ISSUE 28
APRIL 30, 2020
Get Your Daily CopY! GO tO
facebook.com/mocomikids
KING SHOORSEN AND GUNADHIP
DON'T
LITTER!
HOW DO SOME ANIMALS HIDE
IN PLAIN SIGHT?
FOLKTALE Vikram Betal:
King Shoorsen and Gunadhip
As King Vikramaditya carried Betal on his shoulders, Betal asked him, “What in a man, makes him higher than others? Listen to my story and then tell me.” And with that, he began another tale. Once upon a time, the just and good King Shoorsen ruled the Kingdom of Magadha. One afternoon, lost in a hunt, he went deeper and deeper into the forest, till he didn’t know where he was. Hearing a rustling sound nearby, he stumbled upon a young man. “I am Gunadhip, an orphan who has been travelling from town to town searching for work,” said the young man. “From your dress and jewels, I can tell you are royalty, how did you end up in this forest?” After hearing the king’s story, Gunadhip guided the king out of the forest safely. Impressed by Gunadhip’s nature, he offered him the job of minister in his court. Gunadhip was deeply in love with a young maiden and wanted the king to meet her. The maiden was the most beautiful girl the king had ever seen. Upon being introduced, the girl bowed low and uttered , “It is my pleasure to meet you, King Shoorsen. I would like to
marry you. I am sorry Gunadhip, but it has always been my dream to live in a palace and I can do so if I marry the king.” Gunadhip took a deep breath and regained his composure. He turned to the king and said, “You are my king and master. If you would like to marry her, I will not stop you.” The king was surprised but turned to the maiden and said, “Do you not know who Gunadhip is? He is my minister and has his own palace with hundreds of maids and servants. You will live a life of luxury.” Hearing this, the maiden agreed to marry Gunadhip. Betal asked King Vikramaditya, “Which man was higher and nobler for his actions? King Shoorsen or Gunadhip?” “Betal, King Shoorsen’s duties are to protect the welfare of his people, including Gunadhip. By convincing the maiden to marry Gunadhip, he put the happiness of his subjects before his own, making him more noble than Gunadhip.” Betal laughed, “Right you are, but since you have spoken, mighty king, I will fly off and return to my Peepul tree!”
FIND THE HIDDEN OBJECTS
Sam Visits the
Golden Gate Bridge Discover A N ew Pl ace
I am at the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California which is an iconic piece of architecture. Did you know it was called “the bridge that couldn’t be built,” before its construction began on January 5, 1933? After four years of relentless struggle against winds, fog, rocks and treacherous tides, today it stands 227 meters in height and 2,737 in length. It opened on May 27, 1937 and instantly became a much-loved symbol of the city. The bridge was built at a cost of 35 million dollars. It was the world’s longest bridge until 1964, when Verrazano Narrows Suspension Bridge in New York City was built 60 feet longer. The bridge is painted in the colour ‘International Orange’. However, this was not the first colour preference. Proposed colors for the bridge included carbon gray, aluminum, or black. The U.S. Navy wanted black with yellow stripes for greater visibility. Finally inspired by the red primer the steel beams had been coated in at the factories where they were made, the bridge was given an International Orange colour. It is estimated that 5,000 – 10,000 gallons of paint are used to repaint the Golden Gate Bridge each year. Toll collectors have let various cars pass without paying the toll, but collected some unusual things in its place, like canes, shoes and even false teeth.
spot ten differences
4
Throw that wrapper in a dustbin!
Coley & Bumbley About health and more!
Don't Litter! Make the World Better All of you must have seen the bits of wrappers, packets, plastic bags lying all around when you go for a walk, or step outside your home. That is litter. Sometimes in small quantities it is just simply annoying. But when you have huge quantities of it, it becomes garbage and causes landfills. Landfills, not only become eye sores but also places which become breeding places for disease causing animals and pollute the environment. The litter often finds its way into drain holes and waterways, choking them. It is also carried away into our water resources, in the rainy season. Our
Tickle your funny bone
rivers and oceans become polluted causing animals and plants to die in the water. You must have also seen animals unknowingly eating bits of paper, or plastic thinking it is food. This harms them. Sometimes when we knowingly or unknowingly throw litter, we don’t realise it might become inconvenient for someone to clean it up later. In cities, there are people who do go about cleaning and spend time and energy to make sure our cities and town are clean and healthy for us to live. Some of our litter is biodegradable and some of it is not.
Q: What do you call a chameleon that busts a rhyme?
A: A Rap-tile.
Q: What kind of tiles can't you stick on walls?
A: Reptiles!
5
Q: What kind of lizard tells jokes?
A: A stand up
chameleon!
Pondering Corner How can some animals hide in plain sight?
Some animals are able to mimic plants, ground cover, or even other animals. Deer, squirrels, rats, and many other animals have brownish or 'earth tone' colours that match the colour of the tree trunks and soil. Leaf butterflies are able to successfully pass themselves as a dead leaf because of their ‘dead leaf’ like shape and colour. They even have fake leaf veins! Walking sticks, with their dark skinny bodies and swollen joints, smartly dupe their predators with their striking resemblance to dry twigs. Turtles and tortoises use their rock-like appearance to blindside their prey and hide from large predators like crocodiles and alligators.
Sharks, dolphins and many other sea creatures have a greyish-blue colour that helps them blend in with the water. Some animals have tiny pigments in their external skin called ‘biochromes,’ that can absorb ambient light and produce the colour combinations the creature needs. An octopus can change the colour and texture of its skin in a jiffy, so that it can hide in the flora of the ocean floor. The chameleon can match the exact colour of its surroundings. Chameleons also use camouflage to express their mood; they turn yellow, dark blue or even black when they are annoyed. An Arctic fox changes the colour of its fur according to the seasons. In summers, the Arctic fox grows brown fur to hide in the trees and in the winters, it grows white fur to hide in the snow.
AMUSING NEWS
a comic story
sir dig-a-lot
Submarine Warfare
Sir Dig-a-Lot said, “Do you know what a submarine is?” Rohan looked puzzled and said, “Not really, is it a weapon?”
Sir Dig-a-Lot answered, “It is like an underwater vessel which is used as a mode of transport. It was used extensively in World War I.
In warfare, it is used to launch missile attacks on surface ships, submarines, for mine laying and even to launch a nuclear attack. They are also used for explorations, underwater pipelines and searching for gas.”
“Germany and Britain were in competition with each other about their naval strength. So much so, that Germany introduced unrestricted submarine warfare, which was, attacking all ships including unarmed civilian ships which would belong to neutral countries.
On May 7 1915, the German submarine attacked the British merchant ship Lusitania, that had civilians from many countries including the USA. The attack killed over 1000 people. After the United States of America criticised the attack, the Germans stopped for a while, because they feared that the USA would enter the war.
8
On February 1st 1917, Germany resumed the attacks, in a bid to defeat the British fast. This cost them, as the USA formally entered the war against the Germans. However, Germany used submarines until the last months of the war, in the hope of winning through naval confrontation.”
Three Little Kittens
Once there were some silly kittens,
Then the kittens, almost weeping,
And they knitted woolly mittens
Came to where a Cow lay sleeping,
To bestow upon the freezing Hottentots.
And they woke her with this piteous request,“
But the Hottentots refused them,
Won’t you wear our mittens furry?”
Saying that they never used them
Said the Cow, “My dears, don’t worry;
Unless crocheted of red with yellow spots.
I will put them on as soon as I am dressed.”
So the silly little kittens
Then the Cow put on her bonnet
Took their blue and white striped mittens
With a wreath of roses on it,
To a Bear who lived within a hollow tree;
And a beautiful mantilla fringed with white;
The Bear responded sadly,“I would wear
And she donned the pretty mittens,
your mittens gladly,
While the silly little kittens
But I fear they are too small for such as me.”
Clapped their paws in admiration at the sight. 9
All the other chameleons in my class had learnt to change colours. We were told by our teacher that we would pick up the skill naturally as we got older. But it just wasn't happening for me. Every other chameleon in my class could do it without thinking twice. Was there something wrong with me? I closed my eyes really tight and willed my body to change colours. When I opened them again, I realized I had become invisible. Wait! Was this supposed to happen?
Complete
the Story...
fun facts
with Hamlet the Hamster
To know or not to know, that is the question! Well, wouldn’t you prefer to know?
Facts about Chameleons Special cells under the skin called chromatophores allow some chameleon species to change colour. A chameleon can see small insects 5-10 meters away. They can also see in both visible and ultraviolet light. The chameleon’s tongue can reach its prey in just 0.07 split seconds. Their eyes can rotate and focus separately on 180-degree arcs, so they can see two different objects at the same time.
10
Help the Dinosaur Find Her Baby
11
Mocomi timepass is a mini magazine available daily for children!
Packed full of stories, puzzles and fun facts.. there’s a little bit of fun for everyone! follow us on facebook for daily fun content for kids facebook.com/mocomikids
YOUTUBE.COM/USER/MOCOMIKIDS INSTAGRAM.COM/MOCOMIKIDS
For A dva It an d
Ve da nt