Do you like to draw? Well, Fola David, of Nigeria, is a doctor who also likes to draw. He is hoping that his recent drawing will set a new Guinness World Record as the largest drawing created by only one individual. David created his drawing in a Lagos stadium. It is 16,145.86 sq. feet in size and took David six days to complete. It required a drone to photograph the drawing, called Unity in Diversity. David's drawing features two large hands holding up the map of the country of Nigeria.

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient temple and theater at an archaeological place called La Otra Banda, near Chiclayo, in the country of Peru. Thought to be over 3500 years old, it is one of the oldest man-made structures, older than the famous Machu Picchu! Found only six feet below the surface, the remains of a large temple and theater have been discovered. The remains of the theater include a staircase, raised platform and a backstage area. Carving of birds were found on some of the stone slabs. Large painted murals were also found which will enable archaeologists to use radiocarbon dating to help determine the age. At this point, who built the structures is unknown.

Photograph from CBS

Two girls joining a choir may not sound newsworthy until you learn that Lila,11, and Lois, 10, are the very first girls to sing in the St. Paul's Cathedral choir in 900 years! The grils, who attend the St. Paul's Cathedral School in London, England, have been in training since last fall but officially donned their white and black choir robes (called a surplice) at the end of June. Called choristers, the girls will join the boy members of the choir six evenings a week as well as during Sunday services and special occasions.

Photograph from St.Paul's

Scientists in China have discovered a moss, which lives in extreme environments such the Mojave Desert and the polar region of Antarctica. The researchers say their work has found that the moss, syntrichia caninervis, could actually thrive on the planet Mars. The "Red" planet has some pretty harsh conditions including extreme cold, dry conditions and levels of radiation that might make most plants unable to survive in such an environment. It is hoped that the moss can eventually be brought to either the moon or Mars for further study. Having plants that can live on Mars will make future manned missions to Mars more possible.

Photograph from Pixabay

Sadly, each year hundreds of rhino are killed especially for their horns. Some cultures in Asia say the horns have medical purposes. Over the years, different ideas have been used to save their dwindling numbers. One way was cutting off the horn so that poachers wouldn't kill these amazing animals for their horns. Now, scientists, in the country of South Africa, have come up with another idea. They are placing a tiny bit of radioactive into the Rhino horns. The radioactive material, in a chip, is a low enough dose that it isn't harmful to the rhino but makes the horn poisonous in human medicines. In South Africa alone, poachers killed 499 rhino in 2023.

Learn more about the rhino at this link: Fun Rhino Facts! Photograph from pixabay

PAST NEWS STORIES

Click here:Past News Stories



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.

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

---