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Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood was a popular children’s television program that ran from 1968 to 2001. It was designed by a soft spoken media pioneer named Fred Rogers.

Some of the children who liked his show grew up and went to work at Google, and they made this stop motion tribute to Mr. Rogers, at http://bit.ly/2QSwjk2 (note that this video is the source of the banner art for this page).

Want to learn more about the man behind the show? Here are five links plus a YouTube playlist with more neighborhood highlights.

1. Where was Mr. Rogers’ real neighborhood? And what famous golfer grew up there? You can find the answers to both questions at http://bitly.com/2QqZeL4

2. What was Fred Roger’s favorite musical instrument? Fred Rogers liked all musical instruments, but his favorite was probably the piano, according to Parade Magazine http://bit.ly/2N065Jr. When he was 13, his Grandmother purchased him a refurbished 1920 Steinway Concert Grand Model D — one of the finest pianos in the world. Today it is worth as much as a small house, and you can play it if you visit the Fred Rogers Center in Latrobe, PA. Here’s what it sounds like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Es5uYYrlaQ

3. What did Fred Rogers do to relax? At the Neighborhood Archive http://bitly.com/2RnguSC you can learn about episode 1493 where Fred visits the pool to swim. He tried to do this every day.

4. What one of the following are true about Fred Rogers:

a) He was color blind.
b) He came from a wealthy family.
c) He weighed 143 pounds.
d) He was an ordained minister.
e) He could speak French.
f) All of the above.
The answer is f) all of the above. Here are more fun facts, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Rogers

5. Where can I watch Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood? The shows are available on Amazon.com’s video streaming service, but if you don’t have a subscription you can find over 600 shows at www.archive.org. Here’s the link http://bitly.com/2IA1ehf

BONUS VIDEO THIS MONTH: EARTHRISE
Recommended for older children interested in space exploration.
If you could stand on the moon and look back at the Earth, you’d experience a powerful feeling. Only 24 people have been able to do it, and this 30 minute video documents what they felt. Watch Earthrise at https://nyti.ms/2P6T3LW

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

Teachers and librarians — Download this month’s topic as a one page PDF.

Scratch is a free, easy to learn computer language that is growing in popularity. Did you know there are six types of projects you can make? Can you name them? Let’s take a closer look, at https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/all

1. Animations. Use the camera and timing features to make things move on the screen. https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/animations/

2. Art. Scratch has built in drawing tools that make it possible draw in freestyle. You can also create interesting geometric patterns, like this one. https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/art/

3. Games. From Pong to Pokémon, you can find all sorts of games in Scratch. Maze games are good to start with, because they introduce you to motion and collisions. https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/games/

4. Music. Scratch gives you a library of sounds, or you can record your own. https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/music/

5. Stories. You can mix your writing with pictures, videos or recordings. In fact, Scratch makes it easy to narrate your story. https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/stories/

6. Tutorials. What to teach somebody how to train a puppy or build a treehouse? Make your own tutorial, at  https://scratch.mit.edu/explore/projects/tutorials/

APPLICATION

How do I start with Scratch?  Scratch won’t work with mobile devices, so you’ll need a Chromebook or Laptop (Windows or Mac) plus good internet access. A camera and microphone is recommended. Follow these three steps.

Step 1: Find Scratch. On your computer, type the word “Scratch” into any search engine, or go to http://mit.scratch.edu

Step 2: Register. Think up a screen name and password. You’ll also need an email address in order to confirm the account. Login, and choose “Create.”

Step 3: Take the tutorials. We’ve linked to some tutorials in this month’s YouTube playlist. It’s also smart to preview samples. https://scratch.mit.edu/starter_projects/

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

All around the world people love to celebrate the moment in time when the old year ends and the new one begins. It’s like a birthday party for everyone. New technologies can come into play, alongside some age-old traditions like baking a coin into a loaf of bread. Here’s a look some New Year’s traditions from around the world.

1. How many LEDs are there in the Times Square ball? At the Times Square web site http://bit.ly/1QX1mrJ you can learn about the history and technology behind this famous ball. The first ball, made in 1927, only had 100 white bulbs. Today’s fourth edition has 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes) grouped in 672 triangles of 48 bulbs each. Each contains 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white LED bulbs that work together to make 16 million colors.

2. Denmark, Greece and Canada each have some unique low tech New Year’s traditions. Can you match the country with the tradition?
a) Who bakes a coin into a loaf of bread? __________________
b) Who throws porcelain plates into the street?  _____________
c) Who jumps into a frozen lake?  ________________
ANSWERS: At Travel Smarter http://bit.ly/1OU9CCB you learn that people in Greece wrap a coin in tin foil and drop it randomly into some bread dough before it is baked. Whoever gets the lucky piece will have good luck for the next year. In Canada and the USA, some people jump into a frozen lakes http://bit.ly/1N3TpKM. And in Denmark http://bit.ly/1OgYlA6 they toss fancy plates into the street to symbolize a fresh start to a new year.

3. What does “Auld Lang Syne” mean? The famous New Year’s song was popularized by big band leader Guy Lombardo. It comes from Scotland, and is about the joy of getting together with old friends. Here’s the complete story http://bitly.com/1R3NyM2.

Megan’s Videos About New Year’s Tech Traditions
Here’s a set of hand picked videos from YouTube:

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

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1. Who has the most famous drum? At http://bitly.com/1JviT22 you can learn all the facts about Purdue’s monster-sized drum. It’s 10 feet tall and it takes four marchers to move it.

2. How many apples can a marching band eat? We’re not sure, but at http://bit.ly/1gXiCNu you learn that the Fighting Irish Marching Band ate 2,742 apples during home games last year. This band is noteworthy for another reason: it was founded in 1846, making it the oldest marching band.

3. What is the “Skeeter Rabbit,” and who does it? That’s one of the dance moves that belongs to the Grambling Marching Tigers, one of the funkiest marching bands in the world. Learn more at http://bitly.com/1LRpGZQ

4. Which band is the the biggest? According to Wonderopolis http://bit.ly/1EClh52, the Allen High School marching band in Texas puts up to 800 people on the field at the same time.

5. Which band has the most famous dot? At http://bitly.com/1FgcJky you learn how one lucky tuba player gets to be the dot of the Script “i” in the world Ohio. Watch CNN tell the story, at http://bitly.com/1L0OlFn

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

Teachers/Librarians: Download this column as a one page PDF

Did you know that a typical 20 minute forth of July fireworks display can take a year to plan, and it costs more than a new car? Not only that, each show is programmed with computers and remote controls used to ignite the fuses. Want to learn more? Let’s test your knowledge of fireworks displays.

1. We all know what a fireworks shell looks like in the night sky. But what does it look like BEFORE it explodes?  At Popular Mechanics you can see that fireworks shells come in all shapes and sizes. Smaller shells are the size of tennis balls, but they can get as big as a basketball. To launch one, you put it into a pipe (called a Mortar tube) light the fuse and run away.

2. Where are fireworks made? CNN  http://cnn.it/TIpkvg visited a fireworks factory in China, located in Iuyang in the Hunan Province, where nearly all the world’s fireworks are made. Have a look, and you’ll see how it earned it’s nickname of “Boomtown.”

3. Who holds the world record for the largest, most expensive fireworks display? According to the Guinness World Records, at  the United Arab Emirates put on a fireworks display in December of 2013 that used half a million fireworks, costing between $50 to $100 each. Do the math… that’s a lot of money. Read more about this amazing show, here http://bit.ly/1k53LAT or watch it in the video playlist, below.

4. How much does a fireworks display cost? To find out, we visited Michigan-based Ace Pyro http://www.acepyro.com/Faqs where we learned that the average cost of a 20 minute fireworks show is between $5,000 and $30,000. A big show, like the Macy’s show in New York City can cost between $5 to $10 million. Each time you see a firey burst, think “there goes $100.”

5. How do you design a fireworks show? It takes many people, including choreographers, laborers, technicians, and city officials, plus about 4 hours per minute for the design. Many designers use a program like Finale Fireworks ($1000, from www.finalefireworks.com) on a Windows computer to mix and match as many as 6,000 different effects. The best thing about the software is that you can preview the show with the click of a mouse instead of by lighting the fuse.

6. How are colors made when a shell explodes? At the University of Wisconsin, http://bit.ly/RVImxu you can learn all about the different chemical compounds scientist use to create different color fireworks. There is even a chart with the compounds needed to create nine different color combinations. The people who use the chart are called pyrotechnic engineers, and they make about $90,000/year. Learn more about the job, here http://bit.ly/1nL7RtS.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.

Do you sing in the shower or play the kazoo? You must be a music lover. Here are some super web sites filled with lots of music fun and games.

Compose a Tune!

www.creatingmusic.com

Creating Music is a place where kids can compose music, experiment with tempo, or play with a musical sketchpad. There are games and puzzles, too. Morton Subotnik made this web site, and he knows a lot about kids and music.

Listen to a Tuba!

www.sfskids.org

What better place to learn about music than the San Fransisco Symphony! At the SFS site, kids can learn about all the instruments of the orchestra and they can make their own synthesized music in the music lab. This is very cool!

Name that Tune!

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/music.htm

Are you a sing-along or karaoke fan? This web site has the music and lyrics to hundreds of kids’ songs, and there’s also a fun “name that tune” game.

What do Elton John, Lady GaGa, and Mozart have in common?
They all started playing the piano when they were four years old.
Let’s learn more about this magical musical machine, with 88 keys.

1. When was the piano invented?

At http://piano300.si.edu/timeline.htm, you learn that the very first piano was invented in Italy in the year 1700 — so the piano is 312 years old. You’ll also learn that “piano” means “to be played quietly” because it was the first instrument to use a special hammer mechanism so it could be played loud or soft.

2. If you dropped a piano off of a roof, would it still work?

Have a look! Every year, the students at MIT see what happens when they drop a piano off the roof. Let’s just say the answer is ‘no’.

3. How much does a new piano cost?

You can pay as little as $2 for an app like Magic Piano, or a million dollars if you’re Elton John. For $140 you can buy a 61 key Yamaha synthesizer. If you want a real piano, expect to play the same as a new car — from $10,000 to $100,000. See http://www.bluebookofpianos.com for the latest prices.

4. Can a cat play the piano?

Yes, at least if you ask the owners of Nora, the famous YouTube cat. If you’re one of the few that hasn’t seen it, heeere’s Nora!

5. How does a piano hammer work?

Watch this YouTube video that shows the mechanics of a piano hammer in action.

6. Application: When Pianos Meets Computers

Back in the 1980s, computer programmers figured out how to digitalize music, and re-invent the piano. Want to see? Visit Wayne Lytle at Animusic http://www.animusic.com to seem some sound driven digital machines, or Stephen Malinowski’s Music Animation Machine, at http://www.musanim.com. You can watch piano scores, one note as a time, below.

7. Want to learn more?Here’s more!

Tune your browser to the radio program to http://www.classicsforkids.com where you can learn more about music in general, and including a game that will test your ability to name the notes.

8. Still want more?

Visit Children’s Technology Review’s playlist (below), to view select YouTube videos based on topics in this month’s column. Note: There are six videos. After each video ends, hit the ‘play’ button again to view the next in the series.