Posts in “People” Category

Photograph courtesy WFP/Rein Skullerud


Did you know that over one billion people suffer hunger in the world each day? That is about one-sixth of the population of the planet. The World Food Programme, part of the United Nations, helps feed people around the world and has created online resources to help kids learn about hunger and ways to help. The WFP blog for students and teachers called, Teaching Hunger, is a great way to learn more about how hunger affects people around the world. Another WFP blog, On the Road, features videos highlighting hunger issues. Check out the links below to visit the World Food Programme blogs on their website.

Visit the World Food Programme's Teaching Hunger blog.

Visit the World Food Programme's On the Road blog.

Learn how you can help others during the holidays this year on National Geographic Kids.

Hunger isn't the only problem in the world. Malaria is still a problem in Africa. Read more on National Geographic Kids.

Illustration by Chris Rooney


Have you ever wanted to become a blogger for National Geographic Kids? Here's your big chance! NG Kids is searching for three new bloggers for DogEared, the book review blog by and for kids. If you love to read (and if you love to give your opinions), this is the perfect contest for you.

Learn more about the "So You Wanna Be a DogEared Blogger" contest.

Read the official rules and enter.

Photograph by Bart Muhl/AP


Laura Dekker is a girl with a dream--to be the youngest person to circumnavigate (sail around) the world alone in her yacht, Guppy. Laura isn't new to sailing. She was born on a boat in New Zealand, and was sailing solo on lakes when she was six years old. She sailed across the English Channel to England and back at her father's insistence that she prove herself before tackling the open ocean. Laura is 13 years old.

A Dutch court has ruled that Laura is too young to make the trip alone, and has placed her under state supervision for two months to make sure she stays on dry land.

Do you think 13 is too young to sail solo around the world? How old do you think someone should be before sailing such a huge distance alone?

Read more about Laura Dekker on the BBC.

Read about a man's attempt to circumnavigate the world on his own power on National Geographic Kids.

Photograph by Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images


President Obama and the first family took a trip through Montana, Colorado, and Arizona this past weekend. President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and daughters Sasha and Malia visited Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful geyser and ventured to the edge of the deep chasm of the Grand Canyon (which is up to a mile deep in some places).

Read more about the Obamas' trip on the L.A. Times.

Think you know your national parks? Quiz Your Noodle and see if you have your facts straight.

See pictures of beautiful national parks in the Photo Gallery.

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.

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

James May is building a new house in Dorking, Surrey, United Kingdom. This isn't an ordinary house, though. This house will be made entirely out of LEGO bricks--bathroom included! May has received over 3 million LEGO bricks from the Czech Republic to build his house.

May is building the house for his BBC series, James May's Toy Stories. On August 1, May is hosting a building day! The public is invited to work on the project.

Read more about the LEGO house on the Get Surrey website.

Check out the winning entries from the "Win a Trip to LEGOLAND" contest.

Three teams of geography buffs went head-to-head in Mexico City today. The teams, from the United States, Canada, and Poland, answered questions similar to the ones asked in the National Geographic Bee. The Canada team came in first place, followed by the United States in second, and Poland in third. Who quizzed the kids? Alex Trebek, from "Jeopardy"! Trebek also moderates the annual National Geographic Bee.

The National Geographic World Championship started in 1993 and is held every two years.

Read about winning team in the 2007 National Geographic World Championship on National Geographic Kids.

Watch a video of the winning answer from the 21st National Geographic Bee on News Bites.

Surf Dog is one lucky stuffed dog! He's been all over the world, meeting new friends and exploring new places. Surf Dog began his latest journey, a road trip from San Diego, California to Seattle, Washington, in June. Surf Dog kicked off his travels by visiting a surfing dog competition in San Diego.

Rex Dubiel, a third-grade teacher from Hawaii, created Surf Dog as a fun way to raise her students' geography awareness. When Dubiel and Surf Dog travel, Dubiel posts pictures of Surf Dog and commentary on the places they have visited.


Follow Surf Dog's adventures on the Surf Dog Sunset Beach blog.

Want to read about more adventures? Visit the Global Bros blog.

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.