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FEATURES Long ago there were no supermarkets, no take-out food, and no pizza delivery. A drummer plays an African Shekere gourd percussion instrument while marching in a procession during a yam festival in Ghana. Freshly picked yam roots are cooked, and the first yam of the new year is split open. [Extracted from the article]

Long ago there were no supermarkets, no take-out food, and no pizza delivery. People lived by gathering, hunting, and growing all the food they ate. This way of life is […]

The First People had only four lights to illuminate the world: white light from the eastern mountains, blue light from the southern mountains, yellow light from the western peaks, and [...]

When Melissa Poe of Nashville, Tennessee, was 9 years old, she saw an episode of the TV show Highway to Heaven that really disturbed her. An angel played by Michael [...]

Ever since there have been spies, there have been women spies. In some ways, women made perfect spies, because no one ever suspected them. In the past, women were supposed [...]

Everybody needs a home. Homes protect us from weather and keep us safe and comfortable. Animals are no exception. Humans live in a wide variety of structures. Around the world, [...]

The Havasu 'Baaja people (also known as the Havasupai) live at the bottom of a branch of the Grand Canyon. Supai Village is the most remote settlement in the United [...]

NEZ PERCE (native people of the western United States) Fire was the possession of the Great Power, who kept it locked in huge black bags in the sky. The people [...]

Lightning puts on one of the most awesome power shows in all of nature. As it streaks from the sky down toward the earth, it heats up the air it [...]

The Children's Theatre Company of New York City presents professional theater by kids for grownups. The company consists of 100 people, ages 4 to 18; they are actors, dancers, singers, [...]

For many years in Thailand, some elephants were used as workers in the lumber industry, transporting huge logs. But then in 1990, the government halted all the cutting of the [...]

Demeter was the Greek goddess of the harvest. As you can imagine, this was an important job. If Demeter was upset or angry, the crops could fail and the people [...]

Aboriginal people have fished and hunted in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef for 60,000 years. Their stories say the barrier reef was once part of the shoreline of [...]

IT IS SAID THAT THE PHOENIX is a beautiful bird. The feng-huang, as it is known in China, is thought to hover above treasures and bring fortune to those lucky [...]

These kids are amazing! They have accomplished feats that would be EXTREME-ly difficult--if not impossible--for most adults. 5-DAY-OLD RECORDING STAR In 2012 Blue Ivy Carter (USA), the newborn daughter of [...]

Today some people can predict the weather pretty accurately. And people also know how to make certain kinds of weather. Scientists have figured out how to make snow for skiing [...]

HEALING HORSES In Ignacio, Colorado, the Southern Ute Indians run The Vocational Rehabilitation Service Project. The project helps American Indians with disabilities. The Ute use horse-assisted therapy to help people [...]

Pen pals are friends who communicate by exchanging letters. Usually, pen pals live in different cities and often in different countries. Since they cannot get together in person to talk [...]

Many moons ago, when the Indians first lived, one man stayed by himself, far from any other people. He was very lonely for companionship. This man did not know how [...]

Since Dr. Jane first watched chimpanzee David Graybeard make and use a tool nearly 50 years ago, scientists have discovered that many other animals also use tools to get food [...]

FUTURISTS--scientists who predict future trends--are divided on their visions of the future. Some believe that the future will be a harsh and grim time. They believe the environment on Earth [...]

Akrit Jaswal was always advanced for his age. When he was a baby he skipped the crawling stage and started walking. He began to talk when he was just 10 [...]

We know about solar and wind energy. But are there other, more unusual sources of clean, 'green' energy? You bet there are ... PEOPLE POWER There is a new device [...]

Long ago, before there were any people on Earth, there were two gods who ruled the universe--Tochapa, who symbolized all goodness, and Hokomata, who ruled all evil. Tochapa had a [...]

Many people think that the word 'prayer' means to ask for something. And it does. But praying is more than just saying 'please.' People all over the world believe that […]

One day, a farmer spotted the phoenix in his field, but it flew away before he could reach it. 'There must be treasure buried here,' thought the peasant. He began [...]

For it isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it. --Eleanor Roosevelt The best [...]

GASSIUS MARCELLUS JR., first won the world heavyweight boxing championship in 1964, when he was only 22 years old. Two years later, he changed his name to Muhammad All after [...]

Oldest: The oldest cat on record is Lucy from South Wales, who is 39 years old. Heaviest: Himmy, who lived in Queensland, Australia, weighed 46.8 pounds. Smallest: Tinker Toy from [...]

Cat's cradle may be one of humans' oldest games. It is still popular around the world. In cat's cradle, two people make shapes with string and pass them back and [...]

In Your Body: Your heart beats 70 to 75 times. * You take 12 to 20 breaths. * Your brain sends and receives 6,000,000,000,000 (6 trillion) messages just to keep [...]

... can be photographed from the International Space Station. ... was known to the ancient Egyptians as the 'Horizon of Khufu.' ... is surrounded by a complex of buildings that [...]

The Appalachian Trail is the longest continuous footpath in the world. It is 2,175.6 miles long. It goes up and over nearly 50 different mountains from Georgia to Maine. Walking [...]

In ancient China, children didn't go to school. They worked alongside their parents. Girls helped their mothers cook and clean, make and repair clothing, and tend silkworms. Boys were more [...]

If you have a cat, you know they're really hard to train. Many people believe it's impossible. But Yuri Kuklachev, a clown from Russia, has trained 120 cats to do […]

Try to imagine what the world would be like if you could not see or hear. You would have to depend on your senses of taste, touch, and smell to […]

Provides information on some of the world's sacred mountains.

Presents ways in giving thanks after a harvest around the world. Cereal deity offered by the Ainu people of Northern Japan; Blessing of newly harvested maize before eating by the Bororo Indians in Brazil; Thanksgiving altars made by women in China; Green Corn Festival of the Native American people; Succoth celebration of the Jews.

Offers solar facts and information on solar ceremonial celebrations around the world. Why Scandinavia is called `the land of the midnight sun'; How the Indians of the Taos Pueblo (Northern New Mexico) greet the sun on the solstice; The celebration of Midsummer in Europe.

The article presents the short story "Spider Woman Weaves the Map of the Universe."

The article focuses on several myths attached to lightning. The Egyptians believed that their god Seth created lightning with a spear made of iron. According to the Hittites, their weather god held a hammer in one hand and shook a bunch of lightning bolts in the other. In Greek mythology, Zeus, the supreme Greek god, threw lightning around when he was unhappy with events on earth.

The article reports that Children's Theatre Co. in New York City presents professional theater by kids for grownups. The company consists of 100 people, aged between 4 and 18; they are actors, dancers, singers, and musicians. Besides being stars onstage, they also do important jobs backstage. They work the lights and help with scriptwriting and making scenery and costumes.

The article explains the reasons for why north is at the top of a map. The answer has to do with who makes the map, because maps tell more than just what is seen. Maps with north on top became common centuries ago. European sailors were beginning to navigate using the North Star and magnetic compasses to guide their way across the oceans. Because they were from Europe, it was only natural for them to put their homelands in the place of honor at the top of their maps. The first modern-day upside-down map of the world was published in Australia in 1979 by a man who was tired of being teased about coming from the bottom of the world.

Deals with gods believed to have created lightning.

The article offers information about an elephant art academy called the Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project (AEACP). It is noted that the academy was started by Russian artists Vitaly Komar and Alexander Melamid to teach elephants to paint and then sell their paintings to make money to feed and care for them. It is noted that they thought of training elephants after the government of Thailand prohibited cutting of the forests as these elephants were being use to transport huge logs.