June, July and August 2007
(Updated May 1, 2007)

C-Note Instant Poll Question

Instant Poll question for June: Eat where?
Q: Which dinner scenario is most common (four or more days per week)?
a. Sit-down for a home cooked meal
b. Order out
c. Eat in a restaurant
d. Get food from a take-out
e. Grab something from home and eat on the run.

Instant Poll question for July: Workshop
Q: How much are you willing to pay for a personal cell phone?
a. a. More than $150
b. $100-$149
c. $50-$99
d. Less than $50
e. I’ll only get one if it's free

Instant Poll question for August:Cell regs
Q: How should schools regulate student cell phone use?
a. Students may use cell phones at any time, anywhere on school property
b. Students may use cell phones at any time, but only outside the school building
c. Students may use cell phones anywhere at school, but only at designated times
d. Students may use cell phones at any time, but only outdoors or in designated areas indoors
e. Students may not use cell phones anywhere on school property, at any time

5-Spot Clubhouse (Elementary School) Stories

Enjoy the Flavor!
Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to sacrifice taste. For example, many kids and parents prefer the taste of organic fruits and veggies. They agree with Nate, age 11, who says, “The food just tastes better than the stuff we can get at the store." Find out why organic fruits and vegetables are also better for the land!

How to Own a Pet
You've decided you have enough time, patience and money to own a pet. Former youth editorial board member Ilsa Reed gives you the “how-to’s” on owning a pet: deciding which kind you want, purchasing it, taking care of it, naming it, and having a companion for life.

You’ve Got a Friend in Me
Friends can tell you many things about yourself that you may not see or don't think is very important. Googolplex College Intern Kelsey Balcaitis says, “With all the benefits to having friends, it's time to get out there and start making them.” Find out how and where to make more friends, and how to be a friend.

AJ’s Mall (Middle School) Stories

Let’s Play Ball!
"Hey, do you like playing basketball? I know I do." AJ's youth editorial board member Brett Jones says that just about anyone can play, "all you need to do is practice." Find out how to make friends, have fun and keep fit with one of America’s favorite sports.

What it Takes to be a Rock Star
Do you dream of the first time you play the opening notes of your band’s famous song, on stage? Getting paid to do it? Find out what it takes in former youth editorial board member Sutton Alford’s interview with Matt Tuton, an 18-year-old from Myrtle Beach, SC, who’s living that dream.

School Lunch: Pack or Buy?
Have you ever wondered whether you should pack a lunch from home or buy one from school? Katy Tomalenas, AJ’s editorial board member, runs sample lunches past three of her fellow students. Read her comparisons based on nutritional value, taste and cost.

C-Note University (High School) Stories

Skateboard Pro: How to Succeed
Adam Yee knows what it takes to contend professionally in the highly competitive world of skateboarding. “I knew I wanted to be a professional skateboarder since I was nine,” says 19-year-old Adam, who lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Adam got his first professional endorsements when he was fourteen years old. Author Mike Baron shares Adam’s tips for success.

Catching My First Baby
When you meet someone in America, a common first question is "What do you do for a living?" Author Caroline Rau says, “in Kenya, one is born with a purpose and an identity simply by being someone's son or daughter.” This feeling of connection is why she “first fell in love with Kenya,” she says. Assisting at the birth of a baby sealed it.

Painting a Whole New Future—Without Oil?
Jess Albee, preparing for college at the University of Southern Maine in Gorham, says “I expected my life to change.” What she didn't expect was that she’d rethink what she was going to school for—“and my whole life, “ says Jess. The subject of her first paper was the oil we use as a source of energy. Jess says, “There is a big threat that soon, we'll be using more than we can find.” Read Jess’s take on this predicament, called “global oil-production peak.”

Games to play — on their way!

5-Spot Clubhouse (Elementary School) Games

Wacky Record Breaker
What’s the farthest distance someone has shot spaghetti out of his or her nose? (Do not try this at home!) When you think of world records, you may not think of trials like this. But the Guinness Book of World Records does. Challenge yourself with this series of real and real unusual records.

Founding Fathers
George Washington. Abraham Lincoln. Benjamin Franklin. Our founding fathers had many tremendous abilities, including the power to shoot laser beams from their eyes. Think we’re kidding? The proof is in the pupils. Take aim at random flying objects. How many can you zap from the skies… before they poke the founder’s eyes?

Nine Lives Deluxe
Mad Commander Xelplogoog is building a monster army, and he’s lining them up to attack. Using logic, place your infantry so that every column and row has nine unique monster soldiers. Think your battalion’s complete? Better check your formations again: the Mad chief doesn’t want any identical monsters in any of the smaller regiments!

AJ’s Mall (Middle School) Games

Build Your Own Rebus
A rebus is a puzzle that uses pictures or objects to represent words in a phrase. At AJ's we do things a little differently: we give you a list of words, and you select from a collection of objects to build a correct rebus for each one. Watch out for the Multiplex!

Fork in the Road
You’re at an actual fork in the road. One path features an Italian sterling silver dinner fork. The other--a different sterling silver utensil. Which costs more? Choose correctly, and continue on until the next fork in the road. Choose incorrectly, and we’ll start you back at the beginning. Negotiate price decisions and get home free!

Nine Lives Deluxe
Babysitting 81 children is anything but easy. When they’re all obnoxious spoiled babies, it’s even worse. Show these demanding kids some discipline and toss them in their pens so that every playpen has nine unique children. It’s Sukoku, AJ’s style, so line the pens up 3 by 3, with no matching brats in any row or column!

C-Note University (High School) Games

Surrounded
Take on The Master in this game of strategy. Convert his tokens before he converts yours. But while you’re plotting your next move, be cautioned that The Master is already a few steps ahead of you. And if he converts your tokens faster than you convert his, you’ll quickly see where your opponent gets his name.

CrossWard
You’ve just been bagged, tagged and locked up in the CrossWard, an asylum run by crossword puzzle fanatics. The only way out is to solve a series of puzzles left by the previous occupant of your padded cell. There are no clues; no numbers; words may or may not intersect; not all intersections are meant to create words. Can you check out of the CrossWard before you… ummm…check out?

Nine Lives Deluxe
Someone needs to check on these founders of the credit union movement. They keep getting out of line. Using logic, arrange the founder so that every column and every row has nine unique founder faces. You can’t put any duplicates in any of the three by three grids either! Are you ready to Sudoku?