The Adventures of the Five Amigos

The Adventures of the Five Amigos The Green School Caper

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of Five Amigos) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 12:45:00 +0000

Hello Fellow Amigos!

I’m so glad you found our blog. This is a blog about me and my friends, The Five Amigos, for young readers who have read the book The Green School Caper: The Adventures of the Five Amigos. We are all BF's since grade school and now are in 6th grade at Middle School. I am thinking that you must have read Mrs. McCollum's book but if you haven't you can find it at Amazon.com, also available in e-book version. If you already have a copy of our book, maybe there is someone you know that might enjoy it. Or if you have not read our book and want to know more about it you can read about it here.

We started this blog to help other kids on how to make your school green and to show you that you too can make a difference. We are hoping that if your school isn't already a green school that you will want to make it one! We have added some great resources to help you along the way, if you know of other great sites that we have not listed, on our resource page, please feel free to leave a comment with the site link and we will add it to our list!

This blog is also a place where you can get to know us better, with our bio’s and pictures of us created by our artist, Erin. We will also keep you updated on what we are up to now and how we are continuing to help the environment and our school. As well as, some other fun stuff we enjoy! We love to chat with other people so we hope you will leave us a comment on our bios so we can talk to you! We check our blog daily so we hope you will write to us!

Check back often as we will be adding more stuff on a regular basis. If there is something you would like to see or learn more about, let us know!

We have lots of fun and many adventures to share! We hope to hear from you!

Your Friends,

Allison, Melanie, Tyler, Tally and Chello-The Five Amigos

**We would like to thank all of the readers of the book The Green School Caper: The Adventures Of The Five Amigos and the readers of our blog. We are sooo excited, as we have had visitors from around the Globe.... Arizona, California, Oregon, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, India, China, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, Turkey, Sweden, South Africa and Argentina. **

The Five Amigos Adventures Readers...

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:09:00 +0000

Are you a fan of The Green School Caper: The Adventures Of The Five Amigos? We would love to see who you are or to hear what you think about our adventures. We are asking for our interested readers to send us a picture and any comments you have about us or our book so we can post it on our blog. If you are under the age of 18 please make sure you have permission from your parents before you send us your picture. Please do not send us any personal information, such as, your address, phone number or anything like that...it will not be posted! We will be posting our fan pictures on this page, so check back often to see what people are saying about us! If you are a five amigo reader but do not want to send a picture, please sign our guest book or you can leave a comment for a specific Amigo under our bio section and we will respond!

The Five Amigos: Allison, Tyler, Melanie, Chello and Tally~

*************************************************************
Young editors of Adventures of the Five Amigos The Green School Caper.
The kids below attend East Elementary in Tillamook Oregon. They decided one afternoon to act out some of the scenes.

Smelling the stinky sauerkraut farts!

Five Amigos do their High five!

The girls share a LOL moment.

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Mr. Selzer's 5th graders at East elementary in Tillamook Oregon....read and enjoy The Five Amigos..

Products And Services

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:22:00 +0000

Need help in finding products and services that are safe for our planet and that help you to become more green? Here is a list of websites that can help you do just that:

Have you or your parents ever forgotten to bring your reusable bags to the store? Check out the Bagnesia web site to find fun ways to remember those bags!

The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,688 groups with 6,509,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer (them's good people). Membership is free. Great place to recycle all those toys you no longer want.

Eco Toy Town: Earth Friendly non-toxic toy store for everyone from infants to adults. Check out the learning kits they have, they are really cool...

Green Party Goods: Being green doesn't have to be boring, check out all of the planet friendly products for any celebration. They have some really neat plates and cups which would be great for parties while still being green!

Gaiam: Help get your parents to go green by picking up some eco-friendly cleaning supplies for your home. The have lots of other stuff too!

Want to help out for free? Click on one or all of the causes below...it's free. The sponsers of each cause will donate money towards the cause just by you clicking on the button. You can click each button once a day to help the cause of your choice...they only count your first click each day, so clicking it mutiple times in a day will not count but it's a great way for kids to help out the planet for free!

We will be adding more sites and stuff as we find them, so keep checking back!

-The Five Amigos

The Problem With "Plastic or Paper"

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:46:00 +0000

•Loaded Landfills. Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photo-degrade, breaking down into smaller toxic pieces. Paper bags do not degrade any faster than plastic. In modern landfills nothing completely degrades due to lack of water, light, oxygen and other necessary degradation elements. One bag doesn’t take up much space, but millions do. The Wall Street Journal put the number of plastic bags used at 100 billion per year in the US alone. • Wildlife. Plastic bags are light, and can blow in the wind. They fly into trees and into wildlife habitat. Animals can consume these plastics, and perish. Plastic bags are a deadly killer to wildlife. • Marine Life. Over 100,000 marine animals are killed each year from plastic bags. Sea turtles, water birds, and other creatures mistake them for food or become entangled in them. In some parts of the ocean, there are six pounds of plastic for every pound of plankton. • Litter. We may think we’ve thrown out a plastic bag but many of them may blow out of trash cans and become litter. Some are carelessly tossed aside causing urban tumbleweed. • Production Cost. The production of plastic bags requires petroleum and often natural gas, both non-renewable resources that can cost big production bucks over time. • Paper bags consume more energy than plastic. It takes more than four times as much energy to manufacture a paper bag as it does to manufacture a plastic bag. • Carbon footprint. Producing plastic bags requires energy. Transporting bags to the store burns through more energy. Much of this energy is obtained by burning hydrocarbons, which releases carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. • Suffocation Hazzard. Ever read the warning on plastic bags? “This bag is not a toy and can cause suffocation of small children.”

The Solution:

Cost. Reusable bags are inexpensive by comparison and last for many years, saving you money over the long haul. Our reusable bag is equivalent to approximately 3 plastic shopping bags.

Durability. Reusable bags are strong (ours can hold up to 40 lbs), and can endure many shopping trips over the years.

Shopper incentives. Many stores offer shoppers discounts and program points for bagging with reusables. Your bag can pay for itself if just a few trips to the supermarket.

Efficient shopping. It’s quicker to load your car with a few reusables, than with numerous plastic floppy sloppy bags. It’s also more efficient to carry a few sturdy reusable bags home. Just throw them over your shoulder!

Multipurpose. Reusable bags can be used for tasks beyond grocery shopping. Flea markets, beach bags, fitness bags, ect. - the options are endless.

Easy to stuff. Compact reusable bags are easy to stuff into a purse or pocket.

Challenge Yourself and Others:

Think twice about taking a plastic bag if your purchase is small and easy to carry.

Keep compact reusable bags in your home, office, and car so you will always have them available when you go to the supermarket and other stores.

Ask your favorite stores if they will offer a bag credit for using reusable bags.

Try to go at least one week without accumulating any new plastic bags. If every shopper took just one less bag each month, this could eliminate the waste of hundreds of millions of bags each year.

Check out this Site... http://www.bagnesia.com/ for more information. Or if you have trouble remembering your bags you can purchase their bagnesia reminder kit!

As Ed Norton says- Bag the Bags! (thanks to National Geographic)

Favorite Amigo Videos...

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 15:12:00 +0000

These aren't really places we have been to...just some of our favorite videos, that people have forwarded to us. We think they are fun to watch...Enjoy!!

Earth Day Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Myspace Comments, Earth Day Comments at WishAFriend.com

The Five Amigos send out a challenge to all of our friends.... Earth Day is getting closer, a bit more than 2 months away... And maybe less depending on when you are reading this! It is April 22nd.. If you did not know..

Our school, Talent Elementary became an official Green School on Earth Day in our first book. We would like to get as many of you to help us start a list of Green Schools across the United States. What we would like to hear from you is something special about your school's Green program. For instance, East Elementary in Tillamook, Oregon, has a wonderful greenhouse. They grow many plants for gardens and have a great plant sale in the late spring. This helps local people have some sustainable organic gardens. Plus their school is made aware of the idea of having their own gardens. The money they make goes back to helping their school stay Green, buy seeds, and whatever they may need for their Greenhouse.

So... would you please send us any names before Earth Day, so we can post them and celebrate them... Also we would like to know any schools that are working on becoming Green.

Our Big Challenge is for any of you to make the change over to using reusable bags for your shopping. Get your parents, family, to purchase or make these bags. And big thing is to remember to take them and use them! Maybe you could be the one in your family to remember to put them in your vehicle and be the reminder to use them? Please send us your name and how you are doing on this challenge! You can tell us how you got your family to use this idea and how it is working out for you and your family! We will publish a list along with your stories on our Blog. Pictures of you would be wonderful too!

Good Luck.... The Five Amigos....

PS.. We love to get any email from you, so do write us some letters... You can write any of us individually and we will answer you! Allison, Tyler, Chello, Tally and Chello

**One more challenge... Check out our Places Kids can go for ideas of how to be Green. Here you will find lots of web sites to visit that are full of fun ideas! **

Allison Shares Her Pictures From Netarts Where Her Grandparents Live...

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:34:00 +0000

These are pictures from Netarts when I was staying at my Nana and Pop Pop's.

Blue Heron at Nana's.. They are found mostly down by the ocean, but since she has a creek by her house, they like to come up and check it out. Below is another one of one down by the bay.

Below are pictures of the seals out on the spit in Netarts Bay

Cape Meares Light House

Sitka Spruce, the Octopus Tree, at Cape Meares Lighthouse

More Netarts Bay pictures….

Seals; Sunset on the bay; Kayak on the Bay….

Here are pictures take during the SOLV Great Oregon Beach Cleanup. This is what Nana and I do every summer when I visit. It is pretty sad how much trash we always find. But it is also wonderful how many people..and animals...help!!

www.portlandpeeps.org/programs.cfm This is a great group of kids that come from Portland to help keep our beaches and waterways clean. Visit this web site to see what all they do!!!!

Tally's Trip To India

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 16:05:00 +0000

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park Country : India

State : West Bengal
City : Darjeeling
This zoo was established in 1958 with the objectives of study, conservation and preservation of Himalayan fauna. The animals are well cared for by dedicated keepers. To protect and breed the dwindling stocks of wild animals, to educate the public and instill in them a sense of the worth of these wonderful creatures, it is necessary to keep them in pseudo-natural habitats. The zoo houses India's only collection of Siberian tigers and some rare species, such as the red panda and the Tibetan wolf.

Darjelling is famous for it's tea growing. Tally's grandparent's tea plantation in Darjelling India.

They are retired, but a family member still runs it.

Pictures of the plantation and some workers and the tea leave.

Ghoom Monastery
Ghoom Monastery : A visit to Darjeeling generally begins with the Ghoom monastery. The monastery has an imposing 4.5-metre tall image of the Maitreya Buddha. The monastery has also preserved some rare handwritten Buddhist manuscripts. Ghoom, at an altitude of about 2,407 metres, offers a spectacular view of Darjeeling town .

The Train Tally took to get up to the Ghoom Monastery

Buddha Sahat, Tally's cousin and another Monk

Tally's pictures from West Bangal India:
Siberian tigers and handlers at the zoo

Siberian Tigers....

Bengal Tigers....

I hope you enjoy my trip pictures as much as I loved taking them!

-Tally

Green Holiday Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:50:00 +0000

Dear Friends of the 5 Amigos... We decided that it would be fun to offer up a challenge for our friends for the up and coming Holidays... Something that will help the environment. We all decided it needed to be something to do with plastic, since that is our first and beginning concern about the environment. So we went on line to find some plastic challenges. We found this article, and it just helps bring back to your minds the importance of getting plastic out of our landfills! Read below for that information and then see our challenges at the end!

Consider this information from Plastic Bag Free.Com:

-Plastic production uses 8% of all the world's oil production.
-At the current rate the world produces 200 million tons of plastic a year. Less than 3.5% is recycled. In other words, 96% of all the world's plastic is not recycled.
-The world plastic production is increasing at 3.5% per year. This means every 20 years the amount of plastic we produce doubles.
-The world produces over 200 million tons of plastic annually. Around half of this is used for disposable items of packaging that are discarded within a year. This debris is accumulating in landfill and the problem is growing.
-Plastics do not biodegrade, they photo degrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil, waterways, oceans and entering the food web when ingested by animals.
-The dawn of the plastic era was in 1950s. This was when we first started to use plastic for consumer goods on a mass scale.
-Scientists estimate each plastic item could last in the environment anywhere between 400 to 1000 years.
-In short, since the 1950's almost every piece of plastic that we have ever made, used and thrown away is still here on this planet in one form or another, whether its in our homes, in landfill or in the environment; and it will be here for centuries to come.
-Worldwide, at least 143 marine species are known to have become entangled in marine debris (including almost all of the world's species of sea turtles) and at least 177 marine species (including 95% of all the world's sea birds) have eaten plastic litter.

Additionally, Plastic Bag Free.Com reports,

People often ask, "What is the most concerning form of plastic marine debris? Is it discarded fishing nets (ghost nets), is it plastic bags, is it six-pack rings?" The truth is it's everything plastic in the ocean. All plastic breaks down into particles. It does not dissolve; it just breaks into tiny pieces and stays there. At this size it is small enough to be ingested by every single organism in the world's oceans - animals as small as krill and salps (plankton feeders) right up to the great Blue Whale. These particles known as oceanic microplastics are now so prolific in the oceans that they outweigh plankton. In some large areas it is at a ratio of 30 to 1 (so 30 times more plastic than plankton) and the problem is growing fast.

Disturbing? Yes. Frightening? Sure. Hopeless? No. While we may not be able to do anything about the plastic that is already in the environment, the choices we make about our purchases today will affect our future as well as our children's and our grandchildren's. But this needs to be a collective effort.

Remember, we vote with our dollars and it's a case of supply and demand. The more we buy plastic products, the more plastic will be manufactured. Conversely, the more we buy sustainable products, the more sustainable products will be made.

The Challenge all of you to do something about the growing plastic problem. When shopping for gifts this holiday season, try to find alternatives to plastic items AND look for items that don't come with excessive plastic packaging.

OK... There was the web page challenge which is good, but here is one of our own that we think you all can do!

Our Challenges:

1. One of the worst problems is with those plastic bags that you get in stores to carry your purchases home! (paper is not a good alternative either) We have learned that lots of cities, and even whole states are passing laws that stores can no longer use plastic bags. So what will people do to carry their purchases home? Carry those cloth ones that most stores are now selling for $.59 to $.99... There are many people out there who are doing this, but there are also a lot of people who are not! There are few things you can do to help this a long... You and your friends can:

A. For holiday presents give those cloth bags! They are cheap, you can find them all over. I know I usually have a few dollars I can spend and what a great gift... Or if you are giving someone a gift, use one of these to wrap it in! Also include in the bag the above information about what plastic is doing to environment. You can copy and paste that and then print it to include. It is amazing how many people do not know all of this!

B. Solve a forgetful problem...A problem people are having with using these cloth bags, is taking them with them to the store. So how or what could you do to encourage people to remember? Is there something you can make that they can put in their house...fridge magnets... Or in their cars as a reminder? Simple sign saying "BAGS!"... Or "Remember BAGS"... Maybe you can think of something better or design a sign. Please let us know your ideas, send pictures of what you made to our Blog, we would love to see your creation!

We hope you will accept these challenges and let us know how and what you did! Happy Holidays to you all.... Allison, Melanie, Tyler, Chello and Tally.....

The Five Amigo's Recipe For The New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:38:00 +0000

This is another one of Melanie's family favorites. It really is fun to make and have at New Years. It is like Tyler's Knepp and Sauerkraut. The Five Amigos decided to get together this NYE and each bring a lucky food, so we will have REALLY good luck next year! Not that we really need it, as we think we are all pretty lucky as it is!!!

Greek New Year Sweet Bread -- Vassilopita Recipe

2 packages, dry yeast
3/4 C. warmed milk
5 C. flour
4 eggs
1 t. salt
3/4 C. sugar
grated Lemon rind
1/2 C. melted butter
1 eggs
sesame seeds

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add 2 cups of the flour, and beat batter until smooth. Cover and set in a warm place for about an hour.Beat eggs, salt, sugar and lemon rind over hot water. Stir mixture into batter; add remaining flour and knead, adding gradually the melted butter, until smooth and elastic. Cover with a cloth and let it rise in a warm place until it has doubled its size - about 2 hours. Knead dough and put in a buttered deep round baking dish, about 12 inches in diameter. Cover and leave in a warm place until almost doubled. Brush with lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds, or garnish with blanched halved almonds. Bake in a moderate oven for about 45 minutes. When cold, make a small cut underneath with a knife and insert the gold or silver coin.

New Year's Bread (Vassilopitta) is prepared for New Year's Eve. It is served at midnight and the person who finds the coin will have luck throughout the year.

Melanie's Spanakopita-Greek Spinach Pies

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:32:00 +0000

This is what my Mom helped me make for Erik's wedding! It is from my Mom's side of the family, my Yaya (what we call my Greek Grandma) taught my mother how to make it and then my mom taught me. It takes a lot of time, but I made them at home, we froze them and then sent them in dry ice to Allison's Nana.

Spanakopita:

2 pkgs 10- oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed
3 bunches spring onions, finely chopped
4 tblsp butter
4 eggs, beaten
½ lb Feta cheese
8 oz cottage cheese
1/4lb butter, melted
1 tblsp minced dill
salt/pepper to taste
½ lb butter for Filo
1 lb Filo pastry sheets
SECRET INGREDIENT: Nutmeg to taste!

Thaw and drain spinach.
Sauté onions in 4 tbsp butter.
Add spinach and heat until water is gone.
Mix beaten eggs with crumbled Feta, cottage cheese, melted butter &
dill.
Add onions, s/p to taste and secret ingredient!
Line a 13x9, buttered pan with 6-8 Filo sheets, brushing each sheet
with melted butter.
Place 1/3 of the cheese/spinach mixture over Filo and cover with 6-8
more Filo sheets as before.
Repeat until c/s mix is gone. End with Filo sheets on top.
Tuck Filo in around the edges of the pan, brush top with leftover
butter, score top of filo into 2” squares.
Bake in 350° for 1 hour or until Filo is browning.
Serve hot, warm or cool!
Enjoy!

Rescue Rehab Center

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Pelicans, Stella and Netarts at the rescue center

Plastic found in bird's stomach display

If you would like to learn more about the real Wildlife Rehab Center you can visit their website.

Guest Book

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 13:58:00 +0000

Thank you for visiting our blog! We would love to know who stops by to look at our blog...please sign our guest book by leaving us a comment with your first name and where you live. You can also leave a comment if you want to!

The Five Amigos-Allison, Tyler, Melanie, Chello and Tally

Chello's Mom's Fantastic Guacamole

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 02:17:00 +0000

My mom made this for Christmas…The Grinch, incase you didn't get it… out of guacamole.

This is the prettier presentation...

Guacamole (try to use organic ingredients)
4 ripe Organic avocados, Haas are the best
½ fresh jalapeno pepper
1/3 cup cilantro chopped
Juice of one lime
1 large ripe tomato chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped, white and green parts
¼ c red or white onion, finely chopped
Dash of hot pepper sauce (optional)
Salt to taste

1. Cut avocados lengthwise and remove the pits. Use a teaspoon and gently scoop out the flesh and place in a medium bowl. Using the back of a fork, break avocados up into chunks being careful not to make them into mush.
2. Cut Jalapeno in half lengthwise. Remove seeds if you don't want a spicy dish; leave them in if you like "bite". Chop pepper (and seeds if using) and add to avocados.
3. Gently fold in cilantro, lime juice, tomato, scallions, onion, hot pepper sauce, and salt to taste.
Best if served within one hour of making it…

The Geen School Caper: The Adventures of the Five Amigos

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 18:18:00 +0000

How can a sauerkraut fart possibly solve a mystery? Fifth Grader, Allison and the Five Amigos think it just might! The Five Amigos… who are Allison and her four BFs; Melanie, Tyler, Tally and Chello…all feel it might be a stinky caper, yet they find themselves following the aroma filled clues to solve it! Allison decides to help her Iowa elementary school to become a Green School. She got the idea when she made a summer visit to her grandparents’ who live on the Oregon Coast. She learned a lot about taking care of the Earth from them, and wants to be part of keeping the Earth green. So... back home and back in school, Allison brings her excitement to The Five Amigos. Allison tells them about Green Schools, and with their help, as well as their teacher, fifth grade class, and eventually the entire school, they all set out to become Green by Earth Day. A school Green Team is formed with Allison leading it. As the team is working on becoming Green, they are slowed down when cans, the team recycles and gets money for, go missing! The Amigos follow clues and leads to solve the mystery... Along the way there are many LOL moments and fun... as well as lessons learned!

Book Review:
"The Green School Caper: The Adventure of the Five Amigos is such a fun and entertaining story. The characters are smart, and diverse. Their friendship is the kind kids wish for. The book is full of information about the environment and being green. Along with entertaining and educating, it empowers readers to help the environment. It shows that when kids care about something and work together they have power to make a difference. The Green School Caper not only educates, entertains, and empowers, but I know it will inspire many readers in many different ways. It is a rare kind of book that greases the wheels of young readers minds. My kids and I have had great discussions, about litter, animals, recycling, and pollution because of this book. I can't wait for future adventures of the 5 amigos!"
By Elizabeth Ohringer-Mom of 4 (West Des Moines, IA USA)

Author-Lynn Tragesser McCollum

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:50:00 +0000

Lynn McCollum is retired from 30 years of teaching. She brings to her books an understanding of young people and what they enjoy reading. Young readers can see themselves and their peers in each character, as well as identify with their everyday worlds. She also understands their sense of humor, bringing many LOL moments to the story, and the love of solving a mystery! Her characters come alive and young readers want to know more. Their curiosity will be satisfied because The Green School Caper is just the first in the FIVE AMIGOS ADVENTURES. Lynn’s own work to help save our environment, and helping the world keep Green is a big part of her stories. She lives and writes in the great Northwest, with her husband and two dogs.

Noodle Kugel by Allison

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:26:00 +0000

"[KOO-guhl] Traditionally served on the Jewish Sabbath, Kugel is a baked pudding usually made with potatoes or noodles, though meat, vegetables and other ingredients are sometimes included. It's generally served as a side dish, though a sweet version with raisins and spices is equally delicious as dessert."

This is one of my family's fav things to eat at our Sabbath. My Grandma Shirley, my Dad's Mom taught my Mom how to make it! And she taught me. We made it for my Uncle Erik's wedding this summer. My mom uses all organic ingredients, and that is what we used for the Green Wedding, of course! And my Great Grandma Alice, Pop Pop's Mom, made homemade noodles for the wedding Kugel! I guess you could say it was a real family effort!

Grandma Shirley's Kugel:
1 bag wide egg noodles
6 eggs
1 cup plum preserves (if you can find or make your own, homemade is wonderful!)
24 oz cottage cheese
4 apples sliced and peeled
1 cup raisins
1. Boil and strain noodles.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl
3. In a greased 13x9 baking pan, spread the mixture and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar
4. Bake covered at 350 for about 2 hrs. Uncover for the last 1/2 hour of backing so the top is golden.

Tally's Mung Dal from India

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 15:08:00 +0000

Green Mung Dal-
1/2 cup mung beans
6 cups tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup carrots, chopped
1 Tablesp. ghee or butter
1 Tablesp. fresh ginger, grated
1 teasp. cumin seeds
1/2 teasp. hing
1 teasp. salt
1 teasp. black pepper
1 teasp. tumeric

Method:
1. Boil beans in water until they burst open.
2. Add tomatoes and carrots.
3. Boil until vegetables are soft and beans are creamy.
4. In a separate pot, melt ghee.
5. Roast ginger, hing and cumin seeds.
6. Add to beans.
7. Stir in salt, black pepper, and tumeric.
* Yields 3 cup

Serve on rice or plain. This is high in protein, and a great vegetarian dish. Legumes such as mung beans are a popular alternative to meat for vegetarians and those on strict budgets since they pack a lot of protein for the price. Mung beans are also quite high in potassium fiber, magnesium, and B vitamins. They also make an excellent diet food, since one cup (250 ml) of mung beans is less than 30 calories.

Tyler's Pennsylvania Dutch Knepp Recipe

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Knepp-

Ingredients:
2 eggs (free range organic eggs are best)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tbs of olive oil or butter
1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl.
2. Break eggs and put in another bowl (be sure and put the egg shells in the compost and not in the bowl, which I did once.).
3. Lightly beat with a fork the eggs.
4. Stir the eggs into the flour until all the flour is moist. The flour and egg mixture will be gummy, and gooey.
5. Put on a medium pan of water, salt and bring to a boil.
6. Take a tablespoon of the egg flour mixture and drop it into the boiling water. Repeat until all the mixture is gone. (use your finger to push the mixture off the spoon one at a time, into water.)
7. Let the little dumplings boil in the water for about 10 minutes. Then take them out with a draining spoon, getting the water off of them. You can pour the water and dumplings into a strainer also.
8. Using a fry pan, put in the oil or butter and heat until melted or warm. Use a medium heat.
9. Put the dumplings into the pan, frying them slowly and lightly, turning them, until they are golden brown.
10. Serve….

This is a side dish for our New Years Day lucky meal. It is served with a boiled pork roast. The pork is boiled the last hour with a jar of sauerkraut. We usually have mashed potatoes with it. Most of us put sauerkraut on the mashed potatoes and then put organic apple butter or organic unsweetened applesauce on top of that. My mom says it is a wonderful mix of sour and sweet. People who don't like the sauerkraut usually like this combination, which is very good for you! It is an old German dish that our family has every New Years Day for good luck that next year!

Reasons To Get Your School Green

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:57:00 +0000

From the U.S. Green Building Council:

Study shows going "green" would save average school $100,000 a year, paying for two new teachers

A new national report finds that building "green" would save an average school $100,000 each year - enough to hire two new additional full-time teachers. The report breaks new ground by demonstrating that green schools - schools designed to be energy efficient, healthy and environmentally friendly -- are extremely cost-effective. Total financial benefits from green schools outweigh the costs 20 to 1. With over $35 billion dollars projected to be spent in 2007 on K-12 construction, the conclusions of this report have far-reaching implications for future school design.

Greening schools is a very cost-effective strategy to cut school costs, improve test scores, and enhance student health.

Sponsored by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Institute of Architects, the American Lung Association, the Federation of American Scientists and the US Green Building Council, the report includes a detailed analysis of 30 green schools built in 10 states between 2001 and 2006. The analysis demonstrates that the total financial benefits of green schools are 20 times greater than the initial cost, and include energy and water savings, and improved student health and test scores. If all new school construction and school renovations went "green" starting today, energy savings alone would total $20 billion over the next 10 years. Some of the major benefits documented in Greening America's Schools include:

- On average, green schools use 33% less energy and 32% less water than conventional schools, and would improve national security by reducing reliance on imported energy.

- Green schools typically have better lighting, temperature control, improved ventilation and indoor air-quality which contribute to reduced asthma, colds, flu and absenteeism. Helping improve learning, test scores and lifetime student earnings.

- Greening all school construction would create over 2000 additional new jobs each year from increased use of energy efficiency technologies.

- Additional benefits calculated in the report include improved teacher retention and a reduction in dangerous air-pollutants that cause respiratory disease and premature mortality.

Specific school findings include:

- The green school in Dedham, MA saved the town $400,000 in new sewer-system infrastructure by reducing stormwater runoff from the school grounds. (page 8)

- A review of five separate studies by Carnegie Mellon University found a 38.5% asthma reduction in buildings - such as green schools - from improved indoor air-quality. (page 10)

- One school district in North Carolina experienced a 33% increase in the percentage of students testing at grade-level for reading and math after moving to a green school. (page 12)

Study author Greg Kats, a former Director of Finance for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the US Department of Energy, has worked with dozens of corporations, developers, state agencies and organizations to arrive at conservative cost/benefit comparisons of different environmental and building strategies. In Greening America's Schools, Kats emphasizes that the financial benefits of green schools are substantially broader than those quantified in the report and include the creation of new educational opportunities, improved equity in education and insurance savings. "Building green schools," he writes, "is more fiscally prudent and lower risk than continuing to build unhealthy, inefficient schools."

Some early reviews of Greening America's Schools: Cost and Benefits

"The choices we make in new construction have huge implications for the health of students, faculty and staff. This important study persuasively demonstrates that it costs little more to build high performance, healthy schools and that there are enormous financial, educational and social benefits to students, schools and society at large."

- Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

"This study underscores the enormous costs of poor design, and the critical impact that good design and operation has on the quality of our children's education. It deserves widespread consideration if we are to properly prepare students to address the environmental challenges of our new century."

- Kate Schwennsen, President The American Institute of Architects

"This carefully documented study conclusively demonstrates the financial, environmental, and other benefits of using green technologies in schools. In fact, failure to invest in green technologies is not financially responsible for school systems."

- Henry Kelly, President, Federation of American Scientists

"For the more than 50 million students and the more than 5 million teachers and staff who spend their days in schools, these [health] benefits are substantial and precious. Health professionals, educators, parents, and policymakers should carefully consider the conclusions of this report, and do their part to support environmentally friendly, healthy, and sustainable schools."

- Howard Frumkin, M.D., Dr.P.H., Director, National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The report's conclusions provide confirmation of USGBC's position that by building green we all profit. Children's health is disproportionately affected by indoor pollutants, while light and air quality affects their capacity to learn and succeed. This report shows that we owe it to our children - and ourselves - to make all our schools green."

- S. Richard Fedrizzi, CEO and Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council

Copyright © 2008 U.S. Green Building Council. All Rights Reserved.

Green Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:57:00 +0000

***Here are a few resources that will help you to find out about how you can get your school to Go Green:

1. This is the best one to find out how to get your school Green, we think!

http://www.gogreeninitiative.org/
The Go Green initiative is a wonderful spot to find out all about Green schools, and why to go green. Here is a place to registrar you school to become Green! There is a GO GREEN planning guide to check out. Be sure and check out the tool bar on the left side. Each one of those is worth clicking on to find out more about Green Schools!! There is a great planning guide!

2. Award winning website all about getting schools green.
http://www.earthday.net/
Earthday's back to school tips and steps you can take for getting your school green. This also will have a interactive green school where you can go to parts of your school and learn what you can do!

3. http://www.childrenoftheearth.org/
At this time of global imbalance, we believe it is imperative that the children of the earth join together to create a healthier planet. We believe that an effective way to make this happen is to educate the general public on Eco-logical concepts and to provide a forum for people to share their knowledge and ideas with each other.

Specifically, Children of the Earth United aims to help people to:
-Develop a greater understanding and respect for animals, plants, water, soil, air and energy systems;
-Comprehend the positive and negative environmental effects of our actions;
-Acquire a knowledge of practical, sustainable living strategies which consciously and carefully utilize our natural resources;
-Obtain information on nature programs, centers and organizations; and
-Share and learn from each other’s creative ideas and knowledge.

4. Another good source...
http://www.greenschools.net/
Here is a good site you can go to to find out about green schools. You will find all kinds of information about how to make your school green. How to get started, where to get help, how to get money to use to make your school green and much more!

***Here are some wonderful sites to find out helping our Earth and Environment:

1. This is our FAV one! It is fun and has lots of great things you can do on line as well as a great song about saving the Earth!!!!
http://www.kidsforsavingearth.org/

2. If you are hating the pollution on Earth, this is a great site that kids have made and you can find out how you can help!
http://www.kidsagainstpollution.org/

3. ECO KIDS, is another fun interactive site. It is Canada based, but would not really make any difference if you live in USA.... And if you live in Canada.. Well... Here it is!
www.ecokidsonline.com/pub/index.cfm

4. Scholastic has a great site at their Scholastic Books site where kids can join and interact with lots of wonderful ideas of how to make your world Greener. Also you can win prizes there! Go to scholasticbooks.Com then put in Act Green or just go to:
www.scholastic.com/actgreen

That is all for now... But keep checking back for more. If you find some great sites, as you are looking at the above sites, you want to share, please write to me on the blog!

Your Friends, Allison, Tyler, Melanie, Tally and Chello.

Chello Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:53:00 +0000

Hola! This is going to be fun! Allison said to just write.. So here I am! Chello is my name… Me llamo Chello. Well, it is my nickname, my real formal name is Consuelo. That means comfort giver. I am not sure I am living up to that name, but it would be a good goal to try for. I am named after my Auntie, my dad's sister. I like her a lot, so that 's a good thing! My family on my Mother's side is from Mexico. My mom grew up in Mexico but came to Texas when she was my age. I'm 12 years old and in 6th grade. My birthday is in June, so I am the oldest Amigo! Anyway… my Dad grew up in Colorado, but his grandparents were from Mexico too. I moved here last winter from Colorado. I was so lucky to be put in Allison and the other Amigo's class! We just hit it off right away!

As you know my dad got to be principal of the middle school here in Des Moines. My older sister was in school with him last year, and at times she said it was hard… to be new in a school and have your dad the new principal! I guess I was lucky as she being there last year...made it a lot easier for me this year! I love middle school! Since I speak fluent Spanish, I am a teacher's aid for one of my electives. I help the teacher who works with the kids that speak mostly Spanish. It is fun and I have met some great kids! My other elective is Green Team planning. Allison and Tally are on it too. Tyler and Melanie are taking other ones, but they meet with the team after school. The elective Green Team mainly meets to discuss our environment and what we can do to leave little footprints on the Earth… It is hard for Allison, I think not to be in charge… but then I think she is enjoying, for the most part, letting someone else take the lead and being just part of the team. Anyway, it is a good year so far! My dad treats me just like any other student, which is fine with me! But I love that he gives me secret winks and steals a hug if I visit him in his office!

I got to go to Oregon to Allison's Uncle Erik's wedding! I have only been in Colorado and Iowa…and Mexico… so it was huge! The ocean was my favorite part! Well, I liked the wedding too! I even got to make a special guacamole sauce for the wedding dinner reception! (see recipes on the blog) Everything was environmentally green for the wedding reception. Even the silverware… of course it was not silver, but made from cornstarch. We all thought it would melt if we ate from it, but it really didn't! It could be reused but also it can be composted. I could go on, but I think it is in the next Amigos adventure, The Green Wedding Caper. Which comes out in spring, 2009. So you can find out more then. Well, I guess that is all for now. I hope that you will post something for me on the blog! I would love to hear from you and I will answer you I promise!

Adios, Mi Amigos…Chello

Tyler Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:52:00 +0000

Guten Tag! Ich heisse Tyler! That is Hello, my name is Tyler in German. I am taking a language class for one of my 6th grade electives this year. So that we can see what we might like, we learn several different languages. Just the basics like hello and goodbye. Then in 8th grade we take one of three languages, or wait until high school. I have always wanted to learn a new language. Chello has taught me a lot of Spanish. I thought German would be fun because a lot of my cultural background is German. Well, I actually thought I was Dutch…which is Netherlands. A lot of our traditions at home my mom says are Pennsylvania Dutch. We have that Pennsylvania Dutch tradition, sauerkraut, pork, and knepp dinner every new years day…for good luck. (you can see how the knepp is made in our recipe section, so you can have good luck next year!)) You know the one that helped solve the Green School Caper? Anyway, so here I was thinking my great great grandma was running around in wooden shoes, when indeed she wasn't. Pennsylvania Dutch is actually Pennsylvania Deutsch! And guess what, Deutsch is the word for German in the German language. Ok, my mom says you learn something everyday and so I did. I am mostly German! From German immigrants that came to Pennsylvania a long time ago. Even my Dad's ancestors are half from Germany. Of course he had Irish in him, and tells me that is where he and I got our red hair. Another great great grandmother from Ireland, had red hair.

Anyway, I am liking middle school. I was worried about being the low kid on the totem pole in 6th grade. But it is not too bad. 8th graders are pretty nice to us. I think Mr. Galindo insists on that. He is our principal here, and it's Chello's Dad! Though it doesn't help us any that the principal is one of the Amigo's dads. Chello says he treats her like any other student.. Anyway, I'm also one of the youngest in my school, my birthday is in March. I am the youngest Amigo. My brother was teasing me (what else does he have to do with his time..) about being the last to drive when we are all 16... At first I was upset about that, but then with the price of gas going so high, I figured I can catch rides from the other Amigos. Chip in for gas of course, and it will give me even more time to figure out how I can bottle flatulence to turn into gas. It is gas anyway, so why shouldn't we bottle it? I was thinking I will start with my dog Lucy, cause she has lots of it! I could feed her more bagels, but that would be mean. Anyway, it is a dream of mine to find alternative fuels.

Allison's Nana and Pop Pop have a hybrid car. So we got to ride in it this summer. Allison's mom got one too. I'm trying to talk my parents into one. They want to wait until some of the newer ones come out, which should be soon. Lots of cool ways to fuel cars are coming out. I like the all electric ones… but still, flatulence…. Hmmmm

Well, guess that is enough. I don't even like to write much and I think I wrote the most. I do like to talk and our teacher last year told me that if I just write like a talk I could write a lot! Haha.. But you know it is true! Hey, write me a comment and I will write back.. Auf Wiederschen, Tyler
(that is good-bye in German if you didn't guess!)

p.s. I thought you might like to see my dog Lucy, the bagel eater and her brother Amos at their first birthday party!

Melanie Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:52:00 +0000

Hi! I am one of the Five Amigos, and Allison has told us each that we need to write about ourselves for our Blog. I like to write too, not as much as Allison, but this will be fun for sure! As you know I am in 6th grade this year, and turned 12 in August! My mom said she is terrified because next year I will be a teenager! She told me to enjoy this year, the last of my childhood. Kind of corny, like she can be, but actually it looks like I am going to enjoy it! The summer was wonderful, especially going to Oregon. The Oregon Coast was just as great as Allison told us about. I think someday I would like to live on an ocean. Well, not really IN it, but by it. However my cousin went to work 3 years ago, on a cruise ship after she graduated from college. She's still sailing with them, and has seen a lot of amazing places! Anyway, Allison's uncle's Green Wedding was so much fun to help with and be a part of, as well as the caper we ended up solving! Now we are back in Iowa and just starting 6th grade in middle school which is an adventure too. I like getting to choose electives. I have student counsel, which is what I really like to do, help with the school policies and activities. I'd like to be an officer next year… 6th graders can't do that, but I am the rep for my homeroom. I sort of like getting up in front of people and talking. My other elective is drama. Which suits me perfectly! When we thought about careers last year, I thought about doing something that I get to perform. I also like to debate and talk a lot, so my teacher said I should think about being a lawyer. I wondered why? And she pointed out that if you go into a section of law that you have to get up in court, it was very much like acting. I have been thinking about that all summer. My dad told me he could get me to visit a woman lawyer on career day this year! I can't wait. Or maybe I will be an actor on some great TV show! Or a Cruise Ship Activities Director!!! Who knows, but right now, I am enjoying being me and being a part of the Five Amigos! Thank you for visiting our Blog….. And I hope you will catch up with us all in our new book in the spring of 09! Your Friend, Melanie PS.. Please write me an comment, I love reading and writing to all my friends!

Tally Bio

noreply@blogger.com (Adventures of 5 Amigos) — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:50:00 +0000

Hello Amigos! Tally is my name… It is sort of an India and Native American name. My dad, who is from Darjeeling India, and my mom who is from the Hopi Tribe in Arizona put together some names that were from each culture. One of the names was Hopi from a great uncle, Talasi. The other name, Tocally was from India, another relative. They actually found out recently when we visited India, that I had a great uncle named Talli! I like having a family name that reflects my cultural background.

My mom actually grew up on a "rez"! A big thing with her tribe are what are called Kachina Dolls. They are ceremonial dolls. My mom is always making them, and had given all the Amigos one. She is great at making them and somehow makes them look like the person she is giving them to! Anyway, my mom made a bride and groom for Erik as a wedding present.

Here is what they looked like Since Erik and his now wife have a lot of vegetarian friends, Erik asked if I knew of a good India vegetarian recipe for the dinner reception at his wedding. So I asked Dad, and he thought about it. My dad taught me to cook an Indian favorite dish, Green Mung Dal. I made it, with a little help, for the dinner reception. It is really good, and even non-vegetarians liked it! (I like cooking a lot, got me to thinking about being a chef, as well as computer guy.) Of course, Tyler had to say it sure looked like "puke"…. I asked how can he talk, he likes sauerkraut, and that is cabbage and we all know how that smells! I ate it at his house…. So he tried the Mung Dal, and really did like it! It is very high in protein as well as really good for you. Check out the recipe on the recipe part of this blog. We are all going to add things to it for you to look at and hopefully try! Like Tyler is going to put his great grandma's Knepp recipe there!

Hey this is fun…. You know I am in 6th grade this year, and was 12 in September. It is a great year so far. I like the challenges of middle school. I have a really good computer elective, and we (all the Amigos) are on the Green Team. Jack, Allison's older brother got it started last year. One of the things we are working on is getting the lunchroom to serve better, healthier choices. My mom was really happy to hear that! Well, I guess that is enough about me. I would love to hear from you and about you, so drop me an comment on my page, I would love to talk to you! Your Friend, Tally