As part of our homeschooling (and life in Britain), the kids entered the BBC’s 500 Words 2014 Essay Contest.    The contest is for kids 13 and under.  All submissions must original writings and be 500 words or less.  The top 50 winners may be published in a collected work.  The top 6 will be read on air.  The winner receives radio presenter Chris Evans’ height in books (6’2″).  Second place receives radio presenter Alex Jones’ height in books (5’9″).  Third place receives the contestants height in books.  The prospect of that many new books to read got the kids excited.   Find out more about it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/500words

Today they submitted their essays.  They will go up against some stiff competition.  The judges expect over 90,000 essays.  We are proud of them for taking the initiative and writing some great essays.

Today, we share Meg’s.  Stay tuned for Joshua’s tomorrow.  Enjoy her interpretation of the untold life of her dog, Zoe.

The Secret Life of Zoe

 Ever wonder what our pets do when we are working on homework or playing at a friend’s house or totally ignoring them? Well, here is what I think.

Hello, I am Zoe.  I am Megan’s Boxer dog. I just finished chasing the cat. Oh, those horrid animals. They are always sticking their claws in your face. Horrible, right? Anyway, off the subject of cats. They give me shivers just thinking about them. But, my favourite pastime is breaking out of my fence and going to play with my friends until I get  caught. Sounds fun, right? Well. I also LOVE chasing squirrels and frogs. The frogs are really easy because there is a MASSIVE pond in the back garden!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I know what you are thinking: my life is not so secret. The only REAL secret is that, unlike most dogs, I keep a secret journal though most dogs cannot write. Did I mention my favourite food? Well, my favourite food is Greek yogurt. MMMMM. I also love to play with cousin Wrigley. She is a chew toy compared to me. Probably because she is a “miniature”  schnauzer. Well, my other favourite pastime is chasing sticks in the park. So, I pretty much act like a normal dog, except for the whole journal thing. Well anyway…

Be right back. STICK IN THE GARDEN!!!!!!!

Ok, I am back; THAT STICK WAS HUGE!! Well, what was I talking about? Oh, right, big juicy steak bones. Mmmmm.  Makes me drool. Yummy! And I LOVE leftovers fresh off the floor. (Sorry if I am grossing you out, whoever is reading this) I will go get a snack really quickly.  All this thinking about bones and leftovers is making me hungry.     Ok, I am back. My favourite colour is pink, by the way.  Well, I better go…  WOW! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT SQUIRREL!!!!!

And that is what I think our dogs do when we are not around.

Zoe: The subject of Meg’s story.