Blobs of Gelatinous Balloons Instead of Plastic Water Bottles?

Almost 50 billion(yes BILLION) plastic water bottles are thrown away each year! An edible gelatinous balloon may be just the answer to this growing problem. Called Ooho,the sphere shaped containers are made from a brown algae. Researchers say the membrane blobs can be made in different sizes and that even the labels would be made from rice paper. With a double lining of membrane, the labels would be placed between the layers so no glue would be needed. The current design requires you biting into the sphere to drink the water.And, if you don't wish to EAT the water container, it is biodegradable.

Questions:
What do you think about this water container?
What might be a question you'd have to ask about the design?
About how many plastic water bottles do YOU use a week?
Give 2 reasons why people use plastic water bottles?

Factoids:
Did you know that the USA uses the most bottled water containers?
Did you know that only one out of six plastic water bottles is recycled?
It is estimated that the average American uses 167 plastic water bottles a year.
Scientists say it takes about 700 years for a plastic bottle to begin to decompose.

Photograph from gizmodo.com

Perhaps, you may find this bell ringer of interest to use with your students.

Gail

Penny for your thoughts...

Not an academic question but I was just wondering. Do you pick up a penny if you spot one on the sidewalk?

I do....and I still say the saying," Find a penny, pick it up. All day long, you'll have good luck."  I thought I remember in order to be a recipient of the good luck, the penny had to be "heads up".  I admit,  I used to flip the "found" penny until it landed heads but now, I just pick up the sad, lost little piece of currency and take it home.
What do you do?
Gail
http://www.gailhennessey.com

Did you Know?
There are approximately 150 billion pennies in circulation.

Did you know it costs more to make a penny that its value?

Abraham Lincoln was the first president to have his likeness on a coin. He likeness is also the only portrait turned to the right instead of the left.

The official name for the penny is the CENT(or "one cent piece").

Penny comes from the English word, "pence."

A rare PENNY sold for $1.7 million dollars.

Want a shinny penny. Place a penny in a solution of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Quotes using pennies:

" A penny for your thoughts."


"A penny saved is a penny earned." Ben Franklin

What name would you give a blimp?

Goodyear has announced a contest to name their new Blimp.  You have until April 4 to submit a suggestion.  If your suggestion for the name is the winner, you will get to use the blimp for one entire day! Click here to learn more: http://www.goodyear.com/en-US/company/blimp

Time Travel....Where would you go?

Time travel. Wouldn't it be amazing if one day people actually could travel back in time to witness historic events? It got me thinking, if you could take a trip back in time, what historic event would you like to see?  

I think being at Kitty Hawk, on December 17, 1903, and witnessing Wilbur and Orville make their historic flight would be pretty interesting.  

On a personal historic event, I'd love to travel back to see my grandmother's family confectionary shop in Porrentruy, Switzerland, and go inside to taste some of their treats(such as their eclairs). Three years ago, I went to see the building(which is still there) and walked the cobble street where my grandma walked as a young woman. It was really an amazing feeling! Today, the store front has been changed and it's a tavern, but the upper levels are still the same despite about 100 years! 

What historic event and personal event might you like to use time travel to witness?

Gail

Might be a question to ask students.

Picture of me outside the store where Bollinger's Confectionary Shop used to be and me holding a photograph of my grandma and two of her sisters outside the shop around 1918.

Outstanding Geography Lesson! Ship Travels 3000 miles!

What a wonderful geography project that really engaged students!

Sixth grade students at the Morristown-Beard School,Morristown, in New Jersey, launched a  5 ft. long model boat into the Atlantic Ocean.  On board the craft was a GPS tracking device.The students also placed their names on the bottom of the boat and a photograph as well as a message in several languages.  Part of a geography project, the students watched the location of their boat,called the Crimson Tide, as it made its way into the Gulf Stream. Fourteen months later, the ship has gone nearly 3000 miles and arrived at the English Channel island of Guernsey! It was here that it was found by a fisherman. Covered in barnacles, the boat had lost its mast and a waterproof capsule. The container with items including a school tee-shirt, thumb drive with messages and more photographs, and even some money, were lost during the Crimson Tide's voyage. It is hoped that with a new sail and battery for the GPS, the ship can be relaunched with it maybe, returning back to this side of the Atlantic!

 Photograph from BBC.co.uk

Extension Activities:
* After reading this news short, pretend you are the Crimson Tide. Tell about a day during your travels. What did you see? Hear? Feel? as you bobbed in the Atlantic Ocean?


*Read about the island of Guernsey. http://www.visitguernsey.com/about-guernsey  Draw a travel poster for the island including 5 facts learned about Guernsey.

* Learn about the English Channel: http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/englishchannel.htm Use the map and do some measurements learning about distances between  several cities.

* Draw a picture of a boat. What would be 7 items you'd place in a boat that might go across the ocean to a distance shore? What would you want the person who found the boat to learn about you and your culture?

Presidents' Day

Check out this free web quest on Presidential trivia-lots of interesting facts! http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?presidentcyberhunt.html

*Illustration from publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com

There have been many polls taken on the topic of our greatest presidents. The results of a poll taken in 2000 by ABC News asking people who they felt was the greatest American president: 

1. Abraham Lincoln 
2. John F. Kennedy 
3. Franklin D. Roosevelt 

Another poll taken in 2007,listed the following presidents as our top three:

      1. George Washington

      2. Abraham Lincoln

      3. Thomas Jefferson

Still another poll taken in 2011, listed the following as our greatest presidents:

      1. Ronald Reagan

      2. Abraham Lincoln

      3. Bill Clinton

Who would be your top three greatest Presidents? For what reason would you rank your top three?

Which president in history, do you think is mentioned the most?

What would be 3 issues that would be important to you if you were president of the United States?

What are three character traits you think a president should have and why?

Show Kids That Even Candy has a History!

I love history....always have, especially world history. Unfortunately, kids don't always see the excitement in history.  Maybe, showing that history is all around them, even in CANDY, might be a way to spark an interest in the subject.

Marshmallows date back to 2000 BC in ancient Egypt and King Tut's Tomb contained licorice! Did you know that the earliest "lollypop" was probably eaten by prehistoric people that placed honey from a bee hive onto a stick?  Did you know that candy canes were originally just WHITE in color and originated in the country of Germany?

Try this fun/informative webquest on the history of Candy: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/History-of-Candy-Webquest-516787


Gail