God and the Spider

By Unknown
Oct. 21, 2009

  

Editor’s Note: Do you know what “Joyology” means? It is the study of caring, sharing, and listening and Sacrifice.

This was written by Mr. Jeineke in 1975

We would like to know what you think: dan@youngchronicle.com

What is a Joyologist? A joyologist then would be one who studies joylogy. Frankly our world could use a great many joyologists whose mission in life is to actively research the effects of discussing and sharing joy. The research could branch out into how joy affects our careers, family lives, and friendships. The very act of doing the active research should spread jubilation throughout the world and bring about positive results. What a fun job!

All one needs to start with is to share the words joyism, joyology, and joyologist with others. Use the words daily and make them a part of the world’s vocabulary.

The upcoming year is going to challenge us all. Here is something we need to think about:  God and the Spider   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

During World War II, a US marine was separated from his unit on a Pacific island. The fighting had been intense, and in the smoke and the crossfire he had lost touch with his comrades. Alone in the jungle, he could hear enemy soldiers coming in his direction. Scrambling for cover, he found his way up a high ridge to several small caves in the rock. Quickly he crawled inside one of the caves. Although safe for the moment, he realized that once the enemy soldiers looking for him swept up the ridge, they would quickly search all the caves and he would be killed.

As he waited, he prayed, “Lord, if it be your will, please protect me. Whatever your will though, I love you and trust you. Amen.” After praying, he lay quietly listening to the enemy begin to draw close. He thought, “Well, I guess the Lord isn’t going to help me out of this one.” Then he saw a spider begin to build a web over the front of his cave.

As he watched, listening to the enemy searching for him all the while, the spider layered strand after strand of web across the opening of the cave. “Hah, he thought. “What I need is a brick wall and what the Lord has sent me is a spider web. God does have a sense of humor.”

As the enemy drew closer he watched from the darkness of his hideout and could see them searching one cave after another. As they came to his, he got ready to make his last stand. To his amazement, however, after glancing in the direction of his cave, they moved on. Suddenly, he realized that with the spider web over the entrance, his cave looked as if no one had entered for quite a while. “Lord, forgive me,” prayed the young man. “I had forgotten that in you a spider’s web is stronger than a brick wall.”

We all face times of great trouble. When we do, it is so easy to forget the victories that God would work in our lives, sometimes in the most surprising ways. As the great leader, Nehemiah reminded the people of Israel when they faced the task of rebuilding Jerusalem, “In God we will have success!” [Nehemiah 2:20]

Remember: Whatever is happening in your life, with God, a mere spider’s web can become a brick wall of protection. Believe He is with you always. Just speak His name through Jesus His son, and you will see His great power and love for you.

Source: Joyology

 

http://www.joyology.org

History of Halloween

By Apples 4 the Teacher
Oct. 20, 2009

Halloween is a traditional celebration held on October 31st. Today, Halloween is an excuse for Halloween theme costume parties, and entertainment with horror films, haunted houses and other activities around the popular themes of ghosts, witches, Dracula, werewolves and the supernatural.

Children love to dress up in halloween costumes and go from door-to-door in their neighborhood following the old tradition of trick-or-treating, collecting sweets and gifts, sometimes money.

Halloween began as an ancient Celtic festival in Great Britain and Ireland, and has survived most strongly among Irish, Scottish and Welsh communities. Immigrants from these communities carried the tradition to North America where it has gained in popularity.

In turn, as part of American pop culture, Halloween has spread in popularity to most corners of the English speaking western world, and increasingly into Western Europe in recent times.

Originally Halloween was a pagan festival, around the idea of linking the living with the dead, when contact became possible between the spirits and the physical world, and magical things were more likely to happen.

Like most pagan festivals, long ago it was absorbed into the festivals of the expanding Christian church, and became associated with All Hallows Day, or All Saints Day, which eventually fell on November 1 under the Gregorian calendar. A vigil for the festival was held on All Hallows Evening on October 31. In the vernacular of the times, All Hallows Evening became Hallowe’en and later the Halloween we know today.

The celebration of Halloween survived most strongly in Ireland. It was an end of summer festival, and was often celebrated in each community with a bonfire to ward off the evil spirits. Children would go from door to door in disguise as creatures from the underworld  to collect treats, mainly fruit, nuts and the like for the festivities.

These were used for playing traditional games like eating an apple on a string or bobbing for apples and other gifts in a basin of water, without using your hands. Salt might be sprinkled on the visiting children to ward off evil spirits. Carving turnips as ghoulish faces to hold candles became a popular part of the festival, which has been adapted to carving pumpkins in America.

Halloween is usually celebrated by both adults and kids. Some families celebrate by having costume parties and playing special games like bobbing for apples and telling ghost stories. Sometimes children go “trick or treating” – knocking on doors in their trusted neighborhoods collecting candy.

Other times they may attend a community party instead. Parents should use common sense when supervising their child’s Halloween activities.

In earlier years, Halloween was a time for playing harmless pranks. However, in more recent times, Halloween pranks have sometimes gotten out of hand – causing damage and injury to others.

Schools usually prefer to celebrate Halloween by having children dress as storybook characters. In this way, children are still allowed to “dress up, ” and the holiday becomes both fun and educational.

Source: Apples 4 the Teacher

 

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchroniclle.com

Know About Adoption

By Laura Broadwell
Oct. 20, 2009 

Adopting a child is a wonderful, life-changing experience. But if you’ve always dreamed of having a traditional pregnancy, birth, and family life, there are a few things you should consider before you adopt.

 

You may need to look for a “baby basics” class. Most women who give birth learn about the care, feeding, and basic development of babies in their childbirth class or at a class for expectant parents. If you’re adopting a baby, however, this particular option won’t be available to you. Fortunately, though, some hospitals, adoption agencies, and adoption-support groups now offer infant care and parenting classes to adoptive moms and dads. Ask your agency, local hospital, local chapter of Resolve, or other parent-support group for information.

 

You may not be able to breastfeed. Some adoptive mothers have been able to breastfeed their infants, by stimulating their breasts to produce milk. (Some take hormones, such as prolactin and oxytocin; others use more natural methods.) Not every adoptive mom will be able to do this, however. And even those who do breastfeed will still need to supplement their baby’s diet with formula, since they won’t be able to produce enough milk to meet their infant’s nutritional needs. If you think you’ll want to breastfeed, learn as much as you can before your baby arrives. Contact a lactation consultant at a local hospital or a representative from La Leche League (www.lalecheleague.org), or read a book on the topic, such as Breastfeeding the Adopted Baby by Debra Stewart Peterson.

 

You may not have a baby shower until months after your baby is born. Since the adoption process is often filled with so much uncertainty, many prospective parents prefer to wait until after their baby is home before having a shower. Often, this is a practical course of action. For instance, if a family is adopting from overseas, they may not know their child’s gender, size, or age until shortly before traveling to get him. (In some cases, their “baby” may be 15 or 16 months old!) However, once parents are home and settled into a routine, they’ll have a better sense of what they need — and of their baby’s likes and dislikes.

 

You won’t be sending out traditional “birth” announcements. Of course that’s not to say that you won’t be announcing your child’s adoption in a special way. Some parents send out handwritten cards or notes, detailing some of the highlights of their child’s adoption (such as where he was born, his birth name, his family name, the date he was born, the date he was adopted, etc.). Others order special adoption announcements, which they personalize with facts about their family. Whichever method you choose, be sure to include a photo of your child and his new family members.

 

Your “baby book” may not begin at birth. If you’re planning to be at your child’s birth or to adopt her as a newborn, then you’ll be fortunate enough to have some very early photos of your baby. In this case, your baby book may also include pictures of your child’s birth mother and possibly her birth father. But if you’re adopting an older baby, or perhaps an older child, you may not have access to many early baby pictures. (For instance, if you’re adopting a child from overseas, you may have only the referral photo you were sent, and possibly one or two others.) On the other hand, your child’s baby book will probably include lots of pictures from the day you adopted her and/or the day you brought her home and of the people who cared for her in a foster family or orphanage.

 

Your child may celebrate two special days. Often adoptive families celebrate not only their child’s birthday but also the day he was adopted. (Sometimes this is called “Adoption Day,” “Family Day,” or “Gotcha Day.”) Whether or not you choose to do something special for Adoption Day is up to you. But some families have a small celebration at home and perhaps look at pictures or a video from the day their child was adopted. Other families get together with their “travel group” (families with whom they traveled to the host country and who adopted on the same day), and have a larger celebration, honoring all their kids.

 

You’ll probably be asked lots of personal questions. Friends, relatives, coworkers, and even people on the street may ask questions about your adoption, particularly if you’ve adopted from overseas and your child doesn’t look like you. Many of the questions or comments are probably well intentioned, but they may seem rude or too personal, especially when asked in front of an older child. (Adoptive parents have been asked, for instance, “How much did you pay for your baby?” “How could the birth mother ‘give away’ such an adorable child?” “Do you know anything about your child’s ‘real’ family?” etc.)

When asked a question that feels too personal or improper, you have the right not to answer it — particularly if it compromises your child’s, the birth mother’s, or your own privacy. But sometimes you can find a way to respond to a question that’s in the best interest of your family and offers some important information about adoption. For instance, when asked “How much did you pay for your baby?” you can explain that the fees you paid your agency and/or orphanage (you don’t have to disclose the amount) went toward the facilitation of your adoption and to the early care of your child. In a sense, they’re similar to what a pregnant woman pays to her doctor and hospital, you can add.

 

You won’t remember a time when your child didn’t live with you. Being a parent is one of the most enriching experiences in life. And though the job is often all-consuming and demanding, it certainly can expand your capacity for love and fun in ways you never imagined. That’s why most parents (adoptive or otherwise) can barely remember a time when their child wasn’t with them — and, for many parents, all the hard work it took to adopt fades into a distant memory.

 

 

Editor’s Note: The Complete Adoption Book (Second Edition) by Laura Beauvais-Godwin and Raymond Godwin, Esq.; The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Adoption by Chris Adamec

All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Source: Parents

NDS: Walking for a Cause

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
Oct. 21, 2009

Editor’s Note: We would like to know what you think. And if one of your children has NDS, we would love to hear their story. That we can share it with others and to help those families that are going through this.

Remember your child is a blessing from God……

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

We hope you will enjoy this special and blessing story:

By Beverly Beckham
Oct. 21, 2009

Before Lucy was born, I spent months trying to imagine my first grandchild. I pictured a boy with dark hair and olive skin and warm brown eyes, just like his father’s. I pictured strolling him in a pram all over town, taking him to church, reading him books, singing to him, and watching Disney movies together. Nicholas was the name my daughter and her husband had chosen for a baby boy and so it was to Nicholas I began writing letters.

In them, I told him stories about his mother and his father and the family he would soon come to know. I told him what was going on in the big bad world and in our own small and much happier worlds. I told him how many centimeters long he was and how much he weighed at two months in utero, at three months and at four months.

And then an ultrasound technician took a picture and said there was an 80 percent chance that Nicholas was a girl.

Dear Lucy, I wrote after that.

From the beginning I sang to this baby I’d yet to meet: “The very thought of you and I forget to do, the little ordinary things that everyone ought to do.” And from the beginning, I recited a prayer every day, which I tore from a “Daily Word.” “I am committed to letting you learn and grow at your own pace…. Throughout life you will be both a student and a teacher, for you have much to learn and perhaps even more to teach.”

Lucy came to us on June 20, 2003, the image of her mother, blond and blue-eyed, with all ten fingers and toes.

And one extra chromosome. Lucy had Down syndrome. And this eclipsed the miracle of her.

Six years later we know the miracle she is. Some people understood right away: There will be challenges but everyone has challenges. There are things that Lucy may not be able to do but there will be a lot more things that she will do. It’s all going to be okay, they said.

But most people were as misinformed as we were.

Raising Awareness and Promoting Acceptance

 

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month and throughout the country and around the world there are Buddy Walks. The National Down Syndrome Society began the walks 13 years ago to integrate people with Down syndrome so they will be accepted and included in schools, in the workplace, and in life. Because for decades and decades, the medical establishment shortchanged them, said they couldn’t learn, said they weren’t worth teaching, and said they should be institutionalized.

And this misinformation lingers

When Lucy was a baby, I strolled her in a pram all over town just as I’d imagined strolling any baby. I took her to church. I continue to take her to church. We read books. We sing songs. (”The Very Thought of You” is one of her favorites.) And we watch Disney and all kinds of movies together.

Last week we walked in our local Buddy Walk, Lucy, her family, and friends along with 2,000 other people around beautiful Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield, Mass.

Karen Gaffney, a young woman who was part of a relay team that swam the English channel, who swam across San Francisco Bay seven times, and who swam across Boston Harbor on October 8, spoke to the crowd about what it’s like having Down syndrome, what it’s like to look different on the outside but feel what everyone feels on the inside. What it was like for her growing up, wanting friends, wanting someone to sit next to her in the cafeteria, wanting to belong.

It was a speech that many of us could have given.

People with Down syndrome are shorter than average and slower to learn. They have trouble enunciating because of low muscle tone (think how hard it is to speak clearly after a Novocain). And they have trouble with fine motor skills.

But they feel and hurt and think and wish and dream the same things we all dream.

“Throughout life you will be both a student and a teacher, for you have much to learn and even more to teach,” I prayed before Lucy was born, thinking only of what I would teach her, not having a clue about all she would teach me.

Source: Grandparents

Make Halloween Safer

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Oct 21, 2009

Editor’s Note: We at the Chronicle joins forces with The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. To help Parents protect their children during this years Halloween.

We also are proud to join forces since 1990 to find missing kids across America. You can see their photos on the front of our sight.

Below are some safety tips to use for this Halloween.

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

 

Halloween is one of the most exciting times of the year for children, but sometimes the most hectic for parents. Nearly 94 percent of children between the ages of four and twelve participate in Halloween activities each year. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reminds parents to take a moment to consider basic safety precautions that will make Halloween a safer night of fun.

 

• CHOOSE bright, flame-retardant costumes or add reflective tape to costumes and candy bags so children are easily seen in the dark. In addition, carry a glow stick or flashlight.

 

• PLAN a trick-or-treating route in familiar neighborhoods with well-lit streets. Avoid unfamiliar neighborhoods, streets that are isolated, or homes that are poorly lit inside or outside.

 

• NEVER send young children out alone. They should always be accompanied by a parent or another trusted adult. Older children should always travel in groups.

 

• ALWAYS walk younger children to the door to receive treats and don’t let children enter a home unless you are with them.

 

• BE SURE children do not approach any vehicle, occupied or not, unless you are with them.

 

• DISCUSS basic pedestrian safety rules that children should use when walking to and from houses.

 

• CONSIDER organizing a home or community party as an alternative to “trick-or-treating.”

 

• MAKE sure children know their home phone number and address in case you get separated. Teach children how to call 911 in an emergency.

 

• TEACH children to say “NO!” or this is not my mother/father” in a loud voice if someone tries to get them to go somewhere, accept anything other than a treat, or leave with them. And teach them that they should make every effort to get away by kicking, screaming and resisting.

 

• REMIND children to remain alert and report suspicious incidents to parents and/or law enforcement.

 

“Child safety is important year round, but Halloween is an especially important time for parents and children to pay extra attention to their surroundings and not let their guard down,” says Nancy McBride, National Safety Director of NCMEC. “It is important that parents exercise a few basic safety precautions to help ensure that Halloween is both fun and safe.”

To download pdf of safety tips

 

Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

Who Were Our Presidents? Part 12

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/GCC
Oct. 22, 2009

Editor’s Note: How many of us along with our children? Know who our Presidents were and what they have done in Office.

Each week we will pick a President and tell you about them and their Accomplishes.

We hope that you will enjoy this series. And let us know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

12. ZACHARY TAYLOR 1849-1850

Northerners and Southerners disputed sharply whether the territories wrested from Mexico should be opened to slavery, and some Southerners even threatened secession. Standing firm, Zachary Taylor was prepared to hold the Union together by armed force rather than by compromise.

Born in Virginia in 1784, he was taken as an infant to Kentucky and raised on a plantation. He was a career officer in the Army, but his talk was most often of cotton raising. His home was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and he owned a plantation in Mississippi.

But Taylor did not defend slavery or southern sectionalism; 40 years in the Army made him a strong nationalist.

He spent a quarter of a century policing the frontiers against Indians. In the Mexican War he won major victories at Monterrey and Buena Vista.

President Polk, disturbed by General Taylor’s informal habits of command and perhaps his Whiggery as well, kept him in northern Mexico and sent an expedition under Gen. Winfield Scott to capture Mexico City. Taylor, incensed, thought that “the battle of Buena Vista opened the road to the city of Mexico and the halls of Montezuma, that others might revel in them.”

“Old Rough and Ready’s” homespun ways were political assets. His long military record would appeal to northerners; his ownership of 100 slaves would lure southern votes. He had not committed himself on troublesome issues. The Whigs nominated him to run against the Democratic candidate, Lewis Cass, who favored letting the residents of territories decide for themselves whether they wanted slavery.

In protest against Taylor the slaveholder and Cass the advocate of “squatter sovereignty,” northerners who opposed extension of slavery into territories formed a Free Soil Party and nominated Martin Van Buren. In a close election, the Free Soilers pulled enough votes away from Cass to elect Taylor.

Although Taylor had subscribed to Whig principles of legislative leadership, he was not inclined to be a puppet of Whig leaders in Congress. He acted at times as though he were above parties and politics. As disheveled as always, Taylor tried to run his administration in the same rule-of-thumb fashion with which he had fought Indians.

Traditionally, people could decide whether they wanted slavery when they drew up new state constitutions. Therefore, to end the dispute over slavery in new areas, Taylor urged settlers in New Mexico and California to draft constitutions and apply for statehood, bypassing the territorial stage.

Southerners were furious, since neither state constitution was likely to permit slavery; Members of Congress were dismayed, since they felt the President was usurping their policy-making prerogatives. In addition, Taylor’s solution ignored several acute side issues: the northern dislike of the slave market operating in the District of Columbia; and the southern demands for a more stringent fugitive slave law.

In February 1850 President Taylor had held a stormy conference with southern leaders who threatened secession. He told them that if necessary to enforce the laws, he personally would lead the Army. Persons “taken in rebellion against the Union, he would hang … with less reluctance than he had hanged deserters and spies in Mexico.” He never wavered.

Then events took an unexpected turn. After participating in ceremonies at the Washington Monument on a blistering July 4, Taylor fell ill; within five days he was dead. After his death, the forces of compromise triumphed, but the war Taylor had been willing to face came 11 years later. In it, his only son Richard served as a general in the Confederate Army

Editor’s Note: Todays’ homework: We would like to know some of President Zachary Taylor’s accomplishments as President.

If you can give us some, you can win a prize. You can contact us at dan@goldcoastchronicle.com

 

Source: White House

Officer of the Week – Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer

 
Remember September 11, 2001
Angels Among Us

Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer
Shield 22403
ESS-7
11/22/2001

Police Officer Ronald Kloepfer
Shield 22403
ESS-7

Within the tight fraternity of the New York City Police Department is an even tighter fraternity ‹ the 25 men, from officers to lieutenants, who wear the blue jerseys of the department’s lacrosse team. Ronny Kloepfer, 39, a sniper with the Emergency Service Unit, was their leader. He was founder, coach and midfielder of the six-year-old team, which had a 4-2 record in the annual charity game against its arch-rival, the New York City Fire Department.

Officer Kloepfer, who played for Seewanaka High School and then Adelphi University, somehow fit the team into a schedule that included his elite police position, a side job as a contractor and the demands of a young family. His wife, Dawn, and three children Jaime, 11; Taylor, 9; and Casey, 5 were always on the sidelines, as Officer Kloepfer was when his two daughters played their games. Casey was still too young, Mrs. Kloepfer said, but had his own stick from the day he was born.

From March to May, the team practiced two or three times a week, from 5 to 7 p.m., at an abandoned junior high school near Officer Kloepfer’s home in Franklin Square, N.Y. Now that he is gone, three teammates will run the team, a task Officer Kloepfer managed alone. “We don’t know how he did it,” said Detective Craig Carson. “We took him for granted almost.”

– The New York Times 11/22/2001

Source: NYP Angels

Alexander Rogov a Man of Courage

By Dan Samaria
Publisher/YC
October. 21, 2009

Editor’s Note: There are a lot of God’s special children in this world that you need your help. After reading this article, it doesn’t make you want to get involved we don’t know what would.

We hope you will enjoy the story below:

We would like to know what you think. dan@youngchronicle.com

By Special Olympics
October 19, 2009

Alexander Rogov had to face the reality of not achieving his dream because of an injury at the World Winter Games, but had the courage and spirit to support his teammates.

When Special Olympics Russia’s Alexander Rogov learned he was going to compete as a speed skater in the 2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games he thought of one thing – winning a medal.

On the first day of preliminaries for the 333-meter speed skating event Rogov fell to the ice on the third and final lap with a tear in his Achilles tendon. He courageously got back to his feet and was able to make it across the finish line, but it would be the last time he would wear his speed skates at these World Games. After traveling from his small town an hour outside of St. Petersburg, all the way to Idaho, his dreams of winning a medal in his first World Winter Games were over – on the eve of his 18th birthday.

“I was very disappointed,” Rogov said through an interpreter. “Winning a medal was the thing I wanted to do the most at the Games.”

As he underwent a successful surgery to repair the tendon, word of Rogov’s story spread throughout the community of athletes, coaches, volunteers and staff at the World Games. By the time he was back in his hotel room recovering, Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver had heard of Rogov’s story and visited him.

He told Shriver that it was difficult to remain in his room while his friends and fellow athletes competed in their own events. “It was very hard not to compete,” said Rogov. “But my teammates were very supportive and gave me updates of how our team did and who won medals.”

“He is a very good teammate, always willing to help out with equipment or whatever was needed,” said Alexey Shumilovsky, a friend and teammate of Rogov. “Our team missed him because he is a very good skater and probably would have won a medal for Special Olympics Russia.”

Shortly before the Closing Ceremony on 13 February, Rogov said he still had not told his family back in Russia about his injury. He thought his older brother and sister and his parents would be sad for him so he wanted to wait until he could tell them in person that he was not able to win a medal, so he can comfort them and tell them it is okay and not to be sad.

“I still had a lot of fun,” he said. “And I’m looking forward to being with my teammates for the Closing Ceremony. But if I had one wish it would be that I was able to win a medal.”

At the Closing Ceremony, Rogov received a big surprise when during his opening remarks, Shriver retold Rogov’s story of determination and courage. He called Rogov out on the stage to stand next to him, and Rogov made his way to the podium on his crutches, his foot in a walking boot. Shriver then told a packed house at the Idaho Centre in Nampa about a young man who traveled so far in hopes of living a dream, only to have to face the reality of not achieving that dream.

“I’ve talked to many skaters who told me that when you have an injury to your Achilles you’re lucky to be strong enough to walk anytime soon,” Shriver said. “Well, Alexander Rogov embodied the Special Olympics spirit of determination to overcome all odds when not only did he get back on his feet after falling, but he finished his race. He crossed the finish line, and while he did not win, he fulfilled the Special Olympics athlete oath by being brave in the attempt.”

Shriver gestured to the crowd, saying, “With all of your approval, what I’d like to do now is award Alex an honorary gold medal for bravery.  What do you think?”

The answer was unanimous as the crowd rose to its feet in booming cheers and thunderous applause and a young man’s dream was realized with a beaming smile and the glimmer of gold.

Source: Special Olympics

Grade 2 Science

By Natalie Smith
October 20, 2009

Budding scientists learn fundamental concepts and gain appreciation for our natural resources

In second grade, your grandchildren continue to learn about scientific concepts primarily through observation. Textbooks typically divide the year into separate units on life science, earth science, and physical science; teachers use simple experiments to build on earlier lessons. In life science, children discover ways to describe the similarities and differences between people, plants, and animals. They also study simple life cycles to learn how organisms grow and change. In earth science, students learn more about how people use our planet’s most important natural resources, including water. They also learn about Earth’s place in the solar system, and why the planet has day and night and different seasons. In physical science, children throw themselves into hands-on lessons on matter in its various states, learning, for example, to measure mass with a balance scale, and volume with a measuring cup. They also explore forces such as wind, gravity, and sound. By the end of the year, your grandchildren should have an understanding of scientific investigation, and know how to use simple equipment, such as rulers and timers, to gather data.

The Age of Dinosaurs. As part of their study of earth science, second-graders often learn about how fossils, especially those of dinosaurs, provide evidence of animals that lived long ago. Studying these fossils is usually not controversial, but in communities where advocates of “intelligent design” theories are clamoring for changes in the local science curriculum, textbooks’ statements about concepts such as how long ago dinosaurs lived can spark heated debates.

• Guide your grandchildren on a tour through nature with Jim Arnosky’s Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing Animal Habitats (Aladdin, 2007). Arnosky was a naturalist before he became an author. His fact-filled, colorful pages introduce grandchildren to the many different environments that wildlife can inhabit.
• Early-elementary students should understand that every plant and animal can cause changes to its environment – some for good, some not. Wendy Pfeffer’s Wiggling Worms at Work (HarperTrophy, 2003) illustrates this concept as it examines the critical role worms play in the natural world.
• Children in second grade will discover how animals, including humans, depend on natural resources like trees. How do the actions of humans have an impact on trees? Patricia Lauber’s Be a Friend to Trees (HarperTrophy, 1994) explores these ideas, and suggests ways to conserve this important natural resource.
• Second-graders will learn more about the power of gravity and its relationship to weight. It is a common misconception among kids (and many parents and grandparents) that heavier objects will fall faster than lighter objects. For a demonstration that proves this is incorrect, invite your grandchildren to the computer to watch an astronaut on the Apollo 15 mission drop a feather and a hammer on the Moon from the same height at the same time. For simple gravity experiments kids can perform here on Earth, with your help, read Vicki Cobb’s I Fall Down (HarperCollins, 2004).

Putting Animals in Their Place. Take your grandchildren to the zoo, and ask them to identify different creatures and tell you which animal group each belongs to, and what type of habitat it lives in.

Changes Matter. Show your grandchildren how to grow a rock: First, mix approximately two cups of hot water in a bowl with about four cups of sugar. Then tie one end of a string to the middle of a craft stick or pencil, and lay the stick across the top of the bowl, with the string hanging into the sugar mixture. Finally, cut the string so it touches the bottom of the cup. Once the mixture has cooled, have your grandchild take it home. Tell them to observe the string every day for a week and record what happens.

The Shadows Know. Take your grandchild outside on a sunny day. With a piece of chalk, trace his or her shadow onto the sidewalk. Write the time next to the shadow, then have your grandchild make a prediction about how the shadow will change later in the day. In a few hours, come back and test the hypothesis.

Editor’s Note: Natalie Smith is an assistant editor at Scholastic News Edition 4 and a freelance writer based in New York City.

We would like to know what you think? dan@youngchronicle.com

Source: Grandparants

National Zoo – Tokay Gecko

By FNZ
October 20, 2009

Taxonomy
Order: Squamata
Family: Gekkonidae
Genus/species: Gekko gecko

Description
With a length of around 14 inches (35 cm), tokay geckoes are one of the largest geckoes alive today . The body of a tokay is cylindrical, squat, and somewhat flattened on the upper side. The limbs are well-defined and uniformly developed. The head is large and set off from the neck, and they have large, prominent eyes with vertically-slit pupils. The eyelids of these animals are fused together and transparent. They also have a pineal body or “third eye” on the top of their head, which is believed to coordinate their activity with light conditions. The ears can be seen on the outside of the gecko as small holes on both sides of the head. It is possible to see straight through the head of these geckoes through their ears. Their toes that have fine setae on them, allowing them to cling to vertical and over-hanging surfaces and move at fast speeds.

They have soft, granular skin that feels velvety to the touch. The coloration of a tokay gecko is very important to its lifestyle. The skin is usually gray with several brownish-red to bright red spots and flecks but it has the ability to lighten or darken the coloring of its skin. They usually do so in order to blend in or to be less noticeable to other animals.

There are obvious male and female differences in the tokay gecko. The male is more brightly colored than the female and generally the male is slightly larger than the female. A conspicuous difference between the sexes is the small amount of swelling at the base of the tail of the male, due to the presence of the two hemipenes. Also, the males have visible preanal and femoral pores and postanal tubercules.

Tokay geckoes are solitary creatures. They encounter the opposite sex only during the breeding season. They defend their territory against intruders of the same species and of other species, ensuring less competition for food. The territory is generally guarded by males but is occasionally watched by the female. These geckoes can inflict severe bites if they are sufficiently threatened.

The nose is used for breathing and also for detecting scents. Scents are detected by the large number of sensory cells on a membrane in the nostrils. They are also detected by using the Jacobson’s organ. The tokay gecko uses its tongue to carry scent particles to Jacobson’s organ and “taste” the air.

They have folds of skin that prevent the animal from casting a shadow while resting on a tree. They open up the skin fold completely and this allows them to blend in with the tree bark.

An important characteristic of the tokay gecko is its ability to cast off its tail in defense and regenerate a new one. The part of the tail that has been cast off continues to move violently for several minutes until it slows down and stops, thus giving the gecko time to escape. The tail has several sections on it where it can break off. It takes about three weeks for these geckoes to completely regenerate a new tail although it is usually never as long as the original.

Calls of the tokay gecko are used for communication, finding members of the opposite sex during the breeding season, and as a means of defense (they emit a hissing or croaking noise when being attacked).

Tokay geckoes are nocturnal.

Distribution and Habitat
Tokay geckoes are found from northeast India to the Indo-Australian Archipelago.

The tokay gecko lives in tropical rainforests, on cliffs and trees, and as pets among human habitation. They are arboreal and cliff-dwelling. They can travel on floating debris to colonize tropical islands. Tokays form mutualistic relationships with humans in tropical areas — humans provide shelter and tokays provide insect extermination. They can be found doing just this at the Small Mammal House.

Diet in the Wild
Tokay geckoes are insectivorous.

Zoo Diet
In captivity, they usually feed on mealworms, cockroaches, crickets, grasshoppers, pink mice, and locusts.

Reproduction
Around mating season, tokays release a liquid from their femoral pores that is thought to attract a mate or to make copulation easier. The femoral pores are located on the upper hind legs. The breeding season lasts about four to five months. Males copulate frequently with females, often grasping them with their mouths. During the breeding period, females lay eggs every month. In order to attract a mate, a male has a call that can be heard over a wide area. This loud “to-kay” sound is repeated multiple times; this sound gives these geckos their name. The male approaches the female from the rear, and they move side to side while he holds her in place with his teeth, biting her in the neck region.

The female looks for a laying site, and when she finds the right one, she affixes the small, hard-shelled, oval-shaped eggs to a solid foundation where they are guarded by both parents until they hatch. They “glue” their eggs on objects, walls, and packing crates, which has resulted in their being transported throughout the world, becoming established where food and climate are optimal.

Hatchlings are two to three inches (5 to 7.5 cm) long. Upon hatching, the young eat their outer covering of skin. They are sexually mature in about one year. Hatchlings are aggressive and readily bite, just like their parents.

Life Span
Unknown.

Status
There is no special status for tokay geckoes.

Fun Facts
Tokay geckoes eat pests such as cockroaches and locusts. In parts of Southeast Asia, tokay geckoes are regarded as harbingers of luck, good fortune, and fertility.

Source of Information
All or part of this information was provided by the Animal Diversity Web and Museum of Zoology of the University of Michigan.
It appears here with their permission. The original author of this information was Jaime Corl.

For more information, including references, see the Animal Diversity Web account for this species, here:
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/ site/ accounts/ information/ Gekko_gecko.html.

Source:  National Zoo

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