CATEGORIES

Turtles Crossing

ALEX PEDALED HIS bike along the country lane that led to his house. As he rounded a bend, the tips of the cattails that grew around Johnson’s Pond came into view. His dad took him canoeing there sometimes, and Alex loved it. The pond was always so alive with activity. Frogs croaked along the shore, dragonflies hunted among the cattails, and sometimes Alex discovered turtles basking on sunny rocks.

THE FLYING TORTOISE

A Nigerian Folk Tale

Catching Frogs in the Clouds

PROFESSOR MARCIO PIE and his team stop on top of a mountain in Brazil. It’s cool and damp under the trees. The scientists listen.

THE TOP SEVEN ANIMALS THAT VOTE

Would it surprise you to find out that animals hold elections? That’s right—there are democracies in the animal kingdom, too. Read on to find out about seven species that “vote” to make group decisions.

VOTING DAY around the World

When it comes to elections in the United States, it’s pretty certain that most people will be voting on a Tuesday. The custom of voting on a Tuesday in November was established when many Americans were farmers. By November, the growing and harvesting seasons were over making it easier for farmers to leave their work and go vote.

Old Enough to Vote?

Nelson Mandela, the man who brought democracy to South Africa in 1994, thought everyone over the age of 14 should be allowed to vote. He said young people who had fought for freedom were old enough to help choose the country’s leaders. His bill was defeated, and the voting age was set at 18. That is the same age set in the United States and most other countries. Is this the right age? How do people decide when someone is old enough to vote?

THE Final King OF Angkor Wat

Stories

VOTE! From Marbles to Machines

People have dropped marbles into baskets, drawn Xs by names, colored in dots, and pulled levers to elect their leaders during the past 2,000 years. Early voters used simple, inexpensive objects to cast their votes. The ancient Greeks, the first known voters, placed black-and-white pebbles into pots. Roman soldiers tossed small clay balls into their helmets. Early colonists in the Americas used colored beans and kernels of corn. Today’s election traditions and terms have ancient roots. Voters now often mark ballots, or pieces of paper, to cast their votes. The term comes from the Italian word ballotta meaning “little ball.”

Understand Your Rights

Talk with your parents and other adults about what these rights mean.

The Carter Center: TRAVELING THE WORLD ONE ELECTION AT A TIME

When President Jimmy Carter left the White House in 1981, his career as a public servant was far from over.

ELECTIONS IN INDIA

The United States had 200 million registered voters in 2016. That’s a lot of voters, and it takes a lot of organization to set up the election process. Now imagine a country that needs to organize about 900 million voters every time it holds an election. Welcome to India.

DEMONSTRATIONS & DEMOCRACY

After six months of demonstrations, blocked streets, and tear gas, Hongkongers peacefully voted in District Council elections on November 24, 2019. Voters—especially young people—wanted to show the leader of Hong Kong’s government, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, how they felt about her handling of the demonstrations.

Nelson Mandela – A Dream Come True

People came out in the millions simply to vote

Wild Neighbors

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS IS a big city—not the sort of place you’d expect to find wild predators. So when people started spotting coyotes in downtown Chicago, they had lots of questions.

The Day the Dogs Disappeared

THERE WAS A time, many moons ago, when humans and coyotes lived in harmony. People told stories of the great trickster Coyote and how he brought fire to humans, winter to the world, and stars to the Milky Way. They honored coyotes with dances and songs. They even saved the best scraps of meat for them.

Solar Pizza Oven

THE SUMMER SUN is hot, but can it cook a pizza? Yes! This tasty experiment uses heat-trapping cardboard, reflective foil, and light-absorbing black paper to harness the sun’s energy into a solar-powered pizza oven. On the next hot, sunny day, cook your own pizza with sunlight and science!

Jackson, Jackson, Make Up Your Mind!

ON A BLAZING hot summer day, the Johnson family piled into their rusty, old station wagon. Behind Mom and Dad sat Joseph and Jeffrey. Then Julie and Jolene in the row in between. Next came Jocelyn, Justin, and Jackson, all crowded in back. They were headed to Zindel’s Ice Cream Shoppe.

A Fish Named Dog

I locked eyes with the fish as I tapped flakes of food into his tank. He stared blankly at me through the glass. Not exactly my idea of a perfect pet.

The true story of a young scientist: BOY NATURALIST

“Be a hunter and explorer.” This is the advice, says world-renowned entomologist E.O. Wilson in his 1994 autobiography, Naturalist, that he gives to his science students. “If you have the will, there is a discipline in which you can succeed.”

THE MIRROR A Korean Folktale

Long ago, a young farmer married the daughter of a wealthy family. One day, he was called away to a far city to conduct important business.

HUMAN VERSUS DESERT: THE MARATHON DES SABLES

Hundreds of grueling ultra-marathons take place throughout the world, but only one is called the “toughest footrace on earth.”

THE SUN ON YOUR PLATE

Imagine a whole week of eating all the pancakes you want!

MAGDALENA SORGER

EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGIST

The Rabbit in the Moon

What do you see when you look at the Moon?

SHAPING DICE

More faces, more fun?

MACHU PICCHU

Machu Picchu is an ancient and isolated Incan village near Cusco, Peru. It took a lot of effort to build, and it seems to be in the middle of nowhere. All the buildings at Machu Picchu are made entirely of stone.

EDWARD O. WILSON

BIOLOGIST, NATURALIST, AUTHOR, SCIENCE PIONEER

Paradise LOST

Spin a globe slowly to find New Zealand. It’s one of the world’s most isolated island countries. Australia, the nearest significant land mass, is over a thousand miles away. Composed of two big islands stretching almost 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from north to south, and a galaxy of smaller islands, New Zealand is believed to be a fragment of the ancient southern continent of Gondwanaland.

How Trustworthy is Social Media?

Social Media has the power to reach a large population almost instantly.

Ants in Action

A world behind glass at the National Zoo