Brain Teasers: Hidden Words

Animals in hiding.

Find the animals hiding in the following sentences.

Example Close the door at once! (rat).
1. That will be a real help.
2. She came late every day.
3. He came to America today.
4. Eric owes me ten cents.
5. We made errors in each one.
6. Do good workers succeed?
7. If I shout, he’ll hear me.
8. If Roger comes, we’ll begin.
9. We will go at two o’clock.
10. Is it the sixth or seventh?
11. In April I only came once.
12. I’ll sing; you hum on key.
13. I made a Xerox copy of it.
14. She clothes naked babies.
15. At last, I, Gerald, had won.
16. Was Pilar mad, ill, or glad?
17. That man ate eleven cookies.
18. Your comb is on the table.
19. We’re sending only one book.
20. He regrets having said that.
21. If Al concentrates, he’ll win.
22. When I withdrew, Al rushed in.
23. He called Mikko a lazy boy.
24. It’s only a kilometer away.


Fair Finds.

Below is a scrambled list of animals and foods commonly found
at state and county fairs. Unscramble each word, placing one
letter in each blank. To help you, some letters have been placed
in the correct positions.

1. ipg _ _ _
2. wco _ _ _
3. cukd _ _ _ _
4. atog _ _ _ _
5. keac _ a _ _
6. nocr c _ _ _
7. srohe _ _ _ _ _
8. tapoot _ _ t _ _ _
9. teutlec _ _ _ _ u _ _
10. arctpito _ _ _ i _ _ _
11. umppikn _ _ m _ _ _ _
12. uahqss _ q _ _ _
13. plaep ipe _ p _ _ _ _ i _
14. recyrh ipe _ _ _ r _ _ _ _ e
15. conott dncay _ _ t _ _ _ c _ _ _ _
16. mewatlrone w _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ n

BRAIN TEASERS: Words hidden in the sentences

A numbers game: seen and heard.

I. Each of the sentences below contains a hidden number. It may be wholly within a word or may
go across two or more words. In each case the spelling is exactly the same as the written form of the
number, although the pronunciation may be different.

Example:

If I’ve said something to hurt you, I’m sorry, (five).


A. Listen carefully to the dialogue on the tape recording.
B. It would be better to learn the language thoroughly.
C. When the plane took off, I very much wanted to cry.
D. We thought that was the best year of our lives.
E. Now their team is even with ours.
F. “Honesty is the best policy” is a well-known maxim.
G. The papers I xeroxed didn’t turn out very well.
H. The words were spoken in each of the languages native to those present.
I. Paul is going to leave today; Robert went yesterday.
J. You replaced the thous and thees of English several centuries ago.
K. I hope that our efforts to rectify the error will comfort you a little.
L. Her remarks about the silent way made Caleb ill; I on the other hand, thought the points were
well taken.
M. Wish I could have been present at this event you are telling us about.


II. The numbers hidden in the following sentences may be heard but not seen. That is, the sound or
pronunciation of the number is present, but not the spelling.

Example: We found Janet well versed on the subject, (twelve).


A. John is now working as a tutor of English.
B. He answered before I could even finish the question.
C. Mary ate the whole pizza all by herself!
D. We all breathed a sigh of relief when our team finally won the game.
E. Even I know better than that!
F. Turn the radio off if teenagers come into the house.
G. We both respect your judgment very much.
H. Robert ended his speech on a strong note.
I. The zookeeper moved the sick seals to a different cage.
J. The baker added leaven and some water to the bread dough.

III. Hidden colors. Find the name of a color hidden in each sentence: (The first one has been done as a sample.).

1. Some parts of the face are the eye, eyebrow, nose, and mouth. (brown)
2. I’m not really dumb; lack of sleep made me forget the answers.
3. If I tell you what she said, will you agree never to tell anyone?
4. In the box we found a pencil, a pin, keys, and a few coins.
5. Are three zeros enough to write the number one thousand?
6. The wheelbarrow hit eleven rocks as it rolled down the hill.
7. When the nurse gives you the injection, just yell “Ow” if it hurts.
8. Eisa and Otto ran gently down the path to the river.
9. Before arriving at Kuala Lumpur, please fill out these forms.
10. I play nearly all the stringed instruments: violin, cello, bass viol, etc.
11. When I opened the window, shining rays of sunlight flooded the room.
12. We’ll go in Jim’s car. Let’s leave at six o’clock.

Unscramble the set of letters

Coin Toss
Unscramble the set of letters next to each clue to find the answer.


Example:
These facilities are set up to test the purity of precious metals. SSYAA FCSFIOE
Answer: Assay Offices


1. The U.S. coin worth 25 cents is called a ___.                                                EARRQTU
2. The U.S. ___ was the first federal building constructed under the U.S. Constitution. IMTN
3. Pennies are this color.                                                                                     PRCOPE
4. As a symbol of the United States, this bird appears on all coins in use.        EGEAL                          5. This president was the first to be pictured on a U.S. coin.                             NLCNIOL
6. Only ____ can authorize changing a coin’s design more than once every 25 years. RGSNCOES
7. This is the fourth step in creating coins.                                                        NITKSGRI
8. Hoping to make a profit, some people collect coins as an ___.                    MTNSETIVEN
9. Both the dollar coin and the ___ ___ coin are rarely used.                           FHAL LADORL
10. Children use coins in tabletop games such as ___ ___.                              NNYEP KHYOCE
11. This Mint was established in 1937 to store silver bullion.                          STWE INTOP
12. This law in 1792 created the first U.S. monetary system.                          ANOIECG CTA
13. ___ ___ Banks maintain monetary reserves and issue bank notes.            ELERDFA REREVES
14. Special coins designed to honor a person, place, or event are called ___. AMOOMERMVITCE
15. ___ is the study or collecting of coins.                                                       MINMITUCSSA

Homonyms & Palindromes Practice

Spelling bee
Fill in the blanks in each sentence with two or three words that have the same sound but different
spelling and different meanings. The number of blanks equals the number of letters in the missing word.
1. Our team _ _ _ _ _ _ game and lost three games.
2. They agreed _ _ play _ _ _ more games next week, _ _ _.
3. The _ _ _ _ golfers watched _ _ _ the ball when they heard someone shout “_ _ _ _!”
4. The four of us were so hungry that we_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ hamburgers.
5. Each player _ _ _ _ _ the ball _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the hoop at least once.
6. As we approached the coast we could _ _ _ the _ _ _.
7. Anna had _ _ many things to _ _ _ on her new machine that she had no time to _ _ _ any seeds
in the garden.
8. At the airport the guide said, “Come this _ _ _ so they can _ _ _ _ _ your luggage.”
9. We had to _ _ _ _ in line until they determined the _ _ _ _ _ _ of our bags.
10. We _ _ _ _ the boat to the dock so it wouldn’t go out when the _ _ _ _ came in.
11. Unfortunately, we did _ _ _ put a very good _ _ _ _ in the rope, and it came unfastened.
12. The people on the safari _ _ _ _ _ that a _ _ _ _ of elephants was headed their way.
13. If you sit _ _ _ _ very quietly, you can _ _ _ _ the wind blowing through the trees.
14. The man in the _ _ _ coat _ _ _ _ the notice to me.
15. We _ _ _ _ on horseback through the tall grass until we came to the _ _ _ _ that led to the town.
16. Everything looked so familiar; it was as if we had _ _ _ _ that _ _ _ _ _ before.
17. We went to where they were selling boats, and _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ boats had a sign on them
that said “_ _ _ _ _ _ _”
18. The students _ _ _ _ _ down in their notebooks the sentences that they had learned by _ _ _ _.
19. The wind _ _ _ _ the rain clouds away, leaving a clear _ _ _ _ sky.
20. The father said, “I will sit in the shade out of the hot _ _ _’ _ _ _ _ _ while my _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
the roof on the house."

Homonyms & Palindromes

Palindromes

Palindromes
A palindrome may be defined as a word, phrase,
sentence, verse, or (sometimes) number that
reads the same backwards as forwards. Some
examples of words that are palindromes are:
POP, SEES, EVE, DID, ROTATOR.
Probably the best-known sentence that is
a palindrome is MADAM, I’M ADAM—
presumably uttered upon introducing himself
to Eve (herself a palindrome!) in the garden of
Eden. Another one that has been around for
some time is Napoleon’s (fictitious) utterance
ABLE WAS I ERE I SAW ELBA. A third
candidate for the trio of well-known palindromes
is A MAN, A PLAN, A CANAL—PANAMA!
Many palindromes have a stilted unnatural
sound. For example: STEP ON NO PETS
and LIVE NOT ON EVIL. (Don’t step on
any pets and Don’t live on evil certainly do not
qualify as palindromes, but they would be at
least slightly more likely candidates for everyday
conversation.)
Palindrome sentences seem to thrive on
imperatives and negatives. Sometimes they
suggest a plausible context, as DRAW, O
COWARD!—if you think of the swashbuckling
days of swordplay. In other cases there is a certain
quaintness: TIS IVAN ON A VISIT. Or they
may be quite overwhelming in their bombast:
LIVE, O DEVIL! REVEL EVER! LIVE! DO
EVIL! and its more positive counterpart: DO
O GOD, NO EVIL DEED, LIVE ON, DO
GOOD!
Occasionally a palindrome may be a question
(usually beginning with was and ending with
saw): WAS IT A RAT I SAW? and WAS IT
A CAR OR A CAT I SAW? and WON’T
LOVERS REVOLT NOW? Some of the longer
palindromes show a persistent ingenuity as well
as imagination: DOC, NOTE I DISSENT;
A FAST NEVER PREVENTS A FATNESS.
I DIET ON COD. Which reminds us of the
plaintive cry of one who has overindulged at
the table: STRESSED WAS I ERE I SAW
DESSERTS.
By far the most popular palindromic personage
is Edna, who performs a variety of feats, usually
in tandem: DENNIS AND EDNA SINNED.—
PAT AND EDNA TAP.—ENID AND EDNA
DINE. At last, a solo performance (though with
an implied companion): TOO FAR, EDNA,
WE WANDER AFOOT.
The following two palindromes, taken together,
provide a family commentary: PA’S A SAP and
MA IS AS SELFLESS AS I AM. Sometimes
animals get into the act: A DOG; A PANIC IN
A PAGODA and TEN ANIMALS I SLAM IN
A NET.
Occasionally one comes across a natural
palindrome, such as YREKA BAKERY—an
actual bakery, located at 322 W. Miner Street, in
the city of Yreka, California.

Breakfast and Dinner recipes for the bread machine

Did you know you can do more with your bread machine than make bread??? Rice, meatloaf, tomato sauce, and scrambled eggs are all easy to make in your regular bread machine. 

Making Breakfast

Did you know you could make scrambled eggs for a crowd in your bread machine? 

1 dozen eggs (12)

1 ¼ cup of milk

¼ cup of melted butter

1 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. salt

add any herbs and spices 

nonstick vegetable oil spray

1. Whisk 12 eggs. Then add 1 ¼ cup of milk, ¼ cup of melted butter, 1 teaspoon of pepper, and of course, 1 teaspoon of salt. You may add finely chopped herbs as well if you wish.
2. Grease the pan of your bread machine lightly using nonstick vegetable spray.
3. Pour the eggs, select the Jam setting, and press the Start button.

MEATLOAF in the bread machine 

Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped 2 lbs. ground sirloin 1 cup mushrooms, sliced 2 tsp. salt 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped 1 tsp. garlic powder 1/4 tsp. black pepper 1 cup bread crumbs 2 large eggs, beaten Glaze: 1/2 cup ketchup or barbecue sauce 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 1 tsp. prepared mustard
	1 In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, except for glaze. Mix well. Remove kneading blades from baking pan. Press meat mixture into the baking pan.
	2 In a small bowl, combine glaze ingredients and set aside.
	3 Place the baking pan into the Home Bakery, close the lid and plug the cord into the outlet. Select HOME MADE course on the breadmaker. Press CYCLE button turning OFF the following: Preheat, Knead and Rise cycles. Select BAKE cycle. Press and hold TIME until the display shows 1:10. Then press CYCLE twice to record. Press START twice to begin baking. Verify that the red START light is lit at this point.
	4 30 minutes prior to end of baking time, open the lid and pour glaze mixture on top of meatloaf. Close the lid and continue baking.
	5 When baking completes, allow the meatloaf to cool slightly, drain juices, and remove from the baking pan. Slice and serve.

Making a shadow plot

Equipment

• One large piece of white paper (18x24 inches works well)
• One, pencil width, wooden dowel or something similar.
  (12-15 inches long works well for the paper size above)
• A ball of clay
• A flat location that is free from shadows all day long
• One permanent magic marker
• Several heavy objects, rocks or bricks, to hold the paper down

Making a shadow plot of your own can be useful in a many ways. During the course of only one day a shadow plot can help you determine which direction is due north at the location where the shadow plot is made. A compass uses the earth's magnetic field to find north and therefore points toward magnetic north, which is not in the same place as geographic north.
A shadow plot can also help you obtain a feel for how the Sun's path changes across the sky from day to day. To see this effect it is best to work on the shadow plot for several weeks.

Setting up your shadow plot

It is best to set up your shadow plot in the morning, around 9:00.
Once you have found a flat location, clear from shadows, push the ball of clay onto the ground. Insert the wooden dowel into the ball of clay so that it stands vertically. The dowel will need to stand in this exact location for the entire day, or for several weeks, so make sure it is secure. You may need to wrap some duct tape around the base of the dowel and further secure it to the ground in this manner or be creative and find a way to secure the dowel so that it remains perfectly vertical.
Once your dowel is in place look for its shadow. If it is morning, the dowel's shadow should be pointing west. Lie your piece of paper down on the north side of the dowel with the middle of the long edge up against the base of the dowel support. (You can figure out which general direction is north since you know the Sun is in the east and the dowel shadow is facing west.)
The image above will help you set up your materials correctly.
Secure the piece of paper with several rocks. Place the rocks, or other heavy objects, around the edge of the paper so they do not obscure the middle where you will be making your plot.
You are now ready to start making your measurements.
The shadow from the dowel should be on your piece of paper. If it is not wait about an hour and return once the shadow is cast onto the paper. When you have the shadow on the paper, use your permanent marker to make a mark at the very end of the shadow.
Return to your shadow plot about once every half hour and make a mark at the end of the shadow each time. If you begin your plot at 9:00 a.m. you should have enough markings by 3:00 p.m. When you are finished with one day of measurements you plot should look like the one above.
You are now ready to use this plot to find Geographic North.

Using a Shadowplot to find the North-South line

After one day of shadow measurements you are ready to draw the North-South line. On your completed shadow plot draw a smooth curve through all of the marks that you have made, without moving the paper. The more often you have taken your measurements, the easier it will be to draw this curve accurately.
Once you have drawn a smooth curve through the markings, you want to find the shortest distance between the dowel base and this curve. To do this place a meter stick so that one end is at the dowel base and the curve crosses the meter stick at some other point. Pivot the meter stick about the end at the dowel base until the find the location on the curve that is the shortest distance from the dowel base.
Draw a line from the dowel base to this point as in the image below.

This line you have just drawn is called a North-South line. It is the line along which the Sun will cast a shadow at local noon. (Your local noon may not be exactly when the clock says noon depending on where you are in your timezone.)
This North-South line points exactly North and South. A line drawn perpendicular to this line will point East and West. You will need to know the exact direction of North to use your horizontal sundial.


In addition to finding the direction of north you will need to know the latitude of the town or city where you intend to use your sundial in order to build it accurately. If you do not know the latitude of a particular part of the world you can figure it out by looking on a globe or a map that has the latitude lines marked. Latitude is measured in degrees from the equator. The equator is zero degrees latitude, the north and south poles are ninety degrees latitude. Here is a latitude grid of the world.

Use the grid below to find the latitude of the location where your sundial will be used.

 

Now that we understand a little about how the Sun moves through the sky, we know how to find due north and we know the latitude for which we want to build a sundial, we are ready to continue.


The complete construction of a sundial involves the use of a protractor and the understanding of some trigonometric functions like sine and tangent.
The different levels below allow you to construct a sundial no matter what experience you have with these mathematical tools. Select the level appropriate for your understanding from the choices below and we'll get to work!


ADVANCED 
If you are comfortable using a protractor and are familiar with the trig functions sine and tangent this is the level for you!

INTERMEDIATE 
If you are comfortable using a protractor to measure angles, but are not familiar with the trig functions sine and tangent select this level.

NOVICE
If you are not comfortable using a protractor and are not familiar with the trig functions sine and tangent start at this level.

"Going on a Bear Hunt" by Greg and Steve

"Going on a Bear Hunt" by Greg and Steve
Going on a bear hunt is a fun way for children to talk about over, under, around, and
different ways to move their bodies. The children will be running away from the bear by
the end of this song.

Song lyrics

Hey everybody! We’re going on a bear hunt! Are you afraid?
(Kids: I’m not afraid! *shakes heads no*)
1….2….3
(stomps feet as in hiking)
We’re going on a bear hunt!
(Kids: We’re going on a bear hunt!)
Take pictures with my camera!
(Kids:Take pictures with my camera! *pretend to take pictures*)
Open up the door, squeak!
(Kids: Open up the door, squeak! *pretends to open door*)
Walk down the road
(Kids: Walk down the road *marches, pretending to be on a road)
Coming to a wheatfield!
(Kids: *still marching* Coming to a wheatfield!)
Can’t go under it.
(Kids: Can’t go under it *motions to doan under motion, sorta like a crawl*)
Can’t go over it.
(Kids: Can’t go over it *motions to climb over it*)
Hafta go through it!
(Kids: Hafta go through it! *makes vertical slicing motions with hands making a sha-sha sound while still marching*)
1….2….3….4
Got through the wheatfield.
(Kids: Got through the wheatfield*still marching*)
Coming to a bridge.
(Kids: Coming to a bridge*still marching*)
Can’t go under it.
(Kids: Can’t go under it *shaking heads no*)
Hafta walk over it!
(Kids: Hafta walk over it! *nods and starts to march more over the bridge, making a clicking noise with tongue*)
1….2….3….4
Got over the bridge.
(Kids: *marching again* Got over the bridge.)
Coming to a tree.
(Kids: Coming to a tree *marching*)
Can’t go under it.
(Kids: Can’t go under it. *marching*)
Guess we’ll hafta climb[1] it!
(Kids: Guess we’ll hafta climb it! *marching*)
Climb to the top!
(Kids: Climb to the top! *pretend to climb tree*)
1….2….3….4
Do you see a bear?
(Kids: Do you see a bear? *pretend to search by shielding eyes from light looking around*)
No.
(Kids: *shaking heads no* No)
Let’s climb down.
(Kids: Let’s climb down. *pretend to climb down*)
1….2….3….4
Coming toa river.
(Kids: Coming to a river. *marching again*)
Can’t go under it.
(Kids: Can’t go under it *shaking heads no with marching*)
Can’t fly over it.
(Kids: Can’t fly over it *shaking heads no with marching*)
Let’s get in the boat!
(Kids: Let’s get in the boat! *sits or stands holding hands with another infront of them and pulls one another in turn like rowing a boat*)
1….2….3….4
Got across the river.
(Kids: *marching again* Got across the river.)
Coming to a cave.
(Kids: *still marching* Coming to a cave.)
Can’t go under it.
(Kids: *marching and shaking their heads no* Can’t go under it.)
Can’t go over it.
(Kids: *marching and shaking heads no* Can’t go over it.)
(whisper) Tip toe inside…
(Kids: *tiptoeing and whispering* Tip toe inside…)
It’s dark in here.
(Kids: *still tip toeing and whispering* It’s dark in here.)
Is anyone around?
(Kids: *whispering, tiptoeing and looking around* Is anyone around?)
I see two eyes!
(Kids: I see two eyes! *in place*)
And a big furry body…
Let’s take a puh-puh-picture!
(Kids: Let’s take a puh-puh-picture!)
RUN! IT’S A BEAR!
(Kids: RUN! IT’S A BEAR!*start to run around*)
1.2.3.4
Back to the river!
Row your boat across!
(Kids: *still running* *does that activity again quickly*)
1.2.3.4
Run to thetree!
(Kids: *Running*)
1.2.3.4
Climb up! [2]
1.2.3.4
(kids: *pretend to hastily climb up*)
Climb down!
1.2.3.4
(kids: *climb downfast* *start to run again*)
Run to the bridge!
(kids:*running*)
1.2.3.4
Cross it!
(kids: *running* *fast clicking tongue noises and running over bridge*)
1.2.3.4
Run through the wheatfield!
(Kids: *running making the sha-sha noise cutting through the wheat quickly*)
1.2.3.4
Run down the road!
(Kids: *running around again*)
1.2.3.4
Open up the door, quick!
(Kids: *pretending to open door*)
Closeit!
(Kids: *pretend to slam door*)
Whew…
(Kids: *sighing in relief,wiping their foreheads*)
We made it…
(Kids: Whew, we made it…)
…Hey everybody, let’s go on a bear hunt! Are you afraid?
(Kids: *shaking heads no* No *giggles*)

March equinox: All you need to know

https://earthsky.org/?p=68679

The March or vernal equinox signals the beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. This equinox does provide a hallmark for the sun’s motion in our sky, marking the passage of the sun across the celestial equator, going from south to north. The March 2019 equinox happens on March 20 at 21:58 UTC, which is 4:58 p.m. Central Daylight Time for us in the central U.S.

In the Northern Hemisphere now, we’re enjoying earlier sunrises, later sunsets, softer winds, sprouting plants. Meanwhile, you’ll find the opposite season – later sunrises, earlier sunset, chillier winds, dry and falling leaves – south of the equator.

The equinoxes and solstices are caused by Earth’s tilt on its axis and ceaseless motion in orbit. You can think of an equinox as happening on the imaginary dome of our sky.

The Earth-centered view is that the celestial equator is a great circle dividing Earth’s sky into northern and southern hemispheres. The celestial equator wraps the sky directly above Earth’s equator. At the equinox, the sun crosses the celestial equator, to enter the sky’s Northern Hemisphere.

The Earth-in-space view is that, because Earth doesn’t orbit upright, but is instead tilted on its axis by 23 1/2 degrees, Earth’s northern and southern hemispheres trade places in receiving the sun’s light and warmth most directly, as Earth orbits the sun. We have an equinox twice a year – spring and fall – when the tilt of the Earth’s axis and Earth’s orbit around the sun combine in such a way that the axis is inclined neither away from nor toward the sun.

At the equinox, Earth’s two hemispheres are receiving the sun’s rays equally. Night and day are often said to be equal in length. In fact, the word equinox comes from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night). For our ancestors, whose timekeeping was less precise than ours, they likely did seem equal. But we today know it’s not exactly so.

Here’s another equinox truism. You might hear that the sun rises due east and sets due west at the equinox. True? In fact, this is true. And that’s true no matter where you live on Earth. At the equinoxes, the sun appears overhead at noon as seen from Earth’s equator, as the illustration above shows. This illustration shows the sun’s location on the celestial equator, every hour, on the day of the equinox.

No matter where you are on Earth, you have a due east and due west point on your horizon. That point marks the intersection of your horizon with the celestial equator – the imaginary line above the true equator of the Earth.

That’s why the sun rises due east and sets due west for all of us. The sun is on the celestial equator, and the celestial equator intersects all of our horizons at points due east and due west.

Since Earth never stops moving around the sun, the position of the sunrise and sunset – and the days of approximately equal sunlight and night – will change quickly.


Where can you look to see signs of the equinox in nature? Everywhere! Forget about the weather for a moment, and think only about the daylight. In terms of daylight, the knowledge that spring is here – and summer is coming – permeates the northern half of Earth’s globe.

Notice the arc of the sun across the sky each day. You’ll find it’s shifting toward the north. Responding to the change in daylight, birds and butterflies are migrating back northward, too, along with the path of the sun.

The longer days do bring with them warmer weather. People are leaving their winter coats at home. Trees are budding, and plants are beginning a new cycle of growth. In many places, spring flowers are beginning to bloom.

Meanwhile, in the Southern Hemisphere, the days are getting shorter and nights longer. A chill is in the air. Fall is here, and winter is coming!

Ode to the West Wind BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY

Ode to the West Wind
BY PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY
I
O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
With living hues and odours plain and hill:

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh hear!

II
Thou on whose stream, mid the steep sky's commotion,
Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves are shed,
Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,

Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread
On the blue surface of thine aëry surge,
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head

Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith's height,
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge

Of the dying year, to which this closing night
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
Vaulted with all thy congregated might

Of vapours, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: oh hear!

III
Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,
Lull'd by the coil of his crystalline streams,

Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay,
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
Quivering within the wave's intenser day,

All overgrown with azure moss and flowers
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
For whose path the Atlantic's level powers

Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know

Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: oh hear!

IV
If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share

The impulse of thy strength, only less free
Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even
I were as in my boyhood, and could be

The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven,
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed
Scarce seem'd a vision; I would ne'er have striven

As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!

A heavy weight of hours has chain'd and bow'd
One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.

V
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like wither'd leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,

Scatter, as from an unextinguish'd hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawaken'd earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

International Nowruz Day

Nowruz is the name of the Iranian New Year's Day, also known as the Persian New Year, which is celebrated worldwide by various ethno-linguistic groups. Despite its Iranian and Zoroastrian origins, Nowruz has been celebrated by diverse communities.


International Nowruz Day was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution A/RES/64/253 of 2010, at the initiative of several countries that share this holiday (Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, India, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan.

Inscribed in 2009 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a cultural tradition observed by numerous peoples, Nowruz is an ancestral festivity marking the first day of spring and the renewal of nature. It promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families as well as reconciliation and neighbourliness, thus contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities.



The word Nowruz (Novruz, Navruz, Nooruz, Nevruz, Nauryz), means new day; its spelling and pronunciation may vary by country.

Nowruz marks the first day of spring and is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on 21 March. It is celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people all around the world and has been celebrated for over 3000 years in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Nowruz plays a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighbourliness. Its traditions and rituals reflect the cultural and ancient customs of the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values.

Celebrating Nowruz means the affirmation of life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life.

Under the agenda item of “culture of peace”, the member states of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,  Iran (Islamic Republic of), India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan prepared and introduced a draft resolution (A/64/L.30) entitled "International Day of Nowruz" to the ongoing 64th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations for its consideration and adoption.

In the 71st plenary meeting on 23 February 2010, The General Assembly welcomed the inclusion of Nowruz in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization on 30 September 2009.

It also recognized 21 March as the International Day of Nowruz, and invited interested Member States, the United Nations, in particular its relevant specialized agencies, funds and programmes, and mainly the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and interested international and regional organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, to participate in events organized by States where Nowruz is celebrated.

http://www.un.org/en/events/nowruzday/documents.shtml

The Inner Mammal Method

The Inner Mammal Method

• I accept my mammal brain.
• My brain evolved to promote survival, not to make me happy.
• My happy chemicals are designed to do a job, not to flow all the time for no reason.
• Happy chemicals pave neural pathways that turn them on faster in similar future situations, which is why I can feel good in the short run about things that are bad for me in the long run.
• I can build new neural pathways by feeding my brain new experiences.
• A lot of repetition is needed to build a new pathway after adolescence because myelin drops.
• I can design a new experience and repeat it until a new pathway builds. The electricity in my brain will have a new place to flow.
• I can stimulate my dopamine by taking steps toward a goal. I will build a pathway that expects the joy of approaching a reward.
• I can stimulate my oxytocin by trusting and receiving trust. I will build a pathway that expects to give and receive trust.
• I can stimulate my serotonin by taking pride in my skills. I will build a pathway that feels confident in my survival skills.
• Each drip of happy chemical is soon metabolized so you always have to do more to get more.
• Each step toward an unmet need stimulates happy chemicals so continual small steps are the way to feel good.
• Our brain saves the happy chemicals for unmet needs. It takes what you have for granted and only rewards you for new and improved ways to meet a need.
• Each happy chemical has its down side, which complicates the quest.
• Dopamine dips once a reward is expected so the joy of the first experience is never repeated.
• Oxytocin rewards you for finding safety in numbers, and the animal fear of social isolation can motivate social alliances that you later regret.
• Serotonin rewards you for gaining the one-up position, which is why you care about social dominance despite your conscious intentions.
• Obstacles to these rewards are survival threats from the mammal brain’s perspective. It responds with cortisol, which creates a full-body feeling of urgent threat.
• Cortisol builds neural pathways that help you avoid similar threats in the future. It alerts your brain to scan for threat signals, and more cortisol is released when you find them.
• I have power over my brain. That power is lost when I blame my responses on external forces. I can celebrate my power instead.

https://innermammalinstitute.org/method/

7 Easy Snoring Remedies

 A third of us suffer from sleep problems, a symptom of unhealthy diets, stress, and too much time staring at screens.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. We sleep better in cooler rooms and ones with as little light as possible.

And the biggest sleep distraction may be your smartphone, so leave it just in earshot outside the bedroom.

Try these natural solutions and lifestyle changes, which may help you stop snoring.

1. Change Your Sleep Position.
Lying on your back makes the base of your tongue and soft palate collapse to the back wall of your throat, causing a vibrating sound during sleep. Sleeping on your side may help prevent this.

2. Lose Weight.
Weight loss helps some people but not everyone. Thin people snore too. See your Doctor about obstructed sleep apnea.

3. Avoid Alcohol.
Alcohol and sedatives reduce the resting tone of the muscles in the back of your throat, making it more likely you'll snore. People who don't normally snore will snore after drinking alcohol.

4. Practice Good Sleep Hygiene.
Poor sleep habits (also known as poor sleep "hygiene") can have an effect similar to that of drinking alcohol. Working long hours without enough sleep, for example, means when you finally hit the sack you're overtired. You'll sleep hard and deep, and the muscles become floppier, which creates snoring.

5. Open Nasal Passages.
If snoring starts in your nose, keeping nasal passages open may help. It allows air to move through slower. Imagine a narrow garden hose with water running through. The narrower the hose, the faster the water rushes through. Your nasal passages work similarly. If your nose is clogged or narrowed due to a cold or other blockage, the fast-moving air is more likely to produce snoring.
A hot shower before you go to bed can help open nasal passages. Also, keep a bottle of saltwater rinse in the shower. A neti pot may help, too.
Nasal strips may also work to lift nasal passages and open them up -- if the problem exists in your nose and not within the soft palate.

6. Change Your Pillows.
Allergens in your bedroom and in your pillow may contribute to snoring. When did you last dust the overhead ceiling fan? Replace your pillows? Dust mites accumulate in pillows and can cause allergic reactions that can lead to snoring. Allowing pets to sleep on the bed causes you to breathe in animal dander, another common irritant. Put your pillows in the air fluff cycle once every couple weeks and replace them every six months to keep dust mites and allergens to a minimum. And keep pets out of the bedroom.

7. Stay Well Hydrated.
Drink plenty of fluids. According to the Institute of Medicine, healthy women should have about 11 cups of total water (from all drinks and food) a day; men require about 16 cups.



Overall, get enough sleep, sleep on your side, avoid alcohol before bedtime and take a hot shower if nasal passages are clogged.

telecommunications some very large and very small values

In telecommunications some very large and very small values are used. To make writing of these numbers easier use is made of a prefix. The prefix gives a value with which the value must be multiplied.

Some prefixes are also used in digital communications and computer technology but they have a slightly different value because they are based on a power of 2.

Prefix	Analog value	Digital value
p (pico)	10-12	-
n (nano)	10-9	-
µ (micro)	10-6	-
m (milli)	10-3	-
k (kilo)	103 (1000)	210 (1024)
M (mega)	106 (1,000,000)	220 (1,048,576)
G (Giga)	109 (1,000,000,000)	230 (1,073,741,824)
T (Tera)	1012 (1,000,000,000,000)	240 (1,099,511,627,776)

An analogue signal is a signal that varies continuously in both time and amplitude (strength). The variation in time is commonly expressed in the frequency (tone) or frequencies the signal is composed of. The unit of measurement is the Hertz, or cycles per second.
An analogue signal can be e.g. an electric signal that comes out of a microphone.
The opposite of an analogue signal is a digital signal, which is discrete in both time and amplitude. An Analog-Digital Convertor (ADC) is needed to convert an analogue signal to a digital signal.
The term analogue is also used to refer to devices or circuits which handle analogue signals. The output of an analogue device varies as a continuous function of the input.
The first generation mobile communications systems (1G) were analog.

Giga

Giga is a prefix that is used as a multiplier. The prefix giga is written as a uppercase "G" in front of the measure.

In the "analog" world Giga represents the numeric value of 1,000,000,000 (a thousand million or 10⁹); such as a frequency of 5 GHz, which is 5,000,000,000 Hz.

When used in the digital world, Giga represents the numeric value 1,073,741,824 (1024×1024×1024 or 2³⁰; e.g. a bit rate of 8 Gbit/s, which is a rate of 8,589,934,592 bits per second).

Kilo

Kilo is a prefix that is used as a multiplier. In the "analog" world, kilo represents the numeric value of 1000 (10³); such as a frequency of 20 kHz, which is 20,000 Hz.

When used in the digital world, kilo represents the numeric value 1024 (which is 2¹⁰); e.g. a bit rate of 8 Kbit/s, which is a rate of 8192 bits per second.

In the analogue world the prefix is written as a lowercase "k", whereas in the digital world the uppercase "K" is used.

Mega

Mega is a prefix that is used as a multiplier. The prefix mega is written as a uppercase "M" in front of the measure.

In the "analog" world Mega represents the numeric value of 1,000,000 (a million or 10⁶); such as a frequency of 90 MHz, which is 90,000,000 Hz.

When used in the digital world, Mega represents the numeric value 1,048,576 (1024×1024 or 2²⁰; e.g. a bit rate of 8 Mbit/s, which is a rate of 8,388,608 bits per second).

http://www.telecomabc.com/what.html

Happy St Patrick's Day

If I were a Leprechaun...

If you were a leprechaun living in the countryside, how would you spend your days? Would you play, work, dance, or count your gold?

Choose a setting for your short story from the pictures below. 

Brain Break: Animal Charades

Animal Charades
The children can guess what animal their friends are pretending to be.

Watch the following video for a Brain Break. After this fun song the kids should have inspiration for playing charades. (I'll post the lyrics below.)









LYRICS:

Animals in Action

Run, run, run like a cheetah (Children repeat)
Swing, swing, swing like a monkey (Children repeat)
Fly, fly, fly like an eagle (Children repeat)            Chorus
Paddle, paddle, paddle like a turtle (Children repeat)

Animals in action…Animals in action
Animals in action…Animals in action

Let’s go! Yeah

Climb, climb, climb like a squirrel (Children repeat)
Waddle, waddle, waddle like a duck (Children repeat)
Pump, pump, pump like a gorilla (Children repeat)
Stomp, stomp, stomp like an elephant (Children repeat)

Animals in Action…Animals in action
Animals in Action…Animals in action

Let’s go!

In the sky…In the sky
On the ground…On the ground
In the water…In the water
All around…All around
They are, animals in action, animals in action

(Chorus)

Animals in Action…Animals in action
Animals in Action…Animals in action

Let’s go!

In the sky…In the sky
On the ground…On the ground
In the water…In the water
All around…All around

They are animals in action!

Jack Hartmann's website: http://www.jackhartmann.com

π Pi Day

Pi Day is an annual celebration of the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (3/14 in the month/day format) since 3, 1, and 4 are the first three significant digits of π. Pi Day was founded by Physicist Larry Shaw in 1988. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.


Pi is an irrational number, which means it cannot be represented as a simple fraction, and those numbers cannot be represented as terminating or repeating decimals. Therefore, the digits of pi go on forever in a seemingly random sequence.


Pi (Greek letter “π”) is the symbol used in mathematics to represent a constant — the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter — which is approximately 3.14159.

History of Pi
By measuring circular objects, it has always turned out that a circle is a little more than 3 times its width around. In the Old Testament of the Bible (1 Kings 7:23), a circular pool is referred to as being 30 cubits around, and 10 cubits across. The mathematician Archimedes used polygons with many sides to approximate circles and determined that Pi was approximately 22/7. The symbol (Greek letter π) was first used in 1706 by William Jones. A ‘p’ was chosen for ‘perimeter’ of circles, and the use of π became popular after it was adopted by the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler in 1737. In recent years, Pi has been calculated to over one trillion digits past its decimal. Only 39 digits past the decimal are needed to accurately calculate the spherical volume of our entire universe, but because of Pi’s infinite & pattern less nature, it’s a fun challenge to memorize, and to computationally calculate more and more digits.

Geometry
The number pi is extremely useful when solving geometry problems involving circles. Here are some examples:

The area of a circle (Area of a circle calculator).

A = πr2

Where ‘r’ is the radius (distance from the center to the edge of the circle). Also, this formula is the origin of the joke “Pies aren’t square, they’re round!”



The volume of a cylinder (Volume calculator).

V = πr2h

To find the volume of a rectangular prism, you calculate length x width x height. In that case, length x width is the area of one side (the base), which is then multiplied by the height of the prism. Similarly, to find the volume of a cylinder, you calculate the area of the base (the area of the circle), then multiply that by the height (h) of the cylinder.


Mathematicians, scientists and teachers hope the holiday will help increase interest in math and science nationwide, through instruction, museum exhibitions, pie-eating (or throwing) contests and much more. It seems this kitschy national holiday can satisfy the left-brained and the sweet-tooth inclined. How will you be celebrating?

Hula Hoop Activities

Hula Hoop Scramble
Lay several hula hoops on the floor and have each child stand inside of a hoop. Play
music and the children must move around the room (outside of the hoops). When the
music stops they must run and get into a hoop. The teacher will then remove a hoop
and begin the music. The children will dance around and when the music stops again
they must get in a hoop. This will repeat until the game is down to one hoop. There is
no loser in this game. When hoops are removed it just means that more children will
have to crowd into the hoops.
No one is out.

Pass the Hula Hoop
Have the children join hands and form a circle. Place one hula hoop on a child's arm.
As the music plays the children have to pass the hula hoop around the circle without
letting go of each other's hands. They must scoot their body head to toe through the
hoop. The children race the music to get the hoop around the circle. This game
continues until everyone has gotten through the hoop.

Check out this site for more awesome hoop love

https://thehulahoopinstitute.com/2016/10/hula-hoop-tricks-for-beginners/

You'll see ten hula hoop tricks for beginners to help you learn to hoop dance and build your hoop flow. These hoop dance tutorials were created by some of our favourite hoopers from around the world including Marawa the Amazing, Deanne Love, Jon Coyne aka Hoopsmiles, Jo Mondy from LiveLoveHoop, Morgan Jenkins from the Hooptown Hotties and myself! I’m Mishie Hoops, founder of The Hula Hoop Institute and creator of The Hoop Dream Retreat.

This article includes hoop dance tutorials suitable for absolute beginners – hula hooping on your waist, hooping in lasso, passing around your body, barrel roll isolation, horizontal isolation down, lift off from waist, the Z-spin, hula hoop escalator, hand toss and an introduction to dancing with your hula hoop. Yes, you can dance with only a few beginner hoop tricks! 

Bubble Fun Activities

Be a Bubble
After blowing bubbles, have the children be bubbles. Have the children move as you
narrate the following story:

"One windy day, I decided to blow some bubbles. So I went outside and opened my
bottle of bubbles. Then I pulled out the stick and began to blow. The bubble got bigger
and bigger and bigger and bigger and then POP! My bubble popped and fell to the
floor. So I blew another bubble. I blew and blew and this bubble went floating into the
air. It spun around and around. Then it flew up high. Then it flew down low. Then it
started flying backwards. And finally it fell to the floor and went POP!" 

(BE SURE TO PAUSE MANY TIMES SO THE CHILDREN CAN ACT OUT ALL OF
THESE SITUATIONS)

Colored Bottle Bubbles

Fill a plastic pop bottle one third full with water. Add tempera paint & about 1/3 cup of liquid detergent. Let the children shake the bottle to make colored bubbles. I like to tape the cap on using masking tape.

Bubble Wrap Painting

Use bubble packaging to paint with. It works well if you make the packaging into a glove (fold over and staple) I used this on fish – they looked awesome.

Catching Bubbles

Put a little tempera paint in your bubble juice and blow bubbles outside while the children run & catch the bubbles on paper.

Coffee Filter Bubbles

We folded coffee filters into a pizza slice shape and dipped them in a mixture of food coloring and water to make a bubble. When we unfolded their filters, a colorful tie-dye pattern could be seen.

Lesson Idea
Air is a real substance and has weight. Light sometimes changes color when it passes through water. Science can be fun. Needed: Liquid detergent, straws, cups, construction paper, and crayons. Put a small amount of soap and water into cups so that each child has a cup of soapy water. Dip the end of the straw into the cup; remove straw allowing the soapy mixture to drip once.

Blow gently and produce a bubble. Talk about air being inside of the bubble. Talk about how the bubble has different colors because light changes when it shines through the bubble. Ask the children why they think bubbles burst when they hit the ground.

An Explanation of Principles
Light is broken into different wavelengths as it passes through water, allowing the different colors to be seen. Wet rings on the construction paper show that a bubble is composed of water surrounding air.


http://www.childfun.com/themes/misc/bubbles/

Stick to the Glue lyrics

"Stick to the Glue" Jim Gill
This song follows the tune of Skip to the Lou. This is a fun song in which children
pretend that their hands, feet, and other body parts get stuck together with glue.
Children will be begging to do this song over and over again.











Stick to the glue From Jim Gill Makes it Noisy in Boise…

Clapping hands one and two.
Clapping hands one and two.
But if one hand is covered with glue…
you stick to the glue my darling.
CHORUS:
Glue, glue, stick to the glue
Glue, glue, stick to the glue
Glue, glue, stick to the glue
Stick to the glue my darling.
Stamping feet one and two…
Shaking hands one and two…
Hugging friends one and two…
Brushing teeth one and two…

Happy Birthday to Lillian!

We're celebrating Lillian today!

She's the sweetest fourth child I could ever have asked for. She is everyone's best friend and can always think of something you need to hear to make you smile!

Products made of threatened African wildlife sold at US expo!!!

https://apnews.com/3bc8d6756c424f25bc777af84e3a0643

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Photos and video taken by animal welfare activists at a recent trophy hunting convention show an array of products crafted from the body parts of threatened big-game animals, including boots, chaps, belts and furniture labeled as elephant leather.

Vendors at the Safari Club International event held last week in Reno, Nevada, also were recorded hawking African vacations to shoot captive-bred lions raised in pens. The club has previously said it wouldn’t allow the sale of so-called canned hunts at its events.


The hidden camera footage was released Friday by the Humane Society of the United States. Both federal and state laws restrict the commercial sale of hides from African elephants, which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Nevada’s chief game warden confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that an investigation is underway to determine if state law was violated.

Safari Club spokesman Steve Comus said Friday the group was also conducting an internal investigation after what he described as allegations based on “what appears to be an unauthorized visit” by the Humane Society. The group didn’t respond to written questions from the AP about what steps it takes to ensure exhibitors at its events are following the law.

The club denied a request earlier this month from the AP for a media credential to attend its annual conference, billed as the nation’s premier big-game hunting show.

“This hunters’ heaven has everything the mind can dream of and occupies more than 650,000 square feet of exhibit space,” the group’s web site boasts. “Six continents are under one roof where SCI members come to book hunts, rendezvous with old friends and shop for the latest guns and hunting equipment.”

Humane Society investigators purchased tickets to the conference and prowled the exhibit booths with concealed cameras. They recorded racks of clothing and other products made from the hides, bones and teeth of imperiled African wildlife.

“Making money off the opportunity to kill these animals for bragging rights is something that most people around the world find appalling,” said Kitty Block, acting president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “It’s an elitist hobby of the 1 percent, and there is no place for trophy hunting in today’s world.”

The wares included oil paintings of big-game animals painted on stretched elephant skins, bracelets woven from elephant hair and an elephant leather bench. There was also a coffee table made from the skull of a hippopotamus and boxes filled with hippo teeth.


Under a state law passed in 2017, it is illegal in Nevada to purchase, sell or possess with intent to sell any item that contains the body parts of elephant, lion, rhinoceros, tiger, leopard, hippopotamus and other imperiled wildlife. A first offense is a misdemeanor that carries a fine up to $6,500 or an amount equal to four times the fair market value of the item sold, whichever is greater. Additional violations can be classified as a felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Tyler Turnipseed, the state’s chief game warden, confirmed Friday that his office had opened an investigation as a result of the information and images provided by the Humane Society. He said that there is a learning curve when new laws are implemented and that state officials would work with the Safari Club “to try and prevent unlawful sales in future years.”

Though President Donald Trump has decried big-game hunting as a “horror show,” his administration reversed Obama-era restrictions on the importation of elephant and lion trophies for personal use or display. But federal law still prohibits the sale or use of the body parts from such international protected species for commercial purposes.

The Safari Club has actively lobbied the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on the importation of wildlife trophies, arguing that the fees paid to African countries by American hunters help to fund anti-poaching and conservation programs. A licensed two-week African hunting safari can cost more than $50,000 per person, not including airfare, according to advertised rates.

The AP reported last year that a federal advisory board created by then-Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to advise his agency on the issue was stuffed with big game hunters. At least seven of the 16 members of the International Wildlife Conservation Council are Safari Club members, including the group’s president.

In a February 2018 media release, the Safari Club said it would no longer support the practice of breeding lions in captivity so they can be shot for trophies, saying the practice “has doubtful value to the conservation of lions in the wild.” The club also pledged not to accept advertising from the operators of such canned hunts or allow such trips to be sold at its annual convention.

In the video released Friday by the Humane Society, multiple vendors at the Safari Club conference were recorded as they pitched hunts of captive-bred lions in South Africa. The salesmen described how the lions would be “placed” where they could be easily shot. Vendors also described hunts where lions were baited using the meat from giraffes or other animals, with one guide bragging that a customer had shot a lion in less than 90 minutes.

___

Associated Press investigative reporter Michael Biesecker reported from Washington.

___

Follow Biesecker at http://twitter.com/mbieseck

John Deere: Careers that Innovate Brought to you by John Deere & AgExplorer

https://www.agexplorer.com/virtual-field-trip

https://www.agexplorer.com/virtual-field-trip/archive/2018-john-deere

John Deere: Careers that Innovate
Brought to you by John Deere & AgExplorer
Take your students on a high-tech tour of a John Deere facility in Waterloo, Iowa to see a breadth of exciting careers involved in the product lifecycle of John Deere tractors, from ideation to delivery. Students will meet a variety of John Deere employees who are critical before, during and after the manufacturing process. Additionally, students will see how an emphasis on quality and customer insight cultivates success in manufacturing John Deere 8400 Tractors today.

PDF Download of Teachers Guide

https://www.agexplorer.com/sites/agexplorer.com/files/pdf/AgExplorer_JohnDeereVFT_EducatorCompanionGuide.pdf


AgExplorer and John Deere Virtual Field Trip
Educator Companion Guide - Careers in Advanced Manufacturing
Overview
The AgExplorer and John Deere Virtual Field Trip takes your students on an insiders’ tour of the
John Deere factory in Waterloo, Iowa to see the breadth of exciting careers involved in each
stage of the manufacturing process of John Deere tractors. The Virtual Field Trip also explains
to students how all the pieces come together to meet the needs of those helping to feed the
world. Students meet engineering, supply management, and production employees and see how
an emphasis on quality and customer insight cultivates success in manufacturing John Deere 8R
Tractors today.
The Virtual Field Trip illustrates a variety of highly-skilled careers, both supervisory and wage
employment, involved in advanced manufacturing. It also highlights how advanced
manufacturing professionals utilize technology and the engineering process to improve products
and processes. These companion activities help engage students prior to and during the Virtual
Field Trip, and they extend the learning from the Virtual Field Trip to the classroom.
Objectives
Students will
• Explain how advanced manufacturing is the use of technology to improve products and
processes.
• Explore how professionals in advanced manufacturing processes and systems must be
able to identify problems, create solutions, think critically, effectively communicate as
part of a team, and apply new technologies and skills.
2
High School National Standards
Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy
WHST.9-12.5. Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing,
rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on addressing what is most significant for a
specific purpose and audience.
Next Generation Science Standards
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
When evaluating solutions, it is important to take into account a range of constraints,
including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, and to consider social, cultural, and
environmental impacts. (HS-ETS1-3)
Agriculture Food and Natural Resources (AFNR) Standards
PST.01. Apply physical science principles and engineering applications to solve problems
and improve performance in AFNR power, structural and technical systems.
Materials
• Copies of Quality Manufacturing Processes handout, one per student
• Copies of Careers in Advanced Manufacturing capture sheet, one per student
• Internet Access
• Copies of Career Profile Research sheet, one per student
• White sketch paper and colored pencils
• Copies of From Design to Delivery sheet, one per student
Design for Delivery Materials (If materials are not available, teachers may choose to invite
students to create annotated sketches or use modeling software)
• A large set of interlocking building blocks, including some with wheels (enough for teams
of 4 to produce 5 identical “tractors” each for the From Design to Delivery activity
• Cardboard lids from copy paper boxes, one per team for the From Design to Delivery
activity
Engage
1. Begin class by handing each student a copy of the Quality Manufacturing Processes
handout.
2. Show the John Deere Quality Manufacturing video (about 4 minutes).
3. As they watch the video, students will complete two Engage activities on the handout:
complete the Engineering Cycle Diagram and an Audit Sheet Checklist based on what
they hear in the video.
4. Call on students to share what they have written.
5. Introduce students to the Virtual Field Trip by asking them to guess your 2-1-2. Provide
2 facts, 1 clue, and 2 pictures and invite students to guess what they may learn while
viewing the Virtual Field Trip.
Two facts:
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• Advanced manufacturing is the use of technology to improve products and
processes.
• The field of advanced manufacturing includes a variety of highly-skilled
careers, both supervisory and wage employment.
One clue:
• Professionals in advanced manufacturing processes and systems must be able
to identify problems, create solutions, think critically, effectively
communicate as part of a team, and apply new technologies and skills.
Two pictures:
During the Virtual Field Trip
6. Distribute the Careers in Advanced Manufacturing capture sheet to students and review
the background information about the importance of advanced manufacturing at the
top.
7. Direct students to watch the AgExplorer and John Deere Virtual Field Trip. While they
watch, they should list two background experiences/training opportunities each
professional highlighted as influential.
8. Then, students should look to match some of their personal background and training
opportunities with the careers featured in the presentation and answer the other
questions on the back of the capture sheet.
After the Virtual Field Trip
Two activity options are available for students to apply and summarize their learning.
Activity #1 (Career Investigation)
1. Remind students that during the VFT, they met many professionals who are dedicated to
ensuring the production of the highest quality product to help solve the complex needs of
the agricultural industry. From designers and engineers, to welders and supply chain
experts, each career plays a unique role in addressing consumers’ needs by identifying
problems, creating solutions, thinking critically, effectively communicating as part of a
team, and applying new technologies and skills.
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2. The VFT highlighted several of these careers. Ask students to share what they remember
about these jobs:
• Product Marketing Manager
• New Product Design Engineer
• Product Planner for Large Ag
• Production Supervisor
• Quality/Reliability
• Product Manager
3. Then, challenge students to learn more about one of the two careers they listed on the
back of their Careers in Advanced Manufacturing capture sheet. Pass out the Career
Profile, direct them to conduct a web search using www.AgExplorer.com, and invite
them to record their research.
4. Once research is completed, invite students to identify courses that can help them track
towards that career. Students may also wish to identify additional course offerings and
write a persuasive letter to the principal asking that the school offer more opportunities
in this area, either directly or through partnership with outside groups.
Activity #2 (From Design to Delivery)
1. Divide students into four-person teams, with one foreman/woman, one designer, one
assembly/quality control person, and one supply chain manager.
2. Inform each team that they have been tasked with creating a new design for a John
Deere tractor that meets consumer demand for a high-quality, low emissions agricultural
vehicle. Students can role-play being a customer to define specific criteria for other
teams they would like their tractor to meet. Their challenge is to design, assemble, test,
and deliver 5 identical “tractors” in 30 minutes.
The Criteria
• Consistent: The tractors don’t have to look like tractors, but they should be
identical and have at least four wheels, a chassis (base frame), and a cab.
• Compact: The tractors must all fit in the lid of a copy box for “transport” and
delivery to a predetermined location in the classroom at the end of the activity.
• Durable: The tractors must all pass an audit by the teacher and/or their fellow
classmates in which no visible defects are present.
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The Constraints
Materials: Each team may only use materials provided by the teacher (the interlocking
blocks) to build their tractors and the copy box lid for transport.
The Build
Relying on the roles outlined above, work as a team to develop a prototype design, source
the materials needed for production, assemble the 5 finished products, test/evaluate for
quality control, and deliver the tractors to market by the deadline. Each group is
responsible for providing a multi-view, annotated sketch of their design and a complete
materials list for each unit with delivery.
Audit, Evaluate, and Redesign
After delivery of all tractors, the teacher and all members of the class complete an audit
Gallery Walk of each group’s products to check for consistency and durability based on
the criteria listed above. Students can then share out their feedback on each other’s
designs. After all groups have received feedback, they will have the opportunity to reflect
on how they might modify their design or any of the processes involved in assembly or
delivery to make improvements.
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Name__________________________________________ Date___________
Quality Manufacturing Processes
Directions: As you watch the video, you will complete two activities based upon what you
learn: 1) the
Engineering Cycle Diagram, and 2) the Audit Sheet Checklist.
Engineering Cycle Diagram – Place the steps in the engineering cycle from the Word Bank
in the correct order in the diagram.
1_____
2_____
3_____
5_____ 4_____
6_____
7_____
Word Bank
Testing (Field/Lab/Customer) Concept/Design Auditing Computer-Based Analysis
Customer Feedback Prototype Development Assembly/Production
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Audit Sheet Checklist – Imagine that you are a John Deere Auditor. List at least 5 items to
check for as you audit the finished product.
1. __________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________
Reflection - You likely inspect and examine products to make sure they meet your needs, too!
What are some examples of things you check on labels or read in reviews before you make a
purchase?
Food:
__________________________________________________________________
Clothes:
__________________________________________________________________
Entertainment:
__________________________________________________________________
Games:
__________________________________________________________________
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Name__________________________________________ Date___________
Careers in Advanced Manufacturing Capture Sheet
(To be completed during the virtual field trip)
Many careers come together in the engineering, supply management, and production of John
Deere 8R Tractors. The demands of a growing population are resulting in strong job
opportunities in this area. This Virtual Field Trip illustrates a variety of highly-skilled careers
involved in advanced manufacturing and highlights how these professionals utilize technology
and the engineering process to improve products and processes.
While watching the AgExplorer and John Deere Virtual Field Trip, complete the
table below:
List two background experiences/training opportunities each professional highlighted as influential.
Product
Marketing
Manager
New
Product
Design
Engineer
Product
Planner
for Large
Ag
Production
Supervisor
Quality/
Reliability
Product
Manager
1. 2.
1. 2.
1. 2.
1. 2.
1. 2.
1. 2.
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Now, match your own background / opportunities to the careers highlighted.
Which background experiences of yours mirror any that you heard during the video? Maybe you
have built a model, held a leadership position in a club, or solved a challenging problem.
List two or three experiences below.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Have you heard of any of the high school courses or training opportunities mentioned by
any of the professionals being available at your school?
If yes, list them below.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
If no, which courses or opportunities would yoube interested in exploring further to see
if they could be offered at your school or through an extension/partnership program?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
List two careers from the Virtual Field Trip that are most interesting to you based on your
background, the training opportunities available to you and explain your selections.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why is it important for a company like John Deere, or other agricultural companies, to have
many differernt types of careers and employees?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Name__________________________________________ Date___________
Career Profile Research
Directions: Conduct research on www.agexplorer.com to further explore a career that you
learned about in the Virtual Field Trip. Record your notes below.
CAREER
NAME ______________________________________________________
Brief
Description
Training &
Skills
Required
Salary Range
Related
Careers
Current Job
openings,
If available
How this
career impacts
the agricultural
industry
Current classes
I am taking
that impact
this career
How this
career matches
my interests
How this
career matches
my
skills/strengths
Training
opportunities I
would need in
the future to
pursue this
career
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Name__________________________________________ Date___________
From Design to Delivery
You have been asked to create a new design for a John Deere tractor that meets consumer
demand for a high-quality, low emissions agricultural vehicle. To align with efficient
manufacturing, your team will need to design, assemble, test, and deliver 5 identical “tractors”
in 30 minutes. In order to create a successful design, you will need to work as a team to
distribute the work.
Assign Roles!
Many different people work together to create the innovative and practical designs we see in
agriculture, construction, and forestry machinery. Assign different roles to each member of your
group.
Job Description Student Name
Foreman/woman Plan, coordinate, budget, and supervise
projects.
Designer Combine artistic talent with research on
product use, marketing, and materials to
create a functional design.
Assembly/Quality
Control
Examine products and materials for
defects and monitor quality standards.
Supply Chain
Manager
Coordinate and manage the entire life
cycle of a product.
The Criteria
Consumers have asked for the tractor to include the following characteristics:
Consistent: The tractors don’t have to look like tractors, but they should be identical and
have at least four wheels, a chassis (base frame), and a cab.
Compact: The tractors must all fit in the lid of a copy box for “transport” and delivery to
a predetermined location in the classroom at the end of the activity.
Durable: The tractors must all pass an audit by the teacher and/or their fellow
classmates in which no visible defects are present.
Materials: Each team may only use materials provided by the teacher (the interlocking
blocks) to build their tractors and the copy box lid for transport.
Which career role would be the best fit to monitor the criteria?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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The Build
Work as a team to develop a prototype design, source the materials needed for production,
assemble the 5 finished products, test/evaluate for quality control, and deliver the tractors to
market by the deadline.
Your group is responsible for providing a multi-view, annotated sketch of your design and a
complete materials list for each unit with delivery.
Use the chart below to keep track of how much time each team member spends on each task.
There should be a fair and even division of labor for this project.
DESCRIPTION OF TASK PERSON(S)
RESPONSIBLE
AMOUNT OF
TIME
SPENT ON
TASK
Audit, Evaluate, and Redesign
Complete an audit Gallery Walk of each group’s products to check for consistency and durability
based on the criteria listed in the table. After all groups have received feedback, you will have the
opportunity to reflect on how you might modify your design or any of the processes involved in
assembly or delivery to make improvements.
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