Do you like to build with blocks? If so, you would like how cathedrals are made. Imagine if your blocks were made of stone, and a king asked you to make the most beautiful cathedral in the world. What would it look like?

1. Why did people build cathedrals? To show off. At the Durham World Heritage Site you learn how the construction of a monumental cathedral helped to impress visitors. It also gave the town a place to bury important people, and pay respect to a religion. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2vvXAzl

2. What does Gothic mean? Why are cathedrals often called gothic?  It’s another way to say “fancy.” The word originated from the Goths, a German tribe in Europe, who celebrated ornate, decorative design. Telltale signs of Gothic construction include statues, high ceilings, stained glass and pointed arches, all commonly used in cathedrals. Read more at http://bitly.com/2vFMnfT

3. What kind of stone are most cathedrals made of? Mostly limestone, which is easy to cut and carve, and can stand up to the weather. Most limestone was cut from ancient seabeds. Marble and other gemstones were used on the inside floor and for decorations. Read more at http://bitly.com/2PFromm

4. Because cathedrals are made of stone, they are fireproof, right? No. Wooden timbers are also often part of the construction, especially in the area above the dome. These huge wooden beams can burn quickly, which is why a terrible fire started in the Notre-Dame cathedral. See the results of the fire, at https://nyti.ms/2PJf8kL

5. Can cathedrals be digitized? Yes. A USA professor named Andrew Tallon used drones and lasers to make digital maps of the Notre Dame cathedral before the fire. Sadly he Dr. Tallon died last fall, making is work an important legacy to him, as it is used by the future builders who will try to restore the famous cathedral. Read more at http://bitly.com/2PHoxsY

APPLICATION

Can you build a model cathedral? You can with this $55 block set https://amzn.to/2PHmLrO or take a class from Thomas Davies Clay, who makes cathedral Models. See his site at http://www.cathedralquest.com/index.html

Cathedrals on YouTube

Want more? Here’s a video playlist

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

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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 issue as a PDF littleclickers-apr19-eggs

1. How many chicken eggs does an ostrich egg equal? About 16 or so, and yes, it is possible to have one for breakfast. Here’s what it looks like to cook one, at https://youtu.be/pN7s_ZmYXG4

2. Where do most of the eggs we eat come from? Most likely, the egg you ate this morning came from a caged chicken. But not all egg farms are the same. Let’s have a look at a modern “free range” chicken farm, at http://bitly.com/2FKXZ5G

3. How many eggs does a chicken lay in it’s lifetime? The average hen will produce about 265 eggs a year and most hens have two productive egg laying years. That means about 530 eggs. http://bitly.com/2WIbklZ

4. What is the world’s most famous egg? According to CNBC a photograph of a single brown chicken egg has become the most liked post on Instagram. See what it looks like, at https://cnb.cx/2WEO5JB

5. What’s the difference between an egg white and a yolk?  A happy, well fed chicken produces a healthy egg with a well-defined yellow part, or yolk. Here’s what is inside of a chicken egg. http://bitly.com/2FKwmtF

APPLICATION: COOL EGG TRICKS
How can you tell if an egg is hard boiled? If it spins like a top, the egg is hard boiled, because the inside is solid. Here’s some other fun egg tricks.

1. Onion Skin decoration. Easter is a time when many people decorate eggs. Did you know that you can use onion skills to make a beautiful brown shell? http://bitly.com/2FKh1Jr

2. Make the perfect hardboiled egg.  Steam them… don’t boil them. Here’s how http://bitly.com/2UavTtN

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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 as a one page, easy to print PDF — > littleclickers-march19

We all use Bluetooth and WiFi these days. Do you knew the difference? How did Bluetooth get such a funny name? (Hint, it was from a king with a rotten tooth). Let’s learn more.

1. What is the difference between WiFi and Bluetooth?  Both are speedy, invisible radio waves. But Bluetooth takes less energy to make and it has a very short range (no more than 30 feet). It is handy for connecting speakers, headphones and toys. WiFi waves carry the Internet to your phone or computer, and they have more power than Bluetooth. Learn more at techopedia http://bitly.com/2J2BBKb

2. How did Bluetooth get it’s name? There actually was a guy with a blue tooth. King Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson was known for two things — uniting Denmark and Norway in 958 AD, and his dead tooth, which was a dark blue in color. When present day engineers were trying to unite the industry with one standard, they used “bluetooth” as a code name for the project, and the name stuck. Learn more at https://www.bluetooth.com/about-us/bluetooth-origin.

3. Who discovered radio waves? Heinrich Hertz saw an electrical spark that changed the world, after he discovered that it generated a radio wave. The place was Germany, and the year was 1886, according to http://bitly.com/2Tr5K9S. Within the next decade, researchers Nikoli Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi figured out how to transmit sounds over extremely long distances. Learn more at https://www.pbs.org/tesla/ll/ll_early.html

4. Which goes faster, light or radio waves? They travel the same speed — about 186,282 miles per second. In miles per hour that’s 670,616,629 mph, or 7.5 times around the Earth in one second. Learn more at https://www.space.com/15830-light-speed.html

5. Are radio waves dangerous? That’s up for debate. Consider that right now there are many types of radio waves passing through your body. Should you worry? Unless you plan on sticking your head in a microwave oven, you can rest easy, according to the American Cancer Society. Read up on the topic at http://bitly.com/2TxeMC6

APPLICATION: PLAY WITH RADIO WAVES
To understand the idea behind radio waves, it’s fun to start by making an electromagnet. You’ll need a battery, a nail and copper wire. Wrap the wire around the nail, and touch each end of the battery to pick up some paperclips. To make a radio, the easiest way is buy a kit, like this one for $15 from Elenco https://amzn.to/2IQvmIZ.

If you want to see the power of radio waves at work, simply put a small piece of Ivory brand soap in a microwave. The radio waves heat up the tiny bubbles of air to create a rather dramatic effect. Make sure to tell your parents if you put anything unusual in the microwave oven. Learn more at https://www.scienceinschool.org/2009/issue12/microwaves.

Radio Waves on YouTube

Want more? Here’s a video playlist https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwk7i9KO-Vu8OJXs5j_ouf4C\

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

Our friend Alan Kay is fond of saying “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” No where is this more true than the CES show, held each January in Las Vegas. Here are five cool inventions we spotted that help us better understand what lies ahead.

Download this page as a PDF –> lcfeb

1. A flying electric school bus. Well sort of. Thanks to advances in drone-like multi-rotor technologies, not to mention stronger batteries and GPS navigation, we’re only a few years away from flying shuttles that can take off and land in a driveway or parking lot. Learn more about the Bell Nexis, at http://www.bellflight.com/company/innovation/nexus

2. Airbag for riding your bike. Everyone knows — it’s no fun to fall off a bike. What there were a special jacket with sensors that could tell if you were falling, and fill up with air right before impact? Learn more about this technology, at http://bitly.com/2DbOECP.

3. Language translator earpiece Waverly Labs displayed an earpiece for pilots that allows them to understand an interpret up to 15 languages in real time — using speech recognition. The cool thing is that we spotted several models. Soon we’ll all be able to afford them. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2DfcCwG

4. A bluetooth solar beehive. The CoCoon behife https://www.beelife.fr uses solar power and heat or cool a beehive as sensors monitor the conditions inside. You can get an alert on your phone if something is needed. Sweet!

5. Wave-powered Emergency Signal Device. Developed by Hanyang University, this floating signal device produces it’s own electricity using the movement of the waves, so that it’s LED light will never go out. Learn more about the Korean inventor, at http://bitly.com/2DeGHwE

APPLICATION: Design your own Tesla

Few cars have more futuristic than the all-electric, mostly self driving Tesla. Visit http://bitly.com/2SxQmIa where you can design your car using a series of options that include engine power, color, wheels and electronics. As you select each option, the price changes automatically, and you can see how much your monthly payments would be. Just don’t click “buy.”  Your parents might get mad.

Welcome to the Future on YouTube Want more?

Here’s a video playlist that https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwmBohkXsv2beElPjl0s-V5F

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.

                                        Go Online and Make a

This is an update to the column from the September 2012 issue of Children’s Technology Review.

Download this column as a one page PDF –>Dec 18-lc-final

All links and videos have been refreshed. When Walt Disney a young he loved to draw. After studying at the Chicago Art Institute, he made drawings for newspapers before experimenting with animation. See one of his first drawings https://dailym.ai/2G8jl0i. Want to learn to draw like Walt? Here are some sites and videos to show you how.

1. How can a wire help you learn to draw? At Artsy you’ll learn how a 15 inch length of wire can help you pay attention to drawing lines. You can also try sketching something upside down. Here’s the link http://bitly.com/2rrWiU7z.

2. How do I draw a horse? There are a lot of sites dedicated to drawing creatures … birds, cats and dogs. If you like horses or ponies, visit http://bitly.com/2G783JJ for some good tips.

3. How do you make curly hair? At Creativebloq http://bitly.com/2rtmVYL you can discover some easy visual sketching tricks, like how to make any two lines look like curley hair.

4. How do I make a cartoon? Start with a sack of flour, and then start adding features. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2G5TQN6

5. Draw a cartoon of yourself At the Artist’s Network bitly.com/lc1218link1 you’ll learn how to turn a selfie into humorous cartoon. Once you learn this trick, you’ll have an endless supply of birthday gifts.

APPLICATION: Grab some oil paints (here’s an affordable kit for $30 from Amazon.com https://amzn.to/2rvOO2o, and follow along with artist Bob Ross. He’s the guy who appeared on the PBS television series “The Joy of Painting.” See http://bitly.com/lc1218link2. If you want to try a follow along with watercolors instead of oils, we found this winter scene https://youtu.be/VmHc3xbqcGA

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

You’ve heard about AR (Augmented Reality). What is it, and how does it work?

Download this month’s LittleClickers as an easy to print, one page PDF  –> littleclickers-ar

Imagine being able to look inside your chest to see your heart beating or flapping your arms to fly between New York City skyscrapers. Or how about trying out a new chair before you buy it, or playing checkers with someone who looks like they are sitting next to you– but is physically around the world. Let’s find out how much you know about AR.

1. Can you explain “Pepper’s Ghost? Is it AR?” At http://bitly.com/2qpTJBr you learn how to make ghosts appear in your attic using reflections on glass. The AR-like effect dates back to 1862 and has been used to spook visitors to places like Disney’s Haunted Mansion.

2. What’s the difference between AR, VR and MR (Mixed Reality)? At Franklin Institute https://www.fi.edu/difference-between-ar-vr-and-mr you learn that the best term might be “mixed” reality, because of the way computers can be used to blend real and abstract information.

3. Which two AR systems are most interesting right now? How much do they cost? For about $2300 you can purchase Google’s Magic Leap. Microsoft’s HoloLens costs a bit more. Both represent the current state of the art for Augmented Reality. Unlike the VR headsets, AR systems have see-through screens that layer your digital information over what you see.
Learn more:
• Magic Leap –> http://bitly.com/2Qcnp0b
• HoloLens –> https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/hololens

4. How will construction workers use AR? At https://mixedreality.trimble.com/ you can see contractors use a special HoloLens hardhat to map blueprints over a construction site.

5. What about pilots? Visit https://glass.aero to learn about a company that attempted to create an AR system for pilots. Find out what they learned, at http://bitly.com/2qljPFs

6. Can AR turn you into a bird? Yep! Here’s an example of a Senior Thesis project that turned into a cool business. Birdly is a flying simulator that lets you flap your arms to glide. You can buy one for about $135,000!  http://birdlyvr.com/

APPLICATION: Make some AR It’s easy — get a whiteboard marker and look into a mirror. (Source: Digtoknow.com http://bitly.com/2QiZlbK.

Draw a mustache on your face, and take a picture. You’ve “augmented your reality.” If you want to learn AR on a computer, it’s a bit more complicated. Learn Unity3D, Vuforia AR, ARKit and ARCore, and all you can about interfaced design. Here’s a link to get started. https://unity3d.com/learn/learn-arkit

Augmented Reality on YouTube

Want more? Here’s a video playlist that go along with this column:

———————————————————————————————————————————————— 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 LittleClickers as a one page, easy to print PDF –>Oct18-littleclickers

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 column as a one page PDF, to send home with your children –>Sep18-littleclickers

How long does it take for a plastic water bottle to disintegrate? (About 400 years!)  Who invented plastic? Do elephants like plastic? How many types of plastic are there?

Plastic is an amazing substance that we use for just about everything. It’s greatest advantage — it’s strength and the fact that it never decomposes — is also it’s greatest disadvantage (that it never decomposes). It’s amazing to think that as recently as 100 years ago, people lived without it. Let’s learn some more!

1. Why do elephants love plastic?  According to Scientific American, thousands of elephants were hunted in the early 1800’s to make billiard balls (for the game of pool) out of their tusks. That changed in 1867, when John Wesley Hyatt, a printer in New York, figured out how to make billiard balls out of a crude form of molded plastic called bakelite. His invention saved many elephants. http://bit.ly/2LV0jIh

2. How long does it take for a plastic water bottle to naturally break down? It depends on where it. If it’s in the ocean, it might float for a year before being ground into billions of tiny bits that will float for hundreds of years. A bottle by the side of the road could last for at least 400 years. That means if George Washington’s army left their water bottles on the shore the Delaware before the famous battle of Trenton, they’d still be there today! Yikes. That’s why it is important for everyone to recycle. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2LWBRqf

3. Can a “brass” instrument be made out of plastic? Yes! Increasingly, plastic is replacing metal and wood for all sorts of things. The Allora brand plastic trombones and trumpets are cheap (1/10 the cost of a good brass instrument), light and dent free, made with ABS plastic — the same kind that LEGOs are made from. The come in 11 colors http://bitly.com/2Q5MbPI. Here’s a video of one being played https://youtu.be/NLAHSgZaMU0

4. Where does plastic come from? Oil, mostly, although different types of plastic have different components; and LEGO is exploring using sugar cane based plastic (see https://bloom.bg/2M2qJbc). Here’s a video that explains the entire plastic life cycle, from oil to plastic. https://youtu.be/IwdUwffecsM

APPLICATION: Make a Plastic Collection

How many types of plastics can you find in your house?

Look on the bottom of containers and you can find numbers that help you know what type of plastic you’re dealing with. Here are the seven standard classifications for plastics. Learn more about each type, at http://bitly.com/2wOvtLU or watch https://youtu.be/_qTelxi3MjU

#1 – PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) cold drink bottles
#2 – HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) grocery bags
#3 – PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipes, clothes, toys
#4 – LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) squeezable bottles
#5 – PP (Polypropylene) microwave plastics
#6 – PS (Polystyrene) styrofoam cups, egg cartons
#7 – Other (BPA, Polycarbonate) baby bottles

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