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Conservation Corner

Winter Giving

During the cold winter months, it is sometimes a struggle to make ends meet. Sometimes people don’t have money to pay the heating bill or buy a winter coat. Here are some common-sense things that you can do to help others while conserving resources. • Donate winter clothes and jackets to organizations like the Salvation Army. Or coordinate through a local church or school to donate items. • Donate other items like used glasses or school supplies to organizations that will redistribute them. • Donate to a food pantry. • Donate your time and help out at a soup kitchen or other organization. • Organize a fundraiser or charity drive. • Contact nonprofit organizations in your community and volunteer.

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Come Out and Play

Come out and Play – Backgammon

Backgammon is a game that originated in Mesopotamia, what is now called Iraq. It is a board game for two players, and since it was created, it has spread all across the world. Backgammon is not only a great way to spend time with friends and family; it is also a great way to practice math and strategy. Many famous people have played backgammon for thousands of years. While it originated in Mesopotamia, it was also played by Greeks, who called the game tabula, meaning table. The Greek emperor Zeno is described in an epigram as playing the game. Several Roman emperors are also recorded as loving the game. Backgammon also spread to Egypt as senet. The game was even played in China and came to Europe in the 16th century through Britain. Even Shakespeare mentioned the game in his play Love’s Labour’s Lost. It then came to the United States in the 1920s, and many people all over the world still play today. How To Play • First you need two people, a backgammon board, two dice and 30 checkers, 15 red and 15 white. • The board is made of black and sometimes black and red triangles called points. • The first step is to roll the dice to see who goes first. • To set up the board, both players put five pieces on point one, two on point 12, three on point 17, and five on point 19. • The first player then rolls both the dice. • You can move either one or two pieces a turn. If you move two pieces, they each move the number points on one of the dice. If you move one piece, it moves the sum of the numbers on the dice. • You can’t move your piece if an opponent’s pieces are already on there, unless there is only one piece. • If you land on a point with only one opponent’s pieces on it, is called a blot, and their piece is moved to the bar, and they must move those to the other player’s home next turn. • The goal is to move all of your checkers to your home board and then roll the dice. If you roll a three, then remove one piece from point 3 and so on.

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Around The World

Around the world – January 2015

Martin Luther King Jr. Day This year, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister. He was also a social activist. In fact, he led the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from the mid-1950s until he was assassinated in 1968. While many people do not have to go to work or school on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, many choose to spend this day giving back to their community by participating in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. This movement is based on King’s statement “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: ‘What are you doing for others?’” You can find out more about it at www.mlkday.gov. Happy New Year! We celebrate the new year on Jan. 1, but that was not always the case. The earliest recorded festivities celebrating a new year date back about 4,000 years to ancient Babylon. For the Babylonians, the first new moon following the vernal equinox (the day in late March with an equal amount of sunlight and darkness) marked the start of a new year. They marked the occasion with a massive religious festival called Akitu (derived from the Sumerian word for barley, which was cut in the spring) that involved a different ritual on each of its 11 days. In addition to the new year, Atiku celebrated the mythical victory of the Babylonian sky god Marduk over the evil sea goddess Tiamat and served an important political purpose: It was during this time that a new king was crowned or that the current ruler’s divine mandate was symbolically renewed. Source: History.com

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What’s It Like To be

Woodwright

What exactly does a woodwright do? Woodwright is an interesting word, in that it may not be possible! “Wright” means maker, so a wheelwright made wheels, a shipwright made ships, a cartwright made carts, but how do you make wood — trees do that! Still woodwright is a name for someone who makes things out of wood, not someone who makes wood. How long have you been working with wood? I have been working wood since I was very young. I still have a little woodworking plane (a wood smoothing tool) that I bought when I was 12. When and why did you first become interested in woodworking? I have always enjoyed working with wood, and the library had lots of wonderful books for kids on how to make things. It was the most fun to read and then work. It was like making imagination come true. I understand you prefer using traditional hand tools instead of many of the modern day power tools. Why? I think the old hand tools are better for the planet. They are powered by the food that I eat. Since plants grow in the sun, it makes my work solar powered. Do you have a favorite toy or wooden item that you like to make? What is it and why is it your favorite? I like making new things all the time, but when I teach, I get to see other people make things for the first time, and then it is just as new and exciting for me. So, my favorites are always the next, new thing. What does it take to become a woodworker? It takes practice! Good tools help, good teachers help, but the way to be a woodworker is to work wood. Start making things and keep going! What is a typical day like in your workshop? Every day is different, but the end of theday must always be cleaning up. The shavings of wood left at the end of the day can catch fire very easily and can be very dangerous and destructive. Always clean up and get ready for the next day. What are some challenges many woodworkers face? Getting good wood is always the biggest challenge. With good wood that lends itself to the thing that you want to make, you can make anything. If the wood is not well suited to your needs (too many knots, not strong enough), then it is very hard. What do you love most about woodworking? I like the way working with wood is so much fun for everyone. I think every person has great woodworkers in their family heritage, and they reconnect with that every time they make something new. Everyone enjoys it, and I like that! Do you have any interesting woodrelated facts you can share with our readers? You can take a piece of wood from the red oak tree, stick one end in water, blow on the other end and make bubbles come up! The wood is porous — so don’t build boats with red oak! What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working with wood? I like to read and watch nature. I live in an old mill that needs a lot of repair, however, so I am almost always working with wood. It’s a good thing that I enjoy it.

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Kids

American Black Bear

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Ursidae Genus: Ursus Species: U. americanus The American black bear is America’s smallest and most common bear. They are usually found in the forests of North America, like those in New York, but can be found as far south as Texas. These bears are much smaller and wider spread than their relative the grizzly bear, which is only found on the Western side of America. They are also considered far less dangerous than the grizzly. Due to their loss of habitat, American black bears are forced more and more to interact with humans where forests and human habitats overlap. When the bears emerge from the forest, it is usually in search of food. They are intelligent and adapt easily, so this often leads to their rummaging in garbage, eating outside pet food or crops. This can be dangerous for people and bears. These bears are not naturally aggressive, but when they are frightened, they do fight back. Sadly this often leads to the bears being killed. For this reason, it is very important for people who live near black bear habitats to keep potential food sources secured. Here are some more facts about the American black bear: • They are omnivores; they eat meat and plants. • Some of their favorite meals are grasses, berries, bees and fish. • Much of their diet depends on their habitat, and what is in season. They are mostly scavengers. • Their natural habitat is the forest. • They are skilled at climbing trees. • They are usually solitary creatures. • Female black bears give birth to two or three blind cubs in the middle of winter. • The cubs stay with their mother for about two years. • They hibernate during the winter. • Hibernating means the bear sleeps and does not eat or drink the entire time. • Black bears can be many different colors such as brown, cream, black and silver. • Most males weigh between 130 and 500 pounds. • The average bear is 6 feet long. • However, the Kodiak bear, a kind of black bear which lives in Alaska, can get bigger because they eat a lot of salmon. • It is one of two bear species that is not threatened with extinction.

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Where in the World

FAO Schwarz/New York City

New York City is a metropolis that is located in the northern state of New York. It is one of the largest cities in the world and is full of businesses and people. Perhaps the busiest and most popular part of New York City is Times Square. This area began as the theatre district during the First World War and has grown ever since. There are still many theatres and performers in the area, but now there are even more stores and restaurants. One of the most famous stores in Times Square is FAO Schwarz, the oldest toy store in the United States. Here are some facts about FAO Schwarz: • It was established 150 years ago. • Frederick August Otto Schwarz, a German immigrant, started the store. • It is famous for its incredible displays. • The first store that Schwarz opened was with his brother and was called the “Toy Bazaar.” • Fredrick moved to New York in 1870. • The store has always been known for having incredibly high-quality toys. • The store has moved to bigger locations several times. • The store is now so famous, it is also a tourist destination in New York. • The store was named “FAO Schwarz” in 1880. • The store moved to its current location in1986. • For years, FAO Schwarz has been known for being the first store to premiere new toys. • Even today they usually are the first to have a new toy. • “Toys R Us” now owns the company. • Mr. Schwarz spent 50 years working with toys. • The store has a large piano that children can play by stepping on it. This part of the city is famous for its huge bright flashing signs, street performers and giant stores. It is so famous for the huge flashing billboards that now all buildings are required to be covered in them. Visit the square any time, day or night, and it is guaranteed to be bustling with crowds of people exploring the many stores, theatres and restaurants. Though some of these stores may have the same names as ones that you can find in your mall, those in Times Square are much, much larger.

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Weather

Forecasting the weather

Do you check the weather each day to help you make decisions? For instance, do you listen to the forecast so you’ll know what to wear or whether to carry an umbrella? Since the weather is always changing, we rely on meteorologists to predict the weather. Some people think meteorologists just guess, but there is a lot of science that goes into forecasting the weather. For a meteorologist, the atmosphere is a large puzzle. If you’re good at solving puzzles, you might be a good weather forecaster. Every day, meteorologists try to solve the “weather puzzle” by putting many pieces of atmospheric information together. The difficulty is that the atmosphere has so many pieces of information that you can’t account for all of them. Some pieces of the atmospheric puzzle are always missing, so forecasting the weather can be a challenge. That is why weather predictions are never 100 percent accurate. One of the first things that a meteorologist does before making a forecast is to investigate the current state of the atmosphere. Weather observations taken by equipment on the ground and by weather balloons higher in the atmosphere are mapped and analyzed to understand the current conditions. These maps help meteorologists locate areas of high and low pressure, cold and warm fronts and storms. High- and low-pressure centers are important because pressure differences cause air to move. We feel moving air as wind. Also, high-pressure systems generally bring good weather while low-pressure systems often bring stormy weather. Cold and warm fronts separate areas of warm and cold air and are often where storms develop and intensify. Meteorologists also use satellite and radar images to find developing storms and precipitation. After the ground level and upper atmospheric observations are made, reports from all over the world are collected and used in “computer models” to predict how storm systems will develop and move. The computer models are computer programs designed to simulate the real atmosphere. In making their predictions, computer models solve millions of mathematical equations, which are based on the scienceof the real atmosphere. The computer models are not perfect, and it is the meteorologist’s job to evaluate the computer models’ predictions when making his or her weather forecast. Meteorologists often rely on predictions from several different computer models to make their forecast. Experienced meteorologists learn situations when the computer models are more (or less) accurate and account for these strengths or weaknesses when making a forecast. Meteorologists also account for local weather effects caused by mountains and large bodies of water. Finally, when a meteorologist has looked at all of the available information, he or she attempts to solve the “weather puzzle” and makes a forecast. So the next time you hear a weather forecast, you’ll know that it’s the meteorologist’s attempt to solve a complicated atmospheric puzzle.

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Letter From Truman

Dec 2014 – Letter from Truman

Hi, Kids! Last month we talked about food webs and producers and consumers. This month we are looking at producers and consumers in a different way – economically. I think you might be surprised at how it all works. Check out the “Connections” section to learn more. I got to talk with Roy Underhill this month. He is a woodwright – someone who works with wood. He makes all kinds of things using wood and hand-powered tools. Not only does he know how to build furniture, but he also makes fun things like toys. Read my interview with him in the “What’s it like to be…” section. Speaking of toys, we take a peek at one of the world’s famous toy stores – FAO Schwarz in New York City. You can read more about that in the “Where in the World” section. I love to play with toys – and board games, too. What is your favorite toy?

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Space Place

Clear Skies in Cygnus

Alex H. Kasprak National Aeronautics and Space Administration When astronomers set out to use an observatory or telescope on the surface of our planet, they are always hoping for a clear sky. How else are they going to see through those clouds and into space? That’s a big benefit of orbiting telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope. Since they are already in space — well above the clouds — they aren’t affected by Earth’s weather. Why then, you might ask, would a group astronomers using three orbiting space telescopes worry about cloud cover? Simple: It’s not Earth’s clouds they worry about. Instead, it’s the clouds of planets in faraway solar systems. These planets are called exoplanets. One planet, named HAT-P-11b, is 120 light-years away in the swan-shaped constellation Cygnus. Scientists had a goal to detect water vapor in HAT-P-11b’s atmosphere. The planet, which is roughly the size of Neptune, has a rocky core and gassy atmosphere. It was the possibility of clouds in that atmosphere that had these scientists concerned. And unfortunately, you can’t turn on the Weather Channel and get a forecast for a place like HAT-P-11b. Clouds would have been a problem because they get in the way of light passing through the planet’s atmosphere. The way that scientists detect water vapor is by looking at how light from the planet’s star changes when it passes through the atmosphere of the planet. Put a cloud in the way and all bets are off! Luckily it was nothing but clear skies for the scientists, so they were able to find the water vapor they were looking for! HAT-P-11b is the smallest exoplanet for which a molecule of any kind has been identified. This discovery is an important stepping-stone. The ultimate goal is even more challenging – finding water vapor on an Earth-like planet. Finding planets like Earth with water vapor will be key in our hunt for life on planets outside of our own solar system. Don’t let HAT-P-11b’s clear skies fool you, though. This super-hot exoplanet is no place for life, let alone a picnic. Want to learn more about the wild world of planets elsewhere in the universe? Check out “What is a planet?” at NASA’s Space Place. http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/planet-what-is.

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Kids

Big Hero 6

The movie Big Hero 6 is adorable, funny, and downright enjoyable. The movie is about a young, intelligent, robotics fanatic named Hiro Hamada, voiced by Ryan Potter, who spends his days hustling adults in “bot fights” until his brother, Tadashi, voiced by Daniel Henney, introduces him to his college and friends. Hiro then spends his days trying to get accepted into his brother’s school to apply his knowledge of robotics to a greater cause. Hiro later develops a loveable bond between himself and an inflatable robot named Baymax, voiced by Scott Adsit. After Hiro encounters a dangerous force that threatens his future and safety of the city, he turns to Baymax and his friends to make a heroic group called “Big Hero 6” to fight evil. The movie takes us through an action-packed adventure that provides laughter, tears, tension and relief. The unpredictable plot makes the movie very exciting and hilarious. The movie is funny within the first few minutes, which is really delightful because it avoids a slow beginning. Even though this movie is about superheroes fighting evil with intense superhero gear, it does not follow the typical superhero expectations because the heroes handle situations differently than expected. The movie provides realism and surprisingly does not sugar coat certain scenarios. There are certain times where one would think, wow, I’m surprised Disney did that, but that surprise is good because it makes the movie stand out from the rest in a new and different way. The characters are so lovable, especially Baymax, an adorable robot whose only purpose is to make others feel better. Because of this, it is easy for the audience to get attached to the characters and engage with the movie emotionally. The movie is phenomenal and appeals to adults as much as children, which is a very special aspect. Not only does Big Hero 6 have clever dialogue, great special effects, lovable characters and nice music, but it also pays attention to little details and messages about education and friendship that contribute to an amazing movie as a whole. I will definitely watch this movie multiple times and recommend it ages 5 to 18.

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