Menu

Cool Kind Kid

New Year – New Challenge

When the kids came into the first class after the holidays, they were all excited to share what they had done while on vacation from school. As Ms. Gilmour greeted each she asked, “I know you want to share the fun things you did over the holidays, but let’s talk about the things you did to be ‘Cool Kind Kids.’” Tanner was first to share, “I helped my grandparents get presents wrapped because they aren’t able to do as much now.” Nicole said, “My family put together boxes of food for needy families in our church.” Carmen shared, ”I did that with my Girl Scout troop.” As each child shared, the others were cheering and giving high fives. Rudy was waving his hand, “My Boy Scout troop visited men in our local Veterans Home and took them cards that we made.” Everyone thought that was a great, cool and kind thing to do. Stephen was excited to share, “My mom had everyone in my family go through toys and other stuff that we don’t use, to donate to needy families. At first I didn’t want to do it, but when we went as a family to the donation center and saw how many families needed things, I felt like I was doing something important to help others.” The kids all cheered for Stephen. Truman the Dragon was thinking about all that had been shared when he said, “I think what everyone did was great. My family got together with other dragon families and we prepared and served meals to the people in our homeless shelter. We wanted to show them that even dragons can be kind, caring and cool.” Ms. Gilmour said, “That’s great, Truman, you definitely showed that we are all the same, even though we may not all look the same.” Next, Ms. Gilmour asked, “It’s a new year now, and what do you think we can do to extend the kind, caring spirit of the holidays?” Truman was first, “We can show everyone that we are all the same, just as you just said.” Nicole added, “Let’s challenge all kids to keep doing kind, caring and cool things for others.” Rudy stated, “Let’s ask kids, ‘Are you COOL enough to be KIND?’” Carmen looked at him and said, “Sometimes we get picked on at school when we are kind.” So Tanner stood up and said, “Just tell those kids that ‘kind is cool, and unkind is uncool.’” All kids joined him and yelled, “Kind is Cool! and Unkind is Uncool!” Stephen spoke up and said, “Let’s challenge them to, “Be TOUGH enough to be KIND!” Nicole added, “Too many kids think being unkind or bullying is sooooo cool! We need to help them learn that those are so uncool!” Ms. Gilmour asked, “How can The Golden Rule help here?” Tanner said, “Great idea! We can challenge them to treat others the same way they want to be treated.” Everyone high-fived each other as they said, “Good-bye.” (C) Cool Kind Kid Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the U.S. In addition to these Cool Kind Kid articles, we endeavor to provide up-to-date research, articles and other news on this topic on our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid.We post Barbara’s Anti-Bullying Tips on Mondays, Tanner’s Tuesday Tips, Cool Kind Kid Challenger Tips on Thursdays, and Oliver’s Tips for Kids on Fridays. We also post Shocking Sunday Stats to keep this issue in the forefront of people’s minds. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and how you have successfully dealt with bullying. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to: info@coolkindkid.com.

Continue Reading...

Conservation Corner

Tips for staying toasty warm this winter!

During the cold weather months, staying warm is important. Here are some tips on how to save money and stay comfortable, too. • Turn down the thermostat. If it feels a little chilly, put on a sweater. Staying active also helps keep the body warm — a few jumping jacks or a trip up and down the stairs will get your blood moving and take off some of the chill. • Avoid drafts. Look for places where cooler air might be sneaking in to your home. Windows and doors are common areas. If you feel a leak around a door or window, use a rolled up towel to stop the draft. • Keeping windows and doors closed also helps keep the cold out. • Open curtains in the morning to let sunshine in. It helps warm the room. Closing curtains and blinds at night helps to keep the heat in. • If your house doesn’t have carpeting, consider getting some area rugs. They provide a layer of insulation by trapping cold air on the floor underneath the rug.

Continue Reading...

Kidsville Connections

Human Body

The human body is an amazing machine. Huge numbers of cells, around 37.2 trillion, work together to make a complex living and breathing system that can think and act in everyday life. The cells are the basic building blocks of life. All living things have them, but it is what is in these cells that is important. Each cell has a specific job and is guided by the blue print in DNA. DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. It carries all of the information and instructions that your body needs to make and replace cells; these instructions are called genes. We still don’t understand DNA completely, but scientists are always discovering new and amazing things for which DNA is responsible. It determines what color your hair and eyes will be. It tells the bones how tall or short to be and much more. It also tells plants how tall to grow and determines how a dog’s ears are shaped. Scientists are even starting to look at DNA to predict and cure diseases. DNA and other things like the environment are what make people different and unique. Here are some facts about truly unique humans and amazing human bodies: • Sultan Kosen became the world’s tallest man in 2009. He is from Turkey and is 8 feet, 3 inches tall. • Kosen also has the world’s largest hands. They are 11.2 inches from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. • Chandra Bahadur Dangi is the world’s smallest man. He is only 21.5 inches tall. He is from Nepal. He only weighs 32 pounds. • There are 60,000 miles of blood vessels in the human body. • Tongue prints are unique, just like thumbprints. • On average, a person will shed 40 pounds of skin in a lifetime. • Red blood cells are made in bone marrow and carry oxygen through the body. • Nose and ears never stop growing. • Human teeth are stronger than shark teeth. • The average red blood cell lives 120 days. • A heart beats 100,000 times a day. • 10,000 cells can fit on the head of a pin. • All of your blood is filtered through the kidneys 400 times a day.

Continue Reading...

Come Out and Play

Come Out and Play – Tiger Gamer

Bagh-Chal is the national game of Nepal. It is a very old strategy game that was originally created by Himalayan herders. The name of the game can be roughly translated to “Moving Tiger” and it mimics the daily work of the herders. It is played by two players with unequal forces. One player controls 20 goats and the other controls four tigers. The goats try to block the tigers and the tigers must hunt and capture five goats to win. It has been played for thousands of years often on a specialized board or just with pebbles and lines scratched into the dirt. Like checkers or chess it is a classic game of strategy played between two people while others look on and cheer. Here’s how to play: Tiger Gamer (Bagh-Chal Board Game) • First draw a board on a sheet of paper or poster board. • Mark 20 tokens as goats (they could be pebbles or coins or anything small). • Mark 4 tokens as tigers. • Flip a coin to decide who will be tigers and who will be goats. • To set up the board place 4 tigers on the corner points. • No goats should start on the board. • Tigers must capture 5 goats to win. • Goats win if the tigers can no longer move. • Goats begin the game and then players take turns. • Here is how the tigers move: They can only capture one goat at a time, they can jump in any direction, but it must follow lines on the board, to another point, tigers can’t jump another tiger, tigers are never removed from the board. • Here is how the goats are allowed to move: They must leave the board when they are captured (tigers jump over them), they can’t jump over anything, they can only move after all 20 goats have been placed on the board. • Only one goat can be placed on the board at a time. • Goats must be placed on an empty point. • Players cannot repeat movements. • Games usually take around an hour. • Tigers are not required to capture (jump over) a goat.

Continue Reading...

Kids

Around the world – January 2016

January first marks the beginning of the New Year for most of the world. On the last night of the year, Dec. 31, people gather for parties and other festivities. They stay up late and “ring in the new year” with friends and family. Traditionally, at the stroke of midnight, as the old year ends and the New Year begins, people throw confetti, cheer and offer a kiss to someone they care about. For many the start of a new year is about more than numbers changing on the calendar. It is a time of reflection and setting goals. Many people make a list of things they want to accomplish in the New Year. These are resolutions. They usually involve things like choosing to eat healthier or exercise more or to save more money. In America, we celebrate the New Year on January 1. In Nepal, the New Year falls in mid-April. The holiday is known as Navavarsha, which is based on Nepal’s lunar calendar called Nepal Sambat. Because the calendar is lunar, it centers on the cycles of the moon, so the first day of the Nepal Sambat usually falls between April 11 and 15. The Navavarsha is one the many festivities of Nepal celebrated with parades, parties, family gatherings and a lot of food. Because this is also a religious celebration, people spend the morning hours in prayer and visit the temples to worship. There are many interesting New Year’s traditions that people practice in different parts of the world. In Colombia, people who hope to travel during the coming year carry empty suitcases around the block. In Denmark, it is common for people to welcome the new year by standing on chairs and then jumping off them at midnight at the same time. This is supposed to bring good luck. In Stonehaven, Scotland, there is always a bonfire on New Year’s Eve. As part of the celebration, townsmen walk through town swinging poles with giant fireballs on the end of them. Round shapes are considered lucky in the Philippines. They represent coins and are considered lucky. On New Year’s Eve, many families have big displays of round fruits set out. Some families eat exactly 12 round fruits at the stroke of midnight.

Continue Reading...

What’s It Like To be

Fishery Biologist

Please tell our readers a little bit about yourself. My name is Jenefer Bell and I am a Fishery Biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Growing up in Connecticut my two loves were the ocean and Alaska. I remember saying to my parents I was going to live in Alaska even before I knew exactly what that meant-the pictures of Alaska were beautiful and the stories filled with excitement and adventure. What does the fish and game department do? The Alaska Department of Fish and Game strives to protect, maintain and improve the fish, game and aquatic plants resources for the state and manage their use and development in the best interest of the economy and the well-being of the people of the state. There are five divisions that focus on managing the state’s natural resources: Commercial Fisheries, Habitat, Sport Fish, Subsistence and Wildlife Conservation. I work for the division of Commercial Fisheries, which focuses on the management of subsistence, commercial and personal use fisheries for the general well-being of the people and economy of the state. Why is this work important/how does it apply to everyday life for most people? Natural resources are so important to the people of Alaska. Their management and protection are part of our state constitution. Fish and game resources are an integral part of life for many Alaskans from the commercial fishermen harvesting Pacific salmon to the subsistence hunter taking a caribou to feed family through the winter. The department helps ensure the people of Alaska can continue to depend on healthy populations of fish and wildlife for their economic stability and to maintain traditional cultures. What do you do at the Fish and Game Department? I work for the research section of the Division of Commercial Fisheries. Specifically, I study the biology and ecology of red king crab and Pacific salmon to help fishery managers make informed decisions about fishing on the resource. What is a typical day like for you? My days are very different depending on the time of year. Because of what I study (red king crab and salmon), most of my fieldwork takes place in the summertime. Fieldwork often consists of going out on small boats to capture red king crab or salmon to collect biological information. Most recently, I spent the summer tagging adult chum salmon to monitor their movement from the ocean into different rivers. In the winter months my days are filled with analyzing the data I spent all summer collecting. I also write reports and attend meetings to learn what other research in being conducted within the state. What do you most enjoy about your work? I most enjoy the adventure of doing fieldwork in Alaska and trying to figure out what a small, one time glimpse into the life of a crab or salmon might mean to the overall big picture of their lifecycle and how I can apply that to management of the species to ensure their persistence into the future. What are some challenges you face in your work? What I enjoy about my work is also one of the biggest challenges: I collect information from a specific point in an organism’s life and then make decisions on how to manage the species. Because so many people rely on the department’s understanding of the resource it is important to recognize the limits of our knowledge, try to expand that knowledge and make the most informed decisions we can. What do you like to do when you are not working? When not working I love reading and knitting — it is hard to figure out where the yarn ends and the furniture begins in my house. My husband (who lives about 800 miles away-check out an Alaska map, the state is huge) and I also enjoy cross country skiing in the winter and often travel to warmer climates to scuba dive. Though we do scuba dive in Alaskan waters, warmer water is much more enjoyable.

Continue Reading...

Wildville

Polar Bear

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus Species: Maritimus Closely related to the brown bear, a polar bear has thick fur and lives in the Arctic. The fur looks white, but is actually yellow. Their unique fur allows the polar bears to blend into the snowy environment and trap heat while they hunt for their favorite prey — seals. Their fur coat is made of two layers, which helps to keep them warm in temperatures as low as -50 Farenheit. The oils that coat the fur also help keep them warm and dry by repelling water when they swim in the cold ocean. They swim so often that the United States, Norway, Greenland and Russia classify them as marine mammals Polar bears are beautiful animals that are incredibly well adapted for their harsh environment. Unfortunately, human activity is putting them in danger. They are classified as a vulnerable species. Pollution and loss of habitat are the main threats to the species. However, in 2000, both the United States and Russia agreed to work together to help protect the polar bears. • Polar bears live in Alaska, Canada, Russia, Greenland and Norway. • Adult male polar bears can weigh between 775 and 1,300 pounds and reach more than 10 feet tall when standing upright. • Only pregnant female polar bears hibernate, during this time they give birth, usually to three cubs. • They are carnivores. Their favorite meal is ringed seal, but they are known to eat other land and water animals. • They hunt on the edge of pack ice. • They are solitary. • They can swim up to 200 miles into the ocean. • Their wide paws are partly webbed making excellent paddles. • Underneath their white fur is black skin that works to soak up the warmth of the sun. • 4 inches of fat underneath the skin also keep the bears toasty in the Arctic weather. • Newborn cubs are hairless and blind, but can weigh around 20 pounds when hibernation is over. • Polar bears live around 25 years in the wild.

Continue Reading...

Where in the World

Churchill – Manitoba Canada

Canada is the large nation that borders the United States to the north. The very first people to settle in Canada came from Asia across a land bridge an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 years ago. The first Europeans to successfully settle in Canada were the French and British who came by sea in the 15th century. For many years, Canada was a British colony, but some parts of Canada still speak French. • Canada is known for being full of wilderness and forests, half of Canada’s area is covered in forests. • Much of Canada can get very cold, 1/3 of the land is within the Arctic Circle. • The capital is Ottawa. • Their currency is a Canadian dollar. • Their national symbols are the maple leaf and the beaver. • It is the second largest country in the world. • Canada has the largest waterfall by water volume: the Niagara Falls. • Canada became an independent nation in 1931. • Ninety percent of Canadians live within 125 miles of the border with the United States. • The native people of Canada are referred to as “Inuit.” • The nation has over 30,000 lakes. The biggest lakes in the world, Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake, are in Canada. • The Canada-U.S. border is 5,525 miles long. The longest boarder in the world. One of the most exciting things that happens in Manitoba, Canada, every year is the polar bear migration. Churchill is a small town located on the edge of Hudson Bay. Every year, the ice around the bay melts and then refreezes according to the season. When the ice melts in the spring and summer the polar bears come onto the land. Every year as winter approaches, the bears migrate to Churchill because this northern city is where the very first of the winter ice forms, allowing them to hunt. Churchill is famous for this migration and many tourists come to take polar bear tours to safely observe the amazing animals.

Continue Reading...

Weather

Snow Day or Snow Way

Winter is here! And with it comes snow, freezing rain and sleet in many parts of the country. These storms can mean school-closing snow days. Or they can mean nothing but rain. How do meteorologists make their forecasts? Almost all of our weather, including winter weather, occurs in the lowest several miles of the atmosphere. Generally how much warm/cold air is in the atmosphere determines whether we’re going to get snow, freezing rain or sleet. The main types of winter precipitation are snow, freezing rain and sleet (also known as ice pellets). Critical ingredients are moisture and very cold (sub-freezing) temperatures. • Snow: Precipitation in the shape of ice crystals, mainly of intricately branched, hexagonal form and often gathered into snowflakes, made directly from the freezing of the water vapor in the air. • Freezing Rain: Rain that falls as a liquid but freezes when it hits the ground, creating a coating of ice on roads, walkways, trees and power lines. • Sleet (also known as ice pellets): Pellets of ice composed of frozen or mostly frozen raindrops or refrozen partially melted snowflakes. These pellets of ice usually bounce after hitting the ground or other hard surfaces. How do snow, freezing rain and sleet form? See the illustration below. A wedge of warm air is depicted by the red area. This air is warmer than freezing (32°F or 0°C). The thicker the wedge of warm air the less frozen/freezing precipitation would be expected. Meanwhile in the picture cold air is represented by the blue area. This air is cooler than freezing. Look at the above illustration again and imagine that you’re a meteorologist. Your forecast decides whether the schools are open or closed in the morning. Do you give the kids a snow day? Or is it just going to rain? To make an accurate prediction, you need an understanding of the amount of warm and cold air and where it is in the atmosphere (along with the necessary moisture). Challenging, isn’t it? A few degrees of temperature can turn your snow forecast into rain. After seeing how snow, freezing rain and sleet form you can understand how difficult they can be to predict. Now you know what it’s like to be a meteorologist facing a tricky winter forecast.

Continue Reading...

Kids

December 2015 – Letter from Truman

Hi, Kids! Learning to manage resources is important. This is true for individuals as well as organizations. This month, the “Connections” section looks at a delicious example of how this works. It talks about supply and demand and how they are connected. I got to talk to Jenefer Bell this month. Her job in Alaska is about managing resources, too — wildlife. Check it out in the “What’s It Like to Be…” section. For thousands of years humans have had to learn not to waste what they have — again resource management. It happens in some pretty interesting ways, too. “Cultural Connections” talks about scrimshaw. That is the art of carving — usually it is whale teeth, but sometimes it is walrus tusks or other items. This kind of art can be anything from carving a picture into the bone to carving the bone into something useful. Some of the examples are pretty amazing. What are some easy ways that you can help manage your family’s resources?

Continue Reading...