March 2004 Week 2 Observations

Participants are listed by latitude and longitide, starting from the northernmost latitude. 54:52N-38:20S | Firsts | Map | Quest [54:52N 6:17W] UNITED KINGDOM Northern Ireland, Ballymena P6/7KS Ballymena Primary School, Ms. Simpson & Ms. Lee's fourth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week we have had some temperatures below 0 C. There has been slippery roads in the morning and our playground has also been icy in places. At the beginning of the week it has been dry and crisp during the day and we have noticed that the days are getting longer - when we get up in the morning it is clear now and also in the afternoons, it stays clear for longer. On a couple of days we even had a little bit of sunshine in the afternoons. At the end of the week we had some rain which is very normal with us in Spring. LAND/WATER: Although we have had below zero temperatures, it has not been cold enough for water to freeze over on the pond in the park which is beside our school. This is something which does not normally happen here in N Ireland - our cold spells are never cold enough and they never last for long enough. Because it has been dry, the grassy areas in the park have been good for walking on. Icy patches on the playground in the mornings meant that we had to be very careful not to knock down some of the smaller children. However, by the afternoon, especially if there was sunshine, the ice had always gone. PLANTS: The big horse chestnut tree beside our school is still very bare. Right now you can only see the trunk, the branches and loads of sticky buds which are still tightly closed. In some of our gardens at home we have snowdrops growing. These are tiny white flowers and one of the earliest flowers to appear - they come even if there is snow on the ground! ANIMALS: Because the water has never frozen over on the pond, there are plenty of ducks both on the water and the grassy areas around the pond. PEOPLE: People have been out and about a lot especially in the park since it has been dry. Because it is still cold and frosty they are still well wrapped up. Some pupils and teachers were a bit late getting into school at the beginning of the week, because the icy roads meant traffic was moving slower. [45:44N 4:52E] FRANCE Bourg-Argental College du Pilat, Claudie Ferret's sixth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: There is snow but the sun is shining. The days are longer but the nights are still cold. The sky is blue LAND & WATER: In the morning when I get up the water is frozen PLANTS: The crocus are blooming,small buds begin to appear on trees ANIMALS: The stocks migrate. The birds sing in the morning. Ants, bees,and flies appear. The farmers take the cattle out. There are sheep and horses in the meadows. PEOPLE: The farmers plough and sow corn Some people go skiing and wear warm clothes. OTHER: last week there was a small earthquake in our area.We could feel it [45:19N 75:40W] CANADA Ontario, Ottawa Elizabeth Park Public School, Ms. Chartrand's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather has been very strange this week. The temperature has been above 0 everyday. On two days it went as high as 9 degrees Celsius. The sky has been mostly overcast although the sun did occasionally peek through for awhile. Today we had three different kinds of precipitation. It went from rain to snow to hail and back to rain. LAND & WATER: Some houses even had their basements flooded. The field in the schoolyard has been closed all week because of all the water and mud. We even had to have a special truck come and blow steam into some drainage pipes. They were blocked with ice and snow so the water could not drain. We had fun watching them work. PLANTS: Nothing has started to grow. ANIMALS: We see lots of birds - bluejays, cardinals, chickadees, and doves - but they have been here all winter. So far no birds have migrated this far north and most wild animals are still hibernating. There are lots of squirrels around looking for nuts they buried last fall. Not many people are walking their dogs now because it is so wet and muddy. PEOPLE: Skiers and snowboarders are worried that their season will soon be over. Our school break is soon and people who want to ski/snowboard are afraid all the snow will be gone. One sign that spring is coming is that people are registering for soccer teams now. That means baseball registration will also start soon. Not many kids are playing outside right now because it is not much fun; you get soaked really fast and then you get cold. We still have to wear our snowsuits to school to keep us dry. We all bring extra socks because sometimes we step in puddles that are so deep, the water goes into our boots. OTHER: The Rideau Canal is frozen in the winter and becomes the world's longest outdoor skating rink. It was closed for the season this week after a record setting 44 consecutive days being open. [44:38N 22:39E] ROMANIA Mehedinti, Drobeta Turnu Severin Liceul Teoretic "Gheorghe Titeica", Ms. Rachitan & Ms. Rosu's students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week the days were quite different.On Monday it rained a lot.Then, on Tuesday and Wednesday it was cold and the sky was covered with thick clouds.On Thursday, it was sunny, but very windy.It was really cold.Today(Friday) it's sunny and it seems to be a great day.This week the temperature was below 0¼C at night and between 5¼C and 10¼C during the day. LAND & WATER: Because of the rain, the ground is wet and even frozen at night and in te morning.Then snow melted and because of this the river which flows by our town has growen for a few weeks.The water is very cold and dirty. PLANTS: It's still cold, and that's only spring flowers had the courage to appear. Trees's buds are very little and no other plants started to grow. ANIMALS: Birds haven't appeared yet.Animals are still hibernating.Everything is quiet. Only from time to time when the sun comes out of the clouds, the sparrows start to make a lot of noise. PEOPLE: People are quiet and hurried when the weather is bad. If it's rainy and cold, nobody likes to take a walk. Or even if it is sunny but cold and windy, having a walk is not something you want to do. OTHER: 1 March represents the begining of the spring. And the Romanian tradition says that men have to give "martisoare" to wemen on the 1 March. The "martisor" is an amulette with a red and white thread.Red is the woman and the white is the man. Women have to wear it during the month of March if they want to be lucky and pretty. [43:09N 88:18W] USA Wisconsin, Merton Merton Primary School, Ms. Kondrakiewicz's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: We think Spring is almost here! The snow is all gone now and it has rained a few times this week. Most days have been cloudy this week. We are happy that the temperature is now above freezing on most days! Today's high temperature is 52! We love to play outside at recess time on days like this! We look forward to warmer days, the grass turning green again and flowers starting to bloom! LAND & WATER: The grass is really muddy now that the snow has melted. We track in a lot of dirt and mud on our shoes! Mrs. K isn't too happy about that, but that's what Spring is all about!The creeks and lakes by our school are being to flow again now that the ice is starting to melt. PLANTS: The trees are happy that the snow and ice is all melted! ANIMALS: We have heard more birds singing. What a pleasant sound it is! PEOPLE: We are so excited to be able to play outside again without wearing all of our cold weather clothing. We have seen people going on bike rides and jogging outside. [43:07N 79:01W] USA New York, Grand Island Kaegebein Elementary School, Ms. Hartman's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: It is still considered winter here in Western New York. Last week's weather was still very winterlike, but Grand Island got an enexpected surprise when it suddenly became springlike this week. We had 3 lovely sunny days with temperatures reaching into the 50's f. We had our first rainy day after many months of temperatures being too cold for rain. LAND & WATER: The ice in gulleys and drainage ditches thawed this week. Snow that has covered most of our lawns since December has started to melt, but we still see huge piles of dirty snow piled up near parking lots. PLANTS: Branches of trees are bare. Nothing is growing yet. ANIMALS: We have seen deer, rabbits, and squirrels living in our community throughout the winter. There are many coyotes on Grand Island and some of us were surprised to see them coming closer to our homes recently. PEOPLE: When it warmed up unexpectantly, the people of Grand Island hit the streets. There were children riding bikes, scooters, and skateboards, jumping rope, and playing street hockey for the first time in months. Many people walked their dogs and came out to talk to their neighbors. Some people even washed their cars. [42:44N 73:41W] USA New York, Green Island Heatly School, Ms. Kirch's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperatures all this week have been in the 40's F and 50's F. At night it is cooler but still very nice. We had rain Tuesday through Friday. LAND & WATER: The ground is getting muddy where the snow has melted. The river ice is melting and moving fast on the river. The ice rink at the park is just water! PLANTS: Tulip shoots are just coming up in our gardens. We can see a little green grass in the yard and at the park. ANIMALS: A few students say they have seen robins!? We can hear the geese honking again over the river. PEOPLE: We are all still wearing winter coats but it is getting very nice outside. We do not need hats, gloves and scarves. OTHER: We could smell a skunk last week. The night animals are starting to wake up and come out again! [42:43N 71:11W] USA Massachusetts, Methuen Comprehensive Grammar School, Ms. Billings, Ms. Fichera, Ms. Fresco, Ms. O'Connor, Ms. Paolino, and Ms. Stone's second graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Temperatures have warmed up this week and as a result the ground is getting softer. Ice on ponds is melting. The sunset is getting later each day; therefore, the days are getting longer. As the saying goes, "March comes in like a lion, goes out like a lamb", but this week this saying has not proven to be true! LAND & WATER: The snow and ice are melting. In the shopping center parking lots, there are still large mounds of dirty snow, but they are getting a little smaller with each day with temperatures in the forties. PLANTS: Tiny buds can be seen on the branches of trees. ANIMALS: There are several new signs that spring is surely on the way. We have observed cardinals and robins flying from tree to tree with bits of grass and small branches between their beaks. PEOPLE: For a few days this week, we were able to wear lighter weight jackets instead of our heavy winter parkas and mittens. [41:46N 80:51W] USA Ohio, Austinburg Austinburg Elementary School, Ms. Gray's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week we had lots of sunshine, rain and high winds on Friday. The high temperatures ranged from 63 degrees F. to 45 degrees F. The low temperatures ranged from 45 degrees F. to 23 degrees F. LAND & WATER: The snow has melted and the land is soft and muddy. The ice on the ponds has started to crack and melt. PLANTS: We have not yet seen any new plants. A few maple trees appear to have tiny buds. ANIMALS: We are seeing lots of rabbit, skunk, groundhog, deer, and bird tracks. Also we are seeing more dead animals on the roads. The geese are back. They honk loudly as they fly over our school in their "V" formation. PEOPLE: Some people are still wearing winter coats and boots. Other people are wearing spring coats. No one is wearing snowpants. Many people are sick with colds and flu. Many people washed their cars this week. Some people work on cleaning up their yards. OTHER: The days are getting longer. It is lighter in the morning and it is getting dark later in the day. We had a beautiful week of sunshine, rain, and warm temperatures for this time of year. We are suppose to get a temperature drop tomorrow with a chance of snow showers. [41:38N 87:36W] USA Illinois, Dolton Youth For Excellence Home School, Ms. Day's fifth graders [41:14N 84:07W] USA Ohio, Holgate Holgate Elementary School, Ms. Wagner & Ms. Burkhart's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: In just a few days the temperature has warmed up considerably. An air temperature of 29 degrees F at 8:30 am on Thurs. to 44 degrees F on Monday was a sign that spring was on its way LAND & WATER: The end of last week still showed many signs of winter. The rivers still had ice on them. By Monday, spring took over and the ice on the river had moved on. With the warmer temperatures, there are plenty of puddles and mud everywhere. Ditches in our area still have snow if they do not get any sunlight. This is because the sun is still in the southern part of the sky. It wonât be long until it is straight over head and summer is here! PLANTS: The red bud trees are beginning to show their buds! With the damp ground, and warmer air the daffodils on the south side are beginning to poke up through the ground. The grass is beginning to have a green color to it, but there are still many spots of brown, some of the brown is grass, some mud! ANIMALS: From last Thursday to Sunday, it looked like spring popped into Holgate. Mrs. Wagner's husband saw the birds returning from the south and heard them singing early Sunday morning. The cats and dogs have been enjoying the warmer weather. One of our dogs was finally able to play with his ball again. For the past few months, his tennis ball has been frozen to the ground. Now, he is not only happy, but also muddy! On Tues. a dog was spotted taking a nap in the warm sunshine. Skunks are smelling things up here too. PEOPLE: Last Thursday, people were still trying to clear the last bits of ice and snow from piles left at the end of walkways and driveways. Mornings have been cold enough to require gloves and some heavy coats, while noontime, only sweatshirts or jackets are required. The children are finding more outside activities, one that was stopped due to winterâs ice and snow was bike riding. Now, bikes are out and children are moving from place to place on them. OTHER: We have noticed not only are there birds, but they are singng quite loudly! [40:24N 80:11W] USA Pennsylvania, Oakdale Donaldson Elementary School, Ms. Huling's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week has been exceptionally mild here in southwestern Pennsylvania. We have reached the 60s this week and today it may go up to the low 70s. We know that winter is not truly over and we will probably see more snow, yet. LAND & WATER: During a fire drill this week we needed to make sure we watched where we were stepping. The ground around the building is very wet and muddy form the melted snow. PLANTS: Everything around here is still winter gray, tan and brown. The trees around the school have not started to bud, yet. Miss Huling did see her daffodils starting to peak through the soil in her garden. ANIMALS: We saw a young deer last week. Mr. De Mario, one of our third grade teachers, has a large feeder outside. He told us that the deer had been visiting it at night all along, but we got our first glimpse one day at noon. The crows often perch in the nearby tree. The Killdeers are starting to be seen out by the parking lot. The robins have returned and are looking for worms. Miss Huling saw the Canada geese fying over the Parkway West on Saturday while she was driving to the Mall at Robinson for the Read Across America celebration. PEOPLE: There have been days this week when we were able to wear light jackets and sweaters instead of winter coats. Some of the students are even wearing shorts today. [40:22N 80:32W] USA West Virginia, Colliers Colliers Elementary School, Mr. Bennet's third graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather in Colliers WV today is perfect. The sun is shining and the temperature is terrific. Today's afternoon temperature will be 70*F/20*C. But watch out for tomorrow. There's a cold front coming and the temperatures are to drop drastically. This weekend's temps will be in the 30's with possible snow Sunday into Monday. OUCH!!!!!! Good thing we just finished our weather unit. LAND & WATER: The land is finally green because all of the snow is gone. HURRAY!! The streams are clear of all the ice that had covered it most of the winter. PLANTS: Plants aren't doing much yet. It's just been warm for a week so that doesn't give the plants much time to start growing. ANIMALS: Beavers......we just saw a beaver outside our classroom window. I guess winter is about over if beavers are out of their den. Also, we usually see a large flock of turkeys on the hillside. They are only about 20-30 feet away from our window. PEOPLE: Last week Travis was the only student without a coat but today half of the class didn't bring a coat to school. It's too warm today. Next week we will be back to wearing coats because winter will be making one last rush at us. OTHER: We recently read a book titled "Hello Mrs. LaRue". Mrs. LaRue sends her dog, Ike, to Obedience School and he writes back to her telling her how horrible the conditions are there. Our students have been writing their own versions of this story from their own pet's point of view. If you're interested in knowing what our students wrote, contact us at the following e-mail address: jmbennet@access.k12.wv.us. [40:17N 74:03W] USA New Jersey, Eatontown Harbor School, Ms. Greebel's students , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week has been quite warm. On Wednesday, the temperature was 74 degrees F. It rained on Thursday and Friday. PLANTS: We saw buds on some of the trees and bushes. ANIMALS: We saw our first robin earlier in the week. [40:04N 74:12W] USA New Jersey, Brick Brick Community Primary Learning Center, Ms. MacDougall's students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week has been warmer, windier, and sunnier than last week. But, today it is rainy and 56F degrees. It is cloudy. LAND & WATER: The garden is a little muddy. We had to wipe our feet good when we came in. PLANTS: Little plants are coming up everywhere! There are tips of tulips, daffodils, crocus, and hyacinths popping out of the ground. There are a lot of hyacinths growing under the lilac bush. You can see them in the picture. ANIMALS: We saw bunny poop in the garden, so there must be a rabbit around somewhere. We see lots of seagulls in the sky. PEOPLE: We are still wearing winter coats and warm clothes to school. OTHER: We have been making lots of shadows on sunny days. [39:32N 74:29W] USA New Jersey, Jackson Switlik Elementary School, Ms. Wardell's second graders , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather has been very mild this week, with temperatures ranging from 40 to 66. We have had a mix of sun and clouds, along with some rain and fog. The "S" word (Snow) is in the forecast. LAND & WATER: The land is muddy from all the melting snow and rain. The lakes have thawed. PLANTS: The bulbs are starting to peek out and bloom. We have seen daffodils and crocus. The buds on the trees are also out. Forsythia bushes have buds too. ANIMALS: Birds are heard chirping almost every morning. The horses on Sarah's farm are shedding and so is Breann's dog. Some of us have seen the rabbit who burrows under our classroom trailer. PEOPLE: Children are playing outside, riding bikes and playing basketball. People are jogging, wearing light jackets and short sleeves, and washing their cars. Stephanie's family had a barbeque. We were excited to have recess outside this week and we enjoyed celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday. We voted on our favorite book, and "Green Eggs and Ham" had the most tally marks. OTHER: We have noticed that it is staying lighter outside for a longer period each day, Easter and St. Patrick's decorations are up, and more windows are opened. Girl Scout cookies are being delivered. [39:18N 85:13W] USA Indiana, Batesville St. Louis School, Ms. Bornemann's fourth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The weather in Batesville has been very spring-like. This week we have seen many cumulus clouds moving fast across the sky. The temperature this week has been about 60¼F except for Friday when it reached 70¼F! The only problem is that it has rained most of the week. We have been going out to recess most of the time instead of staying inside because it has been warm out. LAND & WATER: This week the land was wet because it has been raining. The lowlands are filled with water from the rain. There are many puddles on the sidewalks. It is still to early to plant crops. PLANTS: Spring seems not to have arrived here in Batesville or at least plant wise. We have no leaves on the trees. Spring flowers have not begun to bloom but we have some buds that are sprouting. Also we have many small amounts of green grass sprouting up. Most of these things can be seen from our playground. ANIMALS: Spring is almost here and animals are coming out of their homes for the new season! The cottonmouth snake has been popping its head up looking for its prey. The geese just got back from their long vacation in the warm climates. Now they are on the lakes in Batesville enjoying the spring air. The squirrels are scurrying outside more because of the warm climate. PEOPLE: People are starting to wear light jackets at St. Louis School. At recess people are starting to tie their jackets and sweatshirts around their waist. I see more people walking from place to place than a month ago. People are starting to play outside rather than inside. Some days students only wear sweatshirts! I see a few daring people wear short sleeve shirts and shorts. This is because the weather is warming to 50¼F and even 60¼F. [39:02N 95:41W] USA Kansas, Topeka Pleasant Hill Elementary School, Ms. Seeger's fifth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The majority of the week has been gray and cloudy. It has been warmer, but there is still a chill in the air. We think it is still cool and we wear jackets. It has been windy, and we have had a low wind chill. In some places, we had mist and fog. March is coming in like a lion here in Topeka, Kansas. We have had thunder, rainstorms, and flash flooding. Devin's ditch was filled and was almost flooding over. The predicted high today is 47 degrees F.; the predicted low is 21 degrees F. LAND & WATER: The Kansas River is filling back up after a long drought. We could see the sand bars with grasses growing on them prior to this week. Ponds and ditches are filling. The land is soggy and in some places, it is flooded. We had 1.82 inches of rain as of 9:30 last night. Kacie's dad saw a creek out of its banks. PLANTS: The grass is getting pretty green, but there are still some brown blades. It is yellow-green. Sheyann's sapling tree is bending over because the soil is so soggy it can't hold it upright. We have trees that are beginning to bud. Tyler and Allison have older trees at home that have broken off. ANIMALS: Thayne has had 6-7 deer out in his backyard each night. Whitney had a "squirrel convention" in her yard last night. We have noticed that there are more geese around; Spencer has seen some sleeping near ponds at night. Clint saw some goslings on a pond. Insects and arachnids are starting to appear. Our principal had a mouse in his house! Flocks of birds are returning. Pets are wanting to go outside more often now. We have worms up on concrete due to the rain. PEOPLE: People are beginning to wear jackets and sweaters, capris, short sleeves instead of heavy, winter coats. More kids are riding their bikes. We are doing more outside activities. Baseball and soccer practices have begun. [36:42N 76:38W] USA Virginia, Suffolk Haley's Home School, Ms. Ziroli's 3rd grader WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This has been a summer-like week in Southeastern Virginia! The temperatures were in the 70's and 80's... 30 degrees above 'normal'. The sunshine brought out many buds and blooms! LAND AND WATER: This is going to be an especially interesting spring for us. Hurricaine Isabel hit us very hard, and many in our area lost substantial amount of trees. In our own yard, there are 12 fewer beautiful 60 to 85 year old oak, poplar and sweetgum trees. The eastern side of the yard will get much more sun...I wonder what will grow and flourish, and what will no longer survive??? PLANTS: We saw the last of the crocus blooms, many varities of daffodil in bloom and iris greens beginning to peek out. The herbal 'weeds', henbit, cleavers and lots of chickweed were abundant. So many trees are full of fat leat and flower buds. ANIMALS: We saw the first Eastern Towhee since last winter. They don't seem to be very common, and always cause a stir in our home. Also, we have heard several Red-Winged Blackbirds. The Sparrows, Chickadees and Wrens are everywhere. There are some Juncos about, too. PEOPLE: Our neighborhood has been full of smiling people!! Roller skating, scootering, cycling, jogging, and walking all about. Some were even mowing their grass! OTHER: The report is that our unseasonable weather may become seasonable all too soon. The rain that is forecast is welcome, but we'd like to keep these warm days! [34:13N 118:14W] USA California, La Crescenta Lincoln Elementary School, Ms. Goddard's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week the weather turned colder. It rained most of the week and was very cold (at least for us in California). LAND & WATER: The land started to turn green because of all the rain we has this week. Our grass is turning green for the first time all winter. PLANTS: We discovered that there are rose buds on our roses in front of our school. The children say that the daffodils are blooming. We are noticing that the weeds are growing in our gardens and everywhere. We have noticed that the trees that bloom are beginning to get flowers. ANIMALS: The animals stayed in their homes because of the cold and the rain. Some of us have noticed that the baby skunks are coming out because we could smell them in the morning. PEOPLE: The people have stayed indoors because of the rain. We had to wear our raincoats and warmer clothes because the weather turned colder this week. People used their umbrellas for the first time this week. [33:33N 117:09W] USA California, Murrieta Buchanan Elementary School, Ms. Lumsden/Albright's kindergartners , WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our weather is very nice right now. We have cool mornings and warm days. The sky is blue with some fluffy white clouds and some gray ones, too. LAND & WATER: ANIMALS: We are starting to see a lot of ladybugs flying around. PEOPLE: We are wearing jackets in the morning because it is cool. Some of us are wearing shorts to school because it gets warmer later. [32:51N 96:58W] USA Texas, Irving J. O. Schulze Elementary School, Ms. Butt's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: The temperature has been in the 60's and 70's F. We have had cloudy weather, sunny weather, a lot of wind, and a very severe storm on Thursday afternoon. It was windy, raining very hard, and there was a tornado warning. It was storming as we went home, so we got very wet going to our buses, cars, and vans. LAND & WATER: The ground is warm and wet. We've had a lot of rain, so there are a lot of puddles and mud. The ground feels soft under our feet. PLANTS: Our tulips are growing and beginning to bloom. One of them is open and a few more have red petals beginning to peek out. Our Grass is beginning to turn green, but most of it is still brown. The clover is growing quickly now. The little tree in front of our school that we're watching has tiny reddish brown buds on it. Jonquils and daffodils are blooming in the garden, and vegetable plants that the classes planted last spring are growing again. ANIMALS: We saw a few birds sitting in the trees. They are small birds and are not the kind that spend the winter here. The little geckos are coming out. The ladybugs are eating aphids in the garden. We have seen a lot of snails and slugs because of the rain. PEOPLE: People are wearing sweaters over their shirts, t-shirts, and dresses instead of jackets. Some people are starting to wear shorts and some girls are wearing skorts and skirts again. We did not wear out jackets out at recess this week. [32:31N 94:46W] USA Texas, Longview Pine Tree Elementary School, Ms. Baker's second graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week we had rain and thunderstorms. The average temperature this week was about 60*. LAND & WATER: The grass is becoming greener. PLANTS: Some of the plants are blooming. ANIMALS: PEOPLE: Many students are wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts instead of winter clothes! OTHER: We will be on "Spring" break next week. The forcast is good through Friday. I hope it is accurate! [29:37N 81:49W] USA Florida, Hollister The Children's Academy, Ms. Cadwallader's first graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Here in North Florida USA we have had a mild winter. There were many mornings around freezing, 32 degrees F. The day time temps range from 45 to 60 F. As spring quickly approaches, the morning low is in the low 40s and the daytime high this week went into the high 70s. As the temperature warmed up the rain clouds went away and we have had a whole week of sunshine. PLANTS: There are tiny violets emerging from under the fall grasses. We mow the open areas in the early spring to help new and diverse plants grow. In the lawn areas, the grass is staring to turn green but the trees do not have new leaves yet. The dogwood and tulip trees are in bloom. ANIMALS: We saw the start of a nest. There are many sparrows at our feeder and we have cardinals, blue jays, hawks, mockingbird, towhees and an occasional eagle. When we saw the robins arrive, it felt like spring was here. The wasps are out making nests too. PEOPLE: We try to spend lots of time outside because summer comes early to Florida. [31:50S 116:10E] WESTERN AUSTRALIA, Perth Hampton Park Primary School, Miss Anderson's third and fourth graders WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: Our incredibly hot summer days have cooled between ten to fifteen degrees - so that in this coming week our temperatures are expected to be in the mid twenties (celcius) each day. We know that in many parts of the world this would still count as summer weather - our days will be sunny and bright, with lots of light cool breezes coming in from the sea around lunchtimes. LAND & WATER: There has been restricted use of tap water over the summer months - our government is concerned that a lack of rainfall has resulted in low levels of water in our dams. Families are only allowed to use sprinklers on their lawns and gardens every second day. Our government hopes to recycle water in a salinity project in the future. PLANTS: There are many native trees around our schools and suburbs that are all very leafy and green right now. Some children have fruit trees (lemon, orange, mandarin, plums) in their backyards. We don't see a lot of australian wildflowers in the suburbs - but flowers in childrens gardens are blooming well. ANIMALS: In this really hot weather - we see lots of different kinds of insects. Most are in the school grounds and home gardens - but some creepy crawlies venture inside the school and homes as they try to escape the heat also! We have seen ants, spiders, flies, centipedes, wasps, bees, mosquitoes and even termites. There are magpies and crows living in the trees around the school. PEOPLE: With our hot summery weather, most aussies have been wearing very light clothing at home and at school. We wear shorts and short sleeved blouses, the children wear shorts and t-shirts. Many children and adults wear sunglasses and hats when they are outside. We have a 'no hat no play' policy in our school during these hot summer months. OTHER: Like the school in New Zealand, we wonder if our city will show many signs of autumn in the coming month - we really hope so! We know that we won't see snow and ice - but we hope there will be obvious changes in the trees and plantlife and weather that we can share with you. [38:20ÊS 176:00E] NEW ZEALAND, Auckland Bucklands Beach Primary School, Ms. Chilvers's fifth year students WEATHER/SKY/TEMPERATURE: This week our skies were blue with high white clouds. Here in Auckland New Zealand it was 21 degrees most days. There was sunshine every day and no rain. The mornings are cooler. LAND & WATER: We went swimming every day but the water was cold. The grass is growing well PEOPLE: We are startng to wear sweatshirts OTHER: The South Island in Southland Otago is starting to get frosts. 54:52N-38:20S | Firsts | Map | Quest | March index | Top of page