‘Invisible Worlds’: Who Discovered Coronavirus?

Have you ever heard of June Almeida? She was a Scientist interested in examining microbiology and viruses. She used microscopes to take photos of viruses and to learn about antibodies and the immune system. She took photos of the first known example of a human coronavirus, and her research was later used to help modern-day virologists learn about the COVID-19 coronavirus strain.

Here is a photo of June using an electron microscope.

There is a whole world that is ‘invisible’ to us unless we have the right tools to see it! Things like bacteria, micro-animals, and fungi are best viewed through a microscope!

Watch the video below to learn more about the teeny, tiny creatures that live in our world!

Remember: while things like viruses can make us sick, there are so many microorganisms that are harmless or even helpful to humans!

Learning at Home: Pumpkins, Lions, and Bears, Oh My!

In October, you might see some unusual produce in the enclosures of different zoo animals. Often, zookeepers will give the animals pumpkins. You can find lots of videos and pictures of different animals investigating, destroying, and even eating these pumpkins! But why do zoos do this? To find out, click to read the article below:

Why Do Zoos Give Pumpkins to Their Animals

Exploring Asia through Picturebooks: Immigration, Family, and Taiwan

I Dream of Popo: Blackburne, Livia, Kuo, Julia: 9781250249319: Books - Amazon.ca

We are continuing to learn about different countries in Asia! We read a book called I Dream of Popo, a story about moving away from your family based on the authour’s childhood experience moving from Taiwan to America. The child in the story keeps in contact with their grandmother back in Taiwan, and their love prevails despite physical distance!

Taiwan Map and Satellite Image

Taiwan is a small country off the coast of China. It is a very culturally distinct country, with lots of unique culture!

To learn a little more about Taiwan, please watch the video below. You can compare and contrast these Taiwanese noodles with the Japanese noodles we learned about earlier!

Balloons Over Broadway: the Story of the Thanksgiving Parade

Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade (Bank Street College of Education Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (Awards)) eBook : Sweet, Melissa: Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

Have you ever been to a parade? Today, we read the story of Tony Sarg the puppeteer. He was one of the first people to design and create the floating balloon ‘puppets’ commonly used in the Macy’s parade in New York City! This parade has been going on since 1924 (almost 100 years). Below is a photo of one of the first balloon puppets designed by Tony:

The Puppeteer Who Brought Balloons to the Thanksgiving Day Parade | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine

Some questions to consider:

-How has the design of the balloons changed over the years? Why do you think they have made these changes?

-Why do the designers use helium instead of another gas (like oxygen)?

-If you were going to design a balloon float, what character/creature would you design?

World’s Most Expensive Pizza: How Much Would You Spend?

As part of our investigation of pizzas around the world, we learned about the “most expensive pizza on Earth”! Check out these 2 examples below.

The C6 – Stevestson Pizza, Richmond, BC, Canada – $450

If you ever find yourself in Richmond and have an extra $450 in your pocket, perhaps you might want to try this luxury pizza! The C6 features lobster thermidor, black Alaskan cod, prawns, smoked salmon and Russian Osetra caviar – one of he world’s most expensive caviars. Would you ever try this pizza?

Louis XIII – Salerno, Italy – $12,000

The most expensive pizza in the world serves 2 people… so in a way this only $6,000 apiece. The dough is made from organic flour, is dusted with Murray River pink salt and takes 72-hours to prepare, which allows it time to rest before being cooked.

The toppings are as excessive as you’d expect with three rare types of caviar, Norwegian lobster, and 7 types of cheese.

Have you ever tried caviar? What would you put on your ‘luxury’ pizza?

Learning at Home: Writing Prompt

As we approach October, the month where we learn about all things superstitious, spooky, and scary, check out this video of a very ‘scary’ black cat. After watching the video, feel free to write about…

What is something that terrifies you? Is this fear based on something (a memory, a movie, etc.)? What might happen if you had to face this fear?
Why do you think black cats are considered ‘bad luck’? Many black cats are not adopted from shelters. What could we do to challenge this stereotype and help people love black cats instead?
What was your favourite toy when you were younger? Do you still have it?