Hermitage Museum opened to the public in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1852. Catherine the Great created the museum in 1764. One of the oldest museums in the world, the Hermitage houses nearly three million artifacts. Children can participate in a virtual tour or see virtual exhibits at the museum’s very interesting website at: Hermitage Museum.
Welcome Stranger Gold Nugget was discovered at Moliagul, Victoria, Australia, in 1869. The largest alluvial gold nugget ever found, the Welcome Stranger weighed almost 2,284 ounces. It measured 24 inches by 12 inches. The nugget was melted down and formed into ingots that were sent to the Bank of England.
Bear in Big Bend National Park
National Wildlife Federation was established in 1936. The group’s mission statement is: Inspiring Americans to Protect Wildlife for Our Children’s Future.
The four-million-member group has three powerful goals:
• Finding solutions to the climate crisis
• Turning inside kids out
• Safeguarding America’s wildlife and wild places.
Children could visit the group’s website for children at: http://www.nwf.org/kids.aspx.
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Massachusetts State Flag
Massachusetts became the sixth state in the United States by ratifying the Constitution in 1788. The word Massachusetts means, “at or about the great hill.” The state ranks forty-fifth in size and thirteenth in population. Its state beverage is cranberry juice. They could toast Massachusetts’s birthday with cranberry juice.
New Zealand remembers Waitangi Day. In 1840 the Maori and the Europeans signed the Treaty of Waitangi, permitting Great Britain to develop New Zealand. About the size of the state of Colorado, New Zealand is comprised of mostly mountains with some coastal plains. Slightly over four million people live on the islands. Wellington is the capital. The country exports dairy products, meat, wool, and wood products. The kiwi is native to New Zealand. Children can learn more at: New Zealand.
Amendment Twenty to the Constitution was adopted in 1933. It moved the inauguration day of the President to January 20th at noon. It also changed the first day of a Congressional session to January 3rd. Prior to 1933 the President was inaugurated on March 4th. During colonial times, a period of four months between election and inauguration was reasonable due to travel time and communication limitations. However, as travel and technology improved, four months became much too long to have a lame duck President. Therefore, the inauguration date was moved up to January 20th. Children can read the actual amendment at: Amendment Twenty.
Alan Shepard in 1971 became the first person to play golf on the moon. Commander of Apollo 14, he and his crew left earth on January 31, 1971. They reached the moon on February 5, 1971. He smuggled two golf balls on the Apollo 14 flight and hit both of them with an assembled golf club. He stated that the balls went “miles and miles and miles.” However, the golf balls probably traveled between 200 and 400 yards. The crew returned safely to earth February 9, 1971. Students could learn more about Shepard at: Alan Shepard.
Flag of Grenada
Grenada celebrates Independence Day. Although it became free of British rule in 1974, it still recognizes King Charles III as its head of state. Carib Indians inhabited the island, located in the Caribbean, in the 1600’s. St. George’s is the capital. The 108,000 inhabitants depend a great deal on tourism. The island is about twice the size of Washington, DC. Nutmeg and mace are leading exports. Idea: Children could learn how nutmeg and mace are grown. Are nutmeg and mace different?
Ballet was performed for the first time in America in 1827. The Bowery Theater in New York City hosted a performance of The Deserter by Madame Francisquy Hutin and her troupe. Idea: Invite a ballet student to visit the class and demonstrate some basic ballet moves.
Stardust Dust Collector with Aerogel
Stardust was launched by NASA in 1999. Scientists sent it into outer space to collect samples from comets. So how did Stardust collect those samples? It contained plates of aerogel, a type of sticky stuff that attracted and kept the comet materials. It traveled three billion miles before returning to earth January 15, 2006, with samples it took from comet Wild 2. Children can have a great time exploring the Stardust NASA site for kids at: Stardust.