Movie Review: Transformers: Revenge of the FallenRated PG-13 (Movie Theaters and IMAX June 24)

What's the Story?In the sequel to the 2007 hit film Transformers, ordinary teenager Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) must once again help the Autobots save humankind from the villainous Decepticons. That is, if the Decepticons don't capture Sam first. The teen has been experiencing uncontrollable mental flashes filled with strange symbols. The mysterious visions hold the key to the Transformers' ancient alien origins. When the Decepticons learn of the secrets inside of Sam's mind, they will stop at nothing to retrieve it. Can the Autobots take down the bad guys before it's too late? Did You Know?

Peter Cullen has voiced the Autobots' fearless leader, Optimus Prime, since the original Transformers cartoon debuted in 1984. You might also recognize Cullen's voice from several other popular animated series, including The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. He's the voice of Pooh's gloomy stuffed donkey friend, Eeyore. --Vickie An

This is a brief descritpon of the movie. Did anyone go see the movie? If so, what did you think about the movie? If not, would you want to see it?

Championship Weekend
The Pittsburgh Penguins are NHL champions for the third time, and the Los Angeles Lakers win another NBA title

The United States men's professional hockey and basketball seasons have ended, with great excitement.

In hockey, the championship title went to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings, the team to whom the Penguins lost last year. In basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers won basketball's championship series. That team has spent several years working to win another championship.

Drama on Ice

This year, the Penguins did not plan to let the Red Wings win the prized Stanley Cup. It all came down to the seventh game of the National Hockey League (NHL) Stanley Cup Finals last week. In that final game, the Penguins won, 2-1. It is Pittsburgh's third Stanley Cup championship and its first since 1992.

When the game ended, players on the Penguins threw their sticks and gloves in the air in celebration.

"It's a dream come true," said Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. "It's everything you can imagine and more."

Crosby is 21 years old. He is the youngest team captain in NHL history to lead his crew to the Stanley Cup.

Kobe Bryant's Mission Accomplished

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant wanted to win a fourth National Basketball Association (NBA) championship badly.

Coming into the 2009 season, Bryant had won three championships while playing on the team with Shaquille O'Neal. The team's last championship came in 2002. Since then, the basketball world wondered if Bryant could lead the team to a championship without O'Neal's help. O'Neal was traded after the 2003-2004 season. He now plays for the Phoenix Suns.

The Lakers came close to another championship last year. They were two games away from achieving it. But the Boston Celtics outplayed them and won.

This year, Bryant and the Lakers met the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals. The series was over almost as soon as it began.

Led by Bryant, the Lakers won game five of the NBA championship series on Sunday night. The Lakers won the series of games, 4-1. It is the team's 15th NBA championship.

"It felt so good to have this moment," Bryant said. "For this moment to be here and to look back on the season and everything you've been through, it's top of the list."

Tell me 3 facts you learned from this article. What about this article caught your attention?

Kids' Night on Broadway
The three teenage stars of Billy Elliot are honored with Broadway's top award

Three boys shared a top prize at this year's Tony Awards. They are the youngest people ever to win this prize.

The Tony Awards honor people who have done outstanding work in a Broadway play or musical. Some of the most famous plays and musicals in the world happen on Broadway, in New York City. A person who wins a Tony Award is given a special trophy.

David Alvarez, 15, Trent Kowalik, 15, and Kiril Kulish, 14, won the 2009 Tony for Lead Actor in a Musical. (A lead actor plays the main character in a play or a musical.) They won the award for the part they share in the hit musical Billy Elliot.

David, Trent, and Kiril take turns playing the character of Billy Elliot. One night, David will play Billy. The next night, Trent will take on the part. Kiril will take the stage on the third night. They are called the "Three Billys."

Normally, one person plays the same part in each performance. But there are rules about how much kids under the age of 18 can work. So the three teenagers share the part of Billy.

The Three Billys seemed surprised when they won. But they had a message for other young actors and dancers.

"We want to say to all the kids out there who might want to dance, 'Never give up,' " Kiril said.

Musical With Heart
The character Billy Elliot didn't give up. In the musical, Billy is a schoolboy who lives in northern England. He dreams about becoming a ballet dancer.

But Billy's father is a tough man. He thinks dancing is just for girls. Billy's father tries to stop him from becoming a dancer. But dancing is important to Billy. The musical tells how Billy gets his dad to let him dance.

Billy Elliot: The Musical won a total of 10 Tony Awards, including Best Musical.

Do you ever think you will be famous? If so, what special skills do you think you will be great at? What will you do to help others once you are famous and popular?

All About Volcanoes

Test your knowledge of volcanoes and see how many questions you get correct

Visit the website at http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Games/PuzzlesQuizzes/Quizyournoodle-volcanoes

Then complete the quiz.

Afterwards tell me 3 facts you have learned about volcanoes. Describe the information in your own words.

Your Amazing Brain
Text by Douglas A. Richards

You carry around a three-pound mass of wrinkly material in your head that controls every single thing you will ever do. From enabling you to think, learn, create, and feel emotions to controlling every blink, breath, and heartbeat—this fantastic control center is your brain. It is a structure so amazing that a famous scientist once called it "the most complex thing we have yet discovered in our universe."

Your brain is faster and more powerful than a supercomputer.
Your kitten is on the kitchen counter. She's about to step onto a hot stove. You have only seconds to act. Accessing the signals coming from your eyes, your brain quickly calculates when, where, and at what speed you will need to dive to intercept her. Then it orders your muscles to do so. Your timing is perfect and she's safe. No computer can come close to your brain's awesome ability to download, process, and react to the flood of information coming from your eyes, ears, and other sensory organs.

Your brain generates enough electricity to power a lightbulb.
Your brain contains about 100 billion microscopic cells called neurons—so many it would take you over 3,000 years to count them all. Whenever you dream, laugh, think, see, or move, it’s because tiny chemical and electrical signals are racing between these neurons along billions of tiny neuron highways.

Believe it or not, the activity in your brain never stops. Countless messages zip around inside it every second like a supercharged pinball machine. Your neurons create and send more messages than all the phones in the entire world. And while a single neuron generates only a tiny amount of electricity, all your neurons together can generate enough electricity to power a low-wattage bulb.

Neurons send information to your brain at more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour.
A bee lands on your bare foot. Sensory neurons in your skin relay this information to your spinal cord and brain at a speed of more than 150 miles (241 kilometers) per hour. Your brain then uses motor neurons to transmit the message back through your spinal cord to your foot to shake the bee off quickly. Motor neurons can relay this information at more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) per hour.

When you learn, you change the structure of your brain.
Riding a bike seems impossible at first. But soon you master it. How? As you practice, your brain sends "bike riding" messages along certain pathways of neurons over and over, forming new connections. In fact, the structure of your brain changes every time you learn, as well as whenever you have a new thought or memory.

Exercise helps make you smarter.
It is well known that any exercise that makes your heart beat faster, like running or playing basketball, is great for your body and can even help improve your mood. But scientists have recently learned that for a period of time after you've exercised, your body produces a chemical that makes your brain more receptive to learning. So if you're stuck on a homework problem, go out and play a game of soccer, then try the problem again. You just might discover that you're able to solve it.

Name 2 interesting facts you have learned about your brain. How can you use this information to help you become smarter?

Too Young To Work
By Dina El Nabli

Valdemar Balderas was 12 when he started working in the fields of Minnesota and North Dakota. His workday began before the sun rose and ended as it set. He and his parents labored in the heat, weeding sugar beets and clearing rocks from the fields. They rarely got a day off.

Valdemar, now 14, lives in Eagle Pass, Texas. He is still working in the fields. Every April, his family journeys north to begin months of grueling farmwork. "It's hard," Valdemar told TFK. "It's a lot of work. We have to walk a lot in the fields. At the end of the day, I feel so tired."

Together, Valdemar and his parents earn just $500 a week for their hard work. On average, farmworkers in the United States earn less than $10,000 a year. "The people who pick the food we eat can't get by and make a living wage without having their children help," says Len Morris, the producer and director of Stolen Childhoods, a recent documentary film about child labor.

Forced to Work
An estimated 250 million kids are forced to work in hard, often dangerous jobs all over the world. They mine precious metals, weave rugs and work in factories. As many as 500,000 kids in the U.S. and more than 100 million worldwide labor on plantations and farms.

Many countries don't have laws to protect child laborers. In the U.S., a law called the Fair Labor Standards Act requires safe working conditions and limits the number of hours kids can work. But the law, which was passed in 1938, does not apply to children who toil on farms. Twelve-year-old kids are allowed to work 12-hour days in the fields with their families.

Experts estimate that more than 100,000 children and teens are injured on farms each year. They use sharp knives and scissors designed for adult hands. Many operate heavy machinery and are exposed to poisonous agricultural chemicals.

"If you get hurt, there is no one to help," Santos Polendo, 19, told TFK. He spent 10 years working in the fields. He had to carry 40-pound buckets of onions in sweltering heat. He often suffered backaches, knee pain and headaches. "Sometimes, the heat was so bad, it gave me headaches for a week straight," Polendo says.

Ticket to a Better Future
Migrant families move regularly to find work in the fields. Last year, the Balderas family took Valdemar out of school in April. He did not attend school again until October. When he returned, he struggled to catch up with the help of tutors.

Because migrant children miss so much school, as many as 65% drop out. Sadly, their troubles often go unnoticed. "They're so invisible," says Ellen Trevino, who works with migrants in a program called Motivation, Education and Training (MET). "The rest of us don't go into the fields. We don't understand what they go through."

Last year, the Department of Labor cut funds for migrant-youth programs in 31 states. The programs had provided kids with tutors and resources and replaced income that parents lost when their kids stayed in school.

The Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs is fighting to restore the money for migrant education and training programs, including MET, and to increase earnings for adult farmworkers. The group is also pressuring Congress to provide kids working in agriculture with the same protection as other working kids.

But for Santos Polendo and other migrant kids, education is the ticket to a better future. Polendo stopped working in the fields two years ago, after his father got sick. He will graduate high school in May and wants to attend college and become an art teacher. One day, Polendo would like to have a family. He hopes his kids never have to work in the fields and "experience what I experienced."

Sometimes kids are not as lucky as we are to have communities to help us become educated and successful. These kids , while not going to school, do not have much of a future. How can school help prepare you to be successful? What can we do to help kids who do not go to school?

She's Changing the World
Maggie Doyne receives top honors at the 2009 Do Something Awards for her work with children in Nepal

The summer after Maggie Doyne graduated from high school, she decided to spend a year traveling the world before she started college. The journey changed her life — and the lives of hundreds of orphaned children — forever.

In 2006, Doyne took a backpacking trip through the Himalaya Mountains in the war-torn country of Nepal, in Asia. She met a slew of orphaned children. Having grown up comfortably in Mendham, New Jersey, Doyne was shocked to see so many kids living on the streets. She wanted to do something about it. So, Doyne used her savings of $5,000 in babysitting money to buy an acre of land in the village of Surkhet. Then, she built the kids a home, the Kopila Valley Children's Home.

Now, the Do Something foundation is doing something for Doyne. The youth organization provides resources and support for teens that want to make a difference in the world. On Thursday night, the foundation named Doyne the $100,000 grand-prize recipient of the 2009 Do Something Award.

A Life-Altering Trek
The Kopila Valley Children's Home officially opened its doors in 2008. Doyne, now 22 years old, currently cares for 26 kids at the home. She has helped more than 700 other orphans find families. She also runs an outreach program that provides scholarships for needy families to send their children to school. The children at the home learn basic skills such as sewing and cooking. They also grow their own food in their garden and raise farm animals.

Doyne admits that she didn't have it all figured out when she first arrived in Nepal. "I just felt that there was something there for me," she told TFK. She settled on building a children's home after speaking with the community about what they needed. Doyne says that her parents were supportive of her mission. But it was a challenge to convince other adults that an 18-year-old girl could accomplish such a big project . Still, Doyne never gave up on fund raising. In just over a year, she had enough money to build her dream home.

Seeing the finished project was emotional for Doyne. "It doesn't feel real sometimes," she says. "Even moments when all the kids are sitting at the table for breakfast, or they're happy and all dancing . . . it's the best feeling in the world."

The Best of the Best
Each year, Do Something presents five of the most outstanding youth leaders in the world with $10,000 for their service work. The public then votes on which of those five winners should receive the $100,000 grand prize.

Doyne and the four other finalists were honored on Thursday night at the historic Apollo Theater in New York City. High School Musical's Corbin Bleu hosted the special event. There were performances by pop/rock group Boys Like Girls and Akon. The rapper's Konfidence Foundation works with underprivileged youth in Africa.

R&B star Usher Raymond received the Do Something Celebs Gone Good civic leader award for his charity, Usher's New Look. The organization helps disadvantaged kids from tough neighborhoods get the skills they need to be successful, whether they want to be music moguls or marketing experts. "Service is raw energy," Raymond said in his acceptance speech. "When you put it in the hands of youth, it becomes power. You can make a difference no matter what age you are."
Finally, it was time for the biggest award of the night. The audience hushed as VH1 President Tom Calderone announced the Do Something grand-prize winner. Doyne ran across the stage and jumped into Calderone's arms. In a tearful speech, Doyne dedicated the award to a young girl that lived in the home who recently passed away from cancer. She also revealed plans to build a school and community center with the grant money she had just won.

"Sometimes making somebody's dream come true is a "yes" away," Doyne told the crowd. "This all started as a "yes" from my mom and dad, who let me backpack around the world. We all have the ability to say yes to somebody and make their dreams come true."

The Power of Youth
Actor Andrew Shue and his childhood friend Michael Sanchez founded the Do Something organization in 1993. Their dream was to create an online community that would inspire, support and celebrate teenagers who wanted to make change. These youths would see the problems in the world, believe that they could solve them and then take action. Do Something would provide the tools and resources to help make it happen.

Sixteen years later, Shue and Sanchez's vision has empowered millions of young people to get involved in their communities. The organization works with more than 500 school clubs across the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada. The groups tackle all kinds of causes, including human rights issues, poverty, bullying and education.

This girl is really making a difference on our world. Kids can make huge impacts on their communities and the communities of others. Now, as a very smart kid, what would be your task you would want to start to help others? Describe it and tell me why you are impassioned to do it!

Toucans

Toucan Video Clip
Enter the world of the Toucan and it’s habitat. Watch this short video clip on toucns and then answer the questions.

Click the link below http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/kids/animals-pets-kids/birds-kids/toucan-kids.html

Now, post
1. One interesting fact you learned about the toucan
2. How are toucans different from other birds we know?
3. What book, story, or movie does this video remind you of?
4. What did you already know that helped you understand his article?

National Bike Month

National Bike Month

May is National Bike Month. Whether you rely on your bike for transportation or exercise, you’ll enjoy these ten fun facts on this two-wheeled vehicle.

· In 1817, Karl von Drais, a German baron, invented a horseless carriage that would help him get around faster. The two-wheeled, pedal-less device was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground, The machine became known as the “draisine,” and led to the creation of the modern-day bicycle.

· The term “bicycle” was not introduced until the 1860s, when it was coined in France to describe a new kind of two-wheeler with a mechanical drive.

· Orville and Wilbur Wright, the brothers who built the first flying airplane, operated a small bike repair shop in Dayton, Ohio. They used their workshop to build the 1903 Wright Flyer.

· Fred A. Birchmore, 25, circled the globe by bicycle in 1935. The entire trip, through Europe, Asia, and the United States, covered forty thousand miles. He pedaled about 25,000 miles. The rest was traveled by boat. He wore out seven sets of tires.

· There are over a half billion bicycles in China. Bikes were first brought to China in the late 1800s.

· About 100 million bicycles are manufactured worldwide each year.

· Over the past 30 years, bicycle delivery services have developed into an important industry, especially in cities, where the couriers have earned a reputation for their high speed and traffic-weaving skills.

·Americans use their bicycles for less than one percent of all urban trips. Europeans bike in cities a lot more often—in Italy 5 percent of all trips are on bicycle, 30 percent in the Netherlands, and seven out of eight Dutch people over age 15 have a bike.

· The Tour de France is one of the most famous bicycle races in the world. Established in 1903, it is considered to be the biggest test of endurance out of all sports. Lance Armstrong, an American cyclist, is the only rider to have won seven titles (1999–2005) after surviving cancer.

· Bicycle Moto Cross (BMX), an extreme style of bicycle track racing, became a sport in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Maris Strombergs, of Latvia, received the gold medal for Men’s BMX, and Anne-Caroline Chausson, from France, took home the gold in the first Women’s BMX Olympic event.

There are so many cool facts about bikes. I feel smarter already.
Now tell me the 3 most interesting facts you have learned about bikes?

Malaria No More

Malaria No More

National Geographic Kids teamed up with Jordin Sparks and Malaria No More to help save kids' lives in Africa. Last fall we asked readers to donate to the "Be a Star, Save a Life" campaign through the group Malaria No More, and thousands of you joined the effort. Kids all over the country donated funds to purchase bed nets to protect African children from mosquitoes which carry a deadly disease called malaria.

Through your generosity, we received $23,459, which Jordin and Malaria No More matched dollar for dollar for a total of $46,918! Now we can help protect 9,380 kids from malaria in Africa.

Along with donations, kids sent in letters about their fundraising efforts at school or in their neighborhoods.

Here are excerpts from a few of the letters we received:
My name is Spencer and I am a third grader. I am trying to raise money for Malaria No More, a nonprofit organization. I learned about malaria from my classroom magazine, National Geographic Explorer…All the money I raise will help MNM provide bed nets. To raise money for these bed nets, I will be selling homemade crayons shaped like pumpkins, hearts, and gingerbread men. …If you want to help out, but you don’t want the crayons you can write a check to Malaria No More…

These kids are really making a difference in the world.

What is malaria?
How are these kids helping people with this disease?

S-U-C-C-E-S-S!

S-U-C-C-E-S-S!
Kavya Shivashankar is the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee Champ
By Vickie An May 29, 2009

If Kavya Shivashankar, 13, was nervous, she never showed it. On Thursday, the eighth-grader from Olathe, Kansas, confidently spelled her way through 16 tongue-twisting rounds to be crowned queen of the 2009 Scripps National Spelling Bee. The spelling contest takes place each year in Washington, D.C.

Kavya took top honors after correctly spelling Laodicean (lay-odd-uh-see-an). The word means to be indifferent or lukewarm, especially in matters of politics or religion. Kavya calmly wrote out Laodicean on her palm before spelling it aloud, as she had done with every word before it. And, as she had done with every word before it, Kavya nailed it. A wide grin stretched across her face as the audience erupted in cheers. Tears of triumph trickled down her cheeks while her parents and younger sister showered her with hugs.

Last Speller Standing
The final spelldown began on Tuesday with a written test. A total of 293 champion spellers participated in the competition, a record high in the event's 82 years. Contestants ranged in age from 9 to 15. They came from all over the country and from around the world. The finals aired Thursday night on ABC.

After 12 rounds, Kavya faced off against Aishwarya Pastapur, 13, of Springfield, Illinois, and Tim Ruiter, 12, of Centreville, Virginia. Aishwarya was stumped in Round 15 by the word menhir (men-heer), which is a standing stone monument. Tim missed the word maecenas (mee-see-nuhs), meaning a generous patron or supporter of the arts.

Then there was only Kavya. It was the eighth-grader's fourth appearance at the Bee. In previous years, she has placed tenth, eighth and fourth. Persistence pays. As the last speller standing, Kavya received more than $40,000 in cash and prizes and an engraved golden trophy. "I can't believe it happened," she said. "It feels kind of unreal."
Bee Season

Spelling competitions have gained popularity in recent years. This is thanks in part to extra attention given to it by films, such as 2006's Akeelah and the Bee and the 2002 Oscar-nominated documentary Spellbound, which followed eight 1999 Bee contenders. Spelling contests also got a musical rendition on Broadway with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show won two Tony Awards in 2005.

Kavya credits Spellbound as the inspiration behind her spelling career. The eighth-grader says her role model is 1999 Bee winner Nupur Lala, who was featured in the documentary. Now, Kavya is a champion speller too. "This is the moment we've been waiting for," said her father and spelling coach, Mirle Shivashankar. "It's a dream come true."

Kavya, who attends California Trail Junior High School, is retiring from spelling competitions after this year. Mirle says his daughter may enter the science-based Brain Bee contest. That would be a fitting choice since Kavya wants to be a brain surgeon one day. Still, she says, "I don't think anything can replace spelling. It has been such a big part of my life."

There must be a lot of pressure during a national spelling bee.
Have you ever been in a spelling bee? If so, how was it? Would you do it again?
If not, how do you think you would do? Would you want to be in a spelling bee?

Up and Away!

Up and Away!
Director Pete Docter talks to TFK all about the new Pixar film, Up
By Martha Pickerill
Can grouchy old Carl escape his lonely life by attaching 10,000 helium balloons to his house and floating away forever? Pete Docter of Pixar Animation Studios explores this fantasy in Up.

"As a kid, I always thought of getting balloons and seeing how many it would take to lift me up," Docter told TFK. He also directed Monsters, Inc. and wrote stories for many Pixar films.
Tricks of the Trade

Pixar films are computer animated. The art and science of computer animation are constantly changing. Every time a new film is made, the digital bag of tricks has a new tool in it. Docter says that making the balloons look believable was the biggest challenge.

"We had to figure out what would happen as the balloons bumped into each other," Docter says. "We had a computer program to make those movements happen," so that each one didn't have to be drawn individually.

The team had fun researching the film. They rode in a hot-air balloon. They visited South America, where Carl goes, to be sure the landscape was drawn accurately. "That was amazing," Docter says.

A Lifelong 'Toon Fan
Docter's parents are musicians. The family went to a lot of concerts. Young Pete would draw wacky cartoons on his concert program. "I'd draw all over it. What if a football landed in the tuba? Or all the violin strings popped?" says Docter. In college, he studied cartoon drawing, not fine art.

After becoming a pro cartoonist, he tried creating art on computers, and found a whole new way to tell a story.
What advice does he have for kids who want to make animated films? "Draw, draw, draw!"

Up seems like it will be a great movie for the whole family.
Will you want to see this movie? Why or why not?

View From the Crown

View From the Crown
Statue of Liberty's crown to reopen for visitors
By Laura Leigh Davidson May 28 , 2009

There will be more than fireworks and festivals to celebrate Independence Day this year. On July 4, the crown of the Statue of Liberty will once again be open to visitors.The entire statue was closed to the public after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks on the United States.

In 2004, the base, pedestal, and lower observation deck were reopened to visitors.But the Department of the Interior, which oversees U.S. national parks and landmarks, decided to keep Lady Liberty's crown closed. Officials were mainly concerned about the safety of the narrow 168-step spiral staircase that leads to the top of the statue.Thanks to a number of recent improvements funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar says the crown can be reopened.

"On July 4th, we are giving America a special gift," Salazar said earlier this month. "We are once again inviting the public to celebrate our great nation and the hope and opportunity it symbolizes by climbing to Lady Liberty's crown for a unique view of New York Harbor, where . . . millions of American families first saw the new world."

There are some restrictions for crown visitors. Only 10 people can occupy the crown at one time. Park rangers must escort visitors up the spiral staircase to the top of the statue.

"It's exciting to bring people up here and let them [see] New York City," Statue of Liberty ranger Bill Maurer told KABC News.The Statue of Liberty's real name is Liberty Enlightening the World.

The people of France gave the huge copper statue to the people of the U.S. as a memorial to American independence and as a symbol of friendship.The female figure stands for freedom, or independence. The tablet in her left hand—with the date July 4, 1776—represents the Declaration of Independence. The right hand holds the Torch (or Light) of Freedom.

The broken chain near the feet symbolizes the victory of liberty over tyranny.

Now lets start our essay with a thesis statement

What does the Statue of Liberty stand for?
What happened to close the view from the crown?