News Bites - National Geographic Kids: Culture Archives

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Lombard St. Becomes Candy Land Game Board

Posted By NG Kids

San Francisco's crooked Lombard Street was sugar coated this week to became a gigantic version of the board game Candy Land to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the game.

Photo: Lombard St. Becomes Candy Land Game

Photo: Lombard St. Becomes Candy Land Game

Photograph by Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

On hand to play the game were kids from the University of California at San Francisco Children's Hospital and several adults appeared in costumes of game characters, Princess Lolly, Princess Frostine, and King Kandy.

Read an article about the event in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

NG Kids Sets a Guinness World Record

Posted By NG Kids

Photo: The NG Kids jeans display at Union Station

Photograph courtesy Anne McCormack

National Geographic Kids set the world record today for the largest collection of denim clothing to recycle. The final count, verified by Stuart Claxton for Guinness World Records, is an astounding 33,088 pieces of denim clothing! Erek H., a NG Kids reader from Ohio, collected 1,684 pairs of jeans for the project. He had the honor of putting the final pair of jeans into the display...jeans that once belonged to Ben Stiller! The actor donated one of his pairs of jeans at the beginning of the jeans drive.

Visit the Green Scene blog to find out more about the record attempt.

Check out videos of other Guinness World Records.

Read about the record NG Kids set for the longest chain of shoes.

Friday, August 7, 2009

Giant LEGO Light Bulb

Posted By NG Kids

Photo: Kids build blocks for the LEGO light bulb

August is National Inventors Month. To celebrate, the National Museum of American History built a giant light bulb model out of LEGO bricks on August 3. Museum visitors worked with LEGO Master Builders to assemble the multicolored model. The light bulb is 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and contains over 300,000 bricks!

Get LEGO tips from a LEGO Master Builder on National Geographic Kids.

Visit the Smithsonian Institution's Lemelson Center Invention at Play website.

Photograph courtesy of the LEGO Group

Friday, June 26, 2009

Roller Coasters: 125 Years of Thrills

Posted By NG Kids

Photograph courtesy Garry Whipple

Roller coasters have gone through a lot of twists and turns over the past 125 years. In 1884, Coney Island's roller coaster, the Switchback Railway, cost only a nickel to ride, but it was a huge attraction that made its designer, LaMarcus A. Thompson a very wealthy man. Thompson received the patent for his design in 1885 and inspired a coaster race that continues today.

The Corkscrew (pictured) was the first roller coaster with two loops and opened at California's Knott's Berry Farm in 1975, but has since been moved to Silverwood Theme Park in Athol, Idaho.

See pictures of roller coasters on National Geographic News.

Piece together Fair Rides puzzles.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Expedition to Peru

Posted By NG Kids

The winners of the 2009 Hands-On Explorer Challenge contest flew to Peru on May 22 to begin exploring the wildlife, culture, and history of this South American country! The talented 15 kids and two teachers have already visited Lima, where expedition team member Lijah was fascinated by the face-shaped pottery at the Rafael Larco Herrera Archeological Museum.

Photo: A pot shaped like a head

Tomorrow they're off to Machu Picchu. Follow their adventures in the Hands-On Explorer Trip Blog!

Check out their blog entries on the Hands-On Explorer Trip Blog.

Read excerpts from the winners' essays on National Geographic Kids.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

National Geographic Kids Receives Webby Nomination!

Posted By NG Kids

National Geographic Kids Website has been nominated for a Webby Award! Grab your parents and cast your vote for NG Kids, kids.nationalgeographic.com, in the Website - Living - Youth category on the Webby Awards People's Voice page.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Groundhog Predicts More Winter

Posted By NG Kids

Uh-oh! The groundhog saw its shadow this morning, which means six more weeks of winter are on the way. Tradition says that if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow on February 2, winter will last another six weeks. However, if Phil does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Learn more about groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, on National Geographic.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Chinese New Year

Posted By NG Kids

Today is the Chinese New Year! According to the Chinese horoscope, each year is represented by a different animal. There are a total of 12 animals. This year is the Year of the Ox.

Find out which animal you are!

Learn more about China.

National Geographic Kids