الدراسات الاجتماعية للأطفال

How would you feel if you walked into your local public library and instead of hundreds of shelves laden with all kinds of exciting books, you encountered a modern interior that resembles an Apple store complete with aisles of computers and other electronic gadgets? That, is exactly the vision Nelson Wolff has for BiblioTech, a new kind of public library that is scheduled to open in San Antonio's Bexar County, in fall 2013....

If you like most of us, have read and perhaps even seen all the old and new reiterations of Cinderella, Snow White and Rapunzel a zillion times, you are in luck. That's because a cultural curator in Germany has discovered a treasure trove of 500 new fairy tales that have been tucked away in the archives for over 150 years!...

Well, it's official - The world did not end today! But amongst all the hoopla surrounding the rumored demise, the one significant event that you may have missed is that today also happens to be the first day of winter for people living in the Northern Hemisphere. Of course, the opposite is true for those living in the Southern Hemisphere who, are celebrating their first day of summer....

President Obama already has bragging rights to a fish (Ethiostoma Obama) and lichen (Caloplaca obamae). Now, he can add one more exotic animal species to this list - A lizard that inhabited the earth 65 million years ago, during the era of the mighty dinosaur....

On the morning of Friday December 14th, Americans watched in horror and disbelief as reports of an unprecedented tragedy began unfolding on the Internet and live television - The senseless killing of 26 innocent people, 20 of them students between the ages of 6 and 7, at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut....

If you have ever wondered what Noah's Ark, the ginormous boat that saved Noah, his family and two specimens of every animal genus that inhabited the earth may have looked like, you are in luck. That's because a Dutchman has created a life-size replica, with a slight modern day twist!...

Since house designs cannot be changed unless the entire structure is renovated, they are normally built with the worst weather patterns in mind. For example, a house in the Arctic would have thick concrete walls to preserve heat, while the opposite would be true for one built in the desert. This means that while residents are sheltered during severe weather conditions, they are unable to enjoy seasonal changes. Now, two British architects are trying to change this with a revolutionary design that believe it or not, uses a math puzzle that you may all be quite familiar with!...

Though many astronauts have spent more than 365 days in Space, it has not been in one long stretch, but instead broken up through several missions. That is because scientists are not sure of the long-term effects of weightlessness on both the human body and mind, and therefore restrict stays to a maximum of six months....

Let's face it - Art shows can get just a tad boring. After all, how many exhibits can you ooh and aah over? Unless of course, you are one of those lucky people that live in South-East Russia and was fortunate enough to visit the Archstoyanie art festival where one of the art installations this year, happened to be 'Fast Track' - The world's longest trampoline!...

November 29th, was a landmark day for anybody that has ever touched a gaming console - That's because it was on this day, 40 years ago that Pong, the first successful commercial video game was introduced to the world....

From Tuesday November 26th to Thursday November 28th, New York residents were treated to an unusual but glorious sight - A 35-mile rainbow that lit up the cloudy night skies all the way from Manhattan to the hurricane ravaged Brooklyn. The spectacular color spectrum was not a freak act of nature, but a powerful work of art created by German artist Yvette Mattern....

For the last three years, a group of lucky 8-10 year olds have been involved in a super-exciting experiment - To see if replacing traditional pencil and paper with hi-tech interactive desks would help improve their math skills! But before we tell you the obvious results of this 'study' let's talk about the more interesting part - The desks....

For some reason being home to the world's tallest skyscraper seems to be something every country is constantly vying for. Now, China too has joined the fray. However, unlike any of the other contenders it is planning to complete this amazing feat in less time than it takes most countries to design a structure - A mere 90 days!...

Search for the term 'world's longest word' and you probably find Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis - the scientific name for a lung disease commonly referred to as silicosis. While this is technically true because it is the longest word you will ever see published in a dictionary or for that matter in most places, there are many words that believe it or not, are much longer than that....

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the day when over 46 million turkeys will take center stage at dinner tables all over the USA. Missing from this impressive count will be two lucky birds - Cobbler and his even luckier spare Gobbler, who were today pardoned by none other than President Obama! Instead, they will happily cackle away their lives on George Washington's Mt. Vernon Estate in Virginia....

While thrilled at being given another four years to continue the path he had carved out for the country, President Obama's celebration was short-lived. That's because the day after being re-elected the President had to begin working on resolving what is being called a 'Fiscal Cliff' - So what is this cliff that has everybody in a tizzy and are things going to be as dire for Americans as predicted? Read on . . . ....

Today, millions of Hindus, Jains and Sikhs all over the world are celebrating Diwali. Also known as Deepavali or the Festival of Lights, it is one of the most eagerly awaited and widely celebrated Indian festivals....

This weekend, as you are enjoying the three-day holiday in honor of Veterans Day, do take at least a few minutes to pay your respects to all the men and women who have served the country in our armed forces. These include the members of the US Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and the Coast Guard....

On November 6th, 2012, an estimated 126 million Americans braved long lines to cast their vote for the candidate they believed was best suited to lead the country for the next four years. As had been expected, the race was close but by 8.30pm PST, most television networks were predicting that President Barack Obama had obtained the 270 electoral votes that he needed to be re-elected....

Tomorrow, November 6th, millions of Americans will head to the polling booths to cast their vote for either Democrat incumbent President Obama or Republican nominee, Mitt Romney. Over the last six months we have heard the candidates make so many campaign promises that it is easy to get a little confused about what each one of them has said....

In this Internet era when most of us are constantly scanning news off of our smart devices it is quite refreshing to know that there are some people that still take the time to read a penned version - Yes that's right not printed, but one that has been neatly written with chalk on a blackboard!...

If you are a little worn out by all the Halloween festivities this week then you are in luck. That's because this weekend is 'Fall Back', which means that on Sunday, November 4th, most North Americans will add an extra hour to their day by simply moving the clock back. This age-old tradition that dates all the way back to World War One, is observed in other parts of the world too - However, the date differs, with most changing their clocks about a month earlier....

At a time when most countries are struggling to figure out where to dump all the trash that is generated on a daily basis, Sweden is turning the other cheek - They want more trash. In fact so badly that they plan to import 800,000 tons of it from other countries. Intrigued? Read on . . ....

On Tuesday morning, millions of people all over the world woke up to the horrifying images of the destruction caused by Frankenstorm Sandy that made its landfall on the shores of New Jersey on Monday night, a few hours earlier than had been expected. While it had been downgraded to a 'post' tropical storm by the time it arrived, Sandy proved to be as powerful as promised, flooding thousands of homes and businesses and leaving millions of people all the way from West Virginia to Atlantic City and Connecticut without electricity....