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Life in the clear

THE SECRET TO BEING (ALMOST) INVISIBLE

Amazing Powers Of The Mind

What happens when scientists study psychic abilities?

Wonderful Wings

A moth’s costume lets it hide in plain sight.

Children's literature – Six-Pack

Scott Hobbs Bourne Proposes An Act Of Imagination

Three Birds OF NEW ZEALAND

Before humans settled in New Zealand, the lush native plants fed an incredible variety of birds. As bird species developed through time, some did not need wings because they had no natural predators. Here are three bird stars that you won’t find in the sky—the kiwi, the weka, and the little blue penguin.

The First Trip to New Zealand

A group of people in long wooden canoes set sail from East Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean about 800 years ago. For days, they voyaged southwest. Strong currents and gusts of winds pounded them. Still, they pushed on.

THE ALL BLACKS

UNLOCKING THE SECRETS TO SUCCESS

SEARCHING for HEROES

These are three stories of discovery from New Zealand.

The Island of Birds

Imagine an island untouched by humans and without any large mammals. Colorful and strange birds of all shapes and sizes swoop over lush forests and seaside hills.

RUNNING OF THE SHEEP

Lots of people have heard of the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, but did you know that in New Zealand, there is an annual running of the sheep? The Te Kuiti Shearing Championships Running of the Sheep is held in late March or early April. The Saturday afternoon event is part of the Great New Zealand Muster.

NEW ZEALAND: Land of the Hobbits… and So Much More

You might think that you don’t know very much about New Zealand, but chances are that you have seen it.

New Zealand – High Five

Located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, New Zealand is known for its stunning landscapes. New Zealanders are passionate about protecting their land and their culture. Here are five fascinating facts to get you started.

Living Above The Boiling Earth

You know immediately that something strange is going on in the city of Rotorua.

Fuzzy Fruit

If you travel to Te Puke (teh POOK-ee), a town on the northern coast of New Zealand, you will see strange orchards. Instead of rows of trees, these orchards have rows of short wooden frames called pergolas, on which twining vines grow. The fuzzy, brown fruit that grows on these vines is the reason Te Puke calls itself the Kiwifruit Capital of the World.

Grandparents answer the School Bell

The pandemic has thrust some families together, with parents working from home and kids learning remotely, using a dining room or kitchen nook as a makeshift classroom.

Tales for Sails

COULD DOGS BE A READER’S BEST FRIEND?

NICOLE PATTON-TERRY READING RESEARCHER

Nicole Patton-Terry loves helping kids learn to read. She is associate director of the Florida Center for Reading Research at the Florida State University. Patton-Terry works on teams with researchers, students, teachers, designers, parents, and community members. Together they study reading and develop tools that help children read.

READING THEIR WORLD

Before reading the words

A FUNNY THING HAPPENS

HOW JOKES AND WORDPLAY REVEAL THE INNER WORKINGS OF OUR READING MINDS

Demystifying

One reason a smart person may still struggle to read

A New Way to See BRAILLE

Remarkable discoveries are turning brain science on its head.

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.