LittleClickers » Megan Billitti

Ice Sculptures

Megan Billitti — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 12:03:03 +0000

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Winter is nearly here. What could be better than making a giant ice sculpture? Here’s what you need to know to start carving.

1. Start with snow! Snow is a lot easier to carve, and find than ice. All you need is some the right weather conditions, and a small shovel. Here’s a guide to getting started http://bitly.com/2fTiCkr

2. I’m ready for ice. Creative ice carvers use all sorts of common tools, like saws, hairdryers, irons and chisels. They work in the cold — usually large walk-in freezers. Here’s a site that sells everything you’ll need from hoodies to torches. It’s free to browse, and it’s where the real ice carvers shop http://bitly.com/2gHXnTR .

3. When did ice sculpting start? In the coldest parts of China and Russia. The BBC offers an overview on the history of ice carving http://bbc.in/2gHPRZa

4. Are there ice sculpting contests? Yes! Here’s a list of ten of the most impressive ice sculpting competitions http://bit.ly/2fWAIQd .

5. What do Hollywood and ice sculpting have in common? Building a tall ice structure is pretty impressive. In fact it can end up in the movies. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2fIkCMh.

6. What happens when an ice sculpture collapses? To read about the collapse of one of the tallest ice sculptures, and see it fall, see http://nyti.ms/1DFSJrq.

Applications:

1. Find an ice carving event near you. http://bit.ly/2gBIArz.

2 How to make your own ice sculpture. http://bit.ly/19YLs9P.

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Presidents

Megan Billitti — Tue, 25 Oct 2016 14:00:04 +0000

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States… With these words, you become President of the United States.

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Is this a job you’d like? How much do you get paid? Can anyone run for president? Here are some answers!

1. How old do you have to be to run for President? A) 53 years old B) 64 years old C) 18 years old D) 35 years old Answer: D) 35 years old. At http://bit.ly/1sAwEJp , you’ll learn that the President and the Vice President must meet three requirements. They must be at least 35 years old, be a natural-born U.S. citizen and have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years.

2. How much does a president get paid per year? At http://read.bi/2eFQu3p, you’ll learn that President Obama is earning $400,000 a year. To see how much the presidents have earned throughout the years, check out http://abt.cm/2fcbtN2.

3. True or False: Two Presidents had pet alligators in the White House. True. At http://bit.ly/1eJnQDU, you can find out which two Presidents had pet alligators. Learn more about presidential pets at http://bit.ly/2e7aJVc .

4. What’s the latest news from the 2016 campaign? At http://bit.ly/2ej6EhP, a group of kid reporters are following the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton campaigns. While you’re on the site, try the “You’re the President” game at http://bit.ly/1UcZtE9.

Applications:

1. How well do you know the Presidents? Try this quiz http://bit.ly/2eD3a9u

2. Try making Ronald Reagan’s favorite mac and cheese. It’s delicious, and here’s the recipe http://bit.ly/2eD61PG4.

Apples

Megan Billitti — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:28:50 +0000

They say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Is it true? Do you know how many varieties of apples are there, or how Apple computers got their name? Let’s find out!

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1. How many varieties of apples are there? Which is the most popular? At http://bit.ly/1OdLQb8 you will learn that there are over 2000 types! To see the most popular 11 types, check out http://bit.ly/2dvMyTZ (the top three are the Cortland, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious)

2. T/F is it true that “and apple a day will keep the doctor away?” Apples actually can help your health. Apples are low in calories and free of fat, sodium and cholesterol. Eating apples has been associated with lower risk of a variety of cancers, stroke and diabetes. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2cMMLSv

3. Where did the first apple come from? Apple trees have been feeding humans for a long, long time. Visit the History Channel to learn more about how apples came to the United States. http://bitly.com/2dlxgSW.

4. What is the largest apple ever picked? We found an apple in Japan that grew to be the size of a small pumpkin, at just over 4 pounds. Here’s the source http://bit.ly/2cWsgAT.

5. Why did Steve Jobs pick an Apple to name his company? It happened when he was trying an all fruit diet, and had just come back from an apple farm. He thought the name “Apple Computer” sounded “fun, spirited and not intimidating.” http://bitly.com/2dqyjx8

Application

1. Do you like to cook? Here are some apple recipes. http://bit.ly/2d3mWLe.

2. Do you like to make crafts? Here are some ideas http://bit.ly/2d3oGUG

3. Have you ever bobbed for apples? It looks a lot easier than it is! http://bit.ly/2dlMRxd

Folklore

Megan Billitti — Mon, 22 Aug 2016 12:03:39 +0000

September 26th is Johnny Appleseed day. Just how did Mr. Appleseed get his own day? The answer comes from Folklore, a form of storytelling passed from one generation to the next. If you have access to the Internet, you can find all kinds of folklore. Let’s start clicking!

1. Show me some folklore. Visit this amazing D. L. Ashliman’s collection of online stories at http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/folktexts.html

2. What do Disney and folklore have in common? It turns out Walt Disney was really into folklore, and he based many of his projects on these fairy tale stories. See the complete list here, on Wikipedia. http://bitly.com/2c8PLVy

3. Are there apps made from folklore? One company, Nosy Crow in the UK is the clear leader in this category. Read about how they make apps and listen to Kate Wilson talk about the process. Here’s a CTREX listing of their apps http://bit.ly/2bSAKt9

4. Where else does folklore exist? Folklore exists all around the world. To check out some famous stories of folklore from other countries, click here http://bit.ly/2bRzV4E

5. Can I listen to Folklore? We found a collection of audio recordings, at the Library of Congress. http://bitly.com/2bBvkVC. Here’s a direct link to one of the stories, from the dust bowl in the 1940s, http://bitly.com/2bBv0pP Application: Write a folklore story, using these writing tools, at http://bit.ly/2bM1KJq

Pokémon GO

Megan Billitti — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 13:20:55 +0000

Pokémon collecting has been going on for nearly 20 years. What’s different this summer is the addition of the AR, or Augmented Reality in your mobile phone. Let’s learn more about Pokémon GO.

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1. Where did Pokémon come from? This Wikipedia page http://bitly.com/2aqk3Ev has history of Pokémon, or “Pocket Monsters.” If you study the URL for the Pokémon company, you can guess the country https://www.pokemon.co.jp/

2. Which is more powerful. A Charizard or a Mew? The strongest characters are listed here http://bit.ly/2amsum6. Answer: Mew.

3. How many Pokémon games and shows are there? A lot. There are now dozens of video games, plush toys, apps and shows. See a full listing on the bulbapedia – a Pokémon encyclopedia http://bit.ly/2a3rOxs.

4. Which Pokémon was first? View the answer to this complicated question on Kotaku (note that we noticed some bad language in some of the comments) http://bit.ly/1ySNELi.

5. T/F The Pokémon GO game was inspired by an April Fools joke. Watch this video made by Google and it explains how Google Maps drive Pokémon GO. The answer is True. Pokémon GO was inspired by a joke https://youtu.be/4YMD6xELI_k

APPLICATION

1.Make your own origami Pikachu- http://bit.ly/2amwOlr

2. How to start Pokemon GO- Here is beginners guide to starting http://bit.ly/29ZLp4y

The Moon

Megan Billitti — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 16:46:53 +0000

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Forty seven years ago in the month of July (July 20, 1969 to be exact) the Apollo 11 space mission landed a man on the moon. Let’s explore this amazing place.

1. Can you live on the moon? Not without a really good space suit. The temperature goes from HOT (287 degrees F) to COLD (-243 degrees F). There are some other problems, like a lack of air, food and plants. Learn about the moon surface at http://bit.ly/1JpGQfg.

2. Where on the moon did the Apollo astronauts land? Google Moon https://www.google.com/moon/ has cool maps of the landing sites, including links to the pictures that were taken there.

3. How big is the moon? This photo lets you see the answer http://bit.ly/292E8iT .

4. What US President decided we should visit the moon? The history of mission to the moon is explained at the JFK museum site http://bit.ly/1KgK0jM.

5. Can you name 10 inventions that came from the moon mission? Here’s a site that lists 15 http://bitly.com/29aBXtV

• When is the next full moon? Check out the moon’s schedule for this year- http://bit.ly/1TZOHBs

• If you weigh 100 pounds on earth, how much would you weigh on the moon? Use this Wonderopolis calcuator http://bitly.com/29hKBrF and find out• !

All About YouTube

Megan Billitti — Mon, 23 May 2016 10:20:13 +0000

Teachers and Librarians, download this page as a PDF (one printed page). Use this link.

Every minute, YouTube’s busy servers pull in over 300 hours of fresh, new videos. Where are they stored? Who owns them? Which get the most views? Keep reading to learn more about the world’s leading video sharing service.

1. Where is YouTube actually located? The business is run in California in a huge glass building (901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA). Here’s the street view https://goo.gl/maps/YoX7H9scCo22

2. Who started YouTube, who owns it? Back in 2005 three friends used money they earned by investing in PayPal to launch the service. They then sold it to Google for $1.65 billion. That’s a small fraction of what it’s worth today, according to Fortune http://for.tn/1WcVXPJ.

3. Where are the videos stored? In a server farms, scattered around the world. We found a description of how it all works, at http://bit.ly/1UfELml

4. What to see the first YouTube Video? Back in 2005, Jawed Karim (one of the three guys) posted an 18-second video, called “Me at the zoo.” It’s still live at https://youtu.be/jNQXAC9IVRw

5. Which videos have the most hits? Music videos get the most traffic, and are listed here http://bit.ly/1Fhe0LU. One of the most popular non-music videos is called “Charlie bit my finger” with https://youtu.be/_OBlgSz8sSM

APPLICATION: Explore the 360 Videos One of the coolest new YouTube features is a new section dedicated to VR (Virtual Reality). As you watch, you can look around the scene, such as with this 360 view of a tornado https://youtu.be/TCXp9Y5uPn4. See more, at https://www.youtube.com/360

Action Cameras

Megan Billitti — Thu, 21 Apr 2016 17:23:20 +0000

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Want to see what it looks like when you jump out of an airplane? Thanks to a new generation of cheap, rugged digital cameras it’s easy to find some amazing views, including the view from the back of a bird. Let’s learn these cameras, and watch some amazing videos.

1. Who invented the GoPro? Meet Nick Woodman, a surfer in search of a better way to capture his rides. He tells the story that led to his invention at http://bit.ly/1pozQHB.

2. Can you put your action camera inside a washing machine? You bet! They have no moving parts and waterproof cases. We found more crazy uses for action cams, including the view from a hula hoop, at http://bit.ly/213Nqy4

3. How far can an Action Camera fall, and still survive? At https://youtu.be/aU-KvtA20v8 you can see what happens when a camera falls out of an airplane.

4. How much does an Action Camera cost? Here are two options that vary in price. Both save their videos on tiny micro SD cards that cost about $20 for 64 GB (about 2 hours of HD video).

Kidizoom Action Cam ($50, VTech) comes with a waterproof container. You won’t get HD footage, but you won’t pay as much either. See http://bitly.com/1W2yVLb
The GoPro Hero 4 Silver ($350, GoPro) is the most famous action camera. Most of the videos you see on YouTube were captured with this camera http://bitly.com/1TqWdV2.

Running

Megan Billitti — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 11:51:20 +0000

Did you know that the fastest human can out-run an angry elephant? Or that the there is a marathon runner that is probably older than your great-grandparents? Let’s learn more about running.

1. Who is the fastest person in the world? Meet Usain Bolt from Jamaica at http://bitly.com/1VST8lJ who can run faster than you can ride a bike. He ran 100 meters in 9.58 seconds, which is about 23 MPH. See how this compares to other animals, at http://bit.ly/1XJTiKy.

2. What is the oldest marathon? The marathon started in Greece http://bit.ly/1F6YHH3, but one US city has a marathon that dates back to 1897. Can you guess which one? http://es.pn/1RwTAzC.

3. T/F Can a 100 year-old-person run a marathon? Meet Fauja Singh, aka the “Turbined Tornado” http://bitly.com/230ALxd. He’s the oldest man to complete a marathon.

4. What is the longest marathon? The Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race takes 51 days to complete. What to try? Here’s the site http://bit.ly/1T5cGlS.

5. I’m a good runner, and I want some money. What’s the best race to enter? Try your luck at the Dubai Marathon http://www.dubaimarathon.org because you could win $200,000. Here’s how the different races compare http://bit.ly/1UhU0kk .

Applications

1. Find a race near you http://bit.ly/1iCyi3K

2. Play some running games http://bit.ly/1yK5vY4

All About Pigs

Megan Billitti — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 16:01:13 +0000

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Pigs are smart, and can they make good pets. But … did you know that some pigs know how to swim? Let’s learn more about the amazing pig.

1. T/F A pig can weigh more than a car. At http://bit.ly/1XN3PVU you can see a picture of the world’s biggest pig that weighed 2,552 pounds. That’s more than a small car, such as a Chevy Spark which weighs about 2,300 lbs.

2. How long do pigs live? Most pet pigs live about ten years… a bit less than a dog or a cat. But one lucky pig made to 22 years, setting a world record http://bitly.com/1oTl8ZW.

3. T/F Pigs are messy, smelly creatures. False. Pigs are actually clean creatures. Wonderopolus http://bit.ly/1Qdqbe8 tells us that pigs only roll in mud for sun protection, because they can’t sweat. If you keep them in a clean pen, they like to stay clean.

4. Can a pig swim? At http://bit.ly/1Q0SJJZ you can learn about Exuma Island in the Bahamas, where shipwrecked pigs have learned how to swim.

5. Do pigs live in the wild? Yes. Texas A&M University http://bitly.com/1VNkiba tells us a lot about wild pigs. They are good at having babies and eating crops. Called “Feral Hogs,” they can weigh as much as a person, run faster than you can ride your bike (30 mph), and jump over fences.

6. What is a pig’s best sense? Pigs can’t see very well, but they have great snouts, both for rooting and for sniffing. They can even smell a tasty roots when they are underground. Read more at http://nyti.ms/1WTlLwT.

Application:

1. Adopt a pet pig! http://bitly.com/1SdcmRK you can find out if a pet pig is right for you. Hint — ask your mom or dad first.

2. Make your own piggy bank http://bit.ly/WBrYEP

3. Make a pig plate http://bit.ly/1Ova6OU

4. Tell some pig jokes (but keep it clean) http://bitly.com/1QH47rL