Download this column as a one page PDF, at Jan 19-concrete

What can stop a river and hold up a skyscraper?

It’s not superman — it’s concrete — an ancient building material that’s easy to take for granted. So… how much do you know about concrete? Is it he same thing as cement? Do you know the where the world’s largest concrete structure is, or how much a bag of cement costs? Let’s find out…

1. How long has concrete been around? Various forms of concrete can be found in the Egyptian pyramids, as well as ancient Rome. The first concrete-like substance was found in the Middle East, used by builders in 1300 BC.  Learn concrete’s history at  http://www.rumford.com/articlemortar.html

2. Is “cement” the same as “concrete?” No. Concrete is a mixture of sand, crushed rocks and cement. Cement is a fine grey powder made up of calcium, silicon, iron, and aluminum. It reacts with water to bind sand and rocks together, into a single lump of hard rock. Learn about the chemistry of concrete, at  http://bitly.com/2FbTOC7

3. How long does concrete last? At http://bitly.com/2F6DXE6 you can learn that the Hoover Dam will last 10,000 years. The Pantheon– a round building in Rome, has a concrete roof that is 2000 years old and is doing just fine.

4. Do artists use concrete? Yes! It can be molded, carved or cast, there are many fun project ideas. See https://www.etsy.com/market/concrete_art for example.

5. What is the world’s largest concrete structure? At http://bitly.com/2F9QtmU you can read about the Three Gorges Dam in China. It was made out of 21 million cubic yards of concrete — five times the size of the Hoover Dam. That’s enough concrete to build a five highways across the USA. Learn more about the concrete in the Hoover Dam at https://on.doi.gov/2F6uEVA

APPLICATION: Make a casting

Start with about $14 and a strong parent to take you to a building supply store.

Pick up a bag of pure Portland Cement (named after the Isle of Portland, in England) and store it in a dry place. It will weigh 94 pounds, so get some help, and remember that cement dust is bad for you. Mix the one part cement powder with about three parts sand, and some gravel (or marbles!); along with enough water so the goop can pour into a mold.

Make a handprint or drop in some coins, or scratch a design with a stick before your cement hardens. Here are more ideas  http://bitly.com/2F7Zs8u. If you happen to own a kiln and a rock crusher, you can make your own concrete. Learn how at http://bitly.com/2F63NYG.

VIDEOS Here’s our YouTube playlist with select Concrete videos for this month.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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.

Download this month’s column as a one page, easy to print PDF with this link –> lc-caves

Did you hear about the soccer team that was lost in a cave? Luckily they were all rescued. How did they get in such a situation? What was it like inside the cave? How are caves formed? Let’s learn more about caves.

1. Where did the soccer team get lost? Answer: Thailand, in a cave called Tham Luang. It is home to monkeys, statues and huge chambers that are lit by beams of sunlight. But if you go in deeper, the cave gets dark and narrow, and you can get trapped if the water rises. Learn more about this cave, at http://bitly.com/2n1vsjm or take a virtual tour, at https://youtu.be/v4JputXZXXY.

2. Where is the world’s biggest cave? Answer: A 747 could fly into the mouth of the Doong Cave in Vietnam http://bitly.com/2mYNqTA. But the longest cave is in the USA. It’s called Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, which has over 400 miles of tunnels. It’s been called a grand, gloomy, peculiar place. Learn more at https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm

3. How are caves made? One drip at a time. Caves are made by running water, and they take tens of thousands of years to form. Learn more at PBS http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/caves/

4. What’s the difference between a stalactite and a stalagmite? Each is formed when dissolved minerals drip in a cave. Stalactites hang from the ceiling (like icicles); stalagmites form on the floor. Here’s some news of a recent discovery of some amazing formations https://youtu.be/y2rMlyhhvDs

5. How is a cave like a time machine? Caves are nature’s vaults. If you put a mark on a wall, it could last for thousands of years, because it is protected from wind and rain. In fact, there are drawings that date back 64,000 years! Here’s a link that shows some good cave drawings http://bitly.com/2n4Nz88.

APPLICATION: MAKE A STALACTITE
Get some salt, some water and some string. http://bitly.com/2AxjQhC or try this experiment to make a small formation in a just a few days http://bitly.com/2ADgMQW

Now… let’s watch some amazing videos about caves! –> Visit 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.

How much do you know about dinosaurs? Find out with this dinosaur quiz.

Download this month’s LittleClickers as a one page PDF –> Jul18lc

1. Could you have a dinosaur as a pet?  Not a good idea. Most dinos– like the large meat eaters — would see you as a snack. The Irish news explored this question http://bitly.com/2NogqAd and determined that perhaps a plant eating, horse-sized dinosaur could work if it were raised it from an egg.

2. How many years ago was the last dinosaur alive?
a) 100 years
b) 100,000 years
c) 1 million years
d) 66 million years
Answer: At the Natural History Museum http://bitly.com/2NoRQ1Z you learn that the last dinosaurs were alive 66 million years ago.

3. What killed the dinosaurs?  Most scientists agree that dinosaur life ended suddenly when a six mile wide asteroid struck the earth. The dust from the impact blocked the sun and changed the climate, starving the dinosaurs. See https://www.psi.edu/epo/ktimpact/ktimpact.html

4. What living creature today most resembles dinosaurs?
a) A crocodile
b) A sturgeon
c) A chicken
d) All of the above.
The correct answer is d) all of the above, although the crocodile might be the most similar looking. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2NokQad

5. T/F The biggest dinosaur was larger than a whale. False. The largest land dinosaurs, the sauropod Argentinosaurus was about half the size of today’s adult blue whale. Land animals have to support their own weight, whereas sea creatures get some help from the water, so they can grow bigger. https://bbc.in/2tIBVUc

APPLICATION: HOW MANY DINOSAURS CAN YOU NAME?

Here’s a nice list of dinosaurs, with facts https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dinosaurs
Here’s a National Geographic Kids dinosaur fact quiz http://bitly.com/2ISy8Zg
See how many dinosaurs you can name at Quiz Biz: https://www.quiz.biz/quizz-722947.html

YouTube Playlist

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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.

Librarians/Teachers: Download this page as an easy to print one page PDF

An aquarium lets you bring a small underwater world right into your room.

While tiny fish are hard to pet or take on a walk, they can be fun to watch, and can even have babies. Let’s learn more!

1. The most popular freshwater fish is the Guppy. How long can one Guppy live?
According to PetMD a guppy can live up to three years. They are an ideal starter fish for any fish tank, and the male can grow a beautiful, flowing tail. A female guppy can have live babies every 30 days.

2. What’s the biggest fish ever to live in a fish tank?  Can you imagine having a 40 foot long fish in your fish tank? Obviously you’d need a pretty big tank. At http://www.seethewild.org/whale-shark-facts/ we learn about the world’s biggest fish — the Whale Shark, and the world’s largest fish can grow up to 40 ft. There are several living giant aquarium tanks around the world.

3. What country has the world’s biggest aquarium?  Is it
a) The United States
b) United Arab Emirates
c) Japan

Answer:  According to http://bitly.com/2kPMDp5 the largest fish tank in the world is located in the The United States. Thanks to donation by one of the owners of Home Depot, the Georgia Aquarium’s tank can hold 6.3 million gallons, which is big enough for two Whale Sharks. It’s far bigger than the 2.64 million gallon tank — the second largest — found in a shopping mall in Dubai.

4. How much should I feed my fish? When should I change the water?
At Seaworld http://bitly.com/2jBpNMV you learn all sorts of useful things about getting started with an aquarium. You should only feed the fish as much as they can eat in 2 minutes. And you should change 1/4 of the water every month.

5. What about snails? Clams… and Crayfish?  Can they live in your fish tank? Yes, but you have to be careful because they can eat the fish or create other problems. Visit http://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/freshwater-snails to learn more.

APPLICATION Can you name the fish?  Visit the Australian Fish Museum site, at http://bitly.com/2keQ3P1 and see how many fish you can identify.

APPLICATION Buy a fish tank for about $55. Here’s a link to a starter set with a 5 gal. tank, filter, LED light and pump. That’s everything but the water and fish. One that gets high ratings is the Marineland ML90609 Portrait Aquarium Kit, 5-Gallon. http://amzn.to/2kpSnF1

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwm4SN0mhfIACYAJKvQEarC6&jct=1st2V149pWYADgNU0ynbjSPOcTO1vw

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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.

Download the PDF

What’s four times bigger than the Titanic and can carry almost 8,000 people? Here are some sites and videos to help you learn more about some amazing vacation machines, also known as cruise ships.

1. Can you name the world’s largest cruise ship?  At http://bit.ly/1y8jyFq you can see facts and pictures of the two largest ships: Allure of the Seas and Oasis of the Seas. Both are 300 ft longer than the Titanic and four times heavier. Each can house, feed and entertain 7,800 people. Here’s a list of the 11 largest ships http://read.bi/1B0QFMw, plus a link to news about a third giant ship in production http://bitly.com/1z5O6EE.

2. What does an elephant and a cruise ship have in common? At http://bit.ly/1oDKARR you’ll learn that both can carry you at about the same speed, but an elephant is a lot less fun to ride.

3. What kind of mileage does a cruise ship get?  At http://bitly.com/1z5NHlz you learn that a large cruise ship goes about 50 ft per gallon, and it burns about 26,700 gallons of fuel each day it is used.

4. What can a child do on a cruise ship? At http://bitly.com/1tqP3DW and http://bit.ly/1tzp9wL you can see a list activities for children that includes bowling, water slides, bumper cars, surfing simulators and outdoor movies. On some theme cruises, you can meet characters from Shrek, Nick Jr. and Dr. Seuss.

5. What’s it like to be the Captain of a cruise ship? At http://ab.co/1tqPrlG you can meet a cruise ship captain and find out what it takes to become one. You’ll learn the job is a lot more about managing, and a lot less about steering.

APPLICATION

1. TRACK A SHIP Want to see where the Oasis of the Sea is — right now? Use the Vessel Finder which shows the ship’s current location on a map. http://bitly.com/15LnSyt

2. BUILD A CRUISE SHIP IN MINECRAFT At http://youtu.be/ux8EyVBRkBA you can take a tour of a cruise ship created entirely in Mincraft.

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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 PAGE AS A ONE PAGE PDF

One dark and stormy night this summer, on a Utah desert, “The Cobra” toppled and fell. It took millions of years to make, but just seconds to end. So we decided to learn more about some of the iconic rock formations around the world.

1. How did The Cobra fall?  At http://bit.ly/1omkDPh, you’ll learn that the most probable cause was a strong thunderstorm, but some think it was a lighting strike.

2. Did people climb The Cobra? Yes. Also, read more at http://bit.ly/1tZ4Tb1 to learn which rock formations are rated as the best climbs in North America.

3. How are rock arches created? The site for the Arches National Park http://1.usa.gov/1tZ4sxt nicely explains the five elements required to create an arch.

4. What are some of the greatest man-made rock sculptures? Besides the Great Sphinx in Egypt (wikipedia page at http://bit.ly/1ja0aea) there’s Mt. Rushmore, http://bit.ly/1ckFOwL which is one of the most visited rock sculptures in North America. Also have a look at http://bit.ly/1pVA5I2 to see the Crazy Horse Memorial Monument, a work in progress which could be the world’s largest mountain sculpture.

SHOW ME SOME ROCK FORMATIONS:

Want to see more? At http://bit.ly/1lH5eNL view pictures of the various incredible rock formations found in the world today.

Want to see a rock shaped like a giant wave? 

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.