Archives for July, 2010
Posted by August starts on Sunday, and you know what the beginning of August means—time to start a new book!
Our next book club pick is The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd. We’ll be reading the first five chapters for Wednesday’s meeting. We can’t wait to get started!
Posted by BOOK NAME: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
AUTHOR: J.K. Rowling
For all of Harry’s life he has been treated unfairly by his aunt, uncle and cousin. They put him in a cupboard to sleep in for the past eleven years he has lived there. One day Harry gets a suspicious letter that reveals a secret that has been kept from him. Harry is a wizard.
He goes to a wizarding school, Hogwarts, where he learns all kinds of magic and learns about his past too. Harry and his two best friends Ron and Hermione end up dealing with Centaurs, plants that kill, and teachers with two heads! Can Harry survive his first year with out getting eaten by trolls?
This is one of my favorite books EVER!! J.K. Rowling is and amazing writer because she always keeps you into the book. There are seven books in the Harry Potter series and six movies have been made. The seventh movies comes out late fall and part two comes out mid winter! I know I’ll be there opening night. The genre of the series is fantasy because of all the mythical and made up creatures that are invented in it. Make sure when you are reading this that you don’t skip around pages because crucial information that will come up in later books are found in this one. There are a lot of loose ends at the end of the book meaning you will have LOTS of questions but just keep reading and you will find out more, meet new people, and continue on this great magical adventure!
If you like the Harry Potter series, you should check out The Tales of Beedle the Bard, also by J.K. Rowling and it takes place in the world of Harry Potter.
Posted by From July 26 to August 4, the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate their 100th anniversary! About 40,000 Scouts have convened for their centennial jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill near Fredericksburg, Virginia. There are plenty of outdoor activities at the jamboree–canoeing, rocket building with NASA, robot building with Lego, and mapping and photography tips from National Geographic!
Are you a Boy Scout or Girl Scout?
Visit the Boy Scouts online to learn more about the anniversary.
See more photos from the jamboree on National Geographic BlogWild.
Photograph courtesy of Ford Cochran
BOOK NAME: Turtle in Paradise
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Holm
During today’s meeting, we’ll wrap up our pick for July, Jennifer L.
Holm’s historical fiction Turtle in Paradise. (Holm is also the author of the Babymouse
book series.) Turtle faces her biggest adventures yet in the last chapters of this book!
Are there any books that you can’t want to read that you would like to
see us talk during August? Leave a comment with your suggestion.
We’ll announce the next pick on Friday. Who knows–your pick might be
DogEared’s August book!
Ready to talk about the book? Cool! Click “See More.”
Stop here if you haven’t finished the book yet!
Read the whole post »
Posted by Have you ever been asked, or have you ever thought: Why might having some species that aren’t normally found in a place create a problem for nature? Can this be the case for both plants and animals?
Remember back in my first dispatch to you, when the problem of the hyacinths in Lake Ravelobe was introduced. (See Madagascar Research & Conservation post.)
We’ve been working with the local park service (called Madagascar National Parks) and other partners to come up with potential solutions. The first step is, of course, removing as many hyacinths as we can. As the easiest way to do this is by hand, we’ve coordinated with a local “Friends of the Lake” association and additional people living here to recruit and pay for pulling the hyacinths out of the water from the banks. The park service’s tractor will then take the loads and loads of the pulled plants away for disposal. This way, not only do we have conservation action to help the ecosystem here, the local economy gets a boost, too!
David de Rothschild set sail from Sausalito, California to Sydney, Australia in his boat Plastiki on March 20, 2010. After four months in the Pacific Ocean, the Plastiki completed that goal when it sailed into Sydney Harbour. Plastiki is made of reused plastics and aluminum. David de Rothschild and his crew wanted their voyage to send the message that waste can be reused in new ways.
Visit Plastiki online to learn more about the journey.
Read past Plastiki updates on the Green Scene blog.
Photograph by Patrick Riviere courtesy the Plastiki Expedition/Adventure Ecology
On July 26, Plastiki‘s journey came to an end when the boat reached the harbor in Sydney, Australia. The trip took four months to complete, and Plastiki traveled for 8,000 nautical miles.
David de Rothschild and his crew thank everyone who tracked Plastiki‘s voyage online.
Read about the end of Plastiki‘s journey and learn more about the boat, which is made of reused plastics and aluminum.
Read an interview with David on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Patrick Riviere courtesy the Plastiki Expedition/Adventure Ecology
Posted by BOOK NAME: Gregor the Overlander: Book One in the Underland Chronicles
AUTHOR: Suzanne Collins
Hey guys, it’s me again! I’m going to tell you about one of the coolest books ever–Gregor the Overlander.
Gregor’s father had disappeared a few years ago and he never showed up again. Gregor lives with his Mom, his grandma who calls him “Simon” (she’s nuts!), and his two sisters, Boots and Lizzy.
The story started when Gregor had to babysit is baby sister, Boots. He went to go do the laundry like his Mom told him. But all of a sudden, he couldn’t find Boots. He looked through a pile of laundry and he found this hole. He fell into it and found Boots at the bottom.
They found themselves stuck under the city of New York. Giant cockroaches found them and took them to main city of the Underland. One of the city’s rulers named Vikus tells Gregor that his father once fell down into Underland. So Gregor now has to find his father and convince the Underlanders to help him find a way out.
The journey that has so many twists and turns that you just can’t put the book down. There are 311 pages and I read the whole book in less than a week.
Sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico are some of the animals impacted by the BP oil spill. Sea turtles, such as leatherback sea turtles, lay their eggs on the beach. When the baby turtles hatch, they make their way to the water. Oil from the spill could injure the baby turtles, so the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is managing a program to relocate turtle eggs from 700 nests on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.
The eggs will be hatched at a facility in Florida, and the baby turtles will be released into the ocean from beaches on the Atlantic seashore. Some turtles have already been moved, such as the ones seen above. This picture was taken as the baby turtles were released at Florida’s Cape Canaveral seashore.
Read about the baby turtles and see more pictures on National Geographic News.
Watch a video of the baby turtles being released on National Geographic Kids.
Play Great Turtle Race on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy Kim Shiflett, NASA
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Magician’s Nephew
AUTHOR: C.S. Lewis
Just mentioning Narnia sends me into a wonderland full of adventure and magic. This book is the first in The Chronicles of Narnia series and proves to be an engrossing beginning. There is some confusion about this book because most people may think that The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first book, but actually this book is the first. Because it is written by an English author, you’ll find that they spell “Hello” like “Hullo” and other spellings that seem odd to us. This book is absolutely beautiful in every aspect. I don’t always envision the illustrations the same as the artist (done by Pauline Baynes), but overall she still captures the scenes very well. I think it may have been hard to illustrate this book because honestly, Narnia is different for everyone.
The main character, Digory, is a boy who lives in London with his very strange uncle, a frail mother, maids, and an absent father (he’s away in India). So, really he can wander where he pleases. Very soon he meets a girl named Polly Plummer who lives next door to him. Since Polly and Digory’s houses are connected, they venture to the attic that connects the houses and find a door. Behind this door just happens to be Digory’s strange uncle. His uncle is making magical rings that will eventually lead them to Narnia where they bring an evil force that will haunt Narnia for hundreds of years. I can promise that Narnia will enchant you for years to come. It is a trip for your imagination and will inspire you. Whenever I have a bad day I just pick up one of these books and escape to Narnia. You should pay a visit too!
(NOTE: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was the first Narnia book published, but The Magician’s Nephew is the first book if you are reading in chronological order. -DogEared)
The dental team has finished their work in Madagascar now, and we were lucky enough to have them with us in Ambodimanga (the village where our camp is in Ankarafantsika National Park) for 2.5 days. They were in Madagascar for almost 3 weeks total at different sites. While they were staying with us, the dentists treated more than 125 local people and pulled 500+ teeth free of charge during that time!
Sponsored by The Ankizy Fund (an organization founded by paleontologist, friend, and National Geographic grantee Dr. David Krause), this team of dentists and dental students from North America comes to Madagascar and our site almost every year. While they were here, they converted our meeting area, called “the refectoire” into a makeshift clinic where they could treat up to 8 people at a time.
BOOK NAME: Turtle in Paradise
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Holm
Welcome back, everyone! Time for this week’s book club meeting. We’re reading Jennifer L.
Holm’s book Turtle in Paradise. (Holm is also the author of the Babymouse
book series.) This week’s chapters were full of some pretty exciting stuff for Turtle. What do you think is going to happen next?
Ready to read this week’s questions? Fantastic! Click “See More.”
Stop here if you aren’t done with chapter 14.
Read the whole post »
Sri Lanka’s Horton Plains slender loris was thought to be extinct since 1937. However, in 2009 two lorises were photographed and examined. Although they aren’t extinct, they are extremely endangered. Scientists estimate that there are fewer than one hundred of the lorises living in the cloud forests of central Sri Lanka. “Potentially this is the rarest primate we’re aware of today,” said Craig Turner, a conservation biologist for the Zoological Society of London.
Read more about the Horton Plains slender loris on National Geographic News.
Get the facts on animals on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph courtesy ZSL
That animal you see here and in my first post is called a fosa (it has also been spelled fossa). It’s scientific name is Cryptoprocta ferox. It is the largest mammalian predator and top carnivore on Madagascar. We call these animals at the top of the food chain “keystone species” because they act to hold an ecosystem together, much like the keystone of a bridge. (Homework assignment for readers: find out why Pennsylvania is called “The Keystone State.” How does this relate to a “keystone species?”) Fosa help keep a higher level of diversity and (this is a good vocabulary term) species richness in the forests where they live. We only find fosa in healthy, little-disturbed forests and the fact we captured two in one day means great things for Ankarafantsika National Park.
Posted by BOOK NAME: Even Monsters Need Haircuts
AUTHOR:
Matthew McElligott
This book is about monsters…and lots of them have hair! So they need haircuts. This little boy goes to a barber shop that his dad owns and gives the monsters a haircut when his dad’s not there.
They can only give the haircuts at night when nobody’s there. So Dracula wakes up the boy and when he’s a bat he flies with him to the barbershop. Dracula turns back into a person and he gets the first haircut. Soon the barbershop is full of monsters–ghosts, mummies, and monsters with three heads.
He has to cut all kinds of different hair. Cyclops just has one really long hair that he needs cut. The wolfman has all kinds of hair, all over his body, so he needs a big haircut. Frankenstein’s hair is cut straight across the top. The boy has to braid Medusa’s hair blindfolded because if he looks at her he’ll turn to stone. And one haircut he doesn’t even know what to do…a skeleton doesn’t even have hair!
A person comes in and all the monsters start hiding because they can’t let any regular people see them. So they all hide (in the worst hiding spots) and the person sits down on the chair and says, “Can you take a little off the top?” And then he takes off his entire head! And all the monsters laugh.
This book would be good for kids who like monsters…and who want to be barbers. This book is good for ages 5-7. It’s a picture book with really good pictures.
Ten winners have been chosen by Build-A-Bear in their Huggable Heroes program. The program recognized the teens for their commitment to helping others.
Visit the Huggable Heroes website to find out who this year’s Huggable Heroes are!
Read more about the Huggable Heroes program on News Bites.
BOOK NAME: Turtle in Paradise
AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Holm
Welcome to the book club meeting! We’re continuing with Jennifer L.
Holm’s book Turtle in Paradise. (Holm is also the author of the Babymouse
book series.) Turtle is settling into her new life in Key West with her
Aunt Minnie and her cousins.
Ready to get on with
the discussion? Great! Click “See More.”
Don’t want
any spoilers? Stop here!
Read the whole post »
Have Any Questions For an NG Explorer?
One of the winners of the 2009 Hands-On Explorer Challenge, Pete, wrote to National Geographic Emerging Explorer Luke Dollar with some questions. You can read Pete’s questions and Luke’s answers on the NG Kids Green Scene blog.
Luke Dollar works on conservation efforts on the island country of
Madagascar. The animal in the picture above, the fossa, is one of the
species he is trying to protect.
Luke wants to know if you have any questions for him! Click here to read Luke’s entry, then leave a comment with any questions you may have for him.
Photo courtesy Luke Dollar
I am one of the National Geographic Emerging Explorers and I am a conservation scientist. One of the winners of the Hands-On Explorer Challenge in 2009, Pete, recently sent me a question about my work. I hope other kids will send me questions about my conservation efforts in Madagascar, and any questions you have about exploration in general!
Please read the blog and send in your questions in the comments below!
Pete’s Questions: Are you in Madagascar yet? If so, what are you hoping to learn or explore in this expedition? How long are you going to be in Madagascar?
I’m in Madagascar now and we’re staying really busy in the forest (called Ankarafantsika National Park). We’re trapping for the fossa (also spelled fosa) here, while also doing census of all the other animals in the forest like lemurs, birds, snakes, lizards, and chameleons.
Spain may have won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, but the world is still talking about Paul.
Paul is a two-year old octopus living at Sea Life in Oberhausen, Germany and he was able to pick the winner for all of Germany’s matches, as well as the winner of the final between Spain and the Netherlands. Paul’s keepers put food into two clear boxes, each labeled with a competing country’s flag. Whichever box Paul opened first was predicted to win–and Paul was always right!
In honor of his achievement, Paul got his own tiny copy of the trophy as well. He is being retired from making predictions, but he can be visited at his home at Sea Life.
Read more about Paul on the Washington Post website.
How much do you know about the history of the World Cup? Quiz Your Noodle and find out.
Watch a video of an octopus squirting a curious bird on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Roberto Pfeil, AP Photo/dapd
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Story of Cirrus Flux
AUTHOR:
Matthew Skelton
Cirrus Flux lives at the Foundling Hospital, where his father James left him when he was a baby. James Flux was doing work for the Guild of Empirical Science, and was on a quest to find the “Breath of God.” Set in 18th-century London, this novel is a breath of fresh air amidst all of the vampire books that dominate the young adult and even kids’ sections at bookstores and libraries. Every child who lives at the Foundling Hospital was left a token by their parent. These tokens are worn around the necks of the children. Cirrus is led to believe that he never had one, but this token is the focus of turmoil that is tearing through London like wildfire. Cirrus is one of the only older Foundlings left who hasn’t gotten an apprenticeship yet. His best friend has recently been apprenticed, and he is miserable.
Pandora is a foundling as well, and she was apprenticed to a woman who is after the Breath of God. Her mentor allegedly clears her patients of all bad memories, enabling them to get a new lease on life. Through a series of events, Pandora finds herself back in the Foundling Hospital and trying to help Cirrus escape.
The rest of the book is a chronicle of the adventures and events that occur after that point in the novel. Cirrus discovers that his token contains the last bit of the Breath of God, and all the major scientific powers of London are clamoring to get it. My favorite character in the book is Pandora. She is a unique, quirky girl who stands up for what she thinks is right and is not afraid to stand alone when she does so. She’s a great role model (as is Cirrus) and illustrates many characteristics that anchor concepts of true morality.
This book takes a while to get into, and it wasn’t the best storyline I’ve ever read. For me, the characters were what made reading it worthwhile. The values that were represented by each of the characters added depth to the plot where there otherwise wouldn’t have been any. It’s a good book overall, and I strongly recommend it for anyone wishing to embark upon a wild ride!
I think this book is fantasy, what with some of the things that happen later in the story. However, it is set in a real-time period London, with some twists. I prefer to think of it as an alternate universe, but I think that it’s open to interpretation! Read the book and comment to let me know what you think.
Posted by Alec Loorz is a guest contributor to
Green Scene. He is currently
participating in a National Geographic student expedition to Iceland.
Alec’s posts are his personal observations of his experience and of his
commitment to climate change awareness.
Day 13 in Iceland. Only 2 more full days before we go back home. 
I’m sad to leave what has become my life for the past 2 weeks, but at the same time, I’m ready to return to my normal life. At least it will be nice to get a full night of sleep.
My life has changed on this trip. Up until now, I’ve talked to people about climate change, and people have been inspired, but there has been something missing. I realized that what that was: I couldn’t personally relate to it.
Global warming has been something I learned about from books, websites, and movies. It can be unusual weather or something, but it is hard to really see the direct impact of climate change in my normal American life. But here in Iceland, being able to see the glaciers that are melting firsthand, that missing piece has clicked in place inside me.
Posted by BOOK NAME: The Sea of Monsters
AUTHOR: Rick Riordan
This book picks up with the cliffhanger of The Lightning Thief and is just as hard to put down as the first Percy Jackson book. In this one, Percy learns that he has a Cyclops brother named Tyson. In the beginning, Percy thought Tyson was just a friend from school. However, when Percy finds out Tyson is immune to fire, he discovers Tyson’s true identity. Also in this book is the Golden Fleece, which gives power to whatever or whoever is touching it. Percy needs the Fleece to save the tree of Half-Blood Hill, which actually is Thalia, the daughter of Zeus who was turned into a tree by her father when she was close to death. Thalia, or the tree, was poisoned by Luke, who is a constant troublemaker and the lightning thief in the first Percy Jackson book. With the Fleece, Percy is able to save the tree. This book has some funny parts, including when the mean Cyclops named Polyphemus tries to marry Grover, Percy’s satyr friend, because he can’t see very well. This book is better than The Lightining Thief because it’s funnier.
The fossilized remains of a giant species of sperm whale have been found in a desert in Peru! The 60-foot (18-meter) giant whale is called Leviathan melvillei after Herman Melville, the author of the novel about a whale called Moby-Dick. A study in Nature says that the whale’s massive teeth may mean that the whale actively hunted other whales and not only eating giant squid, like today’s sperm whale.
Learn more about Leviathan melvillei on National Geographic News.
How much do you know about the largest living species of whale? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!
Illustration by C. Letenneur, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France
Eleven-year-old Sam Atkin, also known as the Shark Scientist, traveled to the TEDxOilSpill conference in Washington, D.C. last week to hear people such as National Geographic Explorer-In-Residence Sylvia Earle speak about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. NGKids News Bites asked him some questions about the conference.
News Bites: What are you hoping to accomplish by attending the event?
Sam: When I try to figure out a solution to the gulf oil spill, one problem leads to another and I get overwhelmed. I know there are going to be a lot of scientists at the conference and I’m hoping to witness a solution in the making with my video camera. My goal is to understand the problem better and share what I learn in Shark Scientist Magazine [Sam's blog].
News Bites: What can kids to do help with the oil spill?
Sam: I think it would be dangerous for kids to work physically with the oil. We don’t have the judgment and skills of the adults to handle hazardous materials. However, kids in the area can learn about the problem and bring what they know to school. By doing reports and projects about the problem, they can interest friends who have not done the research but are still interested in knowing more. Since that work doesn’t depend on your location, it can be done by kids far and wide. I think the kids in the gulf states have an opportunity to lead the rest of us. [I saw a video] done by VAYLA-NO, they teach about hydrocarbons and hydrosulfide in oil. I didn’t know that. If I saw a blob of oil on the beach, I might play with it before I saw their video. Now I know to keep away. They may not be able to clean birds and stuff, but they made a video that educated me about the dangers of encountering oil at the beach. That’s pretty important to me.
Read more about Sam on Nat Geo News Watch.
Find out more about the oil spill on the GreenScene blog.
