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Visit the famous National Museum of History right from your desk! Take a look at the exhibits, watch a video tour, and explore a really cool place.

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Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

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The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History virtual tours allow visitors to take self-guided, room-by-room tours of select exhibits and areas within the museum from their desktop or mobile device. Visitors can also access select collections and research areas at our satellite support and research stations as well as past exhibits no longer on display.

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Choose from this playlist and watch one or two (or all) of these motivational speeches!

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A pro wrestler's guide to confidence | Mike Kinney

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Browse this website for plenty of choices! Get curious and learn something new.

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Browse the FUNBRAIN website and make a choice! There are games, videos, books, math puzzles, and more.

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7th Grade Books, Games & Videos Online | Funbrain

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Funbrain makes learning exciting with effective and engaging educational games for Grade 7 students. Check out our fun and interactive content today.

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Create stories, games, and animations. Share with others around the world. Learn or practice coding.

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Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.

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Directions:
Head on over to Nitro Type and race against others in real time! Spend 20 minutes racing and earning money to spend in the garage to fix up your car. On a Google Doc, let me know how you liked this game, and what your average words per minute (wpm) typing score was. Have fun!

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Directions: Browse through these amazing Ted Talks given by young adults. Watch two. On a Google Doc, write a 200 word summary of what you learned (100 words for each talk). Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

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Talks by brilliant kids and teens | TED Talks

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Talks from scientists, musicians, innovators, activists -- all under the age of 20. Watch these amazing wunderkinds.

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Directions: Visit this website and choose from one of the 12 museums that offer virtual tours. Take 20 minutes and learn as much as you can from your "visit." Next, on a Google Doc write a letter to your teacher explaining the things that you saw and learned. Use as much detail as possible as you describe your visit. Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Being stuck at home can be frustrating, but it's even more so if you have young kids running around looking for something to do. Luckily, in this digital era many museums have put their collections online or created virtual tours that can help alleviate that boredom. Google Arts & Culture (which also has an app) has digitized the collections of numerous big museums, from the Van Gogh Museum to New York's MOMA. Not all of them will be totally appealing to kids, but some museums are ready with online entertainment for all ages. Whether you need a trip to the aquarium or want to check out some mummies, here are some virtual museum tours your kids will enjoy. (Plus, all of these visits can lead to further reading or Googling, which means even less boredom.)

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12 Virtual Museum Tours for Kids You Can Do Right This Second

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Museums have put their collections online or created virtual tours that can help alleviate that boredom. Here are 12 virtual museums you can visit right away.

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Directions: Watch the two videos related to OK Go "This Too Shall Pass" Chain Reaction. Next, click on the "HIT THE NOTE GRADE 6-8" link and watch that video. On a Google Doc, explain what you learned and summarize the directions for the Hit The Note activity so that if someone wanted to complete the activity they could do so using your detailed directions. Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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OK Go Sandbox is an online resource for educators that uses OK Go's music videos as starting points for integrated guided inquiry challenges allowing students to explore various STEAM concepts.

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Directions: For 15-20 minutes, play the game "Cast Your Vote" where you can simulate the voting experience and learn about local elections. Once finished, browse the icivics.org website and look at the other simulations it offers. On a Google Doc, write a 100 word review for "Cast Your Vote." What works well with the game? What needs improvement? Did you learn anything? What did you learn? Would you recommend this game to a friend? What other games look interesting? Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Election Day is coming, are you ready to vote? In Cast Your Vote, discover what it takes to become an informed voter - from knowing where you stand on important issues to uncovering what you need to know about candidates.

In Cast Your Vote you can simulate the voting experience and:

Learn about local elections

See political candidates discuss important issues in Town Hall debates

Identify issues that matter to you and rate candidate responses

For students with visual or mobile impairments: This game offers a keyboard navigation mode, as well as a screen reader to supplement the use of sound effects and voiceover. You can access these tools via the dropdown menu in the top left corner of the game screen.

For English and Multilingual Learners: Use the support tool, Spanish translation, voiceover and glossary.

Are you an educator? Check out the Extension Pack with activities and teaching tools to reinforce key game concepts.

Explore all of our free election curriculum and teaching resources at our Election Headquarters.

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Election Day is coming, are you ready to vote? In Cast Your Vote, discover what it takes to become an informed voter - from knowing where you stand on important issues to uncovering what you need to know about candidates.

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Directions: Read the article about history's most infamous UFO sightings. Each article has an interactive link...check them out. Once you are finished exploring, write your own fictional letter to the government explaining the UFO that you saw. (You will be making this story up, unless you have your own UFO sighting to share!) Use all five senses as you describe your alien encounter with great detail. 200 Word minimum. Submit in Google Classroom. Have Fun!

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UFOs aren't new. Indeed, humans have been describing unidentified flying objects for millennia, with depictions of disk-like objects and unusual atmospheric objects found in the art and literature of ancient civilizations from the Sumerians and the Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans.

But the modern era of UFOs took off in the middle of the 20th century, right around the time rockets and high-tech aircraft were being devised, often in secret. Coincidence? Paranoia? Perhaps. In any event, these seven UFO sightings gained a lot of attention-and raised a lot of eyebrows.
READ MORE: Interactive Map: UFO Sightings Taken Seriously by the U.S. Government
1. Kenneth Arnold, 1947

The origin of today's fascination can be traced back to civilian pilot Kenneth Arnold. While flying his small aircraft near Washington's Mount Rainier on June 24, 1947, Arnold claimed to have seen nine blue, glowing objects flying fast-at an estimated 1,700 m.p.h.-in a "V" formation.

He first believed the objects to be some sort of new military aircraft-this was, after all, just two years after WWII and the first year of the Cold War -but the military confirmed there were no tests being conducted near Mount Rainier that day. When Arnold described the crafts' motion as similar to "a saucer if you skip it across water," the media coined the now-ubiquitous phrase "flying saucer."

Soon, other reports of a group of nine UFOs cropped up across the region, including sightings by a prospector on Mount Adams and the crew of a commercial flight in Idaho. The government never offered a credible explanation for the sightings. It simply claimed Arnold had seen a mirage or was hallucinating. But UFO mania had set in, and just a few weeks later, the infamous Roswell sighting would perpetuate the obsession.
VIDEO: UFO Sightings: Kenneth Arnold
2. Roswell, 1947

It's the mother of all UFO sightings, but no object was actually observed flying in the Roswell incident. In the summer of 1947, rancher William "Mac" Brazel discovered mysterious debris in one of his New Mexico pastures, including metallic rods, chunks of plastic and unusual, papery scraps. After Brazel reported the wreckage, soldiers from nearby Roswell Army Air Force Base came to retrieve the materials. News headlines claimed that a "flying saucer" crashed in Roswell, but military officials said it was only a downed weather balloon.

Ever since, conspiracy theorists have been hard at work trying to prove the wreckage was extraterrestrial, with one man, Ray Santilli, going so far as to release a video in 1995 of an alien "dissection" purported to have taken place after the incident. (Santilli would admit in 2006 that it was a staged film, but he maintained that it was based on actual footage.)

As it turns out, the government was indeed covering something up-but it wasn't aliens. The crashed weather balloon was, in fact, part of a top-secret military endeavor called Project Mogul, which launched high-altitude balloons carrying equipment used to detect Soviet nuclear tests. The Air Force provided plenty of proof in a 231-page report released in 1997 called " Case Closed: Final Report on the Roswell Crash." Though the mystery has been thoroughly debunked, interest in the case has only grown, and Roswell's tourism is heavily based around its famous so-called UFO sighting. The town is home to the International UFO Museum and Research Center, a spaceship-shaped McDonald's and an annual UFO festival, held each summer.
VIDEO: UFO Sightings: Roswell
3. Lubbock Lights, 1951

On the evening of August 25, 1951, three science professors from Texas Tech were enjoying an evening outdoors in Lubbock, when they looked up and saw a semicircle of lights flying above them at a high speed. Over the next few days, dozens of reports flooded in from across town-Texas Tech freshman Carl Hart Jr., even snapped photos of the so-called Lubbock Lights phenomenon, which were published in newspapers across the country and LIFE magazine.

Project Blue Book, which led the Air Force inquiries into UFOs, investigated the events, and its official conclusion was that the lights were birds reflecting the luminescence from Lubbock's new street lamps. Many people who saw the lights, however, refuse to accept this explanation, arguing that the lights were flying too fast.
READ MORE: The Unsolved Mystery of the Lubbock Lights UFO Sightings
4. Levelland, 1957

Carl Iwasaki/The LIFE Images Collection/Getty Images

In the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, there's a famous scene where a UFO makes the electronics in a car go haywire. The real-life inspiration for that scene came from an incident in 1957, when dozens of citizens of Levelland, Texas, individually reported seeing a rocket or strange lights that interfered with their vehicles: Engines died, lights cut out.

Though the police initially thought the reports were a hoax, they, too, saw the mysterious lights, as they investigated the situation. Project Blue Book was assigned to investigate the case. Their findings? It was an electrical storm and ball lightning that caused the lights and the mechanical malfunctions-despite the fact that there were no reported thunderstorms in the area that night.
READ MORE: This Scoutmaster Had a Run-in with a UFO. The Kids Saw it Too.
5. Tehran, 1976

The September 19, 1976, incident in Tehran, Iran, started much like many others, with phone calls from concerned citizens reporting a bright light in the sky.

An F-4 fighter jet was sent out to investigate, but as it neared the object, its instruments blacked out, forcing the pilot to return to base. A second F-4 took its place, and as it neared the unusual light, it achieved radar lock. But according to the pilot, the UFO released a glowing object-which the pilot assumed to be some sort of missile headed straight for him. As he prepared to fight back, the pilot experienced malfunctions with his instruments and he witnessed another bright object released from the UFO that headed straight toward the ground. He safely returned to base, despite the faulty equipment.

After the incident, Iran contacted the United States to aid them in an investigation. An unclassified memo by U.S. Air Force section chief Lieutenant Colonel Olin Mooy detailed the events of the night: There are explanations for nearly all of them.

First, the bright light seen by civilians (and possibly the pilots) might have been Jupiter, which was visible in the sky that night. Second, as author Brian Dunning notes in his podcast "Skeptiod," the second F-4 jet had a long history of electrical problems, meaning the instrumentation might have failed regardless of possible UFO interference. It also could explain the radar lock-it might simply have been a malfunction. The first F-4, reports Dunning, was never turned in for maintenance following the incident, so there's no official indication that its instrumentation failed. And finally, as for the "alien missiles," there was a meteor shower that night, which could easily account for the sightings.
READ MORE: Mysterious UFOs Seen by WWII Airmen Still Unexplained
6. Rendlesham Forest, 1980

In December 1980, U.S. Air Force members stationed at two British Royal Air Force bases, Woodbridge and Bentwaters, reported seeing strange, colorful lights above Rendlesham Forest, about 100 miles northeast of London. One man who entered the forest to investigate claimed to have discovered some sort of spacecraft there, and the next day, others confirmed damage to nearby trees and a higher-than-normal level of radiation at the site.

Several days later, more sightings were reported.

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Halt recorded his observations on an audio tape as he watched the lights, and while not definitive proof, theorists consider this the strongest evidence of the events. But the UK's Ministry of Defence, which oversaw reports of UFO incidents until the early 2000s, didn't find any credible threat to the nation, and didn't pursue investigations further. As at Roswell, UFO tourism is prevalent in Rendlesham Forest, and there's even an official Rendlesham UFO trail that visitors can hike, off of which sits a model of the reported spacecraft.

7. The Belgium Wave, 1989-90

At the end of November 1989, citizens of Belgium reported seeing a large, triangular UFO hovering in the sky. But beyond the visual sightings, no evidence was found of any UFO's existence.

A few months later, in March 1990, new sightings of multiple objects were reported, confirmed by two military ground radar stations. Two F-16 fighter jets were sent out to investigate the anomalies, and though the pilots could not see anything visually, they were able to lock onto their targets with radar. But the UFOs moved so fast that the pilots ended up losing them.
READ MORE: Why Mysterious Green Fireballs Worried the Government in 1948
Some 13,500 people are estimated to have witnessed the incident, making it one of the most widely experienced UFO sightings of the modern era. The Belgian Air Force had no logical explanation for the activity, but it acknowledged that an unknown activity had taken place in the air. The Belgians reached out to the UK's Ministry of Defence to investigate further, but once they determined that the incident was not a hostile or aggressive one, they stopped the investigation.

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UFOs aren't new. Indeed, humans have been describing unidentified flying objects for millennia, with depictions of disk-like objects and unusual atmospheric objects found in the art and literature of ancient civilizations from the Sumerians and the Egyptians to the Greeks and Romans.

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Directions: Read through some of the strangest unsolved mysteries of all time. You may choose 5 or 6 to read, or read them all. Next, write a one page unsolved mystery of your own. Make it a similar to a news or magazine article describing the who, where, when, what, and possible how of what happened. Be creative. The possibilities are endless! Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun.

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19 of the Strangest Unsolved Mysteries of All Time

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Get ready to have the hair on the back of your neck stand on end because these unsolved mysteries are among the most chilling we’ve ever heard.

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Directions: Watch this video about the Bermuda Triangle. It is 11 minutes.

Write a one page summary on what you have learned. What is your opinion on the Bermuda Triangle? What are some possible explanations for the mysterious disappearances? Would you dare travel through this area by plane or boat? Submit in Google Classroom. Have Fun!

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Visit The Louvre Art Museum in Paris, France

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Visit The Louvre Art Museum in Paris, France

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Directions: The Louvre is the world's most-visited museum, and a historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the Mona Lisa. Spend 15-20 minutes exploring the different works of art on their virtual tour. Choose your favorite piece and describe it in as much detail as possible on a Google Doc. See if your teacher can figure out which piece of art you found by reading your submission! Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home!

1. Back to Home

2. See all breadcrumbs

3. Online tours

Virtual tours

From afar. Travelling Materials and Objects

Through materials and objects, this exhibition describes exchanges between distant worlds - exchanges often far more ancient than the explorations of the 16th century. From deepest antiquity, carnelian, lapis lazuli, ebony and ivory circulated along trade routes...

Louvre at home

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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home!

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Online tours - Enjoy the Louvre at home! Back to Home See all breadcrumbs Online tours Virtual tours Through materials and objects, this exhibition describes exchanges between distant worlds - exchanges often far more ancient than the explorations of the 16th century. From deepest antiquity, carnelian, lapis lazuli, ebony and ivory circulated along trade routes...

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Directions: This website has short videos about how a few popular every day items are made, start to finish. Spend about 20 minutes watching a few of the videos. Next, write a 100 word summary on a Google Doc about what you watched. What did you find most interesting? What would you like to see made in a video? Did anything surprise you? Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Remember that classic Sesame Street video about how crayons are made? We watched in awe as crayons were rolled off the assembly line, wrapped in paper, and then slipped into those familiar cardboard boxes. Kids today are just as fascinated by how things are made, and they've got a lot more videos to choose from! Watching these videos together is a terrific way to encourage the next generation of engineers, designers, construction workers, and more. Here are some of our favorites.

1. Crayons

The original Sesame Street classic is still worth watching, but for older kids who'd like more details about the process involved, try this up-to-date version.

2. Cheese

Most kids probably know cheese comes from milk, but do they know what it takes to turn milk into cheese? This video has the answers.

3. LEGO Bricks

This detailed video shows how the factories work to make LEGO bricks, including some really cool automation. You'll learn the whole process from plastic granules to finished LEGO kits, ready for sale.

4. Toilet Paper

After widespread shortages in early 2020 during the pandemic, toilet paper is something we'll never take for granted again. This video about how they make it will help you appreciate TP even more.

5. Baseballs

Sports fans will love learning how things are made for their favorite game. This video about baseballs details the painstaking hand-stitching that still goes into each professional baseball. You can also learn about rubber balls (like basketballs), baseball bats, and footballs.

6. Sprinkles

Who wouldn't be mesmerized by a cement mixer full of chocolate sprinkles? (OK, it's not really a cement mixer, but it sure looks like one.) Bonus tip: Enjoy a bowl of sprinkle-covered ice cream while you watch videos about how things are made!

7. Maple Syrup

Speaking of sweet things, kids will definitely love learning where one of their favorite breakfast treats comes from. From maple tree to bottle to pancakes ... that's how things are made into something delicious!

8. Pencils
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWp3IwBgeY8
This video on how things are made is perfect for kids and teachers. Science teacher Doug traces the history of pencils, then shows what it takes to make the pencils we use today.

9. Silk

When kids learn that silk fabric comes from caterpillars, they might be a little surprised. But that's just part of the fascinating process that goes into making this luxurious fabric.

10. Balloons

First, listen to the song "Where Do They Make Balloons?" by They Might Be Giants. Then, get the answer by watching this cool video that tours a balloon factory.

11. Paper Money

So-called "paper" money is usually made from a mix of paper and fabrics, with special dyes and other counterfeiting measures. Science Doug shows you how it all comes together to make the dollar bills you know so well.

12. Coins

Pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters are familiar sights, but where do they come from? This video by the U.S. mint has the details.

13. Fireworks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cBu_-byLcY
There's no more exciting aspect of chemistry than fireworks! Learn how they're assembled and tested, what makes them work, and how professional displays are planned.

14. Gum Balls
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bus4OQHcmgM
Oh, the joy of blowing a giant bubble of gum! Get a little history of gum, then discover the five-day process of making those brightly colored gumballs.

15. Books
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhA6IYyj5Qo
Kids do a lot of reading and writing, but do they ever stop to think about how books are made? Take a tour of a book-printing factory to find out.

16. Glass
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOwk2QIfDqY
Ask kids what their sandbox and the windows of their classroom have in common, and they'll probably have no idea. Watch this video from science teacher Doug to find out!

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16 of Our Favorite Videos About How Things Are Made

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Kids have always been fascinated by learning how things are made, so they'll love this roundup including fireworks, LEGOs, crayons, and more!

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From Bigfoot to Nessie: 7 Legendary Cryptids that will Keep You up at Night

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From Bigfoot to Nessie: 7 Legendary Cryptids that will Keep You up at Night

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Directions: Read this article about Cryptids, (an animal that has been claimed to exist but never proven to exist.) Within the article are several links to allow you to explore each creature deeper. Take some time learning and exploring.
Next, you have a choice to either:
1.) Write a one page story about one or more of the cryptids. This can be about anything. Be creative!
2.) Rank the cryptids from most believable to be true to least believable to be true. Write a 100 word summary of your opinion on the article.
(Just complete ONE choice) Submit in Google Classroom.

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To use a simple definition, " cryptids" are animals whose existence is unproven.

Is there, for example, a winged beast with cloven hooves and the head of a goat stalking the New Jersey Pine Barrens? The answer is almost certainly "no."

Reported sightings of this so-called " Jersey Devil" go way back. It's said that Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon's brother, encountered the thing sometime in the 19th century. Yet no corpse or live specimen has ever been documented by the scientific community.

That matters.

Take it from skeptic Michael Shermer, who wrote the following breakdown in his foreword to " Abominable Science: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie and Other Famous Cryptids" by Daniel Loxton and Donald R. Prothero:

How then should we deal with cryptid claims and anecdotes? Shermer writes that "until a body is produced, skepticism is the appropriate response."

Still, whether you believe in any of these unverified creatures or not, nobody can deny their cultural significance.

Some cryptids are economic powerhouses, drawing tourists to places that might otherwise get overlooked. Cryptids have also been immortalized by soap brands, Minor League Baseball teams and low-budget Disney movies. Heck, at least one of them prompted an official memo from the U.S. Embassy in Nepal.

From Mongolian Deathworms to Mokele-mbembe, here are seven cryptids who've garnered celebrity status.

1. The Loch Ness Monster, aka: "Nessie"

"Loch Ness monster Spotted Again!" declared the Sept. 25, 2021 edition of the New York Post. Drone footage appearing to show a huge, long-necked animal beneath Loch Ness - a 22-square-mile (56-square-kilometer) lake in northern Scotland - had been recently uploaded to the internet, as reported by the Post.

Alas, the video turned out to be a hoax. Someone had clearly edited the footage and its "monster" bears a striking resemblance to one mass-produced plesiosaur toy.

Plesiosaurs, for the record, were seagoing reptiles that coexisted with dinosaurs between about 201 and 66 million years ago. Many species had long necks, small heads and needle-shaped teeth.

The first modern "sighting" of a giant monster in Loch Ness dates back to August 1933. Many subsequent accounts describe an animal that sounds a bit plesiosaur-esque.

Perhaps what people are really seeing is some type of misidentified native fish. Or maybe Scotland's geology is playing tricks on us.

Loch Ness is bordered by a natural fault line that sometimes produces tremors. Those can send bubbles and waves dancing across the water's surface. Viewed from a distance, such disturbances might possibly be mistaken for the thrashings of a giant lake beast.

2. The Yeti, aka: "The Abominable Snowman"

Most "eyewitness" testimonies say this cryptid has brown, black or red-brown fur.

So why are Hollywood yetis almost always white-haired? (" Monsters Inc." has some explaining to do.)

A shaggy biped with ties to Central Asian folklore, the yeti is said to dwell in the Himalayan Mountains and Tibetan Plateau. Cryptozoologists usually interpret it as some kind of primate - possibly akin to the orangutan.

Stories about weird footprints in the snow beds around Mt. Everest made yetis world famous during the early 20th century. Eventually, the U.S. government took notice. On Nov. 30, 1959, the American embassy in Nepal released a document outlining the official regulations for yeti hunters in the area.

3. Mothman

The riverside city of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, has a museum, a statue and a recurring festival all dedicated to the one and only "Mothman."

Believers will tell you the creature's got glowing red eyes. Other attributes include massive wings and a tall, vaguely humanoid stature.

In 1966, the " Point Pleasant Register" started reporting on Mothman sightings. When the nearby Silver Bridge over the Ohio River collapsed Dec. 15, 1967 - killing 46 people - there were rumors that Mothman was connected to the disaster.

Those rumblings inspired John Keel's 1975 book " The Mothman Prophecies" and its 2002 film adaptation (which starred Richard Gere and Laura Linney).

4. Mokele-mbembe

Mothman wasn't the only cryptid to go Hollywood, as it were.

" Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend" is a 1985 Disney movie about 20th-century dinosaurs who live off the grid in the Congo River Basin. The picture drew inspiration from Africa's fabled Mokele-mbembe.

In case you hadn't heard, this thing is supposed to be a huge water monster resembling the herbivorous, long-necked and very much extinct dinosaur, Brontosaurus.

During the early 20th century, animal merchant Carl Hagenbeck popularized the belief that non-avian dinosaurs were still at large in Africa. Back in his day, a lot of museum displays portrayed Brontosaurus and its kin as water-bound lake creatures.

Yet there's no evidence to support this. Indeed, thanks to bone and trackway evidence, it's now clear that the magnificent animals were fully terrestrial landlubbers.

5. Chupacabra

What on Earth drove the mayor of Canovanas, Puerto Rico, to form an armed posse with 200 people and a caged goat?

Monster stories, that's what.

The year was 1995 and there'd been some horrific reports about a mysterious beast slaughtering domestic animals left and right. It was said the creature drained the blood of its victims, leaving fatal injuries behind.

Eventually, the cryptid became known as "El Chupacabra," which means " the goat-sucker" in Spanish.

Over in Mexico and the southwestern United States, coyotes and raccoons suffering from mange - which can render them all but hairless - are occasionally misidentified as chupacabras.

6. Mongolian Death Worm

On his expeditions to Mongolia during the 1920s, American explorer Roy Chapman Andrews heard stories about a bizarre animal called the "allergorhai-horhai." Since then, it's picked up a wicked nickname: the "Mongolian Death Worm."

As recounted by Scientfic American, he told these tales in a 1922 Asia Magazine article, writing that the organism "is shaped like a sausage about two feet long, has no head nor legs and is so poisonous that merely to touch it means instant death. It lives in the most desolate parts of the Gobi Desert, whither we were going."

Cryptozoologist Ivan Mackerle later added to the mythos, claiming the worm could kill full-grown men with a high-voltage electrical attack.

7. Sasquatch, aka: "Bigfoot"

Sasquatches need no introduction. A 2020 poll found that 11 percent of U.S. adults believe the legendary, upright-walking apes really do exist.

The term "Bigfoot" originated in a 1958 newspaper column. Written by Andrew Gonzoli of the Humboldt Times, the piece describes mysterious footprints that were found at a construction site in northern California.

Fast-forward to 2003. That year, Raymond Wallace - a logger who'd worked on the site - passed away at age 84. Wallace's surviving children told the press their late father had faked those monster prints in '58. His tools of choice? Feet-shaped wooden carvings.

Photos and plaster casts of other alleged Bigfoot tracks have been met with skepticism from zoologists.

But, at least we'll always have " Harry and the Hendersons."

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From Bigfoot to Nessie: 7 Legendary Cryptids That'll Keep You up at Night

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To use a simple definition, " cryptids" are animals whose existence is unproven. Is there, for example, a winged beast with cloven hooves and the head of a goat stalking the New Jersey Pine Barrens? The answer is almost certainly "no." Reported sightings of this so-called " Jersey Devil" go way back.

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Choose one or two of the Ted Talks to watch about animals located in the link above. On a Google Doc, write your thoughts. What did you learn? What surprised you? If you were in the audience, what is one question you would ask the speaker? What animal would you like to watch a talk about? Write 100 words. Submit in Google Classroom. Have Fun!

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Get a daily email featuring the latest talk, plus a quick mix of trending content.

By subscribing, you understand and agree that we will store, process and manage your personal information according to our Privacy Policy

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Some TED speakers are obsessed with one particular animal -- and their joy and passion might just get you obsessed too. You'll meet apes that write! Shrimp that kick! Octopi that disappear!

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Directions: Explore the different live cams on this website. After 5-10 minutes of browsing around, choose a live cam and create a story on a Google Doc using what you see. Use good spatial organization. Use sensory details and be creative. Turn in on Google Classroom. Have fun!

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GRACE Gorilla Forest Corridor | Explore.org

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Watch live video of gorillas at the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Africa. Watch as the gorilla's pass through, graze on vegetation, and make their nest for their overnight slumber

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Virtual Field Trip: The Birthplaces of Music!

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Virtual Field Trip: The Birthplaces of Music!

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Directions: Visit the above website and click around to visit the birthplaces of Jazz, Rock and Roll, Classical, and Country music. Watch the offered videos and learn something new about a genre you are not familiar with. On a Google Doc, list 5 facts you learned, which video you enjoyed the most, your ten favorite artists of all time, and three of your favorite songs of all time. Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country. The birthplaces of these great forms of music are Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia respectively. In short, this virtual field trip will provide you with a deeper understanding of the history of each form of music, its particular artists, and its specific sound. In the end, you will be able to see how each physical location played a part in shaping and forming its own special sound and culture in the world of music.

Instructions

During this field trip, you will use the interactive map, text, photos, audio, and video to explore the various birthplaces and genres of music. Additionally, the navigation menu on the top of each page will guide you from city to city on this journey. Use all of the interactive elements of each page to learn about a particular style of music. Furthermore, keep notes and a journal of your experiences and impressions of each birthplace, and answer the questions included on each page about a particular type of music. At the end of your field trip, use your journal, your questions, and your answers to write an essay about the history of these four musical genres.

Learner Description

This virtual field trip was created for high school students studying music history. Furthermore, it can also aid any individuals that wish to explore the genesis and characteristics of a particular style of music.

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country.

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Directions: Take a look around and discover the Secret Annex where Anne Frank hid for more than 2 years during WWII and where she wrote her diary. Write a one page summary of what you learned. What stood out to you? Describe which room or space you found most interesting. How does the annex compare to where you spent the COVID lockdown? Submit in Google Classroom.

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Take a look around and explore the Secret Annex where Anne Frank was in hiding for more than two years during World War II, and where she wrote her diary.

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Ted Talk: Michelle Kuo on the Healing Power of Reading

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Ted Talk: Michelle Kuo on the Healing Power of Reading

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Directions: Watch this Ted Talk by Michelle Kuo, who discusses the healing power of reading.
On a Google Doc, write your thoughts. What did you learn?What, if anything, inspired you about his speech? Would you be interested in watching other Ted Talks about education? What kind of topics (sports, motivation, art) would you be interested in watching Ted Talks about? Write 100 words. Next, browse the Ted Talk website and find one more Ted Talk that interests you. Note on your Google Doc what you found. Watch it if you have time, otherwise Bookmark to watch later.

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Michelle Kuo: The healing power of reading

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Reading and writing can be acts of courage that bring us closer to others and ourselves. Author Michelle Kuo shares how teaching reading skills to her students in the Mississippi Delta revealed the bridging power of the written word -- as well as the limitations of its power.

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Directions: Watch this Ted Talk by Dean Furness, who advises "to overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to others."
On a Google Doc, write your thoughts. What did you learn?What, if anything, inspired you about his speech? Would you be interested in watching other Ted Talks by athletes? What kind of topics (sports, motivation, education) would you be interested in watching Ted Talks about? Write 100 words. Next, browse the Ted Talk website and find one more talk that interests you. Note on your Google Doc what you found. Watch it if you have time, otherwise Bookmark to watch later.

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To overcome challenges, stop comparing yourself to others

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When you stop comparing yourself to others, you can accomplish great things, says wheelchair athlete Dean Furness. He shares how, after losing the use of his legs in an accident, he discovered a powerful new mindset focused on redefining his “personal average” and getting better little by little.

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Directions: Explore the Smithsonian's collection of illustrated letters. Read a few. Look around the website. Once finished, write a one page thank you letter to a staff member at Rio Linda Prep. It can be a teacher, principal, counselor, or anyone that works here on campus. Submit in Google Classroom and your teacher will print it out for you to deliver. Have fun!

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Often the expression of joy or affection, illustrated letters represent an irrepressible urge to picture language. They are evidence of the writer's use of words and images to amplify the form and effect of a message. The letters have been selected by Liza Kirwin, and are drawn entirely from the collections of the Archives of American Art, encompassing exuberant thank you notes, winsome love letters, lively reports of current events, graphic instructions and other personalized communiques from the early nineteenth century through the 1980s, in each sender's distinctive style.

This exhibition supplements the publication of the book More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art published by Princeton Architectural Press.

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More Than Words: Illustrated Letters from the Smithsonian's Archives of American Art

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Often the expression of joy or affection, illustrated letters represent an irrepressible urge to picture language. They are evidence of the writer's use of words and images to amplify the form and effect of a message.

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Directions: Spend some time exploring the different LIVE cams at Monterey Bay Aquarium. After checking them all out, choose your favorite aquatic camera and observe for 5-10 minutes. Write a one page summary of what you see. Submit in Google Classroom. Have Fun!

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This September, in appreciation of our local community, we're offering a limited number of FREE tickets to Monterey County residents.

Reservations required. Ticket inventory is limited.

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With ten live cams to choose from, you can experience the wonder of the ocean no matter where you are. Be delighted by the antics of our sea otters or mellow out to the hypnotic drifting of our jellies. Tune in to one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's web cams.

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Directions: Spend some time exploring the Grand Canyon up close and personal with this virtual tool courtesy of Arizona State University. On a Google Doc, take down 10-20 notes listing what you see, questions you might ask a tour guide, or your thoughts as you explore. Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!

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Directions: Click on the above link and explore the Tween Tribune website. Choose two articles to read. Write a 100 word summary for each article on a Google Doc. (200 words total). Submit in Google Classroom. Have fun!