Menu

Where in the World

Great Britain

England is an island in the Atlantic Ocean. It is a relatively small nation, but it has a long history. This small island was once a huge empire, and it ruled a large part of the world through colonization. Colonization is when an outside nation conquers and then rules another country. Some of the larger colonies of England were India, Australia and the original 13 colonies that eventually declared their independence to become the United States. Great Britain no longer controls these countries; they are now the independent nations of India, Australia and the United States of America. Though many of England’s colonies are now independent, the lasting relationships they have made in their region of small islands makes the United Kingdom a unique country made of four nations: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. • The population is 63,742,977. • The official language is English. • The capital is London. • There are three major rivers: the Thames, Severn and Tyne. • The official currency is the Pound Sterling. • Popular sports are soccer, rugby and cricket. • Golf was invented in the United Kingdom. • England is slightly smaller than Alabama. • Robin Hood and King Arthur were English. • England still has a monarchy, but the Parliament runs the government. • The national anthem is “God Save the Queen.” • The national animal of England is the Bulldog. England has a long history as a nation and for centuries, it was a monarchy. The king ruled with absolute power and then passed the crown down to his oldest son. After a series of wars, however, the government of England changed drastically. England’s government is now called a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. It combines the tradition of having a king and/or queen with the freedoms of having a democracy. They still have a queen, but the parliament makes most of the official decisions. The parliament is divided into two sections: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. These are officials elected by the citizens of England. The real head of state, similar to the American president, is called the Prime Minister.

Continue Reading...

Kidsville Connections

13 Colonies Fun Facts

The original 13 colonies were settlements created by the British. On large ships they brought over families and supplies to build new homes in an unfamiliar land. Many people left England and headed to America because they hoped to start a new life. England was crowded and didn’t have enough land to support everyone. It was a very competitive and difficult life. So instead, brave families decided to explore a brand new continent. Their settlements were called colonies. They were established in the 17th and 18th centuries. After the Revolutionary War, these small colonies became a single nation: the United States of America. The English were not the first people to try to settle in the New World. The French, Spanish, Dutch and Russians also tried, but the English were the most successful. • The 13 colonies are Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. • The very first colonists lived in Jamestown, Virginia. • The colonies had governments within America, but the British were technically in charge. • The trip from England to America took about two and a half months by boat. • The colonies were divided into three groups: The New England Colonies, the Middle Colonies and the Southern Colonies. • The very first attempts at colonization were failures. • Delaware was the first state to ratify the Constitution — making it the first state to join the United States of America. • Virginia was named after Queen Elizabeth I. • Jamestown was the first capital of Virginia; it was moved to Richmond in 1779. • Jamestown was made of 104 colonists who landed in April 1607. • Many came to America in search of religious freedom. • The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in Massachusetts in 1620. • Most families were very large — often with six or more kids. • Georgia was named after King George III. • One of the first things colonists did when they arrived was start farming so that they would have food for the winter. • Common crops were corn, wheat, rice, barley, oats, beans, pumpkins and squash.

Continue Reading...

Weather

Where Do Tornadoes Come From?

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. Tornadoes are capable of completely destroying schools, uprooting trees and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. Tornadoes can occur at any time of day or night and at any time of the year. Although tornadoes are most common in the Central Plains and southeastern United States, they have been reported in all 50 states. About 1,200 tornadoes are reported in the United States yearly. Tornadoes come from the energy released in a thunderstorm. The most destructive and deadly tornadoes occur from super cells, which are rotating thunderstorms with a well-defined radar circulation called a mesocyclone. Tornado formation is believed to be dictated mainly by things which happen in and around the mesocyclone — but we still have a lot to learn about how tornadoes form. As powerful as they are, tornadoes account for only a tiny fraction of the energy in a thunderstorm. What makes them dangerous is that their energy is concentrated in a small area, perhaps only a hundred yards across. Not all tornadoes are the same, of course, and science does not yet completely understand how part of a thunderstorm’s energy sometimes gets focused into something as small as a tornado. There’s a lot that we don’t understand about tornadoes! For example, we’re not really sure what the highest wind speed might be inside a tornado since strong and violent tornadoes destroy weather instruments. We really only have measurements of the winds inside weaker tornadoes. Mobile Doppler radars can measure wind speeds in a tornado above ground level; the strongest was 318 mph measured on May 3, 1999, near Bridge Creek/Moore, Oklahoma. How fast does a tornado move? We’re not sure about that either, but a typical tornado travels at around 10-20 miles per hour. So don’t try to outrun it! The National Weather Service issues watches and warnings for severe weather and tornadoes. A tornado warning means that a tornado has been spotted, or that Doppler radar shows a thunderstorm circulation that can spawn a tornado. When a tornado warning is issued for your area, seek safe shelter immediately. The safest place to be is below ground, such as in a basement or storm shelter. If you can’t get underground, then find an interior room in your house, with no windows, such as a bathroom or closet. 

Continue Reading...

Letter From Truman

July 2016- Letter from Truman

Hi Kids! I love going to birthday parties and celebrating with my friends and family. One of my very favorite birthday celebrations happens this month — America’s birthday! We celebrate it on July 4. My favorite part is going to see the fireworks. What are you doing this July 4th? If you would like to learn more about the original 13 colonies that declared independence from Britain and started this great country we live in, read the “Connections” section. Paul Revere lived in one of the original colonies and is famous for his midnight ride that warned the colonists that the British were coming, but did you know he was also a silversmith and an illustrator? His silver pieces are worth a lot of money now. Many of them are in museums. Read more about him in the “Cultural Connections” section. As our country celebrates its 240th birthday, it is fun to think about what life was like in 1776. I got to talk with Rachael Zuch, a museum curator. She takes care of artifacts from hundreds of years ago. You can read more about her job in the “What’s It Like to Be…” section. Be safe this summer!        

Continue Reading...

Kids

Ceres: One Big Rock

Dawn is when the sun rises and a new day begins. You might start thinking about breakfast, too! But Dawn is also the name of an amazing spaceship. NASA named this spacecra Dawn because its purpose is to help understand the beginning of the solar system. You know there are eight planets, right? But there are many other objects in our solar system. ere are moons and asteroids and sometimes a comet! We also share the solar system with dwarf planets. ey’re called dwarf, but they are still pretty huge! One of the ve dwarf planets that we know about is named Ceres (sounds like ‘series’). It’s the biggest object between Mars and Jupiter. Ceres lives in the main asteroid belt. at’s where millions of rocky objects called asteroids hang out and orbit the sun. No one had ever been to Ceres, so NASA had the idea to go and check it out. at idea became the Dawn spacecra — making it the very rst spacecra to visit a dwarf planet. The NASA engineers finished building Dawn in 2007 and launched her into space from Cape Canaveral in Florida. From there, Dawn started flying through space toward Ceres. Ceres is very, very far away—much farther than Mars. Dawn was able to get there thanks to her super-efficient engines. Threy don’t use gasoline or even rocket fuel, they use xenon ions! By going to Ceres in 2015 and studying it for a long time (over a year now), we hope that Dawn will teach us something about the history of our solar system. Then we might learn more about the dawn of Earth, where we live!   The dwarf planet Ceres as seen from the Dawn spacecraft. The bright area is the inside of a large crater.

Continue Reading...

Movie Reviews for Kids by Kids

Movie Reviews- July 2016

Lily’s Driftwood Bay Ah, to sit and look out over the sandy beach at the ocean every day, then your pet gull cries out, “Look, look!” and you spot something buried in the sand. Every day is a new find and a new adventure for Lily, who leaves the world and goes off into her imagination to Driftwood Bay, an adorable little place for her to play and discover a use for her new treasure. The cast of characters are unique, cute and quirky, looking just like something a child would dream up. It includes Captain Salty, the dog with a sailing ship and Bull, who is made from messy balls of string and squeaky mice. Lord Stag is a puffin. Hatsie is the train conductor, and we meet lots of whales. Lily, with her red hair and a cute Irish accent, looks like a paper doll and is my favorite character. I love how she can take a small found object from the beach and think of so many different uses for it. Then, it turns into a grand adventure. I laughed so hard while watching the episode “Bulls Might Fly.” Lord Stag and Bull actually try to hang glide. Everyone has doubts, but you are in for grand and shocking surprise. It shows that even though you might be afraid to do something, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. The lessons learned in these fun stories are easy for young kids to understand. Lessons such as, you should tell the truth. Even if you break something, you can get help in fixing it. A boat is too big to fix by yourself. When you lose something, it is easier to find with help from others, especially if you can’t sleep without it. You should always apologize if you are wrong. Friendship is important. Be creative and use your imagination. Always put things back where they belong, so you can find them later. This collection of short episodes is perfect for children as young as 2. They are only 10 minutes long and are quite easy to follow. I enjoyed watching all 10 episodes, but I was just getting into them when they ended. For older kids, they may be too repetitive because the beginning and the end are the same in every episode. I recommend this DVD for ages 2 to 7 and give it 4 out of 5 shining starfish! Review by: Morgan B, 11 — The Man Who Knew Infinity This action feature film is incredible! I fell in love with the main characters and enjoyed the true story. This biographical movie is very dramatic. This movie is set during World War I and takes place in India and at Trinity College in Cambridge, England. Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) is 25 years old, lives in India and is recently married. He is an exceptional mathematician that receives mathematical formulas by meditating and in his sleep. His mentor encourages him to send his work to the professors at Trinity College. Dr. Hardy (Jeremy Irons) is very impressed with Ramanujan’s work and tells him to come to England so Hardy can help create publications of his mathematical formulas. Ramanujan leaves India and travels to Cambridge, sadly leaving his mom and loving wife at home. He misses his family and the foods he was accustomed to having at home. Making things more difficult, some of the professors are jealous of how smart Ramanujan is and are prejudiced because he is Indian. He comes up with many formulas, but Dr. Hardy says that no one will publish his work without proof of how he came up with the mathematical formulas since he only says, “It comes to me.” Throughout the film, the relationship between Dr. Hardy and Ramanujan develops into a very strong one. Dr. Hardy, in particular, is transformed because of knowing and eventually caring for Ramanujan. Dr. Hardy, a devout atheist, does not believe in God and doesn’t believe in anything that cannot be proven scientifically. He does not understand how his student comes up with all of these formulas and struggles with Ramanujan being as brilliant as he appears to be. This movie is amazing in so many ways and also very inspirational and emotional. I couldn’t help but fall in love with Patel’s version of Ramanujan’s character. He is so extraordinary and seems like such a nice person — someone I would want to know and be friends with. My favorite scene is when Ramanujan is meditating and is given another formula. His excitement in receiving this information is contagious. The settings and scenery are very appropriate for the time this takes place and made me feel as if it could be during World War I. The costumes are well thought out for scenes in both India and Cambridge, and they definitely fit the time period. I give this film five out of five stars because it is entertaining, informational and has a very interesting plot. I recommend this movie for ages 12 to 18. It may be difficult for younger audiences to follow, but I do believe that people should watch this movie to learn about other cultures and times and, of course, they should enjoy this very inspirational true story. Review by: Lainey A, 14

Continue Reading...

Kidsville Kitchen

Homemade Sorbet

Dessert and summer are a match made in heaven. Sweltering summer afternoons might not be comfortable, but any discomfort can be quickly washed away with a refreshing dessert, such as the following recipe for Kiwi Fruit Sorbet from Lou Seibert Pappas Ice Creams & Sorbets (Chronicle Books). Kiwi Fruit Sorbet Makes about 1 quart 2 teaspoons grated lime or lemon zest 3/4 cup sugar, divided 3/4 cup water 2 pounds kiwi fruit (about 8 kiwi fruit), peeled and quartered 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice 2 limes, quartered In a small bowl, mash the zest with 1 teaspoon of the sugar to release the oils. Combine the remaining sugar and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cook until the syrup is clear. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature. In a food processor or blender, puree the kiwi fruit with the juice, syrup and sugared zest. Transfer to a container, cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 3 hours. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Or, to freeze without an ice cream maker, pour the mixture into a 9-inch nonreactive square pan. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and freeze just until solid, 2 to 3 hours. Scrape out into an electric mixer or food processor and process brie y until light and uffy. Serve at once or transfer to a container, cover and freeze until rm, about 2 hours. At serving time, garnish with a lime wedge to squeeze over each serving.

Continue Reading...

Conservation Corner

Conservation Corner- July 2016

Many people opt for bottled water hoping to avoid the potential pathogens lurking inside of regular tap water. But consuming bottled water contributes to the ever-growing problem of discarded plastic bottles and other waste, and you may not be getting what you think when choosing bottled water over tap water. The National Resources Defense Council says sales of bottled water have tripled in the past 10 years to around $4 billion per year, fueled largely on the premise that bottled water comes from crystal-clear springs or untouched glaciers. According to U.S. government estimates and industry experts, as much as 40 percent of bottled water is derived from tap water. The NRDC says one brand of spring water was found to come from a well in an industrial facility’s parking lot near a hazardous waste dump. Also, many bottled waters are exempt from the Food and Drug Administrations bottled water standards because the FDA says its rules do not apply to water packaged and sold within the same state. When waters are covered and tested, they may be subject to weaker regulations than regular tap water. What’s more, even if bottled water is thoroughly filtered, data suggests that plastic bottles could be putting your health at risk. According to the organization Ban the Bottle, water contained in polyethylene terephthalate bottles can absorb chemicals from the plastic the longer the water is in storage. These include a chemical called antimony, a white metallic element that in small doses can cause nausea, dizziness and depression. In large doses, antimony can be fatal. Bottled water that is sitting in a hot area can leach the chemicals even faster.

Continue Reading...

Cultural Connections

Cultural Connections – July 2016

Paul Revere is famous for his midnight ride through Boston and its surrounding communities in April of 1775. He warned the colonists that the British were coming to arrest activists Samuel Adams and John Hancock. He rode to Lexington, Massachusetts, and warned many people along this route. Revere was also a part of the Boston Tea Party. That’s when colonials dressed as Native Americans and destroyed an entire shipment of tea to protest taxes levied on them by England. That is not all that he did, though. While Revere was a true patriot, he was also a silversmith, a soldier, a politician and more. Paul was born in Boston in 1734. His dad was a silversmith. This is where he learned the craft. Paul trained under his father and eventually took over the business. Life in colonial times was filled with many challenges and for most working people there was not a lot of spare time to spend pursuing the arts. But that didn’t keep them from using their creativity to bring beauty to their world. And that is just what Paul did. As a silversmith, Paul worked on both gold and silver items. He created useful things like knives, spoons, forks, tea sets and bowls. His creations were beautifully decorated and skillfully made. During his lifetime he was considered a master of his craft, and to this day, his work is still considered remarkable in the world of decorative arts. Examples of his work are on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as well as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Revere did a lot of other creative work, too. He was also a copper plate engraver. He would use chisels and other tools to make dents and patterns in copper, creating beautiful scenes and designs. He made illustrations for books and magazines, business cards, political cartoons, bookplates, a song book and bills of fare for taverns. Revere’s accomplishments are definitely impressive, but it was not unusual for colonists to have several business ventures going at the same time. They wove whatever skills and resources they had together to make a living for their families. In addition to Revere’s creative businesses he also worked as a dentist. Just like people living in the 1700s, we can use our many skills and talents to be successful at several things at the same time.

Continue Reading...

Kids

Come Out and Play – Bowling

Bowling can be a lot of fun. Did you know that children in the Colonial era bowled, too? e game they played was a little different, though. Instead of going to a bowling alley and using a ball to try to knock down 10 pins, they played a game called Nine Pin. And they played it just about anywhere. ere were tabletop versions as well as bigger versions that they could play outside — no bowling alley or bowling ball required! You just need a ball and nine pins (these can be actual bowling pins, but empty 2 liter soda bottles or even aluminum cans also work.) Here’s how to play: Set up nine pins (or bottles or cans) in a diamond-shaped pattern. In leagues, there are six bowlers per team and six frames per game, but it just takes two people to play. Each player gets to throw the ball twice per turn (like in 10-pin bowling). If the first player does not knock down all the pins, they are not reset or stood back up. e next player on the team tries to knock down the pins that are left. The team records their points when all the pins are knocked down, all but the middle pin is knocked down or all the team members have bowled for the frame. Every pin is worth one point. At the end of six frames, the team with the highest score wins. Keeping Score: Ringer – When all nine pins are knocked down with one ball, it is marked by circling the nine on the scoreboard and by placing an “l” above the bowler’s name. 12-Ringer – When all but the middle pin is knocked down with one ball. It is marked by circling the 12 on the scoreboard and by placing a “T” above the bowler’s name. Split – is is any set up of two or more pins that the bowling ball is able to t between without hitting the pins, without the head pin standing. If all the pins are picked up by the same player, put an “S” above the bowler’s name.

Continue Reading...