Miss Merk's Excellent Adventure

Raindrops

2011-07-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

Namaste! (That means hello in Hindi)
On our first full day in India, we visited the Center for Science and Environment (CSE). This organization works with schools and businesses to find ways to make India cleaner and greener. They also help students investigate how much water and electricity their schools use and find ways to conserve these resources. For example, the CSE is working on harvesting rainwater so that people can use it in their homes. Imagine that! Little raindrops that combine together to help solve a big problem!

In the fall, I will be starting a problem-solving club so that we can work on issues such as the environment. I think you will have a lot of great ideas to make our school cleaner and greener. Your ideas can each be little ways to save more of our resources and waste less of them, but combined together (just like raindrops) we could make a big difference. What do you think?

A New Journey Begins!

2011-06-25T19:40:00.000-07:00

Namaste!

In a few short days, I will be on the plane to the experience of India. I will be learning about the UN Millennium Goals and what role kids can play in developing a better tomorrow.

Math Problem: Garden

2008-10-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

At Iraha Elementary, students work in a garden. If they plant three rows of beans with eighteen plants in each row, how many bean plants will there be altogether? If they plant two rows of trees with six trees in each row, how many trees will there be?

Iraha Elementary

2008-10-22T02:37:00.000-07:00

Hi, Wimbish Warriors!
Today I visited the students at Iraha Elementary in Tomigusuku City in Okinawa. I met lots of new friends. The students love art and music, and they love to dance! Here is a picture of me trying the traditional island drumming with some of the students and other American teachers in my program.

Ferris Wheel

2008-10-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

Miss Merk took a Ferris wheel on her first night in Okinawa. If she got one quarter of the way around in five minutes, how long did it the entireb Ferris wheel ride take her? How did you know that?

Hello, Okinawa!

2008-10-20T06:40:00.000-07:00

Hi, Wimbish Warriors!
On Sunday, we took a plane to the island of Okinawa. We will visit the schools here later this week. This part of Japan is much further south, so it's much warmer. Many Japanese people go on vacation to Okinawa. Do we have places in the United States like this? Where are they?

The Great Journey to Buddha

2008-10-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hi, Wimbish Warriors!
On Saturday, I went to Kiti-Kamakura. It is a place outside Tokyo where there are a lot of Buddhist and Shinto shrines. We had to hike up a huge hill for an hour and a half to complete the tour.

I am very afraid of steep slopes and heights, but I went anyway, and I am soooo glad I did! Whenever you are afraid of something, you need to try to face your fear. That' s the only way to get over it and become a stronger person.

100 Yen Store

2008-10-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Last night, I visited the 100 yen store. (What do you think that store is like? Remember how many yen to a US dollar?) . I bought 35 items. How much did I spend in yen? In US Dollars?

Math problem: Metro fare

2008-10-16T15:18:00.000-07:00

A ticket to ride the Metro train costs 160 yen one way from the Hotel New Otani to Harajuku Station. How much yen did it cost for Miss Merk for a round-trip ride? How much in US dollars?

The Tsukiji Fish Market

2008-10-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I got up at 4:30 am so I could go down and watch the tuna auction at the fish market. It was a huge place where wholesale buyers could go in Japan to buy fish and other local goods. In the picture, the man wearing light blue is auctioning off a tuna lot. After the auction, the buyers inpected the fish quality. It was exciting to see all the buying and selling.

Math Problems: Time

2008-10-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

Tokyo is fourteen hours ahead of Arlington. If Miss Merk arrived in Narita International Airport in Tokyo at 4:45 pm on Tuesday, October 14, what day and time was it in Arlington? If she woke up at 1am on Wednesday in Tokyo, what time was it in Arlington?

Math Problems: Yen

2008-10-15T11:53:00.000-07:00

There are roughly 100 Japanese yen for every American Dollar. I went to sushi in Tokyo and I had the tuna roll for 820 yen and the seaweed salad for 700 yen. I paid with a 5000 yen note. How much change in yen should I get back? How much in US dollars did I spend on dinner?

The Japanese Diet

2008-10-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to visit the National Diet of Japan, which is where laws in Japan are made. Like the United States, the Japanese Government has the Branches of Government: legislative (National Diet, which contains the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors), executive (the Prime Minister and his cabinet), and judiciary (the Supreme Court). The Japanese people take part in government through an election process, and government officials are held accountable to the people through public opinion. One interesting difference between the American system and the Japanese system is that in addition to electing officials, people also cast a ballot for the ruling political party (Japan has ten main political parties from which to choose!).

Japan Journey Begins!

2008-10-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

On Monday, I traveled from San Francisco to Dallas. The flight took ten and a half hours, and Tokyo is 16 hours ahead of San Francisco. We departed from San Francisco at 1:35 pm on Monday and got to Narita International Airport after 4pm on Tuesday. We crossed the international dateline.

Summer Preparations

2008-06-17T19:28:00.000-07:00

In April, I found out that I will be taking a trip to Japan in October. I am very excited! The first thing I did to get ready for my trip was to prepare my passport. A passport is a type of ID that travelers use when they travel to other countries.