4Kids.org - Week of March 8, 2009

Week of March 8, 2009

Visit the Featured Web sites to find the answers.

Where was the head of the Hindu god Shiva made?

Egypt
India
Pakistan

Where do seals live most of their lives?

on the shore
on icebergs
under water

Who was Phidias?

A Roman artist
A French scientist and writer
A Greek sculptor and mathematician

Beauty by the Book

You don't need your library card to check out Artefact, www.museums.ox.ac.uk/
artefact, where all those interested in art are invited to peruse the bookshelves. Pull out the Natural History text for a sampling of objects from the Natural History Museum. Mouse over the featured items and click on one to learn more. You can also browse through sketchbooks and view works made by professionals and students. When you are ready to move on, the Ashmolean Museum and The History of Science Museum are awaiting your discovery.

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

Meet the Mammals

cougar family Drop into the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Interactive Gallery at http://nature.ca/discover/
exm/index_e.cfm, where you can learn about life in the wild. Test your skunky social skills when you try to figure out how skunks communicate their feelings. If you want to see what it takes to know your place in the pack, join up with the wolves and discover the intricacies involved in canine communication. Celebrate the traits you share with other mammals in Hot or Cold, and get outdoors no matter what the season.

The Wonders of Geometry

Let the Beauty of the Golden Ratio unfold before your very eyes at http://library.thinkquest.org/
trio/TTQ05063/index.html. Many amazing architectural feats, such as the ancient pyramids, would be impossible without the golden ratio and the Fibonacci number sequence. Even though most of us think of math as a school subject, this site helps everyone to see that numbers are active and very much alive in nature, art and astronomy. So take time to learn how certain mathematical equations can be reflected in everyday objects.

Do you get an allowance?
How do you spend it?

Speak Out Here!

Dear Amy: How do I make digital music on my computer? — Destiny, Montague, N.J.

Dear Destiny: You don't need to be a pro to make cool digital music. Computer programs such as GarageBand make it easy to mix different sound samples or record your own to use. Newer Macs come with a copy of GarageBand, but if you have an older Mac, you'll need to buy a copy. Windows users can try looking for mixing software at http://download.cnet.
com/windows/audio-production-and-recording-software. To narrow down the software list, use the menu to the left to look at software by specific operating system, or you can choose to only look at free software.
If you don't want to buy or download mixing software, you can also play with music mixers online. Try www.jamstudio.com, where you can mix different pre-made loop tracks for free. You'll need to register with an e-mail address and password, though. You can save the tracks you make and even share them with friends by e-mail. There isn't really any secret to making digital music. Just try using different sounds, chords and tempos. See which ones you like the best and put together a song. Have fun!

—Amy

Ask Amy a Question