Posts in “Culture” Category

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

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

The National Geographic Kids website has been nominated for a 2012 Webby Award! The website is listed in the Website - Living - Youth category. NG Kids won the award in this category in 2010, and received the People's Voice award in 2011.

Happy April Fools' Day! Well ... not quite yet. This Sunday is the first day of April, which traditionally is the day when people play pranks on each other. No one is exactly sure how April 1 became the day to play tricks on people. One theory says that when the calendar year was changed so the year began at the beginning of January instead of April, those who were slow to start using the new calendar were called "April fools."

Are you planning to pull a prank this year? What was your best prank ever? Leave a comment and tell us!

Read more about the history of April Fools' Day on National Geographic News.


Photograph by Old Visuals / Alamy

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 more about leap years on National Geographic News.

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

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.

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.

The 2011 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony begins today 5 p.m. EST. Carson Daly will host the ceremony, and President Obama will officially light the tree. There will be performances during the event, featuring Kermit the Frog, Will.i.am, Big Time Rush, and more.

There has been a National Christmas Tree every year since 1923. The tree that will be lit today is a new Colorado blue spruce. The last tree was damaged in February 2011 and had to be replaced. There will be nightly performances at the National Christmas Tree from December 6 through December 23.

PBS stations across the country will broadcast the ceremony. You can also watch the ceremony online at www.thenationaltree.org.

Read more about the National Christmas Tree and the President's Park on the National Park Service website.

How much do you know about winter holidays? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!


Photograph by Jewel Samad, AFP/Getty Images

This Thursday is Thanksgiving! Chances are you will have a lot of leftovers after your family feast. There's a lot of extra food in American houses between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day--an extra 5 million tons!

What can you do to cut down on food waste this holiday season? Here are some tips from Nourishing the Planet on how your family can cut back.

Make a List
Create a shopping list of all the items you will need for holiday meals and stick to it.

Take Smaller Portions
Use a smaller plate to help you take smaller portions of food at mealtimes. That way you're less likely to have leftovers on your plate.

Store Leftovers Safely
Proper storage of leftovers keeps them safe to eat for longer. Food that hasn't been served properly have to be tossed.

Compost!
Instead of throwing out food scraps, add them to your compost heap.

Donate Extras
If you have extra (unopened) dried or canned foods, donate them to food banks or shelters.

Learn how you can give back during the holidays on National Geographic Kids.

How much do you know about Thanksgiving? Quiz Your Noodle and find out!


Photograph by Tyrone Turner

This week is Geography Awareness Week. Explore your own school and neighborhood through geographic eyes by undertaking a series of missions using skills such as photography, storytelling, mapping, and taking action. Visit the Geography Awareness Week website to learn more.

Geography Awareness Week was created in 1978 as a time for families and classrooms to promote geography literacy. Is your class doing anything special to learn more about geography this week?

Brush up on more geography skills by playing games on National Geographic Kids.


Photograph by Anoziram, NG Kids My Shot