The Edukaydia Chill Zone Contest is over and the winners were Julian R. (Experienced builder), and Jacob A. (Beginner). Second place winners were Frances A. (Experienced builder) and Andy J. and Ella P (Beginner). The Prizes were Best Buy gift certificates. All of the contestants had their zones very decorated. 
Here are some pictures of the winning zones.
Recently all the middle schoolers had a module project called Mutant Island. They read the book Dr. Franklin’s Island, which is about mutant experiments. They were asked to build a scene which depeicted their own ending to the story, showing mutants running around the island that the doctor had failed on. I had the privelage to follow the middle schoolers along as they presented their completed projects to their fellow classmates and teachers. All the middle schoolers did so well on this project. I even had to remind myself many times i was here to report and take pictures.. not play around in the lab’s, towers, villages, and jail cells. They spent so much time in this project and produced very realistic scenes. I took some screens so you may enjoy also. Click the picture for a larger version to come up in new window or tab.
Be sure to let the Middle schoolers know how well they did on these.
The Chill Zone’s are looking awesome so far! It will be really hard to choose for the best ones!! 3DLearn will be having a lot of students participating in the contest, but sadly the students which will be the judges will have to choose from the most extravagant zones!
~ Please do not forget to take a look at the zones to select your favorites. 
~ Also dont forget to finish up your zone. Competition is going to be rough.
Dead line is on November 8th.
Edukaydia is having its first ever Chill Zone decorating contest. The contest will be held on November 9th, 2007. Students will be the judges, so make sure to vote for the most awesome zones! Prizes will include Gift Certificates and assignment passes. So dont forget to decorate your zone and to vote on November 9th.
If you have any questions concerning the contest please contact me or Mrs. Hale!
Halloween’s next week, and the big day is coming up quickly. The kids are preparing for a night on the town begging for candy; teenagers are renting all the monster videos they can; and dentists are anticipating the business they’ll have about a month from now. Yep, everyone’s getting ready, going to celebrate the 31st in the way they see fit.
Part of the fun of this holiday is all the scary things that are associated with it. Vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts and other creatures that send shivers down our spines. These are fiction, of course.
But there are plenty of real things that are just as creepy, and their existence only makes them all the more fascinating. And many of these strange things are animals.
There are plenty of strange animals in the wild, but much fewer living under our roofs. Really, though, who would want something like a… I don’t know… a ghoul shark to call their pet, when they can have a cat, dog, or some other cuddly critter?
You’d be surprised at what some people allow into their houses.
To help you get into the spirit of the holiday, we’ll be looking at a few pets that are creepy, crawly, scary, gross, or otherwise disturbing; animals that perpetually live in Halloween because of their appearance. The animals that follow can produce a cringe or two at the sight of them. People with weak stomachs, you have been warned.
* * *
Most people don’t like bugs, right? Bugs don’t really seem to serve any purpose other than to… well, bug us. If one gets into the house, we’ll either smash it into a pulp, or if we’re nice, we’ll sweep it out the door, back to the wild where it can live to annoy another day.
That being said, would you want to keep one as a pet? To have and to hold until its dying day?
More specifically, would you want this for a pet?:
Doesn’t he look cuddly?
This is an adult male Madagascar Hissing Cockroach. They have been gaining popularity as a pet in recent years. There are whole websites dedicated to them and their care.
Roaches definitely aren’t the most well liked insects in the world. Around here, they are seen as the worst pests you can have. Gnats, flies, and even fleas are tolerable for some time, and even in some cases they can be overlooked. But when you find a roach crawling out of your cereal box one morning, there’s really no way to ignore it. They’re a very “in your face” type of insect.
They’re just all around bad bugs– they are very dirty and can make you sick, they can infest your food, they are sometimes extremely hard to kill (I’ve even heard that they would survive a nuclear war… imagine a world run by the little guys!), and they just look so gross.
Most people smash a roach on the spot, or run screaming in the opposite direction. But the people who have these Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches actually spend money to keep them alive.
Why would they want to, though? What is the point?
For some, it is simply because they make good lizard fodder. They are easy for the lizards to catch because they don’t have wings and have no means of attacking, and since they measure in at 2 to 3 inches long as adults, they can make a good sized snack.
But, apparently, they also make good pets. They differ from their cockroach brethren that you find scuttling around your kitchen because they are docile, clean, have no smell and are easy to handle. Since they can go without food for a long period of time, they are good for the kid who has some problems with responsibility (if they can stomach it). And their lack of venom, pincers, teeth, or other potentially harmful things makes them safe as well.
They also live relatively long– 3 years is the usual lifespan, but some have lived up to be five years old. That’s a pretty long time for a bug.
Sure, it’s no dog, will never be able to reciprocate your love, and it doesn’t even really have a brain, but at least there is still fun to be had. You can have it crawl all over you, its tickly little clawed feet running up and down your skin while it hisses loudly. Doesn’t that sound fun?
Not to me. I’d take a slobbery mutt or finicky feline any day.
Since we’re on the subject of dogs, we might as well move on to the next creepy pet…
* * *
Many people have dogs– they are one of the most popular pets, and it‘s not hard to see why. Given the proper treatment and training, just about any dog, young or old, can be a loyal, caring, and even useful companion. They’re known as “man’s best friend” for a reason.
You’ve probably seen many dogs in your day, and probably many different kinds. They come in almost all colors, shapes and sizes imaginable. It’s amazing really, since all dogs can be traced back to coming from a single source, the wolf. They are the most diverse species of mammal on the planet. Yes, you’ve probably seen Chihuahuas, Great Danes, and everything in between.
But have you ever seen a dog like this?:
Hi there! =D
If you keep up with the news, you might have. He has been on the internet in many places, appeared on talk shows, on the news, ect.
This is Sam, the winner of the Ugliest Dog Contest. His ghastly appearance is what made this 14 year old Chinese Crescent a celebrity. He was adopted by his owner in 1999, and was, with reason, considered un-adoptable.
It may have been a very predictable entry, but of course I couldn’t leave Sam out of this article.
He is dead now (he had to be euthanized, and was just shy of his 15th birthday), and the title has been passed on to another disgusting dog; but if you ask me Sam is the only true champion of doggy ugliness.
From his milky white eyes to warty tail, he was one gross dog. He was blind, almost completely hairless, and covered with warts, moles and pimples. Imagine waking up to that at the foot of your bed.
Sam really embodies the “perpetually living in Halloween” statement. His looks are comparable to a rotting zombie, and maybe an alien (his tuft of white hair is somewhat reminiscent of Yoda, even). He wore a costume every day of his life.
That is not to say he was a bad dog. Appearance isn’t what makes the human, dog, cat, or anything.
But we seem to have a strange attraction to these types of things. That is why circus sideshows were so popular, and why I, along with many other people, feel compelled to buy books like “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” every so often. We like gawking at things that we think are strange, scary, or disgusting. We’re curious creatures.
* * *
Many of us have had a fish at some time in our lives. They’re a common pet, often given to young children, as we know.
They’re a very good pet for them– they require hardly any feeding (though feeding shouldn’t be overdone, as plenty people have found out the hard way), don’t need any exercise, and don’t require to be cleaned up after aside from the occasional bowl cleaning.
Another good thing about them, that there is really no possible way that they can hurt you, right? For one, they live in a plastic bowl their whole lives; and besides that, they’re placid, often skittish, creatures that swim as fast as they can into their little plastic castle whenever danger arises. There’s absolutely no threat in keeping a fish, at least not to your health (the fish‘s health, however, is often a different story). That’s part of what a fish is– a safe, easy to care for pet.
But what fish would you have if it was no longer a safe, easy one? If innocent Goldy was suddenly turned into a bloodthirsty monster?
Why, a piranha of course!
Mmm… hand that feeds me.
“What? Piranhas aren’t pets!”
But they are.
Piranhas come from the Amazon, where they have a bad reputation for being a killer. Heck, they have a bad reputation everywhere. And with reason, too. They’re every bit as vicious as they’re made out to be, and taking them as a “pet” does nothing to change this.
They are somewhat hard to get as they are illegal in several states, and even harder to keep.
They’re aggressive and won’t hesitate to hurt you if you happen to get too close. They’ll only eat meat, and they prefer live meat to dead. A live gold fish makes a good meal for them.
They are usually kept living as schools as pets, because they are bad at socialization and can’t be introduced to other fish later in life. A school of piranha is much deadlier than a single one– when food is around, they form feeding frenzies and their food can be completely devoured in seconds. And living in a school makes them more aggressive.
The picture above doesn’t show its teeth, but you probably know that they’re sharp. They’re really sharp.
The lesson of this is never to have a piranha, unless you’re very experienced or don‘t place a very high priority in keeping all your fingers.
* * *
These are only a few creepy pets, but there is a whole world of them out there, ready to be explored. If you’re interested in these fascinating animals, and would like to know some more about them, Wikipedia is a good place to start.
Here are a few creepy or exotic pets I suggest to look up as well:
Norwegian Lundehunds
Tarantulas
Alligators (illegal)
Sphinx cats
Teacup pigs
Falcons
Hedgehogs
Munchkin cats
Enjoy the holiday spooks and your movies, too. Happy Halloween, everyone.
(Note: the author of this article does not endorse keeping dangerous or illegal pets)
Hi, welcome to the 3DLearn blog. We wecome discussions of cool VR projects you are making for school and or just fun things you are making in your chill zones! We also want to find out about your RL (real life) so please check out some of the stories about what’s going on in your local towns and lives. Thanks for stopping by!
