Our four third graders this week are Ellie Nickel (Mrs. Raeburn), Lauren Swartzlander (Mrs. Bogart), Haelyn Bischoff (Mr. Armstrong) and Annie Talbot (Mrs. Kingsley).

Note: Read this very fast. That way you will best experience the pace of this conversation.

What’s your favorite third grade subject?
Ellie: Math and science. I like experiments and problems to solve.
Lauren: I was going to say that, too. Math, science and reading. I love to read all different stories. Math is useful in your life.
Haelyn: Math and science. I like experiments and learning new things in math.
Annie: Science and reading. I like reading and to do experiments.

What science projects do you like?
(All at once): Mealworms!
Lauren: We each got two of them.
Ellie: One of mine died. We also did beans. We planted seeds. Each was a mystery. We’d see what they came up as.
Haelyn: There were some other options. Seeds without water and seeds without sun.
Lauren: We studied other plants and kept a journal and wrote down what we saw.

Is third grade more difficult than second?
Haelyn: Yes. We learn to multiply and divide.
Ellie: Multiple and divide.
Lauren: We’ve learned a lot. Multiplying and dividing with 0, 5, 4 10, 7. Not 8, 6 or 9.
Haelyn: It’s harder because the teacher explains something and we take a test right a way in math.
Lauren: Reading is stricter.
Ellie: There are pizza rewards. We have a marble jar. If the class is good the teacher puts in marbles. When it is full we get a party. There’s a lot more homework. Two or three pages of reading.

What kind of things do you collect?
Ellie: Shells and I’m starting to collect stamps. I have two bags of shells. My grandmother collects stamps and that interested me.
Lauren: I have two American Girl dolls. I collect shoeboxes and make furniture out of the shoeboxes.
Haelyn: Don’t get freaked out: Horse bones and shark teeth. I have probably 10 or 13 of each.
Annie: Legos. I have about five sets. They are mixed up.

Okay, think about this one for a moment. If you could change your name to any name, what would that name be?
Annie: Samantha.
Haelyn: Alisha.
Lauren: Aryis.
Ellie: Olivia.

How late was the latest you ever stayed up at night?
Ellie: Until two at a sleepover.
Lauren: Four o’clock. We listened to Taylor Swift all night (everyone laughs).
Haelyn: All night. I watched movies and more movies. Then I slept all afternoon.
Annie: Eleven. I’ve tried longer but can’t. It was New Year’s Eve.

If you were able to design a new American flag, what would it look like?
Ellie: It would have green stripes, not red ones. I’d keep the stars.
Haelyn: My face on it (everyone laughs).
Lauren: I was going to say that.
Annie: Green and purple stripes.

How long did it take you to learn to ride a two-wheel bike?
Annie: One-half hour.
Lauren:  Five minutes. My parents just pushed and off I went.
Haelyn: Five months.
Ellie: Probably five months. I couldn’t get the hang of it.

Who is your favorite character from a book?
Ellie: I don’t know. I read a lot and can’t choose just one.
Haelyn: Little Red Riding Hood  (everyone laughs).
Annie: Laura Ingalls Wilder. I’ve read three or four books.
Lauren: I’d go with Laura in Little House on the Prairie. Laura does some awesome things.

Would you like to live during her time?
All: No!
All: They butchered a pig. They took the pig bladder and blew it up like a balloon and tossed it around.

If you could combine two animals, which would they be and what would you call it?
Lauren: A Z-pan. A zebra and panda.
Ellie: I’m thinking about it.
Haelyn: An owl and a hawk, an Owk.
Annie: A dog and cat, a Dogat. He would woof and meow at the same time. One half of the body would scare the other half.

Tell me what planet you’d like to live on other than Earth?
Ellie: Saturn. The rings. I’d race cars around the rings.
Lauren: Saturn or Jupiter.
Annie: You can’t live on Jupiter. It’s just gas. You can’t stand on it, you’d sink.
Haelyn: Pluto. You know why? All the monsters there are tiny. I’d rule it. If I combined Pluto and Saturn I’d get Pluzoo, a Pluto with little rings.
Lauren: I’d combine Moon and Earth and get Mooner.
Haelyn: (responding to the question of combining two animals). A dragon and a dinosaur.

What would you like to be when you grow up?
Lauren:  A librarian. I love books. Or a first or second grade teacher.
Haelyn: Five things. A doctor, a vet or a weather girl. Those were only three.
Annie: A scientist in space or a meteorologist in space.
Ellie: I’d be a cheerleader in high school and after than a teacher. I’d be a second grade teacher.

Thank you very much. This has been very interesting.