Kids News - Social Studies for Kids

Today is the 25th birthday of Pi Day! Yes, believe it or not, we actually set aside a day to celebrate the numerical constant that represents the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, on a flat plane surface. Why was March 14th selected? Because while Pi has been calculated to one trillion digits past the decimal point, we all simply recognize it as 3.14, which also happens to be, today's date....

Walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy on any given day, and you will get the eerie feeling of an abandoned ghost town - One where even the structures seem to have been razed to the ground, leaving behind just barren land. So why even call it a town? Because that's exactly what it is, complete with 4,000 plus residents of 48 nationalities all of whom - Live underground!...

For those of you that are a little tired of the recent snowstorms here is some good news - Winter is finally over at least, as far as the clocks are concerned. That's because this weekend most Americans, as well as, a number of other countries in the Northern Hemisphere will 'Spring Forward', by moving their clocks ahead by an hour. Also referred to as Daylight Saving or British Summer Time, this age-old tradition dates all the way back to World War One....

If you happen to visit the Nordic countries of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway or Denmark, you may encounter a rather strange sight - Babies napping in their strollers outside homes, daycare centers and coffee shops even, during mid-winter when temperatures are below freezing....

Friday, March 1st, was Read Across America - A special day set aside to honor the birthday of our beloved author, Dr. Seuss - one during which schools, libraries and bookstores all around the country, hosted special events to encourage kids to read....

On Saturday, March 2nd, sixty-six mushers and their teams of between 12-16 dogs received a rousing send off from enthusiastic fans in Anchorage, Alaska, as they began the first-leg of the grueling world-renowned trail sled dog competition - The Iditarod!...

While 15th Century artist Leonardo da Vinci painted many masterpieces, including the 'Last Supper, which depicts the final meal Jesus shared with his apostles before his crucifixion, he is most famous for a small 77 cm x 53 cm painting that sits encased in bullet proof glass at the Louvre museum in Paris - The Mona Lisa! Now, it turns out that she may have some competition - A younger, happier version believed to have been painted by the Renaissance artist sometime between 1410-1455....

From a distance, El Anatsui's shimmering tapestries look like just any other beautiful work of art made from the best silks available. However, come closer and you will realize that they are not made from the finest materials but, from flattened bottle tops. Come even closer and you will be able to read the names of all the liquor bottles they came from!...

On Friday February 22nd, over one million people or about 20 percent of Norway's population settled down with their buckets of popcorn to watch a 12-hour special mini-series! The highlight? Eight exciting hours of a crackling fire!...