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No matter what winter sport you participate in, you will need winter gear. Long johns, which are tight pants and shirts, help trap heat against your skin, and are often worn under regular clothing. Fluffy winter jackets and snow pants are important if you're going to be in the snow for long. Heavy boots, a warm hat and gloves, and goggles are other winter staples.

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People who live in cold climates know that there are several different winter sport choices. If you enjoy flying down hills at breakneck speeds, you’ll need to choose between snowboarding and skiing. Both are winter sports where you move along snow with boards attached to your feet. While skiing, you’ll have a ski attached to each foot, and a pole for each hand. Snowboarding, on the other hand, uses only one board, which both feet are attached to. Skis and snowboards both require boots to buckle into. While you need a sloped hill to snowboard down, with skis, you can cross country ski on snowy flat land. Your body’s position will also be different depending on the sport you choose— snowboarders ride down hills sideways, and skiers move straight ahead. Either sport is a thrilling winter activity!



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Most ski and snowboard resorts open in mid-November. Sometimes, though, there is no snow forskiers and snowboarders to ride. When that happens,the resorts fire up their snow machines, called snow guns or cannons. If temperatures are cold enough, air and water can be combined to create artificial snow, and the “no snow problem” will disappear under a pile of fresh, white, powder. Some ski resorts use the snow machines nightly until mother nature creates enough of her own snow!

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All candy has a different process by which it is made. M&Ms are popular chocolate treats made from a mixture of liquid milk chocolate and a hard candy shell. First, the chocolate is

poured into small molds. Then, it is left to cool and harden. A conveyor belt transfers the chocolate to another section of a factory, where the chocolates are coated with the hard candy

shell. Finally, they are coated with color!

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Candy is often categorized into two different types: chocolate or sugary. Even though both have sugar in them, chocolate also includes the key ingredient, cocoa. Sugary candies like Skittles, Smarties, and Sweet Tarts are made by combining sugar and water with other flavors and colors. To make chocolate, cocoa beans are combined with other ingredients such as sugar and milk. While both candies are considered sweets, chocolate often has more fat than sugary candies. Both types of candy can have an effect on your body— chocolate contains small amounts of caffeine, and sugar might cause a “sugar” rush!

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Although it may be tempting, eating too much candy

can have a negative impact on your body and how you

feel. Munching on too much candy can cause cavities

in your teeth from all of the sugar. It is also very high

in “empty” calories, which means the calories provide

you no nutrients, just fat and calories from sugar!

This can cause you to gain too much unhealthy weight.

Too much sugar can also cause you to have a “foggy”

brain, slowing down your memory and making you

tired.

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Video Game Systems, Then & Now

The Missing Pieces Games, Games, Games

The first video game console, “Brown Box”, was

invented in 1967. In 1977, Nintendo created their

first gaming unit along with the Atari video

game. Many different video game players came

out in 1982 including the Intellivision. The Sega

became popular in the early 1990s and in 1994,

the first PlayStation was released. In 2001, the

Xbox came to stores! Nintendo released the Wii

in 2006 followed by the Xbox One in 2013.

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Have you ever gathered around a table with yourfriends excited to play a board game, and when youopen the box, find that pieces are missing? It’s alwaysa bummer when you don’t have a piece to mark your place in the game, but you can get inventive to solve the problem. Go to your kitchen and try using beans,

gummy bears, or Skittles to replace the missing pieces!

Or try using bingo chips, marker tops, or paperclips in

their place. Don’t let a missing piece stop you from

playing games.

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Preparing for an exotic pet is unique. First, you must do research to find an exotic pet good for your home environment. Then, you must find someone who breeds and sells the pet you are interested in. Before you buy your pet, you will need to gather the supplies you need, and many will be ordered online since regular pet stores don’t carry exotic materials. Finally, before you bring your pet home, find a good supply of the unique food your new pet will require.

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Have you ever wanted to own a pet other than a typical

house pet such as a dog, cat, fish, or bird? An exotic pet

might be the choice for you! Flying squirrels and sugar

gliders are becoming popular exotic pets. Although they

seem similar, a flying squirrel is a better pet. Their diet

consists of a simple parrot food along with other fruits

and veggies you may already have in your fridge. On the

other hand, sugar gliders require a complicated and well balanced diet, including nectar and special proteins like

bug mix or mice. While sugar gliders mark their territory

with a musky smell, flying squirrels have no scent glands

and don’t leave any odor. Flying squirrels are also a

better choice since sugar gliders require constant

attention, unlike squirrels who are more independent.

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