Recently in For Parents Category

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.

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!

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
  

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

Xeriscaping [Environmental Geography]
Noun: Xeriscaping is the practice of designing landscapes to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation. This means xeriscaped landscapes need little or no water beyond what the natural climate provides.

Xeriscaping has been embraced in dry regions of the western United States. Prolonged droughts have led water to be regarded as a limited and expensive resource. Denver, Colorado, was one of the first urban areas to support xeriscaping. That city's water department encouraged residents to use less of the city's drinkable water for their lawns and gardens.

Xeriscaping has become widely popular in some areas because of its environmental and financial benefits. The most important environmental aspect of xeriscaping is choosing vegetation that is appropriate for the climate. Vegetation that thrives with little added irrigation is called drought-tolerant vegetation. Xeriscaping often means replacing grassy lawns with soil, rocks, mulch, and drought-tolerant native plant species. Trees such as myrtles and flowers such as daffodils are drought-tolerant plants. (National Geographic Education)

For more information on xeriscaping and how to make your home "greener", check out the National Geographic Green House or see Eartheasy's tips and benefits of xeriscaping.

Photo Credits: Cathey Thomas (Your Shot) & Seana Fenske (Your Shot)
--Julia from My Wonderful World

This blog-a-thon submission comes from Debbie Glade of Wandering Educators. Debbie reports on some great facts about America's National Parks as she encourages her readers to find the adventure in their own backyards! To read more from Debbie or to access this blog post directly, follow this link.

With summer approaching, many domestic and foreign travelers will be flocking to our National Parks for vacation. The vast landscapes, diverse climates and abundant wildlife America's extensive park system offers are nothing short of spectacular. There are so many options for visitors, that it is almost impossible to choose just one.

• The US National Park Service was established in 1916 through the National Park Service Act, while Woodrow Wilson was President.
• It is managed under the umbrella of the US Department of the Interior.
• Between 1901 and 1909, Franklin D. Roosevelt, known for his dedication to conservation, signed executive orders to establish 5 National Parks and many Historic Sites. He also signed the Antiquities Act, which made it easier for future Presidents to officially declare Historic Sites and Landmarks into the National Park Service.
• In order for a site to be officially named a National Park, it must follow an Executive Order from the President or be an act of Congress.
• There have been 18 Directors of the US National Park Service; in recent years, 2 have been women.
• It takes more than 21,000 employees and more than 145,000 volunteers to run our National Park System, which includes National Parks, Historical Sites and Monuments. The National Park Service could not operate without the help of volunteers.

• The annual budget for the US National Park System is over $2 billion.
• The complete US National Park System covers more than 84 million acres.
• Alaska and California are the states with the most National Parks; each of these states is home to 8 National Parks.
• The largest National Park is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, with more than 20,000 square miles or 13 million acres. It is known for its picturesque glacier landscapes and is home to many grizzly bears, caribou and Dall sheep.
• With only 9 square miles, the smallest National Park in land size is Arkansas' Hot Springs National Park. A former government operated clinic here was one of the first places in the US to treat patients with penicillin.
• Death Valley is the hottest National Park in the US. This desert reached a record-breaking 134 degrees Fahrenheit in 1913, making it one of the hottest places on earth.

Good luck and here in your fifth and FINAL chance to win:

The Clue: This Royal Palace is the largest in Western Europe,  with 2,800 rooms. Name the city and country where it is located. Send your guess to NatGeoEd@ngs.org to win! Satellite Image courtesy GeoEye Foundation.

This blog-a-thon submission comes Stewart and Kristie of The Family Adventure Project who took our Geography Awareness Week theme, The Adventure in Your Community to a new and excitingly spooky place: a local graveyard. Read more about The Family Adventure Project by following this link.

It's National Geography Awareness Week this week and families around the world have been challenged by National Geographic Education to get out and have a geography related adventure in their own community.

Never one to turn down a challenge Stuart decided upon a life or death mission; to visit a place we'd never been to before (thankfully); a place so close and yet so far (hopefully); the local graveyard.

I didn't really want to go and didn't know quite what to expect, other than graves and flowers, but like all good mini adventures, after a bit of stumbling around we did find a message there for us. It wasn't exactly living geography, but in this peaceful place of the dead, in the middle of our thriving village, we did get a clear message from past and perhaps a macabre glimpse of the future.

"Wow. Domino Valley." says Matthew, his adolescent energy subdued, as we stand over a mossy grave in the diluted morning sunshine. Beneath us is a huge tablet of stone; the frontage of a substantial tomb. Within this tomb is a family. This family is the size of our own. We don't know their story and we never met them. All we know is they lived in our village, long before we were born, and died within a few years of each other. A whole family; completely erased, but for a grey slab tombstone in a village churchyard.

"Come and see what I've found Dad!" shouts Cameron, from the other side of the graveyard.

"In a minute," replies Stuart.

"Take off those roller skates. It's disrespectful." I snap at Cameron, who snaps off his wheels and ambles across the long grass to join us at the Coward family tomb.

Matthew, Stuart and I are silent and reflective. Wind chimes tinkle on a nearby grave, perhaps to remind us that this family once had a collective heartbeat. Almost two centuries ago the Coward kids left their childish footprints in the dust of this village the same way our children now leave trails in the dewy grass.

"Dad, there's something over there you really need to see," pleads Cameron.

But we are busy puzzling out one ancient family's journey from life to death. William and Eleanor Coward lost their son Matthew in 1777, taken from them just one year and two months into his short life. I feel a lump in my throat just reading that. Then in 1796 daughter Ann passed on, only 22. Then daughter Alice, age just 19. Imagine that; 3 kids, all dead before before their adult lives had really got going, all dead before their parents. Then, four years later, on 8th December 1801, Dad William passed away, followed by his wife Eleanor. Just 17 days later.

We stand in silence. I'm wearing a thin jumper and the light midday breeze makes me shiver.

"She died of a broken heart." I say.

"Do you think she died without opening her presents?" asks Cameron, pointing out the Christmas Day date, chiseled into the aging stone. "Maybe she got up early and did that first."

There's a similar story on another nearby tombstone, that of the Hawthorn family. Another tale of short lives and a domino of deaths. First son died 1832, then a few years later father Thomas, 53; not much older than  Stuart or I. Then two more sons, and eight days after the last son, the matriarch, Frances. Such family tragedy seems so alien to me, to my family, to this time yet here it is written in stone. It's part of this place, our village, local history. I'm shocked and intrigued. How come families collapsed like this? Is this the toll of loves lost?

The author of this blog submission, Debbie Glade/smartpoodle, is the Geography Awareness Editor for Wandering Educators. The original posting of this blog can be found through the Wandering Educators website or by following this link.

I've always wondered what it would be like to plan a vacation around touring some of American finest factories. What a fantastic family adventure it would be! Discovering where the products we use every day come from, and observing how they are made is one of the best ways to learn about what America is all about.
I found this great website called Factory Tours USA.  It lists the factories that are open for tours in each of the 50 states. After browsing around the site, I found some fascinating places I would love to see:

The Great Alaskan Bowl Company (Fairbanks, AK) - This factory makes birch bowls using equipment that is more than 100 years old. The owners are dedicated to preserving the forests and using renewable resources. Visitors can watch the bowls being made, and of course, buy them.
Waco Manufacturing (North Little Rock, AR) - Waco is one of the oldest manufacturers of aluminum pontoon boats in America. It would be interesting to see how their innovative designs are manufactured.
Celestial Seasonings (Boulder, CO) - This innovative tea company offers visitors samples while they are waiting for tours of the factory. The most poplar part of the tour is the mint room, because the scents are so strong.
The Kaleidoscope Factory (Pomeroy, IA) - This small-town factory offers tours showing you how the artist makes handmade wooden turns, glass and acrylics to make the most uniquely beautiful kaleidoscopes.

The Boston Globe (Boston, MA) - How cool would that be to see how a newspaper is made? You can do just that here.
Stennis Space Center (Stennis Space, MS) - The largest rocket test center in the USA is open for tours. The main engines of space shuttles are tested here, and every American astronaut must come to this center to test the equipment. There are 14,000 square feet of exhibits. Plan your trip here around the firing of space shuttle engines, so you can watch it all happen.
SmokeJumper Center (Missoula MT) - Imagine getting a firsthand look at how a smokejumper fights forest fires. (A smokejumper is a firefighter who parachutes down into an area of a wildfire to help get it under control.)
Shelby American, Inc. (Las Vegas, NV) - If you've got some racecar fans in the family, check this manufacturing plant out. Shelby produces a limited number of their cars to keep the value high. You can tour the facility, visit the museum and observe cars being tested.
Stirling Hill Mine (Ogdensburg, NJ) - Bring your jackets to tour this chilly mineral mine that once produced zinc and hundreds of other minerals. Though the mine is closed now, the facility is still open for tours. You'll get a glimpse into the challenging process of mining.