Ten Fun Facts About Bikes

Whether you rely on your bike for transportation or exercise, you’ll enjoy these ten fun facts on this two-wheeled vehicle. In 1817, Karl von Drais, a German baron, invented a horseless carriage that would help him get around faster. The two-wheeled, pedal-less device was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground, The machine became known as the “draisine,” and led to the creation of the...

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Make a Groovy Lava Lamp

HOW DOES IT WORK? The secret behind the lamp’s “lava” is science. Oil is lighter, or less dense, than water, so it rises to the surface. Salt is heavier, or more dense, than water, and sinks to the bottom. When you add the salt, blobs of oil attach to the grains and sink. Then the salt dissolves, and the oil returns to the top. The result? A liquid show for the eyes. YOU WILL NEED Clear jar with lid Water Food coloring Glitter Vegetable oil Salt Flashlight Fill the jar three-quarters...

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Eggs-Periments: Balancing Egg

First get permission to use kitchen equipment and eggs. YOU WILL NEED One raw egg Salt HERE’S HOW Take the raw egg and try to balance it on a hard surface (you will have a difficult time keeping the egg balanced). Now, make a tiny mound of salt on a hard, smooth surface. Very carefully balance the egg on top of the salt, then gently blow the excess salt away. With patience and a steady hand, you should succeed. Note: Try this experiment without the salt about March 20, on the spring...

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Peppermint Bark

Make your own delicious peppermint bark to eat or give as a gift. YOU WILL NEED 15 to 20 red-and-white peppermint candies Resealable freezer bag Hammer 11-ounce (311-gram) bag of white chocolate Medium-size, microwave-safe bowl Red or green food coloring (optional) Cookie sheet Waxed paper Cellophane (optional) HERE'S HOW 1. Unwrap the mints and seal them inside the freezer bag. Ask your parents to help you crush the mints by gently hitting them with a hammer.  Remove larger...

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Ice Cream Sandwiches Night

Ask your parents to join you when you make these homemade, ice cream sandwiches! YOU WILL NEED (SERVES FOUR) 2 cups (475 mL) of your favorite ice cream or frozen yogurt 8 large cookies RECOMMENDED COOKIE/ICE CREAM COMBOS Chocolate cookie/mint chocolate chip ice cream Peanut butter cookie/chocolate ice cream Vanilla cookie/strawberry ice cream Chocolate chip cookie/vanilla ice cream HERE'S HOW 1. Let ice cream sit out for ten minutes. 2. Top four cookies with 1/2 cup (120...

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A Different Way to Wake Up

When Matty Sallin, 34, was working on a degree in art and technology at New York University, he got an interesting assignment in electronics class: Create something for the household. He decided to create an alarm clock. "Everybody has to deal with these every day, and they are extremely unpleasant!" he says. He asked different people what they'd like to wake up to instead of a clanging, noisy alarm. A lot of them said, "The smell of bacon." So Sallin and two classmates invented a new...

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Rattlesnake Rustlers

When Heather Ramirez of Auburn, California, went to the dentist recently with her husband Len, she wasn’t there to have her teeth cleaned. She and her husband are professional snake removers. They were there to catch and return to the wild a rattlesnake that had slithered indoors.She describes her work as “protecting people from rattlesnakes—and protecting rattlesnakes from people.” In her part of the country, the northern Pacific rattlesnake (Crotalus virudis oreganos) often comes face-to-face...

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Here Come the Presidents

In 2007, just in time for Presidents’ Day, the United States Mint is releasing a brand new one-dollar coin that honors U.S. Presidents. It's the first in the Presidential $1 Coin Program, which is modeled after the popular state quarters series. Four new designs will come out per year, each featuring a different U.S. President. You can start your collection this year with George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison! “Coins are history in our pocket,” said...

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Discovered: Oldest Writing in the New World

The Cascajal block, found in Veracruz, Mexico, shows an example of ancient writing. Photograph by Michael D. Coe Anthropologists study people who are no longer living. Items those men, women, and children left behind when they died—everything from clothing to jewelry and tools—tell anthropologists a lot.  And sometimes even their words survive.Experts believe that a discovery in Mexico is the oldest example of writing ever found in the Americas. The people who created...

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U.S. Presidential Fun Facts

Abraham Lincoln's son Tad once fired on the Cabinet after receiving a pretend military commission. Illustration by Bob Brugger Did you know that Andrew Johnson, the 17th President of the United States, was a tailor before he was President? Or that one of George Washington's favorite foods was ice cream? These are just two of the interesting facts about past U.S. Presidents National Geographic Kids has collected. Many Presidents had unusual careers before entering the White House. Jimmy...

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