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Non-Fiction
National Post Newspaper

Back to School Survival Guide

By Liam O'Donnell

Originally published in the
National Post Newspaper - September 2nd, 2000

Each year, across this nation, strange things occur as a new school year begins: summer nights seem shorter, the air feels cooler and young students fight back their tears as they say good-by to another summer. Before you cry yourself silly, check out these great ideas that will give you a head start on the upcoming school year.

Homework Web Kit

School and homework go together like peanut butter and jam. Too bad a well made sandwich won't get you good grades.

Next time you're faced with an assignment that's giving you nightmares head to your nearest computer and check out these great homework web sites. If you don't have Internet access at home, check out your local library and see if you can book some surfing time.

HomeWork Help
www.HomeworkHelp.com

This slick, American site is great for anyone in grades 6-8. You can either become a member (it's free) or cruise around as a guest. Either way you'll find simple tutorials for math lessons, educational (but cool) animations and the best frog dissection kit on the web.

Canadian Information by Subject
www.nlc-bnc.ca/caninfo/ecaninfo.htm

Created by the National Library of Canada, this site is an excellent starting point for any Canadian history or social studies project. You can search your topic alphabetically or by subject, just like a real library. With hundreds of links to government sites and many organization homepages, this site deserves a bookmark in your browser.

BJ Pinchbeck's Homework Helper
http://school.discovery.com/homeworkhelp/bjpinchbeck/

Created by 13 year old BJ and his dad in 1996, this listing of useful links is now part of the Discovery Channel's web site. Sorted by topic, and reviewed by BJ himself, this is another great launching point for any project. Before you race off in search of that perfect nugget of knowledge, take the time to explore the rest of the Discovery School site. It's filled with so many games and quizzes you won't realize you're learning stuff!

Hamilton, Ontario Public Library
www.hpl.hamilton.on.ca/teen/index.php

If you can't make it out to your local library, you can still find them on the web. Many local branches have their own websites with sections dedicated to helping you with your homework. One of the best is the Hamilton Public Library site. It's easy to get around and finding the data on your subject is a breeze. With clear sections for Math, History, English and even resources showing you how to write these darn assignments! Ask your librarian if they have their own spot in cyberspace.

Richmond BC, Public Library
www.yourlibrary.ca/online.cfm

Another great library site; this time put together by the good folks in Richmond BC. Well laid out and uniquely designed to look like a movie theatre, you could almost forget that you're doing homework! It provides great links on a wide range of subjects like math, history, music and astronomy.

Snack Attack!

Nobody ever said school would be fun but lunch should always be a blast. With no baking and a very little preparation, you can whip together these snacks and have everyone in the lunchroom begging to trade.

Mixed Up Munch
You don't have to hike the Rockies to enjoy trail mix. With a little inspiration you can create a healthy and delicious treat right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

What you need:

  • 1 clean plastic bag

  • 1 ½ Cups puffed corn or rolled toasted oat cereal (any crunchy cereal will do)

  • 1 Cup shelled nuts (peanuts, cashews, or any other kind that you like)

  • ½ Cup raisins or dried fruit (bananas, apples, apricots)

  • ½ Cup chewy candy or chocolate chips

What you do:

  1. Pour all your ingredients into the plastic bag.

  2. Close the bag and give it a good shake.

  3. Make sure it's all mixed together well and you're ready to hike to school.

Store in a cool dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Popcorn Party
Spice up your next batch of home made popcorn with these two quick recipes. What you need:

  • 1 Clean plastic bag

  • 1 small saucepan

  • 4 Cups cooked popcorn (1 bag cooked microwave popcorn)

  • 2 Tbsp. Butter (or margarine)

For "El Bandito Mix" add:

  • 1 Tsp Powdered Taco seasoning

For "Popcorn Primavera" add:

  • 2Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese

  • 1Tbsp Parsley

What you do:

  1. Put the butter in the small saucepan and put the saucepan on a burner

  2. Turn the burner to low heat and heat butter until it melts

  3. Turn off the burner and remove the saucepan from the burner

  4. Pour your popped popcorn into the plastic bag

  5. Pour the melted butter into the plastic bag

  6. Pour your seasoning into the plastic bag

  7. Close the bag tightly and shake it well, so that all the popcorn gets coated in butter and your ingredients

  8. Pack your tasty popcorn in a sandwich bag and munch your way to class!

You can store your popcorn in a cool dry place for up to 2 weeks.

Peanut Butter Apple Bombs
What you need:

  • 1 small sharp knife

  • 1 Apple

  • 2Tbsp Peanut Butter (crunchy or smooth)

  • 1Tbsp of toppings like: raisins, nuts, chopped banana, chocolate chips

What you do:

  1. With a knife cut out the core of the apple but don't cut all the way through! Leave the bottom intact, so you have a little well in your apple. You might want an adult to help you with this.

  2. In the hole where the core was, drop in a pinch of your chosen topping

  3. Squish some peanut butter into the hole

  4. Then drop in more of your topping

  5. Alternate topping and peanut butter until the well is filled

  6. Sprinkle some more topping on top and pack it for school

If you want to be really sneaky you can stick the top of the apple back on for easier packing.

Recess Roundup

The best thing about school, besides going home from it, is recess. Time flies when nobody can decide what to do. So, here are some classic games that are older than Nintendo and more fun than a barrel of Manga monsters.

Sardines
Think of Hide and Seek but backwards and you've got Sardines. This is a birthday party and backyard classic. Play it wherever you play hide and seek.

What you need:

  • 4 or more friends

  • Lots of great hiding spots

What you do:

  1. Pick one person to be the Hider. Everyone else is a Seeker

  2. Everybody closes their eyes and counts (20 is a good number)

  3. While everyone is counting the Hider sneaks off to the best hiding spot he or she can find

  4. When the counting is done, everyone opens their eyes and looks for the Hider

  5. When a Seeker finds the Hider, he or she waits until no one else is near and then the Seeker joins the Hider in the secret hiding spot

  6. One by one the Seekers join the Hider until there is only one Seeker left and the hiding spot becomes very crowded

  7. The game is over when the last Seeker finds the hiding spot

  8. The first person who found the Hider, becomes the new Hider and the game starts all over again.

The game is called Sardines because pretty soon everyone is crammed into the hiding spot like sardines in a tin!

Mah-Kha Diew (Horse with One Leg)
Are you bored with playing tag? Test run this unique version from Thailand.

What you need:

  • 4 or more friends

  • Some chalk to draw on the ground (or a stick if you're playing on dirt)

What you do:

  1. With the chalk or stick draw a large circle on the ground, about 1 - 3 metres (3-6 feet) in diameter

  2. Pick one person to be It. This person steps into the circle

  3. The rest of the players spread out around the outside of the circle. Players try to hop in and out of the circle without getting tagged by It

  4. The person who is It must try and tag anyone inside the circle but he or she can ONLY USE THEIR FEET!

  5. Players can run around inside and outside the circle but must hop to get in or out

  6. When a person is tagged they become It and the game continues.

Los Hoyos (The Holes)
This is another great version of tag, all the way from Mexico.

What you need:

  • 4 or more players

  • 1 tennis ball or a ball around the same size

  • Chalk (to draw on the ground) or a space where you can dig some small holes in the dirt.

What you do:

  1. Each player digs a small hole in the ground, or if playing on pavement draws a small circle (about 1 foot in diameter). Make sure that your holes or circles are beside each other, in a row, about 10cm apart

  2. Each player stands about 3 metres in front of their hole

  3. Starting from the left, the first person takes the tennis ball and rolls to any hole/circle (except his own!) If the ball misses the hole/circle, the player to the right gets the ball and tries to roll it to any hole/circle (except his own)

  4. If the ball goes into the hole/circle, the player who owns the hole must run and get the ball

  5. All the other players try and tag the runner before he or she reaches the ball

  6. If the runner makes it to the hole/circle they get 1 point

  7. If the runner gets tagged before reaching the hole/circle, their turn is over and the next player has a turn

  8. Keep doing this until everyone has a turn. The player with the most points wins.

Keep this guide handy and from September to June you'll have fun, be well fed and get all your homework done on time!

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