Children Book Authors

Enid Blyton
-Birth: born in London, in a small flat above a shop in East Dulwich
-Born: August 11th 1897 Death: November 28th 1968
-She was the eldest of three children
-Was also known as Mary Pollock
-Although her family thought, that most of her writing was a waste of time, she continued to write
-At one point in her life, Blyton could write 10,000 words a day
-have sold over 600 million copies.
-Enid Blyton is the fifth most translated author worldwide: over 3544 translations of her books were available in 2007, she overtook Vladimir Lenin to get the fifth place behind Shakespeare.
-Her work involves children's adventure stories, and fantasy, sometimes involving magic.
-Blyton was a talented pianist, but gave up her musical studies when she trained as a teacher
-Her first published poem, entitled 'Have You-?' - appeared in Nash's Magazine (1917).
-Blyton's first book, Child Whispers (1922), was a collection of verse.
-Real Fairies: Poems (1923), Responsive Singing Games (1923), The Enid Blyton Book of Fairies (1924), Songs of Gladness (1924), The Zoo Book (1924)
-Blyton's first full-length children's adventure book, The Secret Island, was published in 1938.
-This fast-moving story, woven around familiar characters, led to such series as The Famous Five, The Secret Seven, the Adventure series, the Mystery series, and the 'Barney' Mystery books.
-In 1949 appeared Little Noddy Goes to Toyland, a story of a little toy man, who always ends up in trouble and has to seek help from his Toyland friends. Its sales exceeded expectations.
Enid Blyton Books

-The Five Find-Outers -The Noddy books
-The Famous Five series -The Secret Seven series
-The Adventure series -The Malory Towers series
-The St. Clare's series -The Wishing-Chair series
-The Magic Faraway Tree Series -The Barney Mystery series
-The Circus series -The Mistletoes Farm series
-The Naughtiest Girl series -The Young Adventurers Series
-The Adventurous Four Series -The Family Series
-The Family Adventures Series -The Secret Series

J.K. (Joanne Kathleen) Rowling
-Born at Yate General Hospital in England on July 31 1965
-As a postgraduate she moved to London.
-She started writing the Harry Potter series during a delayed Manchester to London King’s Cross train journey, and during the next five years, outlined the plots for each book and began writing the first novel.
J.K. Rowling books
-Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was published in June 1997 and as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in the US in September 1998.
-Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was published in July 1998 (June 2, 1999 in the USA) and was No. 1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts for a month after publication.
It was published on 8th July 1999 (September 8, 1999 in America) to worldwide acclaim and massive press attention.
-The book spent four weeks at No.1 in the adult hardback bestseller charts, while Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone simultaneously topped the paperback charts. In the US the first three Harry Potter books occupied the top three spots on numerous adult bestseller lists.
-Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth book in the series, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia 8th July 2000 with a record first print run of 1 million copies for the UK and 3.8 million for the US.
-It quickly broke all records for the greatest number of books sold on the first weekend of publication.
-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the fifth book in the series, was published in Britain, the USA, Canada and Australia on 21st June 2003. Published in paperback on 10th July 2004, it is the longest in the series – 766 pages - and broke the records set by Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire as the fastest selling book in history.
-Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth book in the series, was published in the UK, US and other English-speaking countries on 16th July 2005 and also achieved record sales.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final book in the series, was published in the UK, US and other English speaking countries on 21st July 2007. The book is the fastest selling book in the UK and USA, and sales are well over 400 million copies worldwide.

Eric Carle
-Birth: June 25, 1929 in Syracuse, New York
-is a children's book author and illustrator
-moved with his parents to Germany when he was six years old; he was educated there, and graduated from the prestigious art school
-But his dream was always to return to America, the land of his happiest childhood memories.
-So, in 1952, with a fine portfolio in hand and forty dollars in his pocket, he arrived in New York.
-One day, respected educator and author, Bill Martin Jr, called to ask Carle to illustrate a story he had written.
-Martin’s eye had been caught by a striking picture of a red lobster that Carle had created for an advertisement. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? was the result of their collaboration.

-His first wholly original book was 1,2,3 to the Zoo, followed soon afterward by the celebrated classic, The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969).
-Many of his books have an added dimension—die-cut pages, twinkling lights as in The Very Lonely Firefly, even the lifelike sound of a cricket’s song as in The Very Quiet Cricket - giving them a playful quality: a toy that can be read, a book that can be touched.

Dr. Seuss
-Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known to the world as the beloved Dr. Seuss,
-Born in March 2, 1904 on Howard Street in Springfield, Massachusetts.
-Death on September 24, 1991
-Drawings of Horton the Elephant meandering along streams in the Jungle of Nool, for example, mirror the watercourses in Springfield's Forest Park from the period.
-The fanciful truck driven by Sylvester McMonkey McBean in The Sneetches could well be the Knox tractor that young Ted saw on the streets of Springfield.
-In addition to its name, Ted's first children's book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, is filled with Springfield imagery, including a look-alike of Mayor Ford is Parker on the reviewing stand, and police officers riding red motorcycles, the traditional color of Springfield's famed Indian Motocycles.
-Getting the first book that he both wrote and illustrated, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, published, however, required a great degree of persistence - it was rejected 27 times before being published by Vanguard Press.
-Ted had written and illustrated 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
-His books had been translated into more than 15 languages.

-Over 200 million copies had found their way into homes and hearts around the world.
-His books were often characterized by imaginative characters and rhyme
-His most celebrated books include the bestselling Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Horton Hears a Who!, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
-Numerous adaptations of his work have been created, including eleven television specials, three feature films, and a Broadway musical.

Geronimo Stilton
-Writing under the guise of a bewhiskered, monocle-wearing mouse who ventures into all manner of adventures while publishing the New Mouse City's hometown paper Rodent's Gazette, Geronimo Stilton is the tongue-in-cheek pseudonym of an Italian author.
-Appearing in numerous books that have gained a massive following among Italian children and have been translated into thirty-five languages, the mousey journalist has made his way to U.S. readers in translated editions that include Paws off, Cheddarface, The Temple of the Ruby Fire, The Mona Mousa Code, and The Phantom of the Subway.
-In the series, the title character is a talking mouse who lives in New Mouse City on Mouse Island. A best-selling author, Geronimo Stilton works as a journalist for the fictional newspaper The Rodent's Gazette.
-The books have been translated into 35 languages.
-Latest Book: #43: I'm Not a Supermouse
The latest paperback novel, I'm Not a Supermouse, was published in October 2010. It is about Geronimo being dragged off on a series of adventures by Bruce Hyena.
As well, a sixth paperback special edition, entitled Thea Stilton and the Mystery in Paris, in which the Thea Sisters head to Paris to attend a fashion show, was published in November 2010. -Future Books: #44: The Giant Diamond Robbery
The 44th book in the series is titled The Giant Diamond Robbery. It is about Geronimo trying to stop a robbery from a golf tournament, and is due for release in January 2011.
¡http://www.geronimostilton.com/

Festival of Lights

What is Deepavali?
•Deepavali, the literal meaning of which in Sanskrit is 'a row of lamps.'
•festival of joy, splendour, brightness and happiness.
•festival of lights and is celebrated with great enthusiasm by all Indians all over the world.
•The uniqueness of this festival is its harmony of five varied philosophies, with each day to a special thought or ideal.

The first day of Diwali: Dhanteras
•Is called Dhanvantari Triodasi or Dhanwantari Triodasi also called Dhan Theras.
•the 13th lunar day of Krishna Paksh, the dark forthnight of the month of Kartik.
•On this day, Lord Dhanwantari came out of the ocean with Ayurvedic for mankind.
•This day marks the beginning of deepawali celebrations.
•On this day at sunset, Hindus should bathe and offer a lighted deeya with Prasad (sweets offered at worship time) to Yama Raj, the Lord of Death and pray for protection from untimely death.
•This offering should be made near a Tulsi tree, the Holy Basil or any other sacred tree that one might have in their yard.

Dhanteras Legends
•Once the sixteen year old son of King Hima. was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage as per his horoscope.
•On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs.
•When Yama, the god of Death arrived there in the guise of a Serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber.
•So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs.
•In the morning he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death.
•Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "Yamadeepdaan" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of Death.

Dhanteras Preparations
•Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated.
•Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity.
•To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights.

Dhanteras Traditions
•Considered auspicious to purchase gold or silver articles or at least one or two new utensils.
•It is believed that new “Dhan” or some form of precious metal is a sign of good luck.
•"Laxmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny Diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits.
•"Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are also sung.
•There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
•In villages cattle are adorned & worshiped by farmers as they form the main source of their income.
•In south cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshiped on this day.

The 2nd day of Diwali: Choti Diwali
•Is also called Narak Chaturdasi or ‘small Diwali’
•On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear.
•On this day, one should massage the body with oil to relieve it of tiredness, bathe and rest so that Diwali can be celebarated with vigour and devotion.
•The Shastras (Laws of Dharma) declares that Yama Deeya should be offered on Triodasi night with Prasad.
•It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst.
•The morning after Choti Diwali, the women of the house make beautiful, colored rangoli in the doorway and courtyard.
•Tiny footprints made out of rice paste are a special feature of the rangolis made for Diwali.
•In Hindu homes, Chhoti Diwali celebrations involve a ritual puja to Goddess Lakshmi and also to Rama in the evening. Songs in honor of the god are sung and aarti is performed.

Legends behind Chhoti Diwali
•the demon king Narakasur ruler of Pragjyotishpur (a province to the South of Nepal) after defeating Lord Indra had snatched away the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess (the ruler of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife) and imprisoned 16,000 daughters of the gods and saints in his harem.
•On coming to know about this, Satyabhama was enraged by Narakasura's malevolence towards women, and she appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura.
•The legend also says that Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman.
•Krishna granted Satyabhama a boon to fight with Narakasura. With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field.
•During the war, Krishna swooned for a while, a preordained divinely act adopted to empower Satyabhama to kill the demon.
•After Narakasura was beheaded, the imprisoned women were released, and Krishna accepted to marry them.
•As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. Krishna returned home in the very early morning of the Narakachaturdashi day.
•The womenfolk massaged scented oil to his body and gave him a good bath to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice specially in Maharashtra.
•Bhudevi, mother of the slain Narakasura, declared that his death should not be a day of mourning but an occasion to celebrate and rejoice. Since then, Deepavali is being celebrated by people every year with joyous celebrations with lot of fun and frolic, and fire works.
•In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. People wake up before sunrise prepare a paste by mixing Kumkum in oil, symbolizing blood and after breaking a bitter fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by Krishna, apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
•In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan" (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a `must'.
•All through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterward steamed vermicelli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.

The 3rd day of Diwali: Lakshmi Puja on Diwali
•This is the day when worship unto Mother Lakshmi is performed.
•Hindus cleanse themselves and join with their families and their Pandit (priest) and they worship the divine Goddess Lakshmi to achieve the blessings of wealth and prosperity, the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness.
•On this very day sun enters his second course and passes Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing.
•Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.

Lakshmi Puja on Diwali
•The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya.
•The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as man is invoking Goddess Laxmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chantings of Vedic hymns.
•It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. It is extremely important to keep the house spotlessly clean and pure on Diwali.
•Goddess Lakshmi likes cleanliness, and she will visit the cleanest house first.
•This is also the reason why the broom is worshiped on this day with offerings of haldi and kumkum (turmeric and vermilion).
•Lamps are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess. They are believed to light up Her path.
•Lakshmi Puja consists of a combined puja of five deities:
–Ganesha is worshiped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta;
–Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in her three forms –
–Mahalakshmi (the goddess of wealth and money),
–Mahasaraswati (the goddess of books and learning), and
–Mahakali; Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is also worshiped.

Rama Return to Ayodhya
•After 10 days of fierce war with Ravana, the victorious Rama, Laxmana and Sita prepared to return to Ayodhya.
•There was joyous shouts of Victory to Rama, Veer Hanuman ki Jai - Victory to Hanuman. Celebration in AyodhyaHere in Ayodhya, Bharata, Ram's beloved brother, eagerly waited for the arrival of Rama, Laxmana and Sita.
•He had counted every day of those fourteen years that Rama had to suffer in forest as a result of his mother's folly.
•He had ruled as the representative Rama, living like a monk -sanyasi. Rama's wooden shoes adored the throne during his absence.
•The whole city was decorated with flowers and garlands. Every house adored beautiful look of cleanliness and was lighted with candles and lamps. Perfumes and scent filled the air. Every street was cleaned and watered, and decorated with hand-painted colorful designs. Brothers Meet
•Bharata and Rama hugged each other, tears flowing down their eyes. Rama inquired about the well being of Kaikeyi first, then about his mother Kaushalya and Sumitra.
•Soon, Rama was given his due honour as King of Ayodhya and Rama ruled Ayodhya wisely.

The 4th day of Diwali: Padwa & Govardhan Puja
•Govardhan Pooja is performed on this day.
•Thousands of years ago, Lord Krishna caused the people of Vraja to perform Govardhan Pooja.
•From then on, every year Hindus worship Govardhan to honour that first Pooja done by the people of Vraja.
•Govardhan is a small hillock in Braj, near Mathura and on this day of Diwali people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build cowdung, hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.
•This festival is in commemoration of the lifting of Mount Govardhan by Krishna.
•As per Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honor of Lord Indra and worshiped him after the end of every monsoon season but one particular year the young Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indra who in terrific anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul.
•People were afraid that the downpour was a result of their neglect of Indra.
•But Krishna assured them that no harm would befall them.
•He lifted Mount Govardhan with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain.
•This gave him the epithet Govardhandhari. After this, Indra accepted the supremacy of Krishna.

Padwa
•The day following the Amavasya is "Kartik Shuddh Padwa" and it is only on this day that the King Bali would come out of Pathal Loka and rule Bhulok as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known as "Bali Padyami".
•This day also marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa day.

Gudi Padwa
•Is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband.
•On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for this important day.

The 5th day of Diwali: Bhai Duj
•Is called Bhai teeka or Bhai fota. It is a day dedicated to sisters.
•The reason why this festival is known as bhai dooj is that it falls on the second day after the new moon, that is the Dooj day.
•And it is a day to pray for the long life of the brother, which is referred as “bhayya or bhai”.
•The essence is that it is celebrated to strengthen the love between brothers and sisters.
•It is a day of food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts.
•Brothers and sisters indulge themselves on this day by gifting each other gifts.
•This day marks the end of the five days of deepavali celebrations.
•According to religious scriptures, Yamaraj, the God of death, went to visit his sister's house after a long period of separation.
•His sister, Yami was very happy to see him and welcomed him by putting an auspicious mark on his forehead for his welfare.
•Yami and Yamraj then shared a meal. He was so pleased with his sister's reception, he proclaimed that every year, on the dooj day, if a sister puts a tilak on her brother's forehead, then no one can harm her brother.
•Till date, this tradition is followed. Sisters perform puja for their brothers safety and well being. Brothers in return give gifts to their sisters as a token of love.
•The festival of Diwali is incomplete without bhai dooj.

Alaska

Alaska Facts
Nickname: The Last Frontier
Motto: "North to the future"
Population: 626,932 as of 2000
Size: 570,374 square miles, about 2 1/2 times the size of Texas
Capital: Juneau
State Sport: dog mushing
Products: seafood, timber, fertilizer, zinc, ore, coal, oil
Languages: English and 20 native Alaskan languages, including Inupiaq (pronounced i-noo-pee-ak) and Yupik (pronounced you-pik)
Climate: cold winters and mild summers; frigid winters inland and in Arctic regions

Alaska's Flag
Seventh-grade student Benny Benson won a statewide contest to design the new flag for the territory in 1926.
He placed the Big Dipper and the North Star—eight stars of gold—on a blue background.
The blue represented the blue sky of Alaska and the blue of the state flower, the forget-me-not.
The Alaska Territorial Legislature officially adopted the design in 1927.

Alaska's Song
“Alaska's Flag” was adopted as the official state song by the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1955.
The lyrics for Alaska's official state song were written by Marie Drake initially as a poem.
The music was written by Elinor Dusenbury.

Amazing Alaska Facts - A Land of Extremes
Tallest mountain in North America: Mt. McKinley at 20,320 feet
Biggest earthquake in North America: The Good Friday quake of March 27, 1964 registered at 9.2 on the Richter scale

Largest state park in the United States: Wood-Tikchik State Park in southwestern Alaska is 1.6 million acres
Greatest concentration of glaciers in the US: Nearly 30,000 square miles or 5% of the state is covered by glaciers
Largest national park: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is more than 13 million square miles, six times bigger than Yellowstone
Most active volcanoes in the US: 80% of all active volcanoes and 10% of all the volcanoes in the world are located in Alaska
Longest earthquake fault system in North America: Denali Fault system runs parallel to the Alaska range
Largest gathering of bald eagles in North America. Some 4,000 eagles come to the Chilkat River near Haines in November to feed on a late run of salmon there.
The coldest temperature ever recorded in the United States was in Alaska.
On January 23, 1971, the temperature dropped to -79.8 (often rounded up to -80) at Prospect Creek. That's only one degree warmer than the coldest temperature ever in North America.
On February 3, 1947, the thermometer at Snag in the Yukon hit -81.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest temperature recorded in the world is -129F at Vostok, Antarctica on July 21, 1983.
Alaska's record warm temperature of 100 degrees at Fort Yukon on June 27, 1915 doesn't come close to the record in North America of 134 degrees at Death Valley, California on July 10, 1913.
The warmest temperature in the world was just two degrees warmer, 136 in Libya on September 13, 1922.
Juneau, Alaska is the cloudiest place in the U.S. Anchorage and Nome also make the list of the top five cloudiest places. Anchorage tied Hilo, Hawaii for the #2 spot at 41%. Nome at 42% sunny was #4.
Yakutat, Alaska holds the record for the rainiest place in the United States. It averages more than 160 inches each year.
The record snowfall in Alaska was set at Thompson Pass, north of Valdez the winter of 1952-1953. That year 974.5 inches of snow fell there. That is well below the record for the United States of 1,140 inches set at Mount Baker during the winter of 1998-1999.
In Alaska you'll find the windiest places and the least windy.
Talkeetna ties Medford, Oregon for the lowest annual wind speed of 4.8 mph.
McGrath is also calm with only an annual wind speed of 5.1 mph.

Native People
http://www.timeforkids.com/TFK/teachers/aw/wr/article/0,28138,577826,00.html

Who are the Alaska Native people?
People have lived in Alaska for at least 15,000 years.
These first Alaskans spread out over Alaska and formed three main groups.
-These are Eskimos, Indians and Aleuts.
Today about 105,000 Alaska Natives still call Alaska home.

Where does everyone live?
Most people (two-thirds of all Alaskans) in live in communities found along the 484-mile stretch of highway and railway between Seward on the Kenai Peninsula and Fairbanks. This area is commonly called the Railbelt.
Alaska's biggest city, Anchorage, is home to 279,243 people
That is 40% of all Alaskans. The area is huge.

Timeline of major events in Alaska's history
30,000-10,000 B.C.: Asian tribes migrate across a land bridge linking Asia and Alaska. In 10,000 B.C., Aleuts, Eskimos and Indians settle in Alaska.
1741: The first Russian ships arrive, and Russia claims the land. Animal trappers establish a fur trade.
1867: U.S. Secretary of State William Seward convinces the government to buy Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million. The purchase is ridiculed as "Seward's folly."
1895-1905: Alaska wins wars against China and Russia, gaining territory and international respect. In 1910, Alaska takes over Korea.
1896: Gold is discovered in the Klondike River, sparking the Klondike Gold Rush. Tens of thousands of treasure seekers pour into Alaska.
1923: President Warren G. Harding drives the last spike in the Alaska Railroad, connecting southern harbors like Seward and Whittier to Alaska's interior.
1959: Alaska becomes the 49th state in the Union.
1964: The deadly Good Friday earthquake strikes south-central Alaska. It is the most powerful quake ever recorded in North America.
1985: Libby Riddles is the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Today: Americans continue to discuss the pros and cons of digging for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Barrow
Barrow is truly the land of the midnight sun.
During the summer, the sun doesn't set at all from May 10 until August 2.
In the winter, though, the sun doesn't rise for 67 days.
Being the northern most community in the U.S. means it's cold in Barrow.
The low temperature is below freezing about 324 days a year.
In Barrow, native Inupiat Eskimos continue their ancient ways of hunting whale, polar bear, seal, caribou, and walrus to feed villagers.

Fairbanks

Just south of the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks is a popular tourist destination.
People even visit in the winter just to see the aurora borealis or Northern Lights In Fairbanks, people can be seen mining for gold, dog mushing, performing traditional native dances, or floating down the Chena River on an old-fashioned riverboat.

Mt. McKinley
Also called Denali, meaning "The Great One," Mt. McKinley is the highest mountain in North America.
¨Each year climbers from all over the world are drawn to its peaks and tourists come to see the grizzly bears, caribou, sheep, moose, and wolves that live in the area.

Anchorage
Anchorage is Alaska's largest city and home to almost half the state's population.
The city sits between Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains.
It began as a railroad camp and grew during World War II.
It also survived the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America.
Each spring, locals come out to cheer on dog sled mushers as the 1,100-mile Iditarod race begins in downtown Anchorage.

Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Just 200 years ago, the islands of Glacier Bay were covered with ice! In some parts, the ice was once 4,000 feet thick, 20 miles wide and 100 miles long!
Today, the area is protected and limited to tourists.

Scientists from all over the world come to Glacier Bay to study its whales, rare wildlife and plants.

Juneau
Is Alaska's capital city and was founded in the1880s as a gold rush town.
Larger than the state of Rhode Island, Juneau is in the middle of one of the world's largest rainforests!
Before miners and their families settled here, Juneau was home to Tlingit Indians who had lived in the area for thousands of years.
Many descendants of those native tribes still live in Juneau today.

MARINE MAMMALS
Killer Whale or Orca are actually a large species of dolphin.
Bowhead Whale are one of only three species of whales that spend all seasons in Arctic waters.
Beluga (or Belukha) Whale carry the nickname "Sea Canary" because of their loud songs.

BIRDS
Ravens are the largest members of the Corvidae family.
Ptarmigan The willow ptarmigan is the Alaska state bird.

BIG MAMMALS
Black Bear are smaller than grizzly bears and can weigh between 150 and 350 pounds.
Polar Bear As the largest land carnivore, the polar bear has no natural predators.
Moose Moose are the largest living members of the deer family.
Mountain Goat Mountain goats spend almost their entire lives roaming treacherous peaks and rock faces.
Musk Ox Musk oxen have roamed the Earth's tundra for thousands of years, mostly likely since the last Ice Age.

MEDIUM MAMMALS
Wolverine is also known as the devil bear, woods devil, and carcajou.
Lynx can be found almost anywhere in mainland Alaska, as it is the only wild cat native to the state.
Arctic Fox is one of Alaska's most resourceful and well-adapted animals.

SMALL MAMMALS
Lemmings do not hibernate, even when winter is at its coldest.
Arctic Hare are hardly like the cute, fuzzy bunnies found at the pet store.
Ermines or short-tailed weasels, are some of the fiercest little predators in Alaska.

Pinnepeds (Seals, Sea Lions & Walrus)

What is Pinneped?
—The word "pinniped" is Latin for wing- or fin-footed.
-are in the order Carnivora and suborder Pinnipedia, and includes all the seals, sea lions and the walrus.
-There are three families of pinnipeds:
the Phocidae, the earless or ‘true’ seals (e.g., harbor or common seals); -the Otariidae, the eared seals, (e.g., fur seals and sea lions) and
the Odobenidae, the walrus.
-These three families contain 33 species.
-mate, give birth and nurse their young onshore.
-are usually barrel-shaped, have fur and have wide flippers at the end of their short limbs.
-Their streamlined shape and adeptness at swimming makes them quick and agile in the water.


10 Facts About Earless & Eared Seals
1. Seals are carnivores.
2. Seals evolved from land animals.
—-Seals are thought to have evolved from bear- or otter-like ancestors who lived on land.
3. Seals are mammals.
—-Seals do spend lots of time in the water, but they breed, give birth to live young and nurse their young on shore.
4. There are many kinds of seals.
—-There are 32 species of seals.
—-The largest is the southern elephant seal, which can grow up to about 13 feet in length and more than 2 tons in weight.
—-The smallest species is the Galapagos fur seal, which grows to up to about 4 feet long and 65 pounds.
5. Seals are distributed throughout the world.
—-Seals are found from polar to tropical waters.
6. Seals insulate themselves using a thick fur coat and layer of blubber.
—-In polar environments, seals restrict blood flow to their skin surface to keep from releasing internal body heat to the ice.
—-In warm environments, the reverse is true. Blood is sent toward the extremities, allowing heat to release into the environment and letting the seal cool its internal temperature.
7. Seals detect prey with their whiskers.
—-The diet of seals is varied depending on the species, but most eat primarily fish and squid.
— -Seals find prey by detecting prey vibrations using their whiskers (vibrissae).
8. Seals can dive underwater deeply and for extended periods.
—-(up to 2 hours for some species) because they have a higher concentration of hemoglobin in their blood and their large amounts of myoglobin in their muscles (both hemoglobin and myoglobin are oxygen-carrying compounds).
—-Like cetaceans, they conserve oxygen when diving by restricting blood flow to only vital organs and slowing their heart rates by about 50-80%.
9. Seals have several natural predators.
—-Natural predators of seals include sharks, orcas (killer whale) and polar bears.
10. Humans are the greatest threats to seals.
—-Seals have long been commercially hunted for their pelts, meat and blubber.
—-Other human threats to seals include pollution (e.g., oil spills, industrial pollutants and competition for prey with humans.

Difference Between Seals and Sea Lions
Phocidae (Earless or 'True' Seals)
-Have no external ear flaps.
-Swim with their hind flippers. Their hind flippers always face backward and are furred.
-Have 2 or 4 teats.
-Can be found in both marine and freshwater environments.
-Examples of earless (true) seals:
—harbor (common) seal (Phoca vitulina),
—grey seal (Halichoerus grypus),
—hooded seal (Cystophora cristata),
—harp seal (Phoca groenlandica),
—elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), and
—monk seal (Monachus sp.)
Otariidae (Eared Seals)
-Have external ear flaps.
-Swim with their front flippers. Unlike earless seals, their hind flippers can turn forward, and they are better able to “walk” on their flippers.
-Have 4 teats.
-Are only found in marine environments.
-Examples of eared seals:
—Steller’s sea lion (eumetopias jubatus),
—California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), and
—Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus).

Gray Seals
-are pinnipeds with a long snout and horse-like head.
-scientific name refers to this characteristic, as it translates to “hook-nosed pig of the sea.”
-Gray seals are large, reaching lengths up to about 8 feet and weights over 600 pounds.
-range in coloration from a dark brown to dark gray coat in males and a lighter grayish-tan in females.
-Both males and females may have spots or patches.
-older males have a more “roman-nosed” appearance than females.
Feeding:
-Gray seals feed on fish, crustaceans, cephalopods (e.g., squid, octopus), and occasionally seabirds.
-Their predators include sharks and orcas.
Migration and Reproduction:
-Female gray seals are mature at 3-5 years and males at 4-6 years.
-Gray seals may mate on land or in the water, but they come ashore to give birth.
-Males will often try to mate with more than one female.
-The gestation period is about 11 months, after which the female gives birth to a pup with a white coat that is about 3 feet long and weighs about 40 pounds.
-The female nurses for about 2 ½ weeks and then the pup is left to fend for itself.
-At first it lives off of its blubber, but then starts feeding at sea when it is about 3-6 weeks old.

Harp Seal
-are ice-loving pinnepeds that live in the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans.
-are fuzzy white when born, but their coat gradually changes as they mature, turning into a silvery gray with a darker harp-shaped pattern on the adult's back and sides.
-grow to about 6.5 feet in length and 287 pounds in weight.
Feeding:
-Harp seals eat smaller fish such as capelin, cod, herring, sculpin, halibut, redfish and plaice.
-They also dine on crustaceans (such as krill and shrimp).
-Their predators include humans, polar bears, killer whales, sharks and walruses.
Migration and Reproduction:
—Harp seals are migratory, gathering to breed on pack ice in the winter and early spring, and
—then dispersing to feed in cold arctic and subarctic waters in the warmer summer and autumn months.
—After about an 11.5 month gestation period, 3-foot long, 25-pound harp seal pups are born in February to April.
—The pup nurses for about 12 days, and then is weaned, where it stays on the ice for about 2 more weeks before it starts to swim and feed on its own.
—The pups are born with yellowish fur, which turns white after a couple of days.
—After 2-4 weeks, the pup molts this white fur and grows a silvery gray coat with dark spots, which eventually turns into an adult coat which is silvery gray with the characteristic darker "harp" shape.
—Adult males have a black head.
—The harp seal's lifespan is thought to be 30-35 years.

Trivia Facts
1. A barrel of water weighs 20 pounds. What must you add to it to make it weigh 12 pounds?
Answer Holes.
2. A farmer had seventeen sheep, all but nine died, how many did he have left?
Answer Nine
3. A father's child, a mother's child, yet no one's son.
Answer A girl or daughter.
4. A man builds a house with all 4 sides facing south. A bear walks past the house. What color is the bear?
Answer White: the house is built directly on the North Pole.
5. How much dirt is in a hole 4 feet deep and 2 feet wide?
Answer There is no dirt in a hole
6. I know a word of letters three, Add two and fewer there will be.
Answer Few.
7. If you were in a dark room with a candle, a woodstove, a match and a gas lamp which do you light first?
Answer The match.
8. There are sixty cups on a table. If one falls down, then how many remain?
Answer six tea cups . So if one falls down then 5 tea cups will remain!
9. What goes up and down, but still remains in the same place?
Answer Stairs!
10. Which letter of the English alphabet flies, sings and stings?

Answer 'B' (bee).

Guiness Book of Records

Tallest Man
WHO: Robert Pershing Wadlow
WHAT: 2.72 m (8 ft 11 in)
WHERE: Alton, Illinois, USA
WHEN: Last measured on July 15, 1940
He was born at Alton, Illinois, USA, on February 22, 1918
His shoe size was 37AA (47 cm, 18½ in long) and
His hands measured 32.4 cm (12¾ in) from the wrist to the tip of the middle finger.
He wore a size 25 ring.
His arm span was 2.88 m (9 ft 5¾ in)
His peak daily food consumption was 8000 calories.





Shortest Man
WHO: Edward Niño Hernandez
WHAT: 2 ft 3.46 in (70.21 cm)
WHERE: Colombia
WHEN: 6 September 2010
A whole 4 cm (2 in) shorter than Pingping (previous record holder)
Nepal’s Khagendra Thapa Magar, will turn 18 on the 14th October, and at last measurement was 2 ft 1.8 in tall; 2 inches shorter than Niño.



Loudest Burp
WHO: Paul Hunn
WHAT: 107.1 db
WHERE: London, UK
WHEN: 24 September 2008
The record for the loudest burp is 107.1 db on the set of The New Paul O’Grady Show


Longest Ear Hair
WHO: Anthony Victor
WHAT: 18.1 cm (7.12 in)
WHERE: Madurai, India
WHEN: As of 26 August 2007
Anthony Victor (India) has hair sprouting from the centre of his outer ears (middle of the pinna) that measures 18.1 cm (7.12 in) at its longest point.


Longest Hair
WHO: Xie Qiuping
WHAT: 5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in)
WHERE: Guangxi Province, China
WHEN: May 8, 2004
5.627 m (18 ft 5.54 in)
She has been growing her hair since 1973 from the age of 13.





Longest Tongue
WHO: Stephen Taylor
WHAT: 9.8 cm (3.86 in)
WHERE: Coventry, United Kingdom
WHEN: 11 February 2009
From the tip to the middle of his closed top lip.



Fastest Time to Eat 12” Pizza
WHO: Josh Anderson
WHAT: 1 min 45.37
WHERE: Wellington, NZ
WHEN: 22 March 2008

Fastest Time to Carve a Pumpkin
WHO: Stephen Clarke
WHAT: 24.03 seconds
WHERE: Orlando, Florida, USA
WHEN: July 23, 2006

Most Books Typed Backwards
WHO: Michele Santelia
WHAT: 68 books (3,663,324 words, 20,680,060 characters , 24,154 pages, 266,741 paragraphs, 516,498 lines)
WHERE: Campobasso, Italy
WHEN: June 16, 2009




Largest Human Logo
WHO: Realizar Eventos Especiais
WHAT: 34,309
WHERE: Lisbon, Portugal
WHEN: July 24, 1999
gathered at the National Stadium of Jamor
to create the Portuguese logo for Euro2004
The kicking leg of the player in the logo was composed of 651 gymnasts wearing black and white capes, which when swapped over, created the illusion of the player kicking the ball.
Once the ball was kicked, it released 10,000 red and green helium balloons - the colours of the Portuguese flag.
As part of the bid, the crowd shouted 'Portugal we love football' and sang the national anthem.



Fastest 100m Team Aircraft Pull(737 Class)

WHO: Royal Marine Reserves
WHAT: 43.2 seconds
WHERE: Manchester Airport, UK
WHEN: January 27, 2001
A team of 10 Royal Marine reserves from all over the UK pulled a Boeing 737-300, weighing 37 tonnes (81,500 lb), a distance of 100 m (328 ft)


Largest Swimming Pool
WHO: San Alfonso del Mar WHAT: 1,013 m (3,324 ft) long - Area of 8 ha (19.77 acre)
WHERE: Algarrobo, Chile
WHEN: December 2006





Largest Hotel Suite
WHO: Grand Hills Hotel & Spa
WHAT: 4,131 m²
WHERE: Broummana, Lebanon
WHEN: May 2008



Smallest Commercially Available Stitched Teddy Bear
WHO: Cheryl Moss
WHAT: 9 mm (0.29 in)
WHERE: Gauteng, South Africa
WHEN: May 2003




Smallest Bottle of Wine - Retail
WHO: Steve Klein of Klein Designs
WHAT: 3.2 cm (1.2 in)
WHERE: Encino, California, USA
WHEN: 1999






Heaviest Apple
WHO: Chisato Iwasaki
WHAT: 1.849 kg (4 lb 1 oz)
WHERE: Hirosaki City, Japan
WHEN: October 24, 2005



Heaviest Lemon
WHO: Aharon Shemoel
WHAT: 5.265 kg (11 lb 9.7 oz)
WHERE: Kefar Zeitim, Israel
WHEN: January 8, 2003

Types of Rocks

EARTH’S CRUST
The crust of earth is made of rocks & minerals.
The Crust makes up less than 1% of the Earth’s mass (0.4%)
There are 8 elements that make up 99% of the Earth’s crust:
It is made of oxygen, magnesium aluminium, silicon calcium, sodium ,potassium, iron.
The Mantle is the solid casing of the Earth and is about 2900 km thick.
It makes up about 70% of the Earth’s mass (68.1%).
It is made up of silicon, oxygen, aluminium and iron.
The Core is mainly made of iron and nickel and makes up about 30% of the Earth’s mass (31.5%).
The Outer Core is 2200 km thick and is liquid and the Inner Core is 1270 km thick and is solid.

EARTH’S LAYERS
How are earth’s layers similar to an egg?
Shell=crust
Egg white=mantle
Yolk=core

ROCKS
The rocks you see around you - the mountains, canyons & riverbeds, are all made of minerals.
A rock is made up of 2 or more minerals.
Think of a chocolate chip cookie as a rock. The cookie is made of flour, butter, sugar & chocolate. The cookie is like a rock and the flour, butter, sugar & chocolate are like minerals.
You need minerals to make rocks, but you don't need rocks to make minerals.

MINERALS
A mineral is composed of the same substance throughout. If you were to cut a mineral sample, it would look the same throughout.
There are about 3000 different minerals in the world.
Minerals are made of chemicals - either a single chemical or a combination of chemicals.
There are 103 known chemical elements.

SOIL, SAND & DIRT
When rocks break down into smaller & smaller pieces, they turn into sand.
If you look at the sand under a microscope, sand is made up of the same minerals as the rocks that the sand came from.
Soil is very important to life on earth. It supports plant life. We could not live without plants.
Soil is made up of sand and decomposing plants and animals.
Soil has many names including: clay, silt, mud, dirt, topsoil, dust, potting soil and humus.

THE ROCK CYCLE
Rocks are constantly being formed, worn down and then formed again.
This is known as the Rock Cycle.
It is like the water cycle but it takes a lot longer.
It takes thousands and millions of years for rocks to change.
Rocks are divided into 3 types: Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic. They are classified by how they were formed.

IGNEOUS ROCKS
Igneous means made from fire or heat.
When volcanoes erupt and the liquid rock comes up to the earth's surface, then new igneous rock is made. When the rock is liquid & inside the earth, it is called magma.
When the magmas that comes from Earth’s core gets hard inside the crust, it turns into granite.
Most mountains are made of granite. It cools very slowly and is very hard.
When the magma gets up to the surface and flows out, like what happens when a volcano erupts, then the liquid is called lava.
Lava flows down the sides of the volcano. When it cools & turns hard it is called obsidian, lava rock or pumice
Obsidian is nature’s glass. It is glassy and smooth.
Pumice is full of air pockets that were trapped when the lava cooled when it frothed out onto the surface. It is the only rock that floats.
There are 5 kinds of igneous rocks, depending on the mix of minerals in the rocks.
Granite, Diorite, Gabbro, Periodotite, Pegmatite

SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Lots of rock gets worn away due to erosion. Eventually most of the broken bits of the rock end up in the streams & rivers that flow down from the mountains. These little bits of rock & sand are called sediments.
When the water slows down enough, these sediments settle to the bottom of the lake or oceans they run into. Over many years, layers of different rock bits settle at the bottom of lakes and oceans.Over time the layers of sand and mud at the bottom of lakes & oceans turned into rocks.
These are called sedimentary rocks. Eg. sandstone and shale
Sedimentary rocks are usually formed in layers called strata.
Sedimentary rocks often have fossils in them.
When large amounts of plants are deposited in sedimentary rocks, then they turn into carbon. This gives us our coal, oil, natural gas and petroleum.
Sedimentary rocks cover 75% of the earth’s surface.
6 Kinds of Sedimentary Rocks depending on the appearance of the rock.
Conglomerate rock, Sandstone, Shale, Limestone, Gypsum, common salt or Epsom salt, Breccia

METAMORPHIC ROCKS
Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have changed.
Word comes from the Greek "meta" and "morph" which means to change form.
Metamorphic rocks were originally igneous or sedimentary, but due to movement of the earth's crust, were changed.
If you squeeze your hands together very hard, you will feel heat and pressure. When the earth's crust moves, it causes rocks to get squeezed so hard that the heat causes the rock to change.
Marble is an example of a sedimentary rock that has been changed into a metamorphic rock.
Metamorphic rocks are the least common of the 3 kinds of rocks.

EROSION
Erosion is a key part of the rock cycle. Erosion happens mainly as a result of weathering – the effect of water, temperature and wind on the landscape.
Water causes much erosion. When it falls as acid rain, it can dissolve rocks that are sensitive to acid.
Acid Rain: chemicals in the air combine with precipitation. When it rains it dissolves certain minerals sensitive to acid.
Leaching by ground water: water soaks into the soil, picks up chemicals. This allows the water to leach or dissolve rocks it comes in contact with at bedrock.
Other causes are precipitation, freeze/thaw cycle, flood and wind

CRYSTALS
Crystals are minerals that have had the chance to grow in the shape that they were meant to be. When there is just a big hunk of a mineral, it is called a massive mineral.
If there is a definite shape with easy to see flat sides, it is called a mineral crystal.
Most of the earth's crystals were formed millions of years ago.
Crystals form when the liquid rock from inside the earth cool and harden. Sometimes crystals form when liquids underground find their way into cracks and slowly deposit minerals.
Most mineral crystals take thousands of years to "grow" but some like salt (halite) can form very quickly.
Amethyst is a very common quartz crystal.

GEMSTONES
Gemstones are often what people mean when they talk about "crystals".
There are many gemstones and most are used for jewellery or decoration. Some gemstones look similar to what the mineral looks like when found in nature and others are very different. Few minerals found in nature are suitable to use unaltered in jewellery.
One exception is the "Herkimer Diamond" which forms in vugs of gray rock and are found near Herkimer, New York.
These are not real diamonds - they are quartz crystals that look like they have been cut & polished like a diamond.

BIRTHSTONES

Famous Scientists

Albert Einstein
¢ a German-American physicist
¢ Born on: March 26th, 1876
¢ Death: April 18, 1955
¢ did not speak clearly until he was 12 and his parents and teachers both thought that he was very slow and unable to learn.
¢ Practical jokes were one of his favourite activities.
¢ Learned how to play the violin and was given a place in the London Symphony Orchestra.
— Some say he was so talented that he could have become the finest musician in the world
¢ He came to New York City, where he became one of the most successful comics.
The name given to him was “Fuzz Ball”, and one of his trademarks was sticking his tongue out at audiences.
¢ he helped the government develop the Atom Bomb and accomplished his dream of making big explosions.
¢ He also proved The Theory of Relativity with the formula “E= mc2.
¢ won a Nobel Prize in 1921 for physics
¢ After this honour, he referred to himself as the “Superstar of Science”.

Galileo Galilei
¢ Italian astronomer and physicist
¢ Born on: February 15, 1564
¢ Career: Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer, Philosopher
¢ Death: January 8, 1642
¢ Galileo, known as the ‘Father of Modern Physics’ or ‘Father of Modern Science’,
Astronomy
¢ In 1608, Galileo, made a telescope with about 3x magnification.
— improved the telescope, to make one with up to about 32x magnification, which is now known as terrestrial telescope, or spyglass.
¢ discovered the four moons of Jupiter, which he named as the ‘Medicean stars’.
¢ observed the phases of Venus and proved that it orbited the Sun.
¢ first European to observe and recognize sunspots.
¢ Physics
¢ Claimed that a pendulum's swings always take the same amount of time
¢ Described an experimental method to measure the speed of light
¢ Presented a physical theory to account for tides, based on the motion of the Earth

Sir Isaac Newton
¢ British scientist
¢ Born on: 1642
¢ Death: 1727
¢ was born just a short time after the death of Galileo
¢ thought the universe worked like a machine and that a few simple laws governed it.
¢ Like Galileo, he realized that mathematics was the way to explain and prove those laws.
¢ He worked out the basic laws of motion and gravity.
¢ He also showed that sunlight is made up of all the colors of the rainbow.
¢ He invented the branch of mathematics called calculus, but he kept this discovery quiet
¢ He also used his laws to show that the planets revolve around the suns in orbits that are oval, not round.

Newton’s Laws
Isaac Newton used three laws to explain the way objects move called Newton’s Laws.
¢ The First Law states that an object that is not being pushed or pulled by some force will stay still, or will keep moving in a straight line at a steady speed.
— It is easy to understand that a bike will not move unless something pushes or pulls it. It is harder to understand that an object will continue to move without help. Think of the bike again. If someone is riding a bike and jumps off before the bike is stopped what happens? The bike continues on until it falls over. The tendency of an object to remain still, or keep moving in a straight line at a steady speed is called inertia.
¢ The Second Law explains how a force acts on an object. An object accelerates in the direction the force is moving it.
— If someone gets on a bike and pushes the pedals forward the bike will begin to move. If someone gives the bike a push from behind, the bike will speed up. If the rider pushes back on the pedals the bike will slow down. If the rider turns the handlebars, the bike will change direction.
¢ The Third Law states that if an object is pushed or pulled, it will push or pull equally in the opposite direction.
— If someone lifts a heavy box, they use force to push it up. The box is heavy because it is producing an equal force downward on the lifter’s arms. The weight is transferred through the lifter’s legs to the floor. The floor presses upward with an equal force. If the floor pushed back with less force, the person lifting the box would fall through the floor. If it pushed back with more force the lifter would fly into the air.

C. V. Raman
Born: November 7, 1888
Died: November 21, 1970
Achievements: first Indian scholar who studied wholly in India received the Nobel Prize.
¢ His full name was Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman.
¢ C.V. Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930 for his work on scattering of light.
— The discovery was later christened as "Raman Effect".
¢ Raman joined the Indian Finance Department in 1907. After his office hours, he carried out his experimental research in the laboratory of the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science at Calcutta. He carried out research in acoustics and optics.
¢ In 1917, Raman was offered the position of Sir Taraknath Palit Professorship of Physics at Calcutta University. He stayed there for the next fifteen years.
¢ He was elected to the Royal Society of London in 1924 and the British made him a knight of the British Empire in 1929.

Trivia Facts
¢ A railroad crossing, look for the cars; Can you spell all that without any R's?
¢ answer All that.
¢ Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup. Even a river can't fill it up. What is it?
¢ answer kitchen strainer.
¢ Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?
¢ answer Mount Everest
¢ Forward I am heavy, but backward I am not. What am I?
¢ answer A ton.
¢ How many bricks does it take to complete a building made of brick?
¢ answer Only one - the "last" one.
¢ How many times can you subtract the number 5 from 25?
¢ answer Once. After the first calculation, you will be subtracting 5 from 20, then 5 from 15, and so on.
¢ I have a head like a cat. I have feet like at cat. But I am not a cat. What am I?
¢ answer A kitten.
¢ I'm not an airplane, but I can fly through the sky. I'm not a river, but I'm full of water. What am I?
¢ answer A cloud.
¢ If a rooster laid a brown egg and a white egg, what kind of chicks would hatch?
¢ answer None. Roosters don't lay eggs!
¢ If you have it, you want to share it. If you share it, you don't have it. What is it?
¢ answer A secret.
¢ If you were to take two apples from three apples, how many would you have?
¢ answer Two, what you take is what you have.