Io Saturnalia! Throw Some Shade! Use Science, Physics, and Culture to Teach the Solstice to Your Students

This Friday (December 21) marks the December solstice—the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere. The maximum difference in daylight between the June solstice and the December solstice is a whopping five hours and 50 minutes! As schools wind down for holidays, take some time to introduce the solstice through Earth science, … Continue reading Io Saturnalia! Throw Some Shade! Use Science, Physics, and Culture to Teach the Solstice to Your Students

7 Wonders of the World, Times 7

Where are the “Seven Wonders of the World”? Well … Seven Wonders of the Ancient World • Great Pyramid at Giza• Hanging Gardens of Babylon• Colossus of Rhodes• Lighthouse of Alexandria• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus• Mausoleum at Halicarnassus• Statue of Zeus at Olympia     Seven Wonders of the Natural World • Great Barrier Reef• Mount Everest• Victoria Falls• Paracutin volcano• the Auroras• the … Continue reading 7 Wonders of the World, Times 7

Ancient Community May Have Sacrificed and Eaten Dogs to Become ‘Werewolves’

WORLD Members of a Bronze Age culture that lived along the Russian steppe practiced ritual sacrifice of dogs and wolves, and their young men then ate them as part of an initiation ceremony evoking the mythological transformation into a werewolf. (Newsweek) “All stories are about wolves. All worth repeating, that is.” Learn more with our great study guide on wolves of ritual, myth, and legend. … Continue reading Ancient Community May Have Sacrificed and Eaten Dogs to Become ‘Werewolves’

Mysterious Stone Structures Discovered in Saudi Arabia

WORLD Thanks to satellite imagery, archaeologists have uncovered nearly 400 ancient, previously undocumented stone structures in the Arabian desert. (New York Times) How do scientists identify ancient structures with satellite imagery? Our own “space archaeologist” can help answer that! Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Huge, ancient stone structures were just discovered in the Arabian … Continue reading Mysterious Stone Structures Discovered in Saudi Arabia

Massive Statue of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Found in Cairo Suburb

WORLD Archaeologists think 3,000-year-old statue could be legendary leader Ramses II. (Nat Geo News) Zoom in on Heliopolis and other ancient Egyptian locales with our gorgeous hi-res map! Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers Toolkit. Discussion Ideas Archaeologists from Egypt and Germany have discovered the remains of an ancient Egyptian statue they think could depict one of history’s … Continue reading Massive Statue of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Found in Cairo Suburb