Classroom Ideas, Current Event Connection, Main

11 Things We Learned This Week

This week, we learned …

… the serious nature of child’s play.

Not everyone agrees with what a good preschool looks like … Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic
Photograph by Lynn Johnson, National Geographic

Start playing!

 

… there might be a Viking treasure ship in the California desert.

Vikings made it to the Maritimes, why not the Mojave? (A lot of reasons, actually.) Illustration by Tom Lovell, National Geographic
Vikings made it to the Maritimes, why not the Mojave? (A lot of reasons, actually.)
Illustration by Tom Lovell, National Geographic

How could the Vikings have made it to the Pacific?

 

… you can buy ink made of car exhaust.

You can also buy diamonds made of car exhaust.

 

… why the military is investing in paper airplanes, and how Lady Gaga’s drones worked.

How do geographers use drones?

 

… the Arctic is shrinking, but isn’t doomed yet

These gulls perched on an iceberg off Russia’s Franz Josef Land archipelago may help keep the Arctic ocean cool. Photograph by Cory Richards, National Geographic
Photograph by Cory Richards, National Geographic

How is the Arctic shrinking?

 

… parents are investing record amounts of time and money in their kids … but it may not be worth it.

An Australian father and son quench their thirst. Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic
An Australian father and son quench their thirst.
Photograph by James L. Stanfield, National Geographic

How can families foster empowered kids?

 

… how Pacific Islanders are living with climate change, why they’ve banned junk food, and whether Moana was culturally relevant.

How did geography inform the cultures of the South Pacific?

 

… how many calories it takes to walk to Mordor.

One does not simply walk into Mordor. One is guided there by Nat Geo, of course.

 

… there are still some blank spaces on the map, and Indonesia will let you name some of them.

The Hunt-Lenox Globe, built in 1510, is the only ancient cartographic device with the words “hic sunt dracones”—here be dragons. The language, transcribed here, is in the southeast corner of Asia, just where you’ll find Komodo dragons. Map of the Hunt-Lenox Globe by B.F. De Costa. Public domain
The Hunt-Lenox Globe, built in 1510, is the only ancient cartographic device with the words “hic sunt dracones”—here be dragons. The language, transcribed here, is in the southeast corner of Asia, just where you’ll find Komodo dragons.
Map of the Hunt-Lenox Globe by B.F. De Costa. Public domain

Learn how to read maps like a pro.

 

… slow-release fertilizer boosts crop yields and reduces environmental damage.

A new fertilizer increased crop yield, even when only half the typical amount of nutrients was added. The study was conducted on rice fields similar to this one in Asia. Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic
A new fertilizer increased crop yield, even when only half the typical amount of nutrients was added. The study was conducted on rice fields similar to this one in Asia.
Photograph by Bruce Dale, National Geographic

Where is rice grown?

 

… how to celebrate Periodic Table Day with six different periodic tables.

This classic is up-to-date the the new elements confirmed this year! Illustration by Andy Brunning/Compound Interest 2017 CC-BY-ND-NC-4.0
This classic version is up-to-date as of 2017, including all the new elements confirmed last year!
Illustration by Andy Brunning/Compound Interest 2017 CC-BY-ND-NC-4.0

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