Tag Archives: national geographic

The Science of Dogs

Over the weekend I watched the National Geographic documentary “The Science of Dogs.” It explored canine genetics, studying what it is about a dog’s DNA that makes it the species with the greatest number of breeds. The documentary revealed that there is something uniquely malleable about canine DNA that allows it to make a staggering variety of small changes. The example given by the documentary explained that one can breed cows in such a way to get different color patterns or shapes of horns. But all cows will look fundamentally the same and share identical characteristics. As we well know, … Continue reading →

Travel News for Kids—-How Your Youngster Can Win a Trip to Australia

My 3-year-old loves Dora the Explorer and if she were a bit older she would be a shoe-in for the following travel contest. (Spoken like a true biased mother.) The contest includes a few restrictions, which I will detail below, but here’s what you need to know first: The contest is called the “Hands-On Explorer Challenge” and is sponsored by National Geographic Kids magazine. The grand prize is an 11-day expedition to Australia and will be awarded to 15 kids ages 9-14 (each winner will be allowed to bring a parent or guardian along on the trip) PLUS two teachers. … Continue reading →

Wild Chronicles – National Geographic Podcast

Animal lovers will definitely enjoy the free video podcast Wild Chronicles from National Geographic. The episodes are only six or seven minutes long. Like you would expect from any program by National Geographic, the photographs and videos are superb. So far they’ve produced a hundred and one shows covering a wide variety of animals. Every episode features an animal or a unique place. Two shows are even on Madagascar. It’s fun to show the children what the real Madagascar looks like. The podcasts are educational, but also fun to watch. Viewers can learn about crocodiles, sea lions, bison, gorillas, mongoose, … Continue reading →

National Geographic Kids Website

I really love really good education website for kids. Not only do they offer a learning environment, but they do it in such a way that is so much fun. My kids don’t even realize they are learning. In fact, they beg for time on the computer to “play” on these websites. Of course, I always play with them, and I am happy to say that with the National Geographic Kids website, I find myself learning a lot, too. Did you know, for example, that scientists have recently discovered yet another planet? Or that there is a type of goat … Continue reading →