Indholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2023 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Shapes are all around us. Whether found in nature or manufactured, you can make out the shape of things by taking a closer look at the world around you. Here are five fantastic facts to get you started. 1 Upon first laying eyes on a platypus, British scientist George Shaw thought someone was playing a trick on him. To Shaw, the odd-shaped creature looked like someone had attached a duck’s bill to a beaver’s body. 2 Each year, Major League Baseball awards the Roberto Clemente Award to a player more for his accomplishments off the baseball diamond than on it. The award is named for Roberto Clemente, an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates who died in an airplane crash on his way to help earthquake victims in Nicaragua.…

HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN A GOOD LOOK AT WEST VIRGINIA ON A MAP? AS FAR AS U.S. SHAPES GO, IT BOASTS ONE OF THE MORE UNUSUAL ONES. HERE’S A LOOK AT HOW THAT HAPPENED. The first British colonies in North America were established in the 1600s with vague western boundaries. For example, Virginia’s domain extended from “sea to sea.” Following the end of the French and Indian War (1754–1763), Great Britain acknowledged Spain’s claim to land west of the Mississippi River. That decision meant that the British colonies ended at the Mississippi River. The colony of Virginia encompassed an area westward that included present-day West Virginia and Kentucky. Then, after the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Congress encouraged the states with expansive frontier lands to donate portions of their territory to the…

Can you guess where an instrument comes from by its shape? There are several thousand different musical instruments in the world from the animal bone ute to the electronic synthesizer, from the mouth harp to the 11-foot-long alphorn, from the accordion to the zither—each is unique. Certain instruments have made such an impact on the history and culture of a country that they have been designated as national instruments. Can you name the country from these “musical” clues? CLUE #1 Beginning in the mid-1500s, the low mellow sound of the alphorn and the yodl-ay-ee-oooo notes of a yodeler echoing off the mountainsides acted as signals between the herder and his cattle in the Alpine pastures, the herder and the town below, between herders, or sometimes just for entertainment. Rural villagers…

DANIEL BURNHAM was stumped. He wanted the World’s Columbian Exposition to have a centerpiece, something to rival the Eiffel Tower from the Paris exposition of 1889. Not only had the graceful iron-and-steel structure become a landmark recognized around the world, but France’s engineering talent now looked superior to America’s. “Some distinctive feature is needed,” Burnham said to a group of engineers at a weekly dinner in 1891. “Something novel, original, daring, and unique must be designed and built if American engineers are to retain their prestige and standing.” Burnham wanted something that would “out-Eiffel Eiffel” to symbolize the fair and draw people to Chicago. George Washington Gale Ferris, a young engineer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was present at the banquet that night. Hearing Burnham’s words, Ferris recalled an idea he had…

Long ago, in the misty Blue Mountains of Australia, three Katoomba tribe daughters—Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunneedoo—lived with their magic man father, Tyawan. Tyawan taught them where the tasty witchy grub grew and how to dig for grass potatoes with a pointed stick. Most importantly, he taught them of the Bunyip—an evil spirit that can take almost any form and prefers to live in bogs, waterholes, and the dark rain forest. Bunyips only like dark, wet, cloudy days and shy away from sunshine. “Daughters, the Bunyip is a creature from Dreamtime—from the creation of the world. It lurks in valleys, forever slumbering yet always ready to awaken. The Bunyip enjoys dining on children.” Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunneedoo’s eyes grew wide. “Never, never throw rocks into the valley,” Tyawan cautioned. “This would…

CRITTER CORNER When it comes to the world’s weirdest-shaped animal, the platypus fits the bill (duck bill, that is.) With a tail like a beaver, body and fur like an otter, and venom like a snake, the platypus is a very confusing critter. What is it—a reptile, a bird, or a mammal? Looks and Adaptations Scientists classify the platypus as a type of rare mammal called a monotreme, which lays eggs. The female platypus lays one or two eggs in a burrow chamber and keeps them warm by holding them between her body and her tail. When they hatch in about 10 days, the babies are the size of lima beans and totally helpless. Mothers nurse their young for three to four months until the babies can swim on their…

The Chinese invented paper more than 2,000 years ago. As far as we know, however, it was the Japanese who first made paper into art. Origami, which is a Japanese word meaning “folding paper,” is the art of folding paper into beautiful shapes. Papermaking came to Japan around the year 610. Legend says that a Chinese Buddhist monk named Don-cho shared this knowledge when he visited Japan’s Imperial Palace. Sometime later—no one knows just when—the ancient Japanese began folding paper. Papermakers used the bark of mulberry trees to make paper; the materials were costly, and the process took time. Because of the way it was made, paper was expensive. So, at first, only the wealthy made origami. Well-to-do people made origami as part of ceremonies, such as weddings. At noblemen’s…

A CLOSER LOOK No structures are more identifiable by their shape than the pyramids of Egypt. Some scholars say the Egyptians chose the shape as it represented a stairway to the stars, the home of the gods. When the king died, he would climb the stairway to live among the gods forever. Or perhaps the slanting sides were meant to suggest the rays of the sun, important to Egyptian beliefs. To a builder, a pyramid shape is a great choice if you want to build something tall. A 300-foot straight stone tower could easily topple, but a pyramid is hard to knock over. It might last for all eternity. What’s inside a pyramid? Most of it is solid stone, with a few small chambers inside. These hold a king’s mummified…

You can create an animal from a variety of shapes—rectangles, circles, or triangles! The dominate shape can be the animal’s body or head. Pick a shape and get doodling. Materials: » Drawing paper » Pencil and eraser » Colored pencils » Construction paper (optional) STEP 1—Pick a Shape Think about the type of animal you want to draw. What shape is dominant in that animal? Draw that shape on a blank piece of paper. STEP 2—Doodle Some Features Once you have selected your shape, add some features such as eyes, ears, and feet to your animal. STEP 3—Creating a Background Create a cheerful and colorful background to add to your whimsical drawing. Search the Internet for examples of patterns you could use. You could include a smiling sun, colorful bands…