PANDAS

What is a panda?

Firstly, there are two types of panda, the giant panda and the red panda: the giant panda is commonly classified as a bear: the red panda is usually linked with the raccoon family. When a panda cub is born it is no bigger than a hamster! The tiny cub is blind and helpless at first, with hardly any hair, but its distinctive black marking already show on its pink skin. A baby panda doesn’t take its first steps until it is five months old, by then it weighs 25 kilograms (55 lb)….and in another six months its weight will have doubled!

Adult pandas spend up to 16 hours a day eating! The bamboo plant on which they feed has little nourishment, so they must eat up to 45 kilograms (100 lb) of shoots and leaves daily.

Only a thousand giant pandas survive in the wild, high up in the mountains and bamboo forests of Southwest China.

The panda’s special paw

Each front paw of the panda has six digits. The extra one is really an enlarged wrist that works as an opposite thumb – perfect for grasping tiny bamboo shoots and stems.

Will we live in space?

We’ve landed a man on moon and sent a spacecraft to Mars. But the space missions we’ve made so far are just baby steps. Later in this century humans may be able to live on the other planets! Says Dwayne Brown of NASA: “Science fiction will turn into science fact.”
NASA astronauts are already living and working on the International Space Station, which is due to be completed in 2006.
Humans may one day live on Mars or the moon. Mars may once have water on its surface. If that water is now frozen underground, humans may be able to use it. Settlers on Mars would probably live inside domes filled with air.
On the moon, settlers might live in tunnels. A group called the Artemis Project is raising money to begin a moon colony by 2015. Just think: you may be a pioneer on the space frontier!

Will Aliens Visit Earth?
For years, scientists have been using radio telescopes to listen for signals from space. So far, they haven’t heard a peep! Our Milky Way is one galaxy among billions. There are many places where life could exist. The wait continues.


WHAT WILL WE DO FOR FUN?

In this century, videogame players will use the Internet to connect with other players around the world. But they won’t be playing on TV screens, says Greg Thomas of the Sega Company. Instead, the life-size figures from the game will appear in the playroom as holograms, a kind of 3-D picture. Imagine battling a life-size dragon.

LOW – GRAVITY SPORTS

Star skateboarder Tony Hawk performs amazing tricks in the air. But gravity always drags him back down. Maybe not in the future! He thinks skateboarding will be done I places where the level of gravity is lowered. These low-gravity sports arenas might be on Earth or even on the moon.

SAME OLD, SAME OLD

There will be many new ways to have fun in the future. But it doesn’t mean that old favorites will be forgotten. Chances are, kids will always want to play catch!

ELECTRONIC ART

Paint smocks and messy hands may be a thing of the past. A compute “wand” will be used to draw on flat screens attaches to walls, says Warren Buckleitner, a children’s computer expert. Changing color will be as simple as waving the wand.

Source:
Time For Kids Almanac 2002

TRY THESE RIDDLES!

I know a word of letters three.
Add two, and fewer there will be.

I am always hungry.
I must always be fed.
The finger I lick will soon turn red.

My life can be measured in hours.
I serve by being devoured.
Thin, I am quick
Fat, I am slow
Wind is my foe.

Source:
World Almanac For Kids 2003

A Titanic Disaster

When the cruise ship Titanic set sail from England on April 10, 1912, everyone thought it was unsinkable. But just four days later, disaster struck.

On April 14, shortly before midnight, the ship hit an iceberg. Within hours, the largest and most spectacular vessel of its time sank to the floor. About 1,500 of the more than 2,200 passengers died, including some of the wealthiest people in the world. The first ship to reach the site rescued 705 survivors, mostly women and children.

Sadly, many more lives could have been saved. The Titanic only had enough lifeboats for half of its passengers. A nearby ship could have rescued more people, but its radio operator was off duty and didn’t hear the Titanic’s call for help.

Today there are much stricter rules that ships have to follow. By law, there must be enough lifeboats for every one. Ships are required to have lifeboat drills or practices so that every one knows what to do in an emergency. Radio operators must always be on duty, and the International Ice Patrol warns ships about icebergs.

Because GMTA

In e-mail and online chat rooms, people often try to type as fast as they can. Using acronyms or abbreviations helps them keep up their speed. Here’s a quick taste of the language sometimes known as “e-mailese” or “chatroomsy”

ACE: am confused, explain
BIF: before I forget
BRB: be right back
DTS: don’t think so
FWIW: for what is worth
FYEO: for your eyes only
GMTA: great minds think alike
GTG: got to go
HAW: homework a-waiting
ICCL: I couldn’t care less
IMHO: in my humble opinion
KWIM: know what I mean?
LOL: laughing out loud
MMBS: mail me back soon
MMD: made my day
TTFN: ta ta for now





Source:
Time For Kids Almanac 2002

“My Best Friend” by John Patience

My best friend is a giant.
He’s bigger than our house.
He’s stronger than an elephant,
But quiet as a mouse.
No-one else can see him,
He’s invisible, you see,
But he pushes me on the garden swing
And helps me climb the tree.
Sometimes he tells me stories,
As I sit in the palm of his hand,
Of fabulous beasts, of fairyland feasts,
Of a mystical, magic land.
But it’s a shame when it starts to rain.
He often starts to cry,
‘Cause he’s too big to come indoors
And we have to say goodbye.

“When Giants get Sneezes” by John Patience

When giants get sneezes
And coughs and diseases,
They ought to stay home
And keep warm.
For gigantic sneezes
Can blow down our treeses

And whip up a terrible storm