News Bites - National Geographic Kids

Celebrate America's parks on May 19! Kids all over the country will be visiting parks this Saturday. Are you planning to visit a park with your family this weekend? Check out the National Kids to Parks Day website to find an event near you and register to participate. As the National Park Trust mascot Buddy Bison says, "Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!"

Did you visit a park for National Kids to Parks Day last year?

Do you have a favorite national park or state park?

Ask your parents to sign up at the official National Kids to Parks website.

(AD) Check out the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.

(AD) Tell your parents about the National Geographic National Parks book and app.

See pictures of U.S. national parks on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Jim Neumann, My Shot

More than 114,000 young artists from across the country have submitted their drawings to the Doodle 4 Google contest, and now you can help select the winners! The drawings are all based on this year's theme, which is "If I could travel in time, I'd visit..."

The competition was open to K-12 students in the United States. The entries are broken up into five different age groups, and you can vote for your favorite in each category. The national winner will be chosen on May 17, and the winning doodle will appear on the Google homepage on May 18.

Visit the Doodle 4 Google site to vote for your favorites.

Feeling creative? Submit your favorite photographs to National Geographic Kids My Shot!


Illustrations courtesy of Google

A new gecko species has been found in Papua New Guinea. This black and gold striped gecko is called Nactus kunan, from the word, kunan, which means "bumblebee" in the local Nali language. Scientists think that this lizard's coloration helps it stay hidden on the rain forest floor.

Learn more about the bumblebee gecko on National Geographic News.

Get the facts on geckos in this Creature Feature.


Photograph courtesy Robert Fisher, USGS

The winners of the 2012 National Geographic Student Expeditions Photo Contest have been chosen from more than 1,800 entries. The contest was open to high school students across the country. Timothy Brooks, who snapped the grand prize winning photo above, will travel to London this summer for the National Geographic Student Expeditions London Photography Workshop. His winning photo entitled, Coyote Curled at Sunset, is shown above.

See all of the winners and finalists on the National Geographic Student Expeditions website..

Do you love to take pictures? Submit your favorites to NG Kids My Shot!


Photograph by Timothy Brooks

Celebrate America's parks on May 19! Kids nationwide are gearing up for the second annual National Kids to Parks Day. "National Kids to Parks Day encourages children across America to get out and play. This simple idea of playing in a park can potentially give millions of kids the reason to get active and get outside just as families prepare for summer," said Grace Lee, executive director of the National Park Trust.

Visit the National Kids to Parks Day website to find an event near you and register to participate. As the National Park Trust mascot Buddy Bison says, "Explore outdoors, the parks are yours!"

Ask your parents to sign up at the official National Kids to Parks website.

(AD) Check out the National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.

(AD) Tell your parents about the National Geographic National Parks book and app.

See pictures of U.S. national parks on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Joel Ocay, My Shot