الدراسات الاجتماعية للأطفال

In February 2013, US multimillionaire Dennis Tito announced that his non-profit organization, Inspiration Mars Foundation, was planning to sponsor two 'qualified' people for a flyby to Mars in 2018. While one would think that an announcement this ambitious from a man whose closest encounter with Space has been as the first paying guest of the International Space Station would arouse some skepticism, such is not the case....

Most of us take jumping onto a skateboard, shooting hoops or flying a kite, for granted. But for 12-year old Luka, anything beyond moving a limb or two, is just wishful thinking. That's because the young boy suffers from muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that confines him to a wheelchair....

Asian countries seem to have the most fun when it comes to celebrations. This was amply demonstrated last week when Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Burma ushered in their cultural New Year, with a giant, free-for-all, water fight!...

On April 22nd, people all over the world will celebrate the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day. Besides conducting environmentally friendly projects within their communities, over one billion people are also expected to participate in rallies to voice their concern about the dire effects of global warming on our planet and vow to take actions to help reverse the trends....

New York teen Timothy Doner, has an unusual hobby - He likes to learn languages! And not the way most of us do to get through basic school requirements, but thoroughly enough so that he can conduct a decent conversation. Over the last five years, the 17-year old has been able to master 23! While this has earned him the title of the world's youngest polyglot, he is still not satisfied....

Given that it has been over 20 years since the body of Otzi the Iceman was found, one would think that scientists had discovered all they could, about this Neanderthal who inhabited the earth some 5,300 years ago. Turns out the one thing they had not examined was his teeth, and what they discovered, would make any dentist cringe!...

Though bridge designs have come a long way since humans began using fallen tree trunks or stones to get across stretches of water, they have until now been boring inert structures. That however changed on March 29th, 2013, with the unveiling of Vietnam's Dragon bridge. It not only resembles the legendary mythical creature, but also, acts like it, by breathing out fire!...

On April 8th, 2013, the world mourned the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who passed away after suffering from a stroke at the age of 87. Besides being the country's longest serving leader (1979 to 1990) in the 20th century, she was the first woman to lead a Western democracy. During her 11-year reign, the strong-willed woman, who was nicknamed 'Iron Lady' by leaders of the former Soviet Union, made some hard-charging decisions for which she was loved and loathed in equal measures....

April 15th, marks the 101st anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. Dubbed 'The ship of dreams', the luxury cruise liner was like no other. Considered an engineering marvel, the 11-story structure was not only the largest ship to ever grace the seas, but also, one that featured unrivaled grandeur and amenities. It is therefore not surprising that the sinking of the 50,000-ton behemoth within days after its launch, continues to capture the interest of people across all ages, even today....

On Thursday, April 4th, 2013, British archeologists announced the discovery of what they described as a breathtaking complex in Southern Iraq. Located in what once was the ancient city of UR, the development is believed to be 4,000 years old or around the same time Abraham would have been living in the area, before leaving for Canaan, according to the Bible....

In this day and age, when we depend on our cell phones for everything - From communicating to snapping photos to even playing games - it is hard to imagine life without one. Yet, it was only 40 years ago on April 3rd, 1973, that Motorola Vice President Martin Cooper, stepped onto a New York City sidewalk and placed the first known cell phone call in history....

The freedom, equality and prosperity that Americans enjoy today, can be attributed to some key historical events or turning points. Here are a few that make for interesting reading and may also provide some help in preparing for those pesky Social Studies State tests....

A ten-year old British student has taken the world of Paleontology by storm with his discovery of a fossilized imprint that experts believe is more than 300 million-years old, from the Carboniferous period around the time when Pangaea was being formed....

Indians love festivals! Not a month goes by without a celebration. But none are as fun as Holi, the festival of color. Held annually at the beginning of spring on the day after a full moon, this year's festival happens to be today - March 27th, 2013....

Thanks to the efforts of Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, two engines from the Apollo rockets that delivered man to the moon, have been dug up from their watery grave, more than 40 years after they landed back on earth....

While all of us cannot be as enterprising as Felix Finkbeiner, the 13-year-old German school boy that has spearheaded a global eco campaign, we can still help reverse global warming trends with small things - Like switching off all lights and electronic devices for an hour, which is what hundreds of millions of people all over the world are planning to do from 8.30-9.30 on Saturday, March 23rd, in celebration of Earth Hour. Believe it or not, this minor action will go a long way in helping global warming....

Thanks to the discovery numerous Portuguese chronicles, historians have always believed that it was Vasco Da Gama, the Portuguese explorer that sailed around Africa to India and back between 1497 and 1499, who first began trading with East Africa. However, the recent discovery of a rare coin in Kenya, may convince them to rethink that theory....

American historian Laurel Ulrich once said 'Well-behaved women rarely make history' - And she was right! Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, and others did not help win the war against slavery and apartheid by following the rules. Today in honor of Women's History Month, we present a few more women and a teenager, whose bold behavior and courage to break conventional wisdom helped pave the way for the respect and equality enjoyed by their counterparts today....

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Unfortunately it is a Sunday, which means that you cannot pinch your school friends (not wearing green) and get away with it, but there are always unsuspecting family members and neighbors that you can have fun with. Also, be sure to go on an extensive search for those lucky four-leaf clovers and seek out leprechauns that will hopefully lead you to the elusive pot of gold. But before you do all that, don't forget to read about the man whose death anniversary we celebrate and how all these unusual customs began....

On March 13th, 2013, hundreds of scientists, government officials and journalists, made the trek to Northern Chile to witness the official inauguration of the Atacama Large Millimeter Array or ALMA, the world's most powerful ground-based telescope....

Today is the 25th birthday of Pi Day! Yes, believe it or not, we actually set aside a day to celebrate the numerical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, on a flat plane surface. Why was March 14th selected? Because while Pi has been calculated to one trillion digits past the decimal point, we all simply recognize it as 3.14, which also happens to be, today's date....

Walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy on any given day, and you will get the eerie feeling of an abandoned ghost town - One where even the structures seem to have been razed to the ground, leaving behind just barren land. So why even call it a town? Because that's exactly what it is, complete with 4,000 plus residents of 48 nationalities all of whom - Live underground!...

For those of you that are a little tired of the recent snowstorms here is some good news - Winter is finally over at least, as far as the clocks are concerned. That's because this weekend most Americans, as well as, a number of other countries in the Northern Hemisphere will 'Spring Forward', by moving their clocks ahead by an hour. Also referred to as Daylight Saving or British Summer Time, this age-old tradition dates all the way back to World War One....

If you happen to visit the Nordic countries of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Denmark, you may encounter a rather strange sight - Babies napping in their strollers outside homes, daycare centers and coffee shops even, during mid-winter when temperatures are below freezing....