4Kids.org - Week of June 1, 2003

Week of June 1, 2003

It's My Life

Ever feel like people just don’t understand you? It’s My Life, at http://pbskids.org/itsmylife, lets you explore your feelings about your school, your friends and yourself. Get some advice on confessing your crush to the class cutie in Friends. In Family, learn how your birth order might affect your personality. Print out some sample journal pages in School to record your innermost thoughts about classes you can’t stand or about embarrassing moments. This site has loads of advice on important everyday life stuff.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

Most U.S. presidents were in what birth order position in their family?

youngest
eldest
middle

Who was the patron of the ballgame?

Fray Toribio de Benavente
Xochipilli
Montezuma

How many lines does the modern musical staff have?

ten
five
two

Mesoamerican Ballgame

Step onto the court at www.ballgame.org and learn about The Sport of Life and Death: The Meso-american Ballgame. This ritual-based game, the first team sport in history, began more than 3,500 years ago. View a model of the court. Then watch a game or play one yourself. You can learn about the original uses of rubber, the material used for the game ball. The players wore protective clothing during games. View figurines that depict their clothing. Don’t worry. This life-and-death sport is safe to view online.

Making Sweet Melodies

Take one whole step, then a half step and you’ll be on your musical way to Ricci Adams’ Musictheory.net at www.musictheory.net. Quarter notes and time signatures may not be part of your vocabulary, but have no fear. You’ll discover the ins and outs of music composition with this Web site. Learn about the difference between the treble and bass clefs as well as the purposes of meters and chords. Tutorials and trainers are sure to muster up a little musical talent in everyone. Try your hand and ear at your own composition using staff paper from the Web. Don’t forget to dot and tie your notes.

Do kids have too much free time in the summer?

Speak Out Here!

Difference of Appreciation

Think about all of the friends you’ve had through the years and the influences that they had on you. Think of the fun times you had and the new things you tried. Without those people, you never would have had those experiences. Now, think about how you have changed because of those friendships. You probably have learned something from each one.

The relationships that we have teach us about ourselves. And learning about ourselves leads to appreciating the differences between people. Those differences make life fun. Think of some of your favorite things in life. Chances are they were someone else’s idea first. Look for opportunities to appreciate the differences between you and the people around you. Chances are you’ll be pleasantly surprised with what you find.

Canadians try to appreciate the differences between people and cultures. In Canada, June 21 is National Aboriginal Day, a day set aside to learn about Canadian aboriginal cultures. Check it out at www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/ach/ev/nad. I bet you’ll find that the aboriginals were some pretty cool folks.

—Amy

Ask Amy a Question