Every year at BioBlitz, National Geographic and the U.S. National Park Service rally to get people young and old to explore the wild spaces around them during a whirlwind 24-hour search to identify every species they can find. In advance of our next event in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, March 28-29, 2014, we’re already exploring stories of the life and lands of northern California. Learn … Continue reading Sluggish Verse
SCIENCE Last month, coastlines saw extreme high and low tides known as king tides, which are caused by a chance alignment of the moon, Earth, and the sun. Now the tides are back—and coastal waters may rise by more than 13 feet. (National Geographic News) Use our resources to better understand tides. Discussion Ideas Study our beautiful poster above, explaining Earth’s tides. The poster does … Continue reading King Tides Rule
ENVIRONMENT Migrating monarch butterflies are in “grave danger,” according to a report that shows their colonies in Mexico now occupy the smallest area since records began in 1993. (National Geographic News) Learn more about monarchs, migration, milkweed, and metamorphosis. Discussion Ideas Read the short section “Migration Mystery” in our article “Monarch Migration Mystery.” According to experts, more than half a billion monarchs spend their winter … Continue reading Monarch Migration in ‘Grave Danger’
POLITICS “Let’s make this a year of action,” President Barack Obama said in his 2014 State of the Union address. What issues was he talking about, and what actions can the government take? (New York Times) Use our resources to better understand the U.S. government. Discussion Ideas Discuss key issues in the debates surrounding the five key issues addressed in the New York Times article. … Continue reading So, What’s the State of the Union?
ENVIRONMENT Recently, a 12-year-old boy was snatched and his friend mauled by a saltwater crocodile in northern Australia. Thirteen people, six of them children, have reportedly been killed by saltwater crocodiles—salties, as they’re locally known—in the area over the past dozen years. (National Geographic News) Use our resources to better understand saltwater crocodiles, funnel-web spiders, great white sharks, and the rest of Australia’s dangerous fauna. … Continue reading Killer Crocs in Australia
