Bear Essential News October 2021, Tucson Edition by Bear Essential News

Bear 40 YEARS!

October 2021 • Tucson Edition • www.bearessentialnews.com

essential news

In This Picture: Find a candle, a spider, a ghost, a lollipop, an apple, a sugar skull, a broom, a princess hat, candy vampire teeth and the word BOO!

FEATURE

NEWS

F light and UFOs

Volcanic Eruptions

New science in the skies! Pages 10 & 11

Spotlight on mapping coral reefs News Highlights page 5

NEWS

A Tale of Tadpoles!

& more news kids can use Scoops pages 7, 8, 15 & 18

FAMILIES

CONTEST

Fall Events

WIN a BIKE! A fun coloring contest

Fun things to see & do Pages 16 & 17

Page 2

ARTIST’S FIRST NAME: __________________

KIDS! Enter to WIN a NEW BICYCLE! Use your imagination to color the El Tour de Tucson coloring contest! The best artwork, as judged by Perimeter Bicycling staff and friends, in each of three age groups will receive a free bicycle. One new bike will be awarded to one boy and one girl in each of the following age groups: 3–5, 6–8 and 9–12. inners will be announced prior to l Tour de Tucson and awarded at the Let’s Ride hildren’s ike linic at Armory Park on riday, ovember 1 , 2021.

Mail your entry to: El Tour de Tucson, 2609 East Broadway, Tucson 85716 by November 1, 2021

2 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 3

In This Issue!

Check out Bear’s Fun Fall Events Calendar in this issue—and online! Page 2…El Tour de Tucson. Enter the coloring contest for a chance to win a FREE Bike! Page 5…News Highlights & In the Spotlight. Volcano erupts on the Canary Islands. Oil spill hits California coast, and a new atlas maps Earth’s coral reefs!

Pages 7, 8, 15 & 18…Get the Scoop! Saving tadpoles in a monsoon puddle, weather insights from a local meteorologist and more news by Bear Essential Young Reporters.

Page 9…Bear's Virtual Halloween Costume Contest. Submit your photos for a

chance to win some great prizes!

Pages 10 & 11…Flight and UFOs. Scientific advances, and some mysteries, too! Pages 16 & 17…Boomer’s Fall & Halloween Calendar! Great ideas for the

4 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

News Highlights

Coral Reefs Get Hi-tech Treatment

Photo: commons.w

A volcano began erupting on the Canary Island of La Palma on Sept. 19, sending lava shooting into the air and streaming across the island. The eruption forced the evacuation of thousands of people from their homes and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, as well as AGRICULTURAL land. Fortunately, no deaths or serious injuries have been reported. ine days after the eruption began, lava owed over the island’s edge and into the Atlantic cean. Though it is only four miles from the Cumbre Vieja volcanic ridge to the ocean, much of the land is at which slowed the lava ow. Initial air quality readings showed no immediate danger in the area, but scientists warned residents that the lava hitting the ocean was likely to produce small explosions and toxic gases. La Palma is home to 85,000 people and many residents who have not been evacuated have been cautioned to stay indoors. Although La Palma is located off the northwestern coast of Africa, it is one of Spain’s anary slands. La Palma’s economy centers on agriculture and tourism—both of which are being affected by the volcanic eruption. Spain classi ed La Palma as a disaster zone after the eruption began, which will provide some nancial support for the island. La Palma is a small island, measuring roughly 22 miles long and 12 miles wide at its broadest point. The lava has already started reshaping the island’s footprint where it has reached the water as the hot

ikimedia.org/Eduard o Robaina

Volcano Erupts On Island of La Palma

lava mixes with the ocean water. La Palma is no stranger to earthquakes with its last eruption in 1971 that lasted for about three weeks. There are historical accounts of people seeing volcanic eruptions on the island all the way back to 1585, and radiocarbon dating done by scientists shows volcano activity as far back as about 5,000 . .! perts say it’s impossible to determine how long the current eruption will last as previous eruptions have lasted weeks or even months.

Offshore Oil Spill Hits California Beaches & Wildlife ctober got off to a bad start as a Paci c cean oil spill hit the California coastline. Some people who live and work in the area saw an oil SHEEN on the water on riday evening, ct. 1, and could smell vapors from the crude oil. The company that runs the offshore drilling and production operation, Amplify Energy Corp., noti ed the U.S. oast Guard of the spill the next Photo: Christian Monterrosa, EPA day. At least 126,000 gallons of crude oil escaped from an underwater pipeline into the Paci c, creating a

13-square-mile oil slick that made its way toward the Southern California coastline. Toxic black globs came ashore, along with a foul smell. The company shut down the pipeline and the rest of the operation that’s several miles out at sea. So far, about 6 miles of coastline, including some important wildlife areas, have been affected. Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr calls the spill an environmental catastrophe. “ ur wetlands are being degraded and portions of our coastline are now covered in oil,” she said at a press conference. Certain beaches are expected to remain closed. Amplify Energy promises to continue helping authorities with the painstaking cleanup efforts until as much oil as possible has been recovered. It could take weeks or even months.

Arizona may be a landlocked state, but that doesn’t mean we’re not having a big impact on the ocean! The Center for Global Discovery and Conservation is working on some groundbreaking research around the world. The center is af liated with Arizona State University and has locations in Tempe and Hawaii. It was part of a partnership that recently completed a comprehensive online map of the world’s coral reefs, known as the Allen Coral Atlas. The atlas combines about two million satellite images with local data to create high-resolution maps of coral reefs all across the globe. Nearly 100,000 square miles of reefs in water up to 50 feet deep were mapped, and about three quarters of those reefs have never The Maldives Habitat Mapping Team, Sept. 2019 Credit: Hana Amir

before been mapped with such detail or at all. The atlas allows users to see detailed information about local reefs, including everything from coral to the sand, rocks and seagrass. The Allen Coral Atlas also includes information about coral bleaching, which allows researchers to monitor reefs that are stressed due to factors such as global warming. “It is a gratifying milestone after years of dedicated nonstop teamwork to bring this global map to fruition, but the true value of the work will come when coral conservationists are able to better protect coral reefs based on the high-resolution maps and monitoring system,” says Greg Asner, managing director of the Allen oral Atlas at ASU. “ e must double down and use this tool as we work to save coral reefs from the impacts of our climate crisis and other threats.” ASU reports that there are already of cials from 14 countries working with atlas team members to use the maps in marine planning projects. The Allen Coral Atlas is named after Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who funded the partnership behind the project. Allen reportedly wanted to help save the world’s coral reefs and liked the idea of using technology to make it happen—something the atlas will hopefully ensure! October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 5

PLANET PATROL Reports on the environment and ways kids can help to keep this planet healthy & safe

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HALLOWEEN! Halloween is a blast, but it can also be a very wasteful holiday. The average American spends over $75 each Halloween for costumes and decorations, only to throw most of it in the land ll once the holiday is over. ere are a few tips to make your Halloween a little more green! Go local– Most pumpkins from the grocery store come from hundreds or even thousands of miles away. Shipping these heavy pumpkins requires a lot of energy in the form of fossil fuels. Instead, ask your parents to take your family to a local pumpkin patch. Most pumpkin patches have fun stuff to do during Halloween like hay rides and corn mazes, so you get to have fun while supporting a local farmer and helping the environment. Score! Get the most out of your pumpkin– A pumpkin is more than just a decoration it’s food! You can roast the pumpkin seeds for a healthy treat. And remember, your jack-o-lantern contains lot of nutrients and should never be thrown in the land ll. ind a new home for your pumpkin in a compost pile so its nutrients won’t go to waste. Get creative– Don’t you hate when you show up to school on alloween and someone else is wearing the same costume as you? So embarrassing. Shop at a thrift store and create your own costume instead of buying a brand new one and you won’t have that problem! Goodwill, Savers and other thrift shops have unique costume ideas that are way cheaper than other stores, and you’ll never have to share your costume with another classmate again. Save your wrappers– We all know the best part of Halloween is all the candy, right? During this time of year, Americans purchase and consume almost 600 million pounds of candy. So what happens to all those candy wrappers? Sadly, they get tossed in the trash. Plastic candy wrappers are not recyclable, but you can get creative with them and make cool crafts from trash like this purse! There are tons of fun craft ideas that reuse candy wrappers available online or on YouTube.

6 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

Get the Scoop!

Monsoon Brought Surprises—Tadpoles! by Reporter Salome Shaw-Robles, Lineweaver Elementary In my neighborhood there was a giant puddle formed by the monsoon rain. One day my mom and I decided to go for a walk. We looked in the puddle for tadpoles and saw none. The next week we looked again and we saw one and then a whole bunch. We realized that the tadpoles could get run over by a car. So we made a sign that said “Avoid puddle. Tadpoles!” so the cars wouldn’t drive over the puddle and the tadpoles would be safe. After we had put up the sign I suggested that we take a tadpole home and research it. So we went back home, gathered supplies and went back to catch a tadpole! When we got back to the puddle I caught a tadpole on my second try. When we got home we put her in a bigger container. Unfortunately, the next morning when we woke up the tadpole had passed away. But we realized even though one died a thousand tadpoles survived because of our sign. A couple weeks later we saw that the tadpoles had become tiny baby toads that hopped around the grass by the puddle. Here are some toad facts: Toads’ skin color blends into the desert ground. When they start to grow their back legs, tadpoles absorb their tails instead of eating food. Female toads do not make sounds so if you hear a toad croak then you know that it is a male toad. Don’t put male toads together because they will fight. Male toads are smaller than female toads.

First Civilian Astronauts Orbit the Earth by Reporter Ysrael Hernandez Arizona Virtual Academy

Salome checks out the neighborhood tadpole s.

Brode Shares Weather Wisdom with Reporters by Reporter Ellie Divijak, Dove Mountain CSTEM K–8 Recently Matt Brode met with Bear Essential Young Reporters during a Zoom meeting. For those who don’t know, Matt Brode is the chief meteorologist for News 4 Tucson. He talked to us about how he became interested in weather and about different types of weather that we experience in Arizona. He shared that our monsoons last year were very dry and we had very little rain, but this year is one of our wettest monsoons ever. We learned that most of the rain that occurs during monsoon season comes to Arizona from the Gulf of

News Stories Written by Kids— for Kids

Mexico. The majority of the rain we received this year has been during the evening hours. Brode said that when it comes to weather, people undervalue the value of looking out the window to see what it looks like outside. He does use many tools to help him predict weather including maps, computers, and weather charts. Brode told us that predicting the weather is a challenging job, but one he enjoys. Brode shared his passion for weather during the meeting

The first civilian crew to orbit the Earth went to space and returned last month. The Inspiration4 crew included Hayley Arceneaux, Jared Isaacman, Chris Sembroski and Dr. Sian Proctor. They were launched on Sept. 15, 2021. They returned on Sept. 18. Arceneaux is a cancer survivor. She began having symptoms at the age of 10. Her knee began to ache. Her doctor said it was just sprain but when this went on for days something else was discovered. Arceneaux had osteosarcoma or bone cancer. She was a St. Jude patient as a kid. After what happen to her, she helped out at St. Jude. The Inspiration4 crew went to space to support St. Jude. They had a Zoom meeting with cancer patients from St. Jude. The patients witnessed the astronauts float around, eat M&Ms, and see the Earth from space. They got to ask questions about what they do in space. I think it was really cool. If you want to watch it, search for Inspiration4 talks to Saint Jude patients.

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MORE SCOOPS, page 8 ➧ October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 7

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 7

Fast Dog Rounds Bases

by Reporter Camilla Valdez La Paloma Academy Lakeside Recently, a dog named Macho became the fastest dog ever to run the bases at Dodger Stadium. Macho’s time was 21.0 seconds. Macho is a ack Russell terrier that weighs about 10 pounds. e is from alifornia and is about years old. Macho’s owner and trainer, Lori Signs, used balloons to keep Macho on track. alloons were placed on the bases to make sure he touched all the bases. Macho is no stranger to winning, having won two national dock-diving championships and a competitive barn hunt dog championship. After a year and a half of training Macho was nally ready to attempt to break the world record. ow you can nd Macho in the pages of your uinness orld Records.

...Celebrate Love Pup Day Do you love your pup? Then you should take part in Love Pup Day! Love Pup Day is a day dedicated to our four-legged friends. Love Pup Day is organized by the Love Pup oundation, whose mission is to help as many dogs as possible get adopted. So how can you help? ell, helping can be as simple as sharing your pup’s photos on social media such as nstagram using the hashtag lovepup. or more information visit https://lovepupfoundation.org. MORE SCOOPS, page 15 ➧

8 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

VIRTUAL HALLOWEEN

Costume Contest!

Join In the 2021 Virtual s e z i r P t a Costume Contest! e r G for the Entering the contest is easy! Take a picture of your child or Entering contest is easy! Take a picture ofin your s! rchild family in their creative, funny, cutethe or scary costume. e n W or family in their creative, funny, cute or scary costume. Just follow these simple Instructions:

Great P rizes

Categories or Entries:

Just follow these simple Instructions:

Ages 5 and under • Ages 6-10 • Email the picture to: Boomer@bearessentialnews.com mail the picture to Boomer@bearessentialnews.com Ages 11-Teen • Family Entry • In the subject line put: TSN Halloween Costume Contest

n the subject line put

alloween

ostume

ontest

• In the body of the email please include: n the body of the email please include Adult name and phone number Adult name and phone number Contest Age category (for than one child,than submit Agemore category for more one separate child, submit separate runs from photos and indicate ageindicate category photo). photosanand an for ageeach category for each photo). t Winners 2020 Contes try Family En

Contest runs from Oct. 5 to Oct. 31

Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.

Photos will be uploaded to thewill Halloween Costume Album on Costume Contest Photos be uploaded to Contest the Halloween Bear’s Facebook page. photoea in each category with lbThe m on s acebook a the e. most he Votes hoto n each cate o (likes, loves, etc.) will wbe th the thewinner. most votes l kes loves etc. w ll be the w nne .

for the

W in n ers! Categories for Entries:

inners 2020 Contest W tr Family En y

Ages 5 and under • Ages 6-10 Ages 11-Teen • Family Entry

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October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 9

Boomer Bear Climbs Into the Cockpit for... The .S. Na y recently con rmed that the ideo footage from 20 9 is authentic.

by oung Reporter Rori . Di i ak Do e Mountain CST M

–8

Image: cosmobiota.com

Recently, I was able to attend a Zoom meeting with astrobiologist Dr. Graham Lau. Astrobiology is a huge field that includes people who do oceanography, biology, chemistry, astrophysics, geology, and even philosophy. As an astrobiologist, Lau helps search for other life on other planets or moons in our solar system. He also studies the origins of life—meaning he tries to figure out where life started on Earth and if it even did start on Earth. Currently, Lau is writing a paper about a glacier he is studying on Ellesmere Island in Canada. A large amount of water flows out and over the top of this glacier. As it comes out, a large melt pool of the mineral sulfur forms on top of it. These yellow deposits of sulfur are so large that Lau says, “We can fly over in helicopters n. and airplanes and during a ame ab competitio Dr. au the Cosmobiologist look down and see it”. There is another place in the Arctic in which Lau is studying the minerals on the rocks of the environment in order to assist him with looking for life on Mars. “I am also interested in something called the overview effect,” says Lau. The overview effect is when astronauts go into space and they see our Earth from outside of the atmosphere. This journey shifts their thinking about who they are. Lau is also interested in meditating because meditation shifts a person’s thinking in a way similar to the way that seeing the arth from space does. As a child, Lau loved watching Star Wars and Star Trek. He loved the movies so much that he created his own Star ars L s before there were prepackaged L kits. To create his kits’ he would heat a piece of metal from a model rocket launcher and melt the plastic of his regular LEGO bricks and create items like lightsabers. These movies are part of what got Lau interested 10 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

Looking Deeper Into Our Galaxy’s Beginnings

Searching for Signs of Life

in extraterrestrial life because he loved the idea of humans going into space and meeting beings from other planets. When Lau was a teenager, he read a book called “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan. From this book, Lau learned that there were career opportunities for people to search for other life in our solar system, increasing his interest in discovering life in the universe. Dr. Lau is searching for life on Mars. In its ancient history, Mars could have been a planet on which life not only survived, but thrived because billions of years ago Mars had water on its surface. Venus could be another planet that sustains life because a group of scientists found a molecule called phosphine in enus’s atmosphere. n arth, the molecule phosphine is produced through a biological process. A group of scientists suggested that since this molecule was found in the atmosphere of Venus, the atmosphere of Venus may contain life. ne of upiter’s moons, uropa, has a deep ocean that is six miles beneath the surface which also may have sustained life. If you would like to learn more about Dr. Lau you can visit ASA’s show hosted by him called “Ask An Astrobiologist” or visit his website with links to many interesting sites including Science-at-Home at https://cosmobiota.com/.

Credits: NAS A/Chris Gun

f you are one of those people who’s always looking up you’re bound to see something beautiful wonder how the uni erse started or maybe see something unfamiliar ying through the sky oomer ear has been watching the skies lately too and wondering how much do we really know about our galactic neighborhood

Look, Up in the Sky…It’s a What?! Mysterious lights, fast ying objects, wreckage of crashed machines, military or government cover-ups. For decades U s unidenti ed ying objects have been a fantastic part of our pop culture. Now a recent report to Congress, including an unclassi ed version for the public, reveals what our military and even satellites have “seen” lately. Instead of UFOs, the report calls these ying objects and sightings “Unidenti ed Aerial Phenomena,” UAP for short. In August 2020, our military set up the UAP Task Force to COMPILE the report, which covers sightings mostly by Navy pilots from 2004 through 2021,

The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch on Dec. 18. This BEHEMOTH weighs 6,500 kilograms or over 14,300 inal preparat ions of the N ASA ames ebb Space Te pounds. The solar powered instrument will lescope for sh ipment make the first part of its journey into space to the launch site with its gigantic solar array folded. The JWST will leave Earth aboard a rocket from Kourou, French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America. JWST is an international program led by NASA with its partners the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. When it reaches space, JWST will unfold its sunshield and 18 hexagonal mirrors and start generating its own power. The infrared observatory will be able to see through clouds of cosmic dust. The JWST will extend the discoveries of the Hubble Space Telescope, according to ASA’s website, because its longer wavelengths will look for the formation of the first galaxies and inside the dust clouds where stars and planets are forming today. The telescope is named for James Webb (Oct. 7, 1906–March 27, 1992) who was the head of NASA during the Apollo program in the 1960s. It will be used by astronomers worldwide.

including what their sensors were able to pick up and record. Since most of these UAPs happen in or around military areas or places where our military operates, like out at sea, these ying PHENOMENA are being looked at as possible threats to our national security! n some instances caught on the ghter jet sensors and also on sophisticated ship radar, whatever these UAPs are exceed what our known aircraft can do in terms of acceleration, maneuverability and ability to operate underwater. Those are known as US s unidenti ed submerged objects. According to the report, only one of the 144 cases can be explained—and that was a partially de ated big balloon. All others remain unexplained. Some of the UAPs appear triangular, oblong (like a Tic Tac candy), round or other distinctive shapes. Obviously, the UAP report that was released this summer is just a starting point. overnment of cials will continue to look into UAPs and might come up with a speci c reporting system to get important facts for future incidents. What do you think? Could some of these UAPs be extraterrestrials? Or could they be drone technology spying on our military or even secret research being developed by our country?

Outta This World

Art Entries!

ast month AR asked readers to send in art entries for the O Art Contest. Here are oomer’s Top 5 Picks Thanks to all who entered.

Ava L. Age 10

Alexander S. Age 7

Blair L. Age 7

Nikolette C. Age 8

llustration of the fully deployed James Webb Space Telescope.

Lily L. Age 8

Image: nasa.gov

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 11

Boomer Bear Climbs Into the Cockpit for... The .S. Na y recently con rmed that the ideo footage from 20 9 is authentic.

by oung Reporter Rori . Di i ak Do e Mountain CST M

–8

Image: cosmobiota.com

Looking Deeper Into Our Galaxy’s Beginnings

Searching for Signs of Life

Credits: NAS A/Chris Gun

Outta This World

Art Entries!

ast month AR asked readers to send in art entries for the O Art Contest. Here are oomer’s Top 5 Picks Thanks to all who entered.

Ava L. Age 10

Alexander S. Age 7

Blair L. Age 7

Nikolette C. Age 8

llustration of the fully deployed James Webb Space Telescope.

Lily L. Age 8

Image: nasa.gov

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 11

12 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

Growing, Growing,

Strong!

onso e b

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

Reasons to o to armers Markets

ritten by Daniela Larson, AR Program Manager at Phoeni hildren’s ospital

phoenixchildrens.org 602-933-0935

Farmers markets are a great way to stock up on fresh local produce, but they can be a fun family outing too.

Here are 5 reasons to visit your local farmers market:

1 2 3 4 5

Discover new foods

Farmers markets carry fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season and you may even find produce you have not tried yet or seen at the grocery store. f you see something new, don’t get intimidated by it, but instead, ask about it or see if you can try a sample. The farmer would probably be happy to talk to you about it and may even share some fun recipes!

Look for the rainbow

Eating a diverse color of fruits and vegetables ensures you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy. Do a scavenger hunt! See if you can find and buy an item for each color of the rainbow.

Enjoy the season and taste real flavors

The produce sold at the farmers market is the freshest and tastiest you will find. It is minimally processed, often grown organically, and chemical free, which is better for your health. t also doesn’t travel long distances to get to your table. Did you know fruits and vegetables travel, on average,1,200 miles before reaching your grocery store shelf? Farmers market produce is as real as it gets!

Support local farmers

Small family farms need your support! They have a hard time competing against large companies, so shopping at a farmer’s market ensures your money stays within your community. Many accept T S AP vouchers to make it more affordable and offer double the amount for the same price!

Listen, dance, do!

Farmers markets offer more than just shopping for fruits and vegetables. You will often find live music, arts and crafts, and other activities the entire family can enjoy.

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To find a list of farmers markets near you ust do a simple oogle search. et out and ha e fun

uides

eatures & More

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To sign up, go to BearEssentialNews.com and click on the envelope icon at the top right hand side of the site. October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 13

HALLOWEEN Fire Safety Tips

Do the Safety Maze, then follow these easy steps for a fun and safe Halloween! Buy only costumes, wigs and props labeled flameresistant or flame-retardant. If you are making your own costume, choose material that won’t easily ignite if it comes in contact with heat or flame. Provide children with a lightweight flashlight to carry for lighting or as part of their costume. It is safest to use a flashlight or battery-operated candle in jack-o-lanterns. If you use a real candle, use extreme caution. Remember to keep exits clear of decorations, so nothing blocks escape routes. Tell children to stay away from open flames. Be sure they know how to stop, drop and roll if their clothing catches fire. Use flashlights as alternatives to candles or torch lights when decorating walkways and yards. They are much safer for trick-ortreaters, whose costumes may brush against the lighting.

14 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 7

Why You Should Volunteer by Reporter Sophie Hannley, Esperero Canyon Middle School I have been volunteering with my mom since I Tucson and meet all sorts of people was years old. ver the last three years, we’ve that probably wouldn’t normally done all sorts of interesting and fun volunteering meet. Volunteering has made me projects! e’ve bagged peppers at a food bank, more grateful and helped me to see sorted through old hotel shampoo and conditioner the world in a new way. bottles to make homeless hygiene kits and raked ecause giving back is important, leaves at a low income apartment complex. my family has started a nonpro t organization. t One of my favorite volunteering projects was allows families to sign up for fun volunteer projects making beaded bracelets for an organization to in Tucson that they can do together. You can check hand out whenever someone gives them a donaout Crafting Kind Kids at www.craftingkindkids.org. tion! hat like most about spending time volunf every kid volunteered, Tucson would be an teering is knowing that get to give back and help even kinder place to live and everyone would be someone else out. I also get to see different parts of even more grateful!

Volunteering at 9 years old

Volunteering at 12 years old

MORE SCOOPS, page 18 ➧

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 15

Fall & Halloween Happenings B

all and Halloween activities might look a little different this year. hile some families enjoy door-to-door traditional trick-or-treating, there are other options available for families. Most venues will be following D safety protocols, so it is a good idea to check the venue’s website to see what guidelines are to be followed.

Bear Essential News & Golf N’ Stuff Virtual Halloween Costume Contest

Oct. 1–31. Get creative and design a unique costume. Funny, scary, adorable or out-of-this-world costumes are why this costume contest is so popular. Fantastic prizes will be awarded for the winners of each category. See how to submit your entry on page 9 of this issue.

Boo At The Zoo

take a picture of yourself in our store, post the picture on social media tagging ookmans Midtown and enter to win a 100 gift certi cate to your favorite local bookstore! www.bookmans.com/events/halloween-shelﬁe-contest/

Bookish Trick or Treating at Bookmans East

Oct. 31 from Noon to 1 p.m. ome dressed up to ookmans ast Speedway ilmot and trick or treat with our friendly neighbors Roses & More, Tucson Strength, Mostly Books, Annabell’s Attic, eyond read, and more! www.bookmans.com/events/bookish-trickor-treating/

Fall Festival at Canyon Del Oro Bible Church

Oct. 23 from 5–8 p.m. This free family-friendly event will have carnival games, in atables, a cookie walk, a toddler area and carnival food. ring non-perishable food donations for MPA T of Southern Arizona. www.cdobible.org/events/

Oct. 21–24 from 6–8:30 p.m., at the Reid Park Zoo. Tickets are $11 for general admission, $9 for zoo members and children under 2 are free. Put on your costume and venture into Pirate’s ove, estern Skeletown, uter Limits one and Harry Potterville where you can interact, trick or treat, visit a pumpkin patch, explore the hay maze, play games and dance to music. www.reidparkzoo.org/ event/boo-at-the-zoo-2021/

Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona Trunk or Treat

Bookmans Halloween Shelﬁe Contest

Sept. 28–Oct. 31 The museum is decorated for allo n. See reep ollow, and one-a-Part’s istro. www.theminitimemachine.org/

Oct. 31 from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Bookmans–Midtown Stop in at ookmans Midtown Speedway ountry

16 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

lub anytime on

alloween,

Oct. 30 from 7–9 p.m. . roadway ree 10 10 per person R host a trunk, with candy for 00 people and receive si free wristbands. www.bearessentialnews.com/event/trunk-or-treat-girl-scouts-southern-arizona

HalloWEEn at the Mini Time Machine of Miniatures auldron

oven

Halloween Member Night at Children’s Museum Tucson

October 29 from 5:30-7:30 pm. Come dressed in your favorite costumes, enjoy Halloween-themed games and activities and help us decorate the giant Calavera in the courtyard! Free event for Museum members only! Get your membership at ChildrensMuseumTucson.org and enjoy free admission all year and more special members-only events.

Haunted Hayride At Steam Pump Ranch

Oct. 9–30. Cost: $5 per person (children small enough to ride on adult lap do not need a ticket). Enjoy scary stories and Halloween thrills on this family fun hayride. www.orovalleyaz.gov

Monster Mash At Steam Pump Ranch

Oct. 8 from 5–8 p.m. Cost: $5 • Family fun with cookie and pumpkin decorating, crafts, jumping castles, a spooky maze, scavenger hunt, music and food trucks. Tickets available at PlayOV.com

Pima County Sheriff’s Department Trunk or Treat

Oct. 30 from 4–7:30 p.m. Kino Main Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way. The PCSD is providing a safe, fun environment for your child to trunk-or-treat.

Rollin’ Haunt: Tucson Parks & Rec

Oct. 30 from 4–7 p.m. Free drive thru event at the Tucson Rodeo Grounds, 4823 S. 6th Ave. Enter at Irvington Road and 3rd Avenue.

Town of Oro Valley Halloween Spooktacular

Oct. 29 from 5–8 p.m., at the Oro Valley Community & Recreation Center. This free family friendly event will have trunk or treating, crafts, games, music and food trucks. www.orovalleyaz.gov

Clickable links available at bearessentialnews.com on the calendar

and in the Community Blog under “Things to Do.”

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 17

Get the Scoop!

Continued from page 7

Working to Save the Koala by Reporter Zahra Rafiyath BASIS Oro Valley Primary Koalas are marsupials that live in Australia’s forests. Koalas also stay up in trees to keep cool in hot weather. Read on for more about their appearance, habitat, diet and other interesting facts. Most people think koalas are bears, but they are actually marsupials! Koalas have silvery gray fur and sharp claws. They also have a thin body, small eyes, and a cushioned bottom to sit on rough branches. Koalas live in eucalyptus trees. They can live in cool or tropical weather. They can live in low woodlands on coastal islands as long as they find food. They are herbivores and their diet is eucalyptus leaves. Koalas are picky eaters who have a good sense of smell to choose which leaves are best. Did you know when baby koalas are born they are the size of a jelly bean? Sometimes koalas eat dirt to help them digest. Koalas need to sleep 18 to 20 hours. Another interesting fact is that koala means “no water.” Also, males live up to 10 years and females live up to 17 years. Koalas’ endangered status is “threatened.” Up to 80 percent of their habitat has been destroyed. Some reasons why koalas are endangered are that koalas are dying from traffic deaths and attacks from dogs. People also cut down their forests to make buildings. There are less than 100,000 left in the wild. September is Save the Koala Month. You can help koalas by planting a eucalyptus plant online or adopting a koala. Let’s do our part to save these tree-dwelling marsupials!

18 • Bear Essential News • October 2021

October 2021 • Bear Essential News • 19

Image: shutterstock.com

Whip Up Some Chocolatey, Delicious Fun this Halloween! Make Some Milk Jug-OLanterns! Light up the night with these fun LED powered lanterns!

Chocolate Milk Pumpkin Pancakes!

Scan the QR code for the complete instructions

Scan the QR code for the complete recipe

Bear Essential News October 2021, Tucson Edition

Articles inside

Scoops pages 7, 8, 15

Pages 16