4Kids.org - Week of March 7, 2004

Week of March 7, 2004

Funky Fungi

You can pick them and scratch them. Just don’t call them plants! Dissect the world of athlete’s foot, mushrooms and fairy rings at The Fungus Among Us, at www.virtualmuseum.ca/Exhibitions/Mushroom/ English. In Fungus in Our Lives, read how some forms of fungi do good things. Did you know fungus makes pizza dough rise? But fungi can also aggravate allergies. You’ll find plenty of freaky fun in Fungal Folklore. For example, in some parts of Africa, mushrooms were thought to be the souls of the dead rising from the soil.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

What were smoldering puffballs once used for?

treating gangrene
transferring fire
applying make-up

What percentage of creatures have vertebrae?

10%
30%
50%

Who were Ohio’s first farmers?

Hopewell people
Adena people
Late Woodland People

No Bones About It

Bones: An Exhibit Inside You makes learning about skeletal components fun. Play seven bony Flash games at www.childrensmuseum.org/special_
exhibits/bones/kids_mazeGame.htm. The Artifact Lab holds the key to discovering how ancient people used bone. You can explore careers involving bones, such as orthopedic medicine and nutrition, with Career Cutout. Determine which animals have bones and which are boneless. And for a fun surprise, help the Bone Detective solve all of his cases. (This site is no longer available.)

Hi-Ho Ohio

Travel to the state where President Howard Taft was born and meet the Ohio Kids at www.ohiokids.org. Ohio Jones, an archaeologist in training, will introduce you to the prehistoric Native Americans of Ohio. A history wizard named TellZall tells all about objects and services that were common in Ohio during the 20th century, including drive-in movies and outhouses, but which are rarely seen now. Tie up all the odds and ends of information and test your knowledge by playing games, such as What Is My Name or Dot-to-Dot.

Do you think college
athletes should be paid?

Speak Out Here!

Start the Madness

In 1982, a reporter for CBS referred to the NCAA Basketball Tournament as “March Madness,” popularizing the phrase for the month-long tournament. But the NCAA tournament was not the first tournament to go by this popular name.

The phrase “March Madness” was used in 1939 as the title of an essay about the annual Illinois high school boy’s basketball tournament. Henry V. Porter, a member of the Illinois High School Association, wrote “March Madness” in 1939 in order to commemorate the outstanding growth of the statewide tournament. It began in 1908 with a small group of teams. By 1939, more than 900 teams were competing, and a handful of teams known as the “Sweet Sixteen” played for crowds that consistently sold out. High school boy’s basketball grew hotter and hotter in Illinois through the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s. By 1973, the Illinois High School Association started using “March Madness” officially. Today, the NCAA and the IHSA co-own the phrase “March Madness.”

Read more about the original “March Madness” at www.marchmadness.org/history.htm.

— Amy

Ask Amy a Question