A Day in the Life: Canada

What's it like to grow up in Canada? We asked a real kid to tell us. Here's her typical day.

Jackie Allen
Hi! My name is Jackie Allen. I am 11, and I live with my parents and two brothers in Halifax,
Nova Scotia, on the East Coast.

7:00 a.m.
I wake up and get ready for school. For breakfast, I have Shreddies [a whole-grain
wheat cereal] and eggs Benedict and sausage. Then I walk with my friends to school.

9:00 a.m.
We start the day with creative writing, art, gym or French. I started studying French in
Grade 4. Its one of my best subjects. Next is math, social studies or science.

10:30 a.m.
Time for recess! We play games like soccer and basketball or go on the swings and slides
or just talk.

10:45 a.m.
Free reading time. I like mystery and historical books. Mr. Walker, my teacher, draws a name from a box. That person
has to tell the class about his or her book.

12:00 p.m.
I go back to my house for lunch. I eat grilled cheese sandwiches or chicken-and-cheese quesadillas. If I have time, I go
on the computer and play Webkinz or Club Penguin. On Mondays, I stay at school during lunchtime for my violin
lesson.

1:00 p.m.
Back to class. We work on our projects. One of them is a weather project for which we are making a board game using
weather-related things. Im also working on a PowerPoint presentation about Canada.

1:30 p.m.
On Wednesdays and Fridays, we do Book Buddies. Older kids are paired with younger kids. We help them read, write
and do math. On Fridays, we sometimes play soccer-baseball in the gym. Its a game that is soccer and baseball mixed
together.

3:00 p.m.
School is over for the day. When I get home, I like to check my e-mail. Every day for homework, we get a math sheet.
Every week, we get spelling words. Homework usually takes me 20 minutes to finish. At 5:00, I watch TV for an hour.

6:00 p.m.
For supper, we usually have pasta or chicken. Sometimes, I have ringette practice around this time. Ringette is like
hockey, but there are some differences. It is played using a stick without a blade, and a ring takes the place of a puck.

8:30 p.m.
Now its bedtime. Good night!
Day in the Life: Japan
What's it like to live in Japan? Follow this boy's day and find out.

Ryuichi Kishi

Konnichi wa! My name is Ryuichi Kishi. I am 10 years old. I live with my

parents, grandmother and sister in Maebashioa city, 70 miles from Tokyo.
Read how I spend a typical day.

6:00 A.M.
I wake up to two alarm clocks. I check the weather report and decide what to
wear. I'm the weatherman for my parents.

6:30 A.M.
I wake up my younger sister, Nao. We watch the news and help Okasan ('mom'
in Japanese) make breakfast. Today's menu is white rice, grilled fish, boiled
vegetables, and miso (soybean paste) soup. If we are rushed, we just have
cereal.

7:30 A.M.
I wash my face, brush my teeth and leave with Nao to meet with eight other kids in my neighborhood. We
walk to school together in a single line along a narrow path. It takes about 25 minutes. School starts at 8:20.
We have a morning meeting. Our teacher checks the day's attendance.

8:50 A.M.
Class starts. The first subject is mathematics. Right now we are learning division. I love math because I
enjoy explaining how to solve problems. Next is science. We learn about air pressure. It's fun experimenting
with a toy popgun. Pop, pop, pop!

10:50 A.M.
It is time for gym. We do gymnastics. After that is shosha, or learning letters by copying. We do calligraphy
using special black ink, a brush and Japanese paper. The kanji (Chinese character) I am practicing is hikari,
which means "light." The character has different types of strokes, so it's hard.

12:25 A.M.
Lunchtime! We have miso ramen noodles, stir-fried vegetables, deep-fried dumplings, soybean snacks and
milk. We clean up after lunch. My group is in charge of the school's entrance. We sweep and scrub the
floors. At 1:55, we go to Japanese class.

3:00 P.M.
School is out! At home, I have a snack and play in the yard with Nao and her friend. We also play video
games. I like Doraemon, which is based on a popular cartoon. I want to be a cartoonist. I do homework, then
read or watch TV. Sometimes I help Otosan ("dad" in Japanese) make supper.

7:00 P.M.
We sit down to eat supper together. Ginger pork is my favorite. Otosan is a good cook! Afterward, I take a
bath and go to bed. Good night!
A Day in the Life: Italy
What's it like to live in Italy? Read about how one girl spends a typical day.

Ilaria Rizzi
Ciao! My name is Ilaria Rizzi. I am 10 years old and in fifth grade. I live with
my parents in Rome, the capital city of Italy.
7:30 A.M.
I wake up on my own. I wash my face, brush my teeth and make sure I have
everything in my book bag for school. For breakfast, I drink milk and eat
chocolate cookies.

8:10 A.M.
My dad drives me to school. It usually takes about five minutes to get there.

8:20 A.M.
While we are waiting for class to begin, my friends and I chat about what we saw on
TV the night before. One of my favorite shows is Il Mondo di Patty (Patty's World). It's about a girl in
Argentina who's a little bit older than me.

8:30 A.M.
My teacher checks to see if there are any students absent, and then we begin our history lesson. History is
my favorite subject because I learn about how people lived long ago. We study the ancient Etruscans, the
Roman Empire and medieval times.

11:00 A.M.
Morning snack time. I usually bring a piece of plain white pizza. It's topped with ricotta cheese instead of
tomato sauce. I get a few minutes to play.

11:30 A.M.
Science is next. We are studying the human body and nutrition.

1:30 P.M.
Lunch! On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, my grandpa picks me up and takes me home to eat with him
and my parents. We usually have pasta and tomato sauce, a salad and prosciutto, which is cured ham. On
Tuesday and Thursday, I eat at school.

4:00 P.M.
Twice a week, I have a swimming class. This year, I'm learning the butterfly stroke. In Italian it's called
delfino, which means dolphin.

6:00 P.M.
I have about an hour of homework each night. Sometimes I work on the computer.

8:20 P.M.
I help my mom set the table for dinner. Tonight, it's baked fish and steamed vegetables.

10:00 P.M.
Bedtime! I usually read a little bit in bed before I fall asleep. The book I'm reading now is Around the World
in 80 Days.
Day in the Life: France
What is it like to live in France? Here is one girl's typical day.

Anouck Mouche
My name is Anouck Mouche. I am12 years old and Im in the sixth grade. I
live with my mom and dad in Paris, the capital of France.
7:15 A.M.
My dad wakes me up. He prepares breakfast for us. I usually drink orange juice and
hot chocolate, and eat toast with butter and jam.

7:55 A.M.
My dad and I leave the house, and I take the Mtro to school by myself. It takes
about 15 minutes on the train.

8:10 A.M.
I arrive at school and get ready for French class.
9 A.M.
Once a week we have technology class. We work on the Internet or pretend to manage a store.

9:20 A.M.
Our gym teacher takes us to the bus. We go to a stadium in a suburb of Paris. Every three months we learn a
new sport. First, we played rugby, and I loved it. Now, we are playing handball. I really liked a type of
gymnastics called acrosports. We learned how to build human pyramids. It was fun!

1:00 P.M.
It's lunchtime! Today, I eat tabbouleh salad and a sauce made with roasted tomato and yogurt. My favorite
cafeteria food is fries. But when I eat out, I love to have a raw meat burgerit's called tartareand a green
salad.

2:05 P.M.
I have an hour of math, and then it's time for English. Last year, I visited London, England, and I enjoyed it.

5:00 P.M.
Classes are finished. My best friend, Kloee, and I stop for tea at a bakery across from school. I'm hungry, so
I buy a chocolate pastry.

5:10 P.M.
Kloee and I take the Mtro home. Mom and Dad arrive home shortly after me. I feed Ombrage, my fish.
When I grow up, I want to own a pet shop because I love animals. Mom said that if I get really good grades,
I'll be able to get a cat.

5:30 P.M.
I do my homework, play with my Nintendo DS or Skype with a friend who lives in Montpellier, in the south
of France. My parents and I go for a quick snack at a houseboat restaurant close to our home.

8:00 P.M.
We eat dinner, then I take a shower and brush my teeth.
9:00 P.M. I like to read in bed before I go to sleep. Bonne nuit!