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JANUARY 2011
Dear Kids, I know you’ve heard the saying, “Honesty is the best policy,” but do you know who said it? It is attributed to Benjamin Franklin. He was one of our founding fathers of the U.S. and had many wise sayings. This month we celebrate his birthday, and you’ll learn more about what he thought of making resolutions. New Year’s is a time when people often make resolutions to change something or do something better. Are you making any New Year’s Resolutions? This month we also learn more about our country’s very own Arctic winter wonderland, Alaska! And speaking of cold weather, winter sports are a great way to get exercise and have fun. Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark tells us all about what it’s like to be an Olympic athlete! I hope that you have had a great winter so far, and that the new year will be a fantastic one for you. Have a joyous January! Your friend,
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Kidsville News! Happy 2011! It’s a brand-new year! Many people see the new year as a time to start fresh with new goals for a new year. Lot’s of people make New Year’s resolutions. What are resolutions anyway? A resolution is simply a decision to do something or to make something happen. When people make New Year’s resolutions, they decide that they are going to do a certain thing during the new year. A New Year’s resolution usually involves some type of positive self-improvement. It is thought that the resolution dates back to 153 B.C. in Rome. Janus was a mythical king of early Rome. He had two faces, one looking towards the past and one facing forward to the future. The Romans named the first month of the year, January, after Janus, the god of beginnings. A New Year’s resolution could be something as simple as saying, “This year, I will drink more water and milk, and less soda and fruit juice.” Or maybe, “This year, I will be kinder to my little sister.” The key is that you have to work at your resolutions to make them actually happen! Let’s work on our New Year’s resolutions together. Complete the sentences below. Then, keep this handy and work on your resolutions during the year! This year I would like to... improve myself by ____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ do better at school by _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ help more at home by _________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ accomplish __________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ Now, let’s make 2011 a great year! Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica; Chase’s Calendar of Events.
Did you know that the King Salmon is Alaska’s state fish, and it usually weighs more than 45 pounds? Did you know that we will travel 583,416,000 miles in 2011 as Earth makes it’s orbit around the Sun?
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Benjamin Franklin: A Man of Resolutions Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States and scientist, inventor, writer and politician, was born on January 17, 1706. Ben Franklin was responsible for many great inventions: bifocal glasses, the lightning rod and discoveries with electricity, a furnace stove called the “Franklin Stove,” the odometer to keep track of distances and many other things. His natural curiosity about things and how they worked led him to try to make things better and to create new things to help people live better. Ben Franklin also made resolutions before it was a common thing to do. Back when he was 20 (way back in 1726!), he created a list of four resolutions to follow to try to reach what he called “moral perfection.” His resolutions were: 1. To be more frugal. Franklin wanted to save more money so that he could repay what he owed to others. 2. Be honest and sincere, in word and action. 3. Be industrious in “whatever business I take in hand.” This means to work hard and do his best in whatever he was working on. 4. “Speak ill of no man.” Franklin vowed not to say bad things about anyone, even if it was the truth. He would also speak good of everyone whenever he could. From these four resolutions, he came up with 13 virtues to practice. These were things that he felt were important guides for living to be a person of good character. He wrote them each down in a book and practiced one each week. At the end of the week, he would see how well he did with it. At the end of 13 weeks, he started back at the top of the list, trying to perfect each one. Sources: The Franklin Institute, www.i.edu; Public Broadcasting Service, PBS.org.
Alaska became the 49th state on January 3, 1959. The first public radio broadcast took place on January 13, 1910. In New York, inventor Lee De Forest broadcast the voices of stars from the Metropolitan Opera.
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JANUARY 2011
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In Greece, January 8 is Midwife’s Day or Women’s Day, also sometimes called Women’s Rule. On this day, men do all the housework and take care of the children while women go out for the day, relaxing in cafes and coffee shops and playing card games. Events during the day focus on midwives who parade through the streets on carts. In some villages, men who are caught outside, and not home doing chores, are chased by women and drenched with a bucket of cold water!
Japan
In Japan, January 2 is Kakizome, a festival celebrating the first calligraphy of the New Year. This custom started long ago when people wrote haiku and other poems of happiness on January 2. Calligraphy (Shuji) is a creative art form using kanji and kana characters (Japanese alphabet) written with a brush and sumi (ink). On January 2nd of each year, many elementary and middle school students take out their brushes to write words or poems in what is called Kakizome (the First Writing of the New Year).
RLD
Sweden
Some families have a Christmas tree decorating party and invite friends to help hang ornaments and string garland on their tree. But in Sweden, they have a tree un-decorating party — St. Knut’s Day. It’s called Julgransplundring, which means plundertime. The custom began nine centuries ago when King Knut (who ruled from 1080-1086) ordered that the Yule season should last 20 days, from December 25 to January 13. Ever since then, Swedes have made January 13 the day to take down the tree and have a party at the same time! It’s also celebrated as Tyvendedagen in Norway.
Polar Bear
The polar bear lives in the Arctic, and as you can see from his white coat of fur, he is dressed perfectly for his environment! The polar bear is the world’s largest land carnivore, which means meat-eater. It is also the largest bear, right up there with the Kodiak bear, which is about the same size. A male polar bear can weigh up to 1,500 pounds! There are about 20,000 to 25,000 polar bears worldwide. The polar bear is related to the brown Kingdom: Animalia bear but has characteristics that make it Phylum: Chordata well suited for its Arctic environment. Its white coat is camouflage in the snowy Class: Mammalia environment. It is all white except for Order: Carnivora its nose and foot pads. It has even been Family: Ursidae known to put its paw across its face to Species: U. maritimus cover up its nose when hunting. The white coat is also water-repellent and insulates the bear from the cold air and water. They have a thick layer of body fat to help them survive the frigid weather. The polar bear is born on land, but spends most of its time at sea on sea ice. This is where it hunts for its favorite meal, seals. When hunting, the polar bear sits on the ice near an air hole and waits for a seal to stick its head out for a breath. It uses its sense of smell to know when a seal is surfacing. Then it bites its head with its huge mouth and teeth and drags it out of the water. Polar bears like to keep themselves clean and will usually take a swim or roll in the snow after eating. When the sea ice begins to melt in the summer, the polar bear follows it north to stay close to seals and other prey. Some polar bears stay on land during the summer and live off of their body fat. Source: World Wildlife Fund, www.worldwildlife.org. Photo of Polar Bear, Near Kaktovik, Barter Island, Alaska, by Alan Wilson.
JANUARY 2011
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WHERE IN THE WORLD IS... ALASKA?
It’s time to get out your globe! You need to know about the imaginary lines on globes and maps. These lines are called lines of latitude and longitude, and they tell a pilot or ship’s captain exactly where in the world a certain place is located. Basically, latitude lines (also called parallels) are the horizontal lines on your map. Lines of longitude (also called meridians) are the vertical lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole. This mapping system is written in degrees and uses the symbol °. Get ready to travel the world! We usually explore different countries in this space, but this month we are going to explore a state in our very own country! Although on the map Alaska might look like its own country, it's the 49th state of the United States. Pull out your globe and find coordinates 61º N and 150º W, and you’ll find Anchorage, Alaska! On your globe or map, you'll see that Alaska is separated from the rest of the U.S. It is located in the northwestern part of the North American continent, with Canada to the east. To the west of Alaska is Russia, across the Bering Strait. In fact, the Russian Big Diomede Island and Alaskan Little Diomede Island are only three miles (4.8 km) apart! Alaska is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south. Alaska is the largest state in the U.S. by area (Interesting trivia: the 22 smallest U.S. states could fit in the area of Alaska!). The climate in north Alaska is arctic, but in most of the country, the climate is subarctic. This means they have warm, but brief summers and very cold winters. The low temperatures can reach -60ºF and the highs in the summer can reach 90ºF and above! There are 70 volcanoes, 100,000 glaciers and three million lakes in Alaska. It's a very beautiful state, with lots to see and do! Alaska was purchased from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million on March 30, 1867. It officially became the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959. Indigenous peoples lived in Alaska for thousands of years before Europeans arrived. Native tribes of Tlingit, Aleut, Gwich’in and Inuit people continue to live in Alaska and pass down their heritage and traditions to new generations. The term Eskimo is used for the Yupik and Inuit people. The Inuit are the people that originally created the igloo, a house made of snow. Snow is an insulator, and the temperature inside the igloo can actually be 40 degrees warmer than outside! Today, igloos are mostly used for temporary hunting shelters. Sources: Alaska.gov; The World Factbook prepared by the Central Intelligence Agency.
Conservation o r n e r Do You Know What a Rain Garden Is?
Storm water runoff can be a big problem during heavy thunderstorms. As the water rushes across roofs and driveways, it picks up oil and other pollutants. Storm water treatment plants often can’t handle the deluge of water, and in many locations, the untreated water ends up in natural waterways. The EPA estimates as much as 70 percent of the pollution in our streams, rivers, and lakes is carried there by storm water. To reduce the excess water runoff, many towns encourage businesses and homeowners to install rain gardens in their yards. Rain gardens are specially constructed gardens located in low areas of a yard where storm water can collect. The idea is to have the water naturally funnel to this garden. The rain garden collects water runoff and stores and filters it until it can be slowly absorbed by the soil. January is a good month to start planning your rain garden, so you’ll be ready to plant when spring is here! Here are some tips to remember: • The ideal place for a rain garden is in a natural depression or low area. You also can funnel water from downspouts or gutters into the garden. • The soil should be well drained so the water doesn’t sit in the garden for more than two days. A special rain garden soil mix of 50 to 60 percent sand, 20 to 30 percent topsoil and 20 to 30 percent compost is recommended. Use your super math skills and help your parents figure this out! • The plants in a rain garden need to be tolerant of sitting in water now and then, so native plants and wildflowers are good choices because they’re so adaptable. You probably already grow many of them, like ferns, asters and black-eyed Susans. The idea is to create a natural planting that’s easy to maintain (no fertilizer needed) and welcoming to butterflies, bees and other creatures. For more tips and garden information, visit www.garden.org. Source: Family Features.
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JANUARY 2011
AN OLYMPIC SNOWBOARDER?
It’s cold outside, and I love snow! One of my favorite winter sports is snowboarding, so I was super excited to talk with Olympic snowboarder Kelly Clark this month. Just one year after graduating from Mount Snow Academy, Kelly won a Gold medal in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. She competed again in the 2006 Winter Olympics and ended up in fourth place. In the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, Kelly won a Bronze medal in the halfpipe, placing behind American Silver medalist Hannah Teter and Australian Gold medalist Torah Bright. When she’s not snowboarding, she loves surfing, playing the guitar, watching movies and hanging out with her friends.
TRUMAN: What does it take to become a professional snowboarder? KELLY: First of all, you have to like snow. I liked snow from an early age because I just happened to grow up in West Dover, a small town in Vermont where it snows a lot. I grew up playing in the snow, so I learned to enjoy being outside in the winter. My town is really close to the Mount Snow Resort, and people come from all over New England to ski and snowboard there. I saw people having fun in the snow. TRUMAN: When and why did you first become interested in snowboarding? KELLY: I fell in love with snowboarding when I was seven years old because it was fun. That’s why I still do it today. It’s my hobby. It’s my career. It’s my way of life. Kids don’t have to wait until they Above: Kelly Clark at the 2009 LG Snowboardgrow up to find out what ing World Cup in Cardrona, Photo © Oliver Kraus. they want to “be.” SomeRight: Kelly Clark at the Sprint U.S. Snowboarding thing that they like to do as Grand Prix at Park City Mountain Resort in Utah. a kid might inspire them to Photo: Jen Desmond/U.S. Snowboarding continue with that sport or hobby or activity as they grow up. It might even turn into a career. I enjoyed snowboarding so much I even went to school for it. I went to Mount Snow Academy, which is a full-time winter program for ski and snowboard competitors who are in grades 6 through 12. The coaches and teachers are committed to balancing athletics and academics. And yes, there’s homework. The goal of the Academy is to help young people become the best they can be, whether they want to Truman’s Tips on Snowboarding be an Olympic athlete or a college athlete. I Even though I’m a green dragon, I do like to play in the snow. I learned that if you want to graduated in 2001, and that’s when my snowgrow up to be an awesome snowboarder or boarding really took off. an Olympic champion like Kelly Clark, there are some tips you can tell your mom and dad. I was lucky the academy was close to my home. Most snowsport star athletes treasure the Young athletes come from camaraderie they enjoyed as children with all over to go to school at their brothers and sisters and mom and dad the Mount Snow on the slopes. Kids do best when they find Academy, which is the their own challenges – not the ones that only slope-side winter parents pick for them. Kids also need a good sports academy in the night’s rest before tackling a sport such as Northeast. But going to skiing or snowboarding. And tell your snowboarding school parents not to take you onto the tough trails doesn’t mean you’ll be a that they like; instead, they should take you great athlete. It takes a lot onto the trails that you prefer. The secret to of hard work and becoming a champion athlete is to start with dedication to become a fun, fun, fun. professional snowboarder.
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It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become good at whatever you want to do. TRUMAN: Describe a typical day on the “job.” KELLY: I wake up, eat a good breakfast, and then I warm up my muscles. Then I usually ride the halfpipe for 3 to 4 hours. After that, I usually eat again. Then I have a cool-down time and stretching time in the evening to make sure I am ready for the next day. Sometimes I go to training camp with other athletes, and we work on our skills and get better at them. Sometimes the training camps are in other parts of the world, so I have to travel a lot. Even though I won two Olympic medals, I still have to go through security at the airports and take my shoes off just like everybody else. Off the snow, I’m just a regular person. I like it that way. TRUMAN: What’s the hardest part of your job? KELLY: Travel is the hardest part of my job. It’s hard to be away from my friends and my family so much of the time. Travel makes it hard to have any pets, and I miss that. TRUMAN: What is the best part of your job? KELLY: The hardest part, travel, is also the best part. The travel is so amazing. I get to see many beautiful places around the world, and I get to experience different cultures. I get to do all these things while also doing what I love to do — snowboarding. TRUMAN: What are some of your achievements? KELLY: I have had an amazing career, with four U.S. Open wins and six X-Games medals. I competed in snowboarding in three Olympic Winter Games, and I won two Olympic medals — a Gold medal and a Bronze medal. TRUMAN: What is your favorite achievement? KELLY: I am most proud of my 2010 Olympic Bronze medal because I had to work the hardest to get it. I think when you work hard for something, you value it more. Success is more valuable when you have to work hard for it. TRUMAN: What’s your advice for kids who are interested in snowboarding as a profession? KELLY: I would say that no matter what you do — whether it’s snowboarding or something else — make sure you enjoy it and make sure you work hard at it. And don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. TRUMAN: That’s great advice! And thanks for the snowboarding tips and for talking with Kidsville News! See you on the slopes! Special thanks to contributing writer Harriet Wallis.
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KIDSVILLE NEWS - PAGE 7
Crossword Puzzle
New Year’s Word Find Find the hidden words in the puzzle.
BALL BALLONS CELEBRATE CONFETTI
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DANCING JANUARY MIDNIGHT NEW
PARTY RESOLUTIONS YEAR
JANUARY 2011
Coloring Corner Truman loves to be outside, even in the winter! What’s your favorite winter activity? Write a paragraph about it and finish coloring this picture!
Truman
Tru-
Truman’s Tricky Picture
Find these items! Be sure to find Truman’s hat! For more puzzles and games, visit www.kidsvillenews.com.
JANUARY 2011
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JANUARY 2011
COME OUT AND PLAY!
It’s Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month! If you want to learn to ski, crosscountry ski, snowboard or snowshoe, January is a wonderful time to get started. January is the official Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. It’s a national effort to encourage children — and their parents — to get out on the snow and learn a new winter sport from a professional instructor. More than 300 resorts throughout the U.S. are offering free or affordable programs for beginners and those who have some experience. The best way to find where you can learn a new winter sport close to you is by going to the official website: www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org. If you like celebrities, you’ll want to know that extreme skier Glen Plake, who is instantly recognized by his rainbow-colored Mohawk hairdo, and Olympic Gold Medal-winner Bode Miller are the ambassadors for Learn to Ski and Snowboard month. They both love skiing and want to get you out to learn a winter sport. “I can’t wait to urge people of all ages to come out to take ski and snowboard lessons this year regardless of ability,” said Plake. “I had a
blast last January and am looking forward to Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month 2011.” Miller agrees. “I’m thrilled to be working with Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month to encourage children and adults to get involved with skiing and snowboarding,” says Miller. “With childhood obesity at an all-time high, this program makes it easy for anyone to take some lessons and get some exercise out on the snow.” Skiing and snowboarding are lifetime sports. Start out smart by taking lessons, learn how to dress to stay warm and learn how to fuel the body with sensible foods. If you’re already a skier or snowboarder, you can get better by taking more advanced lessons and brushing up your skills. Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month began in 2007 when a few resort associations launched their state-wide programs. Now more than 300 resorts in 32 states offer special learning programs during January. Governors from many states proclaim January Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month. Some states also offer learning programs for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. It’s fun. Don’t hibernate! Come out and play! Written by contributing writer Harriet Wallis, Ski Utah Journalist of the Year.
Art Gallery Barbara Hepworth and Modern Sculpture she had held many major exhibits in both Europe and the United States and had Barbara Hepworth was a British sculptor. Known for even published a book of drawings. She also started working with bronze and her abstract outdoor sculptures, she is considered one of other metals in her sculptures, rather than stone. Her work won numerous awards the foremost founders of modern sculpture art. Barbara Hepworth was born on January 10, 1903, in and was displayed in many prominent galleries and outdoor spaces. In 1964, Barbara even created a sculpture monument for the northern English city of Yorkshire. As a young girl, she loved music and the United Nations headquarters in New York. One year later, the British government honored her with art. By the time she was a teenager, her talents won her a scholarship to the knighthood, giving Barbara the new royal title of Dame Barbara Hepworth. Wakefield Girls’ High School. After graduating from high school, she went Barbara created and exhibited sculptures until the early 1970s. She published several books of prints and on to attend Leeds School of Art, where drawings, as well as an autobiography in 1970. Although she studied alongside another famous she died on May 20, 1975, her work can still be seen in sculptor, Henry Moore. many famous sculpture gardens and galleries in England In 1921, Barbara was admitted to and the United States. The studio and home where she London’s prestigious Royal College of lived and worked in Cornwall, England, is now the Art. She studied there for three years Barbara Hepworth Museum and contains not just her and afterwards traveled to Florence, unique garden sculptures, but also much of her unfinished Italy, for a one-year post-graduate art work and the tools she used to make her unique art. fellowship. By this time, Barbara had Written by Tamar Burris, a former elementary school already fallen in love with sculpture. So, while in Italy, she spent much of her time working with master teacher who now works as a freelance writer and curriculum developer for PBS, the Discovery Channel and other stone carvers and learning how to carve marble. In 1928, Barbara had her first solo art show. Her original education-related companies. Sources: Barbara Hepworth Biography (http://www.barbarahepworth.org.uk/ style featured a lot of carved objects that looked like things found Barbara Hepworth’s Monolythin nature. But, by the 1930s, she was starting to explore more biography/); Barbara Hepworth on Wikipedia (http:// Empyrean, 1953, in Gardens of en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Hepworth); National abstract design. She also began using things like wire, colored Kenwood House, London. paints and string in her sculptures. Museum of Women in the Arts (http://www.nmwa.org/ Barbara continued creating sculptures, and her reputation grew. By the 1950s, collection/profile.asp?LinkID=858). Image photographer: Justin C.
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KIDSVILLE KITCHEN
Together Time — Ask an adult for help with projects!
January Is Soup Month!
Soup is a delicious and healthful way to warm up. From homemade to prepared varieties, nourishing soups can satisfy your hunger and make you feel full longer. Wendy Bazilian, DrPH, MA, RD, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet, recommends choosing soups packed with flavorful “SuperFoods” like beans, lean chicken or turkey, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes — and spices and herbs. “Using spices and herbs does more than just add flavor to your favorite soups without added calories or sodium. They are also concentrated sources of natural antioxidants, with levels comparable to fruits and vegetables,” says Dr. Bazilian. “With just a dash, pinch or sprinkle of spices and herbs, you can turn your favorite soup into a flavorful ‘super soup.’”
CHICKEN POT PIE SOUP
Yield: 8 (1-cup) servings Prep time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes WHAT YOU NEED: • 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary leaves, crushed • 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 4 teaspoons butter, divided • 1 package (8 ounces) mushrooms, sliced • 1 cup sliced carrots • 1/2 cup flour • 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 1/2 cups frozen pearl onions • 1 cup frozen peas • 8 thin bread slices • 1 teaspoon oil HOW TO MAKE IT: • Mix rosemary, thyme and garlic powder in small bowl. Reserve 1/2 teaspoon. With an adult: Heat 1 teaspoon butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add mushrooms, carrots and remaining seasoning mixture; cook and stir 3 minutes. Remove from saucepan. Set aside. • With an adult: Melt remaining 3 teaspoons butter in saucepan on medium heat, stirring to release browned bits from bottom of skillet. Sprinkle with flour; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until flour is lightly browned. • Gradually stir in broth until well blended. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Add vegetable mixture, chicken, pearl onions and peas; simmer 8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. • Meanwhile, cut bread into rounds with 3-inch cookie cutter. Place on baking sheet. Brush bread with oil and sprinkle with reserved seasoning mixture. Bake in preheated 350ºF oven 10 minutes or until toasted. To serve soup, ladle into soup bowls and top each with 1 crouton. Nutrition Information per Serving: 211 Calories, Fat 7g, Protein 16g, Carbohydrates 21g, Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 469mg, Fiber 2g For more flavorful recipes, visit www.spicesforhealth.com. Recipe courtesy of McCormick Spices and Family Features.
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Red, White & True Mysteries William Brodie’s Double Life Inspired Well-known Character
The location was Edinburgh, Scotland. The timeframe was the 1780s. William Brodie (1741 – 1788) lived a double life. Unlike most of the stories in this column, though, our subject was not an inventor. He did, however, inspire a writer to invent a new character based on his life. Read on — this one will surprise you. Brodie was a cabinetmaker. Born in Edinburgh to a father who was also a cabinetmaker, he would later inherit his father’s business. Robert Louis Stevenson’s father owned one of the cabinets that Brodie had made. His work as a cabinetmaker also included installing and repairing his clients’ locks. William Brodie also served as an inspiration to Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 – 1894). But not in the way you might think, as he led a double life. He was a respected cabinetmaker and town council member by day and a burglar by night. In an effort to support his wild lifestyle, which included gambling, William Brodie the cabinetmaker embarked upon an 18-month crime spree beginning in 1786. He gained entry into his, uh, customers’ homes by making wax replicas of their house keys during the day and returning at night to steal from them. In fact, Brodie was often hired to repair the doors that he had broken into the previous night. In addition to building cabinets, Brodie also designed some of the gallows where hangings took place. Talk about digging your own grave! Now you know how his story ends, but there’s something else about William Brodie that you probably didn’t know. I mentioned earlier that William Brodie was not an inventor, but he did inspire Robert Louis Stevenson to invent a new character for one of his stories. This character was based
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on Brodie’s life. You see, William Brodie was the real-life version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! But you knew that all along, didn’t you? William Brodie was caught while trying to escape to America. He was brought before a judge whose nickname was “The Hanging Judge.” Now there’s a lesson to be learned here: If you’re going to face a judge, be sure to get one whose nickname is not “The Hanging Judge.” You’ll thank me for it later. Brodie met his match in the form of a hangman’s noose. Ironically, Brodie was one of the people who had earlier helped create the design for the gallows. On the day of his hanging, he bribed the hangman to help him escape by hiding a steel collar inside the noose, but it didn’t work. While William Brodie was able to cheat his clients, he wasn’t able to cheat death. In the end, one of the great literary stories of all time had been born. Activity Guide for Students for “William Brodie’s Double Life” … This exercise will help you improve your listening skills. Read this story to another second student, and have him or her recite back what he or she heard after you’ve finished reading it aloud. © 2010 Paul Niemann. This story is part of the Red, White & True Mysteries series by author Paul Niemann. For more information, please visit www.InventionMysteries.com.
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AT THE MOVIES Sinbad: The Fifth Voyage (In Theaters: January 1) One Thousand and One Nights is one of the oldest collections of fantasy stories we have. Although its many pages were collected over thousands of years, and written by many different writers, it wasn’t until 1706 that Western readers could read an English-language version of the book. In America the book was named The Arabian Nights. Sinbad the Fifth Voyage is a tribute to a 1958 fantasy adventure movie called The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. It was made by a man named Ray Harryhausen. The fantastic and weird creatures that Harryhausen created for his fantasy movie can be seen in different shapes and scary forms in this story. The Sultan’s first-born child is kidnapped by an evil sorcerer. Sinbad is called upon to journey deep into a magic desert to rescue the Sultan’s daughter. Patrick Stewart of Star Trek and X-Men fame narrates the exotic fantasy. Not Yet Rated. 89 mins. (Giant Flick Films) MOVIES ON DVD Alamar (Available January 11) Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio’s gentle Spanish family drama links a grandfather, father and young son living at one with nature in the Caribbean’s beautiful coastal region of Banco Chinchorro. The sunny spot is Mexico’s largest coral reef. Free-spirited Jorge takes his fiveyear-old son Natan to visit his dad’s native home for a summer of fishing, swimming and eating meals with Natan’s grandfather. They live in the shallow ocean on a small stilt home. Their tiny plywood house sits as an island floating on a crystal blue sea. Alamar is a patient
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fantasy vision of a simple way of life. If Jorge seems like a cross between Tarzan and Peter Pan, then so much the better to imagine how free his curious and energetic son is destined to remain. The underwater images of the reef are really great. Rated G. 73 mins. (Film Movement) Secretariat (Available January 25) Secretariat is about a Virginia family woman named Penny Chenery Tweedy (played by Diane Lane) and the fast thoroughbred horse she takes to racing success in the early 1970s. Made purely as a PG-rated movie, Secretariat is a showcase for Diane Lane to play a smart and loving mom following her dream and bringing her family for the exciting ride. John Malkovich plays famous expert horse trainer Lucien Laurin. Thrilling horseracing scenes recreate Secretariat’s legendary races at the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Secretariat is a down-to-earth family movie that stays on point. Anyone who enjoys watching horses will get a kick out the beautifully photographed horse races. Solid family films like Secretariat are few and far between. Rated PG for brief mild language. 123 mins. (Disney Pictures) Zorro: The Complete Season One (Available January 25) Zorro is the powerful hero to a Mexican town where he’s famous for leaving behind his unique “Z” trademark with his sword. Zorro might be cheesy fun, but the old-timey folk hero in black sure puts on an amusing show. Fancy sword fights with bad guys happen all the time in this Family Channel adventure series from 1990. There are also sure to be some wild chases, impressive rope-swinging and tricky horse-riding stunts in this perfectly silly television series that stars the great television actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. Not Rated. 575 mins. (A&E Home Video) Cole Smithey, also known as “the smartest film critic in the world,” has been a film critic for 11 years and writes for over 50 publications, in print and on-line. Truman loves to watch movies and has the highest appreciation for great popcorn.
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JANUARY 2011
Watch Where You Fly! Mt. Merapi is blowing its top—again. This volcano in Indonesia erupts every few years, making big trouble for the people who live close by. This hot-headed mountain also causes problems for airplanes. On November 6, Mt. Merapi’s ash plume rose to 55,000 feet (16 kilometers)—way higher than airplanes usually fly. The plume also spread out 220 miles (350 kilometers) to the west and southwest. Volcanic ash is not like ash from a forest fire. Volcanic ash is more like tiny, floating particles of broken glass. It’s very bad to breathe and very hard on airplane engines. Even far from the volcano where the plume is almost invisible, volcanic ash particles can do a lot of damage. So, if the plumes can be invisible, how do pilots know where it’s safe to fly? Satellites can help. Even a thin cloud of ash reflects light differently from air and from rain clouds. With help The erupting Eyjafjallajökull Volcano in Icefrom a computer, land this past April and May (2010) cancelled satellite images can many flights to and from Europe. You can see highlight volcanic why pilots would like to be warned before flying ash. This informainto such plumes of tiny shards of broken glass! tion is reported to air traffic controllers, who warn pilots to stay out of the broken glass! Satellites provide other vital information for aviators. Sometimes thunder clouds suddenly overshoot their normally flat tops with a sudden updraft of turbulent air. Even though a plane is flying above the cloud, it can still get caught in a sudden pocket of turbulence and be tossed around pretty roughly. A spilled cola may be the least of a passenger’s complaints! A new kind of satellite, called GOES-R, will help even more with aviation. GOES-R stands for Geostationary Operational Environment Satellite, “R” series. NASA plans to launch the first one in 2015. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will operate it. GOES-R will be able to help flight controllers plan safe flight paths. It will provide quick and accurate data about not only volcanic ash plumes, but also dangerous turbulence and lightning. Play the new “Flight Controller” game at http://scijinks.gov/ aviation-game, and use GOES-R’s hazard maps to plan safe flight paths for your airplanes. This article was written by Diane K. Fisher. It was provided through the courtesy of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and support from the U.S. Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
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P ARENTOWN’S K ID S MART The 12 Money-Saving Months of the Year Now that we are past the holiday season, let’s focus on the next 12 months of the New Year and how we can help our kids begin 2011 wealthier and money wiser. Change is a difficult emotion to manage, and teaching our children proper money habits is a challenge. So I thought I would provide parents a month-by-month idea guide for introducing smart money habits for the New Year. January: First and foremost, if you haven’t already, open a bank account for your child. February: Set a savings goal with your child. For example, allow them to save a small amount of their allowance each month, and at the end of the year, they donate the money they’ve saved to their favorite charity. March: Review your child’s allowance with them; increase the pay for some chores by 25¢ to $1.00 as an incentive to increase responsibility. April: Buy a piggy bank for your child. This should be where they keep the money they are allowed to spend. Be sure they have easy access to it; for example, the piggy bank can be kept in their bedroom. May: Volunteer at a soup kitchen or food pantry or donate clothes to your local clothing drive. Philanthropy should always be a part of smart money habits. June: Hold a bake sale. With the money they make they can split the money up into four parts and contribute to the four money buckets: the save bucket, the spend bucket, the invest bucket and the give back bucket. July: Set up a lemonade stand. Practice and repeat saving steps from June. August: Does your child have a cell phone? Allow them to pay part of the bill with money they have earned in the last two months. September: During your visits to the grocery store, teach your child to comparison shop prices of their favorite food items, such as peanut butter or cereal. October: I always throw something “old school” in my columns, but if age appropriate, teach your child how to write out a check. A perfect time to do this could be when you sit down to write out your bills. November: Review the savings goal(s) you set with your child earlier in the year. This can be a math lesson and also to see if they are on track to meet their savings goal(s). December: Go online with your child and make the monetary donation to his or her favorite charity with the money he or she saved during the year. And finally, I want everyone to purchase at least one share of stock for their child’s birthday. See previous article – “Take Stock and Invest in Your Child’s Future.” Of course, I don’t expect you to complete each of the 12 tasks for each month, but if you are able to cover at least half — you’re doing great! Feel free to email me at Keva@BornToSave.org with your stories of how you have begun to teach your child smart money habits in 2011. Happy Saving! Keva Sturdevant is the founder of Born To Save, a nonprofit based in Washington, D.C., with the mission of teaching kids of all ages the importance of saving and investing. Our goal is to begin conversations about money between parents and their kids in households across America. In an effort to foster those conversations, we grant actual shares of stock to kids across the country. Born To Save grants one share of stock per month by randomly selecting one winner to those who register on our Website at www.BornToSave.org.
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Doce Meses De Ahorro Al Año Ahora que las fiestas navideñas pasaron, hay que enfocarnos en los siguientes doce meses del año y en cómo podemos ayudar a nuestros hijos a empezar el 2011 siendo más administrados, ahorrativos, sensibles, bondadosos y sabios. El cambio emocional es una situación muy difícil de manejar, y más aún, si incluyes el enseñar a tus hijos hábitos apropiados en cuanto al manejo del dinero. Así que pensé en proporcionar a los padres una guía mes-a-mes para introducir buenos hábitos para el manejo del dinero para el año nuevo creándoles conciencia en cuanto al valor del dinero y lo que cuesta ganarlo, logrando con esto, que aprendan a valorar lo que tienen, lo que les regalan y lo que logran. Enero: Antes que nada, si no lo has hecho todavía, abre una cuenta bancaria para tu hijo. Febrero: Fija una meta de ahorro con tu hijo. Por ejemplo permite que ahorren una pequeña cantidad de sus ganancias cada mes y al final del año pueden donar el dinero que ahorraron a su caridad favorita. Marzo: Rectifica la cantidad que tu hijo gana por hacer sus tareas en casa, auméntales la cantidad de veinticinco centavos a un dólar como incentivo para desarrollar su sentido de responsabilidad. Abril: Compra una alcancía a tu hijo. Aquí es donde debe mantener el dinero que puede gastar. Asegúrate de que puedan acceder al dinero fácilmente, por ejemplo: la alcancía puede quedarse en su recamara. Mayo: Llévalos de voluntarios a un banco de comida o a donar su ropa a bancos de ropa locales. La filantropía siempre tiene que ser parte de los buenos hábitos para el manejo del dinero. Junio: Organiza una venta de pastelillos. El dinero que junten lo pueden dividir en cuatro partes y estas constituirán las cuatro cubeta del dinero: La cubeta del ahorro, la cubeta de gastos, la cubeta de inversiones y la cubeta de donaciones. Julio: Pon un puesto de venta de limonada, practica y repite los pasos de ahorro de Junio. Agosto: ¿Tu hijo tiene celular? Deja que paguen parte de la factura con el dinero que ganaron en los dos últimos meses. Septiembre: Durante su visita al centro comercial, enseña a tu hijo a comparar precios de su comida favorita como la crema de maní o cereal. Octubre: Siempre pongo algo “anticuado” en mis columnas, pero si tienen la edad adecuada, enseña a tu hijo como hacer cheques. El tiempo perfecto para hacerlo es cuando te sientas a revisar las facturas para pagarlas. Noviembre: Repasa las metas de ahorro que hicieron al principio del año. Esto puede ser una lección matemática y también sirve para comprobar si van por buen camino para alcanzar sus metas. Diciembre: Busca en línea con tu hijo como hacer una donación y hagan la donación monetaria, con el dinero que ahorraron durante el año, a la caridad favorita de tu hijo. Y finalmente recomiendo que todos compren aunque sea una acción para el cumpleaños de su hijo. Ve el artículo anterior – “Compra Acciones e Inviértelo en el Futuro de tu Hijo” Por su puesto no espero que hagan las 12 tareas del año, pero si pueden hacer la mitad de las cosas – van por buen camino. Siéntete en confianza de mandarme un correo electrónico a: Keva@BornToSave. org con sus historias de como empezaron a enseñar a sus hijos buenos hábitos para el manejo del dinero en el 2011. ¡Feliz Ahorro! Keva Sturdevant es la fundadora de Born To Save, una organización sin fines de lucros con base en Washington, DC con la misión de enseñar a los niños de todas las edades la importancia de ahorrar e invertir. www.BornToSave.org.
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JANUARY 2011
P ARENTOWN’S K ID S HAPE Help Your Kids Re-focus on School As the school year passes the halfway point, some kids may get distracted from their studies. If you and your kids want to re-focus on school success, here are some suggestions for kickstarting learning: * Commit to learning. With your children, come up with one or two major goals that you want to accomplish for the remainder of this school year. Raising that algebra grade? Getting homework done on time and turning it in the next day? Organizing a study area at home? Using a planner regularly and efficiently? Agree on some age-appropriate rewards and consequences. Commit to a familycentered goal that education is important to all of you, and work together to support, encourage and help each other. * Set up helpful routines. Give your kids the consistency of fairly regular routines (weekends and holidays can be breaks). Bedtime, wake-up, study, homework, play, family time — kids rely on these routines, and the structure helps them to feel safe, know what’s expected of them and be successful. * Help them organize. Organized kids do better in school than haphazard kids. Help them to set up their planners (written or electronic), to keep their notebooks and backpacks neat and orderly, to break up large assignments into smaller ones so they don’t seem overwhelming, to maintain
a work space at home that’s actually workable and not a disaster area and to stick to the goals you’ve set together. * Maintain healthy habits. Healthy kids are better learners. Help your children by monitoring their screen time (TV, video games, cell phones, etc.), making sure they’re getting enough sleep, insisting on their good eating habits, making sure they’re involved in regular and aerobic exercise and sticking to the goals and routines you’ve established. * Be a good role model. Kids learn from their parents. If they see that you’re organized, focused on what’s important to you and your family, staying healthy and being true to your values, they’ll pick up some pretty important life lessons. * Don’t give up. Let your kids know that you’re serious about these goals and that their school success is as critical to you as it is to them. * Get help early if you need it. When your kids show that they’re having trouble despite your best efforts, get help early. Ask a teacher or guidance counselor for help. Get a tutor. Find a “study buddy” for your kid. Just get help before the little problem grows into a big one. * Ask other parents. You’re not the only one trying to keep your kids on track. Learn from parents who’ve been through this, teachers who’ve guided hundreds of kids and others whose opinions you respect. No one has all the answers, but all of us have a lot of ideas. Information and image courtesy of NewsUSA.
Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. The U.S. Congress designated the third Monday of January as Martin Luther King Day, a national holiday. This year it is on January 17. On January 15, 1929, Martin Luther King, Jr., was born in Atlanta to the Reverend Martin Luther King, Sr., and Alberta Williams King. In those days, life was very different in the United States. Our country was segregated, which meant that white people and black people were not allowed to use the same bathrooms, attend the same schools or churches or sit in the same places in public. King graduated from high school at age 15; continued his education through college, the seminary and a doctorate and became a minister, like his father and grandfather. He married Coretta Scott and settled in Montgomery, Alabama. King first began to fight for desegregation in December 1955, when Rosa Parks, a black woman, refused to give up her bus seat for a white person. Parks was arrested, and King led the Montgomery Improvement Association in a boycott of the city’s buses. A year after the boycott, the buses were
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desegregated. His fight for desegregation included peaceful protests, such as sit-ins, protest marches and speeches to groups around the country. His most famous speech is known as “I Have a Dream,” where he talks about a future where blacks and whites would live together as equals and not be judged by the color of their skin. He gave this speech in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, and it was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. The speech is often considered to be one of the greatest speeches in history. In 1964, the Civil Rights Law was passed to outlaw segregation, and King received the Nobel Peace Prize. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot and killed at a hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee. The hotel is now the National Civil Rights Museum.
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