The Road Not Taken
by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

March 27:
In 1841, firefighters in New York City tested a new, steam-powered fire engine that could shoot water farther than any hand-powered engine then available. Unfortunately, sparks from the engine started new fires, so the engine was not accepted for use. Being a firefighter is hard work, but very important for the safety of every community. Make a list of 5 qualities a good firefighter must have.

Happy birthday, Florida! Ponce de Leon discovered Florida in 1513, while on an expedition to find the fountain of youth. If you were put in charge of planning a birthday party for Florida, what interesting things about that state would you want to celebrate? List 5 of them.

This is the time of the Monkey Festival in Singapore. What animal do you think most deserves a festival in the place you live?

March 28:
Country music singer Reba McEntire was born in 1955. Do you like country music? Why or why not?

In 1797, the United States patent office granted a patent for a clothes-washing machine that worked with a hand crank. Although cranking it was still a lot of work, it was better than having to scrub all the clothes by hand. How would your life be different if you still had to turn your washing machine by a hand crank? List 4 ways.

The first Spanish settlement in San Francisco Bay was begun in 1776 by Juan Bautista de Anza. Suppose you were selecting people to set up a new colony in a far-away place. What skills do you think such colonists should have? List 10 skills, then decide whether each skill is necessary for every colonist, or is only needed by a few of them.

March 29:
British Prime Minister John Major was born in 1943. He has said, "The politician who never made a mistake never made a decision.” What do you think he meant by that? Do you think that it is true for people who are not politicians?

In 1848, a prolonged cold snap caused ice to block the Niagara River, cutting off water from Niagara Falls for a day. When the falls stopped flowing, many people who lived near them couldn't get to sleep because they were so used to the noise. Stop for a minute and listen very carefully to the sounds going on around you. Make a list of those sounds that you usually ignore.

Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, was born in 1918. Some people like big stores; others like small stores. Which do you like? Why?

March 30:
Today is Doctor's Day. There are many kinds of doctors. If you were to become a doctor, in what kind of medicine would you specialize? Why that kind?

"Beau" Brummel, the first man to become famous for the style of his clothes, died in 1840. In his time, many young men imitated his clothing, rather than that of the king (who was very fat and dumpy-looking). Who are some of the people today whose style in clothes you admire? Why do you admire them?

In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward signed the treaty with Russia that sold Alaska to the United States for 7 million dollars, or 2 cents an acre. If you were going to take a tour of Alaska, what are 7 things you would want to see? (If you are an Alaskan, what 7 things would you want to see if you were to take a tour of the Lower 48 states.)

March 31:
Rene Descartes, the discoverer of coordinate geometry, was born 1596. He once said, "It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.” What do you think he meant by that?

(Based on event above) One of the most brilliant people who ever lived, Descartes also set a record for the smallest brain ever measured for an adult man with a normal head (after he died, he willed his brain to science for study). What lesson do you think we can learn from this?

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