Showing results by narrator "David Armstrong" in All Categories

Dogs have many abilities, along with being super cute–they have great noses that can sniff out smells that humans can’t!

Jennifer needs to get her special toy out of the room where her baby sister, Kaitlin, is sleeping. Jennifer and Yo try not to wake Jennifer from her nap while getting her stuffed snake toy–Kaitlin was fast asleep but awakens and begins to cry!

Did you know why foods taste different? Food flavors are not just about taste–your sense of smell helps you taste too! Your nose sends messages to your brain about the taste and smell of different foods. Sour and sweet tastes mix to form flavors like orange juice and lemonade. Discover the five tastes your tongue’s taste buds sense. Can you guess what scientists identified as the fifth taste?

There’s a chili tasting contest! Nestor Dock and his friends cooked their chili for everyone to taste. Will Nestor have a chance to win with so many different taste buds? Someone wants a pinch of salt, another person doesn’t eat meat, and another person says it’s just too spicey! Find out if Nestor’s ingredients chase everyone off. What would you put in your chili?

Can you guess when trees stop growing–they don’t stop! Their massive roots keep them in the ground and require plenty of water, sunshine and nutrients from the soil to help them grow. Trees are the oldest, largest and tallest living things on Earth, with the oldest part of the tree being its strong, woody middle. Find out how a maple tree gets its start! How does a tree grow?

Yo’s favorite thing about rays is the way their bodies feel soft and smooth. Yo and her grandmother visit an aquarium full of sharks and rays where Yo learns about rays, like how they flap their wings to swim in the water. Yo thinks the way their back and belly change color to camouflage from predators is a good trick! Learn all about rays with Yo!

If you pay close attention and use your senses–nature will tell you many things! Yo observes a pinecone with closed scales, which means it will rain. Yo is right; it rains, and he tells Lips, his dog, that pine cones only open when there is sunshine! Yo waits patiently for the pine cone to open. What happens when the pine cone opens? Will Yo see the seeds once it stops raining?

Did you know food scraps you throw away help plants and vegetables grow? Scavengers, animals who eat our food scraps, and decomposers: bacteria, fungi, and insects break the food down into soil. They eat some and put the rest into the soil we use for planting and gardening. Can you guess which animals and bugs make the best decomposers? What are scientists learning about decomposers?

Yo learns an important rule about using a campfire when she goes camping with her mother and father. Yo notices land destroyed by a forest fire. Campfires can start just from a small spark hidden in the coals of a campfire and a little wind! Yo discovers how forest fires can start and how to prevent them. What does Yo learn about being safe with campfires? How would you put out a fire?

What kind of insect protects itself with bright colors, warning insect eaters to stay way–a ladybug! Learn about insects and animals that live together in a garden. Interacting together, these living organisms have a lot in common! Some can help a garden grow strong and others can cause a lot of trouble. Raccoons like to eat the seeds and berries while spiders help by eating the pesky insects.

Martin, Liz, and their friend take a hike through the forest and learn about animals and plant life. This forest ecosystem is a healthy environment for animals and plant life to grow. A woodpecker checks for bugs to eat in a nearby tree, with bark that is ancient. Martin notices moss on the old tree bark and poisonous mushrooms! What else will they find on their forest hike?

Yo visits the beach with his mother who reminds Yo they need to use sunscreen to protect their skin from the sun. Yo wonders why his mother tells him to drink water–then Yo gets very thirsty! Yo sweats in the summer weather and learns sweating is good for the body. Yo jumps in the water to cool off! He wants Lips, his dog, to jump in, too. Find out if Lips takes a swim in the ocean!

Yo helps his father recycle garbage and learns what types of trash go into the recycling bin. Yo learns his fleece vest is made of plastic and that special factories recycle the plastic and melt it down into new things like toys and his favorite fleece vest! Can you guess which trash goes into the blue bins? Yo wants to surprise his mother with a special present–knowing how to recycle!

The wind is moving air! When warm air rises through the atmosphere, cool air flows in to take its place, creating wind! Did you know that wind power can produce electricity? Tall machines called wind turbines are solar-powered and becoming the fastest-growing renewable source of energy–they burn no fuel and cause no pollution. Turbines can be found on many wind farms, especially in Europe!

Birds are easier to hear than they are to see. If you want to encourage more birds to visit your backyard–learn how to build a bird feeder and a bird's nest! What types of birds will you find? Learn two simple ways to help birds live and to observe them in your own backyard!

Have you ever seen a flock of geese flying in the sky? Yo and her grandfather spot lots of geese flying South to escape the winter’s snow and ice. Yo is excited to watch the geese begin their long journey home.

Animals have unique skills to live, find food or escape becoming a predator’s meal! Animals that live in snowy places have athletic skills like strength need to compete in Winter Olympics sports. The snow leopard can leap 30 feet high and run fast! Seals can glide across the ice on their bellies like athletes competing in tobogganing. What skills do prairie chickens and red-crowned cranes have?

What makes fish great swimmers–and how do they breathe underwater? Different animals use their body in different ways to take in air, food, and water. Learn how fish use gills to take in oxygen from water, much like humans use lungs to breathe in oxygen from the air. Whales, dolphins and sea turtles come up for breath–are they fish? In ocean life, guess which fish have gills and which are not fish!

Got a pair of old tights, an empty can or a plastic bottle that you plan to throw away? You can upcycle those old things and turn them into new items you can use! Upcycling is recycling in a better way! Learn how to make a decorative pencil holder, a draft dodger to keep the cold out, or turn plastic bottles into bowling pins. What things can you create to reduce the use of plastic and metal?

The Elly award goes to the animal with the best nose! Learn about different animals’ noses and how their noses help them to survive in different ways.