December 2011 Archives

Around the world, Christian followers decorate Christmas trees and homes with bright lights, wreaths, candles, holly, mistletoe, and ornaments. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, many people go to church. Christmas in the United States brings together customs from many other countries and cultures. Scandinavian descendants in states such as Minnesota celebrate the Feast of St. Lucia by eating saffron buns, while Cajuns in Louisiana eat Kings Cake from the Festival of the Epiphany in early January through Mardi Gras in February.

 

For the annual National Geographic Education holiday party, event specialist Jamie Bosley led a team in creating festive decor from recycled materials. Windows and wreaths on the walls were constructed out of old carboard, newspaper, and paper towels; candle holders on tables came courtesy of used wine bottles, and table clothes were fashioned from flannel shirts.

For a number of people around the world, winter is a time of gift-giving. In the U.S., the holiday shopping season is often a madhouse of sales, checklists and wrapping paper. After a few decades of presents--every birthday, anniversary, Valentine's Day, Father's Day, Mother's Day--you end up with a whole lot of STUFF. That's why, this year, whatever the occasion, consider giving presents with a short-term presence, and take part in 'a usable feast.'

That means choosing items that are intended to be used up before next year's gift-giving season. This year I'm giving candles to my grandmother, fruit-infused oil and vinegar to my mom, concert tickets to my brother, a set of soaps to my dad, and hearty bean soup mix to my boyfriend (hopefully I'll get to help use up that one). Other gifts include notecards, jams and jellies, birdseed, hand lotion, and of course--a calendar!

What are some other use-uppable gifts?

Alison Michel
Associate Producer for National Geographic Education

Sinkhole [Physical Geography]
Noun. A sinkhole is a hole in the ground that forms when water dissolves surface rock. Often, this surface rock is limestone, which is easily eroded, or worn away, by the movement of water.

In a landscape where limestone sits underneath the soil, water from rainfall collects in cracks in the stone. These cracks are called joints. Slowly, as the limestone dissolves and is carried away, the joints widen until the ground above them becomes unstable and collapses. The collapse often happens very suddenly without warning. Water collects in these collapsed sections, forming sinkholes.


Sinkholes also form when the roofs of caves collapse. Sinkholes are often funnel-shaped, with the wide end open at the surface and the narrow end at the bottom of the pool. Sinkholes vary from shallow holes about 1 meter (3 feet) deep, to pits more than 50 meters (165 feet) deep. Water can drain through a sinkhole into an underground channel or a cave. When mud or debris plugs one of these underground caves, it fills with water to become a lake or a pond. (National Geographic Education)

Are you a student age 9-14 who likes to travel and go on adventures? How does a National Geographic trip to the wilds of Montana sound? If your ears are perking up at the thought, then you should enter the 2012 Hands-On Explorer Challenge! The contest began on September 20, 2011 and applications are being accepted until January 7, 2012. Read more about the competition below to find out how to enter!

Application: Talk about yourself and take a photo!

1. In an essay of 300 words or fewer, tell us how you explore your world, and what it is about exploration that inspires and excites you.

2. Take a photograph of what, where, or how you explore the subject of your essay. You must be the photographer. The essay and the photograph must each be a single work of original material created by the contest entrant (no asking Mom or Dad to do it!)

Expedition:
Fifteen Grand Prize Winners will be selected. The Grand Prize consists of a 7-10-day Expedition to Montana, provided by Montana Office of Tourism, Department of Commerce, for each Winner and his/her guest, and one digital camera. The Expedition is currently scheduled for July 2012, but is subject to change at the discretion of Sponsor. Each Winner's guest on the Expedition must be his/her parent or legal guardian. The Expedition includes meals, local transportation, and double occupancy accommodations for the Expedition nights. Expedition also includes round trip air transportation for each Winner and his/her guest between the major airport closest to that Winner's home and the Expedition departure point (air transport provided by NGS).

Details:
To enter, visit kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/contests/explorer-trip-2012, download, print, and complete an entry form; and be sure to include your parent's or legal guardian's signature. Mail your completed entry form along with your essay and photograph to: NG Kids Hands-On Explorer Challenge, National Geographic Kids magazine/CDH, 1145 17th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036. Entry form must be complete for entry to be valid.

Good luck explorers!

Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, a holiday honoring the Maccabees' victory over King Antiochus, who forbid Jews to practice their religion. For eight nights, Hanukkah is celebrated with prayer, the lighting of the menorah, and food. A menorah has nine candles, a candle for every night, plus a helper candle. Children play games, sing songs, and exchange gifts. Potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah and are served with applesauce and sour cream. (National Geographic Kids)

To learn more about Jewish history and traditions, check out Hidden History, a National Geographic Education article that explores the history of the little-known Crypto-Jews in Latin America. Tune in next week as the My Wonderful World blog takes a look at another holiday celebrated by many Americans and others around the world: Christmas!

Photo Credits: Mike Perkins (Nat Geo Your Shot) & Julia Elena Calderon (Nat Geo Your Shot)
--Julia for My Wonderful World

Today is a milestone for this geography intern: it marks the end of my National Geographic internship and the beginning of my next chapter.  A day that I have approached with fear and also viewed with pride has finally arrived, and I could not be more pleased to be part of the National Geographic family.  In that regard, I have decided that for my final Five for Friday, I will say farewell with a rewind to some of my favorite moments working inside the yellow rectangle.

1. Meeting some of the explorers, photographers, writers, editors and staff of National Geographic; these people are actually as amazing as they seem.  Surrounded by some of the greatest minds in science and exploration, the environment at National Geographic is one of a kind. Walking down the halls you can see just about anything; whether it be famous ocean water photographer Brian Skerry, Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, or simply one of the many fabulous researchers or coordinators in the office next door. It is always a good day to meet someone new when you work at National Geographic.

2. Walking to work. Every morning I am blessed with one of the best scenes in the city on my way to work, and I could not be more grateful for the architecture, cleanliness, and friendless in Washington D.C. My travel time is somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour and in that short span I cross paths with the Capitol building, the Declaration of Independence, countless museums, international embassies, The White House, and several monuments! Walking in D.C. will make anyone fall in love with this city's unique geography, history, and political influence; Washington D.C. is home to all of us!

3. Geography Awareness Week. It was chaos around here! Celebrating seven days of geography education is no easy feat when you are working behind the scenes.  Looking back, the week is a blur of local events, a blog-a-thon, the finale of the 10,000 letter campaign for Speak Up for Geography, many missions, and more! It was a week where stress and excitement collided to eventually produce a very successful push for geography awareness, and a much appreciated champagne toast to seal a week's worth of victories!

4. Hanging out in the "intern cave." Earlier I mentioned the famous names and fantastic minds behind National Geographic, but an equally important network of people in this company are my fellow interns. We reside in the "intern cave" where a running quote board makes a statement the moment you walk into our office, and hanging plastic bats and Christmas lights help set the mood! Decorations aside, the best times as an intern were spent establishing life-long relationships with my girls and guys in the cave. I could not conclude this experience without a big thanks to all the people who made the work fun, the time fly, and the stories last forever.

5. Connecting with National Geographic fans, followers and friends--like you! It is incredibly inspiring to interact with National Geographic fans because, as an employee, you are constantly being held to the highest standards of excellency and challenged to do more.  Our fans are some of  the great thinkers in the world; they are people with the endless curiosity of heart, and testers of the unknown. I want to thank you all for being a part of this great organization and I hope that over the past few months I was able to provide you with some engaging content that reflected my passion for sharing geography. It has been wonderful, thank you all!

Photo Credits: Vinaykumar Patel (Your Shot), Makayla Trotter (Geography Intern), NGEP Geo-Literacy Photo Shoot

--Julia for My Wonderful World

Today is a milestone for this geography intern: it marks the end of my National Geographic internship and the beginning of my next chapter.  A day that I have approach with fear and also viewed with pride, has finally arrived and I could not be more pleased to be part of the National Geographic family.  In that regard, I have decided that for my final Five for Friday, I will say farewell with a rewind to some of my favorite moments working inside the yellow rectangle.

1. Meeting some of the explorers, photographers, writers, editors and staff of National Geographic; these people are actually as amazing as they seem.  Surrounding by some of the greatest minds in science and exploration, the environment at National Geographic is one of a kind. Walking down the halls you can see just about anything; whether it be famous ocean water photographer Brian Skerry, Dog Whisperer Cesar Millan, or simply one of the many fabulous researchers or coordinators in the office next door, it is always a good day to meet someone new when you work at National Geographic.

2. Walking to work. Every morning I am blessed with one of the best scenes in the city on my way to work, and I could not be more grateful for the architecture, cleanliness and friendless in Washington D.C. My travel time is somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour and in that short span I cross paths with the Capitol building, the Declaration of Independence, countless museums, international embassy's, The White House, and several monuments! Walking in D.C. will make anyone fall in love with this city's unique geography, history and political influence; Washington D.C. is home.

3. Geography Awareness Week. It was chaos around here! Celebrating seven days of geography education is no easy feat when you are working behind the scenes.  Looking back, the week is a blur of local events, a blog-a-thon, the finale of the 10,000 letter campaign for Speak Up for Geography, many missions, and more! It was a week where stress and excitement collided to eventually produce a very successful push for geography awareness, and a much appreciated champagne toast to seal a week's worth of victories!

4. Hanging out in the "intern cave". Earlier I mentioned the famous names and fantastic minds behind National Geographic, but an equally important network of people in this company are my fellow interns. We reside in the "intern cave" where a running quote board makes a statement the moment you walk into our office and hanging plastic bats and Christmas lights help set the mood! Decorations aside, the best times as an intern were spent establishing life-long relationships with my girls and guys in the cave. I could not conclude this experience without a big thanks to all the people who made the work fun, the time fly and the stories last forever.

5. Connecting with National Geographic fans, followers and friends--like you! It is incredibly inspiring to interact with National Geographic fans because, as an employee ,you are constantly being held to the highest standards of excellency and challenged to do more.  Our fans are some of  the great thinkers in the world; they are people with the endless curiosity in heart, and testers of the unknown. I want to thank you all for being a part of this great organization and I hope that over the past few months I was able to provide you with engaging content that reflected my passion for sharing geography. It has been wonderful, thank you all!

Photo Credits: Vinaykumar Patel (Your Shot), Makayla Trotter (Geography Intern), NGEP Geo-Literacy Photo Shoot

--Julia from My Wonderful World

Way to go jumpers! With your help, National Geographic Kids has broken the Guinness World Record for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period! Between 3 p.m. on October 11 and 3 p.m. on October 12, 300,265 jumpers all over the world took part in the event--far surpassing the existing record of 20,425!




Breaking the record is a huge accomplishment. But the First Lady and her organization, Let's Move, still have a lot of work to do to meet an even bigger goal: ending childhood obesity within a generation so that all children have a chance to grow up healthy and strong. To reach that goal, Let's Move is working to make sure all kids get the nutrition they need, have a chance to be active each day, and receive support from their schools, families and communities. (Let's Move Blog) For more resources to educate your classroom about healthy living, refer to our National Geographic Education article on health at every size.

Photograph by Aloha!, NG Kids My Shot
--Julia from My Wonderful World

Zealandia (zee-LAND-ee-uh) [Physical Geography]

Noun. Zealandia is a long, narrow microcontinent that is mostly submerged in the South Pacific Ocean. It is about half the size of Australia, but only 7 percent of it is above sea level. Most of that land makes up the two islands of the country of New Zealand. A microcontinent is a landmass that has broken off from a main continent. Zealandia broke off from Antarctica about 100 million years ago, and then from the continent of Australia about 80 million years ago.


Zealandia has two large islands, the North Island and the South Island, as well as Stewart Island, just south of the South Island, and many smaller islets. The collection of islands called New Caledonia, which is governed by France, makes up the northern tip of Zealandia.The topography of both islands is diverse, and the climate is mild. Both islands have mountain ranges running through their centers. The North Island is dominated by the North Island Volcanic Plateau, while the primary mountain range of the South Island is the Southern Alps. Both mountain ranges are slowly getting higher through a process called uplift, when two tectonic plates press together and push land upward.

Visit the National Geographic Education website to read the full encyclopedia entry on Zealandia. Also, check out the National Geographic Education MapMaker Interactive to enjoy hands-on exploration of the entire region surrounding Zealandia!

Photo Credits: Stéphane Ducandas (Your Shot), Carla Appel (Your Shot)

Big Cat Week is finally here and National Geographic Education, in collaboration with the National Geographic Channel, has created a fantastic new educational collection in celebration of this special occasion.

As part of National Geographic Society's Big Cats Initiative, National Geographic Education has worked with our explorers and grantees to help teachers like you educate students about the importance of big cats and conservation efforts to protect these large predators. From lions in Kenya to snow leopards in the Himalaya, the big cats of the world need help. Lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, and other top felines are quickly disappearing, all falling victims to habitat loss and degradation and conflicts with humans. Education is at the heart of our conversation efforts; we need your help to bring our message to the classroom.

Check out the activity list below for just a few ideas on how to get a big cats conversation started in your classroom (all activities are in accordance with National Standards):

• Cats and Their Coats Grades K-2
• Lion Crittercam Grades 3-5
• African Savanna Community Web Grades 5-8
• Captive Breeding and Species Survival Grades 9-12
  

Or, if educational videos are your preferred form of information dissemination, share the Big Cat Initiative with your classroom through one of our fantastic content videos and question guides:

• Swamp Lion defeated by Swamp
• Lions vs. Cheetahs: Hunting Techniques
• Threats to Big Cats: Poachers
• Kicked out of the Pride
  

For seven years, National Geographic has combed the globe to find Adventurers of the Year, each selected for his or her extraordinary achievements in exploration, conservation, and adventure sports. This year, in partnership with Glenfiddich, NG Adventure selected men and women who are pioneering innovation in the world of adventure--by reinventing distance hiking on the Appalachian Trail, launching a backyard microadventure movement, skiing the Andes under human power, and much more. (National Geographic Adventure)

1. Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner. K2 was the final summit remaining in Kaltenbrunner's 14-year quest to become the first woman to climb all 14 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen or porters. In 2011, Kaltenbrunner returned to K2, this time to the mountain's north side to avoid the Bottleneck, where 11 climbers died in 2008. At 6:18 p.m. local time on August 23, Kaltenbrunner reached the summit. "I have never had a view like that. There were no clouds, you could see to Nanga Parbat. I had the feeling that I was one with the universe. It's still present in my heart," says the 40-year-old Austrian.

Thought question: Do you think climbing the world's highest mountains without supplementary oxygen makes the accomplishment more "authentic?" Why or why not?

2. Alastair Humphreys. Humphreys devised a series of ten challenges in the form of four-minute video trip reports encouraging would-be adventurers to sign up for a race, to take advantage of the hours before and after work, or to pick a random point on a map and visit it. Word spread and people began sending in trip reports and homemade videos via Twitter. They came in from as far away as Japan--this year the idea traveled farther than the adventurer!
"My hope is that come December, I will have other microadventurers who have taken this journey with me from that first challenge all the way to our final challenge, which will end up being quite a worthy adventure," says Humphreys, who plans on revealing his final challenge at the end of the year. "In life it doesn't matter what you do, just that you get off your backside and do something."

Thought Question: Did you try any of National Geographic Education's Geography Awareness Week challenges this year? Did you learn anything new about the geography of your community in the process? If so, please tell us about it!

3. Jennifer Pharr Davis. For the last 40 years, men have held the Appalachian Trail record. In the last 20, it's been confined to an elite club of ultra runners who typically covered the requisite 30 to 50 miles per day in an 11- to 13-hour period. Conventional wisdom suggested that breaking the record would mean running faster with the same strategy. And a new record holder would most certainly be male. Pharr Davis, 28, took the standard strategy and turned it upside down. Moving from north to south, she covered the trail's 2,181 miles by hiking for 16 hours a day beginning at 4:45 in the morning and walking well into darkness.

During the question and answer period the children asked many thought provoking questions. One more surprisingly complex than the other:

• Why are National Geographic maps revised so often? Because features on the Earth, such as place-names, countries, and boundaries, change frequently.
• Why do you make so many different types of maps? Because maps are the best way to graphically tell stories about our Earth and the people who live on it.
• Have you used the Robinson Projection? Yes, the Robinson Projection, a map projection that minimizes size and shape distortion of all areas except for the polar regions, was the Society's flagship projection from 1988-1998.
  

Very interesting questions, coming from a group of fifth graders--none older than 10. I learned much from Mrs. Blythe's class that day. I learned, that a map, as some ten-year-olds see it, consist of more than colors, lines, and labels on a globe or on a flat sheet of paper. By that age, some have already developed good map reading skills while others have just begun to discover the inherent and wonderful intricacies of the art and science of cartography.

The 112th Congress needs to know that you support the Teaching Geography is Fundamanental Act. For more information go to: SpeakUpForGeography.org

Juan José Valdés
The Geographer
Director of Editorial and Research
National Geographic Maps

Harbor (HAR-bur) [Physical Geography]
Noun. A harbor is a body of water sheltered by natural or artificial barriers. Harbors can provide safe anchorage and permit the transfer of cargo and passengers between ships and the shore. A harbor is deep enough to keep ships from touching bottom and should give ships and boats enough room to turn and pass each other.

Most harbors are natural. They are located along many types of coastline. They occur in fjords, coves, and lagoons. They also occur along lakeshores and in estuaries, where rivers empty into larger bodies of water. The harbors in North America's Great Lakes, including Toronto, Canada (Lake Ontario), and Chicago, Illinois (Lake Michigan), remain some of the busiest for industrial ship traffic. Iron, steel, and timber are some of the raw materials shipped from manufacturing sites in the U.S. and Canada. (National Geographic Education)

Harbors are also the home to naval bases all around the world. In the spirit of remembrance, this Wednesday word of the week aligns with the anniversary of the attacks on Pearl Harbor that took place 70 years ago today.  National Geographic Education has released a collection of Pearl Harbor related teacher resources to commemorate this tragic day in history. The highlight of the collection is a newly released interactive attack map that brings the past back to life with hands-on student engagement. The collection also includes a timeline of Pearl Harbor events, a complete list of Pearl Harbor ships and planes, and a spotlight on Pearl Harbor photo gallery.

Photo Credits: Elisabetta Bastai (Your Shot), Janet Kotwas (Your Shot) & Heber Moulton (Your Shot)
--Julia from My Wonderful World

National Geographic Education is excited to introduce our first interactive on the new website! Our breakout theme is a tribute to the 70 year anniversary of the Japanese attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  The interactive map, which had existed previously on NationalGeographic.com and has been resurrected due to popular request from users, brings the past to life with streaming video and sound.  The interactive attack map, perfect for history and geography classrooms, engages students by taking them through the actual timeline of events, each of which is supplemented with photographs, biographies, and map images.  In addition to the interactive map, our extensive Pearl Harbor Collection includes:

We invite you to experience history through interactive learning with this new Pearl Harbor collection. Discover the the stories behind the U.S.S. Arizona, the hero Dorrie Miller, and the reactions of millions of Americans to war. You too can honor this important event in American history by sharing it with your 5-12th grade classroom!

Photo Credits: National Geographic Society, The National Park Service, The USS Arizona Memorial Photo Collection, and National Geographic Education.
--Julia from My Wonderful World

3. Home of characters like Mickey Mouse, this new play place, "where dreams come true" is located in which heavily populated East Asia city?

1. Twitter. Teachers can now use Twitter, a popular micro-blogging service, to start dialogues with teachers and students in all parts of the world. A great example of how Twitter is redefining the concept of a global classroom comes from Overton High School teacher Adam Taylor. Adam connects his students with students from all over the world, even making time before regular school hours for his students to converse with their peers from Pakistan across an eleven hour time difference. Adam says, "I can see this project going a long way to helping my students understand different parts of our country and the world. With the right online tools students are not limited to learning from a book or the teacher in the room. The world and the people living on it become the classroom and the teacher." To learn more about how Adam developed this project, and about his current work as a classroom innovator, check out his blog, 2footgiraffe.

2. Skype. With Skype, teachers can add face value to the cultural conversation.  Skype can be implemented into the classroom in a variety of ways, in fact, teachingdegree.org lists 50 awesome ways to use Skype in conjunction with education. In terms of defying the traditional restrictions of place and space, one example from Seth Dickens of DigitaLang reveals how adding interaction over Skype can bridge a cultural gap between students negotiating a language barrier. Seth Dickens' Italian language class had been using Twitter to practice written conversations with students in Italy learning English.  To finish off a great semester of applying social media in the classroom, his students planned a "face-to-face" finale with their Italian peers via Skype. Seth wrote of the event, "overall my students left the classroom with big smiles on their faces after staying behind late (after a hard day of exams). In my book that's a lesson that has worked well!"

3. Edmodo. Carol J. Carter, expert in student success and transition asks, "Have you ever wished you could connect your students with students across the world? What about provide a once in a lifetime experience to your students without having to leave the classroom?" Carol believes that Edmodo is the answer.  A classroom of 5th graders has recently put this new social media platform to the test as they connect with other students around the world. The Quad City Times reports that about two dozen students participating in an Extended Learning Program project are communicating online with students across the country as well as in Canada, Japan, China, India, and Poland in an effort to put together projects about their daily lives and the things that make them different and the same. The students communicate through Edmodo, an online social network designed for teachers and students that is formatted similar to Facebook. The teams are assigned topics for their projects based on an aspect of their everyday lives, such as food, clothing, celebrations, housing, transportation and school.

Today is World AIDS Day. HIV/AIDS is a very real condition of our human population on Earth and thus an important part of our geographic education. Please take a couple minutes to educate yourself about the global impact of this devastating disease. The following are some basic facts from aids.gov that I encourage everyone to deeply consider on this day of observation.

• More than one million people are living with HIV in the U.S.
• One in five living with HIV is unaware of their infection.
• By race, African Americans face the most severe HIV burden.
• Every 9 1/2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is infected with HIV.
• 33.4 million are currently living with HIV/AIDS worldwide.
  
• More than 25 million people have died of AIDS worldwide since the first cases were reported in 1981.

Growing up in an environment where HIV/AIDS is someone else's problem, it can be easy to put it out of mind most days of the year. Please take this opportunity on World AIDS Day to help fight the virus by expanding your AIDS education. You can make a real difference by becoming informed and helping educate others. To learn about the history of HIV/AIDS, check out this useful AIDS timeline and other resources from aids.gov.

Also, this year The One Campaign is creating a digital quilt for people of the world to share their voice.  Add your piece to help The One Campaign achieve their goal of eradicating AIDS by the year 2015.
Photo Credit: Danielle Baron (Your Shot)
--Julia for My Wonderful World