Serving up a nugget of truth about

nuggets Parts of the problem?

When fast-food restaurants fi rst served chicken sandwiches, there was a commercial in which a customer asked what they were made of, and the answer was “parts.” What parts? “Parts is parts,”

the person at the counter replied, and then they’d say theirs were all meat.It was a funny commercial, but the University of Mississippi Medical

Center examined chicken nuggets from two different restaurants and, un-less you believe that “parts is parts,” you might not like what they found.

What we think of as “meat” was only 40 percent of the nuggets. The rest was skin, blood vessels, tendons and other chicken “parts.” Plus, of course, fat and breading. A little won’t hurt you, researchers said, but kids eat so many nuggets that those “parts” could add up to a big “part” of our obesity problem. And that’s not funny. Photo by Dino17

1

ColoradoKids CK ReporterMadelyn Rodriguez,

Thornton

teaCHer, leader, MusiCiaN

The Colorado Symphony’s Resident Conductor, Scott O’Neil, can’t re-

member a time when he wasn’t passionate about music.

Between his dad being a marching band conductor and the piano that sat in his home, O’Neil was fascinated by music from an early age.

From piano, to violin, to saxo-phone, he spent time learning how to play every instrument in a symphony orchestra, helping him become who he is today.

To Scott O’Neil, teaching is one of the most generous gifts there is.

He believes that when a great teacher and a curious student are combined, magic can hap-pen. Robert Lawrence was the great piano teacher who brought the magic of music to life in O’Neil’s eyes.

Now, using music as a tool of sound, O’Neil holds many youth concerts, happy to engage as many young listeners and believ-ers as he can in the whirlwind of

music.As a conductor, O’Neil’s goal is

to produce a program of music that is enjoyable, that inspires, and that sends energy out into the crowd.

Through conducting, he expresses the feelings he experi-ences in the music.

O’Neil remembers one perfor-mance in particular, at the East-man School of Music in Boston, when they played music set to Sioux Nation tribal chants. This diverse and unique classical per-formance shed light on how far you can take classical music.

Now, Scott O’Neil conducts the “Musica Latina” youth concert, featuring another diverse mix wrapping in worldwide culture.

In this performance, the com-bination of classical and Latin traditions brings rhythm and beauty to the stage.

Scott O’Neil’s passion for mu-sic is shown through his interac-tion with the musicians he con-ducts, the audience feeling the emotion he portrays through the way of sound, and the pathway it took to get him to his current position as Resident Conductor of the Colorado Symphony.

An experiment with African elephants has revealed intelligence

few people expected from the big animals.

It seems simple: A research-er hides a treat in one of two buckets, then points to the bucket that holds the snack.

In similar experiments, chimpanzees can fi gure out the simple clue.

So can dogs, though wolves can’t, which shows a differ-ence in how their brains work.

So why is it surprising the elephants also fi gured it out?

Simple: They didn’t “fi gure it out.” They got it right away, the fi rst time.

The dogs and chimps took a few tries to realize why the people pointed, but the ele-phants, who were only trained enough to let tourists ride on their backs, knew immediately what the pointing meant.

Researchers said it might be part of why elephants are so skilled at cooperating with and understanding each other. Photo/Lee R. Berger

eXPeriMeNt PoiNts out a JuMBo surPrise

By Brynn Peters,13, a CK Reporter from Castle Rock

Follow the leader Scott O’Neil conducts the Colorado Symphony in rehearsing a special program for school groups. Photo by Brynn Peters

problem. And that’s not funny.

October 15, 2013

“Stranded Two: Trial by Fire,” by Jeff Probst, is a great story about

four kids who are shipwrecked on a jungle island in the middle of the South Pacific.

They will have to learn how to survive with only a knife, a pot, an axe, a pillowcase, two blan-kets, two pens, a journal and a backpack.

With these objects they have to make shelter, get food, make fire and fight wild boars that run around on this island.

Meanwhile their parents are on their honeymoon in Hawaii.

This trip was supposed to be a fun fishing trip with their uncle for them to learn how to get along together.

Will Jane, Carter, Buzz and Vanessa survive in this story?

“Trial by Fire” is a great book. It was written by Jeff Probst, the host of the show “Survivor.”

The story is great but it is in a series of three books so I would recommend that you read the first book first.

I have not read the first but I am sure it is just as good as the second book. The reason why I recommend reading them in order is because the beginning of the book doesn’t give a lot of background and I thought it was a little confusing in the very beginning.

I also thought it became a little confusing later on, because

there were two giant things happening at the same time so I didn’t understand it in some parts.

The characters were very creative.

Buzz was my favorite char-acter. He is a video game freak who, surprisingly, knows the most about survival out of the four of them.

One thing Buzz did was to make a spear by taking a stick, carving a rock into a sharp point and then tying the rock to the stick with vine.

Will these four kids find shel-ter and make fire until a plane or boat comes and rescues them or will they never be heard from again?

If you want to find out I would simply suggest you read it and find out for yourself.

Novel a delightful combo of mystery and emotion

Ever wondered what hap-pens when a creature steals from a rude family, and an

innocent father is accused of the theft?

“The Prairie Thief,” by Melissa Wiley, is a delightful mash-up of “Little House on the Prairie” and “the Spiderwick Chronicles.”

This book has a good amount of emo-tion, details, and a strange ending, too.

The Prairie Thief is good for people who like problem-solving with a pinch of mys-tery.

This book has a good story as well as some creative charac-

ters. The characters’ emotions are

understandable and you would most likely be able to say you have felt at least similar emotions yourself.

Everyone has been through rough times and happy times, right?

Louisa has a problem, a big problem! Louisa’s pa has been accused of stealing from their neighbor, and is in prison.

Louisa has been sent to the same rude family that accused her

pa of thievery, and needs to save her pa before he is hanged.

When Louisa makes a new, sassy friend, Jessamine, her new friend shows her a wondrous secret in a grove.

Will this secret be able to save Louisa’s pa?

People often talk about a “bucket list” of things they’d like to do in their lifetime, but, they’re not often serious. For Muslims, however, going on Hajj is a very serious life goal. Look through today’s paper and find examples of things it would be fun to do if you ever got a chance. Is there one that you are serious about really wanting to do in your lifetime?

Beyond these four pages

Exciting story of survival by an appropriate author

By Jasmine Douglas,9 , a CK Reporter from Thornton

Colorado Kidsis produced by

Denver Post Educational ServicesExecutive Editor: Dana Plewka

dplewka@denverpost.comCK Editor: Mike Peterson

coloradokidseditor@gmail.comWe welcome your comments.

For tools to extend the learning in this feature, look under“eEdition lessons” at:

www.ColoradoNIE.com

eEditions of the Post arefree of charge for classroom use.Contact us for information on all

our programs.

Denver Post Educational Services101 W. Colfax Ave.Denver CO 80202

(303) 954-3974(800) 336-7678

By Zach Brandner,9, a CK Reporter from Centennial

In last week’s Brain Teaser, we asked you to identify the “group of plants that includes yeast, mushrooms and mold.”

The answer we gave was “fungus,” but a reader pointed out that the correct answer would be, “There isn’t one. A fungus isn’t a plant.”

For hundreds of years, fungi were considered to be plants. After all, they’re alive, but they don’t move like animals.

But with the invention of the microscope, we began to learn about living things that aren’t plants or animals.

Then electron microscopes came along and we learned even more details about life.

Besides plants and animals, today there are four kingdoms, including our pals the fungi. To find out more, see the link at ColoradoNIE.com

We ‘PlaNted’ a WroNg aNsWer

Around two million Mus-lims from all around the world are traveling to

Mecca, Saudi Arabia, this week.

Every Muslim is required to fulfill 5 pillars as part of their re-ligion, and performing Hajj, or “pilgrimage,” is one of the pillars.

Hajj has been around for 14 centuries and occurs on the ninth day of the last month of the Islamic Calendar, Zil-Hajj. This year Hajj falls on October 14.

During Hajj you circle the Kaaba seven times and walk be-tween the two mountains, Safa and Marwah, retracing the steps of Haggar, the wife of Prophet Abraham on her quest to quench the thirst of her son, Prophet Ish-mael.

The Kaaba is called the House of Allah and is very significant in Islam because all Muslims pray toward the Kaaba five times a day. Muslims are taught that Kaaba was built by Prophet Abraham.

The best part of Hajj is defi-nitely after Hajj. Today, Eid Al-Adha starts, which is basically a celebration for finishing Hajj!

Hajj is a requirement for Mus-lim adults, but children can ac-company them as well.

Whatever your age, you can only go to Hajj if you are in good health and shape, and are finan-cially able to pay for the trip.

Being in shape is a key part of Hajj because you will be a part of a very long and hard ceremony that is only possible if you are fit.

It is an inspiring journey and there is nothing like it.

Going to Hajj is a long process but is the opportunity of a life-time that all Muslims aspire to perform.

Hajj currently drawing throngs to Mecca

By Sophia Khan,11, a CK Reporter from Northglenn

NIE is N-E-W!Visit our brand-new website

The Denver Post’s Newspapers In Education (NIE) is getting a brand-new look online! New site features include:

• Colorado Kids on Tuesdays• Mini Page on Wednesdays• Kid Scoop on Thursdays • “This Week in History” quizzes to help teachers• New ways to compare and contrast local media content

Visit the new website today atwww.ColoradoNIE.com.

SudokuRules: Every row across, every column down and each of the six smaller boxes must contain numerals 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, one time and one time only. The solution to this week’s puzzle is on Page 4.

5 1

5 4

4 3

2 1

5 2

1 3

Above, a pilgrim prays as crowds circle the Kaaba as part of religious observances during the Hajj. Muslims from every part of the world come to Mecca each year to complete the pilgrimage. Photo: Ali Mansuri

ck Kids and adults can find live links to information about stories in Colorado Kids at www.ColoradoNIE.com

“I love nature, I try to protect nature and influence other people

to protect nature with my photos.”

Photographer John Fielder is one of the most well known land-scape photog-raphers in our region.

He and the late singer John Denver shared an interest in Colo-rado and nature and are consid-ered environmentalists.

This Friday, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House, John Fielder and the John Adams Band will present a tribute show to John Denver, combin-ing 24 of Denver’s songs with about 1,000 of Fielder’s Colo-rado photos.

“We almost met coinciden-tally before he died in 1997,” Fielder says. “His people and I talked about doing this very same thing in a live John Den-ver concert, showing my pho-

tos. But he died before we were ever able to make it happen.”

Fielder is a realist, which means his goal is to make each photo look just as he saw the landscape with his own eye.

The mountains are one of his preferred places for photog-raphy, where he said the most dangerous thing that has ever happened on a photo mission was being attacked by an ag-gressive marmot!

Fielder was eating lunch and the marmot would not give up gnaw-ing on his hiking boot!

Asked how kids could improve their photog-raphy skills, he said not to use

flash if you want your photos to look realistic.

He also said that the best time to take photos is an hour after sunrise or before sunset.

The lighting is really good at that time of day, because the sky projects warm colors (yel-low, red and orange).

And remember the “Rule of Thirds:” If you have the subject of your photo one third to either the left or the right, your photo will be more interesting and appealing to the eye.

Lincoln Peirce’s newest book, “Big Nate Flips Out,” is so funny I was

laughing out loud by page two.

If you like comic humor, then I assure you you will also laugh out loud on page two.

In the begin-ning, Nate and his friends walk into the Chron-icle meeting to join the year-book, but Nate finds his worst enemy, Gina!

Have you ever wanted to join a club or sport and your worst enemy showed up?

Nate decides to try out his pho-tography skills and change his luck around.

Before that happens, the school’s camera disappears.

Those that read this series know Big Nate always loses things and can never find what he needs.

Besides Gina, cleaning is Nate’s other worse enemy.

Francis borrowed the camera

for Nate because Nate is too sloppy to be trusted.

Now Nate is stressed and scared because he doesn’t want to deal with the consequences of losing his friend.

To save their friendship and try and find the camera Nate gives hypnosis a try.

Be sure to check out the be-fore and after pictures of Nate’s room.

I could hardly believe what Nate’s room looked like.

Maybe I should find a hypnotist!

Big Nate was entertaining for several reasons. Most comic book lovers would enjoy this book.

The plot and action were very entertain-ing, it was hard to put down.

I think Nate is a great char-acter because he has many fascinating at-

tributes that make him special. I also think Nate would be a

great friend to have because he is so funny and is always telling jokes.

So, do you think Big Nate will “flip out”?

Read “Big Nate Flips Out” to find out.

CaPturiNg Colorado You’ll fliP for Big Nate’s latest Book

You’ll find full-length versions of these stories and more at

If you enjoy writing and are 14 or under, why not join us?

Sudoku

Solution

236451

514326

463215

625143

341562

152634

By Sierra Zizzo,13, a CK Reporter from Highlands Ranch

By Sam Martinez,10, a CK Reporter from Lakewood

John Fielder with his work, and a poster for the concert Friday. Photo by Sierra Zizzo