Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2018/January 2019 i National Geographic Kids

It takes the average 10-YEAR-OLD KID  about 20 minutes to fall asleep. Americans spend 1.5 times more money on PET FOOD than on BABY FOOD. GLASS can last for MILLIONS of years on EARTH. Most SNOWFLAKES 6 SIDES have . The most COMMONLY USED letters in the ENGLISH LANGUAGE are E, T, A, and O. 4,000-year-old POPCORN  was found in a cave IN NEW MEXICO. The fastest time for twisting a balloon into a dog shape is 6.5 seconds. Houseflies BUZZ  in the key of F. The odds that an average golfer will make a HOLE IN ONE  during a game are 12,000 to 1. Grab a parent to watch Weirdest, Bestest, Truest for even more crazy-fun facts. youtube.com/natgeokids…

Totally Wild Hotel GIRAFFE MANOR WHERE Kenya, Africa HOW MUCH From $565 a night WHY IT’S COOL Ever have the feeling you’re being watched? That’s because a giraffe might be at your hotel window! Giraffe Manor is home to about 10 Rothschild’s giraffes that roam the property. And they’re definitely not shy: Some of the giraffes may stick their heads into your secondstory bedroom window or eat right off the breakfast table. When they want a snack, the giraffes have been known to pluck flowers from the manor’s vases. Mpingo and Olerai, two of the youngest giraffes, are sometimes seen playfully running through the national park that borders the hotel. But no one thinks that these permanent residents are a pain in the neck! Grab a parent to watch Destination…

Hen Sails the World! Brittany, France Why did the chicken cross the sea? To keep the sailor company! Guirec Soudée and Monique have been sailing buddies for about four years, visiting places such as Antarctica, the Caribbean islands, and South Africa. The hen stands beside Soudée while he hoists the sails, and she catches fish that have flopped onto the deck.“I knew that this little chicken was as adventurous as I am,” says Soudée, author of The  Hen Who Sailed Around the World: A True Story. Monique lives in her own cabin filled with straw, and she’s been known to lay an egg on board. Chicken behavior expert K-lynn Smith says Monique probably has a better life than most chickens, with more space and sunshine. The pair are now in…

As the host of Nat Geo Kid’s newest video series, How Things Work, 15-year-old YouTube star Kamri Noel teams up with National Geographic experts to explain lava lamps, gecko feet, and more. Nat Geo Kids caught up with Kamri to get the behind-the-scenes scoop. NAT GEO KIDS: Tell us a little about why you decided to work with Nat Geo Kids on this show. KAMRI NOEL: I’ve always been interested in photography, plus math and science are my favorite subjects. So working with Nat Geo Kids was perfect. NGK: What was the funniest thing that happened on the set of How Things Work? KN: Somehow I ended up doing cheer stunts with marine biologist David Gruber. It was so funny, but I’m not sure that scene made it…

Cheer on dozens of camels—some running the wrong way—at the International Camel Derby in the town of Maralal. Walk through historic Lamu Old Town, a 700-year-old Swahili settlement made partly of coral stone. Go on safari to see lions, rhinos, leopards, zebras, and elephants in Maasai Mara National Reserve near the border with Tanzania. Bird-watch on the shores of Lake Nakuru, where hundreds of thousands of bright pink flamingos flock each year. Swim in glowing waters at a beach in Kilifi.(The secret is the tiny bioluminescent animals living there!)…

It’s hard to believe that a helpless-looking two-week-old seal could survive on its own, especially in the icy world of the North Atlantic Ocean. But harp seal pups do. How? With fur, fat, and instinct. When a pregnant female is ready to give birth, she comes out of the sea and onto the ice. There, with tens of thousands of other females, she gives birth to a 20-pound pup. A newborn harp seal is skinny. Its warm coat is all that keeps it from freezing. Each hair of its coat is transparent, so the sunlight can reach the pup’s skin. The seal’s body absorbs the sun’s heat and the fur traps that warmth, helping to keep the pup cozy. Newborn seals nurse on milk that’s 10 times richer in fat…

THE STRAWSCRAPER For some people, a windy day means a bad hair day. But for the folks designing this odd-looking building, a windy day is a good hair day. For them, windy days will mean the hairy fibers on their building are capturing loads of free energy. A Swedish architectural firm is working on plans to transform an existing Stockholm building into a futuristic, 40-floor skyscraper that will create energy. The design for this project, known as the Strawscraper, encloses the building in a casing covered with long, flexible straws that turn wind motion into electrical energy. From gentle breezes to strong winds, the friction on the straws will produce and store electricity much like a wind power plant does. The Strawscraper will be much quieter than a wind turbine,…

When explorers in the late 1600s first spotted this fuzzy, friendly-looking animal in Australia, they figured they’d stumbled on a house-cat-size rat. Not even close. Quokkas might be related to kangaroos and wallabies, but they’re way weirder. This marsupial has traits more often associated with other animals—and that makes it one wacky critter. THEY REACH FOR LEAVES LIKE KOALAS Ground-dwelling quokkas sometimes climb five feet up a tree trunk to reach a tasty-looking leaf or berry. That might not sound impressive, but it’s something its closest relativeskangaroos and wallabies—can’t do. Treeloving koalas have strong, large paws made for gripping branches all day. But the quokka can hold on only for a few minutes. Just enough time to swipe a snack! THEY HOP LIKE RABBITS If you spot a brown fuzz…

LIGHT SHOW These photographs show close-up and faraway views of objects that light up. Unscramble the letters to identify each picture. Blinded by the light?…

Answer these questions to see how “normal” you really are. Check off your answer to each question, then see how other kids responded. Add all your points together, find your final number in the score box at the bottom, and read what your score says about you. IF YOU COULD MEET ANYONE, REAL OR FAKE, WHO WOULD IT BE? Fictional character, singer, actor, or someone else: 2 Sports star: 3 Political figure: 4  Somebody fictional? 1 in 4 kids want to meet a fictional character. Star of the stage? 1 in 5 want to get in tune with a famous singer. Ready for your close-up? Another 1 in 5 would rather act naturally with an actor or actress. Kick it with an athlete? 1 in 10 kids hope to come…

When you’re blue, it helps to smile! Seamus T., 11 Asheville, North Carolina Cheese! Or should I say, Seas! Gabriella A., 10 Grovetown, Georgia What? Do I have algae stuck in my teeth? Charis H., 12 Eagle River, Wisconsin Squawk! Parrotfish want a cracker! Claire T., 11 Redmond, Washington Sorry I told those bad fish puns. I feel gill-ty. If you can think of a better fish pun let minnow. Braeden B., 12 Sunnyvale, California I find that finny. Eliana B., 7 Melrose, New York I’m off the hook! Xavier D., 9 Oak Hill, Virginia Selfie time! Mikayla M., 9 Bend, Oregon…

1 The castle barber was also the DENTIST. 2 Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany was the inspiration for Disneyland’s SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE. 3 The first castles were built about A THOUSAND YEARS AGO. 4 England’s Windsor Castle is about 200 TIMES LARGER than a typical U.S. house. 5 Ireland’s Blarney Castle has a stone that VISITORS KISS for luck. 6 The number of people who lived in some castles could have FILLED a small village. 7 Supplies were often smuggled into castles through SECRET TUNNELS. For more fun facts, grab a parent to watch Things You Wanna Know! youtube.com/natgeokids…

1 SNEAKY SMARTS Octopuses are curious creatures. They can open the lids of jars, and some have even found escape routes from their aquarium enclosures. They can wriggle their boneless bodies through passages as small as a quarter! Octopuses learn quickly and can recognize individual human faces. CHECK OUT THE BOOK! 2 NO BIRDBRAIN African gray parrots are known for being chatterboxes. They’re excellent at mimicking humans and can form simple sentences. They’re also one of a few animals that are capable of reasoning, or coming up with an answer based on information they already have. They can figure out puzzles and work together to solve problems. 3 ALL FOR ONE Talk about teamwork! These army ants are joining together to build a living ant tower so some individuals can…

1 DAY OLD YELLOWCOAT A newborn is pale yellow because its fur was stained by the fluids in its mother’s womb. 3 DAYS OLD WHITECOAT Bleached by the sun, the fur turns pure white and stays that way for nearly two weeks. 12 DAYS OLD GRAYCOAT Spots and darker fur start to show through the pup’s white fur, giving it a grayish look. 21 DAYS OLD RAGGED JACKET As the pup sheds its white coat, it takes on a tattered appearance. Some pups swim and dive on their own at this time. 25 DAYS OLD BEATER The young seal is now silvery gray with black spots. The name “beater” refers to its clumsy early attempts to swim and dive. 14 MONTHS OLD BEDLAMER Another molt and the seal gets a…

Quokkas have smiley faces and are sometimes friendly around people, so tourists to Australia’s Rottnest Island often get too close. The extra attention could put quokkas in danger—or it might help the species survive. Authorities on Rottnest Island protect the critters with rules against touching or feeding the quokkas. Human food can make them sick, plus giving them snacks (and even water) can make the quokkas too dependent on people. But by following the rules, island tourists help give authorities more power to support the quokka’s habitat. For instance, conservationists can use the money generated from tourism to protect the island and monitor the quokka population. So if you want to protect the quokkas and get an epic picture, just use a selfie stick! Rottnest Island, one of the places…

13-16: NORMAL AS LIVING IN A HOUSE You mostly prefer to keep things comfortable. But that doesn’t make you boring! With a solid home base, you’re free to get weird in other ways. 17-20: NORMAL AS LIVING ON A BOAT You don’t always go with the flow, but sometimes you’re happy to bob on the waves. You’ve probably got a pretty bizarre pet—and also a perfectly made bed. Hey, it’d be weird not to. 21-24: NORMAL AS LIVING IN A BLIMP You’re way out there, living at the extremes. You might be super messy or incredibly neat, but either way, you’re an original. Keep flying high! If these descriptions don’t match you, that’s OK. These are just for fun!…

LEAST CHIPMUNK A A least chipmunk is so heavy it scampers across only strong branches. FALSE. At no more than two ounces, the chipmunk weighs less than this magazine. Half of its eight-inch length is its tail. B To be called “busy as a chipmunk” can be considered a compliment. TRUE. A chipmunk was seen storing 478 acorns. Another stored 2,000 cherry pits, and one put away 3,700 blueberry seeds. C It uses its little paws to carry small loads of seeds to its den. FALSE. It fills its cheek pouches with seeds, stuffing in enough that the pouches stretch to the same size as its head. D A chipmunk watches out for snakes. TRUE. Depending on where it lives, other predators include owls, hawks, weasels, cats, foxes, coyotes, and…