Did you know the tango was born in the back streets of Buenos Aires? Thousands of Europeans immigrated to South America to begin a new life. The dance was a combination of many different cultures. But guess what? The dance was banned for uniformed officers in Germany by Kaiser Wilhelm II on November 17, 1913. He declared the dance was …
The excitement of a new school year has passed, the days are getting longer and grayer (at least in our part of the world), and the anticipation of a holiday break seems a distant glimmer. It’s easy, when we get into the “groove” of the year, to ease up a bit, coast a little, lose a little of our edge, …
If you are in the middle of the U.S. this month you are in for a big celestial surprise. On August 21 will be a rare total solar eclipse, where the Moon completely blocks the Sun, revealing the Sun’s beautiful outer atmosphere known as the corona. The last total solar eclipse visible in the continental United States occurred in 1979 …
The fireworks are over and heading to the pool has lost its luster. Need to add some new activities to these dog days of summer? How about some fun science activities? While there are many we could suggest, here’s our mid-summer countdown from the Fuddlebrook and Quirkles books. Read the stories first so the experiments will seem more relevant. This …
In the Fuddlebrook book, Bert’s Crazy Growth Concoction, Bert finds a “magic” growth recipe on the internet that he’s sure is going to make him the tallest boy in the class. He learns, however, that the real keys to healthy growth are good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. What if that good, nutritious food could be printed with the touch …
January is creativity month! There’s a lot of cool science that originated in January. Not only did Galileo discover Jupiter’s four biggest moon’s (Read The Substitute from Jupiter), but it’s also the month Earth reaches perihelion, the point where Earth comes closest to the Sun, about two weeks after the December Solstice. But that’s not all! January 28 is Bubble …
Chances are the students in Mrs. Wigglebum’s classroom, like millions of others, are preparing for their holiday program. And what child has not stood proudly in front of friends and family to perform Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as part of that event? Probably, to this day, you can sing this holiday favorite without even looking at the words. But …
Thursday, September 22, marks the end of summer and beginning of Fall in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Fuddlebrook book, A Change of Season, Herman is perplexed about the changes taking place as he sees the transition from summer to fall. Mrs. Wigglebum steps in to teach the class about why seasons occur. Maybe we need a lesson just like …
August 2016 marks the 31st Summer Olympiad and the first set in South America. More than 10,500 athletes from 167 nations have travelled to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 5-21 to take part in 306 events across 42 different disciplines. This year, for the first time, a team representing refugee Olympic athletes also competed. An additional 4,000 athletes from 170 …
This month we celebrate the 100th birthday of world-renowned scientist Francis Crick. Crick was born on June 8, 1916 in Northhampton, England. As a child, he was extremely inquisitive and read any book he could get his hands on. He found books on science topics the most interesting, which led to many “kitchen-experiments” as a child. As a teenager his …