Underneath the waters of a Wisconsin Lake called Lake Mendota, Archaelogists have made a new prehistoric discovery. Six canoes, one dating back about 5200 years were found. Since 2021, actually 16 dugout boats have been discovered. Made from red and white oak tree trunks and using tools including shells and stone, it is not known which group of people made the canoes. The people may have been relatives of the Ho-Chunk who were in the area dating about 800 AD. To preserve the canoes, only two have been removed from the water. The discovery shows that people have lived in North America much earlier than was originally thought. Imagine, canoes that are OLDER than the Great Pyramid of Egypt(about 4500 years old) found in North America!

Photograph from Daily Mail.

A seven year old border Collie from Great Britain named Harvey is very bright. To date, he has learned to understand more than 200 words. When prompted with a toy such as Larry the Leek or Little Lamb, Harvey retrieves it. Sometimes, Harvey has difficulty if a word sounds similar such as his Postbox and Polar Bear toys. The effects to teach Harvey words began two years ago when his owner read about a dog in the United States that learned to understand over 1000 words.His name was Chaser.

Photograph from DailyMail

Like all large cities,Paris, France, can be very busy with traffic. To help with people getting around, a new cable car system has gone into service as of December. The three mile route is the larges in Europe and is estimated that it will carry more than 11,000 people each day in its 105 gondolas.

Photograph from Time

Carpenters and archaeologists are working to restore a very unique boat. The 137 ft. boat once belonged to King Khufu of ancient Egypt , more than 4500 years ago! Khufu was the builder of one of the famous landmarks in the world, the Great Pyramid of Giza. The wealthy ancient Egyptians packed their beautiful possession with them when they died, believing they could use them again in the afterlife. Khufu buried two boats outside the Great Pyramid, both discovered in 1954. With more than 1650 pieces, it is estimated that the restoration will take about four years. It is being done at the Grand Egyptian Museum's exhibition hall so that visitors can watch the work being done.

Photograph from Yahoo News

You may not know about Barbara Rose Johns, who had a statue unveiled this week at the U.S. Capitol. In 1951, Johns, 16, wanted change for her poorly funded high school in Farmville, Virginia. During her time, her school was primarily a black school and did not receive the funding other schools for mostly white students received. She organized a strike and the attention given about segregated schools eventually reached the Supreme Court for a decision. The Supreme Court Justices, in 1954, determined separate by equal public schools were unconstitutional. Johns died in 1991. The statue of Johns includes the words, "Are we going to just accept these conditions, or are we going to do something about it?" Interestingly, her statue replaces Confederate Robert E. Lee, whose statue was removed a few years ago.

Photograph from Moton Museum

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About Gail:

I retired from teaching after 33 1/2 years in the classroom. Of that time, I taught Grade 6 Social Studies teacher for 31 1/2 years.I earned my BA in early secondary education with a concentration in social studies from SUNY Oneonta, New York, and my MST in social studies education from Binghamton University in New York. In 1988, I was awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Classroom Teacher of the Year Award from the New York State Council for the Social Studies. Additionally, in 1988, I was also awarded the Outstanding Elementary Social Studies Teacher of the Year Award by the National Council for the Social Studies. I am the author of 8 books for teachers and over 35 books for children(Purple Turtle Series by Aadarsh Publishing and Odd History Series by Red Chair Press).

My work has appeared in most children's publications including:
Highlights for Children,News-O-Matic,Appleseed,,Scholastic's Super Science,,Scholastic's Science World,Jack and Jill,National Geographic World, Ranger Rick, Cobblestone, Faces, Muse Magazine,Contact Kids, US Kids,Action Magazine(Scholastic),Girls' Life,Boys' Life,American Girl, Instructor,Creative Classroom,Middle Years,Time for Kids,Scholastic News,Scholastic News Zone, Time for Kids , Ask Magazine, Dig,Calliope, Cobblestone, FACES, Studies Weekly, Glo Adventurer, and more.






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Gail Hennessey

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