Summer break

No more pencils ...

Well, you made it through another school year. Hopefully you have learned a lot of great things throughout the year, and now you are ready for a well-deserved break. This is the last week of school for Tampa Bay area students and teachers. Tell us about your summer plans.

And speaking of summer plans, be sure to participate in the St. Petersburg Times Newspaper in Education/Tampa Bay Rays Reading with the Rays program this summer. You can earn cool Rays rewards just by reading. Look for your “Reading with the Rays” section in the Times on Saturday, June 6. Or, you can pick up your copy, along with your game card, at your Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco or Pinellas library. Check out tampabay.com/nie for more details about how to read your way to the ballpark.You can participate in the Reading with the Rays blog by clicking on the 2009 Reading with the Rays category on the left side of the NIE Blogging Zone.

Honoring fallen soldiers

Memorial Day

Memorial Day is the day when Americans honor those who have died fighting in the country’s wars. The holiday began after the Civil War, in which approximately 800,000 people died. Will you do anything to remember fallen soldiers on Memorial Day? Who will you remember and honor on Memorial Day? Share your thoughts here at the NIE Blogging Zone.

Celebrate National Fitness Month

You've got to move it; move it!

Every kind of exercise is helpful in achieving a healthy lifestyle, if you do it regularly. Check out the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Bam.gov Web site for inspiration and information to get you moving. You even can create your own fitness schedule. Share your fitness ideas with others here
 on the NIE Blogging Zone.

Eye in the Sky

 

STS-125 mission

Hubble space telescope discoveries have enriched our understanding of the cosmos. Now comes the last mission to repair the Hubble telescope. Check out the St. Petersburg Times Special Report, where you will see facts about the Hubble space telescope, discoveries it has made and what the last mission's goals are. Click on the 2009 Hubble category on the left to learn more and discuss this topic.

Teacher Appreciation Week

President Barack Obama introduces the 2009 National Teacher of the Year, Anthony Mullen of Greenwich, Conn. 

Appreciating teachers

We all have had teachers in our lives who changed our way of thinking or encouraged us to succeed. This is teacher appreciation week, so it is a great time to tell your favorite teachers how they changed your lives. Share your teacher's name and special story here on the NIE Blogging Zone.

One small step for man ...

One giant leap for mankind

Friday, May 1 is Space Day. Check out www.spaceday.org for fun ways to celebrate Space Day in your neighborhood and classroom. You can learn all about space and space travel, as well as see some cool photos at nasa.gov. Share your ideas for celebrating Space Day here at the NIE Blogging Zone.

Photo: The gaseous outer layers of a Sun-like star glow in space after being expelled as the star reached the end of its life. Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

Celebrate Earth Day

Protecting Earth

April 22 is Earth Day. “Earth Day and every day is a time to act to protect our planet,” according to Earthday.gov. Check out Earthday.gov to find ways you can think globally and act locally to help the environment. Share your ideas for helping protect the environment here at the NIE Blogging Zone. For more topics about the environment, click on the "2009 Recycling" category on the left side of the page.

Happy Birthday Thomas Jefferson

The creative Thomas Jefferson

Born April 13, 1743, Thomas Jefferson is the author of the Declaration of Independence and was the third president of the United States. In addition to being a great writer and statesman, Jefferson was an inventor and architect. Check out Jefferson’s home at www.monticello.org and the activities at http://classroom.monticello.org/kids/home.Tell us what features you would like to see when you build your perfect house.

Earth month

Reduce your use!

April is Earth month, and the perfect time to think about the environment, especially conserving water. The Southwest Florida Water Management District has three words for you: “Reduce your use”. Check out the classroom challenge for helping alleviate Florida’s drought conditions at www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/education/classroom_challenge. Share your ideas here about how you and others can conserve water.

Eating healthy

 

Read those labels!

March is National Nutrition Month, and it is the perfect time to start eating well. You can help your family by creating a healthy menu. Using the USDA food pyramid at mypyramid.gov, create a weekly plan that includes a balanced diet. Look in the St. Petersburg Times’ e-edition for nutritious ideas and use its archives to find articles from Saturday’s Personal Best section. Share your healthy choices and thoughts about what you learned during your research here at the NIE Blogging Zone.