www.4Kids.org - Week of July 22, 2001

Week of July 22, 2001

Peace in the Garden

Take a virtual tour of Anderson Gardens at www.andersongardens .org Located in Rock-ford, Ill., these Japanese gardens were inspired by the founder's 1966 trip to Japan. Begin your tour of the gardens at the Wisteria Arbor where you can leave your cares behind. Visit the beautiful waterfalls, granite pagoda and zigzag bridge. Listen to the sounds of the coin water basin and the deer chase. Chat for a bit with the stone raccoons, and have tea at the tea house. Once you've passed the west waterfall and completed your journey, stop by the Anderson Center where you can learn more about Japanese studies and horticulture.

Nominate a cool Web site at http://www.4Kids.org/nominations/

Electrifying Einstein

Take a peek at Einstein Revealed at www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/ Follow the life of Albert Einstein with the timeline of the famous physicist. Watch cool animations of how Einstein's discoveries are a part of your everyday life. Visit Joe's room to find the substances that change the speed of light. Finally, play the time traveler game to experience the effects of traveling at the speed of light. (This site is no longer available.)

Nuclear Knowledge

Duck into the Student's Corner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission at http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/basic-ref/students.html Discover how nuclear reactors work and how they can stop radiation from escaping into the environment. Learn how nuclear plants are dismantled when they're no longer useful. Find out where radioactive waste is stored. If you're in over your head, use the glossary to break the terms into molecule-sized bites.

How old should you have to be to get a driver's license?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: My dad's blood is type O, but mine is A. How is that possible? -- Candice, Boston

Dear Candice: The combination of two alleles, parts of your genetic makeup, decides your blood type. The possible alleles are A, B and O. You inherit them from your parents. For you to have type A blood, your mom must have type A or AB blood. Blood types are also described as being positive or negative. This is also caused by alleles, but they are not the same ones that gave you type A blood. You can find more info about blood types online at www.biology.arizona.edu/human_bio/problem_sets/blood_types/ Intro.html

Dear Amy: Why do you need to breathe? -- Nik, Honesdale, Pa.

Dear Nik: Breathing is a necessity of living bodies. Humans use oxygen from the air to create the compounds that our bodies need. The blood in your body carries oxygen to all of your cells, which combine it with tiny amounts of food to create energy. Fact Monster has info about breathing at www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0841597.html Not all living organisms process oxygen in the same manner, but they need it to live.

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