Bear Essential News February 2022, Phoenix Edition by Bear Essential News

February 2022 • Phoenix Edition • www.bearessentialnews.com

40 YEARS!

Bear

essential news

Look inside for the SCITECH FESTIVAL pages 9–12

In This Picture: Find a slice of pizza, a football, Cupid’s arrow, a crown, a strawberry, a Valentine’s Day heart, a toothbrush, a pencil, an umbrella and the sun.

FAMILIES

BEAR HUGS

FEATURE

NEWS

AZ SciTech Festival

S elf-DrivingTrucks S ciTe ch Fest O pens! A Train’'s Day 'Fielding' Q uestions Spotlight on Tongan Eruption & more news kids can use from Valley Metro

Plus, Color-the-Gecko Contest! Pages 9 thru 12

News Highlights page 3

NEWS

Scoops pages 5, 8, 14, 16 & 17

Page 2

Win a Reading Pig Anthology! Page 4

Let’s Go... VALLEY METRO! A Day In the Life of a Light Rail Vehicle

I Night Crews Maintain Trains

n the early morning hours, the train’s operator receives the schedule. The operator inspects the trains for safety and begins pulling out of the Operations aintenance enter O , entering the main tracks to go into service. It will be a day of picking up and dropping off passengers along 2 miles at the 3 stations. It will travel through three owntown areas, pass several universities, colleges and other kinds of schools, and stop by many residential areas and businesses in one trip. There is always something new to see. t the end of the day, the operator returns the trains to the O . The maintenance staff takes over from there. The trains are maintained, cleaned, and prepped to go back into service. The interiors of the trains are cleaned and disinfected thoroughly every day. The trains go through an automated train washer that recovers and recycles the wash water. fter the maintenance procedure, the trains rest on the storage track and are ready to go for the next day. alley etro trains and buses operate 365 days a year.

Fast Facts • In the alley, up to three vehicles can be linked together – each one could hold up to 1 5 riders ef ciently. That means moving up to 525 passengers in a three-car train! • Kinkisharyo International manufactured 5 of our original light rail trains • 11 new light rail trains manufactured by Siemens are being added to service in 2 22

Night Time Cleaning Crews

Ready for Morning Passengers

Riders Get On & Off All Day

Operator Heads Back to Station

For more info, go to https://www.valleymetro.org/transit-education/valley-metro-fun 2 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

News Highlights

Undersea Eruption

If you’ve ever taken a road trip between hoenix and Tucson, you know that trucks are a common sight. ut have you ever seen a truck without a driver If you were on the road on ec. 22, you might have seen ust that company announced that it had successfully completed a semi tractor truck drive on Interstate 1 from Tucson to hoenix with no human in the truck and no human intervention along the way. This was the world’s rst such run without a driver Tu imple, an AUTONOMOUS driving technology company, said the mile trip was the rst of its kind on open public roads in a class truck. The truck was completedly operated by the company’s utonomous riving ystem, or . Tu imple said they worked closely with the ri ona epartment of Transportation and law enforcement. The company also used a survey vehicle that drove ve miles ahead of the truck, keeping an eye out for any potential complications. n oversight vehicle was also following the autonomous truck about a half mile behind. aw enforcement vehicles accompanied the truck as well. The truck’s ourney started at a Tucson railyard and followed surface streets and highways. The truck

Image tusimple.com

What Driver? AZ Truck Drives Itself

The world’s strongest volcanic eruption in decades rocked Tonga, a aci c island nation, sending DEBRIS 2 miles in the air and covering the islands in ash in an event that described as more powerful than an atomic bomb. Tonga is no stranger to earth uakes. It sits on the ing of ire, where shifting tec tonic plates cause earth uakes and volcanic eruptions. unga Tonga unga a apai, the volcano at the center of the recent destruc tion, has been a source of fear for local resi dents for years. efore the an. 15 eruption, the volcano sent up steam and gases in ecember as a warning of what was to come. The underwater volcano and subse uent tsunami was an UNPRECEDENTED disaster, according to government of cials. any of Tonga’s 1 1 islands are uninhabited.

navigated traf c signals, on ramps and off ramps, lane changes, an other vehicles on the road. The ourney came to an end after a 1 hour and 2 minute drive when the truck reached a high volume distribution center in the alley. This year, we were laser focused on putting our Eruption Facts: technology through a rigorous test on open public olcano is part of volcanic roads under real world conditions, and to see all our arc stretching from ew ealand to i i hard work and dedication come together is extremely orce of eruption e ual to rewarding, said heng u, resident and EO of 4 1 megatons of dynamite Tu imple, in a written statement. Tsunami resulting waves hits est oast of . . Tu imple is based in an iego and has an of ce in Tucson. The company claims its virtual driver can be operated for less money than traditional trucking owever, some of the populated islands, operations while operating nearly continuously and which were rst inhabited roughly 3, reducing fuel consumption by at least 1 percent. years ago, were heavily damaged by the eruption. atellite images show omuka Island, about 4 miles northeast of the volcano, covered by ash. oral reefs around The ewbery onor ooks are also great reads. Tonga were damaged. The thundering boom or 2 22 they are ed, hite, and hole, by a ani of the volcano was heard in laska 6, a occa nake alls to Earth, by arcie ittle adger miles from the eruption. The surging surf Too right to ee, by yle ukoff, and atercress. caused an oil spill in eru. The awards end with picks for the aldecott Tonga’s geography 1,4 miles from and ewberry medals, the most PRESTIGIOUS and ew ealand and 3, miles away from oldest awards for merican awaii means the country is hard to reach. children’s books. 22 awards. esides being a remote destination, Tonga The aldecott edal for the is known for its white sandy beaches. It has most distinguished merican also been gaining attention in recent years picture book goes to illustrator as climate brings rising seas and powerful ason hin for his hinese in storms to its shores. uenced watercolor paintings The country’s remoteness presents an for atercress, an autobi added challenge for its recovery. Tonga’s ographical story by ndrea communication has been largely cut off as the single underwater ber optic cable that ang. er parents emigrated connected Tonga to the rest of the world was from hina, and she tells the severed by the volcano and tsunami. fter story of them suddenly stopping their old ontiac and locating the precise location of the damage in having her and her brother harvest watercress growing the cable, a speciali ed ship will be deployed in the frigid water of a ditch alongside a corn eld. This to the area for repair. hile it is estimated foraging has meaning and helps the young girl connect that there are roughly 2 repairs carried out to her heritage. ecommended for readers ages 4 . The 2 22 aldecott onor ooks are ave ou on cables around the world each year, it is Ever een a lower , ell ell, nspeakable The rare for natural disasters to cause this type of Tulsa ace assacre and onder alkers. damage. Image: csl.noaa.gov

Brilliant Children’s Books Earn Top Medals science ction novel about being humankind’s last hope after the Earth is destroyed and a picture book about a stop by the side of a rural Ohio road that helps a girl connect to her hinese roots NABBED top honors from the merican ibrary ssociation on an. 24. The ast uentista, by onna arba iguera, and atercress, illustrated by ason hin are the best of the best children’s books published last year, earning the 2 22 ohn ewbery and andolph aldecott medals, respectively. This is the 1 th anniver sary of the ewbery edal, which is awarded to the author of the most distinguished children’s book published in the nited tates. In The ast uentista, young etra e a wants to be a storyteller like her abuelita. ut when a comet strikes Earth, she and her family are part of a few hundred chosen to ourney to a new planet. ind out what makes her so special ecom mended for young readers ages 1 to teen.

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 3

Bear Hugs:

Engaging With the Grandkids

BRACES $

per month

FREE CONSULTATION

CHECK

-UP!

EXAM, X-RAYS & CLEANING

$35

(for patients without insurance)

Open Saturday and Sunday! www.KidzConnextion.com • 480-725-8413 • Text or Call 524 E. Baseline Rd. South Phoenix

2046 N. 24th St. Central Phoenix

2533 N. 75th Ave. West Phoenix

National Children’s Dental Health Month!

t’s important for children to learn good oral health care habits at an early age. arents should teach their children the proper steps to maintain a healthy smile in order to minimi e the risk of cavities and tooth decay. aintaining good oral hygiene is bene cial to long term oral health. child’s oral health care should start at infancy. arents can swab an infant’s mouth with water to clean the gums after each feeding. Once an infant’s rst tooth erupts, a small, soft bristled toothbrush should be used to clean the tooth. It’s best to consult a pediatric dentist before you start brushing your child’s tooth with toothpaste. id onnextion recommends age one is the right time to bring your child in for their rst dental visit. t two years of age parents can begin teaching them how to brush their teeth in front of a mirror. y age six, children should be ready to brush their own teeth Encourage your kids to brush at least two times a day for at least two minutes. Steps for Brushing: 1. lace the toothbrush at a 45 angle along the gum line. ove the toothbrush in a back and forth motion, and repeat for each tooth. 2. rush the inside surface of each tooth, using the same back and forth techni ue. 3. rush the chewing surface of each tooth. 4. se tip of brush to brush behind each tooth front and back, top and bottom, and up and down strokes. rush your tongue, too

Steps for Flossing: 1. ull 1 to 24 inches of dental oss from the dispenser 2. rap the ends of the oss around your index and middle ngers. 3. old the oss tightly around each tooth in a shape move the oss back and forth in a push pull motion and up and down against the side of each tooth.

www.KidzConnextion.com 4 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

by Mary DeStefano

Where Does Rain Come From? IO IT is a wonderful thing orrect owever you may know a child who never tires of asking uestions. In this busy world it’s easy to ust answer the uestion and move on. Often that is all that’s re uired, but occa sionally, with a bit of patience, that uestion can become a wonderful teachable moment. et’s observe a child looking out the window as it rains and asking, here does rain come from epending on the child’s age, one response might be to return the uestion to the child. etter still, it might be time to don raincoats and head outside to make some obser vations. I imagine this will spark more uestions. I suggest making a list of those uestions. ext, decide a best method to nd and prove answers. reating a daily log booklet to record the sky, the clouds, and other weather encourages the child to nd the answers as well as learning scienti c methods. ote cloud shapes and colors as well as noting days with no clouds. It might encourage an interest in watching The eather hannel together. earning to make critical observations to answer uestions about clouds might ust lead to a meteorologist in the family.

There are many wonderful books about the weather cycle to enhance the learning. The Great Big Water Cycle Adventure by ay

ranham

Drop:An Adventure through the Water Cycle by Emily ate Water is Water by

iranda

oon

aul

Enter To Win The Reading Pig Adventures! a hardcover anthology of the four books by Nicholas I. Clement, Ed.D.

The Reading Pig Adventures Entry Form ame

ddress

E mail ail your entry by Feb. 28, 2022 to ear Essential ews 2525 E. roadway lvd. 1 2 Tucson,

5 16

Get the Scoop!

SciTech Festival Opens at Barrett-Jackson

by Reporter Briana Williams Arizona Desert Elementary I was given a special opportunity to attend the Barrett-Jackson and SciTech Event in Scottsdale at Westworld. When we went to the event, the first thing I noticed was the huge banner that said, arrett ackson, the orld’s reatest ar uction. Once I stepped in the doors, cars were divided in sections. First I saw the Ford cars, then getting closer, there was a section where I got to go inside a car. Then I went to other car sections in other buildings and saw more. I took a picture by a 2022 Corvette Stingray. I also got to take a picture next to a 2023 Corvette Stingray that has not been on the market yet. I also saw a 1967 Shelby Cobra. The most interesting thing I saw was a 1961 Divco custom milk truck. Because my uncle had a friend, Mike Dustman, who was with Barrett-Jackson, we were given a special guided tour. He explained the cars and engines. He told us what car he would be driving and we got to see that, too. Dustman has been a driver with Barrett-Jackson for 18 years. “Before I was a driver, I was security on the block (stage),” he says. fter the ceremony ribbon cutting, I met ake ounsbury, irector of ciTech Institute of lobal Partnership. He used to be a reporter when he was younger. He was a seventh grade science teacher. Now he is with SciTech. The building next to the stage of Barrett-Jackson was where the SciTech Festival was located. When I walked in to the festival a lady at the front desk gave me a paper to get stamped at each exhibit booth. When my paper was stamped and I had visited each booth, MORE BARRETT-JACKSON, page 8 ➧

The Journey from Auditions to the Stage by Reporter Georgiana Readhead, Homeschool In January, I auditioned for the play “The Prince And The Pauper, A usical at East alley hildren’s Theatre E T . It is the story of two young boys, a prince, and a pauper, who look amazingly alike. They meet by chance and accidentally swap spots! Neither of them is quite sure what to do outside of their usual lives so, of course, chaos ensues! When I went to auditions, I felt nervous, but then I talked to the people next to me and felt a bit better. Later that night, I got a call inviting me to callbacks! At callbacks I felt more confident. The audition and callback involved singing, acting and dancing. After callbacks, I got an email saying that they couldn’t use my talents this time around. I felt really, really sad and disappointed, though I knew that I had given it my best shot. But guess what? Early the next day, I got a message saying that an actor had to pull out of the production, asking if I would be able to take a role. I was so excited! Since then, I have had a lot of fun, learning the script, learning the choreography, singing, and making friends. I thought Artistic Director Karen Rolston would have lots of interesting ideas to share about acting so I interviewed her. During auditions, she says, “The first thing I look for is listeners, then those who follow directions, someone who seems to really want to be there and is having fun, and then the usual things: Can I hear them? Are they fun to watch? And do they bring something to the character they are reading for?” One of my biggest frustrations is people that don’t really want to be in the show, and they don’t give their best effort,” says Rolston. She believes that if everyone in a show, no matter how much experience they have, works their hardest and does their absolute best, the show will be amazing and everyone involved will feel great about what they have accomplished. MORE EVCT, page 17 ➧

News Stories Written by Kids— for Kids Research Ship Helps Explore Oceans by Reporter Hunter Tournas Waybright Academy We talk a lot about space exploration, but did you know that we have not even explored 80% of the ocean on Earth? Thanks to companies like Seeop and their partnership with ASU on the Research Sailing Vessel Argo, students and researchers have new opportunities to access the ocean. I had the opportunity to interview some of the team about using drones and ROVs to learn more about the ocean and marine life. I talked to Argo founder Douglas Thorpe, Captain Luis Caffi and Eli Fuhrman. Argo is a boat with drones used for marine biology research. I heard about how Caffi— who was a Navy aviator in Chile—once got stranded for a day on a lifeboat because he lost connection with the crew on shore. They asked me a few questions about why I was interested in Argo. After they asked their questions, I asked my questions. The interview was 30–60 minutes long and it was pretty fun. This was my first interview and I really enjoyed the experience. My favorite part was hearing about how the Argo team actually slept on the boat. I am thankful for this experience. I am looking forward to what they do next. To learn more about the RSV Argo, go to seeop.com/argo. MORE SCOOPS, page 8 ➧

REPORT FOR BEAR! Call us at:

866-639-7543 sponsors

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 5

Growing, Growing,

Strong!

Sponsored by

Fun tips on healthy foods, fitness and well being —from our family to yours!

phoenixchildrens.org

Tips for Better Grocery Shopping

602-933-0935

ritten by aria ilva, , ietitian, hoenix hildren’s

, E ivision of Endocrinology

1 can of soda

Image shutterstock.com

= 40 grams of sugar

f you were to make a list of what you can order from your phone or your computer, which groceries would be on it e have made it very easy to do online orders and with a simple touch have them delivered to our door. ome people en oy going to the grocery store, browsing the aisles, and seeing what is new and available to eat while some people prefer the ease of online ordering. egardless of how you prefer getting your groceries, here are some simple tips you can follow to ensure you have nutritious and delicious options at home.

•

s a family, you can browse the products available by starting with vegetables and fruits.

•

hoose foods you are familiar with but also venture out to try new ones. It can become a fun activity where, as a family, you try a new vegetable and fruit. se your ve senses to describe them and have fun with it. It is okay to use fro en or canned foods as well as fresh If you select a canned food item, choose one with low sodium and with no sauce if fro en.

Volume 43 • Issue 5

Editor & Publisher

Sales Director & Publisher

Stephen B Gin

Nancy Holmes

City Editor

YR Coordinator

Copy Editor

Art Director

Mike Loghry

Gary Shepard

Renee Griffith

Julie Madden

Bear Essential News for Kids®

is published monthly by ids’ iew ommunications orp. to educate, enrich and entertain children and their families. ontent of this newspaper is designed to promote reading and writing skills as well as creativity. lassroom educators are welcome to reproduce any portion of this newspaper for their students. all or fax ids’ iew ommunications for any additional information on stories. lease all

(480) 752-2327 for any editorial or advertising in

uiries.

www.bearessentialnews.com

6 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

5 16

ENDORSED BY THE

Arizona Education Association

•

fter that aisle, move on to whole grains. There are so many options beans, rice, uinoa, lentils, chickpeas, breads, and tortillas. ake sure to give preference to the whole grains. This means that if you venture into the middle aisles at the store, choose those low in sugar 5g or less per serving and with ber 3g or more per serving .

•

hen it comes to proteins, choose ones that are low in fat such as chicken, sh, turkey, and lean cuts of other meats.

•

or beverages, choose water as often as possible, and use fruits and vegetables to add color and avor.

•

astly, know that there is a difference between a snack and a treat hips and cookies are not snacks, they are treats, and as such should be eaten in small portions and less fre uently, not all at once. inally, create a list of the foods you want to eat during the week. o your grocery shopping based on the grocery list you created and have fun shopping online or at the store

Black Mountain BMX

We Are OPEN and

RACING!

For Dates and Times, check our website

602-999-5979

www.blackmountainbmx.com

BoSa DONUTS

Best Donuts In Arizona

Celebrates Education! ! Tell us why your S D I teacher is GREAT K

BoSa Donuts salutes a different Valley teacher each month for their hard work, dedication and passion for teaching Arizona kids!

Coffee & Smoothies

and be entered to win a

$50

for your teacher

Longtime Teacher Loves the Second Grade

nne Mattison has been a teacher for over 30 years. She teaches second grade at Madison Heights Elementary. attison taught rst grade for more than 2 years, but she says she absolutely loves second grade. One thing she enjoys is the candor of her young students. One instance of a youngster offering his truthful opinion happened one day when her hair was down. She says she normally wears it in a ponytail, and the boy—a second-grader who is not in her class told her, ow, rs. Mattison. You look very pretty now, she recalls with a laugh. I love teaching because I get to see the joy on the student's face when they understand something and they know they are doing well at something, she explains. lus I love ust spend ing time with them. Mattison also enjoys spending time with her husband, kids and pets. he has three children, three dogs and a pig named ig also called ig pig. he says she loves to travel, and has been to many states including Hawaii and Alaska. She has also traveled outside the . . to places like osta ica, exico,

BoSaDonuts.com PHOENIX 1 th ve innacle eak 1 . innacle eak d 1 1 623 4 4 44th t ashington 125 44th treet, 1 623 6666 7th & Union Hills 710 E. Union Hills 623 3 6656 32nd t hea 1 6 . 32nd t 6 2 56 5556 3 th t Indian chool 3 22 E. Indian chool d 6 2 55 55 5 Central & Clarendon 3701 N. Central Ave 6 2

23rd ve amelback 2211 . amelback 1 6 6 2 36 44

Bell Rd & Tatum 46 1 E. ell d, te 5 6 26 33 2

Arizona Ave & alveston 655 ri ona ve 4 134

3rd St & Fillmore 455 3rd t, te 11 5 6 2 555 35th ve outhern 636 . 35th ve 6 2 26

Arizona Ave & Ocotillo 4 15 ri ona ve 4 5 55

PEORIA 5th ve actus 446 actus d 623 334 5 6 GLENDALE lendale ve itch eld 13 2 lendale ve 623 2 1 1 1

MESA Country Club & Southern 1144 ountry lub r 4 44 61 1 d

Teacher name: _______________________ School: _____________________________ istrict Your name: __________________________ rade

hone

email: ______________________________ hy is your teacher great ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________ ____________________________________

Send this info and your entry to osa onuts Teachers

(Winners by random drawing–no purchase necessary)

2525 E. Broadway #102 • Tucson, AZ 85716 or by email to renee@bearessentialnews.com

31 Valley locations to serve you—and growing!

CHANDLER obson Elliott 2 obson d 4 4

1st Ave & Monroe 1 1 1st ve, te 1 6 2

and a $25 GIFT CARD for yourself!

ra il, England, olland, enmark, ermany, pain, France and Kenya. attison en oys reading, especially mystery stories, and says she had all the ancy rew books when she was young. She passed them on to her daughter who liked them well enough, but does not share the same heartfelt affection for them. Mattison has lived in Arizona since she was a young child. Most of those years have been in hoenix, but her family lived in the inetop area for a while, she says. Mattison is an ASU graduate and received her master’s degree in elementary education from NAU. She has her English as a Second anguage, eading and ifted endorsement. Student Hazel nominated her teacher, and writes that she appreciates that Mattison teaches her and protects her at school. Mattison says she encourages her students to do their best, to keep working at things they may nd dif cult at rst, and to be mindful. Mattison wants her students to believe in themselves and have the mantra I can do this, if not now, I have to keep trying.

SCOTTSDALE 4th t c owell 444 E c owell d 4 13

4th t ackson 31 4th t, te 1 6 2 666

GIFT CARD

Mesa Riverview 5 obson d, te 1 4 6 66

reen eld niversity 441 E. niversity, te 1 1 4 44 CASA GRANDE Florence Blvd. & Arizola Rd. 165 E. lorence lvd 52 6 266 GILBERT Val Vista & Queen Creek 4 44 al ista r 4 6 4 ilbert illiams ield d 155 E illiams ield d 4 14 16 1

QUEEN CREEK ower d handler 23 5 . ower d 4 6 5

eights

SURPRISE eems reenway 15261 eems d,

Coffee & Smoothies

te 1 4 623 4 4

BUY A DOZEN DONUTS

PRESCOTT urley leasant 415 E. urley t 2 23

GET 6 FREE!

Val Vista & Elliot 13 al ista r, E1 4 6 222

SAN TAN VALLEY ombs ant el 3 5 1 . ant el d, 1 4 6 6 4

igley illiams ield d 33 5 E illiams ield d, te 1 4 4 2 5 5 44

More locations coming soon!

Higley & Baseline 1614 igley d 4 6 62

Best Donuts In Arizona

Expires 2/28/2022 One coupon per person. ith coupon only. o photocopies.

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 7

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 5

More SciTech Festival I received a prize. My favorite booth was the Paradise Valley Community College exhibit that showed different ways electronics work. There were robots that worked by phone. There was also a 3-D printer where you could make things. I got to see how it worked. There was a screen where you could watch the printer at work. Other exhibits included a station where we could do coding. Adviser: Karen Golden

8 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 9

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

THE FAMOUS SCITECH GECKO COLORING AND ART CONTEST

Nova’s Birthday

STEM Fest The Pennzoil STEM Fest powered by SciTech Institute was an incredible opportunity for the entire family to consider favorite STEM hobbies to launch the Arizona SciTech Festival season of 2022 at Barrett-Jackson this year. CEO & President of the Arizona Technology Council, Steven Zylstra, and VP of Marketing for Cox Communications, RJ Mueller, joined Nova The Gecko and Boomer Bear of Bear Essential News on stage for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony of the 11th Season of the Arizona SciTech Festival at 10:30am on January 22 with Mr. Craig Jackson. SUNI the Robot and Friends joined us in the concourse to celebrate the partnerships with Arizona CSOs, including 6th year member Benjamin Doerksen! CSO International representatives and Festival STREET Team members were on site supporting 43 hands on exhibits from a variety of collaborators, including Lucid Motors, Avondale STEAM Bus, Safe Decision, Paradise Valley Community College, Zero EV Corp, GenTech Support, Arizona Renaissance Festival, University of Advancing Technology, Kartchner Caverns, Liberty Wildlife, Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary and FIRST Robotics Launch Team 6352.

Check out the cool resources at

SCITECHINSTITUTE.ORG!

Thank you to our sponsors:

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

THE FAMOUS SCITECH GECKO COLORING AND ART CONTEST

Nova’s Birthday

Check out the cool resources at

SCITECHINSTITUTE.ORG!

Thank you to our sponsors:

Boomer’s Boredom-Busting Activity Page

W h a t Is

S us t ain abili t y? Boomer Bear is looking for some information about the word sustainability. Why is it such an important topic today, and how can kids across the planet help make it their everyday goal?

Soil & Water Facts:

! e s U 2

Recycling Is a Great Start!

Clues

Draw a line from the item to the correct bin.

If you want to help solve the world’s problems, then a science career in sustainability may be perfect for you. With a career in sustainability, you can work in RENEWABLE energy resources, outreach and education, wildlife conservation and so much more. Most careers involve an education in environmental science, biology or engineering.

BLUE BIN

Recycle

GREEN BIN

Trash FINISH!

Fill in the words below to find ways you can help your neighborhood and the planet. WORD BANK

BIKE RECYCLE CURIOUS VEGGIES ENERGY WATER

1. COMPOST YOUR __ __ __ __ __ __ __ 2. USE GREEN __ __ __ __ __ __ 3. CONSERVE __ __ __ __ __ 4. __ __ __ __ TO SCHOOL 5. __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ITEMS 6. BE __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ANSWERS: 1) VEGGIES, 2) ENERGY, 3) WATER. 4) BIKE, 5. RECYCLE, 6, CURIOUS

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 13

Answers: Blue bin: aluminum can, newspaper, milk carton, plastic bottle Green bin: dirty pizza box, banana peel, dirty napkin, styrofoam container

Get the Scoop!

Book Has Origami, Puppets & More by Reporter Nava Nelson, Homeschool Have you ever been bored? I know how to karate chop your dreariness right out of your day I am reviewing a book called The ids’ ook of ticker ove by Irene mit and Astrid Van Der Hulst. It is a book of paper crafts with almost everything included. The only other things you need are just scissors and a glue stick. The book is created not to be read, but to take the pages apart and create fun projects. I am going to share with you some cool crafts that I did from the book, and rate them. Tiny Rainbow Notes: This craft was super fun! It was very easy. The rainbow colors are vibrant and cheerful. Inside is a space to write a little note. The ease of this craft was outstandingly simple, making it enjoyable to create. I would highly recommend this one. Difficulty: *(easy) Fun: ***** (5 stars) Animal Finger Puppets: I found this craft extremely difficult (a thousand mad faces). I could not understand the paper fold on the final step. I got stuck and even my mom could not figure it out. It was quite frustrating and I felt very discouraged and confused as to why the instructions were so contrary to the previous steps. Difficulty: ***** (hard) Fun: ** (2 stars) Blank notebook: This craft was one of my favorites. It wasn’t so much a craft as it was an activity. It is a small blank pocket notebook with a brown Kraft cover. There is a sticker sheet filled with random things to decorate it! Difficulty: * (easy) Fun: ***** (5 stars) Overall this book was very fun even though there were a few dud crafts. There are over 35 crafts in all, and I liked 99.99% of them! I spent the entire day going through it and my mom was so grateful that I had something fun to keep me entertained. Visit www.workman.com to purchase this book.

14 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

Why Do We Recycle? by Reporter Dalia Bukundja Arizona Desert Elementary Have you ever wondered why we have two trash cans? That is because there is one for trash and one for recycling. Why is there a recycling bin? Recycling bins are for things like paper, cardboard, glass bottles and especially anything that contains plastic. Global News says that a human consumes about 126–142 particles of plastic every day. What happens when plastic goes into the ocean ome sea animals are about to go extinct if we do not save the ocean. A study in Australia reported on the World Wildlife Fund website says that over half of all sea turtles have eaten plastic. The more plastic a sea turtle eats, the more likely it may get sick or even die. Turtles’ shells are really hard, but if a turtle gets stuck in fishing line or plastic, it can warp its shell. Why is it important to recycle? It helps our earth with less trash in the ocean, makes the earth clean and allows us to get oxygen from plants and gardens. Why did I say gardens? Once plants have water and carbon dioxide, they can use energy from the sunlight. The leftover food from the plant is another gas called oxygen.

Image: shutterstock.com

Continued from page 5

Adviser: Karen Golden

MORE SCOOPS, page 16 ➧

Girl Scouts Help Make Positive Changes In Their Communities The Girl Scout Cookie Program helps fuel girls’ adventures, whether it’s planning a trip to summer camp, earning new badges, helping out in the community, or earning a igh ward. ookies support every irl cout’s dreams, passions and goals. hen a customer purchases a box of cookies they help power ama ing experiences for girls girls like ylee enry. irl couts like ylee use their cookie proceeds and the skills they learn to make a difference in their communities. ylee is an independent girl member. eing an independent girl member is an option for any girl who wants to experience irl couting on their own.

ylee recently helped remove graf ti from the natural landscape at ava o ational onument. ylee has also collected gently used clothes, shoes and household items to give to oodwill, and is constantly participating in other ways that allow her to give back to her community. ylee shares that selling cookies has given her a chance to practice her leadership skills. he also feels that she has become more resilient and has learned persistence. Through the irl cout ookie rogram, ylee and girls like her grow their communication skills skills they can apply in the real world, like networking, public speaking,

Girl Scouts help to

remove graffiti fro m rock face.

business ethics and strategies. They’re able to make change in their communities in ways that they are passionate about as 1 of cookie proceeds stay local The ookie rogram ends on eb. 2 ow is a great time to oin irl couts. To nd meeting times and locations, nd out how to oin a troop or start your own troop, and learn more, visit girlscoutsa .org oin. Interested families are also invited to participate in the rst ever community 5 , the ring ome the ookies 5 , taking place eb. 26 at un evil tadium in Tempe. ee you there

up effort at Kylee (left) helps a clean ent num Mo al Navajo Nation

Join Girl Scouts today! Visit girlscoutsaz.org Call 602-452-7030 Text 844-317-9041

@GSACPC February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 15

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 5

Have a Fun Valentine’s Day by Reporter Ezekiel Perez Homeschool alentine’s ay is every year on ebruary 14th. It is a day to celebrate love and friendship. hat do you do for alentine’s ay o you celebrate with a party o you make cards for your friends I am sharing some alentine’s ay celebration ideas. eading is a great way to celebrate ere are some book recommendations to read during this alentine’s season. ould you like to en oy a book of a beautiful love song hat about you ask your parents to play ll ou eed Is ove by The eatles while reading together ook for the board book with the same title as the song written by ohn ennon and aul c artney and illustrated by arc osenthal. nother great board book is I love my ragon by odi oore. I love ere omes alentine at by eborah nderwood and The est alentine in the orld by ar orie einman harmat. oth books are dramatic and fun. ou can bring the family together and make cookies. The story of alentine’s ay by lyde obert ulla has an easy to make alentine cookies recipe at the back of the book. ou can even share some okes while baking o matter how you celebrate, I wish you a wonderful alentine’s ay

Those Crazy Monsters Return in ‘Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania’ by Reporter Lily & Ava Lutich Kiva Elementary If you have not watched otel Transylvania 4 Transformania, you should. I highly suggest it. In this comedy the monsters are back, but not how they used to be. ay hello to change because these cra y monsters really get caught up in a mess when they turn themselves into humans This movie stars elena ome as avis and dam amberg as ohnny. I would definitely rate this movie a four and a half out of 5. One of my favorite parts is when ohnny is a giant monster and avis still calls him sweetie. This movie is about ohnny turning himself into a monster and racula ending up turning himself into a human. They both have to go on a long ourney into the ungle to find the gem to turn them back into themselves. They have to fight obstacles on the way. hile ohnny is having the time of his life, racula is fighting through it. It gets more serious when they find out that they don’t have a lot of time to find the gem before it is too late and ohnny becomes a full blown monster. rtwork by va utich

16 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 5

More EVCT Continued from page 5 olston says that the most magical part of directing is watching a show come alive from the pages and seeing how everything, the kids, designers, choreography, songs, blocking, and expression come together and grow from the original idea. I wish that people knew we were around here and what a great place it is, says olston. It’s a wonderful place to learn about theatre and so much more than acting, like time management, working together as a group, and gaining perspectives when working with other people. hen asked what she is looking forward to for the future of E T, olston said, e’ve been here for 25 years, so I’m ust excited that it’s been here that long and moving forward. I hope that it continues to grow like it has the last 25 years into this great place where kids can have a great time. If you like acting or would like to see Photo by Penrod Photography E T perform, check out evct.org.

The Fairy Experience is an exciting interactive adventure for children ages 4 and up with portraits by ri ona’s top portrait artists that allows a child’s imagination to soar

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 17

Enter to WIN a 4 Pack of Tickets! Go to BearEsentialNews.com

18 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

February 2022 • Bear Essential News • 19

Helping Cows to

Keep Their COOL!

Cooling Daisy Down Daisy and the dairy cows are trying to stay cool today. But, there is something very strange happening on the dairy farm. Take a close look at the two pictures at the right and help Daisy spot the odd differences. Can you help Daisy ﬁnd all six differences in the two pictures?

Check Out Daisy’s Fun Flipbook and Video!

rock cliff, 2. cow’s

hair, 3. cow’s

20 • Bear Essential News • February 2022

ANSWERS: 1.

ture

tra post in top pic

Scan the QR Code to read the Flip Book and watch the video of Daisy’s Dairy Dreams!

ide Temp., 6. Ex

Daisy the dairy cow lives on an Arizona dairy and dreams of what she might have been if she wasn’t a cow. With her friend, Saguaro the Owl, she imagines being an astronaut… a sled dog… a scientist?

eyes, 4. Outside Temp., 5. Ins

Daisy’s Dairy Dreams

Visit our website to learn more about the life of Arizona dairy cows!