The Kid Should See This.
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There's just so much science, nature, music, art, technology, storytelling and assorted good stuff out there that my kids (and maybe your kids) haven't seen. It's most likely not stuff that was made for them...
But we don't underestimate kids around here.
Kid-friendly not-made-for-kids videos for all! Collected by Rion Nakaya and her three four year old co-curator.
Tip Jar: Curating this blog takes work! If you like the videos on this site, please support the science education projects that we've picked on DonorsChoose.org.
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Our friend Flippycat has done it again… this time with a cascade of 60,000 dominoes (a personal record). It’s built from 60 walls of 990 dominoes each (plus a bit extra) — making a 14 foot long piece in over 8 days of work. And of course there were quite a few accidents making it, which every kid should see.
via BoingBoing.
Phases of the Moon, a beautiful video animation created using Virtual Moon Atlas and accompanied by Beethoven’s Sonata No. 14, (Opus 27, No. 2). Related watching to better understand the moon’s phases: (a super not-to-scale) moon orbits Earth as Earth orbits the sun.
More moon videos.
Wiggle wiggle up up up! Time lapse sprouting wheat grass. Previously: time lapse radish seeds. And related: EHow’s How to Grow Wheatgrass, and two mini organic pet grass kits that seem to be a fun solution for kids who want to tend their own patch of wheatgrass.
What an excellent video for kids to see: one of their own growing from a baby to a 12 year old.
This video has gone viral since linked on Reddit… Frans Hofmeester recorded video of Lotte, his daughter, every week from birth until 12 years old. He also recorded his son Vince, a fun video with more faces, props and videogame style music. Both kids loved both of these time lapse revelations.
Previously: Irina Werning’s Back to the Future
We’ve always loved the super tall wind-power turbines while speeding by on a train or in a car. Reaching tall into the sky, they are a marvel of sustainable kinetic power and so the kid often asks for videos of them…
This time-lapse video shows the assembly of three wind-power turbines within a two-day period in June 2011 at Puget Sound Energy’s Lower Snake River Wind Project-Phase I, located in Garfield County, Washington. From the ground to the tip of a vertical blade, the 2.3-megawatt turbines stand more than 430 feet tall and weigh 340 tons. The boom on the crane erecting the turbines extends 390 feet into the air. When completed in early 2012, PSE’s newest wind farm will have 149 turbines capable of generating 343 megawatts of electricity, enough to serve 100,000 households.
Folks at the NASA GSFC Scientific Visualization Studio created this amazing animation showing our view of the Moon over the entire year of 2012 with time resolution of *one hour*! The tipping, tilting, and rocking are due to the Moon’s elliptical orbit coupled with its tilt.
Captions explain the details. Watch it in HD!
via io9.
A time lapse spanning 9 days shows the growth of radish seeds sprouting while their roots grow deeper into the dirt.
Many plants, such as trees and flowers, have vascular systems. These vascular plants have a system of tubes they use to transport nutrients and water to different parts of the plant. Vascular plants all have similar parts, such as stems, leaves and roots.
The roots, for example, have several important functions. They pull water and minerals from the environment to nourish the plant. This is why they grow down, because the water and minerals needed for growth are below the ground in the soil.
They also provide support and help anchor a plant to the ground. Without a strong root system, trees would not be able to stand tall and withstand high winds.
Roots can also store food and nutrients. A well-developed root system can also prevent soil erosion. Some roots are even edible. For example, the carrots we eat are the roots of the carrot plant!
Not all roots are underground, though. For example, water plants may have roots that float in the water. Epiphytes are plants that live in trees with roots that cling to tree branches.
There are even some plants that don’t have roots at all. Remember: the plant kingdom is huge. It’s hard for the human mind to grasp the number and wide variety of plants that exist on Earth.
from Wonderopolis.
Meet the Bombyx Mori in its caterpillar, larva or “worm” state — silkworm to be specific (though it’s not a worm at all).
There’s an entire series of videos online showing the Bombyx Mori’s life cycle from egg to larva (small and larger) to pupa to its emergence as an adult moth. But the thing that makes this insect stand out is the silkworm’s creation of a unique cocoon made from its saliva: a one mile long single strand of silk.
After they have molted four times (i.e., in the fifth instar phase), their bodies become slightly yellow and the skin become tighter. The larvae will then enter the pupa phase of their life cycle and enclose themselves in a cocoon made up of raw silk produced by the salivary glands. The cocoon provides a vital layer of protection during the vulnerable, almost motionless pupal state.
The moth that emerges from the cocoon is furry, white, doesn’t fly, but of course, starts the cycle all over again.
Thanks, Annie.
