4Kids.org - Week of November 9, 2003

Week of Novmeber 9, 2003

Hand Me a Tissue

Explore the Tissues of Life with Mike the microscope at www.smm.org/tissues. He will teach you about epithelial, nervous, muscle and connective tissues. Get up close and personal with a body scan of parts such as the knee, foot and armpit. Are you thinking about a career in the medical field? Meet Leslie Schiff, a virologist, who explains her job and what tools she uses for her research. Then find out what other researchers have discovered when you read tissue news.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

The heart is an example of what kind of tissue?

muscle
nervous
epithelial

What are two components of a wave?

crest and pit
crest and trough
top and bottom

When was South Africa’s first multiracial democratic election?

1994
1996
1998

It All Falls Into Place

Physics may seem complicated, but the Physics Classroom at www.physicsclassroom.com will clear things up. Tutorials with diagrams and funny drawings help simplify mind-numbing concepts such as the fundamentals of vectors. Animations of downhill skiers and roller coasters in the Multimedia Physics Studio will increase your understanding of concepts such as momentum and work. Test your ability to use forces in Physics Help, and you’ll be good to go!

The Unspoken Details

Listen to the African Voices at www.mnh.si.edu/ africanvoices. An interactive timeline, beginning 5 million years ago, lays out a sequence of events ranging from human arrival in Africa to the present. Examine the African realms of family, work, community and the natural environment by exploring themes such as Kongo Crossroads, Market Crossroads and Global Africa. The Focus Gallery offers photographs related to the Afro-Brazilian religion. You’ll find resources for studying African peoples and their culture in the Learning Center.

If you could live in a foreign country, which would you
choose and why?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: What kind of fuel is used to power a space shuttle?
— Jackie, Cedar Grove, N.J.

Dear Jackie: The three main engines of a space shuttle are powered by liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen, which are stored in the external tank attached to the belly of the shuttle. The two solid rocket boosters on the sides of the external tank use aluminum powder, ammonium perchlorate powder and iron oxide as a catalyst, all of which are held together with a polymer binder. Check out the Space Shuttle clickable map at http://seds.lpl.arizona.edu/
ssa/docs/Space.Shuttle/index.shtml for more information. (This site is no longer available.)

Dear Amy: Where can I build a robot online?
— Casey, Spartanburg, S.C.

Dear Casey: Sodaplay at http://sodaplay.com is a cool place to experiment with online robotic models. Sodaconstructor is a module that allows you to manipulate a model by adding and removing masses, and you can create your own models. Sodarace is an up-and-coming competition between sodaconstructor models. Check out what’s going on with sodarace and start building your own model to enter into the competition.

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