PBS Kids Create a Soda Car

This week for the Herald, I went to PBS Kids Design Squad, created an account and sketched a soda car. To create an account is free. You have to have a password and username to log in, and answer some questions like what you favorite food is.

My soda car sketch has somewhere to sit, and a steering wheel. If it was real, you would shake the soda, and twist the cap off to make it go.

I like this website because it is fun, and you have a chance to be creative. You can give stickers online to an idea you like, such as the soda car. I got on the website and started sketching, and had a blast.

To go to the website, click on this link, and have fun!

Obama Tells the State of the Union

On January 25th, Obama held a speech, the State of the Union, which started with the topic of jobs. Obama said, "But this shouldn't discourage us. It should challenge us." We have the best colleges and universities in America, worldwide.

Obama asked three main questions: "What do you think of the idea?" What idea, you might ask? The idea Obama is hinting at is the rights of one's rights in America. I, Angela, think that the idea is correct: All people have rights of their own and choices of their own. I, Camryn, agree with Angela. I think everyone should go by their own opinion. Everyone should have equal rights.

The next question Obama asks, is, "What do you want to change about the world?" Camryn thinks that we should be focused on being more green. I'm about to move to Arkansas, where hardly no one recycles. I think that that should change because Earth is our home, and we're killing it. I, Angela, agree with Camryn's thoughts that we should go green. In one-hundred years from now, do you think our planet will be filled with plants and trees if we keep treating it like this? If we want it to stay with plants and animals, we should stop using fuels that harm the earth.

The last question Obama asks is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" When I, Camryn, grows up, I want to be a paleontologist. I want to be a paleontologist because I am I am interested in the study of plant and animal fossils. I, Angela, want to be an animal cop because some animals are treated horribly by people and I don't see why they deserve it. I want to help animals who are in need and were treated with cruelty.

Can you answer these questions yourself? You can go see the excerpts at the White House Website.

Article by Camryn and Angela

Is There a Secret to Test Taking?

According to new research, testing is not just a list of questions testing what you know. Testing helps people learn, and it may be a lot better than some other learning techniques.

According to The New York Times, "The research, published online Thursday in the journal Science, found that students who read a passage, then took a test asking them to recall what they had read, retained about 50 percent more of the information a week later than students who used two other methods.

One of the methods is recognized by legions of students who study before exams. The other method is prized by many teachers because it forces students to connect on facts.

Researchers gathered 200 college students in two experiment to read paragraphs about science. For the first experiment, the 200 students were divided into 4 groups. One group didn't do anything but read the text for five minutes. Another group of 50 studied the passage in four five minute sessions.

One week later all the groups were given a short answer test to recall facts based on what they studied.

Why standard testing helps is still a mystery. But it is an area that is being heavily researched and considered these days.

To find out more, go to the New York Times Website.

A Look at Unlikely Friends

National Geographic has two videos about animals that were thought to fight with each other. A drug dealer had extra money to spend, so he bought  Baloo the black bear, Leo the lion, and Sheerkon tiger. The animals live in the habitat called "The Club House," and love to play, relax, and welcome visitors. These animals were rescued by cops and given to Noah's Ark.

Noah's Ark is a rehabilitation center just south of Atlanta. It's a special habitat that welcomes all species.

A worker at Noah's Ark thought if the cubs weren't rescued, then they would have died because the owner wouldn't be able to handle such mature animals. Now, the animals are loved and love being at Noah's Ark.

Baloo the bear wore a harness as a cub, and the owners didn't adjust the harness, get a new one, or take it off, so vets from Noah's Ark had to do it themselves. The harness was grown into Baloo's shoulders. Now, fortunately, Baloo is having a blast playing with his friends at Noah's Ark.

The one other "Unlikely Friends" episode I watched was with a baby elephant and a sheep. In 2008, in Africa, near Capetown, a wild baby elephant was orphaned. The workers at Shamwari are worried about the small elephant. The elephant is like a child. They have to be loved, and this animal lost its mom, so it is very shy and skittish. It took a while before the cub even took water at Shamwari.

Shamwari to the rescue! They found the elephant a friend, a sheep! The two animals don't get along at first, though. Within a day, the two animals went from chasing each other to playing happily. About three days after the two animals met, the elephant took milk. After feeling comfortable with the cub, they named it Hope.

You can watch the videos of "Unlikely Friends" in the below Herald posts.

Unlikely Friends

Where Have All of the Sauropods Gone?

For the the past 100 years, paleontologists have been trying to solve the puzzle of where all the sauropods have gone. What's a paleontologist? A paleontologist is one who studies animal and plant fossils. What's a sauropod? A sauropod is any herbivorous dinosaur of the suborder Sauropoda, from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, having a small head, long neck and tail, and five-toed limbs, and it's the largest recorded land animal.

In North America and Europe, the Jurassic was the heyday of the sauropods dinosaurs. After the beginning of Cretaceous period 145 million years ago, but the number of sauropod dinosaurs dwindled and then they disappeared. It was later that other sauropods from a different location reestablished the existence of these dinosaurs.

As explained in paleography by paleontologist Phillip Upchruch, the amazing "sauropod hiatus" is probably an illusion. Over the past few years, new dinosaur discoveries have begun to complete in the gap of sauropod gaps on both North America and Europe. One reason paleontologists may not have found sauropods in North America and Europe, is because they may be missing on the continents. They may have been missing in North America only between about 90 to 75 million years ago. They are absent in Europe between 83 and 95 million years ago.

There are still uncertain about those dates. Some of the 70 to 80 million year old sauropod remains discovered in North America have actually belonged to a different type of dinosaur, the hadrosaurs.

I have been wanting to be a paleontologist because I am interested in science, and the study of fossils. I was inspired by my fourth grade teacher because she was the one that first introduced me to paleontology.

To find out more go to http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/dinosaur/, or watch the video I made:

Thank You, Judy and Adam

Read more about Jude and Adam in my post today.

Kick Stick Challenge with Judy and Adam

Judy and Adam, engineers working with PBS Kids DESIGN SQUAD, made a new challenge, called the kick stick. The items that make the kick stick possible are paint sticks, duct tape, a battery holder, a battery, aluminum foil, a washer,wire, a ping-pong ball, and popsicle stick.

The kick stick is like an automatic ping pong ball hitter. First, you stick the washer on the motor. Then put the battery in the battery holder, and connect the wires so the motor will work. Check to see if your washer spins. Tape some paint sticks together to make that the handle on your automatic ping-pong ball hitter. Then attach your motor to the sticks. Make a blade with duct tape or your popsicle stick, by attaching them to the washer connected to the motor. Now see if your blade(s) spin. Now test it out with a ping-pong ball.

You can see Judy and Adams video at the Design Squad website. Also, you can read older Hillwood Herald posts — both Adam and Judy were nice enough to come to Hillwood, so we could interview them for this blog.

On January 26,2011, Judy and Adam will have a new show coming out on PBS Kids T.V. The show will inspire kids to "Dream it,Build it, and Live it." The show is expected to attract families, tweens, and teenagers to watch the show. Over 10 episodes will be premiered with the help of the co-hosts Judy and Adam.

Also, The Hillwood Herald has been reporting on Judy and Adam for the last month. You can read our posts and watch how our challenges went here.

Design Squad Pop Fly, Another PBS Kids Challenge

Today, Angela and I made a pop flier. The pop fliers materials include:

• Duck Tape

• 1 wooden block/spool

• 3-oz paper cups

• Ping pong ball(s)

• 3-5 paint stirrers

Assemble your Pop Flier and try to fly the ping pong ball so that it flies high enough for one to catch it. Now ask yourself:

Did it fly high enough for you to catch it? Was it worth building it?

Now go find your tallest friend and have them try to catch it!

Step by step, our pop flier was a success. First, we got two paint stirrers and taped them together. Then we taped quarter of a cup to the paint stirrers. From there, we taped two full cups below the quarter cups. We added another cup below the paint stirrers about an inch from the other cups. Then we placed two ping ball balls in the quarter cups and at the end of the paint stirrers, we hit it and our ping ball balls shot off.

We tried to catch them but it's hard because there is two of the ping pong balls. Now you try to catch your ping pong balls.

By Camryn and Angela

Congress Approves $19 billion for NASA

Late Wednesday, Congress approved that $19 billion would go to NASA so NASA could develop a heavy-lift vehicle. NASA passed by the Senate's agreement. Because of the Senate's approval, NASA could progress on President Barack Obama's plan of strategy, including space commercial development for space transportation. Congress and Obama are supposed to sign the check. The money is expected to be given to NASA after the November election.

NASA is proud to announce that another rocket is expected to be launched from NASA, between February 2011 and June 2011.

Unfortunately, when the program for the shuttle ends, 9,000 people that took a big part in the ship functioning and production, are expected to loose their jobs. Today, 1,200 people were laid off from shuttle working. Many people departing, have worked with the shuttle from the beginning of the production.

Flower Power: Watch Faryn's Video and Then The Hillwood Herald Interview

Free Symphony at Justin Herman Plaza

On Friday, September 24th, there is a free symphony at Justin Herman Plaza (all ages recommended). It will be in an outside park. The symphony starts at 12 pm.

Take a lunch, and throw out a blanket, and dance to the music. The symphony is sponsored by Sustainability Partner and Media Partner. The conductors and performers includes Michael Tilson Thomas.

Michael Tilson Thomas became the 11th conductor of the symphony in 1974, (age 29) starting a strong relationship with the symphony group. He now conducts some performances at the San Francisco Symphony.

Justin Herman Plaza, is located across from the Ferry Building. You may have seen Justin Herman Plaza, driving on The Embarcadero (at the end of Market Stree). Located in front of the park, is a fountain. In December, many Holiday decorations are there, such as the Christmas tree and Jewish decorations.