2 . Best Outdoor Activities in Orlando

This national monument in Arizona is located within the Sonoran Desert, which spans more than 330,000 acres and is one of the few places in the US where you can see the country’s largest cacti. This “green desert” gets its name from the organ pipe cactus, whose branches mimic the musical instrument. Visitors can explore 31 cactus species and wildflowers through the monument’s many hikes, including the Nature Trail, a short and accessible paved trail. Take your camera, because the area is also home to the Sonoyta mud turtle, desert bighorn, and birds such as the Gila woodpecker and cactus wren.

Located in the center of the state, Red Rock State Park is a popular road trip destination and a must-see attraction during a multi-day trip to the Sedona area. The nature preserve features a visitor center and picnic areas that invite visitors to enjoy the scenic beauty of the Arizona red rocks that surround them. With environmental education and conservation top of mind, Red Rock State Park is a primary place that asks visitors to hike lightly, pack out what they pack in and stick to the trails.

Sedona is regularly described as one of America’s most beautiful places. Nowhere else will you find a landscape as dramatically colorful. The towering red rocks and jagged sandstone hills matched against an almost always blue sky have attracted professional and young artists for years. Plus, filmmakers have chosen these burning rock formations in north-central Arizona as the backdrop for such box-office hits as “3:10 to Yuma,” “Broken Arrow” and “Midnight Run.”

On top of all that exciting lake-borne action, those looking for something exciting can take part in OWC’s Aquapark, a group of LEGO-inspired ships with climbing barriers, slides and more that will wear you and more importantly, your kids out! No special skills are required, life jackets keep things super safe, and hours of fun are virtually guaranteed. The minimum age for the Aqua park is six and reservations are definitely recommended.

3 . Sometimes the stress of work can get to be so high, so it’s nice to get away for a while. However, even on vacation, it can be hard to leave all your worries at the office-especially when you think about the mountain of emails.

Iceland now offers a solution with a service called OutHorse Your Email. The service encourages visitors to disconnect and enjoy the country’s beauty while one of several highly trained Icelandic horses replies to any email. “When visitors travel to Iceland we want them to fully experience everything our nation has to offer,” one official said. “Our OutHorse Your Email service lets them do just that.”

To use the service, you should fill in a form on its website and your personalized out-of- office email will be written by one horse and sent automatically (自动地). The email explains the sender is away on vacation and that they’ve given their email jobs to one of Iceland’s four- legged animals. It then includes the message created by the animal. But how do horses type an email? They’ve got their own specially designed horse-sized keyboards in the fields and are able to walk across the keys. However, that still doesn’t mean coherency (条理性). They’re horses, after all. The result is just meaningless collections of letters.

This might seem like a joke, but is actually meant seriously. Nowadays the line between private life and work has become unclear. The service draws attention to the fact that people have the right to be away from work during their holiday. It also sends a message that Iceland is a unique destination by helping tourists go on a real holiday. It’ll surely put a smile on their face and make them want to vacation in Iceland.

4 . How Can You Plan a Birthday Party on a Budget?

You want to plan a birthday party on a budget, but you don’t want to be cheap. Don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with setting a budget and then spending only the amount you decided on.     1     Using less expensive items and ideas doesn’t mean it will be less of a party.

    2     When it becomes a competition, you will end up spending more than you should. You can plan a birthday party on a budget and still give a great party.

If someone you know can do magic tricks, perhaps he or she will be willing to perform. Since the plan is to keep the birthday party within a limited budget, try bartering (以物换物) with your friends.     3    

Limit the amount you will have to spend on food.     4     Not only can you take advantage of sale items, but you can also choose to have your party at a time of day when people have already eaten. Shortly after lunchtime is usually a good choice, since you can simply provide snacks instead of heartier foods.

Whenever you plan a birthday party on a budget, it can become difficult to incorporate (包含) themed items. You can spend a lot of money in purchasing all of them.     5     Rather than choosing all themed items, choose a few items that are less expensive.

6 . Summer is around the corner, and you may already be dreaming about how you’ll spend your break. Chances are, staying in school is not your top pick. But for 13-year-old Simone Jones of Philadelphia — and more than 2 million other students in the U.S. — going to school in the summer is the only choice. That’s because Simone goes to a year-round school.

In fact, year-round schools have almost the same number of vacation days as traditional-calendar schools. In a year-round school, summer break is usually shortened to about four weeks; the remaining vacation time gets spread out over the rest of the year. Simone, for example, gets a few weeks off in the fall, winter, and spring.

That extra time off during the school year can be a good thing. “Everyone thinks a year-round school is hard,” says Simone. “But the little breaks take a lot of pressure (压力) off us.”

Reorganizing the year can prevent summer learning loss — that is, forgetting what you’ve learned from the prior (之前的) school year. However, there is a downside. In fact, some schools have tried year-round schedules (时间表) only to turn back when it was difficult to carry out. Try setting up a soccer game with another school when you’re on a break every few weeks. Planning family trips can be difficult too, especially if siblings (兄弟姐妹) are on different school schedules.

What does summer vacation mean in our culture? It’s an American tradition, a time to create lasting memories. But is tradition a good enough reason to keep it around? Summer break began 120 years ago, when it was very hot in the summer, so schools started closing. Today, we have air conditioning. And most parents work. For many kids, summer days are spent mostly indoors, playing video games and watching TV. Clearly the world has changed. Is it time for summer break to change, too?

8 . Ways to Have a Joyful Chinese New Year

In many cultures, January 1st marks the beginning of a new year.     1     It is one of the most important occasions for family reunions.

Usually, the Chinese New Year celebration lasts for three weeks, starting from the 23^rd day of the previous year’s 12th month of the lunar calendar until the 15th day of the New Year.

Here are some centuries-old traditions shared by the Chinese community in order to promote blessings of health and wealth in the New Year.

·Spring cleaning.     2     It is widely believed that a freshly cleaned house will bring good luck to people.

    3     People will make red paper cuts, Chinese characters or red lanterns that mean luck, happiness and blessing, and stick them onto doors and windows.

·Setting off fireworks. In fairy tales, people managed to scare away a monster named Year by setting off fireworks.     4    ·

Lucky money. Seniors give kids lucky money in red envelopes (信封), in the hope of making their future much brighter.

·Eating dumplings. The shape of a dumpling looks somewhat like a kind of money that was used in ancient times.     5     It is a custom to eat dumplings on Chinese New Year’s Eve as well as on the first and fifth days of the new year.

9 . Ways to Make the Most of Your Summer Vacation

After a busy school year, there’s nothing wrong with watching TV, sleeping late or playing video games all day long. However, summer is the best time to have fun and prepare yourself for the next school year or the world beyond the classroom.     1    .

• Take a course to learn to cook. Nothing surprises and delights a family more than a teenager who can cook. You can contact community centers in your area to find out about cooking class offerings.    2     — look through your family cookbooks, choose a dish, gather the ingredients (原料) and follow the directions.

• Play a new sport to keep healthy.     3    . Consider tennis, swimming or golf. Playing an individual sport also looks great on a college application. Local sports clubs are the best places to look for beginner classes.

• Volunteer to make a difference. Choose volunteer opportunities based on the things that matter most to you.     4    , if you enjoy spending time with senior citizens. Try to keep a journal of your volunteer experiences. You can use your experiences as inspiration for writing tasks in high school.

•     5    . College life is very exciting, especially if you’re a rising junior or senior. Every college has a website, so start by visiting college websites that have majors that interest you. You can also read college review websites to get a sense of things like how much colleges cost and what students think about their schools.

10 . Upcoming Events in New Jersey

Oktoberfest

Start Date: October 1, 2021

End Date: October 31, 2021

Pilsener Haus & Biergarten will host its annual celebration of OKTOBERFEST, beginning October 1 and will feature events and celebrations throughout the entire month. New menu items, fall cocktails, and special Oktoberfest beers will be served all month long.

Anna Deavere Smith

Date: October 21,2021

Start Time: 11:00 AM

End Time: 12:00 PM

As a part of the Visiting Writers Series, the actress, playwright, teacher, and author, Anna Deavere Smith will join us for a virtual speaking engagement. According to her website, Anna Deavere Smith “looks at contemporary issues from multiple viewpoints and combines the journalistic technique of interviewing her subjects with the art of interpreting their words through performance.” Among the topics she addresses in her presentations are the fragility of youth, inequality, and the criminal justice system.

Trio Solace

Date: October 22, 2021

Start Time: 2:00 PM

End Time: 3:30 PM

Trio Solace was formed at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic by long-time school friends Yukiko Kuhara (violin), Mark Serkin (cello), and Jacob Savransky (piano) as a way to spread a little bit of comfort by way of music. The trio consists of three graduates from Mannes School of Music, The New School.

Grain House Halloween Brunch

Date: October 31, 2021

Start Time: 11:00 AM

End Time: 3:00 PM

Trick or Treat at the Grain House annual Halloween Brunch and see our horrible decorations! The Grain House Witch will be giving out Halloween candy & souvenirs. Reservations required: 908-221-1150.