4Kids.org - Week of August 11, 2002

Week of August 11, 2002

Horsing Around

Scrub up before you visit Animal Doc Com at www.uga.edu/~lam/kids. Follow the story of a donkey, Paco, who underwent surgery. Or find out how vets operate on a horse. Get up close by taking a Virtual Tour of a veterinary college. There are tons of fun facts about farm animals, such as sheep, goats and cattle. You can learn about Exotics that live in zoos, or as house pets or in the wild. Dog lovers can even become more informed about Worms and Dog Behavior. This site will bring out the animal in you. (This site is no longer available.)

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers

How often should adult dogs be taken to the vet?

Twice a year
Once a year
Once every four months

What was the name of the ship Darwin sailed on?

HMS Beagle
Tierra del Fuego
CSS Virginia

What three light sources should you have when you are caving?

hardhat, caving hat and brimless hat
head lantern, caving hat and flashlight
head lantern, flashlight and matches

Journey to Galapagos

Unearth the Treasures of Evolution Island at http://whyfiles.org/125galapagos. The extraordinary Galapagos Islands have been forever linked to Darwin's discovery of the theory of evolution. Find out what Darwin learned (and didn't learn) at the Galapagos Islands. Many credit finches as the key evidence to Darwin's theory, but it was probably mockingbirds. Finally, find out about Darwin's luck as a scientist that has led to his immortality as the father of evolution.

Spelunkers Paradise

Climb into The Caving Pages at www.cavesource.com. Getting Started is no problem once you have the necessary gear. You'll find pictures of different Types of Caves such as lava and ice. Houses, paintings and Cave Fragments tell the history of caves. Conservation efforts are under way to preserve caves from the effects of vandalism and deterioration over time so that they can be enjoyed by generations to come. Take this opportunity to learn about Caves Near You. (This site is no longer available.)

What should the minimum
age be to drive an ATV?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: What exactly is gravity? -- Karina, Nogales, Ariz.

Dear Karina: Gravity is a force that all pieces of matter exert on all other pieces of matter. A pencil, a car and a planet all exert a gravitational force. However, the greatness of the force that those objects exert depends on the objects' masses and the distance between them. Objects that are close and have large masses exert greater forces on each other than objects that are far apart with small masses. You can learn more about gravity at http://library.thinkquest.org/27585.

Dear Amy: How does a nuclear power plant create electricity? -- Jaime, Salinas, Calif.

Dear Jaime: Through a process called nuclear fission, nuclear power plants are able to generate electricity. Uranium is commonly used in nuclear power plants. In a plant's reactor, when a free-floating neutron reaches the nucleus of a uranium-235 atom, the nucleus splits in two, and large amounts of heat are released. The heat is used to create steam. The movement of the steam turns a turbine, which is connected to a generator. The generator produces electricity. You'll find more nuclear power info at www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power2.htm

Ask Amy a Question