Kidsday: Making your own jewelry

We like to make our own beaded jewelry. It is so easy. All you need are beads, string, scissors and tape. You can get all the materials you need at Michaels or other local crafts stores.

Making beaded bracelets is fun and easy. It relaxes you, and as you get better, you know how to make more kinds and get more creative. It is fun to do with friends and give it for gifts.

If you have trouble with how to make it, you can even look on YouTube, and you will find lots of ways to come up with fancy necklaces, bracelets and charms.

The art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial arts used for self-defense and as a sport. Many years ago, Carlos Gracie, who was small in size, developed a style of Jiu-Jitsu so that a smaller person would be able to fight with a much bigger person and defeat him.

Over the years, his system became more and more popular. Today, anyone who watches the Ultimate Fighting Championships (UFC) or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fights can see the Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style of fighting in action. There are many Gracie academies around the world. I train at the Commack location.

A lot of the kids at the Gracie Barra academy have won lots of tournaments. We have excellent coaches; they have a lot of patience with kids. Our coaches push us from time to time, but that's only because we need to be better.

Our exercises are like games, and we love to play them. I think it is important that kids know how to defend themselves against bullies. The training I get from this makes me stronger and healthier. It also makes me better at other sports, and it helps me with my schoolwork because I can concentrate better.

Most of all, Jiu-Jitsu makes you feel good about yourself. For more information go to gblicommack.com; remember: if you want to be a champion, you have to train with champions.

--Kidsday Reporter Walter Parbudin

Our book report

If you could only read one type of book, what would you choose? We asked 96 fourth- graders that question and gave them two choices: a scary book or a funny book. Here are our results:

Scary 48

Funny 48

It was a tie! We think it really doesn't matter what you read, as long as you read and read a lot.

--Kidsday Reporters Dylan Keelty and Walter Parbudin

CLASS OF THE WEEK: Keri Fox's fourth-grade class, EUGENE AUER MEMORIAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, Lake Grove