2 . It’s a sunny March afternoon at Winchester Village Elementary School in Indianapolis, and teacher Natasha Cummings is leading her class in a brand new lesson. It’s the first time she’s teaching it and also likely the last. The second graders audibly take a short quick breath when Cummings explains the day’s activity: They’ll be simulating(a total solar eclipse (日全食) using the real sun, an inflatable globe and a moon made out of a play dough ball mounted on a stick.

On April 8, a narrow strip of North America will experience a total solar eclipse, in which the moon entirely covers the sun, darkening the sky so that only the sun’s corona, a ghostly white ring, will be visible. Indianapolis is one of several cities in the path of totality. The last time that happened was over 800 years ago, and it won’t happen again until 2153. For many of Cummings’ students, this event is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Cummings hopes learning about and witnessing the eclipse will inspire her students, and get them excited about science. It’s an experience she expects them to remember for the rest of their lives. “This is a story you’re gonna be able to tell,” she reflects before class.

In a grassy area outside the school, Cummings’ eclipse simulation begins: Students take turns holding the inflatable globes, and casting a shadow with their play dough moons. Cummings directs them to aim the shadow over the spot on the globe where Indianapolis would be. It’s a little chaotic, but the students quickly figure out how to properly position the moon’s shadow over their hometown.

Thomas Hockey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Northern Iowa, says he didn’t learn about solar eclipses when he was in grade school. He thinks the fact that elementary school teachers like Cummings are now teaching about them is an indication that science education has improved since he was a child. "Science is not done by old, gray-haired people in lab coats, necessarily. Citizens can participate in it. It’s not a magic black box; it’s all around us,” Hockey says.

3 . Pre-book Rome’s top local attractions with one easy solution for skip-the-line tours in Rome.

Highlights

◆The most flexible Rome sightseeing pass available — save 30% by booking together.

◆Three fully-guided priority-access tours to the most popular sites in Rome and Vatican (梵蒂冈).

Description

When in Rome, there are certain sites you simply cannot miss. Let’s face it. It’s not every day that you have a chance to explore iconic sites such as the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Sistine Chapel to name a few. Check them all off your wish list with one easy sightseeing pass!

What’s included

◆Our Vatican City experience is a hand-picked comprehensive journey including entry to the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Papal Crypts beneath it. We will concentrate on the grand Sistine Chapel, from its construction to the finishing touches applied by none other than Michelangelo Buonarroti. Skip-the-line access is provided at the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica.

◆Enter the Colosseum in the footsteps of gladiators (角斗士) and imagine what it feel alike to be at the thrilling scene. Wander at the ancient temples and ruins of the Roman Forum while learning about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Skip-the-line access is provided at both the Colosseum and Roman Forum.

Cancellation policy

◆Tours depart rain or shine unless otherwise specified.

◆All cancellations must be received in emailing. Tours and passes will be refunded (退款) if canceled more than 24 hours before the tour start time. However, the following penalties (惩罚) apply:

For tours entering the Vatican Museums and/or the Colosseum, 30 dollars per person for each venue will not be returned.

No refunds will be made for cancellations with less than 24 hours notice or failure to arrive at the meeting point on time or to appear at all.

5 . International ShakeOut Day This Year

This year’s International ShakeOut Day is October 17, when millions of people worldwide will take part in earthquake drills (演习) at work, school, or home! It is a great way for your family or organization to become better prepared to survive and recover quickly from big earthquakes.

At 10:17 am (local time) on 10/17, you can join millions of people across the world in practicing earthquake safety. While we encourage everyone to take part, you can sign up for your ShakeOut drill for any day of the year, and drill at a time of your choice. You can also include people in different locations through videos.

· Most participants (参与者) are in one of the official ShakeOut Regions listed below the page (with current sign-up totals). People and organizations in other countries can also sign up.

· All regions take part in it on October 17, 2024, unless specified.

ShakeOut began in California and has also been organized in many other states and countries. Official ShakeOut Regions require special local or regional cooperation, typically by an emergency (紧急情况) management agency or a union of many organizations. If you are interested in establishing ShakeOut for your region, please contact us at https://www.shakeout.org. If your state, province, or country is not yet taking part, you can sign up for yourself or your organization as part of the global participation total.

6 . Indoor Games to Play with Family This Winter

Gather round the table with your favorite warm drinks and try some of the following indoor games with your family and friends.

Escape Rooms

Have you ever been to an escape room? Whether you have or you haven’t，the escape room fun is far from being over, with choices to order your own home escape room tools! You can even find some online free escape room choices to try out for hours of thinking and exploring and lots of fun for everyone who takes part.

Balloon Volleyball

This indoor game is great for keeping active while people are stuck indoors, and it is super fun and doesn’t make a mess. All you need to do is blow up a balloon and throw it at each other, making sure it doesn’t hit the floor，just like volleyball. This is another great game for all ages, even babies.

Pictionary

Have you got any promising artists at home? This game is a classic and fun for kids and adults of almost all ages. All you do is make teams and take some paper and pens to write proper words. You can then either use the real Pictionary cards or go the DIY route, creating your own cards. Write your own song or movie titles for great fun!

Indoor Hopscotch

Hopscotch can be made in so many different ways and doesn’t necessarily have to be played with chalk on the sidewalk. Hopscotch made with popsicle(冰棒) sticks is a great indoor kids’ activity, but it can definitely be enjoyed by the whole family. Make squares creatively from all kinds of materials, maybe even with tape on your footcloth.

7 . Four Places to Listen to Free Music Online

Pandora

Pandora is a popular Internet radio service that lets users create personalized stations and listen to music. To use Pandora, you will have to create an account using your email address and a password. As you find music you like, you can save songs to your collection. However, you can’t download any specific tracks to your computer or phone.

LiveOne

On LiveOne, you’ll mostly find big artists, bands and songs along with interviews and news. While you won’t be able to stream all songs on demand for free due to licensing restrictions (限制), you will be able to create a station of similar tracks/artists from nearly any song. There’s a tab (标签) named “My Library” where you can save and share your favourite music.

iHeartRadio

iHeartRadio is a great website or app for listening to live radio stations. You can find local stations or check out stations from around the country. You won’t have to create an account to begin listening on iHeartRadio. but you can make one for free to save stations and playlists. Whether you decide to create an account or not. you won’t be able to download music from iHeartRadio.

Spotify

If you’re looking for free music online, you’ve most likely come across Spotify already. This resource is great for streaming popular hits while discovering new favourites. You can keep track of what you’ve recently played, and “favourite” songs. In addition to music. Spotify offers playlists of its most-played songs and information on local upcoming concerts.

8 . The teacher asked, “Is everybody ready?” I _________ wasn’t ready. It was the early 1980’s. I was in my high school typing _________ and totally confused.

I had taken it as a (n) _________ course because taking French or Spanish language seemed too difficult. _________, I wished I hadn’t chosen it. I was on _________—my fingers were shaking and my heart was beating wildly. I had thought we would just be learning to touch type (盲打), not be tested on speed and accuracy. Besides, I was the only freshman in the class, and the other students were _________ to me. My young body felt too nervous to be typing so quickly and _________.

The teacher said, “Hands on home keys. Eyes on books. Ready, type!” Suddenly, the room was alive with 30 electric typewriters’ keys _________ on. I tried my best to _________, but it was obvious that being a secretary wasn’t in my future. While I didn’t __________ many errors, my typing speed was horribly slow. And I knew I wasn’t going to get a good __________ on this test. I really __________ taking this class and wished I could be learning French instead.

Now years later, I’m a novelist. I’m so happy that I took that class and learned how to type. It has helped me write countless __________ flowing through my mind and into my __________ through keyboards. It has helped me to write e-mails full of kindness to __________ with friends and family. It has helped me to do what I should do and share what I was meant to share in life.

9 . Here is something you need to know before your trip to Grenada.

When to Go

With an average annual temperature of around 25°C, the year in Grenada is divided into two seasons. The dry season is from January to May, and the rainy season is from June to December. The weather is hotter from June to November and cooler from December to March. Hurricanes occur during the rainy season.

What You Need

●A valid passport book and evidence of return/onward travel arrangements are required to enter Grenada.

●A valid passport means it doesn’t expire within 6 months after your return date.

What You Can Do in Grenada

There are so many fun and amazing things to do in Grenada. If you love beaches, you can find your joy in the Grand Anse Beach and the Levera Beach. And for nature lovers, Mount Qua Qua, Royal Mount Carmel Waterfalls and La Sagesse Nature Center are places you are sure to visit. You can’t miss Fort George and Fort Frederick built long ago, which have been standing for centuries. What’s more, if you like eating chocolate a lot, you can also come here in May to be part of the Grenada Chocolate Festival.

Safety & Security

Grenada is very safe but it’s always sensible to exercise caution regardless of where you’re traveling. Exercise these precautions while in Grenada.

●Stay in well-lit and populated areas after dark.

●Don’t leave money, credit cards, cameras and other electronic devices unattended, especially on the beaches or in vehicles.

●Most hotels provide a safe in the room. Lock important things, like your jewellery and passport in it.

10 . We print diaries of all shapes, sizes and colours.

STANDARD DIARIES

There isn’t much standard about these diaries apart from the main diary format. Each diary is personalized with your artwork, both on the cover and information pages. These diaries are cost-effective, high quality and definitely worth looking at!

A5 diaries at $4.09 each

B5 diaries at $5.99 each

FULL CUSTOM DIARIES

If you are after a special diary design or want your institution’s name on each page, then this is the diary for you. Usually, these diaries are most cost-effective when ordering 500 or more, but we can do small quantity print runs. Full custom diaries aren’t as expensive as you think, so why not get a quote(报价) today?

≥500 copies at $3.99 each

<500 copies at $5.69 each

POSITIVE EDUCATION DIARIES

Student Diaries have partnered with Berry Street Education Model (BSEM) to provide schools with an all-encompassing student and teacher diary to support the BSEM program. Be sure to carry out the positive education approaches with your school’s customized BSEM diary.

A5 diaries at $6.63 each

B5 diaries at $9.14 each

TEACHER DIARIES

We also print fully customized diaries for teachers. Each diary is specifically tailored to your school with your own content and information on every single page. The minimum order is 10 diaries. The more you order, the cheaper.

$19.99 each or less