Showing results by narrator "Rebecca Taylor" in All Categories

Do you know that astronauts are not the only living beings who can travel through space? Our human microbes do as well! When human astronauts go into space and return, they bring the microbes inside their bodies with them! Learn what these organisms teach scientists and how they can affect the human body both in space and on Earth.

Greta loves playing duets with her grandmother on her old piano—but it's broken! Instead of pretty duets with low bass keys and high treble keys, the old piano makes frog-like noises! After buying a new piano, they can't bear to part with the old!

Bridges are engineering marvels! It takes a civil engineer, chief engineer, structural engineer and environmental engineer to build a bridge. There are different kinds that each require a special construction process to build. Learn how different bridges such as beam, suspension and arch bridge types are designed and built, as well as the construction workers needed at specific stages.

Do you know how to play a musical instrument? Do you like music? Learn to make music by creating home-made instruments. Follow the instructions to collect items from around your house to build drums, a kazoo, or maracas! What instrument can you make with a comb, a rubberband, and waxed paper? Do larger drums make a higher or lower sound than small drums?

Do you wish you could explore the ocean? Learn about the life and work of Sylvia Earle, a scientist, oceanographer, and explorer! Earle wore a scuba suit and oxygen mask to explore life underwater. She discovered new plants and animals never seen before! She even lived in an underwater habitat for weeks at a time! Can you guess what she found at the bottom of the ocean where no human had ever been?

Animals survive in the wild against predators. Many animals, like the salamander, can regenerate limbs–arms, tails, toes, and hearts! Can you guess how long it takes the salamander to grow a new limb? Learn about other animals like the octopus with this same protection. Not all animals have cells that can regenerate limbs for their survival. What do you do if you find an injured animal?

What do you use your teeth for? Just like us, animals use their teeth for lots of different things in order to survive! Learn how animal teeth differ from humans and how they are special to each kind of animal, depending on what they eat! See all the different kinds of teeth that animals can have all over the world. Who do you think has the scariest teeth?

Have you ever seen a coyote? Coyotes live across North America and have earned quite the reputation as pests. Many people have begun to trap and kill them in order to protect their livestock—but they are fascinating animals with long history and event part of folklore. Learn about the coyote and their special behaviors and abilities!

Did you know about 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year? Learn about the Washed Ashore project that helps to clean up beaches through re-use of collected plastic—and then is recycled into art! Which sculpture in the project is your favorite?

Did you know anyone can become an inventor? Being an inventor is all about solving problems in your everyday life. Inventing means you come up with lots of ideas using your creativity. Follow along in this activity to learn the steps to solve a problem and to improve the world around you!

Follow the life of a piece of driftwood as it experiences many adventures throughout its life cycle. See how driftwood transforms from a tall spruce to a sturdy mast on a sail boat. Experience its life as it travels the world and witnesses many glimpses of history. After disaster strikes along the way, the driftwood is not forgotten but is once again transformed!

What's your favorite kind of music? There are many types of musicians—including birds! Songbirds can create all different kinds of music for different purposes. Learn about the different songbirds, their unique sounds, and where they live.

Have you ever seen or felt a prickly cactus or a juicy aloe? These are just two of the amazing plants that can survive in the desert! In the study of botany, identify the different plants that thrive in hot, dry climates like deserts.

Some animals have skin that will shock you! Well, they may not actually shock you but the skin has unique abilities that might surprise you. Learn how certain animals are able to change their appearance by changing skin color or texture, how others can make you sick with their poison, or animals whose skins peel off. Just imagine what it would be like to live in these skins!

Ashley wants the perfect dog to play Sandy in her school's play, Annie. After passing over other dogs, she is left with a three-legged mutt named Farley. Worried that Farley isn't the perfect dog for the stage, Ashley must work to change her own prejudice and identity. Will Ashley accept Farley despite his handicap? Will she overcome her own anxiety before it stops her from performing?

Makiko's grandfather is dying. Looking for ways to say goodbye and bring him happiness, she looks to his love for painting and music. After seeing a lively musician on the street, Makiko wishes for her grandfather to see him so they can dance together one more time. Will she find a way to show her grandfather the musician in order to make his last days happy?

Queen Minbe is known for her elephant-like ears! Her large ears cause her many problems because even the quietest of noises can give her a headache. This causes many issues with her ability to rule her kingdom. Her only escape is her nightly visit to her garden. How will one cricket and the other courtyard animals ruin her quiet evening?

Mary is going to Spellzany Castle for a poetry contest. After many magical mishaps, Mary and her aunt, Queen Ursula, are hoping for a magic-free event. After a fairy becomes upset over losing the contest, she casts a spell to make all the party-goers only speak in rhyme. Will Mary be able to undo the spell? Or will they all be stuck speaking in rhyme?

Did you know that NASA uses mathematics for space travel? Meet Katherine Johnson, one of the first African-American and female mathematicians who worked for NASA. Learn about her life growing up in segregated America and her journey to pursue her education and dreams. Her mathematical calculations helped American astronauts to go to space, land on the moon, and return to earth safely in 1969!

What's so special about cats? Learn about cat history that started 60 million years ago and how they were domesticated from ancient Egypt to today. Cats, called Felids by scientists, evolved from wild animals into mild animals all over the world except for one place. Where do you think cats can't survive? Learn how different types of cats live and how pet cats meow uniquely to different people.