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Wildville

Mountain Lion

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Puma Species: Concolor Mountain lions are big cats native to the Americas. They are extremely adaptable and they live in a wide variety of habitats like forests, mountains and even swamps. They used to roam all over the continent, but now they are mostly found on the eastern coast of North America and most of South America. They are not known for being the strongest or the fastest; they hunt by ambush. They hide in trees or bushes near places that they know their prey often visits. Then they wait until the perfect moment and leap onto their prey. Because they thrive in diverse habitats, their preferred catch depends on where they live. For more information visit the following sites: http://mountainlion.org/FAQfrequentlyaskedquestions.asp, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/mountain-lion/ & http://www.biokids.umich.edu/critters/Puma_concolor/ • They are also known as pumas, cougars, catamounts and panthers. • Mountain lions grow between 6 to 9 feet long, weighing around 136 pounds. • Mountain Lions are solitary and known for being shy; they don’t often approach humans. • Common prey are deer, raccoons, rabbits, coyotes and porcupines. • They do not hibernate. • Cubs are born blind and are dependent on their mothers. • They have yellowish brown to greyish hair, which helps them blend into many landscapes. • The throat and chest of the cats are often whitish and they have black stripes along their nose, mouth and ears. • Their long tails are 1/3 of their body. • Because they are so solitary, they require a lot of land to survive. This makes it difficult to survive with human development encroaching on their habitat. • They usually live between 8 and 13 years in the wild. • They use their great eyesight to spot prey. • If they have a large kill, they will save some for later by burying it in the dirt or snow.

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Where in the World

Angel Island

Angel Island is a small island located on the coast of California. It has been an important island for many of the people who have lived in California. The Miwok Native Americans used it to hunt and fish. It was an Army post for many years dating back to the Civil War. From 1910 until 1940 it was a portal for many Chinese immigrants to begin their life in America. It is estimated that 1 million Asian immigrants passed through Angel Island before reaching California. Immigrants from Europe came through Ellis Island in New York. One of the main purposes of the island was to ensure that the new Americans were healthy before they moved onto the mainland, many to join the gold rush. The process often took up to 90 days, much longer than it took in Ellis Island. • At 1.2 square miles, it is the largest island in San Francisco Bay. • The island was named by Lieutenant Juan Manuel de Ayala. • Ayala was a Spanish explorer who came to map the bay in 1775. • In 1837, the island was used as a cattle ranch. • It was called the Ellis Island of the West. • In World War II, German and Japanese prisoners of war were kept on the island. • In World War II, American soldiers built a baseball diamond on the island near Fort McDowell. • The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation preserves the history of the island. • You can now camp on the island and explore some of the nine miles of bike trails. • It has a population of 57. • National Angel Island Day is January 21.

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Weather

Storms from the Sun

What is space weather? Just like the weather you experience on earth, space weather has its calm and stormy periods, too. Space weather is caused by large-scale eruptions on our sun. Those eruptions affect and interact with Earth’s own atmosphere and magnetic field. Solar flares are sudden, explosive releases of energy from active regions on the sun. These active regions have strong magnetic fields and can show up as cooler, darker areas, seen as sunspots. Sunspots are likely areas for these solar eruptions. Solar flares release energy that travels at the speed of light, and light is so fast that it travels all the way around Earth almost eight times in just one second! When strong enough, the solar flare causes problems with radio communications like those used in airplanes flying over the oceans. These eruptions can also accelerate charged particles at the sun, the tiny building blocks that make up every atom, creating what we call a solar radiation storm. These tiny particles can travel near the speed of light and arrive at Earth in tens of minutes to hours. These particles can also affect radio communications near the North and South Poles. Additionally, these tiny particles can pass through satellites causing problems with the satellite’s electronics and sensors that can result in permanent damage. When these radiation storms are strong enough, they can cause an increase in radiation exposure to astronauts in space and to airline passengers in flight near the Earth’s poles. These eruptions may also result in large parts of the sun’s atmosphere being blown into space, called a coronal mass ejection or CME for short. These CMEs can be thought of as clouds of tiny particles that together act as a giant magnet. These clouds can arrive at Earth in as little as 15-16 hours, and when they do, they cause a “jolt” to Earth’s own magnetic field resulting in geomagnetic storming. These geomagnetic storms can cause extra electric currents to flow in large power lines, in extreme cases overloading parts of the power grid and possibly causing power outages or problems. Additionally, some communication and navigation systems may become degraded, affecting things like road-building and airplane traffic. While these storms can create such problems, they are also the driver of the spectacular northern and southern lights, or auroras. The aurora is much like a neon sign where atoms are excited and emit beautiful light. But in the case of the aurora, this sign is much bigger and high in the sky, usually near the North and South Poles. The sun is not just our nearest star and what gives us light. It also produces a wide range of space weather that can impact the technologies we use every day.

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Letter From Truman

November 2015 – Letter from Truman

Hi, Kids I learned a new word this month – municipality. That is a city, town or village that was established under the governing state guidelines. Many cities (municipalities) are holding elections this month. That means people are running for mayor and city council positions. It’s important for citizens to vote in the elections because the decisions that local leaders make have a big impact on the community and the people who live there. Did you know that there is an organization that counts how many people live in a community? It is called the Census Bureau. The information collected by the Census Bureau is used for all kinds of things including trying to understand the way the population of the country is growing and changing. I got to talk to Lynda Laughlin this month.She is a demo grapher at the Census Bureau. You can read about her cool job in the “What’s It Like to Be…” section. If you like dancing you will enjoy the “Cultural Connections” section. It’s all about Flamenco dancing. Ask a responsible grown up to help you find videos of it online. It is fun to watch!

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Kids

Protecting the Forest

By Katie McKissick National Aeronautics and Space Administration When you think about NASA, you probably picture outer space, comets and galaxies. But there is also much to explore on our home planet Earth. We still have a lot to learn about the weather, the water cycle, Earth’s interior and our planet’s many ecosystems. NASA doesn’t only research big systems like the atmosphere; it also looks at much smaller things like individual trees. In fact, NASA is using new technology to help protect forests from pesky bugs. In the northeastern United States, millions of pine and ash trees are in danger because of two small insects, the southern pine beetle and the emerald ash borer. They burrow into trees and kill them. Technology from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, will help the U.S. Forest Service understand how much these bugs are hurting trees. Then researchers can make decisions to save as many trees as possible. They use a machine called G-LiHT (pronounced gee-light). G-LiHT stands for “Goddard’s LiDAR, Hyperspectral and Thermal Imager.” It uses lasers and special cameras to see details in big ecosystems like forests. To get measurements, they put this device in an airplane and fly it over a large area. It sits on the floor over a window and looks down at the ground while it gathers information. This machine flew over forests in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island this summer. It collected information about forests and how these insects are affecting them. It helped build 3-D images of each tree in the forest so scientists have detailed maps. G-LiHT can see slight changes in the colors of leaves, which can show if trees are sick. This technology can even measure how much heat is coming off each tree. This is important since trees get a little warmer when insects damage them. These insects are killing trees quickly, so researchers need to work fast. G-LiHT is great because it gathers data on large forests rapidly. Making detailed maps of forests without machines like G-LiHT takes years. The more information we have now, the better we can save our trees from pests like the southern pine beetle and the emerald ash borer. After all, healthy forests are important for a healthy planet.

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Movie Reviews for Kids by Kids

Gumby

After more than 60 years since Gumby was first created, we are brought back to the good times of the original, and in my opinion, the best of the iconic Gumby and Pokey characters.Gumby is all about fun and comedy.You watch Gumby not for drama or romance.There is lots of action and fantasy, since it is all about Gumby’s fun adventures. Art Clokey (creator of Gumby) does a fantastic job writing fun and unique episodes. I love each of the characters for the fun and silly adventures they undertake and how unique each one is. Even small characters have their own personality which I love. Not many shows today pay so much attention to each character. I think Art Clokey has done a mind-blowing job making these shows. He created some cool special effect techniques such as one episode with a rocket ship where he has scratched each frame so it looks like flames. Techniques like this were used in films for decades afterwards. The stop motion animation itself is very smooth and impressive, particularly since it was made 60 years ago! My favorite episode is the first one, when Gumby goes to the moon and his Dad needs to save him. I love it because it starts off Gumby’s career and is kind of the birth of Gumby. This also includes the rocket special effects mentioned above. The episode is really a joy to watch, not to mention that it was so symbolic for those times when everything was about space travel. People that enjoyed Gumby growing up will be happy to share their passion with a new generation. After all, Gumby is meant for kids. Ages 7 to 18 would probably enjoy the series more than younger kids and would be able appreciate the beauty of the clay animation. I give it five out of five stars because, what they did was way ahead of their time with the special effects, unique stories, wonderful characters and more. Can’t wait to see what’s next in store for Gumby! (They are creating some entirely new episodes)

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Kidsville Kitchen

Fast. Easy. Delicious

Marshmallow crispy rice cereal treat colored orange and shaped into small pumpkin shapes, and using green “Mike & Ike” candies as the stem. Easy, and very kid friendly recipe great for any fall holidays! SERVINGS – 12-15 YIELD – 12-15 pumpkins INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons melted margarine 6 cups crispy rice cereal 10 ounces miniature marshmallows green “Mike & Ike” candy orange food coloring DIRECTIONS Melt margarine in large microwave safe bowl. Add marshmallows and heat again in microwave until soft and fluffy. Put in a few drops of food coloring to achieve desired color. Stir in cereal and mix well. Using lightly greased hands, shape into small handful-sized balls. Place onto pan lined with parchment paper and put candy piece in the top for a stem. Pumpkins aren’t generally perfectly round, so it makes this a very kid-friendly recipe. Fast. Easy. Delicious. Made in 30 minutes or less.

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Cultural Connections

Flamenco

Many people consider flamenco dancing a Spanish tradition – and it is popular in Spain – but it is a dance with a fluid and complex history. Flamenco is a dance that has changed over time. It has elements of dances from India, which historians say came to Spain between 500 and 250 B.C., when dancers from India were brought to Spain to dance for the royal court. Later, as people came to Spain from Africa, Pakistan and Persia, they brought their music and dance traditions with them. These were absorbed into the culture and became part of the dances, too. Today, flamenco dance includes hand clapping, rhythmic foot stomping and beautifully complex hand, arm and body movements. Often, the dancer remains still and expressionless as the music begins to play. As the dancer feels the music they start clapping or stomping their feet before they start moving to the music. Flamenco dancers often hold castanets in their hands and use them to make clapping sounds. Intricate folding fans are also used in flamenco dances.

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Cool Kind Kid

Challenges for November

When the kids came into class, Ms. Gilmour greeted each with a “Hello,” “Welcome,” “Thank-you for coming today” and “How are you?” Each of the kids responded to her with one or more of those greetings. Tanner said, “Hello” to her. Nicole said, “Thank you. I’m fine, how are you?” Carmen greeted Ms. Gilmour and the other kids with, “Welcome to everyone.” Rudy laughed and said, “Hello everyone, welcome to class, and how are you all today?” The kids all laughed with him. Ms. Gilmour laughed, too, as she said, “I was just seeing if you remembered how to greet people when they greet you. You did a great job.” Ms. Gilmour then reminded the class that October was National Bullying Prevention Month. Everyone remembered that. She then asked, “Does bullying stop on October 31st?” The kids all yelled, “NO!” She continued, “Do you think it is a good idea to extend Bullying Prevention Month to Bullying Prevention Year?” All the kids said, “Yes!” Truman the Dragon spoke up and said, “We have spent a lot of time talking about ways to stop bullying. Our schools seem to pay more attention to it in October. I think we just have to get everyone on board to do what we do in October all year.” Everyone high-fived Truman. Nicole added, “We made some great posters. Let’s ask the teachers and the principal to keep them up all year. Stephen hadn’t joined in the conversation yet, so he added, “Let’s get all our friends on board with the Cool Kind Kid Challenges.” Ms. Gilmour then said, “What I’m hearing all of you say is that our first November Challenge is to keep the Anti-Bullying campaign going.” “Yes!” they all shouted. Ms. Gilmour then posed a question to the kids, “Do you agree that if we all use The Magic Words, we can help stop bullying?” Everyone nodded. She continued, “And if we use The Magic Word thank-you, showing our gratitude for what others do for us and say to us, do you think we can help people realize that being ungrateful can lead to bullying?” Everyone agreed that could happen. Truman the Dragon said, “When we are grateful, we are positive. When we are ungrateful, we are negative, and I think being negative can lead to hurting others, which can lead to bullying.” This time the kids all fist bumped Truman. Ms. Gilmour then added, “Let’s add ‘using The Magic Words, especially thank-you’ to our November Challenges list.” “What holiday do we celebrate in November?” Ms. Gilmour asked. The kids all said, “Thanksgiving!” “And what other November Challenge can you think of for Thanksgiving?” she asked. Nicole said, “Being thankful.” Rudy added, “Showing that we appreciate what we have.” Tanner shared, “I love Thanksgiving because I get to see all my family who live far away.” “We have three November Challenges: keep Anti-Bullying going; use The Magic Words, especially thank-you; and be grateful,” concluded Ms. Gilmour. Note to Parents from Ms. Gilmour: Bullying is the #2 epidemic in the US. 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. We’d love to post stories and photos of your kids being Cool Kind Kids, and learn about how you have successfully dealt with bullying. [We don’t post names or locations.] Go to http://www.facebook.com/coolkindkid. To send photos and stories, and give your permission to post, go to info@coolkindkid.com. At the request of parent focus groups, we have been developing a Bullying Prevention Parent/Child Resource Kit. We will be having 3 new books for parents and children available soon as well. Look for them on our website: www.coolkindkid.com.

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Kids

Make a difference

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, this is a great time to think about the many resources we have and how to help those who may not be so fortunate. Here are some ways to help others while still being kind to the environment. Be sure to get your parents involved, too! • Donate warm clothes and blankets to homeless shelters, churches and other charities. • Donate canned goods and grocery store gift certificates to food pantries and other organizations that feed the homeless and hungry. • Donate your time to a worthy cause. Ask a responsible grown up to come with you and volunteer, too. • Ask your parents to help you prepare and deliver a meal to someone in need. • Gather some friends and pick up the litter at a local park or other common area. What are some other things you can do to make a difference?

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