4Kids.org - Week of October 30, 2005

Week of October 30, 2005

Bead Counters

Abacus: The Art of Calculating With Beads at www.ee.ryerson.
ca/~elf/abacus offers an alternative to calculators when performing math functions, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Start off with information on the Basics, Technique and The Abacus Today. Put that knowledge to use with the Interactive Abacus Tutor, where you control the beads. In History, follow the use of the abacus through time from its earliest forms to contemporary abacuses. This site really adds up.

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

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

What is the value of the beads on the upper deck of an abacus?

1
10
5

What is the most common mineral in the crust of the earth?

basalt
quartz
granite

What part of a plant is broccoli?

flower
root
fruit

Unique Brilliance

Discover the fascinating varieties of one of nature’s wonders at the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems: Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh at www.carnegiemnh.org/minerals. Masterpiece Gallery presents gorgeous mineral specimens, such as Cavensite, Rhodochrosite, Hemimorphite and Gold. Today, mineralogists recognize over 3,000 different types of minerals. Check out the Systematic Collection to see how these minerals are classified. Be a gem and visit this site.

Cool Science for Curious Kids

Inquiring minds will enjoy Cool Science for Curious Kids at www.hhmi.org/ coolscience. Make a Plant-Parts Salad and decide which vegetables are a leaf, stem, fruit, root or flower. To see what's inside your nose, go to Air Junk. You can also make six airborne junk detectors and find out where the most debris collects. Classifying Critters explains the differences between animals, such as vertebrates, amphibians and reptiles. Then, learn all about Butterflies, and how to make your own. Finally, Inch Square will help you look closely at the world right in front of your eyes.

How can you help your community during the winter months?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: How can I search for things on the Web if I cannot spell them? — Kellie, Princeton, La.

Dear Kellie: Search engines often offer a correction to the word that you misspelled. However, you may want to take advantage of spelling resources that are available on the Internet. To avoid making common mistakes, visit www.everdayspelling.com. For spelling games, try www.funbrain.com/spell and www.spinandspell.
com/game.swf.

Dear Amy: How do I make a poster for school? — Timothy, Bismarck, N.D.

Dear Timothy: To create a poster, you can use several different programs such as Microsoft Word, Photoshop or PowerPoint. To learn how to use PowerPoint to create a poster, visit http://limacenter.osu.edu/Poster/Instructions.html. For instructions on how to use Photoshop’s poster program, you can check out www.virtualartroom.com/photoshop_image_text.htm. For more tips and techniques, visit www.nps.northampton.ma.us/jfk/
bertrandposter.htm. (These sites are no longer available.)

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