Scientists from Utrecht University, in the Netherlands, say that there are TWO mountains that have been discovered that are taller than Mt. Everest. These newly discovered mountains are thought to be 100 x taller! If you are wondering why no one has discovered this peaks before, the reason is they are INSIDE the Earth, estimated to be 1200 ft. below the surface! It is thought that the mountain peaks may have been created during the formation of the planet. The discovery was made measuring seismic shockwaves which occur during earthquakes. The "rippling" of an earthquake causes sounds(tones) which scientists use to measure what in beneath the Earth. One colossal mountain is located under the Pacific Ocean and the other is found under the continent of Africa beneath the Eart's core and mantle.

Picture from Piabay

Scientists discovered a humpback whale that has made a whopper of a trip swimming a distance of more than 8100 miles traveling in three different oceans. First spotted in the Pacific Ocean, in 2013, it was later sighted, in 2017, near the country of Columbia. It was again tracked ,in 2022, where it was found in the Indian Ocean, near the country of Zanzibar. Artificial Intelligence was used to identify the whale’s fluke, which like fingerprints are unique to each whale. The whale was tracked on a database called HappyWhale.com.

Photograph from newsforkids.

Since January 7, California has had horrible wildfires affecting the very populated area of Los Angeles. With very dry conditions from lack of rain, Santa Ana Winds gusting to 100 miles an hour and problems with enough water, the catastrophic wildfires have destroyed more than 1200 homes and business at this point. Over 180,000 people have been displaced. Sadly, the fires are far from being contained. Countries such as Mexico and Canada are sending firefighters and equipment to help fight the horrific fires.

Photograph from Yahoo.

Near a busy road near in Great Britain, paleontologists have discovered what is believed to be the largest number of dinosaur footprints ever found in the country. Thought to be 166 million years old, the footprints suggest a type of dinosaur highway where several different species of dinosaurs walked across the country. Over 200 of different footprints were discovered in a quarry near Oxfordshire, England.

Photograph from Daily Mail

When you think of the United States, the bald eagle is usually the symbol that comes to mind. This week, President Joe Biden made it official, signing the legislation correcting the United States Code which never stated it was the national bird. The bald eagle, native to North America, has for over 240 years been unofficially the the bald eagle. Now, with the legislation being signed by the President,the bald eagle is indeed the national bird of the United States.

Fun Fact: Did you know that Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird? Photograph from Dailynews. Learn more about the bald eagle: Bald Eagle Fun Facts

Marine Archaeologists think that a ship found off the coast of the country of Kenya MAY be that of the famous Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama. In 1497, da Gama sailed around the tip of Africa (Cape of Good Hope) and found a route to India. He went on to do several more voyages. It is his 1524 voyage where the Sao Jorge sank. Since da Game died on this voyage, the exact location of the ship was lost to time. The ship is just 20 ft. below the surface of the ocean and copper and elephant ivory and other items have been removed from the ship. Studying some of the few pieces of ship wood that remain will help date the age of the wreckage. Even if it isn't one of explorer Vasco da Mama’s ships, it is still a very old ship dating to the 16th century.

Photograph from Goodness Network

TAKE A PEEK at THESE ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:

Teaching Tips A-Z

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY

Landmarks from Around the World

Calender of Resources for the Year:

wpclipart.com Science Fun!

Mrs. Waffenschmidt

Special thanks to EducationWorld for letting me use this image of my "alter ego" as Mrs. "Waffenschmidt!

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.






Mail Gail:
Gail Hennessey

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