Hello from Sunny California!

Hi First Grade!

We got here on Saturday morning. We were on the plane for 5 hours, and when we got here, it was still Saturday morning! How did that happen? Did you know that it is always 3 hours earlier on the other side of the country than it is in SC? When you are eating lunch, the people in California are eating breakfast. When it is your bedtime, the kids out here are eating supper. That is because the earth is turning slowly, and it takes 3 extra hours for the sun to shine on the west coast the way it shines on the east coast.

On Saturday afternoon we went out to look around the city. It is interesting to be here.  Kamiya asked about weather, and Mia asked about plants. Most of California skips winter. (In the high mountains that is not true.) Here in the city of San Francisco, the leaves stay on the trees all year. The summer doesn't get very hot, and the winter doesn't get very cold. It does rain more in the winter, but the temperature stays nice all year long. When you go outside, it always looks like springtime. Look at the picture - Rock Hill plants don't look like this in February!

We went for a walk in Golden Gate Park (the biggest one in the city) and here are some things that I saw:

 

The fancy white building is made of glass. It is called the Conservatory. It's filled with beautiful plants and flowers. Do you see some trees out front that look like some I saw in Africa? What are they called?

 

 

That's right - palm trees. They grow in hot places all around the world.

 

 

Most old-fashioned windmills like this are found in a country called Holland. Many years ago,  Queen Wilhemina  of Holland gave two windmills to the people of San Francisco, and they stand in Golden Gate Park.



 

We went inside with a park ranger, and she talked about how windmills can catch the energy of the wind to make power to get work done for people. Wind power doesn't make smoke and pollution. It helps keep the air clean. I think that is nice.

It was a little bit dark and spooky inside there because the windows are very tiny. 

 

The best part of any park is the playground! We stopped there to check it out, because Ziggy wanted to know what boys and girls like to play with. They had swings, slides, and sandboxes like Cherry Park in Rock Hill. One very different thing that I saw was this climbing structure that looks like a giant spider web made of rope. It looked like fun to me!

 



 

 Mikhaila asked about the animals in San Francisco, It is a city surrounded on three sides by water, so there are a lot of water-loving animals here.

 

I saw these birds swimming in Stow Lake.

 

 

They are called coots. They look a little like ducks, but are gray with black heads, and they have pointy beaks. There are loads of them here. They float in the water, and always come right over when they see people, because they like it when folks throw bread on the water to feed them.  Do you ever feed the ducks and geese at Winthrop Lake?

 

 

We left the park, and went to the waterfront.  Natanael said, "Did you go fishing?" That's a good question, because the Pacific Ocean is on one side, and San Francisco Bay is on the other side. That's a lot of water to fish in! No I didn't go fishing myself, , but I did see many boats like this one that take people out for fishing trips.

 

 

 

 Here is another animal that is easy to find:

 These are sea lions. They look a lot like seals, but they have little ear flaps on the sides of their heads. They live in the ocean, and love to come out to get warm in the sun. They climb onto docks, rocks, boats, and the sand. It's fun to watch wild animals up close.

 

 

 

I know that you can recognize this bird. It looks a bit different from the ones that we see in South Carolina, but it is still a sea gull. The feathers are darker, the feet are black, not yellow, and the beak is so dark orange that it looks like it is wearing lipstick!

 

That's all for today, but I hope I will be able to get out in the city again later in the week so I can have more adventures, and share them with you.

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 



 

 

 











More from California!

Hi First Grade Friends,

Doctor Kristie took me for a walk on the beach! This is called Baker Beach, and it is very near to a famous bridge - the Golden Gate Bridge. I was a little bit disappointed when I saw it, because I thought it would be made of gold, or at least painted gold. Really it is dark orange, but it is still beautiful.

 

Look at the hill on the left. Do you see the shadow of the cloud? Can you tell where the sun is? 

 

 Look what I found growing in the sand. It is the state flower of California. It is called the golden poppy, and it grows wild all over the place. It has a pretty color that reminds me of egg yolks, but it doesn't smell nice like many flowers do. It has no smell at all.

 



 

 

As soon as we left the beach, we went to the bridge to take a walk on it. There is a sidewalk that goes along the whole way across, next to the lanes where the cars drive. It is windy up there!!! Luckily, Dr. Clarke held onto me, or I could have blown away.

 

 

 

The big ship that has just passed under the bridge came all the way from South Korea, bringing containers of things for us to buy. I know that you have been learning about natural resources in different parts of the world. All countries send things to sell to other countries that want to buy them.

Big ships like these are called container ships, and many of them are criss-crossing the oceans every day.

 

The next place we went was downtown. Jaylen asked a question about buildings. I will show you 3 famous ones. Look at the pointy building. I know that you have been learning about 3-dimensional shapes. What shape is this building?

 

 

 

 

That's right - a pyramid! It's name is the Transamerica Pyramid. 

There are many more interesting buildings in the city. The one on the hill is called Coit Tower, and it is supposed too look like the nozzle on a fire hose. Do you think it really does? What 3-dimensional shape is it?

 

 

 

 The next part of sightseeing was taking a boat trip. We saw a famous old prison. It is called Alcatraz, and it is all by itself on an island.  It is closed now. The people who were sent to this jail couldn't escape. There is water all around it. Can you name the shape of this building?

 

 

 Jamarion asked if I went to the library or saw any books. I didn't go to a library, but I did go to a book store, and I bought a book about San Francisco. I will bring it back when I come home next week. It is a non-fiction book about something that happened here a long time ago. It is hard for first graders to read, but I think you will like to hear your teacher read it to you.

 

Traveling is great! One thing that I learn on every trip is that there are interesting things to see and do everywhere. I am always happy to come home, though, and I will see you at school next week.

 

Your friend,

Flat Stanley

 

 

 

 

 



 



 

 

 









More from New York

Look what happened during my second week in NYC:

We got a LOT more snow. This is what it looked like on the street where we are staying. No one went anywhere for a day or two. Schools and jobs were closed, and everyone stayed home.



One of the fun parts of traveling is meeting people and making new friends. Look who I met on this trip:

 

This is  Elspeth. We have been spending a lot of time together here in the apartment. She is very friendly and purrs a lot. Pets are one of the nice things about staying with friends. Hotel rooms never have pets! Mia asked if people have pets here in NYC. They do, but have to keep them indoors or take them out on a leash. Very few homes have yards where pets can go out to play.
 

I met some pretty famous folks too. Before the big snow, we went out for a walk, and look who we saw:

 

 

Woody, Cookie Monster, and Mario picked me up, and posed for a picture. You never know who you will see on the streets of New York.

 

Jeremiah asked if I saw big buildings. I sure did! They were everywhere. Do you know the name of this one?

 

 





It is the Empire State Building. It is the 2nd tallest building in the city. Only the World Trade Center is taller. They are called skyscrapers, because when you stand beside them and look up, they look like they touch the sky.

 

The buildings at Times Square are very unusual too - not for being super-tall, but for being super-bright. The walls are covered with huge TV screens that show commercials all day and night. They light up the streets.

 

 

A last building that I want to show you is the New York Public Library. It is HUGE! Libraries are great places because they have so, so many books and they are free for everyone. Do you take books home from the library in Rock Hill?

 

 

 The Lion statues out on the front steps are named Patience and Fortitude. Those are big words that mean waiting nicely (Patience) and being brave (Fortitude). I think those are very nice reminders of the way we all should act.

 

Today is Sunday, and I am going home tomorrow. I will see you at school in a few days.

Your friend,

Flat Stanley