November 3, 2015

CK Reporter of the Week Tyler Vanourek, Littleton Aldrin still reaches for the stars

n July 16, 1969, a giant rocket carrying the Apollo 11, was launched into space. In the a capsule atop the rocket, three men -- Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and OMichael Collins -- were hoping for a safe mission, knowing that they would change history. Just four days later the three men aboard landed on the moon. It was there that they left a plaque reading “Here men from the planet Earth fi rst set foot upon the moon July 1969 A.D. We came in peace for all man- kind.” Of those three men only two would set foot on the moon: Neil Armstrong was the fi rst, while Buzz Aldrin was right behind him. They arrived home on July 24 and were welcomed back as international heroes. Aldrin, now 85, has recently come out with a new children’s book titled “Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet” and is touring the country speaking about his new book. At the Tattered Cover, he said he believes that, just as he reached the moon, humans will also walk on Mars. His book is meant to inspire future generations to shoot for -- as the fi ctional “Buzz” who was named for him would put it -- “infi nity and beyond,” and Aldrin said he hopes that Mars will become the future home for humans. Telling future generations to experience as many great opportunities as possible he uses this metaphor to illustrate what he has to say: “Stretch your arms out and catch or experience as many opportunities between your outstretched arms. As you move along don’t just go on one path, but maximize the opportunities to look and see what suits you best, what you suit best and what that combination could be.” In the end, Dr. Aldrin urges and envisions future generations of Earth living on Mars and calling it home. For the future is there, he promises, to “Create. Advance. Move ahead, to the un- known opportunities.”

Planning your new home on the Red Planet Above left, Buzz Aldrin, July 19, 1969, on the lunar surface (NASA) n Buzz Aldrin’s new book, “Welcome to Mars: Making A Home on Above, Aldrin signing a book for Ithe Red Planet,” there is valuable information related to creating your a young reader at the Tattered home on Mars. Cover this past month. (photo: There are many graphics and pictures that make the complex facts and Clarise Reichley) information easy to understand and comprehend. The main question that Aldrin based his book on is “Would you like to be one of the fi rst humans to walk on Mars, possibly to live on it?” It is meant to inspire future generations to reach for infi nity and be- By Clarise Reichley, yond whether “infi nity” is travelling to Mars or other planets in our solar 11, a CK Reporter system. from Denver In the end, I found that this book was an interesting mix of facts with dreams that Aldrin hoped would come true. This publication is meant for ages 8 through 12 and is defi nitely a must- read for people passionate about Mars! -- Clarise Reichley

Handy, fun kit, but get one of the larger ones

akey Makey is a toy that enables you price is worth it for the Classic and Collec- to use household items to do things tor’s editions. Mon your computer. The Go edition only comes with one alliga- There are three kinds of kits: Makey Makey tor clip so it’s not as worthwhile unless you’re Go ($24.95) , Makey Makey Classic ($49.95), only going to use one alligator clip in your and the Makey Makey Classic Collector’s Box projects. Otherwise, you should probably get ($59.95). the other versions. The Classic and Collector’s Box kits come Overall, this is a fun, unique toy that kids with alligator clips, a Makey Makey circuit and adults will like playing and experiment- board, wires, a micro USB, stickers and an ing with. instruction manual. The next thing I’m going to try is making a Makey Makey Go comes with 1 USB “In- Mario controller out of Play-Doh! vention Stick”, a case with a magnet, 1 white alligator clip, a keyring and instructions. The Collector’s version also comes with a tin to put all of the stuff in. the least bit conductive. I tested the Collector’s Box edition and This is a fun, unique toy, rated age 8 to made a banana piano, banana bongos, pencil “Infi nity” so you can still have fun with it if By Parker Secrest, Pacman controller and a banana Mario con- you’re older. 12, a CK Reporter troller. That also means it is something that you from Denver The toy works with anything that is even can keep and play with for a long time, so the

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To help in your sleuthing, you can examine the tools Mr. Holmes keeps in his Basil Street sitting room (photo: EDG) he minute I stepped into “The Interna- stories, including the bearskin rug and Sher- tional Exhibition of Sherlock Holmes” lock’s famous pipes. Tat the Denver Museum of Nature and Not only are they fun to see, but you can By Kenna Haverkamp, Science, I was impressed with the overall also check those things off in your “Detec- 13, a CK Reporter look of the exhibit. tive’s Notebook”. from Denver From the dark, gloomy London feel to the This notebook will also come in handy as soft music playing in the background, it felt you work with your companions to solve a like I had literally stepped foot into one of the murder. stories. You’ll even receive a message from Sherlock There were scenes with objects from the himself! Great toy for learning microrobots, coding “Hello, I am Ozobot. I make decisions. I follow directions, and a calibration card. er your own or from the website. directions. I read colors. I move. I groove . . . we The Ozobot is small and easily fits in the Customizing the playgrounds on the website play.” palm of your hand. It has won many awards was a lot of fun. like “Best Robot” at the 2015 Consumer Elec- Ozobot has a battery that lasts about an tronics Show. hour, so it will need to be charged. Going to the Ozobot website and download- A USB cable is included, so you can charge ing their app is crucial to having fun with this it from a computer or a wall socket. It takes toy. about 30 minutes to charge. For example, the website has printable maps It is not waterproof, and the optical sensors and mazes. need to stay clean in order to work. The app allows you to choose premade I recommend this toy for ages 8+, but the maps or make up your own on the fly. older you are, the more advanced things that One of the things that you need to know you will be able to do with it. about Ozobot is that it needs to be calibrated It is a great STEM toy to introduce kids every so often in order to work correctly. to the fun world of micro-robots and basic The process is simple but important. coding. Use the calibration card (included), or use the Ozobot app on a tablet or smartphone (Apple or Android based only). Playing with the Ozobot on a tablet or large By Tyler Vanourek, printed sheet is best as this gives you more 12, a CK Reporter zobot is a new micro-robot that incorpo- room. from Littleton Orates patterns, colors, and sensors. It can move at different speeds, turn, and It comes with a carrying pod, a USB cord, a change color. small color-coded pattern to try, some basic The Ozobot can also move to music, wheth- ‘Girls only’ building kit limited, disappointing

oominate Studio” is called a “If I bought this as a first grade teacher way for 6 to 12 year old girls I would be very disappointed, very disap- “Rto develop their STEM skills pointed,” Mary Owens, a first grade teach- through building their own bedroom and er from Aspen Elementary school said.”It constructing all sorts of furniture, acces- just seems like something my class would sories, and decorations. put together once and never touch again. You name it, you can build it -- if you It would just stay on the shelf.” have enough pieces, that is. Additionally, when you make the mo- This kit comes with 4 wall panels, 24 tor spin, it can get caught in hair and be building pieces, 16 connectors, 1 motor, tricky to get out. 1 switch, 1 battery pack, 1 screwdriver, It is also peculiar how they direct this pieces of colored paper, and a plastic doll product towards only girls. and dog. On the box it isn’t that obvious aside That sounds like a lot at first, but when from the pink color and the picture of a you start building, it takes at least 4 con- girl playing with the switch, but if you go nectors to build the foundation which to their website, it seems like they don’t then leaves you with 12 connectors and 24 Photo/Zoe Zizzo even want boys to touch the pieces. building pieces with which to construct. I would give this toy 2 out of 5 stars. I was able to create 3 or 4 things with the given pieces, but if you It doesn’t come with enough pieces, has misleading information, and really want to get creative, you will need to buy additional kits. excludes boys. Each kit costs $30-37 depending on where they’re purchased, which I recommend this toy to 7-9 year olds who really enjoy building, seems pricey for what’s included. have patience, and love cutting creative things out of blank sheets of I found that this toy’s box a bit misleading from the claims men- paper. tioned. Anyone younger than 7 might be frustrated, not be able to put pieces It is implied that important technology skills are involved with together, and not have an overall pleasant experience with this toy. regard to the electricity portion of this kit when all that’s involved is Anyone older than 9 would find this to be a bit on the easy side and connecting a few wires together and making one motor spin. get bored within minutes of opening it. They also wrote on their box that this set “teaches self-confidence.” I found this statement a little bit odd because it can get to be a bit frustrating for the younger crowd experimenting with this toy, which would do the opposite of “teaching self-confidence.” By Zoe Zizzo, I have had plenty of hands-on experience with free-formed building 13, a CK Reporter from Highlands Ranch and I will be the first to admit that I did give up a few times on con- necting certain pieces and getting some things to work in the direc- tions.

The Denver Post 2 Jem: High tech, rock and a moral

rom the studio that brought you Suddenly, Synergy begins to glow, hum and “Pitch Perfect,” and the director of rise to life. F“Never Say Never,” comes “Jem and Throughout the movie, the robot shows the Holograms,” a drama, rockstar and Jerrica and her sisters maps and clues to high-tech movie. various places that hold the pieces to finish Jerrica Benton (Aubrey Peeples) lives in his construction. Pine View, California, with her three sis- Meanwhile, it teaches Jerrica valuable les- ters, Kimber (Stefanie Scott), Aja (Hayley sons that her dad wanted her to learn even Kiyoko), Shana (Aurora Perrineau)and though he wasn’t around to teach her. her Aunt Bailey (Molly Ringwald). “Jem and the Holograms” is filled with All her sisters use technology like there laughter, love, fame, fashion, a great is no tomorrow, but the only thing they soundtrack, and more. do together without fighting is singing. This movie teaches three important lessons: Jerrica is too shy to show her singing Be who you want to be, Don’t underestimate gift to others. yourself, and Never fear the unknown. One night, Jerrica records herself sing- I absolutely loved this movie and would ing on tape, as “Jem,” the name her dad recommend it to everyone. called her before he passed away. Remember to be yourself and don’t worry Jerrica had never planned to show about what others think about you! anyone, but her sister Kimber takes the video and uploads it to YouTube. In a matter of time, it has millions of likes and everyone wants to know who “Jem” is. A woman named Erika Raymond (Ju- By Jayden Ponsford, liette Lewis) seeks her out hoping to get 11, a CK Reporter her to sign a recording contract. from Aurora Jerrica wouldn’t sign it unless her sis- ters are allowed to be a part of her band. With many struggles along the way, off to L.A. they go, along with Synergy, a robot that her dad never finished working on. Challenging fun, but read the instructions nap Circuits Arcade,” made based on the card game Blackjack. by Elenco and winner of The There are also several other fun “SAmerican Specialty Toy Re- projects involving sirens and/or disco tailing Association’s Best Toys for Kids balls, and even a really loud alarm (so it award in 2015, is an electronic circuit might be best not to do this at night when assembly kit with over 200 fun projects your parents or neighbors are asleep). and a lot to teach. The only downside of these projects Its pieces snap together like a Lego that I found is that the fan easily caught set. hair and got tangled in it, causing the Some of the included parts are a base blades to stop spinning. grid, a programmable fan, and an LED After the hair was removed, the fan display with a microcontroller. did not function as well as before, so be The instruction manual includes a careful with that. list of Do’s and Don’t’s, including good Overall, I found all of the projects safety guidelines that still encourage very fun and intriguing, and I highly creativity. recommend “Snap Circuits Arcade” to The directions also contain detailed all kids over the age of 8. diagrams to explain how some of the Children under that age may still more complicated parts work, for those enjoy it, but will need more parental who may want to know. supervision. This is important: Read the instruction If you want to see more of the Snap manual before you try the projects, be- Circuits products, or need replacement cause there may be safety issues you are parts (by the way, these pieces are in- not aware of. terchangeable with the pieces in Elec- For those of you that may like creat- tro-Gadget 200) check out www.elenco. ing your own circuits, make sure you com. specifically read page 9. Teachers may want to see the “Teach- In the Manual, there is also informa- er’s booklet” found at the site. tion on troubleshooting and a brief “Introduction to Electricity.” As for the clarity of the instructions, I personally found them quite easy to follow, although children eight and under might want to have an adult to help. By Leslie Wilburn, “Snap Circuits Arcade” includes many interesting projects, such as a 14, a CK Reporter water detector and a trip-wire trap. from Denver Several games are also included, for example, a memory game that can be played at different difficulty levels, and ‘Twenty-One,’ which is STEM for the youngest future scientists ugg-A-Planet” toys are soft, huggable stuffed fabric with details “Hthat give little kids an idea of what planets look like. I invited two 5-year-old neighbors to play with the toys. Their most favorite thing was crashing the planets together. Earth has a Velcro pocket that contains the Moon, which they loved. I think there should have been a pocket with something on Mars too because it was a little disappointing that Earth had one and Mars did not. The colors and details were great but a little confusing. Earth showed the ocean as light blue for shallow and dark blue for deep, which was hard for the boys to understand. However, this is still a good teaching toy. The toys are colorful and inviting with different shades of blue, pur- ple, green, orange and red. The planets are labeled clearly and the moon shows craters, but it was a little hard at first to understand that it was the moon. Photo/Stella Vranes Mars was colored orange and red and had a lot of detailed swirls. For all those little guys and girls out there with big ideas of Earth, I thought maybe they were dust storms and we couldn’t figure them Mars and the Moon, they can touch them at last with Hugg-A-Planet out. toys! I think these toys wouldn’t be good for very young children or older kids Young kids might be a little overwhelmed by the details and older By Katherine Gagner, kids just wouldn’t find them interesting. I think the main age group is 10, a CK Reporter 4 to 7. from Boulder One great thing about these toys is that they really sparked imagina- tion: The boys used them as hats, pillows, and even kangaroo pouches.

3 The Denver Post Requires patience, but worth the effort

I built the Single-Prop Plane fi rst and then moved on to the Steam Locomotive. Both models worked when fully assembled. (You need to disassemble one model to make another.) One neat aspect of this set is that you can replace the solar panels with standard AA batteries so that your creation will move even at night or in the dark (without sunlight). The 4 other models that can be built with this experiment set are Bulldozer, Backhoe, Helicopter, and Twin-Prop Helicopter. There are 24 pages in the color manual, which includes historical details about each model. The pictures used with each step could be improved by making them larger. The manual also highlights different aspects about solar power. The models move very slowly, so if you are looking for a toy that you build yourself that moves quickly, you will be disappointed. However, I believe that ages 10 and up might like this set. Each of the models moves with solar power, but not all the expected parts move. For example, the Backhoe does not scoop, it only moves forward. s a ten-year old with extensive experience putting together This kit requires a LOT of patience and also a close inspection after advanced Lego sets, I naturally went through my three step building, because sometimes the wires don’t completely connect, and Abuilding process with the “Solar Power - Photovoltaic Ener- often you will have to restart a part of the directions because of the gized Vehicles” kit. placement of the pieces. First, organize the pieces. Overall, I would recommend this experiment kit for kids who like This set only had 177 pieces, but I had to organize all the pieces building. myself. Next, build your model. The directions for each model were only two pages of pictures, which included a list of parts needed for each model. By Jack Vanourek, Although only seven to 10 steps were listed for each model, it took 10, a CK Reporter two or three hours for the fi rst model, then only about an hour for the from Littleton next one. My third and fi nal step is double-checking everything and making sure that every piece is in its proper place.

Investing in space has benefi ted the world or some time, many Americans thought that we were wasting money on space Fexploration. They felt their tax dollars should be spent on fi xing roads and bridges or on schools. When NASA ended the Space Shuttle Mis- sion in 2011 some people were glad, but oth- ers thought it was a big mistake. But with all the benefi ts coming from the International Space Station, they are proving it was well worth the investment. The ISS is directly helping people on our planet right now by monitoring climate change and water qualities, gauging urban growth and providing data about natural di- sasters. As the station orbits Earth every 90 min- utes, it passes over 90% of the world’s pop- ulated areas. The as- tronauts and experts on the ground are able to spot large weath- Hurricane Patricia, photographed from the ISS by Astronaut Scott Kelly (NASA) er events, such as the disasters such as fi res, fl oods and volcanic The information is shared freely across na- recent Hurricane Pa- eruptions help emergency responders on tional borders, strengthening our relation- tricia, and provide in- Earth save lives in real time. ships with other countries. formation that helps This imaging system, called ISERV, has ar- “ISERV is an example of in essence making meteorologists pre- chived photos of how our planet has looked the International Space Station even more dict a storm’s path. over time. international and connecting space to village The space station It has chronicled deforestation and helped to better understand and protect our home collects up to 1,000 foreign governments make better decisions planet,” said Dan Irwin, director of NASA’s photos a day, captur- about how to manage their natural resourc- SERVIR Coordination Offi ce. ing Earth events as es. It has documented changes in the polar Dana Plewka is Educational Services Manager for the they occur. ice caps. Images of natural Denver Post and Executive Editor of Colorado Kids

Mariner 10 was launched on this day in 1973 and, 174 days later, became the fi rst space probe to reach Mercury, so our answers this week will each begin with the letter “M.” 1. Large island off the coast of Africa, known for its lemurs

2. Yankee Doodle used this word to mean “fancy,” not “pasta.”

3. “The Show Me State,” where Mark Twain and Harry Truman were born

4. Mexican cooking sauce, especially one made of chocolate and peppers

5. Title character of a Roald Dahl novel, she moves things with her mind!

6. When a male donkey and a female horse mate, the result is one of these.

7. Old gold mine near Cripple Creek that’s now a popular tourist attraction

8. Author of the “Winnie the Pooh” series

9. The NASA program that put our fi rst astronauts into space

10. Six-mile-long railroad tunnel from Rollinsville to Winter Park, it also carries water to the cities of Denver and Englewood. Rules: Every row across, every column down and each of the six smaller boxes must contain (answers on Page Four) numerals 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, one time and one time only. The solution to this week’s puzzle is on Page 4.

4 The Denver Post Folk Tales & Fables

Hot Links to Cool Sites!

NASA’s Space Place http://tinyurl.com/ckspace

NIE Special Report http://tinyurl.com/ckniereport

Headline Geography Taffy Morgan and the Golden Harp (Wales) http://tinyurl.com/ckgeography Like many Welshmen, Taffy Morgan loved music. Pulse of the Planet But, unlike many Welshman, Taffy Morgan had no ability to sing, he played very poorly on instruments, and, worst of all, he had no idea how awful it all sounded. http://tinyurl.com/ckpulseplanet One day, a bard was passing by Taffy’s house. Bards were the poets who created the history of Wales in song, and their opinions were greatly respected. As a joke, someone asked the poet how he liked the music which came from Taf- How to become a NextGen Reporter! fy’s open window. http://tinyurl.com/colokidsreporter “Music?” he replied. “Is that what it is? I thought perhaps a cat was being tortured.” Taffy overheard the remark, and the laughter that followed. It didn’t stop him from playing his music, but he did hear it. Several weeks later, he was once again playing and singing to himself when there came a knock at the door. On his doorstep were three strangers, one of whom said, “Sir, we have travelled far and are hungry. Could you spare us a bite to eat?” Taffy threw wide his door and pointed to his table, where bread, cheese and ale were already laid out for his evening meal. “Please, help yourselves,” he said, “and while you eat, I will entertain you with song!” The three strangers ate with pleasure, and, for the first time, Taffy found himself with an audience that appeared to like his music as much as he did. As the travelers rose to leave, their leader said, “We thank you for your hospitality. How can we repay you? For we are not common travelers, and have the power to grant you whatever wish you would like most.” For more information about Taffy thought a moment and said, “I would like a new harp, one that plays only the liveliest of tunes! And one other thing, if I might: I would like the harp to play music that will delight all who hear it, for I must confess that not everyone loves the The International Exhibition music that comes from my old harp.” of Sherlock Holmes “It is yours, and we thank you again for treating us so kindly,” the leader said, and, with a flash, the three fairies, for that is what they were, disappeared, and where they had stood there was now an old-fashioned harp of purest gold. The International Space Station Taffy picked up the harp and began to sweep his hands across the strings, and, as soon as he began to pluck out a melody, the harp took up the tune and played it better, and livelier, and lovelier, than ever Taffy Morgan had heard it played before. go to http://www.tinyurl.com/ckstorylinks At that moment, Taffy’s wife came in the back door with two of the neighbors, and without so much as a greeting, they found themselves laughing and dancing about the room to the music from Taffy’s golden harp. And as the music went out the open window, instead of making the neighbors cringe and hurry away as in the past, Taffy’s melody brought them to the door. Soon, the whole town was dancing away, all around Taffy Morgan’s house. From that evening on, there was music and dancing each night at Taffy’s house, until the grass was worn down to the dirt, and people from villages all around came each day when their work was done, just to dance and laugh to the music of Taffy Morgan and his magical golden harp. The word began to spread that even those with rheumatism, arthritis and other afflictions that made walking difficult were able to dance as nimbly as young goats, and that, when Taffy finally finished playing and everyone was able to stop dancing, they walked home as lightly as children. In fact, there was one man who said Taffy should start a sort of hospital where people could pay for the benefits of the wonderful dancing only he and his harp could provide. But Taffy refused, saying that he did not play music for money and that he wanted nothing more than he had before the coming of the golden harp. He wanted only to give people joy with his music. And yet there was something else Taffy Morgan wanted, and one day, his chance came, as he knew it one day would. One evening, as he looked over the dancing crowd outside his door, he saw, com- ing over the hill into town, that proud bard who had once compared his music to the noise of a cat being tortured. The bard had heard the stories, and had come to hear for himself the music of Taffy Morgan. And, sure enough, as soon as he was close enough to hear Taffy’s music, his toes began to tap, his feet began to fly, and soon the bard was dancing about the yard in front of Taffy Morgan’s house like a puppet on strings. (see Page Three) As soon as Taffy saw this, he began to play faster, and faster still, until everyone began to spin about wildly, with the bard in the middle, helpless to keep himself from 10 right - Wow! joining in a dance that was no longer as merry as it had been when first he appeared. It was not long before the fence in the yard was kicked into kindling, and people 7 right - Great! were crashing into trees and buildings and trying to grab onto anything that might help them stop. 5 right - Good But Taffy kept playing faster and faster, until one of the bard’s legs broke and he fell in a heap, screaming like that cat he had joked about. 3 right - See you next time! Taffy Morgan had his revenge, but as soon as he stopped playing and began to laugh, there was a terrible crash of thunder and the harp was gone as suddenly as it had appeared, for he had made a bad use of the fairies’ gift, and they were displeased. The next evening, Taffy played his old harp and sang with his old voice, and the 1. Madgascar 2. macaroni 3. Missouri 4. mole only fast feet in his yard were those hurrying to get away from the sound. 5. Matilda 6. mule 7. Molly Kathleen 8. (A.A.) Milne 9. Mercury 10. Moffat Tunnel text c. 2005, Mike Peterson - illustration c. 2005, Marina Tay For a teaching guide, go to http://tinyurl.com/ckserial

is produced by eEditions of the Post are Denver Post Educational Services free of charge for classroom use. Executive Editor: Dana Plewka Contact us for information on all [email protected] our programs. CK Editor: Mike Peterson [email protected] Denver Post Educational Services We welcome your comments. 101 W. Colfax Ave. Denver CO 80202 For tools to extend the learning in this feature, (303) 954-3974 look under “Youth Content” at: (800) 336-7678 www.ColoradoNIE.com Stories without bylines were written by the editor.

The Denver Post 5