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CKN's Travel section!
Shriners Circus
isn't monkeying around!
By ANNALEA M.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporter
On April 19, 2012, I went to the Shriners Circus in Wilmington, Mass.
When we got out of the car, we walked through the parking lot and saw clowns giving out free cards with their names and faces on them.
We went inside the huge auditorium. In the room, they were selling toys and food and painting faces. There were also train rides, elephant rides, and camel rides.
“OK, you can all pick out one prize,’’ my mother said.
I picked out a stuffed monkey with a little banana on its head and a funny face. My brother picked out a glowing sword with a blue monkey handle, and my cousin got a plastic light-up gun. I thought it was a silly selection getting those, but they probably thought the same for my choice.
So then we went to our seats. Before the show began, everyone who had a glowing item turned it on and waved it, just as the lights dimmed.
There were people riding on bikes on ropes, clwons shooting out of a cannon -- which was a fail -- and hula-hoop girls. And more.
Best circus ever!
--May 6, 2012--
Steer toward it
World of Wheels car show a sight to behold
The 38th annual Town Fair Tires World of Wheels is at the World Trade Center in Boston this weekend. Reporters from the Cunniff Kids News went to the 2010 World of Wheels and took these pictures (above and below).
The 2012 World of Wheels is open Friday, March 30, from 3 pm. to 10 p.m.; Saturday, March 31, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday, April 1, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Tickets are $16 for adults, $5 children (6-12), and free for children under 5.
This year's special guests include Billy the Exterminator (Saturday), Stefanie Scott from Disney's "ANT Farm" (Saturday), the New England Patriots' Eugene Chung (Sunday), and Debby Ryan from Disney's "Jessie" and "Suite Life on Deck" (Sunday).
(For information about the Town Fair Tires World of Wheels, go to http://www.autorama.com/casi/show/spectator/boston.php).
--March 13, 2010--
Of maple syrup and coyote tracks
Nature Camp fun for all -- and all year round
By JACOB D. and CHARLOTTE D.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporters
For three days during February vacation, we went to Nature Camp. When we got home each day, we would say, “Guess what I did?” And then we would say, “We had so much fun today!”
The camp was run by Mass. Audubon. Our teacher’s name was Jane. She did a lot of fun things with us.
On the first day, Charlotte made slime and Jacob came up with his own nature name.
On the second day, Jacob and Charlotte saw coyote tracks. Jacob went snowshoeing and played a game called Predator and Prey. The predators would put snowshoes on and read a story. Then the predators would go out and look for sunflower seeds. When they found the seeds, they would follow them. Some trails were false.
On the third day, Charlotte made green pancakes with artificial colors and she ate them. The first color she put in was yellow. The second color she put in was green.
On the third day, Jacob went maple sugaring. He learned which tree was a maple tree. He got to drink sap. It tasted like water with fruit. We learned what they used to get the sap out of the tree. It is called a spile.
Jacob got to help someone bring back a log.
Nature Camp was great!
(For more information about Mass. Audubon and its camp programs, go to http://www.massaudubon.org/.)
--April 24, 2011--
 The home in which CKN reporters Eoin M. and Sarah M. stayed during their visit to Ireland.
(Drawing courtesy of Sarah M.)
At home, in Ireland
Cunniff students visit family over February vacation
By EOIN M. and SARAH M.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporters
We went to Ireland over February vacation with our father. We went to see our family on both our Mom’s and our Dad’s side.
To get to Ireland, we took a plane. The ride was five hours long!
In Ireland, it was really warm and everywhere we looked was green because there were so many grassy hills. Both families live in the countryside, and we had a lot of fun with our cousins.
Ireland is very different from America. They drive on the other side of the road, and they speak in an accent. Most of the people speak English, but some people speak Gaelic.
Our trip was really fun, and someday we want to go back.
--March 12, 2011--
With some help from Lucy, a student
finds a new home in Watertown
By EVA M.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporter
“The Lucy Show” said the portable DVD player. The next thing I knew, the show was cracking me up.
At this time, we were driving down the highway from North Carolina to Massachusetts. My family was moving because of my stepdad’s job. I watched the episodes with Lucille Ball in it the whole way.
It was kind of painful to start moving and, at the same time, exciting. Also, funny, since I was watching “The Lucy Show”.
One of the funny parts of the show was when Lucy’s boss called her an idiot, since she almost gets fired a lot. But when he called her an idiot, it came out the wrong way and he ended up asking her if she knew any idiots, and she said, “Yes and no. You’re the only idiot I know.” That part made me crack up.
I found out we were moving last winter. The most painful thing about moving was leaving my six-month-old sister, Isabel Pearl McDonald. Isabel turned 1 on Jan. 25.
It was also hard leaving my family and friends. I had lived in North Carolina since I was born. I wanted to see Massachusetts because the only states I had been to were Florida, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee.
We stayed in a bunch of states throughout the move, so many I can’t list them. Once we got to Massachusetts, it got better and more fun.
It got better when we went on a Boston Duck Tour and got to do fun activities for the summer. We had a pool next door to our condo, near the Charles River walk. We saw some of the kids from the pool in Watertown Square.
We stayed in my stepdad’s condo, which was one big room with no separate rooms and no doors. My parents had a bed while I had a futon. For privacy, my mom, who is an artist, hinged together two of my favorite paintings of hers to use as a screen. The only room with a door was the bathroom. My room, the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room were all connected.
It was hard living there for so long without a good amount of privacy. I was so excited when they said we were going to move into a house.
We stayed in the condo for most of the summer. It was better once I was at my new school, Cunniff Elementary. I made lots of friends and had the best time.
In November, I moved into our new house farther away from school, but near my old one. My stepdad had told us we sold his old condo. The house was nice and it took a few days to get moved in, but we still have more to unpack. I ended up having a great time in my new house. There is no neighbor next to us, since it is a two-family.
The visits home to North Carolina were the best and I enjoyed all of them. It was good to be home in the Carolinas and to spend time with my family.
My first visit back there was my first plane ride by myself. My mom walked me through the steps, like tickets and security, and then waited with me at the gate until my plane came.
The best part of the move was going to my new school, meeting my new teacher, and making new friends. I also joined afterschool activities like Voyager, afterschool sports, and newspaper. These are my favorite parts of the day, if school gets boring.
That is the story of how I moved here.
--Feb. 1, 2011--
For Cecile Fogh (left) and Line Noergaard (right, and below), a visit to Massachusetts wouldn't have been complete without seeing the Minuteman statue and trying candlepin bowling.
Make yourself at homeDanish students live with Watertown family
during weeklong US visit
By SAM C. (with SEAN L.)
Cunniff Kids News staff reporters
Two girls from Denmark came to stay at my house for one week. Denmark is next to Germany. Denmark is where they make Legos. 
The girls’ names are Cecile Fogh and Line Noergaard. They are both 16 years old. They speak Danish, German, and English. Cecile lives in Gram and Line lives in Toftlund. They were here with their high school class to see how we live and to do research for school. The students stayed in different houses in Watertown, Belmont, and Cambridge.
I gave them a tour of my house and we also raked leaves and went bowling. My dad took us to the Lexington Green to see the statue of the Minuteman.
Cecile and Line were lots of fun. They played with my friend Sean and I and we made them laugh their heads off.
They came to my Little Kickers soccer game and we went to McDonald’s afterward. They both got hamburgers. They loved it because they don’t have McDonald’s in their small town.
After they left, they went to New York.
Sean and I would like to go to Denmark someday and visit to see what their houses are like.
--Jan. 4, 2011--
A million reasons to go
Chicago's Money Museum a treasure to behold
By SAM C.
Cunniff Kids News staff reporter
My family and I took a three-day trip to Chicago. While we were in Chicago we went to the Money Museum at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago..
At the Money Museum, we saw a big box in the corner that contained a thousand dollar bills, all in ones.
In one of the rooms at the Money Museum, there was a glass floor, and under the glass floor were thousands of coins. Some of the coins were pennies, nickels, dimes, dollar coins, and gold coins.
They also had a machine where you would put a dollar bill in and you would get a silver dollar coin in return.
Then we saw a large case that was left open, but there was glass over the million dollars in bills. There was a camera next to it so you could take your picture with the case.
I would recommend that on your next trip to Chicago that you go to the Money Museum!
(For information on the Money Museum, go to http://www.chicagofed.org/webpages/education/money_museum/index.cfm.)
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