NG Kids

National Geographic is teaming up with NASA and Angry Birds to create a book called Angry Birds Space that will be a companion book to a new Angry Birds game. The book will be available starting on March 20 and the game also called Angry Birds Space will be out on March 22! In an update to the familiar gameplay, players will have to deal with zero gravity, different space objects, and more.

(AD) Find out how to get your copy of National Geographic Angry Birds Space.

How will the game stack up against real space? Find out on National Geographic News Watch.

See pictures of different planets on National Geographic Kids.

Can’t wait to go into space? Explore the solar system with Nat and Geo in Pluto’s Secret.

Phenomenal Friday Fact

An estimated 80,000,000 Hershey’s Kisses are wrapped each day, using enough aluminum foil to cover over 50 acres. That’s almost 40 football fields! All that foil is recyclable, but not many people realize it.

Learn how you can recycle aluminum foil and cans and why it’s so important.

Photograph by PhotoPhanatic17, NG Kids My Shot

Did you know that scientists know more about the surface of Mars than about the deepest points of the Earth?

James Cameron, filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer and his DEEPSEA CHALLENGE team are embarking on a voyage to advance the world’s understanding of our ocean’s
vast range of biological and geological phenomena. The historic
expedition to the Mariana Trench’s lowest point, Challenger Deep, which
lies 6.83 miles (10.99 kilometers) below the ocean surface.That is deeper than Mt. Everest is tall. This journey is the first
extensive scientific exploration in a manned submersible of the deepest
spot on Earth. James Cameron will pilot the DEEPSEA CHALLENGER vessel, which is
outfitted for scientific exploration and analysis. He will
conduct tests, collect samples, and document the experience in the
high-resolution 3-D for which he’s known globally.

Visit the DEEPSEA CHALLENGE website.

Check out ocean pictures on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Brook Rushton, DEEPSEA CHALLENGE

Phenomenal Friday Fact

Everyday, there are on average 140 million cars on the road, traveling almost 4 billion miles, using over 200 million gallons of gas. Talk to your parents about how you can keep your family car off the road like organizing a carpool to school or taking a family bike ride instead of hopping in the car.

Check out more Green Tips.

Photograph by Luis Vaz, My Shot

Today is February 29, which means that 2012 is a leap year. Every four years, February gains an extra day. Why do we have leap years? The Earth orbits the sun once every year, but it takes a little longer than 365 days–the trip actually takes 365.242 days. To keep the calendar from drifting out of sync, an extra day is added to the calendar every fourth year. The next leap year will be in 2016.

Read what kids do when their birthday is on February 29 on the Washington Post.

The people have spoken, and the 2012 Adventurers of the Year have been chosen! After more than 70,000 votes, Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa have come out on top. During their 2011 Ultimate Descent expedition, the adventurers climbed Mount Everest, paraglided back down, and then kayaked to the Indian Ocean.

Learn more about Sano Babu Sunuwar and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and see photos on National Geographic Adventure.

Follow Aubrey’s around-the-world adventures in the Passport to Roam blog.

Photograph courtesy Sano Babu Sunuwar

What’s wrong with this bat’s face? Nothing at all! This is a Griffin’s leaf-nosed bat. It was first seen in Vietnam’s Chu Mom Ray National Park in 2008, but has only recently been confirmed as a new species. Scientists think that the leaf-like features on the bat’s face may help them with echolocation.

Get the facts on vampire bats on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Vu Dinh Thong

Phenomenal Friday Fact

A typical American family consumes 182 gallons of soda, 29 gallons of juice, 104 gallons of milk, and 26 gallons of bottled water a year. That’s a lot of containers! Practice your recycling by playing Recycle Roundup.

Photograph by liaawesome, NG Kids My Shot

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to explore Hawaii? Write an essay about why you would like to explore this Hawaiian island and draw a picture of what you think you would see, and you could win a weeklong trip to O’ahu with Andrew Evans, National Geographic’s Digital Nomad.

Learn more about the contest.

Next week, Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo will host an animal election for “President” of the zoo. Among the candidates are a lion, an Andean condor, and a red panda. Visitors to the zoo can vote from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day. If you can’t visit the zoo, you can also vote by email.

Visit the Franklin Park Zoo to get information on the “candidates” and learn how to cast your vote!

Get the facts on your favorite animals on National Geographic Kids.

Photo courtesy of Fran Mandeville

Phenomenal Friday Fact

Did you know that cars account for 20 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States? These gases trap more heat in the atmosphere causing climate changes that could bring stronger, more dangerous storms, heat waves, flooding, and more. You can help reduce emissions by taking less car trips and carpooling.

Find more ways to save energy and reduce your carbon footprint.

Photograph by angelrosie, NG Kids My Shot

A four-year-old Pekingese named CH Palacegarden Malachy (or Malachy for short) won Best in Show at the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City on Tuesday. This is the fourth time a Pekingese has won, but the last time a member of this breed was top dog was 22 years ago! The Pekingese breed gets its name from the Chinese capital city of Beijing, which used to be known as Peking.

Learn more about the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and watch a video of Malachy.

Read about last year’s Best in Show winner on News Bites

How much do you know about different dog breeds? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!

Photograph by Timothy A. Clary, Getty Images

During the winter months, many animals seem to disappear as temperatures drop and the days grow shorter. Some of them migrate, but others hibernate. Hibernation is a state in which animals fall into a deep sleep-like state. The marmot hibernates for up to eight months every year! But it’s not just mammals that hibernate. Reptiles such as snakes and turtles also hibernate. While the box turtle hibernates, its heart beats once every five to ten minutes, and it doesn’t have to breathe–instead, it takes in oxygen through its skin. When warmer spring temperatures arrive, hibernating animals wake up and go out in search of food to fill their empty stomachs.

Learn more about hibernating animals on the Earth Rangers Wild Wire.

Get facts on your favorite animals on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by Lorna Mildice, My Shot

Scientists have discovered a new species of giant amphipods, or shrimp-like animals, in one of the world’s deepest ocean trenches. The Kermadec Trench is found off of the northern coast of New Zealand. The largest of the amphipods is an amazing 11 inches (28 centimeters) long. “Amphipods are common to deep-sea trenches, but they’re usually 2 to 3 centimeters [about an inch] long. They turn up in a matter of minutes like a swarm of bees and simply devour all of the bait,” said Alan Jamieson, a marine biologist at the University of Aberdeen and co-leader of the expedition that found the animals.

Learn about the giant amphipods and see more pictures on National Geographic News.

Play Zipper’s Great Barrier Grrr-eef on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph courtesy Oceanlab, University of Aberdeen

Phenomenal Friday Fact

Every month, Americans throw out enough glass bottles and jars to fill up a giant skyscraper. Don’t forget to recycle all the glass you can by checking the bottom of the bottle or jar! Learn more about Recycling Glass and Plastic.

Photograph by birddude, NG Kids My Shot

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow when he came out of his tree stump this morning in Pennsylvania. According to the legend, if Phil sees his shadow, we should expect six more weeks of winter weather. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring is just around the corner.

Learn about groundhogs on National Geographic.

Photograph by Gene J. Puskar, AP

Phenomenal Friday Fact

To produce each week’s Sunday newspapers, 500,000 trees must be cut down. If your family gets the newspaper, make sure you recycle it. Play Recycle Roundup to practice your recycling habits!

Photograph by Tady, NG Kids My Shot

A strong solar flare from an active region of the sun caused a dramatic display of the aurora borealis (northern lights) and aurora australis (southern lights). The solar flare sent a cloud of gas and charged particles called a coronal mass ejection, or CME, at the Earth. The flare’s collision with the Earth’s magnetic field causes the brilliant light displays.

The sun has a cycle 11 years long. We are now in the part of the cycle where the sun’s activity is higher. Scientists predict that we will continue to see this kind of intense auroras as the sun’s activity increases, reaching what is known as solar maximum next year.

See more pictures of this week’s auroras on National Geographic News.

See pictures of the sun on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by Thilo Bubek

Scientists have been taking a closer look at the “dance” that dung beetles perform on top of their dung balls. So why do the beetles dance? They’re using the sun to figure out which direction to travel. As the beetle moves on top of the dung ball, it is checking the position of the sun to help it navigate.

Reunite dung beetles with their dung balls in the Dung Beetle Derby game.

Photograph by Chris Johns, National Geographic

Phenomenal Friday Fact

It’s estimated that Americans go through 100 billion plastic bags a year; this averages to 360 bags per person. You can help reduce this number by making your own reusable grocery bag!

Photograph by Robin Loznak, My Shot

A seal rehabilitation center in the Netherlands has taken in more than a hundred seal pups that washed up along the coastline after recent storms. These weak and sick seals were likely stranded because of a lack of food, caused by overfishing. The more fishing we do, the less food there is for seals-and other animals-to eat.

Volunteers in the seal nursery--a large, temporary tent filled with bathtubs for the seals-are helping the pups recover by feeding them a “porridge” of ground herring and water and medication. Most of the seals will be healthy enough to be released into the Wadden Sea of North Sea in the next three months.

Learn more about these seals from National Geographic News.

Get The Facts on Fish.

Photograph by Peter Dejong, AP

Today is Friday the 13th. Some people believe that the number 13 is unlucky. In fact, there’s even a word for fear of the number 13: Triskaidekaphobia. Some people believe that Friday the 13th is an especially unlucky day. If you are afraid of Friday the 13th, you have paraskevidekatriaphobia.

This is the first of three Friday the 13ths in 2012. The other two are in April and July. We won’t have three in one year again until 2015, and not again after that until 2026!

Read about the history of the Friday the 13th superstition on National Geographic News.

Read about phobias on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by SuperStock, Inc.

Phenomenal Friday Fact

A full bathtub uses 70 gallons of water, but a five minute shower only uses 10-25 gallons. How much water do you use? Check out our Water Calculator to find out!

Photograph by DRosayna13, NG Kids My Shot

Today is the start of the 2012 Google Science Fair! This competition is for curious kids ages 13 to 18. If you have a great idea for a project, you can register for the fair. The grand prize winner will receive cool prizes including a National Geographic Expedition trip to the Galapagos Archipelago!

Visit the official Google Science Fair site to get more information.

Do science experiments at home with National Geographic Kids.