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December 2015Kent County

Edition

Kids’ World News www.kidsworldnews.org Volume 1, Issue 4, December 2015

HappyHolidays!

Look For Our Coloring Contest

Winners On Page 6

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 2

Snowy weather, jingle bells, twinkling lights, and candy canes are all signs that De-cember has arrived! It’s the last month of the year and there is certainly a feeling of anticipation in the air. People are busy making plans and preparing for the holidays, also known as the “hustle bustle” of the holiday season! Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are all holidays celebrated in December, where songs, decorations, can-

dles and giving gifts are part of their beautiful traditions.

Kids and teachers are especially excited to have time off from school this month. What are you going to do over your break?

Kids’ World News wishes you the happiest of holidays this December, and a wonder-ful time sharing the joy of the season with your family and friends!

Happy Holidays to all!

Hi Kids!Thanks! To All Of Our Sponsors Who Are Helping Us To

Provide Great Information To Kids And Parents

If you would like to see Kids’ World News at your school or if you would like to be one of our proud sponsors, please call 616-233-9190 (e-mail: mike@kidsworldnews.org). Kids’ World News is designed to give exposure to all area schools, recognition of students and staff members. We welcome imput from all our area schools. We do however, reserve the right to edit.

Zeytin means “Olive” in Turkish, is the olive tree, branchesand fruit representing peace and goodwill. Please enjoy ourfriendly hospitality and authentic Turkish - American food

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The SS Edmund Fitzgerald,

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter. She was built by Great Lakes Engineering in River Rouge, Michigan. When she was launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America’s Great Lakes at that time and she remains the largest to have sunk there.

For seventeen years, the Fitzgerald carried taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Min-nesota to iron works in Detroit, Toledo and other Great Lakes ports. She set seasonal haul records six times. One of her captains, Peter Pulcer was known for playing music day or night over the ship’s intercom system while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers (between Lakes Huron and Erie). He also entertained spectators at the Soo Locks with a commentary about the ship!

The Fitzgerald was 729 feet in overall length. She could carry 25,400 tons of cargo and go at 14 knots or about 16 miles per hour. She had a crew of 29.

Carrying a full cargo of ore pellets with Captain Ernest M. McSorley in command, the Fitzgerald embarked from Superior, Wisconsin, near Duluth on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. She was going to a steel mill in Detroit. Joining a second freighter, the SS Arthur M. Anderson, the two were caught in the midst of a severe winter storm on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The wind was hurricane-force and the waves were up to 35 feet high. Shortly after 7 p.m., the Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian waters 530 feet deep.

Marie, Michigan. Even though the Fitzgerald had reported being in trouble earlier, no distress signals were sent before she sank. The last message Captain McSorley sent to the SS Arthur

M. Anderson was “We are holding our own.” All of the crew perished.The Fitzgerald is among the best-known vessels lost on the Great Lakes

but she is not alone on the Lake Superior seabed in that area. In the years between 1816, when the Invincible was lost, to the sinking of the Fitzgerald in

Gordon Lightfoot (a song writer) made it the subject of his 1976 song called “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 3

Messy play is an important aspect of your child’s development. Fine motor skills develop as they ex-plore all aspects of their surroundings. As kids en-gage in messy play, a wealth of information is sent

in space, teaching them how to control their move-ments and muscles. Feedback from touch stimula-tion is an important aspect of sensory processing. Stimulating the senses sends signals to children’s brains that help to strengthen neural pathways im-portant for all types of learning.

Young children learn with all their senses.

Why Is Messy Play Necessary?

This activity provided by the Grand Rapids Children's Museum.

Fun Science Experiment!

Did You Know...

Did you know you can take two different kinds of substances and combine them to make a third substance that is different from the other two? For this experiment you will need cornstarch and hair condi-tioner.

1. Measure 2 1/2 cups of corn starch into a bowl, and add 1 cup of hair conditioner.

2. Mix them thoroughly together. If the mixture is really sticky, add more corn starch until you get a silky smooth play dough.

As you explorer your dough, think about other interesting combinations you can try... with your grown-up helper’s as-sistance, of course!

Alfred Nobel was a Swedish chemist, inventor and engineer. The Nobel Prize is named after him for his work in the science world. He studied chemistry, biology, math and physics to become a chemical engineer!

Alfred worked with a substance called Nitroglycerine, an explosive chemical made by mixing together glycerin, sulfuric acid and nitric acid. He spent 4 years working on his forula and in 1867 received a patent for the new material: dynamite!

To learn more about Alfred Nobel and his work, visit www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/life-work/

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 4

Free & Fun KDL Winter Programs!Gingerbread Lane • The Reindeer are Coming

Mush! Meet the Sled Dogs from the Tun-Dra Kennels

Visit www.kdl.org for details.

Winter According to HumphreyBy Betty G. Birney Humphrey the hamster and the students

in Mrs. Brisbane’s class get ready for the

holidays and a special Winter Wonderland

program.

Big SnowBy Jonathan Bean An excited and frustrated boy watches

hopefully as wintry weather develops

slowly into a “big snow.”

OutsideBy Deirdre Gill When his brother refuses to come outside,

a child plays by himself in the snow and

creates an imaginary world.

Content submitted by the librarians at Kent District Library.

Warm up with a Winter Book.

If It’s Snowy and you Know it, Clap Your Paws!By Kim NormanAnimals enjoy a variety of wintry activities

in the snow.

Snowy BearBy Tony Mitton Tired, cold and lonely, little Snowy Bear

trudges through the woods seeking shelter

and finally finds it in a house where a lonely

young girl is wishing for a friend.

Let It Snow!

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 5

Fun With Fractions!Color In The Correct Answer!

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13

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24

46

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Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 6

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Great Job To All Who Entered The Contest This Year! Special Thanks To Our Sponsors Who

Provided Additional Prizes For The Winners

Olivia2nd Grade

Parkview Elementary

Melana3rd Grade

West Kelloggsville Elementary

Alayna3rd Grade

Century Park Learning Center

SamKindergarten

Quinton4th Grade

Gladiola Elementary

CalebKindergarten

Rockford Christian

Ariana4th Grade

East Grandvile Elementary

Maliq1st Grade

Ridgeview Elementary

Zuhai5th Grade

Pine Island Elementary

Vivienne1st Grade

Stoney Creek Elementary

Jazmine5th Grade

Appleview Elementary

Jazlyn2nd Grade

West Godwin Elementary

Aaliyah6th Grade

Red Hawk Elementary

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Central Elementary

G.R. Rapids Children’s Museum: Free admission for 1 child and 1 adultFlees ATA Martial Arts: One-month Free VIP membership

Tarry Hall Roller Rink: Passes for $1 only admission

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 7

FREE Check-ups for Grades 2nd through 5th

616-956-5600

Catch Up, Keep Up and Get Ahead!1st-12th Grades • Math Help • Math Enrichment • Homework Help • Test Prep

www.mathnasium.com/grandrapidseastgrandrapidseast@mathnasium.com

FREEREGISTRATION!

Coloring CornerHappy

HolidaysTo You!Write about one of the

traditions that yourfamily celebrates this

holiday season.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 8

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Share A Story About YourFavorite Holiday Memory

Dec 28th - Thurs Dec 31st 1:30pm-4:30pmDec 31st New Years Eve Family Skate

6:30pm-9:30pmSpecial Admission price is $5 with free roller skate rental

$2 Rollerblades rentalA parent admission is just $1 with a paid child admission

We will also be open to our regular weekend public skating

Monday, December 21st - Skating Session from 1:30pm-4:30pm followed by the Polar Express

Tuesday, December 22nd - Skating Session from 1:30pm-4:30pm followed by Elf

Wednesday, December 23rd - Skating Session from 1:30pm-4:30pm followed by Grinch

and buy some popcorn (50¢) and candy ($1.00) to enjoy! Everyone who stays for the movie will receive one small free drink!

The movie is free with the paid admission to skate the session. We will start the movie by 5pm and will be done each day by 6:45pm.

D b Sk i S iSkating And A Movie!

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Dec 19th Santa and His Elves

1:30-4:30

3330 Fairlanes Ave.Grandville MI, 49418

(616) 534-8235 • www.tarryhall.com

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$1 Off Snack Bar

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Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 9

The piano is a very important part of music. Many musicalnotes do not seem possible without it and many notes soundbetter on the piano. The piano can play all types of musicfrom classical to rock and roll. It can also be played solo orwith other instruments, so it is very versatile.

There is some disagreement on when the first modern stylepiano was built. Most say the modern style piano (or pianoet forte, meaning soft and loud) was probably built by theItalian, Bartolomeo Cristofori in 1709. It was described as aharpsichord with both soft and loud!

The difference between the harpsichords that came beforeand the piano, was the way the strings were sounded. In-

side the piano the strings are tightened into tune. A grandpiano, for instance, looks like a harp when on it’s side. Mod-ern style pianos use hammers to pluck the string. So whenyou touch the keyboard, the hammer hits the string whichaffects the sound of the note. If you stroke the key gently, thesound will be soft. If you use a heavy touch on the key, thesound will be much louder!

PIANO FACTS:• The average medium sized piano has about 230 strings.Each string has about 165 pounds of tension. With the com-bined pull of all the strings, that equals approximately eight-een tons!• There are over 10 million pianos in American homes, busi-nesses and institutions.• Yamaha, established in 1887, was the first piano manu-facturer in Japan.• The world’s largest piano is a Challen Concert GrandPiano. This piano is eleven feet long and has a total stringtension of over 30 tons. This piano weighs more than a ton!• The working section of the piano is called the acion. Thereare about 7500 parts in there. They all play a role in send-ing the hammers against the strings when the keys arestruck.

I Love ToPlay ThePiano!

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616�249�9000www.keyboardworld.net

“A Family that plays together, stays together”

Classes & Lessons Sales & Rentals

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 10

While the cold of a Michigan winter makes many of us want to stay cozy in-doors, there are two great sports to enjoy outdoors this winter, skiing andsnowboarding. These popular sports can be done at the many ski resorts allover Michigan and are a perfect way to exercise while having fun.

Skiing is a winter sport that involves moving over the snow with the use ofskis, which are longboards attached to thefeet. In addition to skis,skiers use poles to keeptheir balance, ski boots tofasten the skis to theirfeet, and ski bindings tosecure the ski boots to theskis.

It’s important to staywarm, so ski pants, a coatand ski gloves help to re-sist wind and water.Some of the newer fabricsfor cold weather give youthe warmth without all thebulk. Ski helmets protectheads from injury, and skigoggles protect eyes fromwind and the glare of sun-light on the snow coveredtrails and slopes.

Snowboarding is a sportthat evolved from skate-boarding and surfing, onlyit’s done on the snow.

Snowboarders need a snowboard, boots, bindings and a helmet, plus all thewarm weather gear like gloves, snowboard pants and a coat.

Getting properly fit for this equipment is very important for keeping youcomfortable and safe. Even if you don’t have your own set of ski or snow-boarding equipment, you can rent everything from the ski resort you visit.This is a good way of trying out the sport before purchasing your own set,and deciding what works best for you.

If you haven’t tried skiing or snowboarding before, sign up for a lesson andlearn the basics from a certified instructor. It’s fun to take a lesson with a sib-ling or a friend. When you first begin, you start out on a beginner’s slope, orbunny slope, which is a short hill with a gentle incline. You’ll learn how tostop, turn and make correctchoices such as which trail or hillis right for you, and how to watchout for others and avoid collisions.

In addition to being fun, bothsports offer a great cardio vascu-lar workout which is good for yourheart, strengthens your musclesand improves flexibility.

Michigan winters can some-times seem long, but they can re-ally be fun if you have an outdoorsport you can enjoy with your fam-ily and friends. So look for the skiresort nearest your home andgive it a try.

Enjoy Skiing AndSnowboardingThis Winter!

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Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 11

Can You Spot The 10 Differences?

How Many Words Can You Make FromH A P P Y H O L I D A Y S

_______________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ _______________

Kids’ World News • 1-877-570-3340 • www.kidsworldnews.org December 2015, Page 12

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Central ElementaryTitle I Parent NightNumbers & NachosNovember 12, 2015

Down Syndrome Awareness at NorthPointe Christian

Down Syndrome Awareness Month was a time of celebra-tion and education.

I had the opportunity to sit down with one of our 3rd grade students from NorthPointe Christian to ask her what she learned through the class discussions and video presenta-tions. Her answers are below.

Q: What was one thing you learned about Down Syn-drome?A: “God created you special and you are special in your own way.”

Q: How can we help someone who has Down Syn-drome?A: “We can become friends with them by talking and lis-tening. We should not ignore them because they are really sweet and nice, and you should try to make friends with people that are ‘different’ than you. “

Q: What is one important lesson you want others to know about Down Syndrome?A: “Treat people with Down Syndrome with respect. You should look at the person when they’re talking, showing them respect. If you don’t, they will feel like you don’t care and will feel sad. If you don’t know what they are saying, you shouldn’t ignore them but ask them kindly to repeat what they say. Then thank them for repeating what they said. “

HopeFaithLove