Scientists have found the oldest known piece of our planet.
A blue zircon crystal, found on a sheep ranch in Australia, is about 4.4 billion years old.
The gem is about twice the width of a human hair.
Tag: grade 4
Boy Invents Cheaper Braille Printer Using Lego
A 12-year-old boy has invented a Braille printer that costs about $1,650 less than the ones that are available today.
Shubham Banerjee is in grade seven in Santa Clara, California.
He used a Lego Mindstorms kit and added five dollars’ worth of parts he bought at a hardware store to create what he calls a Braigo.
His Braigo costs about $349 to make.
Highlights From The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics came to a close on Sunday.
During the closing ceremonies, all of the athletes walked into the arena together.
At the end of the closing ceremonies, a display is always put on by the country that will host the next winter Olympics. Pyeongchang, South Korea, will host the 2018 games.
Here are just a few of the interesting events that defined this year’s Winter Olympics for Canada and internationally…
Canada’s Women Win Gold
Yesterday was golden for Canada’s female Olympians.
In one of the most exciting hockey games ever played, the Canadian women’s team took the top prize. It was a clash between long-time rivals US and Canada, the best versus the best.
The American women had a solid 2-0 lead going into the third period. But with less than four minutes to go, Canada’s Brianne Jenner put the puck past American goalie Jessie Vetter. The score was 2-1.
Empty Storefronts Now Showcase Art
There is a strip of vacant stores along Eglinton Ave. W. in Toronto.
The street in front of the stores is under construction.
The stores are vacant (there is no one using them) partly because of the construction, which makes it hard for people to visit the stores to shop. And if there are no shoppers, there’s no point in opening a store.
But Toronto businessman John Kernaghan looked at the vacant storefronts and saw possibilities.
Some Inspirational Stories From The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
Watching the best-of-the-best compete for gold at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics is inspirational.
But beyond the performance of the athletes, there have already been many other inspirational moments at these Olympics.
Russian cross-country skier Anton Gafarov fell and broke his ski during the Men’s Sprint Free Semifinals.
In true Olympic spirit he tried to keep going, knowing that although he no longer had any chance of winning, he needed to finish the race he had started.
However, his ski was broken in half.
He would end up limping across the finish line in front of the world, not to mention his fellow Russians who were cheering from the sidelines.
Determination, Team Spirit Helps Canada Win Its First Medals In Sochi
On Saturday, Mark McMorris won Canada’s first medal at the 2014 Olympics–a bronze in snowboarding.
That was quickly followed up by two more medals for Canada: Justine Dufour-Lapointe won Canada’s first gold and her sister, Chloe, earned Canada’s first silver medal.
McMorris is a native from Regina, Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan is known for having very flat terrain, yet McMorris was determined to be a world-class snowboarder.
Spectacular Opening Ceremony Kicks Off 2014 Winter Olympics
The eyes of the world are on Sochi, Russia, where the 2014 Winter Olympics are taking place.
Last Friday, the official opening ceremony took the audience on a Russian journey. It began with the Russian alphabet, with each of the 33 letters highlighting a famous Russian person or achievement.
Later, the athletes flooded into the stadium, grouped according to country. Canada, with 220 athletes, has one of the largest teams in this year’s winter Olympics. The Canadians came into the stadium, a sea of red, behind flag-bearer Hayley Wickenheiser.
“It’s an amazing feeling being able to carry the flag and lead in this awesome powerful Team Canada,” Hayley Wickenheiser told CBC News. “I’m a very, very proud Canadian right now. It’s great to be Canadian in moments like this; you realize how lucky we are to live where we live. I hope everyone back home is proud and enjoys the games.”
Canadian Athletes Working Through Injuries To Compete In Sochi
The 2014 Winter Olympics begin today in Sochi, Russa. Canadians will be cheering for their favourite athletes.
But several Olympic contenders are receiving a little more attention than others.
They are recovering from major injuries and needed to add extra training so they’ll be fit enough to compete.
At least two slopestyle contenders from Canada are among this group.
Slopestyle is an event in which skiers or snowboarders try to perform the most difficult tricks while flying as high into the air as possible.
Sesame Street Characters Help Kids To Eat Right
Sesame Street may be where the air is sweet, but these days it’s also where the food… isn’t.
The children’s television show has started a program to help get kids eating food that’s better for them.
The program is called, “Food for Thought: Eating Healthy on a Budget.”
About one in four children in the United States does not get enough nutritious food to eat, often because parents can’t afford it.
That’s about six million children, according to the Sesame Street website.
