Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Faces People, Places, and World Culture for Kids and Children

Intelligent, strong, and majestic—bears are one of the most revered animal species in the world. Here are five bearable facts to get you started. 1 There are eight species of bears living around the world. They are the American black bear, the brown bear, the polar bear, the Asiatic black bear (moon bear), the sun bear, the sloth bear (Indian bear), the spectacled bear, and the giant panda bear. 2 Look up! There are bears in the sky. Ursa Major and Ursa Minor are listed in one of the earliest known books of constellations written by Ptolemy in the second century. Ursa Major is a constellation that is nearly always visible in the sky in the Northern Hemisphere, but Ursa Minor is not as bright and can be harder to…

When you think about bears, probably the last place you’d expect to see these creatures is above you in the night sky. But on a starry night, you will be able to see them if you know where to look, just as people have for thousands of years. These bears are actually a pair of constellations, called Ursa Major (Greater Bear) and Ursa Minor (Lesser Bear). Ancient Greek, Egyptian, Babylonian, and Assyrian astronomers noticed these two constellations. They are listed in one of the earliest known books of constellations written by Ptolemy in the second century. Throughout history, many cultures have found and named these constellations, but not everyone saw them as bears. Some cultures saw a wagon, a plow, a boat, or a salmon net. But the image of…

While the president was visiting Mississippi in November 1902, a hunting trip was organized. Roosevelt was eager to get a bear. People in his hunting party wanted him to have a successful experience, so they captured a 235-pound black bear. They roped the animal to a tree to make it an easy target. But when Roosevelt was shown the tied-up bear, he refused to shoot. He considered it unsportsmanlike. The national media reported the story, and it became a popular topic of conversation. A couple days later, Clifford Berryman, a political newspaper cartoonist, illustrated the incident for the front page of the Washington Post. Berryman then sketched another cartoon that portrayed the vulnerable bear as a cub with an appealing, worried look on its face. When Brooklyn candy storeowner Morris…

A sun bear is wandering through a dense forest in southern China. It sniffs out a beehive in a nearby tree. Easily climbing the tree, the sun bear rips open the hive with its sharp claws. When it opens its mouth, out rolls a nearly 10-inch tongue! Sticking its super-long tongue into the hive, the bear slurps up the sticky sweet honey, bees and all. No worries about getting stung. Its thick skin and fur protect it from the angry insects. It gobbles up its tasty dinner until its belly is full. Characteristics The sun bear is the smallest of eight bear species, which includes the North American black bear, brown bear, polar bear, Asiatic black bear, spectacled (or Andean) bear, giant panda bear, and sloth bear. Though small, the…

You’ve probably heard of shark week, and you might have heard of fashion week, but have you ever heard of Fat Bear Week? Since 2014, the Katmai National Park and Preserve in Alaska has conducted a bracket-style tournament (set up like college basketball’s tournament bracket) open to the public to crown the park’s Fat Bear Week winner. For bears that hibernate, fat means survival. Some bears may lose up to 1/3 of their body weight while hibernating. In the months leading up to hibernation, bears pack on the pounds to prepare for months of relative inactivity. How much do they pack on? Most adult male bears in the park weigh an average of 700 to 900 pounds in midsummer. By late fall, they tip the scales at 1,200 pounds. For…

Characters: » Narrator 1» Narrator 2» Narrator 3» Sigo: young boy» Stepfather: a jealous man» Mother: Sigo’s mother» Glooscap: the Great Chief» Porcupine» Raccoon» Fox» Caribou» Mooinskw (Mother Bear)» Robin» Beaver» Hunter 1» Hunter 2 To the Native American people of western North America, the grizzly bear is a symbol of wisdom and resilience. NARRATOR 1: In the Old Time, there lived a young mother and her little son, Sigo. Sigo’s father had died, so his mother took another husband. The stepfather was jealous of Sigo and plotted to get rid of him. STEPFATHER: Today the boy will come to the forest with me to hunt. MOTHER: Please, no! He is only six. STEPFATHER: That is old enough to learn a useful skill. Come with me, boy. (Walking through the…

Bears are amazing and majestic creatures. They are highly intelligent and possess a keen sense of smell. Best known for their mighty “roar,” these alluring animals are fast, fierce, and a little frightening, too. There are eight species of bears living around the world. They are the American black bear, the brown bear, the polar bear, the Asiatic black bear (moon bear), the sun bear, the sloth bear (Indian bear), the spectacled bear (Andean), and the giant panda bear. The distribution of bears throughout the world is wide and varied. The American black bear is typically found in North America, Canada, and northern Mexico; the brown bear lives in Europe, northern Asia, Japan, western Canada, and western United States; and the polar bear is located throughout the Arctic. The Asiatic…

It’s the second Sunday in February, in the heart of wintertime in the Pyrenees Mountains of Andorra (a tiny country between France and Spain) and France. It’s the time of year when most bears are fast asleep, hibernating in their warm dens. But in five villages, people gather to hunt a bear with axes, clubs, and shotguns. It sounds grisly, but this “hunt” is all in fun, part of the midwinter Festival of the Bear. The Festival of the Bear has taken place in the five villages—Ordino, Encamp (Andorra), Arles-sur-Tech, Prats de Molló and Sant Llorenç de Cerdans (Alt Vallespir, France)—since medieval times. It is part of Catalan culture as Catalan is the official language of Andorra. The story comes from the legend of John the Bear (Jean l’Ours in…

They’re (sort of) small and shaggy with cuddly faces. But these are no dogs—they’re sloth bears of India. Humans, though, have exploited these cute animals, using their adorable traits for grimmer purposes. A Cruel Practice Four hundred years ago, much of India was divided into kingdoms. Emperors or their deputies ruled them. Around this time, a nomadic community called the Kalandars (kuh-LUHN-durs, also spelt as Qalandars) decided to capture sloth bears to earn money. After training the creatures to dance, they enthralled royal audiences with their waltzing beasts. The bears’ performances helped the Kalandars eke out a living. Fast-forward to the 1950s. Kings and their opulence were now history. But not dancing bears. Kalandars continued to use them to entertain folks, now mostly tourists and highway drivers. The methods of…

Smokey Bear Almost everyone recognizes Smokey Bear, the mascot for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Since 1944, his message has always been about how people can prevent forest fires. This year Smokey is celebrating his 80th birthday—he looks great for his age! The Smokey Bear Wildfire Prevention campaign is the longest-running public service advertising campaign in U.S. history. Smokey was created during World War II. The threat of fires that might start because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, made preventing forest fires suddenly important. Before Smokey was created, the Walt Disney company loaned the U.S. Forest Service the use of the characters from the movie Bambi for one year to make people aware of fire prevention. It proved that cartoon characters worked well for spreading the…

Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat plants and meat. Depending on where they live, bears have favorite foods. The following recipe includes favorites of bears found in North America—seeds, honey, and fruit. You Need » 2 cups uncooked oatmeal » ½cup sun ower, pumpkin, or other seeds » ¼ cup raw, shelled nuts » ¼ cup vegetable oil » ¼ teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 cup honey » 1 cup of dried fruit • Preheat oven to 225 degrees. • Coat a large baking pan lightly with oil. • Combine the oatmeal, seeds, and nuts in a big bowl. • In a separate pan, slowly heat the honey, cinnamon, and oil until the honey is thin. • Pour the honey mixture over the dry mix. Stir well. • Spread the mix in…