TeenZone Blog

With school being out, summer is a “hot” time for movies! I’ve listed some of this summer’s movies below. The name of the movie links over to the offical movie site so you can see the trailer, find out more about the movie, maybe play a game, maybe get goodies, and more.

I’ve only seen 3 of these movies so far and Speed Racer has probably been my favorite. Comment and let us know what’s YOUR favorite Summer 2008 movie.

Did you love a comedy…?

• Get Smart
• Kung Fu Panda
• Meet Dave
• Wall-E

Maybe you’re more of an action/adventure fan…?

• Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
• Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
• Speed Racer

Or are superheros more your thing…?

• Hancock
• Hellboy II
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man

More movies coming later this summer:

• Space Chimps - July 18
• Mamma Mia! - July 18
• The Dark Knight - July 18
• The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - August 6
• The Longshots - August 22

Need a newspaper article for a homework assignment? Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered.

Try a newspaper database to search for articles. Just remember to have your Carrollton Public Library card handy. And use that limit to full text option so you get the whole article. (Info Trac hides the limit for full text under More search options.) We’ve got:

• Newspaper Source
• Info Trac Newspapers
• Newsbank - (Dallas Morning News and New York Times only)

To see today’s news stories, try the online version of a newspaper. You don’t have to know the name of a city’s newspaper. To see the newspapers in a particular U.S. state listed city by city, go to

• Newslink

For news with an international view, look under Newspapers around the World at

• Internet Public Library - Newspapers

Happy researching!

If the TAKS tests aren’t blowing your mind this week maybe some optical illusions will!

Check out the Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena site for some really trippy optical illusions. They’re interactive so you can slow them down and change the colors. It’s a great way to waste time online. If you want to know the science behind the illusions, he even explains how they work. Or check out some books on optical illusions the next time you’re in the library.

Didn’t get enough illusions? Here are more sites:

• NIEHS Kids Page - Optical Illusions
• Color Cube Optical Illusions
• Optical Illusions - Wikipedia

Don’t forget to check out the Magic Eye books too. If you can’t get the knack of seeing the 3-D image try following these directions on the Magic Eye site. If you can’t get to the library and you just gotta see some Magic Eye, try the Magic Eye Image of the Week. Just don’t bump your head on the computer screen! (Pssssst…here’s the scoop on what they are.)

Happy Year of the Rat!!! Today is Chinese New Year! If you’re scratching your head because it’s February, read more about how the date of this holiday is set and what it’s all about at Infoplease.com. After you read the article try the online quiz to see how much you know! Get “traditional” at the Museum of Science and Industry’s site. Or make your Chinese New Year absolutely delicious with these recipes from the Food Network.

You probably know if you’re a Pisces or a Gemini…(if you don’t, try these Astrology books)…but do you know your CHINESE Zodiac sign? Look up YOUR sign in Wikipedia or check out some books on Chinese Astrology next time you’re at the library.

Now that you know your sign, find out what possibilities the Year of the Earth Rat hold for you…pssst! you gotta scroll down to find your sign. 

How much sleep do you get? are you getting enough?

• 7 hours? Not enough!
• 7 1/2 hours? Nope!
• 8 hours? Maybe for mom or dad but not you!

Teens need between 8 1/2 - 9 1/4 hours of sleep every night. Wow! That’s a lot of sleep. That’s hard to do since your body wants to stay up late and school starts soooooo early.

So, what’s the big deal about not getting enough sleep? It can’t be that bad…right? WRONG! Here are some of the problems with not enough sleep:

• it makes it hard to listen, learn, concentrate, and solve problems (hello! what do you have to do all day at school?)
• it messes with your skin - that’s right, we’re talking more zits!
• it makes you cranky, moody, grumpy - one of the not-fun dwarfs!
• it makes you crave sweets and fried foods

Getting enough sleep is like another way of studying. So says sleep doctor Helene Emsellem in an NPR article on teens and sleep. Basically if you can get enough sleep, your brain can process all of that stuff you heard and read at school and store it so you can remember it later and understand it.

What can you do to fall asleep faster and get better sleep?

• play soft, soothing music and dim the lights
• disconnect! - turn your cell phone and computer OFF so that one last message from your friends doesn’t distract you as you get ready to fall asleep
• make sure your bed and pillow are comfortable
• start a bedtime routine - something to relax you, like taking a bath, listening to calming music, reading (NOT your homework), etc.
• use your bed to sleep - study, talk on the phone, surf the net someplace else in your room
• no more late night snacks - stop eating a couple of hours before you go to bed
• exercise regularly but NOT in the 3 hours before you go to sleep
• cut out soda, tea, coffee, energy drinks in the evening - caffeine doesn’t make you sleepy!
• nap for no more than 30 minutes - if you nap for longer then you DEFINITELY don’t get enough sleep at night!
• don’t sleep in on the weekends - I know it’s crazy-talk, but don’t sleep more than 2-3 hours past the time you get up on the weekdays

To read more, try these books on sleep or check out these sites:

• Sleep and Teens - National Sleep Foundation
• Teen sleep: Why is your teen so tired? - MayoClinic.com
• Discovery Health: Helping Sleep-Deprived Teens
• Discovery Health: Sleep and Dreams: Tips