Easy as ABC or एबीसी

Little children learn their ABCs – or or other writing system. Each language has its own system of grammar or writing, and that system may change over time. Maybe ABC isn’t so simple after all.

CONNECT:

·         Explore writing systems from around the world from prehistory to the present day:  http://www.ancientscripts.com/ws.html

·         The ancient Sumerians were the first people to develop an actual written language:  cuneiform. Fnd out  more at http://mesopotamia.mrdonn.org/cuneiform.html

·         Uncover the holy writings of Egypt: hieroglyphics, at http://www.ngkids.co.uk/history/Hieroglyphics-uncovered

·         Not all alphabet letters last. What happened to the letters wynn, yogh, ash, and eth, for instance? Find out about these extinct letters (at least in English) at http://mentalfloss.com/article/31904/12-letters-didnt-make-alphabet

·         Even a single alphabet can be written in several ways, as shown in this typeface periodic table:

http://www.squidspot.com/Periodic_Table_of_Typefaces/Periodic_Table_of_Typefaces_large.jpg

CREATE:

·         Public TV offers fun ABC activities for little ones: http://pbskids.org/games/abc/

·         Play alphabet whack-a-mole and other alphabet game: http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/alphabet_games.html

·         An anagram is a word or phrase formed by reordering the letters of another word or phrase, such as satin to stain. At http://www.wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html you input words or names and it will rearrange the letters into combinations of other words.

·         Write a message in ASCII (computer binary system to code letters) and ASCII-based graphics (such as barbwire, tinker toy, trek) using this ASCII generator: http://www.network-science.de/ascii/

·         Try your hand at calligraphy: http://tinkerlab.com/introduce-kids-calligraphy/

·         Make your own alphabet or even your own language: http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-your-own-Language/

CARE:

·         Morse Code was often used to signal for help. Try communicating using Morse Code letters:  http://www.happychild.org.uk/ifs/00003mrs.htm

·         The most commonly used system of writing by and for blind persons is called Braille: a system of 63 raised characters made of clusters of dots. Learn how to write in Braille, even music notation! http://braillebug.afb.org/Braille.asp

·         Some people with hearing impairments communicate in sign language: creating letters and words with your hands and body. Watch sign language about school at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uW2OQtEzUc

·         Make an alphabet book for a little child following these simple directions: http://www.education.com/activity/article/letterbook_preschool/

CAREERS:

The writing system is a key to communicating across the world and over the ages. You can make a career studying and using alphabets: as a anthropologist, linguist, graphic designer, publisher, and book maker, to name a few.

http://www.allaboutcareers.com/careers/career-path/calligraphy-typography

http://www.theguardian.com/careers/behind-the-job-title-typeface-designer

http://orthographic-projection.weebly.com/who-uses-orthographic-drawings.html

Birds of a Feather

Birds are all around us, but do we really see or value them? Find out about the original Bird Land by doing these activities.

CONNECT:

• Explore the evolution and diversity by clicking on this wall of birds: https://academy.allaboutbirds.org/features/wallofbirds/
• Watch birds migrate across the hemisphere: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/mesmerizing-migration-watch-118-bird-species-migrate-across-a-map-of-the-western-hemisphere/
• View a Quicktime time-lapse movie of a hatching chick: http://www.msichicago.org/experiment/videos/the-hatchery/
• Each bird has a distinctive sound; hear the sounds of Florida’s birds at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/birds/florida-bird-sounds/; compare them to New York birds: http://www.math.stonybrook.edu/~tony/birds/
• Get an eggs-tra special look at birds through their eggs: http://www.royalalbertamuseum.ca/exhibits/online/eggs/vexhome/egghome.htm
• What makes a bird of prey? Find out at http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/birds_of_prey/index.cfm

CREATE:

• Discover why birds have different bills, and see if you can match each bird to its favorite food: http://projectbeak.org/adaptations/beaks_test.htm
• How much do you know about the feathered visitors to your backyard? Put your bird brain to work on this quiz: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/backyard-birds-quiz/
• Try these fun activities from Audubon about birds: http://web4.audubon.org/educate/kids/
• Make your own craft-y birds following the directions at http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/birds.html
• Birds come in a range of sizes: from 3 inches to six feet; browse them at http://www.whatbird.com/browse/attribute/birds_na_147/51/Size/

CARE:

• Considering owning a pet bird? Here’s a guide to parrots and other exotic pet birds: http://www.birdsnways.com/
• Feed the birds by creating a garden for them: http://feederwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/BirdNote13-Creating-a-Garden-2012-03-27-RGB.pdf
• Bird watching is not only a fun activity, but it can also be a service. See how you and other kids can make a difference in the science field at http://gbbc.birdcount.org
• Why do birds hit windows – and how can you help prevent that happening? Find out at http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/bird_safe_windows.html

CAREERS:

There are many careers “for the birds”: ornithologist, naturalist, researcher, veterinarian, illustrator, writer, photographer, trainer, entertainer, sales person, manufacturer and many more. Read stories of bird lovers with careers at http://betterwords.typepad.com/birdvice/2009/01/careers-in-birds.html

Here are some other leads:

http://ebird.org/content/ybn/resources/careers/

http://www.environmentalscience.org/career/ornithologist

Baubles, Bangles, and Beads

Jewelry has been worn for millennia, all the way back to a pretty shell that might be woven into one’s hair. Each culture has unique jewelry based on local resources, and jewelry has migrated across cultures. Jewelry can be free or very expensive – and handmade as well as commercial. Try these gems of jewelry-related activities.

CONNECT:

• Jewelry started over 100,000 years ago! Trace the timeline of jewelry at http://www.historyofjewelry.net/jewelry-facts/jewelry-timeline/
• You can see more examples of jewelry of the past, as displayed at the Victoria & Albert Museum: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/history-jewellery/
• Do you have an extra $83 million to buy a diamond? See the rarest and most valuable gems in the world at http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/game-of-stones/top-ten-rarest-gemstones/
• Watch how a watch is made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXt-QANAa2U

CREATE:

• Create kid-friendly jewelry following the directions at http://www.education.com/activity/beads-jewelry/
• Make a box for your jewelry: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/jewelryboxescraftsideasactivitieskids.html
• Here’s a recipe for making diamonds: http://www.livescience.com/32266-how-are-diamonds-made.html
• Diamonds are “hard”y friends; you can even cut steel with diamonds.  Scratch rocks via Mohs Hardness Scale: http://geology.com/minerals/mohs-hardness-scale.shtml

CARE:

• Try one of these 13 weird ways to clean silver (including jewelry): http://www.rd.com/home/cleaning-organizing/how-to-clean-silver/
• Thinking of getting your ears pierced? Doctors get you good advice: http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/piercings/art-20047317
• Follow pictures to make simple jewelry repairs: http://www.wikihow.com/Repair-Jewelry
• Be ecological by making jewelry by recycling materials: http://www.inhabitots.com/7-arts-and-crafts-projects-for-kids-that-encourage-recycling-and-reuse/diy-kids-jewelry-jennie-lyo7/

CAREERS:

Want a gem of a job? Look at these:

http://www.gia.edu/careers-in-gems-jewelry

http://www.jewelers.org/ja/careers-education/jewelry-careers-guide

http://www.jewelrytraining.com/careers-in-jewelry.php

Put Some Skin in the Game

What’s the largest organ of your body? Your skin! Your skin has a big role in keeping your body together – in several ways. Explore the following websites – they are more than skin deep.

CONNECT:

• Skin can tell stories; explore the stories about the art and culture of Polynesian tattoo at http://www.pbs.org/skinstories/
• Do you wear animals? How about their skins? Here are the top 12 animals you probably didn’t realize suffered for fashion: http://www.petakids.com/photos/animals-people-wear/
• Read the history of leather at http://www.leatherresource.com/history.html
• Compare how real and synthetic leather are made: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AM0MR2fyYRk and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGUZgs2TYTI
• What do movies and skin have in common? Watch how films have treated skin conditions, which actors have coped with skin diseases, and how movies promote myths about acne and other skin conditions -- at http://www.skinema.com/

CREATE:

• What is Mahndi? This is a 5000 year old form of body art that started in the Middle East and North Africa. Try your hand at it, consulting http://ssbea.mercer.edu/patelr/mehndi.htm and http://www.hennadesignsideas.com/henna-designs-for-kids/ and http://www.crayola.com/lesson-plans/mehndi-hands-lesson-plan/
• Pattern your art after animals with these nature-inspired activities: http://www.kidsplaybox.com/preschooler-pattern-activity/
• Try these leather crafts (remember than you can use “fake” leather): http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/leather-artscraftsideaskids.html
• Got that itchy feeling from poison ivy, oak or sumac? “Leaves of three, let them be.” Teach this tip and other recommendations found at http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/

CARE:

• Find out how to take care of your skin so it will keep care of you: http://kidshealth.org/en/kids/skin-care.html
• Explore symptoms, treatment, and prevention of skin conditions at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/skinconditions.html
• Get the “skinny” on acne, at http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Acne/default.asp
• What’s the most common cancer? Skin cancer. You find see trends in indoor tanning among US high school students, and that could raise their risk for later cancer. Leran how to protect yourself and your family at http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/skin/index.htm
• How safe are the cosmetics that your family buys for the skin? Search the cosmetic database at http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ to find out.

CAREERS:

There will always be skin, so skin-related careers have a clear future: doctor, chemist, manufacturer, sales staff, esthetician, even artist. Check out these career leads:

http://meded.ucsf.edu/ume/career-information-dermatology

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/esthetician-and-skincare-specialist

This Land is Your Land; This Park is Our Park

The U.S. National Parks belong to all of us. They are public lands set aside for conservation purposes.  Check out how your tax dollars are being spent – and how you can enjoy that investment.

CONNECT:

• Join Sesame Street at they visit national parks: http://www.nationalparks.org/connect/npf-kids
• How does land become a national park? Find out the process at http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/history.htm
• Discover the Power of Parks; check out National Geographic Society’s free guides or download their free app and start exploring! http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/
• The Mapping the National Parks collection documents the history, cultural aspects and geological formations of areas that eventually became National Parks. The collection consists of approximately 200 maps dating from the 17th century to the present, reflecting early mapping of the areas that would become four National Parks, as well as the parks themselves. https://www.loc.gov/collection/national-parks-maps/about-this-collection/ See if you can tell from the maps that the area would make a good park.

CREATE:

• Take a quiz about U.S. national parks at http://blog.elmonterv.com/index.php/rv-camping-quizzes/u-s-national-parks-quiz/
• The National Park Services has thousands of facts and figures: http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/news/factsfigures.htm.  Make your own trivia game using those data.
• Wonderland is in the US: at the first national park: Yellowstone. Explore its resources and treasures on this eTrip: http://www.windowsintowonderland.org/
• Are you a fourth-grade (or 9-year old home schooler)? This is your lucky year: you and your family can receive an Every Kid in a Park pass that will give you free access to hundreds of parks, lands, and waters for an entire year. Get your pass at http://www.nps.gov/kids/features/2015/everyKid.cfm
• Not close to a national park? Become a webranger by taking part in activities similar to what might be provided in on-site Park Ranger programs. http://www.nps.gov/webrangers/entry_gate.cfm

CARE:

• Foxes on islands? Yes, Channel Islands National Park, off the coast of Southern California, is the home of the island fox. But those foxes are increasingly rare.. Learn about factors contributing to their decline, and about what is being done to recover this rare and unique species. And find out what you can do to help: http://home.nps.gov/chis/learn/nature/island-fox.htm
• Foxes aren’t the only endangered species in national parks. Find out how the National Park Service’s Biological Resources Division provides scientific expertise and technological assistance to support the sound management, protection, conservation and preservation of biological resources and related ecosystem processes in our national parks: http://www.nature.nps.gov/biology/
• Just recently this Alaskan national park was renamed: from Whitney to Denali. Find out the history of that naming, and why it is so important: http://www.livescience.com/52056-mount-mckinley-renamed-denali.html
• Learn how you can take charge to help protect our national parks for future generations by visiting the National Park Conservation Association: http://www.npca.org

CAREERS:

Did you know that national parks employ more than 28,000 people? Think of all the jobs that are needed to maintain a park: rangers, scientistis, landscapers, architects, facilities staff, security, firefighters, educators, communications specialists, food staff, sales people, technicians. http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/workwithus.htm

Like the great outdoors? Consider becoming a park ranger: http://www.parkrangeredu.org/