Whatās 8,000 kilometres long, full of whale songs, and currently cruising past Australia?
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| From underwater whale highways to ancient Egyptian treasures and a NASA maths disaster that accidentally launched a spacecraft into oblivion, this weekās newsletter is a reminder that curiosity really does take kids everywhere. |
| Weāve gathered some fun classroom tie-ins, virtual excursions and quick activities to help bring this weekās topics to lifeā¦ plus a genuinely heartwarming Fun Finish to send you into the week smiling. |
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World Metrology Day: The Science of Getting It RightĀ   
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This Wednesday is World Metrology Dayā¦ and before you say āWaitā¦ isnāt that weather?ā ā nope. Thatās meteorology. Metrology is the science of measurement.
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| World Metrology Day commemorates the signing of theĀ Metre ConventionĀ on May 20, 1875, when 17 countries came together in Paris to agree on a shared international system of measurement. |
| Itās the reason rulers, scales, thermometers and speed limits all work the same way around the worldā¦ and why scientists in different countries can compare results without complete chaos breaking loose. |
And if students ever wonder whether measurementsĀ reallyĀ matter outside the classroom, tell them about NASAās spectacularly expensive oopsie. In 1999, engineers mixed up imperial and metric measurements while working on the Mars Climate Orbiterā¦ and the $125 million spacecraft was lost in space because of a conversion error. One tiny maths mix-up. One giant Martian facepalm.Ā  |
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| NASA Measuring Failure |
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| So this week feels like the perfect excuse to make measurement practical, hands-on and genuinely fun. Think: |
- estimating weird objects before measuring them
- comparing metric vs imperial units
- designing absurd inventions where everything goes wrong because someone forgot to convert properly
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| I also stumbled across this fantastic deep-dive resource full of creative classroom ideas for making the metric system click for students, including colour-mixing labs, ruler challenges and āKing Henryā conversion games: |
| Sunrise Science Classroom metric activities |
| And for quick online games and fast-finisher activities, these free measurement games from Topmarks are great fun too: |
| Topmarks measurement games |
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Tune in Tuesday for Australiaās Humpback Highways
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| This Tuesday on Squiz Kids Shortcuts, weāre heading out onto Australiaās giant underwater whale highways to follow one of the greatest migrations on Earth. |
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| Weāll travel alongside humpback whales as they journey thousands of kilometres from the icy feeding grounds of Antarctica to the warm tropical waters off Australiaās coast to mate, give birth, and raise their calves. Along the way, weāll hear about whale songs that can travel for miles underwater, meet Migaloo ā Australiaās famous white humpback whale ā and uncover how humans nearly wiped humpbacks out before helping them make one of natureās greatest conservation comeback stories. |
| So grab your binoculars, steady your sea legs, and join Christie and Bryce for an ocean adventure filled with giant whales, underwater concerts, epic migrations, and one very early morning boat ride. Tune in Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts. |
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 Ā International Museum Day:
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Passport Not Requiredā¦
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| and perfect for a rainy-day classroom wander, a curiosity break after lunchā¦ or accidentally losing 40 minutes exploring medieval armour and mummified cats. |
| One of my personal favourite days of the year is happening today! May 18: International Museum Day. |
| More than 37,000 museums across 158 countries take part each yearā¦ celebrating everything from dinosaurs and ancient Egypt to space travel, pop culture, giant squid, fashion, fossils and weird tiny historical spoons. |
| And the best part? Your classroom can visit some of the worldās greatest museums without touching an airport security queue. |
| A few brilliant virtual options: |
- The Met 360 Project
Immersive 360Ā° videos through New Yorkās famous Metropolitan Museum of Art. (And yes, kids may discover The Met is about much more than fashionā¦ though also definitely fashion.)
- MetKids
Built especially for kids, with maps, videos and ātime machineā style explorations.
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| Explore #metkids |
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Fun Finish: Snack Time Superhero
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| A huge cheer this week for 7-year-old Sameer Santana from Rhode Island in the US, whoās being hailed a hero after saving a choking classmate during snack time at school. |
| When his friend Jabril started choking on an apple slice,Ā Sameer remembered learning the Heimlich manoeuvre in kindergarten health classĀ and sprang into action, helping dislodge the piece of apple before teachers and first responders arrived. |
| The school later surprised Sameer with awards and celebrations for his bravery and quick thinking. |
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How many kids can say they saved someoneās life before finishing primary school!?Ā   |
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Know a teacher whoād love this? Pass it on.
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| We love hearing from you! Reply to this email with any feedback, suggestions, or funny teaching stories, or hit us up atĀ [email protected]. |
Now get out there, and have a most excellent day!
Over and out. |
| – Christie Kijurina, Squiz Kids Educator |
