When the sun heats the sea or ocean water, it turns into water vapours (gaseous form of water). As it rises, it starts cooling and begins to condense. Once that has happened, it becomes a cloud. As long as the cloud and the air inside it is warmer than the air around it, it floats! What happens when it becomes cooler and heavier? It rains!
Image credit: jim/unprofound.com
did you know...
This has been sent by a very enthusiastic student of my class, Avantika.
…unless food is mixed with saliva you can't taste it
…frogs can't swallow with their eyes open
…a duck can't walk without bobbing its head
…a crocodile can't move or stick out its tongue
…cats can't move their jaw sideways
…hummingbirds can't walk
…owls can't move their eyes from side to side
…emus can't walk backwards
…whales can't swim backwards
…giraffes and gorillas can't swim
…the cheetah is the only cat that can't retract it's claws
…snakes can't blink
…snakes can't bite in rivers or swamps (they would drown otherwise)
…you can't tickle yourself
…you can't trademark surnames
Thunder and lightning. What are they?
Lightning is a bright flash of electricity produced during a thunderstorm (lots of lightning, thunder and rain). All thunderstorms produce lightning and can be very dangerous. Thunder is always followed by lightning.
In the sky, within a thundercloud, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) bump into each other as they move around in the air. These bumps create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. The positive charges form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges form at the bottom of the cloud. This creates opposite charge, that is positive charge below the cloud. This positive charge collects around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge from the bottom of the cloud then connects with the charge below and - zap - lightning strikes!
Image credit: http://rokyvabien.free.fr/
Time passes by like lightning. Before you know it you're struck down. - Billie Joe Armstrong
facts of the english language
Another article by Avantika, my student in school. A very smart fifth grader.
1. The most commonly used letter in the English alphabet is E.
2. The least used letter in the alphabet is Q.
3. Dreamt is the only word that ends in mt.
4. There are only 4 words in the English language which end in 'dous'…. hazardous, horrendous, stupendous and tremendous.
5. The oldest word in the English language is 'town'.
6. 'Bookkeeper' and 'bookkeeping' are the only 2 words in the English language with three consecutive double letters.
7. The word 'Strengths' is the longest word in the English language with just one vowel.
8. The dot on top of the letter 'i' is called a tittle.
9. The past tense for the English word 'dare' is 'durst'.
10. The first English dictionary was written in 1755.
11. The longest one syllable word in the English language is 'screeched'.
12. The expression to 'knuckle down' originated from playing marbles (players used to put their knuckles to the ground for their best shots).
13. The word 'almost' is the longest in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.
14. The most commonly used word in English conversation is 'I'.
Cyclones, Hurricanes and Typhoons.
Cyclones are huge storms! The picture above is of Cyclone 'Phailin' which hit the east coast of India in Octber 2013. Cyclones can have sizes of upto 800-1000 km. With spiralling winds reaching speeds of about 200-220 km/hr (like a racing bike!). They rotate in an anti-clockwise direction in the Northern Hemisphere, around a centre called the 'eye'. (The pink dot above is the eye.). In the Southern Hemisphere they rotate in a clockwise direction.
Cyclones cause immense destruction to buildings, trees, crops and humans. Cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons are the same thing. In the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Eastern Pacific Ocean, they are called hurricanes. In the Western Pacific Ocean, they are called typhoons. In the Indian Ocean, the Bay of Bengal, and Australia, these types of storms are called cyclones. Image credit : breakingnews.com
If a hurricane strikes, we can blame the president for not being there; we can blame Congress and FEMA; we can blame the state governments; but in the end, it's the mayors and the local city governments that have to be prepared for emergencies and be prepared to act. - Michael Bloomberg
food around the world
Each and every place has its native, traditional food item. These are some of the food items eaten all over the world.
BOBOTIE- This meal is made of lamb , bread, rice or potatoes, onions, and spices. The ingredients are mixed with egg and milk and baked. South Africa. courtesy : http://www.factmonster.com image credit : http://oneblockwest.blogspot.in
CASSOULET- The name means “white bean stew,” is made of white beans, sausage, bacon, tomatoes, carrots, herbs, and other vegetables and is baked. France.