Room Three at Hikutaia Primary School in New Zealand are really excited to be writing to you.

These are the things we THINK we know about Chicago.

People in Chicago sleep at different times to us.

Chicago is a country.

Chicago Bulls are a basketball team.

You travel there by plane or boat or train.

The weather is snowy and hot, like England.

Kids go to school, and they probably go to the beach.

When it snows, children might make snowmen.

Children might play soccer at school.

Some children might play netball, rugby or cricket.

E Mail One.

We have 24 children in our class.

Some children are 5 years old.

Some children are 6 years old.

Some children are 7 years old.

Our school is a country school in a little village. It is autumn in New Zealand now. The leaves are falling from the school trees.

It is getting colder and some of us are getting new warm clothing. Some of us are helping our Mums and Dads get the winter firewood.

There are 118 children in our school and we have 7 teachers.

One teacher works for two days a week. One teacher works in Reading Recovery.

We have a school secretary. She comes to our classroom to help us sometimes.

We have a teacher aide who helps in all the classes in the school.

Some children come to school by bus, or by walking, or by car.

Not many bike.

When we look outside around our school we see trees, grass, gates, fences, water troughs in paddocks, hills, hedges, an old church,and black and white cows.

We see a few houses.

From Dylan: I help Dad pile the wood and Mum cook the tea. We have one computer in our classroom. We are using Kid Pix. I like it.

And Gregory wrote back:

Dear Dylan, My name is Gregory. I give my mom and dad breakfast in bed. Sometimes I give them toast or bagels. I like Kid Pix too. I like doing the squares and turning them into animals. I like coloring on Kid Pix. We have 4 computers in our classroom and I like playing math games on them.

From Hilary: Every Saturday my family and I go to the Thames market. We sell vegies.My uncle has Rhodohypoxis and I sell them.They are little plants that you keep on the window sill. They have pink or white flowers. I sell them for $3.50. I get $1.50. So far I have got $5.00. My Mum said that I had to save my money because if my two guinea pigs have to go to hospital I have to pay.

And Maddie wrote back:

Dear Hilary, My name is Maddie. We had a pretend Farmers Market in our classroom. I get my vegetables from the food store. I like plants. I grow a lot of them in my garden. Some are pink and one is red. I don't have any pets but I like guinea pigs. What are the names of your guinea pigs?

From Joshua: I have a tree hut and I cleaned my tree hut with my Mum. I left a broken table in my tree hut and I put a skinny piece of wood for a chopping board with a plastic knife. I broke a branch and I used it for a duster and I used it for a broom. I have 4 doors. One door is a high one and the other is a low one.I found a piece of cardboard and I drew a telephone and it was a mobile and I put it on my broken table and I go inside and I get something to eat, like lollipops and biscuits and chips.I hide in my tree hut from my Mum. When we play hiding seek my Mum can't find me. My tree hut is a spiky tree hut and I always get pricked by the spikes. I use my bike for a car and I have lots of wood and I use it for some seats so my Mum can sit down.

And Joey A. wrote back:

Dear Joshua, My name is Joey A. We have a famous building in Chicago. It is called the Sears Tower. I like it a lot. It's very tall. I really like Chicago. I like to play video games at my house and I like to go play at my friend's house. I like my school and my classmates. I like to color with my friends and I like to play on the monkey bars. I like to play with my 2 older brothers and play sports. I like hockey and soccer and basketball the best. And I also like to sleep.

From Nakita: I help my Mum baby sit and I play with my cousin. My Mum just bought me some new jeans and they are blue. When my Dad came over he takes me to Rainbows End and I have fun.At Rainbows End there are all these rides.The best ride is the roller coaster.

And Hanna wrote back:

Dear Nakita, My name is Hanna. I also baby sit my sister. And she sometimes gets really annoyed, but we're still good friends. I like to read books and I like to color. I like to play soccer with my friends outside. There's a zoo in Chicago with cool bats and I like visiting them from time to time.

From Ashley M: I have had my birthday and I got a ball and I turned 6 and I had a birthday cake. The cake was white and pink. We have been helping Grandad do the garden. We are going to put a chair in it.

And Camilla wrote back:

Dear Ashley M, My name is Camilla. I really like going to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I love the polar bears. They are white and furry. When my mom travels, I like spending time with my dad. Sometimes we go out to dinner together, or we go to the aquarium. I like animals and my favorite kind is a dolphin.

From Alex: I cut the fire wood.I ran inside and I sat by the fire.It was warm.

And Brett S. wrote back:

Dear Alex, My name is Brett S. I like to go outside and play. I like to play at the park with my mom. I like to watch my dad play my Star Wars video game. He's really good at it. Sometimes my family minds our business and sometimes we go out to dinner together.

From Pavel: I milk the cows with Dad.I helped Poppa to disc the paddock ready to plant oats for the cows.I helped Mum stack the wood in the wood shed.I have a big farm and a milking shed.

And Steven wrote back:

Dear Pavel, My name is Steven. I go to museums with my mom and dad. I like the Field Museum because it has cool mummies. Its fun to look at the African culture part of the museum. I like to color in the Egyptian coloring book.

From Tiffany: I am helping my Mum stack the wood. I live on a farm and we milk lots of cows. Sometimes I milk cows.

And Sophia wrote back:

Dear Tiffany, My name is Sophia. I like to go to the bookstore with my Dad. Sometimes he reads to me. I also like to go to the Field Museum and look at the dinosaurs. I like to draw with my friends. I also like to play soccer. In the summer I swim at Lake Shore Club and I go to camp.

From Chloe: I helped my Mum get the firewood and Dad cut down the tree and me and Quentin watched the tree fall down. The tree was wiggly. There were other trees there as well and I got paid. Now we light our fire and the wood burns and in the morning the fire is out. Mum doesn't light it in the morning.

And Leah wrote back:

Dear Chloe, My name is Leah. I go to school and I like to color. I like playing tag outside with my friends. There is a science lab in our playroom and I play with my older brother and sister a lot. We're reading a book called Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of Nim. It's really cool.

From Liam B. I am going to build a hut in my pear tree and I am going to cut a little hole down the bottom. I will sit down and when it is lunch time I will eat my food all up. We have one computer in our classroom and we are playing KidPix.

And Brett replied:

Dear Liam B. My name is Brett V. I have never seen a pear tree. I have never been in a tree house. Is it fun? I play Kid Pix. I make big stamps and then I print them out and sometimes I cut the pictures out.

From Michael: I am Michael. I am 6 years old and I live in New Zealand. I caught a slater in the play ground. After school we are going to get my Nana because we have to take her back to the hospital.

And Joey P wrote back:

Dear Michael, My name is Joey P. I am 6 years old too. What is a slater? I never caught any animals on the playground but I did catch a friend once. I hope your Nana feels better. I have a Poppy who picks me up from school. He is nice to me He is nice to my friends.

From Corey: I help my Dad stack the wood. I have a bike and it is red. I ride my bike in the back yard.

And Tony wrote back:

Dear Corey, My name is Tony. I help my Dad work on the computer. He fixes them. I have a bike too. It is blue. I ride my bike at the park. I can stand and ride my bike at the same time.

From Ashley W: I am starting to wear warm clothes because it is getting cold. we went to camp. We stayed in bunks. We stayed 5 days at camp. It was fun.

And Lindsay wrote back:

Dear Ashley W. My name is Lindsay. I have been to camp too. It had a swimming pool. You could get to swim in it. After you get dress, you get lunch. I go to camp in the summer. I have never stayed overnight. We have parties and celebrations. It is fun.

From Chelsea: I am helping Dad get the firewood because it is getting cold. It is autumn. The climbing frame is fun. It is in the playground. I climb up it too.

And Laura Michelle wrote back:

Dear Chelsea, my name is Laura Michelle. It is springtime in Chicago. It is sunny today. I help my Dad by cooking. I help my Mom by making my own bed. We have a big playground. It has lots of climbing things. I like the curvy ladders on the playground. They are blue.

From Renee: I watched my Poppa cut the wood and my Poppa is starting to make me a tree hut. I'm going to help him put some of my books and a table and my toys in my tree hut. I will get a clock and I will eat my Easter egg.

And Laura F wrote back:

Dear Renee, My name is Laura F. I do not have room for a tree hut because I live in a tall building. I live on the 17th floor. I have a play room. I have pictures in it. I have a closet for clothes. I have Barbie dolls and Beanie Babies. I have puppets and stuffed animals. One of my favorite toys is Snips the kitty.

From Emma: I got a troll from Nana but I don't know where she got it. It has blue eyes.

And Cynthia wrote back:

Dear Emma, My name is Cynthia. I don't have a troll but I did get a doll from my Grandmother. It has a pink dress. She is cute. She is a big doll. Her hair is blond. I like to pretend that she talks. I pretend that she is my baby and I put her to sleep.

From Liam C. I help Dad get the firewood and I get the cows in for milking and I help shut the gate on the cows.

And Benji wrote back:

Dear Liam C. My name is Benji. I have 2 cats. I pet them. I feed them cat food. I play with them. I let them chase their toys. I went to a farm outside of Chicago. I saw a black and white cow. We could milk it if we wanted to but I didn't.

From Kristy: My birthday was on camp and and I had a birthday cake and it had some shapes on it.The shapes were hundreds and thousands. I live by the river. I swim in it. Sometimes it's warm and sometimes it's cold. There's fish in it, and rocks. I can't swim in it now because it's too cold.

And Isabel wrote back:

Dear Kristy, My name is Isabel. I live in the city but I have a summer house in Michigan. I go swimming in the lake. I play with some friends that know and a next door neighbor. We have a fast boat that is bumpy when it rides on the water. I go to Michigan when it is warm. At my birthday, I had a poppy seed cake. I got presents. I got a blue box that I put special things in.

From Glenn: I helped dad on the farm and then I went to get the cows. I helped Dad milk the cows then I put the cows back. Dad has Fresian and Ayreshire cows. The black and white cows are Fresians.

And Leo wrote back:

Dear Glenn, My name is Leo. I have never milked a cow. I have a pet frog. I cuddle him when he is under water. His name is Froggy. I saw a cow at the Green Meadows Farm in Illinois where our class went for a field trip. The cow was big and fat.

From Mason: Two months ago my family and I moved into a new house. Our house is old and we need to redecorate. I have been helping to paint the front wall. We have a Marshal Heater, this heats our water with firewood.We have a spa pool. I have a tree hut in our plum tree. We have 4 acres. Soon I am going to have a pet lamb. Sometimes our neighbor puts his cows in our paddocks. Room Three is interesting because its got lots of art work in it. By the door I have got a lion project. When I did it I had a contract. Every kid has some sewing up on the wall. We have a library. When it's time to go home we have music and I like listening.

And Malachi wrote back:

Dear Mason, My name is Malachi. I moved too. I moved from a big house to a loft. That is a big place with high ceilings. I don't have a spa pool but we are going to move again and I will maybe have a pool. I have seen tree huts on t.v. I think they are nice. That is neat that you will get a lamb.When I get out of my allergies my mom said I could have a dog.

From Christopher: In my tree hut I can go up to the top and I have a table. I have horses and cows.

And Nicholas wrote back:

Dear Christopher, My name is Nicholas. I got to go in a tree house at my Grandma's house. It didn't have a table but I played inside with my friends. I rode a horse at the Green Meadows farm. I saw a cow but I didn't want to milk it.

From Dempsey: I watch TV. I went to Nanas.I played on the computer. I have two sisters.

And Peter wrote back:

Dear Dempsey, My name is Peter. I have one brother who is 4 years old. I watch TV - I watch Star Wars movies. I don't have a computer at home but I play computer at school. I like math games.

From Hiwi: I like to go to the shops and the zoo. I like to go to Dads.

And Toby wrote back:

Dear Hiwi, My name is Toby. I go to my Dads work. He has a big, big studio. It is like a movie theater. I like going to the zoo with my Dad. I like seeing polar bears.

And what about Danielle!! Danielle is at home with the Chicken Pox at present. She is not very well at all. We have sent her home some books to read and some worksheets to do if she feels like it.

And Greenie wrote back:

We are sorry you have the chicken pox. Diana was supposed to write to you but she is sick. She doesn't have the chicken pox though. We hope you get better soon. We will wave to the clouds and send get well thoughts from the USA.

From Mrs Crawford: Hi there "Chicago Kids" We hope you have found out a little about us from our letters. Well, what do you think about New Zealand now? We found Chicago on a map and you are a long way from us.

You are a huge country and we are so little!

And Greenie wrote back:

We really like hearing about all the neat things you do. We especially like that you live in a village. Our school is like a village because we all know each other from kindergarten through high school and we care about each other very much.

We are going to get some books from our library so we can learn about New Zealand. You live in a great place and it sounds like you are nice people and help your parents a lot. We wish we could visit you but we are happy to learn about you through e-pals.