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Looking for Heartbeats

By Katie McKissick National Aeronautics and Space Administration Just before noon on April 25, 2015, the ground in Nepal started to move. For about 30 seconds, people felt the ground shaking beneath them. It doesn’t sound like a very long time, but it doesn’t take long for an earthquake to cause damage. The ground shook so much and so hard that houses cracked, buildings flattened, and thousands of people were hurt or killed. After the earthquake, cities and villages were ruined. Where there used to be buildings, there was now only broken pieces. People were trapped under collapsed houses. To save people, you have to dig them out. But first, you have to know where they are. How can you find someone buried under rubble? You can’t yell their name because they won’t be able to hear you. If they yell for help, you can’t hear them either. What you can do is listen for their heartbeats. You might be thinking, “Heartbeats are very quiet. You can’t just hear them!” That’s normally true. You can’t hear them with your ears, but you can find them with a special machine. This new machine is called FINDER. That stands for “Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response.” It uses radar to look for people under bricks, mud and pieces of buildings. It was built by scientists and engineers from NASA and the United States Department of Homeland Security. FINDER is the size of a suitcase. It weighs about as much as a two gallons of water. When rescue workers need to find someone, they turn it on, and the machine searches for heartbeats. It can sense a heartbeat even if the person is buried under 30 feet of broken concrete. When the earthquake hit Nepal, the people who built FINDER knew it would be very helpful. They brought two of the machines to Nepal right away. On April 29, they found four men trapped under collapsed buildings. FINDER saved their lives.

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Movie Reviews for Kids by Kids

Maya The Bee

Maya the Bee features a spunky young bee, Maya, who won’t follow the rules of the hive. This is a lovely animated film, devoid of violence or other scary stuff, that you can safely share with your younger family members. It’s an engaging tale of adventure and friendship that teaches some poignant lessons about trust and honesty. The first version of this story was made in 1925 in Germany using micro-photography of real insects to tell the story. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Brooke S. comments, “Maya the Bee is a very funny movie. I laughed during many scenes and I also cried during a few scenes. I love the movie because the characters are funny and it teaches great lessons throughout the film.” Video review: https://youtu.be/BzDjUqX6hls Maya the Bee is an incredible animated film, written by Fin Edquist and Marcus Sauermann, directed by Alexs Stadermann. This is a very funny movie. I laughed during many scenes and I also cried during a few scenes. I love the movie because the characters are funny and it teaches great lessons throughout the film. The movie takes place in a bee hive located in a colorful meadow full of beautiful flowers. In the meadow, there are many different types of bugs. Inside of the bee hive, there are lots of worker bees. All of the bees have different jobs and the jobs are assigned by the royal advisor, Buzzlina (Jacki Weaver). For instance, one of the jobs is picking up pollen. Another job is watching the adorable little baby bees. This is also where Maya (Coco Jack Gillies) stays until spring. Maya wants to be independent and explore the hive. She does not like staying with the babies, so she sneaks out when she has the first opportunity. When Maya sneaks out, she causes a lot of chaos within the hive because she is very young and does not know what she is doing. She takes you on a fun and exciting adventure. The movie is well written. Alexs Stadermann draws out remarkable performances from the voice actors and brings out the best in each character. I love how Coco Jack Gillies expresses Maya’s feelings. Jacki Weaver makes the royal advisor, Buzzlina, seem so real. My favorite scene is when Willy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) and Maya meet. They seem to like each other from the very beginning. Another favorite part is when there is a battle between the bees and another group of bugs. My least favorite part of the film is when something horrible happens to Maya and she finds out a secret about the queen. The message of the story is, everyone has a role to play in life. It takes everyone working as a team to get the job done. The movie is fun, fabulous and family-friendly. I recommend it for ages 4 to 18 as well as adults. I give this movie 5 out of 5 gold stars.

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Kidsville Kitchen

F-U-N Learning with Food

If you’re searching for ways to get little ones excited about learning, try combining fun and function, using food as your teaching tool. Foods that come in letter shapes are a great way to introduce young learners to the alphabet and make learning delightfully F-U-N. Although it may contradict the popular mealtime mantra to “quit playing with your food,” teaching children to recognize letters using a familiar food, such as cereal, can actually be a great way to promote literacy and a love of reading early on. You can get started promoting the joys of learning with the “snacktivity” below to make snack time as entertaining as it is educational for your littlest family members. Use a nutrient rich cereal, such as Post Alpha-Bits, so when letters start disappearing into those tiny tummies, you can feel good knowing each serving provides 12 of the essential vitamins and minerals growing kids need. For more great recipes your family will love, visit www.postfoods.com. ABC Crispy Bars 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine 1 package (10.5 ounces) miniature marshmallows 8 cups Post Alpha-Bits Cereal alphabet-shaped cookie cutters Line 13-by-9-inch pan with foil; lightly grease foil. Microwave butter in large microwavable bowl on high for 45 seconds or until melted. Add marshmallows and mix well. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir in cereal. Press cereal mixture firmly into prepared pan. Cool. Using the alphabet-shaped cookie cutters, cut cereal mixture into 12-15 pieces. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

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Cultural Connections

Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. may be America’s capital but it was designed by a French man. It wasn’t always our nation’s capital either. In fact, there are nine other cities that bear that honor. In 1774, representatives from the 13 colonies met in Philadelphia for the First Continental Congress. Baltimore; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; York, Pennsylvania; and College Hall in Philadelphia were also places that Congress met to handle the country’s business. Congress convened in Princeton, New Jersey; Annapolis, Maryland; Trenton, New Jersey; and New York, as well. On July 16, 1790, Washington D.C. came into being when an act establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States, was signed into law. It was then President George Washington who chose its location and Pierre-Charles L’Enfant who designed the framework of the city. L’Enfant was born in France in 1754 and grew up to be an architect and an engineer. He came to America when he was 22 and served as an officer in the Corps of Engineers of the Continental Army. In 1790, Washington asked L’Enfant to survey the land that would become the seat of government and get back to him. L’Enfant arrived in March of 1791 and by August he had a plan, which he presented to Washington. The plan was approved but there were many disagreements about how to acquire the land and how big the lots of land should be. L’Enfant eventually resigned from the project. For more than 100 years, Washington D.C. remained a work in progress – very slow progress. So slow that cows could be found grazing on the mall (which was basically nothing more than a park) well into the 1800s. In 1901, the Senate formed the McMillan Commission, a team made up of architects and planners, to finish the job. They stuck with L’Enfant’s original framework to create the capital of the United States as it stands today.

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Kids

I’m Proud to be an American

When the kids came into class, Ms. Gilmour laughed because they were all wearing some red, white and blue, She asked, “Why are you wearing patriotic colors?” Tanner replied, “I knew that we would be talking about the 4th of July holiday coming up.” “We all got together and decided it would be fun to show our patriotism by wearing the colors of our flag,” explained Nicole. Ms. Gilmour said, “Well, you have all certainly shown your patriotism. I’m very proud of you for thinking to do this.” She then continued, “Do you wear patriotic colors on July 4th?” Some answered that they did and others said they didn’t. Rudy offered, “I haven’t done that yet, but I think it is a good idea.” Truman the dragon added, “Green is my favorite color, but I’m willing to add some red, white or blue to show my patriotism.” Ms. Gilmour then asked the kids, “What other ways can we show our patriotism?” All hands went up. She asked Carmen what she thought. Carmen replied, “We can fly our flag.” All the kids agreed that was a good idea. Stephen added, “We can go to the 4th of July parade.” Everyone agreed that was fun to do. Tanner was looking at Ms. Gilmour and asked, “Last year and the year before we learned a patriotic poem and performed it at the parade.” She said, “I remember that. Did you enjoy that?” Truman spoke up and said, “That was a lot of fun. Can we do it again?” Ms. Gilmour said, “Sure.” She then asked, “Who remembers the special guest who came and told us a lot of information about our flag?” Almost everyone remembered, but Rudy was first to answer. “Proud Patriotic Paul,” he said. Everyone high-fived Rudy. Nicole stood up and paraded around the room. The kids all looked at her and asked, “What are you doing?” She replied, “At my school we have a lot of ways to celebrate the 4th of July. We plan our own school parade. In art class, we make patriotic posters to hang in the classrooms and hallways. We review a lot of history that tells us about the founding of our country.” Ms. Gilmour said, “That’s great, Nicole. Do all the students like to do that? Nicole replied, “Yes, everyone is excited about it.” Tanner added, “I took the poem we learned here, Proud Patriotic Paul’s ‘Freedom,’ to my school last year so we could learn it there. We made it into a rap and performed it for the other students.” Truman gave Tanner a thumbs-up and said, “What a great idea. I’m going to do that also.” The kids were excited to go back to their schools and encourage their friends to be more patriotic. Ms. Gilmour then suggested that they make it a Cool Kind Kid Challenge™ to be more patriotic, show more gratitude for our freedom, to attend patriotic events, and to thank veterans for the freedom we have today. Proud Patriotic Paul’s Poem —“Freedom” Freedom for me Freedom for you Available to all In the red, white and blue Respect our flag Our country, too And each person here So they’ll respect you Take care of our land Water, trees and shore If we don’t do that They will be no more Show that you care Be grateful, too For all that we have In the red, white and blue

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Conservation Corner

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

It may seem like no big deal to leave a plastic water bottle or candy wrapper on the beach or other body of water, but the truth is, it is a big deal. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch proves just how big of a deal it is. It is as big as the state of Texas and is made up of plastics and other debris. It is located between California and Hawaii. While this garbage patch is not the only one, it is the largest. Scientists say it takes about six years for a piece of trash from America to reach the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and about one year for a piece of trash from Japan to get there. The ocean currents naturally push debris to this location. The pieces that are not biodegradable can’t break down so they stay there, polluting the water. While plastics are not biodegradable, they do break down into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic. That means that garbage patch is not solid matter but in fact a soupy mess of plastics. Animals that swim through the patch often end up with these plastics in their systems. We all know that plastic is not food. Turtles confuse plastic bags for jellyfish. Often birds confuse bottle caps for food. They eat them but can’t digest them, so their stomachs fill with plastic. They feel full but their bodies can’t process the plastic so they starve to death, even though they continue trying to eat. Fish on the low end of the food chain also eat these tiny bits of plastic, and are then eaten by larger fish – which we catch and eat. So we are basically eating our own garbage in addition to making other animals sick with it.

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Come Out and Play

Come Out and Play – BBQ GAMES

The summer is full of long beautiful days spent outside with friends and family. One of the traditional ways to enjoy those long warm evenings is with family barbecues, especially on the Fourth of July. Eating hamburgers, hotdogs and grilled corn on the cob isn’t the only thing that happens at these events, however. While the food is cooking and after all the eating is done the tradition is to play games in the great outdoors. One traditional game is called the doughnut game. It is a fantastic, fun and messy way to enjoy dessert. This game is great for children and parents alike, but because it can get messy should be played outdoors. First, you need a doughnut for every player. Each doughnut should be suspended by string at about face height. Players must then eat the doughnut without using hands or licking lips. The first one to eat the entire doughnut wins. For a healthier option, use apples. Apples can also be used for apple bobbing. This game is also fun for all ages, and best played outside. First, fill a large tub with clean cold water and then put enough apples in the tub for each player to have an apple. Players should go one at a time, and the goal is to retrieve an apple using only your mouth. Each player should be timed and the person to retrieve the apple the quickest wins. No hands are allowed! The flour game is another fun and messy way to enjoy some dessert. A parent should make a flour “cake” by pressing flour into a medium sized mixing bowl then turning onto a flat surface. The process is much like making a sand castle. Then place a piece of chocolate on top. Each player must cut away a section of the cake. The player who makes the chocolate fall then has to find it in the flour with their teeth. The egg toss is another traditional barbecue game that has been played in backyards for years. First, divide guests into teams of two. Each team should have one egg. There should be two lines of people with team members facing each other very close at the beginning of the game. Team members should toss the eggs between them. If the egg is dropped the team is disqualified. After a successful toss both team members should take a step back away from each other. The team who can go the longest and furthest without dropping or breaking the egg wins.

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Around The World

Around the world – July 2015

4th of July On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. This set the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. In July of 1776 there were about 2.5 million living in America. Today, www.census.gov/popclock estimates that there are 318.4 million people living in the U.S. On the 4th of July, most people celebrate with friends and family. Some people enjoy going to barbecues or other get-togethers. Others go to concerts that play patriotic music. Other festivities might include baseball games and hanging out with friends. Most communities have fireworks displays to celebrate. It is a great time to enjoy being with friends and family and to reflect on the many things that make our country special. Every five years, the people of Latvia hold the Latvian Song and Dance Festival. This year the event falls on July 13. It is one of the biggest amateur choral events in the world. The event was first held in 1873 and continues to be an important part of Latvian culture. About 30,000 people participate in the event. There are also art and photography exhibits, orchestra concerts and a parade. In the years between the Song and Dance Festival, events and competitions are held.

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What’s It Like To be

Systems Engineer

Meet Sarah Sherman. She is a Systems Engineer My friends at NASA, the Climate Kids, spoke with Sarah Sherman about her job as a systems engineer. She has what is a called a green career — a career that helps others make good choices that don’t hurt the environment. Green jobs also mean that we can learn how the environment works. Then we can know how to protect it. One way we learn about Earth is with satellites. Some of them go around Earth and observe it. That means they take pictures or measure things to learn more about how things work. This is what they talked about … Climate Kids: Sarah, what do you do? Sarah: I do systems engineering for something called SMAP. That means I worked on the planning, development, testing and launch. Now I am on the operations team, where we send instructions to SMAP. CK: What is SMAP? Sarah: SMAP stands for Soil Moisture Active Passive. It is a spacecraft that orbits Earth. That means it is a machine that goes around Earth. It looks at how much water is in the soil. It will help us understand a lot more about the water and energy cycles on Earth. CK: What does SMAP look like? Sarah: It has a refrigerator-sized body with solar panels. It also has a big antenna that helps it find out how much water is in the top layer of soil. CK: What’s the big deal with water in the soil? Sarah: We know very little about how much water is in the soil in different parts of the world. It’s important to understand where all the water is. If we know this, we can learn more about weather, droughts and floods. We can also learn more about the plants that grow there. CK: How many people do you work with? Sarah: There are hundreds of people involved in the SMAP mission. I work with lots of people every day. Some days I might write a sequence (a string of commands to the spacecraft) on my own, and then meet with a group of four engineers to review it. They provide suggestions based on their experience, and I use their feedback. Other days, I might be doing testing with just one other person. CK: Why do you need to meet with so many people to do one thing? Sarah: The spacecraft is so complex that no single person will know everything, which is why we rely on teamwork so much. We also have lots of people double-checking our work. A mistake can result in loss of science data. It could even damage the spacecraft. Sending just one command requires a minimum of two people. CK: What do you do most days? Sarah: We have a morning meeting at 8:30 a.m., where different teams report on their status. Then we plan for the day. After that, I either sit in the flight director or systems chair to support daily operations. That includes preparing messages to send to the spacecraft, planning future activities, and solving any problems we see. Sometimes the project scientist comes in to tell us some early science results. That’s really rewarding! CK: What is your favorite part of your job? Sarah: My favorite part right now is the variety of tasks. I get to interact with every part of the spacecraft. One week, I worked with the guidance, navigation and control team. Another week, I told the spacecraft how to move to change its orbit, which is what we call a maneuver. I also work with the communications system to build the background sequence, which is our way of telling the spacecraft when and how to send data back down to Earth’s ground stations. There is never a day exactly like the last. CK: How did you get interested in space? Sarah: I’ve wanted to work at NASA since I was a teenager. My interest in engineering came from playing with LEGO, fort building, and tinkering with tools in my basement as a kid. Also, I could fly a plane before I could drive a car! CK: How can I become an engineer? Sarah: Ask lots of questions. Take things apart. Learn to lead and take initiative. Think of creative solutions to problems. Get comfortable with math and science fundamentals now, because you’ll keep building on them as you advance further in your education.

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Kids

Chamois

Kingdom: Animalia Class: Mammalia Order: Artidactyla Family: Bovidae Subfamily: Caprinae Genus: Rupicapra Species: Rupicapra The chamois looks like a cross between a goat and a deer. They are a very common animal all over Europe and western Asia. They live in the mountains of Europe and can be found in the Pyrenees and the Alps. Because they live in very rocky and unstable habitats, the chamois are excellent at jumping and are very graceful. They can leap 6 ½ feet vertically and as far as 20 feet horizontally. They do this all very quickly and quietly. They use their amazing jumping skills and speed among the rocky cliffs to avoid predators such as lynxes, wolves, bears and even golden eagles. • They are herbivores • They often forage at night • Females live in herds of up to 100 • Males live alone or there may be one male in a herd of females • Their fur is brown in summer and light grey in winter • Males and females have short horns that hook backward at the tip • Male’s horns are larger • Females are called does • Males are called bucks • They often live high in the mountains in the summer and lower in the winter • They are classified as a species of least concern, this means they are not in danger of extinction • They have white marks on the side of their heads and dark black stripes beneath their eyes • They are highly prized for their soft leather One subspecies of chamois lives in New Zealand. They are not native to the island. They were brought as a gift in 1907 from Franz Joseph I the Emperor of Austria. Six does and two bucks were given to the island nation in exchange for other specimens that would go back to Austria. The animals were released at Mount Cook and over the years they spread over the South Island.

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