Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2022 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

HIGH FIVE

More than 70% of our planet is covered by ocean. The health of our oceans is vital to the health of the entire planet. Hop aboard and join us as we explore. Here are five fascinating facts to get you started. 1 Although most of the ocean’s surface has been mapped, 90 to 95% of the deep ocean is still unexplored. Harsh conditions, including extreme dark and frigid temperatures, make it challenging to journey to the depths of the ocean. 2 More than a thousand years ago, sailors from Polynesia—a group of 1,000 islands bounded by New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island—deftly maneuvered their wooden canoes through the Pacific usin only cues from the natural world to guide them. They used the stars, clouds, and wildlife to make the journey.…

1 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

Ocean Navigation Polynesian-style

The Pacific Ocean is nearly 17 times as big as the United States. It’s also virtually land-free. The 25,000 islands it contains only occupy a tiny portion of its total area. Navigating this enormous body of water is difficult even with GPS or radar. Still, more than a thousand years ago, brave sailors from Polynesia—a group of 1,000 islands bounded by New Zealand, Hawaii, and Easter Island—deftly maneuvered their wooden canoes through the Pacific without using any instruments. Instead, these navigators relied on cues from the natural world to guide them. Star Gazers Ancient Polynesian explorers spent years studying how stars moved across the night sky. They realized that for certain groups of places, these celestial bodies rose and set at fixed positions. (Later, geographers figured out that these places…

2 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

GIFTS FOR Iemanjá THE OCEAN GODDESS

Billowing waves shimmer in the early dawn. Roses of white, red, and yellow float majestically upon lively waters. Thousands of people, dressed in serene white clothing, line the shores of Salvador, Brazil. They toss gifts and offerings into the water—all to say thank you and ask for protection from the orixá (or-eesh-UH), or deity, Iemanjá (yee-mahn-JAH), the goddess of the ocean. In Brazil, Iemanjá is an orixá (orisha) of the Afro-Brazilian religion called Candomblé (cahn-dome-BLAY). Candomblé is derived from the West African Yoruba religion. Practitioners and non-practitioners alike respect and celebrate Iemanjá. But Iemanjá’s roots go far beyond Brazil. During the African Diaspora, Iemanjá and other orixás traveled with the people from West Africa. When the enslaved Africans reached Brazil, they were forced to practice Catholicism. They concealed their orixás…

4 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

DEAR KYLIE

Hi, readers! This month, Kylie corresponded with two marine biologists, Sierra and Katherine. Dear Sierra and Katherine, Thank you corresponding with me. I’m excited to learn about your passion for marine biology. I love the ocean, so I’m lucky that I only live about an hour from it. We spend almost every summer weekend at Salisbury Beach in Massachusetts. I used to be timid about going in the water, but now I’m usually the first one in and the last one out. I love swimming in the deep water, and my siblings and I love to go bodysurfing or boogie boarding together. Did you grow up visiting the ocean? I am excited to hear about marine biology. I know every time I begin a new class, there's usually something shocking…

5 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

Surfing IN THE USA

Cowabunga! The surfer looks like a tiny speck against the huge blue wave. She stands on her board, shooting along the curling water’s surface at a breakneck speed. Will she ride the wave safely to shore? Or will she wipe out and tumble under the wave’s crushing weight? Spectators watching from the shore let out a cheer. She made it! What a ride! A sport like no other, surfing takes great daring—not to mention fitness, skill, and perseverance. A Way of Life Surfing began as a culture and a way of life. It is believed that ancient Polynesians introduced it to people on the Hawaiian Islands. Islanders made the activity their own, riding swells of waves on flat boards carved from the wood of the native Hawaiian koa or wiliwili…

3 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

PICTURE CREDITS

Elena11/Shutterstock.com: inside front cover; Siamdive/Shutterstock.com: 2-3; Vectormine/Shutterstock.com: 4-5; Savva Danylchenko/Shutterstock.com: 6 (top); Planetpix/Alamy Stock Photo: 6 (bottom); Maxfield Weakley/Shutterstock.com: 7 (top); Rich Carey/Shutterstock.com: 7 (bottom left), 39 (top); Adisha Pramod/Alamy Stock Photo: 7 (bottom right); Vichy Deal/Shutterstock.com; Vichy Deal/Shutterstock.com: 8 (clock); Vichy Deal/Shutterstock.com: 8, 10-11; korkeng/Shutterstock.com: 8; DOERS/Shutterstock.com: 9 (top); Marusya Chaika/Shutterstock.com: 9 (inset); FLHC 3/Alamy Stock Photo: 10 (top left); dpa picture alliance archive/Alamy Stock Photo: 10 (top right); Stephen Frink Collection/Alamy Stock Photo: 10 (bottom left); Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, Windows to the Deep 2019: 10 (bottom right); 11 (top), 11 (bottom); NOAA: 11 (inset); Kudryashka/Shutterstock.com: 12-13; Chester Voyage/Alamy Stock Photo: 12; Theodore Trimmer/Shutterstock.com: 13 (top); Leigh Ann Meeks/Shutterstock.com: 13 (bottom left); Jody-Ann/Shutterstock.com: 13 (bottom center and bottom right); Marius Dobilas/Shutterstock.com:…

2 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

Survival Of The Strangest

Although humans have been exploring oceans throughout history, about 90% of our “global” ocean is still unmapped and unexplored. New marine life is being discovered every day. These five marine marvels are survival superheroes in some of the deepest, darkest, most challenging places on Earth. “Sea” for yourself. The red-lipped batfish (Ogcocephalus darwini) uses its fins as legs. Also known as the Galapagos batfish, this deep-sea diva can be found at the bottom of the ocean. Named for its lipstick-red mouth, the batfish is not afraid to take a stand—using its fins as limbs to stand on while it checks out its surroundings, that is. The pink see-through fantasia (Enypniastes eximia) gives off light to scare predators. This fancy sea cucumber is found about 1.5 miles deep in the Celebes…

2 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

PURA TANAH LOT

Pura Tanah Lot is an ancient temple on the southwest coast of Bali, Indonesia. It lies on a small three-acre rock that ocean tides have shaped for hundreds of years. Surrounded by azure water, the island is connected to the shore by a narrow stone path. “Pura Tanah Lot” translates to “land in the sea,” as come high tide, waves flood the walkway, cutting it off from the mainland. It is the most important of seven ocean temples, each built within eyeshot of the next. They are said to form a chain of spiritual protection around the island. For this reason, Pura Tanah Lot is dedicated to Dewa Baruna (de-wah baru-nah), the Hindu god of the ocean. For the Balinese, it is one of the most cherished ocean temples. In…

4 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

Dr. Kathy Sullivan High Above and Far Below

Dr. Kathy Sullivan is the only person on the planet to do both a spacewalk and travel to the deepest trench on Earth. In 1984, Sullivan was the first American woman to do a spacewalk (for 3.5 hours). In 2020, Sullivan became only the eighth person to travel down into the Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. Q. Being the only person to do both, which one do you feel was most challenging—your space trip or your trip down into the deepest trench on Earth? A. Designing a vehicle that can withstand both the crushing pressure of the deep and the corrosive effects of seawater is a much tougher challenge than designing for spaceflight. That does not mean that designing for spaceflight is easy. In both…

3 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

The Great Barrier Reef

The Earth’s largest living organism, the Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of eastern Australia in the Coral Sea. More than 9,000 different marine species make this ecosystem home, and it is considered one of the seven natural wonders.…

2 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

DEEP SEA EXPLORATION THROUGH TIME

“Is it not a most curious fact that the Water at such profound depths, and under such a vast pressure, should retain Oxygen for the respiration of the animals?”— Charles Darwin Throughout the ages, people have gazed across the vast seas with wonder. As technology has advanced, a few oceanographers and scientists have braved the elements and pushed forward in the face of danger to advance our knowledge of the oceans. They are ocean explorers, and here are their stories. Although most of the ocean’s surface has been mapped, 90 to 95% of the deep ocean is yet unexplored. Why? Conditions are extremely harsh. Scientists define the deep sea as the part of an ocean’s water lying below the thermocline (the point beyond which sunlight cannot pass). Without sunlight, deep…

4 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

DANGER IN OUR OCEANS

From the toothbrush in your bathroom to the water bottle you take on your hike, plastic is all around us. While plastic makes our lives easier and safer, the chemical make-up of plastic causes dangers to our oceans’ ecosystem. WHAT IS PLASTIC? Plastic is a polymer, which are long chains of repeating molecules. The repeating molecules are called monomers. Monomers link together by forming extremely strong carbon to carbon bonds. These bonds are not found in nature. How did humans come up with the idea of plastic? THE INVENTION OF PLASTIC Although plastic is a large part of our lives, it wasn’t used commercially until the 1930s. A chemist named Hermann Staudinger won a Nobel Prize for his discovery of macromolecules, or polymers. He then came up with the theory…

4 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

THE SOUTHERN OCEAN New Kid on the Map

Dateline June 8, 2021 There’s a new ocean in town. In addition to the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic Ocean, mapmakers have added a fifth—the Southern Ocean. Also known as the Antarctic Ocean, this ocean flows swiftly around Antarctica up to 60 degrees south latitude. Because of its strong current and unique environment that supports species that cannot be found elsewhere, it has officially been recognized by scientists as distinct from other oceans. SOUTHERN OCEAN FACTS The Southern Ocean is: » located in the southern hemisphere, surrounding Antarctica. It is the only ocean that borders three other oceans, the South Atlantic, South Pacific, and Indian Oceans; » the second smallest ocean on Earth. It covers only 6% of the Earth’s surface and contains 10% of the volume of the global…

3 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

WHY THE SEA IS SALT

People have always been curious about things like the motion of the sun or the way certain animals look and act. And long before we discovered scientific ways of thinking about things, we answered some of these questions in stories. Pourquoi is the French word for “why,” and stories like the one that follows are called pourquoi tales. “Why the Sea Is Salt” is a pourquoi tale from Norway. Like many stories, even though the answer it gives isn’t scientific, it holds other kinds of truth in it—especially about the human heart. Hundreds and hundreds of years ago, when sea water was not salty, a poor old man and woman lived on the Norwegian coast. One day, a dusty old storyteller came to their village. The old couple gave him…

3 min

Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children|March 2022

Ocean Patterns

Artists are often captivated by the ocean. The rhythm of the waves, the sun-washed colors, and the stunning sunsets have inspired many paintings. Patterns can be found in nature, and the ocean is a perfect place to look for them. You can use ocean-themed patterns to make a beautiful piece of art. Materials: Pencil, pencil crayons, crayons, and/or watercolor paints Drawing paper if you’re using pencils and pencil crayons Watercolor paper if you’re using watercolor paints Permanent black fine liner STEP 1—Making Your Plan This art piece isn’t meant to be realistic; rather, it’s based on patterns. Draw a series of lines representing waves. They may have curves to indicate swirling. To add perspective, draw the lines closer together as they approach the horizon. Leave space between the lines to…

2 min