Final Post - Tech Challenges

If I was asked by another student or adult what I learned in Tech Challenges 7 this semester, I would answer collaboration and time management. Even though we learned how to use many tools and techniques, collaboration, problem solving, and time management will stick with me for the rest of my life. Our group had to collaborate with each other to get our project done, and we had to problem solve whenever a new step was made or a previous one was not working. We also had to manage our time so that we could get our project done on time. Something that I learned about myself during this semester was that even though I mess around sometimes, I always get back on track and finish my project on time.

Video Post - Tech Challenges

Week 11 - Tech Challenges

I would like to share my chain reaction invention with Eli's group. We would like to specifically share our zip lines. The setting that would be best for my team and I is a place with a lot of space. I think we will be ready to share on December 11th because we are working hard to complete our steps, and we come up with ideas for more steps almost every class. Even though actually creating the steps may delay us a bit, I have confidence in finishing our project on the deadline.

Healthy Snack Reflection

1. How might I make my snack even healthier or tastier? If you think it cannot be improved because it is already extremely healthy, explain why it is so healthy or how you could make it tastier.  Consider fat content as well as sugar levels when determining the health benefits.

My snack was mostly healthy, but the tomato sauce contained a lot of salt, which made it less healthy.

2. How did my snack compare to others? Why?

Most of the others incorporated healthiness and taste together to create even better snacks.

3. What advice would I give next year’s 7th graders about this assignment?

Try to make a simple snack that incorporates both healthiness and taste.

The Dinner Table

The Dinner Table

Shots are fired

A battle rages

War is coming

At the dinner table

Armies clash

Plots are formed

Plans are conceived
At the dinner table

Legions charge

Guns fire

Heroes die

At the dinner table

Bombs drop

Cities burn

Smoke rises

At the dinner table

Wind blows

There is silence

All is calm

At the dinner table

I chose this poem because it really describes the conflicts that happen at the dinner table in a way that would describe a war

Kids Should not be Allowed to Play Competitive Sports

Kids Should Not be Allowed to Play Competitive Sports

“Sports helps build a healthy mind, body, and spirit,” said Charles Bush-Joseph. It is a fact that participating in athletic activity results in a fitter and healthier body. That said, kids should be allowed to play competitive sports, right? No! Children should not be allowed to play competitive sports. This is because children are prone to injuries, some coaches do not care about how they are training the kids, and competitive sports is sometimes too much for a kid.

Allowing children to play competitive sports will result in many injuries. Injuries are bad because they physically hurt the child, and it may lower his/her confidence in playing sports. For example, injuries may include concussions, broken bones, etc. In many scenes of the sneak peak of Friday Night Tykes, there are 8-9 year old kids crashing into each other and bashing heads together. This is important because injuries can inflict a child badly in different ways.

Some coaches train kids with an intensity and integrity that is not appropriate for kids. This can result in children’s thinking that they are never good enough, causing their self esteem and confidence in themselves to lower. For instance, a coach on Friday Night Tykes said, “I don’t care how much pain you’re in; you don’t quit.” He also said, “I don’t care if you don’t get up.” These statements can result in a child thinking that they are never going to be good enough. Another thing some coaches do is that they tell kids to be merciless towards the other team, which might cause the kids to become fierce bullies. For example, one coach in Friday Night Tykes said, “You have the opportunity today to rip their frickin’ heads off.” This kind of ‘encouragement’ might turn a kid into a cruel, competitive athlete with no respect for the other team. The way coaches teach kids is important because these kids could have had a session of athletic training, but instead received a slur of harsh words and pessimism.

Playing competitive sports on top of school, friends, and family is sometimes too much for a child to handle. If a kid is stressed with letting the team down or nervous about a big game coming up, it can affect academic performance and interactions with family and friends. As Charles Bush-Joseph, MD, Head Team Physician for the Chicago White Sox, from the Chicago Bulls/Sox Academy, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush University, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine and the STOP Sports Injuries Campaign, said, “Kids push themselves too hard, too soon, or push themselves to levels reserved for pros.” When kids push themselves too much, it can make him/her very tired, which will make it hard to focus in class or do homework. Stress and nervousness can also make a child not pay attention to what is happening in class. The weight of competitive sports that rests on kids’ shoulders can greatly affect the other aspects of their lives.

Some people say that competitive sports are good for kids because, obviously, it helps kids keep healthy, fit, and active. Competitive sports can improve kids’ social skills. Most importantly, competitive sports teaches kids life values and lessons, like collaboration, respect, and accepting failure.

We should not allow children to play competitive sports because it can dramatically affect a child’s life, so you should consider the risks you take when you enroll a child into a competitive sports program.