4Kids.org - Week of October 22, 2000

Week of October 22, 2000

Thrills of the Funhouse

You're sitting in a small rickety car. All of a sudden, the car lurches, the lights go out and a skeleton hand touches you. With your heart in your throat, you emerge safely into the sunlight, with a laugh. Welcome to Laff in the Dark at www.laffinthedark.com. This Web site features a series of articles, fond memories by their authors, about the glory days of funhouses and "dark rides," which were meant to startle and scare the wits out of you. Brought to you by the Dark Ride and Funhouse Historical Society, Laff in the Dark seeks to preserve these historical dark rides. As you hide behind your friend in this year's Halloween haunted houses, remember the legacy of the dark ride.

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Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers

Where in North America is the only remaining Noah's Ark ride located?

Magic Mountain, Valencia, CA.
Kennywood Park, Pittsburgh, PA.
Cedar Park, Ohio

Where do Monarchs east of the Rocky Mountains migrate to each winter?

Transvolcanic mountains of Central Mexico
Moana Kea, Hawaii
Yellowstone National Park

When was Copley's "Watson and the Shark" painted?

1978
1878
1778

The Mighty Monarch

Follow the flight of the mighty monarch butterfly this fall with Monarch Watch at www.monarchwatch.org. You'll find tons of fascinating details about monarchs at this renowned Web site. Did you know that some monarchs migrate up to 3,000 miles? Find out everything you need to know to raise monarchs or to start a butterfly garden. And be sure to check out the beautiful picture gallery. Float on over to Monarch Watch today.

Adventures with Art

Grab a paintbrush and your computer mouse, and head to NGA Kids at www.nga.gov/kids/kids.htm. This high-tech National Gallery of Art Web site features interactive explorations of exciting paintings by Tissot, Kandinsky and more. Then experience the animated musical adventure, "Lizzy & Gordon Visit the Sculpture Garden." When you've had your fill, maybe you'll be inspired to paint your own masterpiece. Enjoy.

What do you think about kids trick-or-treating without their parents?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: What are bitmaps and PICTs? --Shannon, Charleston, W.Va.

Dear Shannon: A bitmap uses a raster graphics format, while a PICT uses a vector format. Bitmaps define an area by scanning each row of pixels and noting where there is a change in color, whereas a PICT accounts for each individual pixel's color. Bitmaps are simpler formats to save graphics in, so graphic designers usually create graphics in a vector format, then save them as bitmaps. The Indiana University Knowledge Base Web site at http://kb.indiana.edu/data/afmr.html explains more about raster and vector graphics.

Dear Amy: Where can I find out more about Bush and Gore? --Marcus, Wichita, Kan.

Dear Marcus: It is very important that we young people be aware of the events shaping our society. Although most of us are not voting in this election, we will have the opportunity to do so in the near future. The official George W. Bush site at www.georgewbush.com and Al Gore's official campaign site at www.algore.com allow you to learn about these men and their stances on many issues. (The last two sites are no longer available.)

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