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Science

The Science of Summer Fun

April 30, 2018

Walk up a set of stairs. Sit in a pool of rushing water, and look down at the slide before you. Push off— whoosh! —and let gravity take it from there. This year, more than 85 million people around…

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United States

A Plan for Parks

April 27, 2018

The National Park Service (NPS) has backed down from a controversial plan. It decided against a steep rise in admission prices at 17 popular national parks. Instead, it will raise fees by $5 at 117 parks. In November, the NPS…

Arts

8 Questions for Amanda Gorman

April 27, 2018

Amanda Gorman is the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate. She says poetry can give voice to a new generation of leaders. Has poetry always been a part of your life? I began writing songs when I was 5. In middle…

World

A Prince is Born

April 27, 2018

Britain’s royal family has a new member. Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, welcomed their third child on April 23. The couple presented the baby to photographers just seven hours after his birth. Prince William said they…

World

End of a Dynasty

April 27, 2018

For the first time in almost 60 years, Cuba has a president who is not a member of the Castro family. President Raúl Castro (above, right) formally stepped down on April 19. The Cuban government chose Miguel Díaz-Canel (above, left)…

Time Off

All in the Family

April 27, 2018

Everyone’s favorite family of superheroes is back in theaters on June 15. In Pixar’s Incredibles 2, Elastigirl is busy fighting crime while Mr. Incredible takes care of their kids, Violet, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. Life isn’t easy for the family,…

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Unfinished Business

April 27, 2018

In 2013, Gennifer Choldenko published the third book in her Tales from Alcatraz trilogy. At the time, she thought she was finished with the series. It tells the story of Moose, the son of a guard at the prison on…

United States

Cactuses at Risk

April 20, 2018

The sun goes down in the Sonoran Desert. A truck pulls up to a giant saguaro (sa- wah -ro) cactus. Poachers step out. They are wearing protective gloves. They dig up the cactus and wrap it in a carpet. Then…

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Community

Inspiring Educators

April 20, 2018

This year, Teacher Appreciation Week runs from May 7 to 11. To celebrate, TFK asked five successful people to write about one of their most memorable and inspiring teachers. Bill Gates Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates uses his wealth to help…

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Liar, Liar

April 19, 2018

Can you tell when someone is lying? Pants on Fire is a new podcast game show by Gen-Z Media that puts listeners’ truth-detecting skills to the test. In each episode, kid contestants are asked to decide which of two “experts”…

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Rhyming in the Ring

April 19, 2018

Knockout, by K.A. Holt, is about a boy named Levi. As a baby, Levi suffered from a medical condition that made it hard for him to breathe. Now a seventh grader, Levi has recovered but still feels trapped. His dad…

World

Kids of Kakuma

April 13, 2018

KAKUMA, Kenya — Wild animals roamed at night. But Rose Peter and the 19 other children she was with still slept outside. In the daylight, they walked. “One week,” Rose tells me when I ask how long the trip took.…

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Business

TFK Explains: The Facebook Data Breach

April 13, 2018

What exactly happened? Cambridge Analytica is a political data company. It is based in the United Kingdom. In 2014, the company collected personal information about Facebook users. It used that information to get to know American voters. Its purpose was…

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The Key to Creativity

April 13, 2018

Where does creativity come from? And what does it look like? These are the questions Colby Sharp, a fourth-grade teacher in Michigan, wanted to help his students answer. “I realized that ideas can come at any time and can take…

Time Off

Learning to Bounce Back

April 13, 2018

In Rebound, the new book by Kwame Alexander, Charlie Bell can’t seem to make the right choices after a family tragedy. But then he spends the summer with grandparents, using his newfound love of basketball to get back on track.…

Environment

Hope for the Wild

April 6, 2018

In northeastern Peru lies an unspoiled area of Amazon rain forest. It is called Yaguas. It stretches along 125 miles of the Putumayo River. Amazon rain forests affect rain patterns across the globe. Keeping them intact is one of the…

Environment

Sweet Solutions

April 6, 2018

Last year, Americans spent more than $22 billion on chocolate. But the tasty treat comes at a far greater cost than this. That’s because farmers often cut down trees in the rain forest when they need more land to plant…

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Environment

The Problem With Plastics

April 6, 2018

A cleanup crew was exploring the shore of a river in Washington, D.C. The water rippled under a blue sky, and grass swayed on the mudflats. But something else caught the group’s eye. Along the shore were heaps of plastic…

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World

Trees, Please

April 5, 2018

China is known for its long history, rich culture, and cute pandas. It’s also known for some of the worst air quality in the world. But the Asian country is now using a natural weapon against air pollution—trees. In February,…

Business

Lego Goes Green

April 5, 2018

Legos are among the world’s most popular toys. But the process for making them—as with many other toys—hurts the environment. Why? Legos are made of plastic. The plastic is made from oil, which is a nonrenewable resource. Now, Lego…