Making the Best of the Situation by Camryn Salisbury

Even in the worst of times, there is always a bright side, you just have to have the right mindset to see it. Although being stuck at home isn’t ideal, it’s a great opportunity.

Most of us are usually super busy with school and extra-curricular activities, so we don’t get a chance to try new things. Now since we must stay at home, lots of us have quite a bit of free time. It may just seem boring, but actually, there’s so much to do! You could accomplish so much right now; you just need to be motivated enough to do it. If you have the motivation, nothing is stopping you from doing something great. There are no deadlines, no prior commitments, nothing, just time to do something that you don’t normally get to do.

I have been going on lots of walks and bike rides and have done lots of baking. I’m usually super busy with dance and school, so it’s really nice to be able to go outside and not worry about the time or worry about being late for something. Also, I love baking but I don’t really get the chance to bake. I’ve tried making churros, donuts, cookies, cakes, puffed wheat squares, banana bread, zucchini bread and some other things too. Of course I miss school and seeing friends, but I’m also enjoying having time to do whatever I want.

We need to be optimistic and make the best of these unfortunate circumstances. Even though there are a lot of negative things happening right now, you can make the decision to create some positive outcomes of this situation. You wouldn’t want to look back on this time and say, ‘Oh I wish I did this,’ or ‘Oh I wish I did that.’ You need to realize that as bad as things are, you can always do something to make it a little bit better.

Author Camryn Salisbury is 13 years old and attends Grade 8 at Ottewell Junior High School

My Birthday in Quarantine by Sydney Salisbury

When I thought about my birthday I thought it was going to be terrible because I was in quarantine but having a birthday in quarantine was more fun than having one not in quarantine. Even though you can’t have a whole bunch of people over you can still have a fun time. Doesn't matter with friends or without - on the morning of your birthday you have to make a good decision about what you want your mood to be; that’s what my mom told me. If you think, “Aaaggghhh this is going to be the worst birthday ever,” then it just might be. At the beginning I thought why am I even bothering to have a birthday? Then I thought let’s make the best of this quarantine birthday: We can have fun no matter what and it might be the best birthday ever. 

My birthday this year was a one of a kind. This was one of the best birthdays ever. My birthday was special because I got to spend way more time with my family than I would if I had a whole bunch of people over. If you want some quarantine birthday fun:

• Go on a walk or ask someone to make a scavenger hunt.

• You could also have an online birthday party. You can even make up a dance to show off.

• You might be able to sleep in later than usual.

• Maybe, if your parents are nice enough, you can make an experiment. 

• You can also have loads of fun decorating. 

• On your birthday you can have a lot of quality time with your family. If you live far away and were hoping to see them use zoom to see them. You can also look at pictures of them or make them a video. 

• You should definitely learn something new like hiking up a trail a different way than you usually do. 

• You can even learn how to cook. 

You can have fun no matter what - friends or no friends - as long as you're with your family. Don’t make your birthday seem boring just because you're in quarantine, and can’t have people over. Make it fun because you're turning older! Having a birthday in quarantine isn’t that bad. Thank you for reading and have a good time in quarantine.

Author Sydney Salisbury is a 10 year old Grade 4 student from Strathearn

Adventures with Harry Potter by Nathan Salisbury

I have been reading the Harry Potter Book series. I have also seen all of the movies. I have finished the first three books and now I am on the fourth. I really enjoyed all of the movies and I have enjoyed the books so far.

One reason I like the books is that the author J.K Rowling put so much detail and effort into the books. She took a lot of time detailing all the characters. Another reason I like the books is that they are different from the movies so you get to read the story from a different perspective. The last reason I like the books is that you can imagine the stuff that is happening in the books because they are a little different from the movies.

One reason I like the movies is that they are a little different from the books, so you can see them how they really are and you can compare them to what you thought they would look like. Another reason I like the movies is that they make everything a bit more dramatic. I like how they make it a bit more dramatic because it makes the movies a lot better. The last reason I like the movies is that they are still like the books. You can watch the same things  happen but they are a bit different.

I really like the Harry Potter Series. They are my favourite books. I would recommend them to anybody who likes books with magic and a lot of plot twists.

Author Nathan Salisbury is an 11 year old Grade 6 student from Strathearn