Feb 172024
 

National Cabbage Day is today! A vegetable grown in even ancient times, the cabbage is a nutritious, versatile vegetable. The largest cabbage grown weighed 138 pounds 4 ounces! The world’s biggest producers of cabbage are China, India, Russia, South Korea, and Ukraine. In the United States, the biggest producers are California, New York, Florida, and Wisconsin. Idea: Children could research the health benefits of cabbage.

May 292024
 
Flag of Nepal

Flag of Nepal

Nepal celebrates Republic Day. It declared itself a republic in 2008. Located in the Himalayas between China and India, the country is about the size of Arkansas. Eight of the ten highest mountains, including Mount Everest, are within the country’s boundaries. Almost 31 million people live in Nepal, and Kathmandu is the capital. Children could learn more at: Nepal.

Oct 012024
 
China

Flag of China

National Day of the People’s Republic of China is celebrated today.  The present government came into being in 1949. Slightly smaller than the United States, China has a variety of habitats, from Mount Everest to deserts to tropics. About 1.349 billion people live in China, and the capital is Beijing. Children can learn more at: China.

Oct 092024
 
Technologically Enhanced Remnant of Supernova 1604

Technologically Enhanced Remnant of Supernova 1604

Supernova 1604 first appeared in northern Italy in 1604. Johannes Kepler, while not the first scientist to see it, made observations of it while he was in Prague. Also known as Kepler’s Nova, the supernova, of the type to happen in the Milky Way, was the brightest star in the sky and was visible during the day for three weeks. Supernova 1604 was also observed and noted in China and in Korea. Children can learn more about supernovas at: Supernovas.

Oct 152024
 

Saturn and its Rings

Cassini-Huygens spacecraft was launched in 1997. The unmanned NASA craft reached Saturn, its goal, in 2004. Huygens broke away from Cassini and landed on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons, on January 14, 2005. Children could learn more at: Cassini-Huygens.

Shenzhou 5 was launched from China in 2003. China’s first successful manned space venture sent Yang Liwei into earth orbit. He orbited earth fourteen times and spent over 21 hours in space.

Oct 252024
 

Taiwan was returned to Chinese rule in 1945 after being controlled by the Japanese for fifty years. During its reign Japan had the Taiwanese adopt the Japanese language and customs. Many young Taiwanese males served in the Japanese army during World War II. The transition back to Chinese daily life was not smooth.