July is National Ice Cream Month. Fun Factoids to Share with Kids!

COOL facts about Ice Cream

Did you Know that JULY is National Ice Cream Month  in the USA? It was established by President Ronald Reagan, in 1984. National Ice Cream Day is the 3rd Sunday in July. Learn some fun facts about ice cream!

• One scoop of ice cream needs about 50 licks to finish.

• The Chinese were making a type of ice cream with milk,rice and snow, about 2000 BC.

• The average American eats 48 pints of ice cream each year.

• To make one gallon of ice cream, you need 12 pounds of milk. A dairy cow can produce enough milk for about 9000 gallons of ice cream in its lifetime.

• The USA is the world's leading producer of ice cream.

• Alexander the Great liked nectar and honey flavored snow.

• National Ice Cream Month is in July.

• Yes...vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor(followed by chocolate and strawberry).

• An ice cream tester for Dreyer's Ice Cream actually insured his tongue for $1 million dollars!

• Dolly Madison served strawberry ice cream at the second inaugural ball of her husband, President James Madison, in 1812.

• Sunday is the day of the week when the most ice cream is sold in the United States.

• Did you know that one of the main ingredients in ice cream is ....AIR.(makes it lighter and gives it  smoothness)

• During WW2, the U.S. Navy(1945) built a floating ice cream parlor   for our sailors fighting in the Pacific.

• More ice cream is sold in the WINTER months in Canada than the summer months.

• Strange ice cream flavors? Jalapeno, dill pickle ice cream, garlic ice cream, bacon ice cream,blue cheese and shallots, squid ink and curry carrot ice cream might be flavors to include in this list.

• The world's largest ice cream cone weighted 2204 pounds. It was 13 feet tall. It was made in Gloucester, UK, in 2012.

• The world's largest ice cream sundae was created in Kingston, NY, in 2014. It  was 1606 ft. tall.

• Ever get a brain freeze from eating ice cream?  The top of the mouth has lots of nerves. When cold ice cream comes into contact with these nerves, it causes blood vessels in the brain to dilate, giving the short headache also known as an ice cream headache.

* During World War 2, Mussolini banned ice cream in the country of Italy. He thought it was too American!

• Thomas Jefferson loved ice cream. See his recipe for Vanilla Ice Cream.

Extension Activities:

* Write a haiku poem on ice cream.

* If you had to describe ice cream to an alien from outer space, what would be 3 descriptives you'd use to explain the treat.  Write a paragraph about your encounter sharing ice cream with an alien.

* Draw/color a picture of an ice cream sundae. Exchange your drawing with 3 others and have them write descriptive words to describe what they see. When your drawing is returned, write a paragraph using the comments about your ice cream sundae.

* There is a saying, " A picture is worth a 1000 words. Illustrate/color one of the facts about ice cream which conveys the fact.

Additional Links:

1.  http://www.buzzle.com/articles/ice-cream-facts-about-ice-cream.html 

2. https://www.almanac.com/content/history-ice-cream Timeline on the history of ice cream.

Gail

Illustrations from:wpclipart.com

World Giraffe Day is June 21st

World Giraffe Day is June 21st

NOTE: Click here for the free download of this Interactive Notebook Activity: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-Giraffe-Possible-Interactive-Notebook-Activity-2924530

The Giraffe

Possible Interactive Notebook Activity

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

In less than 30 years, the number of giraffe have drastically decreased by almost 40 percent. That makes giraffe in more danger of extinction than the elephant. In 2016, the conservation group, The International Union for Conservation of Nature, listed the giraffe on its Red List of species which are endangered.  Specifically, the giraffe has been moved from “least concern” to “vulnerable”.The main cause for their dwindling population is destruction of their habitat.  Additionally the group says that illegal hunting of giraffe and civil unrest in the areas where giraffes roam are also causes for their declining numbers.  Learn about the giraffe with this web quest!

Did you Know?

1. There are nine subspecies of giraffe.  One is stable, three are actually increasing in number and 5 have dwindling numbers.

2. Did you know that the okapi is the only close relative of the giraffe?

3. The tallest land animals, the giraffe’s legs are about six feet long!

4. Each giraffe’s spots are different. They are like a human fingerprint.

5. People once called the giraffe a “camel-leopard” because of its small hump and leopard spots. That is how it got its the species name of camelopardalis.

6. Hisses, grunts, snorts roars and even moos are some of the sounds made by a giraffe.

7. Giraffes sleep less than 30 minutes a day.

8. Did you know a giraffe can reach speeds of about 35 miles per hour(56 K)?

9. Giraffes don’t drink much water, just a few drinks every few days. In fact they drink less water than a camel! Drinking isn’t easy as their necks can’t reach the ground. A giraffe must spread its front legs when it wants to take a drink of water.

10. Although Giraffes can lie down, they tend to spend most of their lives standing.

11. Did you know that a giraffe can clean its ears with its tongue! That’s an amazing feat that humans can’t do!

12. Weighing up to 24 pounds, a giraffe’s heart is about 2 ft. long.

13. Did you know a giraffe’s tail can be up to 8 feet long? The tail of the giraffe is the longest of any land mammal.

14. You can tell the age of a giraffe from its spots. They get darker as a giraffe ages.

15. You can find giraffes living in the grasslands, woodlands and

savannas of Africa.

16. With bristly hair, the purple-bluish tongue of a giraffe is tough enabling

them to eat thorny Acadia trees(one of their favorite foods).

Your Turn:

1. Pretend you are a giraffe. Write a day in your life. What did you do? What did you see? What did you hear? Include 3 facts learned about the giraffe in your diary entry.
2. Illustrate one of the fun facts about the giraffe.
3. Use each letter of the word, GIRAFFE, and write a poem.
4. Write a persuasive paragraph and explain why you think that humans should try and save the giraffe from extinction.  Give 2 reasons in your persuasive paragraph. 

5.  Write a story on how a giraffe got its long neck, long tail or long legs. 

6. Read the myth, How Giraffes Got Long Necks. Write a summary of the story. http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/userstory6430-how-giraffes-got-long-necks.html

Check out my webquest on the Giraffe(it includes these fun facts as well as extension activities and links for the teacher: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-the-Giraffe-A-Website-2924515

Wishing those of you who are now on Summer Break a very relaxing time. As someone that taught for 33 1/2 years, the very first FULL day of vacation was always the beginning of possibilities of things to do that I didn't get to do during the school year. In fact, I remember dreading the alarm clock going off at 6AM during the school year yet during the summer, I gleefully got up at 6AM because the day was all mine! I wanted to seize every bit of the day.  Enjoy each and every day of your vacation. It will go too quickly!  Read a book, garden, listen to music, take a pottery class, visit with friends and family, try a new recipe, take a trip, sit by the pool(or visit someone who has one), binge watch a series(so many great ones on Netflix! See below) and most importantly, take a break from thinking about school! Really! Even if it is only for a couple of weeks, place thinking about your classroom on hold for just a wee bit!

For those of you who have school or summer school during  July and August, I will continue to update my blog posting as well as my website for teachers/kids(http://www.gailhennessey.com). Please continue to check in as you may find something of value to use with your students!

Gail

Recommendations of shows to Binge watch on Netflix:
Safe(Harlan Corbin) Kept me guessing until the end.
The Five(Harlan Corbin) Very Good mystery!
Midsomer Murders( Amazing how many murders take place in the villages of England!)
Murdoch Mysteries(Historical mysteries that will make you look up some information!)
Doctor Blake Mysteries
Longmire
Father Brown
Death in Paradise (Think Columbo in Paradise)
Doc Martin(Love Cornwall, England, where this quirky doctor series is filmed)
The Crown
Turn
Call the Midwife(awesome)Really...I didn't think I would like it and I am hooked.
Poirot
Broadchurch(powerful police story told in several season)
Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries(1920 flapper solves mysteries in Australia) It is being made into a movie!

Acorn TV:
Good Karma Hospital(two seasons so far). Very GOOD!
800 Words
Vera
Brokenwood Mysteries
Queen of Mystery
Agatha Raisin



Recent Books I have enjoyed which I'd recommend:

Joanne Goodman: The Home for Unwanted Girls and The Finishing School were very good.

Hazel Gaynor: The Girl that Came Home, The Girl from the Savoy A Memory of Violet and more.

Pamela Flavey's books about Ireland: The Linen Queen, The Yellow House and The Girls of Ennismore.

Lexi Elliott's The French Girl 

Diane Chamberlian's books: I enjoyed The Dream Daughter and The Silent Sister.

Ruth Wares's books.

Karen White's books.

Melanie Dobson's books(most set in World War 2) are all excellent.
Try Chateau of Secrets and Shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor.

Patricia McDonald's Books-GREAT!

Fiona Davis' Books: The Address, The Doll House-great stories and you learn about the Barbizon Hotel for Women and The Dakota. The Masterpiece shares the history of Grand Central Terminal.

All Sarah Jio books are great!(Most take place in two eras and are intertwined by the end.)

Pam Jenoff: Wow, I really like her historical books(mostly set in WW2-at least the one's I've read: Check out The Orphan's Tale and the Diplomate's Wife. 


Note: Illustration from wpclipart.com

Using the News in the Classroom

Still in School? Vacation a couple of weeks away? Use the news and have students select one of the following news stories and write a short paragraph stating their opinions on the topic.

1. In addition to passing your classes, a new law passed in the Philippines will require ALL students to show that they planted 10 trees to graduate! With about 18 million students calling the Philippines home, that could mean that 175 million trees will be planted each year! It is estimated the requirement would mean about 525 billion trees could be grown in just one generation.The tree graduation requirement hasn’t begun as of yet but trees indigenous(native) to the Philippines will be the first priority. Areas for planting will include abandoned mining sites, forest and urban areas of the Philippines. In addition to helping to beautify the Philippines, scientists hope the tree requirement will cut down on CO2 levels and hopefully help lessen the growing global climate crisis.

Illustration from wpclipart.com

1. What do you know about the Philippines. Write 3 facts.

2. Write TWO ways trees are helpful to the environment.

3. Write a paragraph stating your opinion on such a requirement to graduate.

4. Check out this link and write 3 facts learned about the Philippines: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/philippines/

2. Have you visited a national park or historical site? Senators Gary Peters and Ted Cruz have introduced a bill to create a protected site, on the moon! Called the “One Small Step to Protect Human Heritage in Space Act”, it would be the first ever protected site somewhere other than on Earth. The area to be protected would be the Apollo 11 landing site where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, became the first humans to walk on the moon. Photograph from space.com

1. Write a paragraph and explain what do you think of this idea.

2. Write 3 facts you know about the moon.

3. Can you name two National Parks in the USA?

4. Check out this link and write 3 facts learned about the moon: http://www.planetsforkids.org/moon-moon.html

3. Did you know that of the 5000 statues nationwide, only 400 are of women? If you walk through Central Park, in New York City, you will come upon 22 statues of famous MEN. Not one statue is of a woman, except for statues of fictitious Mother Goose and Alice in Wonderland. A group of woman want to have a woman statue added to Central Park… a REAL woman who made a contribution in history. Specifically, TWO women will be added for the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote(2020). Statues of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton are to be added. Additionally, at Statuary Hall, at the U.S. Capital, there are two statues for each state on display. Only nine of the one-hundred statues are of women. The state of Kansas is changing one of their statues to honor Amelia Earhart.  Photograph from ameliaearhartangarmuseum.org 

1. Can you name one facts about Susan B. Anthony? 

2. Check to see if your state has a woman represented in Statuary Hall. If, not, is there a woman that you think could be suggested to be represented?

3. Things don’t change unless someone decides a change is needed. What might you like to change?

4. Twelve men have walked on the moon. By 2024, this may change when NASA launches a new mission, Artemis(named for the ancient Greek goddess of the moon). It will be this mission when a woman will leave her footprint on the surface of the moon. The previous moon mission, called Apollo(the twin of Artemis) ended in 1972. Now, after giving support for this mission, the Trump Administration has changed its mind and says that it is a waste of money. “For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon – We did that 50 years ago,” Trump wrote. “They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!”

1. Do you think going back to the moon is a waste of money? 
2. Do you think we should try and land humans on the planet Mars?   Write a paragraph explaining your thoughts.                                               Note: Despite the tweet, the moon is NOT part of Mars.

After 76 days, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, the astronauts for the historic Apollo 11 mission to the moon, made history on July 20, 1969. After the Columbia reached the moon’s orbit, Armstrong and Aldrin went into a smaller module, the Eagle. They began a descent onto the surface of the moon and successfully landed on the moon where both men would become the first humans to actually walk on the moon. The date was July 21, 1969! Just think, from the first powered flight in 1903, it was just 66 years before we had humans walk on the moon!

In 2019, it will be the 50th anniversary of this remarkable achievement! 

Check out this Reader’s Theater Script. Part of my Ms. Bie Ografee Talk Show Series, Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins are guests of Ms. Bie Ografee and her studio audience ask the guests questions about their historic trip to the moon. In addition to the play, with 10 audience questioners, there are Did You Know Fun Facts, comprehension questions, a teacher page with extension activities and the key to the comprehension questions. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Moon-Landing-Man-Walks-on-the-Moon-A-Readers-Theater-Script-4538523

Brain Factoids! June is Brain Awareness Month!

JUNE IS BRAIN AWARENESS MONTH

COOL BRAIN FACTOIDS!

by

Gail SKroback Hennessey

The brain is made up of five main parts: the brain stem, pituitary gland, hypothalamus, cerebellum, and the cerebrum.  Learn some cool facts about your brain! Share these facts with students.

• Did you know that the brain is about 3 pounds in weight?

• The largest part of the brain, or 85%, is called the cerebrum.

• Did you know that 75% of the brain is made up of water?

• The brain feels no pain as there aren’t any pain receptors in the brain.

• If you lined up all the neurons in your brain, they’d stretch about 600 miles!  That’s because there are about one hundred BILLION neurons in the brain. They are very tiny. About 50 neurons could be lined up side by side across a dot. What’s a neuron?  It’s a nerve cell.

• You can’t tickle yourself! That’s because the brain can tell the difference between your own touch and an external one.

• Did you know that there is a BRAIN BANK at Harvard? It’s the largest such “bank” in the world. About 7,000 brains are stored at the bank for research.

• Mummies of ancient Egyptians have been found with drilled holes suggesting people had some sorts of brain surgery in ancient times.

• You could use  a butter knife to cut the brain. It is THAT soft.

• Your brain creates about 25 watts of energy while you are awake, enough to light up a light bulb.

• Ancient Egyptians didn’t see any value in the human brain. It was removed via the nostrils and thrown away in the mummy-making process.

• Wow…it is estimated that we have 70,000 thoughts each and every day! That’s a lot of thoughts…hopefully they are positive ones.

• 170 mph is the speed in which nerve impulses travel to the brain and back.

• Scientists say we blink about 20,000 times each day. The brain keeps the world from going dark each time we blink.

• The hypothalamus is your brain’s thermostat. It monitors your body temperature. If it is too high, you sweat to help cool down. If your body temperature gets cold, you shiver to warm up.

• Have you had a “brain freeze”? The correct term is sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia.

• Often nicknamed, the “grey matter”, the brain is actually a pink-beige color.

• It is estimated that the brain has about 100,000 miles of blood vessels!

• Eating eagle hearts and crushed lizards was thought, in the middle Ages, to be brain food!

• Our brain’s very short term memory(working memory) can remember up to about seven digits at a time before it is forgotten. Hmmm, no wonder telephone numbers are no longer than seven digits!

TRY SOME FUN BRAIN ACTIVITIES AT THIS LINK: http://www.gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?brainfryer.html

Check out these Brain links:

http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/brain.html

http://www.ducksters.com/science/brain.php

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/anatomy/brain/index.shtml

NOTE: Illustration from wpclipart.com

YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD THIS RESOURCE AT THIS LINK: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Brain-Factoids-1900973