Indiana Kids

Indiana Kids

pg. 1

Summer/Fall 2012 Vol. 1, Issue 1

Indiana Kids is a quarterly online magazine for kids, about kids and by kids

(with a little help from their parents and grandparents.)

This online magazine is a family project, founded to teach our own family’s Indiana

kids how to work together, how to interview people (which involves a lot of

listening), how to interpret and write about what they’ve learned, and to introduce

them to many other wonderful and interesting Indiana Kids around the state they

might have never met.

Cover photo: Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore by Ashley Miller

Editor

Reilly Kate Anderson, age 14

Staff Writers

Sydney Anderson, age 9

Kennedy Miller, age 9

Ty Miller, age 7

Jax Miller, age 3

Artists

Sydney Anderson, age 9

Edwin L. Girton, age 10

Contributing Poet

Callie Addison, age 9

Chief Toy and Game Tester

Ty Miller, age 7

Photographer

Ashley Miller, Mom

Publisher

Susan Hoskins Miller, Grandma

The Last Blast of Summer

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Photos at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore by Ashley Miller

Even though most Indiana kids are back in school before Labor Day

weekend, the first Monday in September still holds its traditional place

as the last holiday weekend of the summer. It gives families one more

chance to get in some fun and sun before the fall and winter months

begin. It’s the perfect time to visit Indiana’s own version of the seashore

at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. It’s only a three-hour drive from

Indianapolis and central Indiana, the perfect getaway for a long

weekend.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

The Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

surrounds the Indiana Dunes State Park

and together they make 15,000 acres of

beaches, prairies, wetlands and forests.

Parents Magazine chose the National

Lakeshore as one of the top 10 best

family beaches in America. There is lots

more to do in the area in addition to the

dunes and Lake Michigan. Visit the

website of the tourism bureau there to

find out what all you and your family can

see and do at

http://www.indianadunes.com/

What Did You Read This Summer?

White River Elementary School in Noblesville, Indiana hosted a summer reading

program called Read With the River. Participants and their parents met one

evening every week to talk about books and check out new ones from the school

library.

Among the books Kennedy Miller, age 9, read

were “Miss Daisy is Crazy” and “Miss Lazar

is Bizarre.” She also read some Discovery

Girls magazines from White River library.

She’s currently reading, “The Fantastic Secret

of Owen Jester” by Barbara O'Connor. Next,

she plans to check out and read “The Ghost of

Crutchfield Hall.”

On her own this summer, Kennedy read

“Stolen by the Sea” by Anna Myers, which

her parents bought her at Half Price Books.

This is a fictional story about a little girl who

was on Galveston Island, Texas on Sept. 8,

1900, the day it was hit by a hurricane that destroyed the town, killed 6,000 people

and is still considered the greatest natural disaster in U.S. history.

Through the Read With the River program, Ty Miller, age 7, read the “Karate

Countdown,” written by Jake Maddox; “Ralph S. Mouse” by Beverly Cleary, and a

book about sharks.

Jax Miller, age 3, wasn’t old enough to participate in the Read With the River

program, but he got some books from the Noblesville Public Library. He read “Ice

Age,” a book about sharks, and “Abby the Astronaut.”

The Hunger Games Movie Review

By Reilly Anderson

This was a very action packed, riveting,

on the edge of your seat kind of movie. It

all revolves around Katniss Everdeen and

her journey through the Hunger Games.

We also meet unforgettable characters

such as Primrose Everdeen, Peeta

Mellark, and Haymitch Abernathy. The

cast really does the book justice and

portrays the characters excellently. As a

fan of the books, I really thought the actors did well playing such detailed and

complex characters. It is a violent movie though so I wouldn't recomend it to

anyone under the age of 12 or 13. Overall, it was a great movie and I hope you

enjoy it as much as I did.

Getting to know an Indiana Kid

Ty Miller, age 7, interviewed by Kennedy Miller, photo by Ashley Miller

If you could do anything in the world you wanted with nothing to limit

you from doing it, what would you do? Fly without a plane

What is your favorite thing that you do with your family? Play the wii

If you could decorate your room any way you want, what would it look

like? Football stuff, blue and red.

What is your favorite color? Blue Your favorite book? Junie B. Jones

TV show? Star Wars Movie? Star Wars Food? Chocolate Cake

What is your favorite subject in school? Gym

What is your favorite place and why? Orange Leaf (their frozen yogurt)

What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas because I get presents.

Kids in History

First Kids Caroline and John F. Kennedy, Jr.

By Kennedy Miller

Editor’s Note: This piece was written by Kennedy Miller, age 9. She picked John

and Caroline Kennedy because her first name is Kennedy and President Kennedy

is her favorite president.

Nov. 27, 1957 was when Caroline was born. John Jr. was born Nov. 25, 1960.

When Caroline went to the White House she was three years old; John Jr. was 2

months old. Caroline Kennedy loved dolls. They named a doll after her and made

it look like her. John Jr. liked to call his Dad “Foo Foo Head.” Caroline went to

school, loved to learn and be with her friends. They loved to play around with all

the people in the White House. (Source: “When John and Caroline Lived in the

White House” by Laurie Coulter)

Photos from John F. Kennedy Library

Board Game Review: R2-D2 is in Trouble

By Ty Miller, Age 7

My favorite game to play is R2-D2

is in Trouble. Two to four people

are allowed to play. Here’s how to

play. The middle dome has an R2-

D2 figure and a di. You push the

middle dome and if R2-D2 stands up

or you get a 6, you get to move out

of start. If when you push the dome

R2-D2 stands up, you get another

turn. If you land on a spot where

someone already is, that player has

to move their pawn back to home.

The first person to get their 4 people out and around the board into home wins.

I like to play with my dad and little brother. I like when I land on their spot and

they have to go back to home. It’s a fun family game to play.

Top 5 Lists for Labor Day Weekend

The Top 5 Lists were compiled by our resident teen and Indiana Kids editor, Reilly

Anderson. Please write us with your own suggestions so we can include them in

future issues at [email protected]. Be sure to put Indiana Kids Top 5 in the

subject line.

Top 5 Songs 1. Whistle by Flo Rida

2. One More Night by Maroon 5

3. Some Nights by Fun

4. Good Time by Owl City ft. Carly Rae Jepson

5. Home by Phillip Phillips

Top 5 movies this weekend 1. The Bourne Legacy

2. Paranorman

3.Sparkle

4. The Dark Knight Rises

5. The Odd Life of Timothy Green

Top 5 TV Shows for Teens

1. The Big Bang Theory

2. Glee

3. The Vampire Diaries

4. Grimm

5. How I Met Your Mother

Our visit to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C.

By Kennedy Miller, age 9

Photos by Ashley Miller

When I went to the Biltmore, I was amazed because of how big it was. It had a

pool in it, and a work-out room that had bar bells, a rowing machine, parallel bars,

and a shower.

It had 250 rooms and took 6 years to build. I had to walk a lot and I didn’t even

get to see the whole house.

The library room was huge and had tons of books. The bedrooms are nice. They

had lots and lots of maids and servants. They even had a bowling alley in the

Biltmore. The room where the cook slept was next to the bowling alley.

The people that lived in the Biltmore house were George Vanderbilt, his wife Edith

Vanderbilt, also their only child Cornelia Vanderbilt. George and Edith had

separate bedrooms because a

female servant wasn’t allowed to

walk into a male’s bedroom and

a male servant wasn’t allowed in

a female’s bedroom. The

Banquet Hall had a ceiling that

was 7 stories high!

I went and saw animals at Antler

Hill Village. There were goats

playing on a barrel. It was really

funny. There were also chickens,

horses, and rabbits.

I saw a blacksmith and a

woodworker. The woodworker

made a toy top from a piece of a

tree that fell down during a

storm. It was neat to watch him

make the top. It was very cool when he was done making it.

My parents went to the winery and for

kids they give you grape juice for free.

Fall Fun in Indiana Indiana is home to some fun fall festivals in every corner of the state. Noblesville is renowned for

Stonycreek Farm’s Pumpkin Harvest Festival every year throughout the month of October. See Indiana

Tourism Bureau’s website at http://www.in.gov/visitindiana.

Make your own family fun

Family Baking Day

Nature

Poems written by Callie Addison

A Haiku poem

Birds singing to earth

Dolphins swimming in the sea

Jungles full of life!

Couplets

I love the sun outside

But I hope I won’t get deep fried

Deserts are so hot

I hope they won’t give me a shot

Oceans are a wonderful place

But I hope it won’t eat my face.

A note from the publisher:

Please send us your poetry, short stories, art work and

photography. Make sure the photographs are a jpg file. The

drawings can be pdf files. The poems and stories can be

either Microsoft Word or just written in the body of the

email.

If we think your submission fits with our themes and

mission, we will publish it in future issues of Indiana Kids.

Please send your work to [email protected] and put

“IndianaKids creative” in the subject line.

Please let us know what you would like to see us write about

in Indiana Kids in future issues.