading to them."

Before going to a reading, the dogs even get cleaned up and dressed up for the occasion. Each dog gets a special anti-dandruff shampoo and wears special red bandannas. Their adult handlers that come along also have special red T-shirts.

Martin is a nurse and has used animals in therapy with children who have medical problems. "We know how animals can benefit medically challenged patients," Martin said.

Martin said, "A couple years ago, I woke up one night at 2 a.m. with the idea that animals also could help kids with their reading. Reading-challenged kids have many of the same emotional problems as do medically-challenged patients."

She made an appointment at the Salt Lake City Public Library to explain her idea. She offered herself and her Portuguese water dog named Olivia as a "listener."

Dana Tumpowsky was the library's community relations manager. After Martin explained what she had in mind, Tumpowsky said she thought, "This woman's crazy."

But, Tumpowsky was soon convinced.

The first reading-to-dogs sessions were at the city's main library. They involved six therapy dogs, two hours each week for four weeks in a row. Each kid got one dog to read to for up to 30 minutes.

Now, the main library and all five branches have what are called "Dog Day Afternoons" programs every Saturday from 1 to 3 p.m.

The program has been getting national attention. Last month, the Wall Street Journal featured an article about the spread of the program to Oregon. At Gresham, Ore., the Multnomah County Library has adopted the program.

In addition, Martin's program has been used for a 16-month reading test at Bennion Elementary School in Salt Lake City. There, 10 "at risk" kids who all were reading "below level" were given a chance to read one-on-one to a dog for 30 minutes each week.

The adult dog handler helps to check on the kids' ability to pronounce words or to comprehend what they read.

But, Martin said, "When checking on comprehension, the handler will ask, 'Do you think your dog understands that. Tell her what it means.'" When there is a question about what a word means, the handler will ask the child to read the dictionary meaning to the dog.

Martin said, "All the kids made reading progress. And four of the 10 earned Triple A Awards at their school. Those are awards to children to earn top grades in science, math and reading."

In the school program, the kids get an incentive for reading the books. "After a child reads 10 books, they get to pick out a book for themselves. Then, the dog autographs the book with a paw print," Martin said.

But, Martin said her program isn't just for kids with reading problems. She said the idea of reading to a dog can help all kids enjoy reading more.

In the library reading sessions, the kids are encouraged to sit close to the dog and even pet it while reading. The petting seems to act as a natural tranquilizer for high-strung kids.

That close contact by many kids is why it's important that the dog be a "couch potato" who likes to sit quietly and pay attention to the show.

For more about the R.E.A.D. program, you can log on to the Therapy Animals website at www.therapyanimals.org. Then click on to the R.E.A.D. icon on the left aide of the home page.

Books

Sisters become world's top tennis players

If you like to read the life stories of famous sports figures, you will like this book. Especially, if you are interested in tennis, you will find the story of the two sisters, Venus and Serena Williams, a book you will want to read.

The book, "Venus and Serena: The Grand Slam Williams Sisters," emphasizes the many accomplishments of these two young tennis stars. They are the first sisters to be ranked among the best players in the world. They are the first sisters to have both won a Grand Slam singles championship. Venus, the older sister, won the 2000 Wimbledon championship, at age twenty. Serena, the younger sister, won the U.S. Open Championship in 1999, at age eighteen. And the book, new as it is, does not reflect what the girls accomplished in 2001.

The young women have drawn even greater attention throughout the world because they are African American girls. Their father, Richard, was the one who developed their skills. He has been their main coach and teacher on the road to their becoming tennis champions. Richard was the son of a Louisiana sharecropper and grew up in a life of hard work and poverty. He studied tennis on his own and, although he never played, he was able to coach Venus when she showed an interest in tennis. Then, to his surprise, Venus' younger sister, Serena, showed very early that she wanted to play, just like Venus. Both girls loved the game and from an early age showed unusual talent.

Only one player can be ranked number one in women's tennis. Interestingly, both Williams sisters have the skills to make it. One of their hardest jobs is when tournament competition leads to their having to play each other for a championship. The book explains how they can be loving sisters, who support each other, yet can compete without reservation, when they have to play each other in a tournament.

Because the sisters are still so young, there is still a lot yet to be written in this story about these two champion athletes. Already, they are famous celebrities and are role models for thousands of female athletes around the world.

Controversy and middle grade kids
doing a classroom newspaper

Cara Landry is a fifth grader who printed her own newspaper. She loved doing it and knew she was good at it. Cara was in a new school and, even though she had to print her newspaper by hand, she produced one and pinned it up on the bulletin board. To her surprise, the other kids read it and really liked what she was doing. Her teacher, Mr. Larson, who drank coffee and read newspapers all day long, was surprised by one of Cara's editorials criticizing his lazy approach to teaching. He felt guilty because he knew Cara was right. He decided to encourage the class to produce a classroom newspaper and named Cara to edit it. The class decided to keep calling it "The Landry News" because it was Cara's idea in the first place.

Surprisingly, Mr. Larson started giving out assignments that the kids really bought into. With help from the school librarian, the kids composed a weekly newspaper on the computer and printed out hundreds of copies. The whole school started reading it, as well as the parents at home. The principal, Dr. Barnes, had been looking for an excuse to fire Mr. Larson. He saw the newspaper as a chance to get rid of a teacher he didn't like. He was looking for just one story to appear that would give him a reason. Well, as you would guess, that story did show up in "The Landry News."

The rest of the book deals with "freedom of the press" issues as Mr. Larson and "The Landry News" go on trial before the School Board. There are a number of plot twists before the issue of freedom of the press for a fifth grade newspaper is finally resolved. It turns out Cara learned a lot and so did all the fifth graders, along with Mr. Larson and Dr. Barnes.

For any kids who think they would like to be a newspaper reporter, this is a must read book.

A mystery with a real cool New York
juvenile solver of mysteries as a hero

Peter Christian Hawke is seventeen years old high school junior who likes to be called just P.C. Hawke. He has just recently lost his mother. His father is a famous archeologist, who is head of that department at the New York City's Museum of Natural History. Since his father has just left to carbon-date some bones in Sumatra, P.C. can use his father's museum office as a hangout. While P.C. is in his dad's office, one of the museum's bug researchers is murdered. The custodian, a friend of P.C.'s, is caught with his hand around the victim's neck. P.C. knows his friend didn't commit the murder, but he can't prove it, nor does he know who the real killer is.

The story's plot involves P.C. Hawke and his friends in trying to catch the murderer while saving an innocent man from being convicted. One obstacle is a tough police lieutenant, who is in charge of the investigation. She thinks P.C. and his friends are spoiled kids who should just stay out of the way. She is not in the least interested in P.C.'s theory that some kind of hypnosis was involved in the crime and that the killer was trying to cover up the theft of a priceless necklace.

It wouldn't be a good mystery thriller unless the real killer has it in mind to kill the meddling kid who is about to mess up his perfect crime. And the killer almost does end P. C.'s sleuthing career.

How about a series combining catastrophe, science fiction, and futurism, all rolled into one?

"Remnants" is the first book in a series called "The Mayflower Project." The author is K. A. Applegate, who is also author of the "Animorph's" series, which seems to add a new book every time you go to the bookstore.

The year is 2011. An asteroid large enough to destroy all human life is about to impact the earth. About eighty people have been selected to be placed in a capsule and rocketed into space. They are the only hope for a renewal of human life.

What makes the story interesting is the strange collection of people that have been picked to make the voyage. The main character in the book is a fourteen-year-old, named Jobs, who is a computer whiz and a genius. It appears that the villain will be Yago, who happens to be the teen-age son of the president of the United States, but unfortunately, is also evil and a danger to others. The last hours of other characters are explored, as they are all being rushed to the launching pad. In the case of one pair of characters, they are trying to figure out how to sneak aboard, since they have not been invited.

The launch is a dramatic event to read about. Book # 2 in the series is called "Destination Unknown."

Health

Eyesight problem doesn't stop young wrestler

Ten-year-old Kyle Bradley can't see well enough to recognize his wrestling opponents. But, that doesn't keep him from pinning most of them.

Ten-year-old Kyle has a degenerative eye disease called retinoschisis. That's a genetic disease for which there is no treatment or cure and eventually may lead to blindness.

But, the fifth grader at Fairmount Elementary School in St. Charles County wanted to participate in athletics.

"I couldn't play baseball but the doctor said I could play soccer and participate in wrestling," he said.

So far, he's doing just fine, thank you.

Earlier this year, he earned All-American status by finishing third in the USA National Championships. He wrestled in the 65-pound weight class for 10 years olds. After losing one match, he fought back to win six matches in a row to get third place.

The last day of the tournament was on his birthday, April 1.

Then, on Memorial Day Weekend, he wrestled in three different styles at the Tulsa (OK.) Ironman Championships. He finished first in freestyle and third in Greco-Roman and folkstyle wrestling.

In the Missouri Show-me Games, he finished first in his wrestling class and then was a member of the Ultimate Machine soccer team that took first place honors.

In wrestling, Kyle usually can't see well enough to recognize his opponent. "I can't see people's faces, but I remember what clothes they are wearing," he said. And he recognizes movement.

Wrestling is a hand-to-hand sport where touch and feel is more important.

And, in soccer, he said, "I can see the white ball against the green grass."

Asked about his biggest problem in wrestling, he said, "I can't see the scorer's table or the time remaining." He said his coach or father. Randy, shout to him during the match.

Kyle has some role models in sports. On of his favorites is Erik Weihenmayer. He's the guy who recently completed a climb of the world's tallest mountain, Mount Everest. Erik is blind with the same disease that Kyle has.

Kyle's mother, Annette, recently bought Kyle a copy of Weihenmayer's inspirational book. It's titled, "Touch the Top of the World."

Right now, Kyle's eyesight is stable. But, he has only 20-80 vision in his right eye and 20-100 in his left eye. Normal vision is 20-20.

He has to use special magnifiers and large print books for his school work. He's also working hard to become a touch typist so he'll be able to handle a computer even if his eyesight gets worse.

Asked about future goals, he said, "I want to wrestle in the 2012 Olympic Games."

He isn't worried about his future size. The slender Kyle said, "All of the good wrestlers are small anyway."

One of his favorite wrestlers is Sammie Henson, who went to school in the Francis Howell School District, where Kyle lives. Henson is a world champion wrestler and also is small.

Kyle has been playing soccer since he was five but didn't start wrestling until three years ago. He has a regular conditioning program but has stayed away from weight-lifting. Many doctors and trainers usually discourage weight training for kids until the "growth plates" on their bones are done growing.

His conditioning consists of running two miles a day and then doing 100 situps and pushups each day. He usually splits the situps and pushups to 50 of each in the morning and 50 more at night.

"I also got a 'power tower' for my birthday a year ago," he said. That allows him to vary some of his exercise routine. He also does "leg raises" on the fireplace hearth. They help lengthen and strengthen his Achilles tendons.

Another role model for Kyle is Olympic wrestler Brandon Slay. Asked what he likes about him, Kyle said, "He's a Christian."

Kyle has copied Slay's habit of stenciling a Bible verse on his wrestling knee pads.

Kyle's verse is Psalms 144:1. It says, "Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle."

Lifestyle

Kids help make a neighborhood garden

A group of city kids and their Big Brothers, Big Sisters partners have made a new neighborhood garden from a litter-filled vacant lot.

How they did it is a good example of cooperation among groups trying to improve neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis.

The kids and adults from the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri did the first work on the garden. The garden site is in the Benton Park West neighborhood in south St. Louis.

After getting the garden established, the Big Brothers, Big Sisters group turned it over to neighborhood residents. They will maintain it and develop it further.

But, the Big Brothers, Big Sisters kids and adults plan to come back in the fall. They'll help residents plant flower bulbs that will bloom next spring.

Fourteen-year-old Thaddeus Smith is one of the neighborhood kids who also worked on the garden in the beginning. His mother, Tamya, is one of the neighborhood residents who have agreed to keep up the garden.

The Benton Park West garden isn't a vegetable garden. Rather, it is an ornamental garden with statues, walkways and seats set among the borders of herbs and decorative plants.

Thaddeus is a ninth grader in Lindbergh High School. He, his father and mother joined with 30 adult-kid pairs from Big Brothers, Big Sisters to make the garden.

Since his mother is the garden's caretaker, Thaddeus said he sure he'll be working on garden improvements in the future. One improvement will be the addition of a wrought-iron fence.

Neighbors also want to put in a permanent water source so they can keep the garden green and growing. Right now, a next-door neighbor lets gardeners hook their watering hose to a faucet at the house.

Tajuani Shelton is the program manager for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri.

She said the group's kids and adults did more than work on the garden. They also brought money.

The group received a $2,500 grant from Team St. Louis. That's part of the St. Louis 2004 organization that's planning a big 100th anniversary celebration of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and Olympics.

Team St. Louis gives mini-grants to groups for local community development projects. The Benton Park West garden project is just the type of effort that group likes to support. And Big Brothers, Big Sisters was the right type of group to get the money.

(If you'd like to know more about Team St. Louis grants, log on to the St. Louis 2004 website at www.stlouis2004.org.)

The money helped provide decorative extras for the garden, such as an arched trellis, a concrete serpent and other statuary along with seats where visitors can relax in the shade.

Ninth Ward Alderman Ken Ortmann got the city to put in a new sidewalk. City work crews donated two big truckloads of wood mulch to make garden pathways.

Also involved in the garden project was Gateway Greening. That's a branch of the Missouri Botanical Garden that gives advice and other help in establishing community gardens. Kristen Lindner is the volunteer coordinator for Gateway Greening and helped with the Benton Park West project.

(For more information about Gateway Greening, you can log on to its website at www.gatewaygreening.org.)

The garden project needed plenty of cooperative effort because the original lot was a mess. A building on the corner lot had been torn down but the area was littered with weeds, bottles and broken concrete. There was even an abandoned ping-pong table.

But, now the lot is a beautiful addition to the neighborhood, which includes a number of newly-built homes.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri usually involves one-on-one friendships between an adult and a kids. They do things together.

Eleven-year-old Terrase is a 6th grader at Dunbar Elementary School. His Big Sister for the last two years has been Angie Tabash.

Terrase said, "We go places together like a Rams football game or a Cardinals baseball game. We also may go to a movie."

Angie said they usually get together about twice a month for some special outing.

Outdoors

Sisters make jewelry like the Indians did

Sisters Ashley and Sarah Brendel like to make homemade arts and crafts. Now, they've learned how to make cordage jewelry out of native Missouri plants.

While doing that, they became subjects for a magazine article. They are featured in the current Missouri Conservation Department's kids quarterly magazine, OutsideIn.

(To see the complete OutsideIn article, you can go to the department's website at: www.conservation.state.mo.us. Then, click on to the Kids section of the website.)

Fourteen-year-old Ashley said, "I'm a craftsy person. I want to use things that you don't have to buy. With cordage jewelry, you can get the materials in the wild."

Nine-year-old Sarah said, "I wanted to try to make something the way the Indians did it in the old days."

They got their chance to learn to make the unique jewelry during a demonstration by Bill Davit of Washington, Mo. Davit worked for 30 years for the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Although he's retired now, he still gives demonstrations on how Native Americans made all sorts of rope-like products from plants and trees. An estimated 1,000 different plants found in North America were used by Indians to make cordage products.

Some were dainty things like the cordage jewelry and bracelets the Brendel girls like.

But, others were for bigger jobs. One reference book said Indians made fishing nets that were strong enough to hold huge fish, such as the river sturgeon. Those fish grew up to 18-feet in length but the Indians' nets held them.

The local girls met Davit at a Missouri Botanical Garden demonstration day. They had come with their father, Ron Brendel, who was there to show off snakes, lizards and frogs. He's a member of the St. Louis Herpetological Society.

Ashley said, "Once we saw Mr. Davit's display, we spent all day there working on different types of cordage.

"He showed us all the steps, starting with how to chop off the ends of plants to get at the fiber."

Some of the common plants that make good cordage include swamp milkweed, dogbane (also called Indian hemp), rattlesnake master and stinging nettle. Of course, when you harvest stinging nettle, it's good to wear gloves because the nettles do sting the skin.

Indians used plant cordage for such things as fishing line and nets, carrying bags, shoes and even clothing.

They also used cordage to make decoration on clay pottery. The Indians would make a pot and, then while the clay was still damp, they'd press their cordage to add texture to the pot's exterior, Davit said.

One thing that's often important is to dampen the plant fibers before you start to weave them. That way, the fiber is more flexible when you weave it but when it dries the cord is stronger.

Ashley said she made a woven wooden basket the same way, "I dipped the sticks into water to soften them so it was easier to weave them together. But, once they dried, their crooked shapes were wedged tightly together," she said.

Davit said many plants make good cordage after they turn brown late in the season. But, he said the yucca plant's fibers are the finest when harvested while the leaves are green. Yucca isn't a native Missouri plant but many homeowners use the spiky plant for lawn decoration.

"You pick the leaves when they are green. Then, you boil the leaves for four hours along with wood ashes. Then, using a blunt knife or a spoon, you scrap off the remaining green part. What's left makes fine fibers," he said.

Ashley and Sarah don't limit their activities to arts and crafts.

Ashley now is a 9th grader at Incarnate Word High School. She plays soccer on a club team and basketball at school. She hopes to be a 4th grade teacher when she finishes college.

Sarah is in 5th grade at Russell Elementary School. She also plays soccer and basketball. She hopes to be a medical doctor when she is grown.

They are the daughters of Ron and Cathy Brendel.

Reading

New book clubs pair kids and parents

Fourth graders Megan Schroeder and Andrea Malcolm liked the chance this summer to team with their moms in a book club experiment.

Judy Gray is the girls' teacher at Oak Brook Elementary. She signed up 15 kid-adult pairs to take part in a new book club sponsored by Cooperating School District (CSD). The summer club featured the famous St. Louis kids' authors Pat and Fred McKissacks.

The kid and parent read the same book and then discussed it. Later, they got a chance to ask the McKissacks questions about how they write their children's books. The McKissacks talked to club members by way of two-way video conferencing.

The 85 kid-adult pairs from eight different schools in the St. Louis metro area took part in the summer experiment.

(Young Saint Louis.com last month had a complete story about the CSD book club experiment and a new writing program. To read that complete story, just click here.)

Gray liked the idea of kids and adults reading the same book so much she's offering two different clubs to her class this school year.

The first will be in the CSD program which will feature other famous kids' authors. The big book publisher, Scholastic, is providing other authors to replace the McKissacks this school year.

The McKissacks are going to conduct special writing classes for St. Louis kids this year.

Gray's other book club will feature just kids and parents reading the same book. "A lot of parents wanted to read with their kids but not do all the other stuff," Gray said.

They've already got the first book selected. It's titled "The Dark-Thirty, Southern Tales of Supernatural." That's another book by Pat McKissack.

Teacher Judy Gray also plans to feature books by the McKissacks in regular parts of their reading classes.

Her fourth grade literature segment involves reading books in a variety of genre. The categories include folklore, realistic fiction, fantasy, poetry, science fiction, informational non-fiction, geography and historical fiction.

"We're going to research to see how many different categories the McKissacks' books fit into," Gray said. The McKissacks have written over 100 kids books.

This emphasis by Gray on the McKissack books fits well with another program at the Parkway School District. Oak Brook is in that district.

Pat McKissack will be the featured speaker at next spring's Parkway Young Author Conference. Andrea will be an Oak Brook Elementary delegate next March, Gray said.

The summer book club selection was Pat McKissack's book, "Nzingha, Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595." In addition to reading the book, the kids and parents were asked to do research on present-day Angola. One of the research questions was: Do present day Africans eat termites like they did in olden days?

Each kid was to have a question to ask the McKissacks in the last video-conference.

Megan's question was: Did Nzingha stop writing her journal after she got married? Pat McKissack wrote the book as a series of entries in a daily journal by the warrior queen.

Megan said she read the book faster than her mother, Barb Schroeder.

But, Andrea said she and her mother kept pace with each other in reading the book. That way they got a chance to discuss different parts of the book as they went along.

Andrea said she likes adventures and mysteries. She's especially interested in the American Girl History Mysteries. One of those she liked was "The Smuggler's Treasure."

Megan said she's read all of the Harry Potter books. Her mother said, "She's more likely to discuss the Harry Potter books with her older sisters."

Both girls also participated this summer in the St. Louis County Library's Summer Reading Program.

Megan and Andrea have another interest in common. Both said they'd like to be fashion designers when they get older.

Andrea recently got new Dream Doll Designers computer software. That allows her to mix and match clothing styles. She also can change size, shape and features of the model.

Both Megan's and Andrea's moms said the best thing about the kid-adult book club was the sharing they got to do with their kids.

Sports

Twin wrestlers are very
competitive with each other

It isn't often that an illness helps solve a family athletic problem. But, it did for 11-year-old identical twins, Matthew and Nicholas Lester.

Matt and Nick have been wrestling since they were six and both have earned All-American honors in youth tournaments. And, until this summer, that meant they oftentimes had to wrestle each other.

Father Greg Lester said, "Every time they wrestled each other, it was very emotional--for them, for my wife and me and for their grandparents.

"They'd rather lose to just about anyone than each other."

This summer, Nick got sick for awhile and lost a few pounds. At the same time, Matt had a little growth spurt and gained some weight.

That meant they were entered last month in different weight classes for the national State Games of America competition. Nick wrestled in the 65-pound weight class while Matt was in the 70-pound class.

Father Greg hopes they'll be able continue avoiding each other in future meets.

So far, that hasn't been too easy because the boys have weighed within a pound of each other for most of their lives. They were born just four minutes apart, which makes Matt the oldest. He's happy to point that out to anyone who asks.

If you really want an argument, just ask which of the two is the better wrestler. To say they are competitive with each other is an understatement.

Asked about their wrestling start, Nick said, "We fought a lot when we were young. My dad had been a high school wrestler. He thought wrestling might cut down on our fights."

About the recent change in weights, Matt said, "I eat more than he does. That means I'll wrestle at a heavier weight."

Nick added, "That way, we won't have to wrestle each other and argue about who wins."

Both brothers have set a goal of wrestling in the Olympic Games.

Nick said, "I want to win the Olympics in 2008 when I'm 18. Then, I want to win in four different Olympics."

Matt also wants to in the Olympics but he's willing to wait until he's 22 before earning a gold medal.

Their plans for college also center around wrestling. Among their choices are Iowa State, Iowa, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State. All have powerful wrestling programs.

The boys wrestle with two different programs. For in-state competitions, the boys wrestle with the Bonhomme Wrestling Club. For national tournaments, they wrestle with the Purler Wrestling Academy team.

Their wrestling coach is Nick Purler, who along with his twin brother, Tony, were All-American wrestlers in Oklahoma.

The boys have a varied conditioning program. They do several types of pull-ups, from the standard, the wide, the backward and something called the "commando." That's a pull-up where your hands are in line on the bar and you lift so that your head goes first on one side of the bar and then the other.

They've found a way to get their running in without going outside when it's too hot or too cold. They just double the number of "stairs" exercises. This is when they run up and down the stairs between the basement and the first floor.

A normal exercise involves doing 23 round-trips on the stairs in six minutes. If it's too hot or too cold outside, they double the "stairs" to 46 round-trips.

So far, they haven't limited their sports activities. They've also competed in football, basketball, soccer and baseball. But, as they get older they expect to cut back on the number of sports.

Nick said, "By the time I'm a junior in high school, I'll only be wrestling."

Matt said, "I'll play soccer and wrestling in high school but I'll only wrestle in college."

The twins usually have a good contingent of fans when they wrestle. In addition to their parents, Greg and Tereasa, they have three other siblings, Brent, 17; Tara, 5, and Ryan, 6 months. And then there are also the grandparents and others.

Now that they're wrestling in different weight classes, the family doesn't have to have any divided loyalties. And, the twins won't have to be too emotional at the end of a match.

Fun & Games

Fun & Games

Note that the words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this months issue. When you have completed the puzzles, you can click here to find the answers!

Young Saint Louis.com - September

Young Saint Louis.com - September #2

Fall

Some back to school jokes

What's the difference between a teacher and a train?
      The teacher says, "spit out your gum" while the train says "choo, choo, choo"!

Teacher: What do we call the outer part of a tree?
     Pupil: I don't know.
Teacher: Bark, silly, bark.
      Pupil: Woof! Woof!

Teacher: When do you like school best?
      Pupil: When it's closed!

Teacher: Do you want to borrow a pocket calculator?
      Pupil: No, thanks. I already know how many pockets I have!

Teacher: This note from your father looks like your handwriting.
      Pupil: Oh, yeah. He borrowed my pen!

Teacher: If 1+ 1 = 2 and 2 + 2 = 4, what is 4 + 4?
      Pupil: That's not fair, you answer the easy ones and give us the hard one!

Great news! Teacher says we are going to have a test today come rain or shine.
      So what is so great about that?
Look, it's snowing outside!

Dad, here is my report card.
      Well, there's one thing in your favor son. With grades like that, you can't be cheating!

And just a couple more

Why did the golfer wear two pairs of pants?
     Just in case he got a hole in one!

Have you ever seen a man-eating tiger?
      No, but in the restaurant next door, I saw a man eating chicken!

What kind of animal do you never want to play cards with?
      A cheetah!

End of torture

Answers to Fun & Games

Note that the words used in Young Saint Louis.com crossword puzzles are all taken from the articles appearing in this months issue.

Young Saint Louis.com - September

Young Saint Louis.com - September #2

Fall