Say Cheese!

Talk about old cheese: there is evidence that cheese was made 7500 years ago! Cheese is great to eat by itself and in combination with so many other foods. No wonder we smile when we say “cheese.”

CONNECT:

Discover over a thousand kinds of cheese – by country, texture, and color – at http://www.cheese.com/

Find the facts about cheese at http://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Cheese

Read about the history of cheese: http://www.gourmetcheesedetective.com/History-of-Cheese.html

How is cheese made? Watch the video to find out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVVpjVk4Gy8

The science of cheese is weirder than you think: https://www.wired.com/2014/03/everythingyoudidntknowyouwantedtoknow-about-the-science-of-cheese/

CREATE:

It’s time for kids to cook; start with baked mac and cheese, and get good tips for cooking with kids: https://www.babble.com/best-recipes/kid-made-recipes-baked-mac-and-cheese/

Make your own cheese by viewing the photos and directions at http://whileshenaps.com/2015/06/summer-activity-with-kids-making-cheese-at-home.html

Play Cheese Quest at http://www.coolmath-games.com/0-cheese-quest

Play the Cheese Touch game, form the Wimpy Kid Club: https://www.wimpykidclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/cheese_touch_game.pdf

CARE:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. See why – and see how cheese can be part of that meal: http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/breakfast.html

Learn how to read food labels at https://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget-food-label and https://www.fda.gov/food/ingredientspackaginglabeling/labelingnutrition/ucm274593.htm. Then compare cheese food, processed cheese and natural cheese.

How do you keep cheese from molding? Find out at http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-store-cheese-what-to-do-100285

CAREERS:

Do cheese-related careers make you smile? You can make money manufacturing cheese, selling it, cooking with it – as well as raising animals whose milk can be made into cheese.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/finding-buying-milking-and-living-with-the-family-milk-cow/

http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/7/Cheese-Industry-Worker.html

https://www.thebalance.com/culinary-careers-525994

The Sounds of Music

The world is full of the sounds of music. Get in tune with music by doing these activities.

CONNECT:

• Trace the history of western music and their composers at http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist/
• Read about famous operas at https://www.sdopera.org/Operapaedia
• Hear all that jazz -- from the musicians themselves: at http://americanhistory.si.edu/smithsonian-jazz/collections-and-archives/smithsonian-jazz-oral-history-program
• Musicals have been around for over 2000 years!. Musicals101.com features separate histories for musical theater, film, television and cabaret: https://www.musicals101.com/history1.htm
• Read how Canadian craftsmen create musical instruments at http://www.historymuseum.ca/cmc/exhibitions/arts/opus/opus201e.shtml  This site also shows historical instruments.
• How did composers write down their music? Here’s the history: http://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Musical_notation

CREATE:

• Listen and sing children’s songs found at https://www.kididdles.com/. Choose from 2000 lyrics, organized by alphabet and subject.
• Travel around the world in song at http://www.dariamusic.com/
• Discover music, including instruments, through games and other activities at http://www.discovereso.com/
• Explore the science behind musical sound at http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sound.html
• Have fun playing with music at http://www.creatingmusic.com/
• Watch this video to learn how to read music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCZ3qOnNOsk
• Try your hand at writing your own original songs with these tips: http://www.kidzworld.com/article/24798-how-to-write-songs

CARE:

• How do singers protect their voices? The BBC knows: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33184897
• Take care of your musical instrument following these tips: http://www.musicnotes.com/blog/2015/08/27/musical-instrument-care/
• Really loud music can hurt your years. Find out what to do: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&id=1442&np=152

CAREERS:

Want to make music and make money? There are lots of options: composing, performing, producing, teaching, even manufacturing. Here are some websites to tune up your career.

http://majoringinmusic.com/category/career-choices-and-planning-for-music-majors/

https://www.careersinmusic.com/music-careers/

https://www.bls.gov/careeroutlook/2015/article/careers-for-music-lovers.htm

http://work.chron.com/jobs-responsibilities-singers-18065.html

Go Green!

This set of activities is being created on Earth Day: April 22. This annual observance started in 1970, and the message is as timely as ever: take care of the earth because it takes of you. What are YOU doing to “go green”?  Find out some ways here.

CONNECT:

• What is Earth Day, and how did it start? Read all about it at http://www.livescience.com/50556-earth-day-facts-history.html
• What is geen living? Find out at http://pbskids.org/itsmylife/family/greenliving/
• Take a look at Earth day by the numbers: http://www.timeforkids.com/news/earth-day/87036
• hese titles will help demonstrate how beautiful nature is, whether it's through stunning visuals, interesting facts, or both: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/lists/green-games-for-kids-0
• NASA isn’t just about the sky; they have there eyes on the earth too; get active with them at https://climatekids.nasa.gov/go-green/

CREATE:

• Meet the Greens, and play games with them at http://www.meetthegreens.org/
• Play in Recycle City: https://www3.epa.gov/recyclecity/mainmap.htm
• No need to buy art supplies; you can recycle lots of things around the house; try these recycled art projects: http://handsonaswegrow.com/recycled-art-projects-for-kids-green/
• We celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd but every day should be Earth Day!  Every Day is a great day to take care and appreciate the planet. Here are some other special days to celebrate the planet: http://www.kidsplayandcreate.com/fun-earth-day-facts-activities-and-crafts-for-kids/.  Plan a party to celebrate Mother Earth.

CARE:

• Help keep our planet green; become an earth ranger. Find out how at https://www.earthrangers.com/
• Greenpeace is an international organization that fights for the environment. Get involved at http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/Greenpeace-and-You/
• Explore this eco-family comic website, and find out how to go green in your home: http://greenplanet4kids.com/
• Here are 45 ways to make going green fun: http://www.solarresourceguide.org/45-ways-to-go-green-with-kids/

CAREERS:

Go green and get “green” (that is, money). Yes, you can do well by doing good for a living. You can be an environmental scientist, landscaper, architect, cook, designer, writer, photographer, engineer, manufacturer. The sky is the limit – or rather the earth is. Here are some places to start:

http://www.greencareercentral.com/

https://www.bls.gov/green/home.htm

https://www.careeronestop.org/GreenCareers/green-careers.aspx?&frd=true

http://www.environmentalscience.org/careers/sustainability-and-green-jobs

http://www.letsgosolar.com/consumer-education/green-careers/

http://career-profiles.careertrends.com/stories/9332/highest-paying-green-careers-outdoors-nature

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/sustainable-earth/11-of-the-fastest-growing-green-jobs/#/rio-20-green-jobs-roof-top-garden_55050_600x450.jpg

Seeing Through Glass

Glass is all around you, but do you really see its value? Look into glass with these activities.

CONNECT:

• Can you imagine a world without glass? Here are SOME of the ways that glass is used: http://www.glassallianceeurope.eu/en/applications
• Corning (New York) is a brand of glass, and the town has a whole museum dedicated to glass. See what’s inside at http://www.cmog.org/
• Did you know that glass making started over 7000 years ago? Read about the history of glass at http://www.historyofglass.com/
• Watch this video about glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV_9mQgZVdU
• Can you break glass with your voice? Is this a myth or real? Read the science behind the reality at https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-opera-singer-can-shatter-glass/

CREATE:

• Visit Alice “through the looking-glass” with these interactive adventures: http://www.ruthannzaroff.com/wonderland/index.htm
• Here are super cool window crafts for kids that look just like stained glass! http://buggyandbuddy.com/16-faux-stained-glass-crafts-for-kids/
• Upcycle Mason jars and other glass bottles with these crafts and projects: http://www.inhabitots.com/16-kid-friendly-recycled-mason-jar-crafts-and-projects/
• Learn how to make a monoprint with glass: http://redtri.com/kids-art-idea-monoprints/

CARE:

• Here are tips for caring for your eyeglasses: http://www.allaboutvision.com/eyeglasses/how-to-clean-glasses.htm
• Billions of people wear glasses, but how many people make their glasses? This video shows how one person made eyeglasses from scratch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef2_aaYpZSI
• Lions Club recycles eyeglasses. See how to participate – at http://www.lionsclubs.org/EN/how-we-serve/health/sight/eyeglass-recycling.php
• What is safety glass, and how is it made? Look here: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/question508.htm
• Find the facts about glass recycling, and participate in this ecological effort at http://www.gpi.org/recycling/glass-recycling-facts

CAREER:

Do you see glass in your future as a career? Here are some options to look into:

http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=12631

http://www.theartcareerproject.com/interview/brent-young-glass-artist/

https://www.thebalance.com/recycling-and-new-job-creation-2878003