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Hey there readers, how’s it going? This week we were in Dihovo, Macedonia. After 18 months on the road we realize it’s not the places we go but the people we meet that make the journey special. This week we met some pretty fabulous people. The family that ran our bed and breakfast couldn’t have been any more hospitable, friendly and welcoming. We joined them for a traditional lunch one day and met every one from the great aunts to the second cousins. There were even two girls around my age Matea 11 and Alexandra 14. We had a great time together playing cards and eating ice cream. We also did tons of other fun things.
We went on an absolutely, positively, amazing hike in the Baba Mountains. When we got to the top it was pouring rain, we were sopping wet and the wind was howling, but that added to the awesomeness. Our guide taught us a lot about mushrooms and showed us which mushrooms were poisonous and which ones weren’t. If you eat one type of mushroom you will slowly die for two to three years.
Another day we visited the ancient ruins of Heraclea Lyncestis which was founded by Phillip II in 168 B.C. It is the remains of a roman village. There is an amphitheater, church, the foundation of many houses, and beautiful floor mosaics. We also visited the American corner in Bitola. There is a little library area were Americans can go and read. They also have activities and classes offered in English.
For Halloween many American children and some Macedonian children went trick or treating and to a party there. Our last day we went into town and explored the old bazaar which oddly enough was filled with new stuff. The market was full of fruits and vegetables. Apples are in season and so delicious that we decided to get a four pound bag of every kind you can imagine. Another week filled with amazing people and things. Ciao for now, Aubrey.
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Hi guys, I hope you had a great week, because mine sure was fantastic. We spent our days on Lake Ohrid, Macedonia which is one of Europe’s deepest and oldest lakes. Do you even know where Macedonia is? You don’t… okay I’ll tell you. It is a little country bordering Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Kosovo, Albania, and Montenegro. We had an amazing time touring the city on the shores of the lake.
Did you know the man Saint Clement who invented the Cyrillic Alphabet was from Ohrid? The Cyrillic Alphabet is used by over 250 million people all over the world. Every single letter of the Cyrillic Alphabet has it on unique sound. We also visited a place called the Bay of Bones which is a recreation of an old Macedonian village dating back to between 1,200 and 700 B.C. At this site they have found artifacts dating back to 2800 B.C. We visited the 2, 500 year old amazing churches filled with the most outstanding frescos (paintings) I have ever seen.
The next day we went on an amazing hike in the beautiful Galichia Mountains. The leaves were just starting to change from green to scarlet, golden, and orange which made it even more gorgeous. We went on a stunning boat ride and saw naked algae… awkward. We also went to their farmers market and saw the biggest cabbage I have ever seen. They were bigger than basketballs. One Macedonian treat that cannot be beat is the baklava. It is a sweet treat swimming in honey.
Something else very special and spooky happened this week… it was Halloween. In Macedonia no one celebrates Halloween so we got a lot of funny looks while we were walking through the village all dressed up in our costumes. I was a mouse with a bow tie…cheese please, Everest was Dracula… I want to suck your blood, Mom was a sheep… baaaa, and Dad was a crayon. We trick or treated at any door my mom could find and got some yummy candy. What’s your favorite type of candy? My favorite might have to be Twix… yumm. It truly was a spectacular week. Until next time Aubrey.
Something very special happened on Monday, it was my birthday! It was an amazing week of fun and celebration in Montenegro. We stayed in Perast, an old stone fishing village. After my chocolate covered birthday croissant we visited the little island in the bay. It is a manmade island built on top of hundreds of ocean ships and rocks. We toured the beautiful church and museum in honor of the Blessed Mary. Later in the day we went on a magical sunset boat ride through the bay and into Porto Montenegro. The water was so still it’s almost like a lake, but it is FREEZING!
On Monday we climbed up the old walls to the top of Kotor, a nearby town and looked down upon the stunning city. We visited Sveti Stefan which is the quintessential picture of Montenegro. It was once a little fishing village but is now a five star resort where we had a wonderful lunch on the cliffs gazing at the sparkling ocean. Later we had an awesome swim in the Adriatic.
A few days later we saw six incredible bottle nose dolphins trained by the US Navy to search for sea mines and other explosives left over from the wars of Montenegro’s past. We were there for the last day of their mission and saw the dolphins put on a show. They did all kinds of tricks like playing catch, jumping through hoops, and sliding onto the boat.
In the next village we saw mosaics that dated back to 230 B.C. They were very detailed, one even had Hypnos the Greek God of dreams who watched over them while they slept and controlled their dreams.
During the week I became friends with a caramel colored stray kitten that I named Snuggles. On our last day there was another huge storm. The rain was pouring and when we were walking back home after dinner there was a gust of wind that I thought was going to blow us away. I felt like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz during the tornado. “Toto I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore.” Montenegro and my birthday were amazing!
Did you know that male mice sing? According to scientists, male mice sing for many reasons, including for courtship and to show aggression. A new study reports that males change the notes in their songs to more closely match the songs of other males. Scientists record the songs and slow down the recordings to listen to them, because they are too high-pitched for humans to hear.
Read more about the study on National Geographic News.
Read about how scientists gave mice tans on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph from Juniors Bildarchiv GmbH/Alamy
BOOK NAME: Joshua Dread
AUTHOR: Lee Bacon
Check out the Joshua Dread blog post!
(AD) Read a sample of Joshua Dread!
BOOK NAME: Ashtown Burials: The Drowned Vault
AUTHOR: N. D. Wilson
Check out the Ashtown Burials: The Drowned Vault blog post!
(AD) Get your copy of Ashtown Burials: The Drowned Vault!
BOOK NAME: The Enchantress
AUTHOR: Michael Scott
Check out the The Enchantress blog post!
(AD) Get your copy of The Enchantress!
BOOK NAME: The Emerald Atlas
AUTHOR: John Stephens
Check out the The Emerald Atlas blog post!
(AD) Get your copy of The Emerald Atlas!
BOOK NAME: Chomp
AUTHOR: Carl Hiaasen
Phenomenal Friday Fact
Eleven-year-old Aubrey has lived in Santa Barbara, California for the past five years. Her mom and dad just sold their house and car, and Aubrey and her brother Everest have left the school that Aubrey has attended since she was in kindergarten. Now they are on an amazing adventure together traveling the world!
This isn’t Aubrey’s first big travel adventure. She also traveled with her mom and dad from when she was three until she was five. Now she is ten years old and going into the fifth grade.
Aubrey enjoys volleyball, swimming, and acting. She loves to eat Mexican food. Her favorite band is The Beatles, and her favorite color is green. She is most excited to visit Africa and Brazil because she loves animals and tropical beaches.
Check out Aubrey’s photography on My Shot!
FAST FACTS ABOUT AUBREY
Favorite Food: Fish tacos with rice and beans
Least Favorite Food: Asparagus
Favorite Relaxing Activity: Read
Favorite Movies: Bedtime Stories and Secretariat
Favorite Books: The Mother Daughter Book Club series
Hobbies: Singing, acting, and pottery
Favorite Music: The Beatles
Favorite School Subjects: Language Arts and Art
Favorite Sports: Volleyball, swimming, and snow skiing
WHERE IS AUBREY GOING NEXT?
November: India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka
December: Sri Lanka and U.S.A.
January: U.S.A. and South America
February: South America
The team at the National Geographic Kids website is always looking to give kids more of what they want. That’s why we need your help! If you’re under the age of 18, you can participate in our survey. It takes about 15 minutes to answer all the questions. You can sit with your Mom or Dad if you want, but we really want to see YOUR opinions. Remember, we want you to be honest–there are no right or wrong answers!
Photograph by Michelle Sullivan
Wangari Muta Maathai, founder of The Green Belt Movement, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004, died on September 25, 2011 at the age of 71. She started the Green Belt Movement to encourage people worldwide to protect the environment. Maathai believed, “The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting with the simple act of planting a tree, we give hope to ourselves and to future generations.”
Since Maathai started the movement in 1977, more than 40 million trees have been planted across Africa, improving the land and the lives of the people who live there. Their goal for the future is to plant one billion trees worldwide. Maathai was the first African woman and the first environmentalist to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Maathai is well-known for her achievements in environmental activism and human rights advocacy, specifically in women’s civil rights.
Will you help them reach their goal by planting a tree?
Mosquitoes like smelly socks. Or more specifically, they are attracted to chemicals that people produce from their legs and feet. Researchers in Tanzania are testing mosquito traps that use smelly socks to lure mosquitoes into traps, where they are poisoned. Why is it so important to trap mosquitoes in Tanzania? Many mosquitoes in Africa carry the parasite that causes malaria.
Read more about smelly socks and mosquitoes on The Washington Post’s website.
Learn more about malaria on National Geographic Kids.
Photograph by Mimi Klein, My Shot
This summer, join us on a reading adventure! Each week, we’ll share with you an exciting new read complete with a customized Adventure Pack that will allow you continue the adventure even after the story has ended. You’ll also be able to enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win thrilling prizes!
Click here to download an Adventure Pack Checklist.
Click here to download the official Ready Set Adventure Sweepstakes rules and entry form.
Where will reading take YOU this summer?
On an epic battle against evil forces?
BOOK NAME: Grey Griffins: The Clockwork Chronicles #1: The Brimstone Key
Check out the Grey Griffins blog post!
To a mystical–and dangerous–land full of fairies?
BOOK NAME: 13 Treasures
AUTHOR: Michelle Harrison
On a fight against deadly ninjas?
BOOK NAME: Moonshadow: Rise of the Ninja
AUTHOR: Simon Higgins
On a trip back in time aboard a famous ship?
BOOK NAME: The Time-Traveling Fashionista
AUTHOR: Bianca Turetsky
On a magical quest to find a mythical creature?
BOOK NAME: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
AUTHOR: Grace Lin
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began when an oil rig blew up and sank on April 20, 2010. Hundreds of millions of gallons spilled while the companies tried to find a way to stop it. Finally, the oil well was plugged up in mid-September, but the clean up of oil and the research into its effects on wildlife, the ecosystem, and people will go on for decades. To find out more about the spill and its aftermath read stories, take a quiz, and watch videos of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico below.
Quiz Your Noodle: 2010 Oil Spill
See if you have all of the facts on the 2010 oil spill when you take this quiz.
Green Scene: Oil Well in the Gulf of Mexico Capped
Read about the permanent cap placed on the oil well.
Green Scene: Manta Rays Affected by Oil?
Scientists aren’t sure how the remaining oil in the Gulf will affect the manta rays living there.
Green Scene: Oil in Coastal Marshes
Oil isn’t only a problem on the water–it’s a problem in the coastal mashes, too.
President Obama’s National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon
Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling recommends that the government agencies and industry need to close safety gaps that led to the disaster.
Green Scene: Substance to Keep Oil Off of Birds?
Scientists are working on an eco-friendly substance that will help keep oil from sticking to birds during future oil spills.
Content produced by National Geographic. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation under Award # DRL-104574
We are celebrating 35 years of the National Geographic Kids magazine!
The September 2010 issue of National Geographic Kids magazine marks the 35th anniversary of the magazine. To celebrate, every day in September we are going to show you an amazing, silly, or awesome feature on the NG Kids website, so be sure to come back to see all 35 Best Online Features.
1. Best NG Kids Covers Puzzler
See if you can solve the jigsaw or slide puzzles based on some of our awesome covers.
2. Best Pet Craft
Give your dog (or cat!) a comfy place to chill out with this pet bed.
3. Best Laugh Out Loud Video
These goats don’t run or yell when they’re startled–they faint instead!
4. Best Multi-Level Game
Explore the solar system as Nat and Geo in “Pluto’s Secret,” an out of this world multi-level adventure game.
5. Best Jokes
Stock up on jokes and make your friends giggle with this Just Joking interactive!
6. Best Global Adventure
Read about brothers Stefan and Tyler and their awesome adventure around the world.
7. Best Hands-On Exploration Blog
Relive the amazing adventures of the Hands-On Explorer expeditions to Australia and Peru. Plus, you can find out how to enter the 2011 Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest!
8. Best Science Experiment
Ants keep track of where they are, where they’re going, and how to get there. Can you make an ant get lost? Find out when you try this experiment.
9. Best Recycling Game
Do you know the difference between recyclable stuff, compostable stuff, and trash? Try this recycling game and see how high you can score.
10. Best Gross-Out Video
How many spiders could you stand to have crawling all over you? Find out how many Tom had crawling on him (for 30 whole seconds)!
11. Best Earth-Friendly Craft
One easy and fun way to help the planet is to decorate a canvas bag. You or your parents can use your personalized bag while shopping instead of using plastic bags.
12. Best Whale Quiz
Get ready to bend your brain and answer these questions about the world’s biggest whale (make that the world’s biggest animal)!
13. Best Animal Profile
What’s this cuddly-looking creature? It’s a harp seal! Get the facts on this adorable animal in the Creature Feature.
14. Best Scary Treat
When you look at this snack, it feels like it’s looking back! Check out this activity to learn how to make your own eyeball deviled eggs.
15. Best Lightning Photos
See the awesome power of lightning in this photo gallery.
16. Best Silly Fill-In-the-Blank Story
Going back to school is always a little awkward, but in this story going back to school is the zaniest it’s ever been.
17. Best Animal Balancing Trick
Most cats aren’t too happy when they’re around lots of people, but Nicholas likes crowds just fine. He gets a great view of New York City from the top of his owner’s head!
18. Best Trivia Challenge
Do you think you know more trivia than their parents? Try this quiz, and then email a challenge to your mom or dad! (Or your brother, or your sister, or your friend…)
19. Best Ways to Help the Environment
It’s up to everyone to do what they can to help the environment. Check out these green tips for inspiration.
20. Best Creepy Video
Get a spider’s perspective in this video, where you’ll watch a jumping spider stalking a honeybee.
21. Best Way to Get to Know the NG Explorers
Meet National Geographic’s team of awesome explorers! Click the figures to learn more about what they do.
22. Best Pet Treat
Who doesn’t like snacks? Your dog or cat will go wild for these tasty treats.
23. Best Halloween Costume
Do you know what you’re going to be for Halloween yet? Try this awesome make-it-yourself spaghetti and meatballs costume!
24. Best Way to Travel for Free
Explore the world from your computer screen when you visit the National Geographic Kids People & Places area. Get facts about countries around the world and check out beautiful pictures.
25. Best Book Blog
Looking for a book to read? Find a new favorite on DogEared, featuring book reviews from real kids.
26. Best Water Adventure Game
Join Nat & Geo (and their monkey Gordo!) as they raft a raging river and explore an underwater shipwreck!
27. Best “Backpack”
Carrier crabs pick up whatever’s handy to use as defense, even if the closest thing is another animal!
28. Best Animal Custodian
Speaking of crabs, trapeziid crabs help keep coral reefs alive by keeping them clean!
29. Best Animal Reader
Willow the dog has an unusual talent: reading! When her owner holds up a card with a command on it, Willow does what the card says.
30. Best Place to Learn About Going Green
Get the scoop on all things green on the Green Scene blog.
31. Best Animal Invasion
The jellies are coming! Giant jellyfish are invading the Sea of Japan. Find out why.
32. Best Easy Snack
The next time you get tortilla chips, why not try making your own salsa? Pico de gallo is an easy (and tasty!) chip topping.
33. Best Big Cat Profile
Tigers are the biggest cats in the world! Get the facts on these fantastic felines in the Creature Feature.
34. Best Mystery Game
Who is buried in the ancient Egyptian tomb? Find the clues and solve the mystery.
35. Best Virtual World
Customize an animal character, explore, play minigames, and much much more in Animal Jam, a cool new virtual world from National Geographic.
The Mother-Daughter Book Club
By Heather Vogel Frederick
Four sixth-grade girls and their mothers join a book club and read Little Women together. Although Megan, Cassidy, Emma, and Jess are reluctant at first, they form an unexpected friendship as they make their way though Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel and middle school together.
Check your local library or bookstore for a copy, or ask your mom or dad to help you order it online.
Top 9 Animal News Bites
Top 9 Books! A National Geographic Children’s Book Editor’s Picks
Top 9 DogEared Reviews
Top 9 Funny Videos
Top 9 Games
Top 9 Green Scene Posts
Top 9 Photos
Top 9 Puzzles and Quizzes
Beautiful buildings, ferocious fish, crystal-clear water, and cute animals–these were your favorite pictures in 2009. Check out the full list of favorite galleries below.
New 7 Wonders of the World
Flip through gorgeous pictures of the new Wonders, the most popular photo gallery of 2009. Check out the pics!
International Photo Contest 2008 for Kids–Top Winners
Look at the winning entries of the International Photo Contest 2008 for kids.
Sharks
Beware, these large fish are sure to scare! View pictures.
Oceans
Browse through pictures of crystal-clear water, waves, and more.
Megafishes
Learn about the Megafishes Project and see photos of amazing freshwater giants.
Ancient Egypt
Pictures of ancient artifacts were popular this year. Take a look!
Baby Animals
Get ready to say ‘aw’ a lot when you scroll through this gallery of baby animals. Check it out!
Volcanoes
Take a look at pictures of nature at its most explosive. Browse the gallery.
Dogs
Our furry friends come in all shapes and sizes. Check out the pictures.
