Upcoming Themes for APPLESEEDS

2007 - 2008 School Year
September	Helping One Another You can help people in many ways. One 12-year-old boy rode 3,000 miles - on a lawn mower - to help a sick neighbor. One girl simply had her hair cut - and donated it - to help someone. Kids all over the country are starting charities and taking action to help the homeless, the sick, and other people in need. Read this issue of APPLESEEDS for more about the amazing things kids are doing - and how you can get involved.
October	Animals and Us Four legs, two legs - and don't forget about fins! This issue of APPLESEEDS shows how all types of animals can teach us something about the world and about ourselves. You'll see how the bond between a person and a pet - or even a chimpanzee - can help us understand more about friendship and problem solving. We also answer the question: Can fish eyes teach us about outer space? Find out in this issue of APPLESEEDS.
November	Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is about stuffing your face with turkey, potatoes, and pie, right? Well, actually, there' s a lot more to it than that. Take a trip back in time with APPLESEEDS to the very first Thanksgiving. Sit down with the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians to see exactly why they decided to have a celebration of thanks. Also learn about how people all over the world give thanks. In this issue, you can also learn to make some tasty treats to share with your family and friends.
December	Weather Do you know what to do if a tornado twists toward your town? What about if the weather report says a blizzard is barreling your way? Besides hoping for a snow day, there are a lot of things you can do to be ready for dangerous weather. This issue of APPLESEEDS gives you all the information you need to be well prepared. You'll visit a boy who lives in a part of the United States called Tornado Alley and learn what he and his family do to stay safe. You'll also see how scientists study all types of weather. Plus you will climb into the cockpit of an airplane with some hurricane hunters as they fly into the eye of a storm. Or, if you would rather keep your feet on the ground, we'll show you how to observe the weather from your own backyard.
January	Who Did What in Ancient China? What sort of jobs did people do in ancient China? Find out what it was like to build the Great Wall or work on a farm. What did you do if your family raised silkworms? Why was bamboo so important to the ancient Chinese? What are the Chinese inventions that rocked the world? Explore what the kids did while the adults were working, and why some girls spent there lived in pain just be considered beautiful.
February	Growing Up in the Civil Rights Movement What was it like to be a kid during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s? Important roles were played by many young people, such as Ruby Bridges - the first African American to attend an all-white school in New Orleans - and the kids who took part in the Birmingham Children's Crusade and actually went to jail to protest for equal rights. Learn about the basics of the Civil Rights movement, how discrimination works, and what it takes to choose nonviolence.
March	Myths and Mythology People have been telling stories for as long as there has been language. Some of the best-known stories are the ancient myths from different cultures. But did you know that Harry Potter is an epic hero, just like the heroes of ancient Greece and Rome? Who were the muses who inspired ancient storytellers? What are the trickster tales from Africa? Are urban myths fact or fiction? Find out about the storytelling through history, and star in your very own myth, too!
April	Ins and Outs of the Internet Readers find out intriguing information about what goes IN to the Internet and what comes OUT, in this issue. Articles range from a short history of the Internet to guidelines and safeguards for navigating the information highway. Some articles focus on "how it's done," such as how e-mail travels from sender to receiver and how MP3 players work. Others offer advice on how to judge Web sites, a look at some of the ways we use the Internet, and predictions about its future.
May / Jun	Cartoons and Animation In this lively issue, readers can explore a world they already love but may not know much about: some of the real stories behind animated cartoons. Articles cover the mechanics of animation from various standpoints including the beginnings of animation, the rise of Walt Disney and his studio, and the principles of animation. Readers will travel around the world to meet characters from Tokyo TV like White Bread Man, and the maestro of Japanese animation, Hayao Miyazaki. They wll have an opportunity to create characters themselves, as well as reading about the special effects that created famed animate characters like Star Wars' Yoda
Jul / Aug	Exploring the Grand Canyon Take a virtual mule ride down into the "grandest" place in the United States! Readers will discover the history and geology of the Grand Canyon, beginning with how rivers, rocks, and 'rosion have formed this wonder of the world. After following some intrepid hikers, they will learn do's and don'ts for hikers in any such landscape.They will meet some of the people whose ancestors have lived in the canyon for centuries and the men who first explored it, as well as rangers and others who are there now.

2008 - 2009 School Year
September	Becoming the President The process, the stories, the history of U. S. presidential elections.
October	Who Did What in Ancient Greece? Continuing our on-going series examining how things were made and done in the ancient world.
Nov / Dec	Let's Eat Exploring the issues surrounding food: how and why we eat what we eat, world food issues, and what the future holds.
January	Abraham Lincoln A new look at this pivotal president on the bicentennial of his birth.
February	Tell Me a Story Story writers and story tellers have captivated human beings since the beginning of time""-how and why do they do it?
March	Robots and Robotics A look at the history, the people, and the mechanics of robots.
April	How Did They Build That? How and why people have built things from the Wonders of the World to monster trucks.
May/June	Amazing Journeys Following some of the daring and life-changing journeys people have made from past to present.
July/August	Energy: Using It and Saving It A "green" issue on challenges we face and ingenious solutions to solving energy problems.

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Updated: 8/20/08 01:11 pm
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