Author Archives: Gullivers Mailbox

English is hard for cats

I went sailing recently, and learned some new words – sailor’s language they called it. This little cat thinks English is a crazy language. Did you know that there is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger, and neither apple or pine in pineapple? Why do humans have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? One goose, two geese, so one moose, two meese? English muffins weren’t created in England, and French fries are not French. I think I will stick to a simple Meow!        Purrs,  Gulliver

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Take a look at this article to see where English lacks word for certain ideas or emotions.

Emotions that have no translation into English

Sailing ships and sealing wax

Ahoy, me hearties! I went sailing through the Monterey Bay on the tall ship Lady Washington looking for pirate, but found none.  We did see dolphins and whales, and learned what it was like to live on a ship in the 1880s. I helped raise the sails from the yards (cross beams), and the crew taught me nautical words like port, starboard, tiller and quarterdeck. Then the crew sang sea shanties, songs to keep spirits up and synchronize timing. Since the Lady Washington was a trading ship, not a pirate’s ship, no one was forced to “walk the plank” or join in a sword fight.  I didn’t even get seasick from the rolling waves!

Purrs, Gulliver

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Lady Washington

 

Modern day Dinosaur

Did you know that birds descended from dinosaurs? The first bird-type dinosaur was called “Archaeopteryx,” which means “ancient wing”   Birds share many similarities with dinosaurs, including feathers, scales and laying eggs.  Scientists study each creature to compare skin, bones, hearts and lungs and other body pieces to connect the two.  Some birds do not fly or have very limited ability to fly. Think of turkeys and ostriches. Others, like penguins and puffins can swim better than fly or walk. Next time you see a bird, tell everyone they are looking at a modern day dinosaur!

Purrs, Gulliver

 

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Leaving on a Jet Plane

I thought I was adventurous until I read about a young man who spends an average four hours on a plane each day, and takes at least one international flight each week.  Always on the move, Ben rarely stays more than 3 days in one place.  He has circled the earth about 16 times a year flying in airplanes. He is called a Hobbyist – someone who uses airline and credit card bonuses to reduce the price of his tickets.  He said for the past 18 months, he hasn’t had a home, but lives out of airplanes and hotels.  I like some routine, so I think I would get very confused on what day it is and where I am with all that travel!

Purrs, Gulliver

 

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Gulliver’s Mom reads to classrooms

Recently Gulliver’s mom went to some local classrooms to read to students and answer questions.  The number one question was “why was Gulliver grounded?” from the postcard below.  Gulliver is still able to travel but his magic carpet is on time out, so he has to figure out other sources of transportation.  The story behind the punishment remains between Gully and his mom, but trust me, it was bad behavior!

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Hello! I am Sasha, Gulliver’s little sister. He asked me to write to you because he has been grounded and is not travelling. He apologizes for not sending postcards. Look at today’s postcard – – the address is always on the right, under the stamp. First the name, then the street address, next line is city and state, and finally a postal or ZIP code.  Some countries use a different order where the city is listed before the street name. Each piece of mail requires a stamp which is postmarked from the area it was mailed from, along with the date it was mailed.  What would you write on a postcard?

Meow, Sasha

Horseless Carriages

Way, way back, when my great grandfather’s father was a kitten at the turn of the last century (1901) automobiles (horseless carriages) were still a new form of transportation. They put the kitten in a basket for a short trip across town to see family, and then drove at the top speed of the car – 6 miles per hour! He was car sick, and hated the horn blowing which was used at every curve and intersection to warn people they were coming.  No one had training on how to drive, or a license.  The first state to require license plates on cars was New York, and the car owner’s made their own plates which were the two or three initials of the owners names.

Purrs, Gulliver

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National Postcard Week – May 3-9, 2015

I’m so excited about celebrating National Postcard Week with classrooms exchanging hand made postcards with each other. One class used their skills to type their research of San Juan Bautista Mission, another wrote about their favorite books.  Here is one teacher’s comments:

Hopefully, it was okay to add a fake address and a general name like cool kid or lucky student. Writing out the postcards was a teaching tool for me today. Only 3 students had wrote postcards before so this was an excellent teaching time for me. I was teaching them if they ever had to write a postcard in the future they would know what to do. We even drew a fake stamp on the postcard.  Ms. H.

Purrs, Gulliver

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Tunisia and magic carpets

Tunisia

My very first magic carpet was woven in Tunisia.  I found it in a souq – an open air market which sells everything from jewelry to ceramic dishes to rugs. The rug was woven of wool, and I could use it as a blanket on chilly nights when I camped outside.

The first people to live in this area were stone age cave dwellers called Troglodytes.  I can see why humans like to come to Tunisia – there are many miles of sandy beaches along the Mediterranian coastline, though in the south part of the country there is desert, and it is hot!

Purrs, Gulliver

Friends in Brazil

Gulliver shared postcards from all over the United States with students from Brazil.  Here is their reaction:

Hi!

  • Too much fun today at the first postcards delivery to 10 years old kids from public school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
  • Let me told <tell> you the history of the week. The postcards are a surprise for the end of year (classes finish in november/december here), but last week one of the postcards fall down from my notebook. The girl who would receive it, got this (the alaska one) and now it´s a mystery on the class about where is it form. LOL. Lots of fun!!!! 😀
  • The postcard to Camily arrived! Kids are in love with Gulliver.

Brazil Girl

  • At the picture, a girl taking notes about cities and countries the postcards are from.
  • Tomorrow, English teacher will translate everything and we will try <to> write something to Gulliver.

Thanks a lot!!

Gulliver is looking forward to setting up exchanges between USA classrooms this spring.  And maybe even visit some classes.