www.4Kids.org - Week of January 2, 2005

Week of January 2, 2005

Picturing History

The idea that a picture paints a thousand words holds true in Picturing Modern America 1880-1920 at www.edc.org/CCT/PMA. Put on your thinking cap and explore history the way a historian would. In Image Detective, choose a picture and investigate the activity. Gather clues and pose questions about the activity. You can impress your friends by choosing a question or theme and selecting images to create your own history exhibit with Exhibit Builder. With your detective and thinking skills, interpreting history has never been so easy.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

Indiana to the Dakotas and Canada to Texas make up what?

The Great Plains
The Great Prairie
The Great Southwest

What is the scientific name for sponges?

Spongis
Soakitupis
Spongiform
Porifera

How tall did a pilot have to be in order to be selected as one of the first astronauts?

over 6 feet tall
no taller than 5 feet 11 inches
shorter than 5 feet 6 inches

Climb the Tree of Life

Explore the uppermost branches of the Tree of Life Web Project at http://tolweb.org/tree/ phylogeny.html. Biologists from around the world contributed over 3,000 Web pages to make this project possible. At the root of the tree, discover the exciting relationships among the major lineages of life. Then climb through each page containing information about a particular group of organisms, such as club fungi, phlox flowers, cephalopods or the salamander fish of Western Australia.

Blast Off With Apollo 11

Ride a rocket into space at http://smithsonianeducation. org/students/ idealabs/ walking_on_the_moon.html. At Apollo 11: Walking on the Moon, you can learn all about the history of the race to the moon and what it's like to travel there. Follow The Spacecraft to check out the first lunar lander. The Crew tells the story of the first American astronauts. You’ll learn what it's like to eat, sleep and work while in orbit. What goes up must come down, and After Splashdown tells of Apollo 11's re-entry to earth and what it meant for America.

Are there benefits to teaching music in schools? Why or why not?

Speak Out Here!

Planning for the Future

When I was younger, every adult's favorite question to ask me was "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Back then, I had a different answer every time I was asked. I liked to play the clarinet, so I decided to be a jazz musician. But it turned out that jazz was not for me. Apparently I just didn't have what it takes. Then, I wanted to be a singer. I figured I sang just about as well as anybody else in the shower, so why couldn't I go on tour with all the big stars? Then I discovered my singing talents didn't extend past the shower.

Some kids dream of being astronauts or firefighters, ballerinas or nurses. However, rarely are they certain of what they want. It is OK to be unsure of what your future plans are, but your future is interesting to think about. You never know where you'll end up, but it is a good idea to be involved in the things that interest you, so you can narrow down your choices when the time comes. The Kid's Career Information Website at http://email.bcit.cc/childcareer/
default.htm can help you discover your interests and possibly lead to the exciting career of your dreams.

—Amy

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