“Flush with cash” might need to turn into “flush that cash” if fake money keeps popping up! Counterfeit cash used to be a problem for mostly shops and retailers, but there’s been a recent rise in fake cash popping up in the home! That doesn’t mean that more of your neighborhood pals have decided to print their own money, or that fake bills are appearing out of thin air, but enough of it is in circulation that everyday people are going to make a purchase or deposit money with counterfeit cash, very possibly by accident.
In 2024, there were 99,000 fake notes in circulation. Last year, that doubled to 200,000, partly because of a rise in organized crime. While the fake bills make their way between hands and households and businesses, people become increasingly reliant on electronic methods of payment (like cards and Venmo), so they fall a bit out of practice of knowing what physical, paper money looks and feels like.
Unfortunately, it’s not always the people making counterfeit bills that are punished. Shops and retailers are hurting, and customers go into banks and post offices to deposit money that can’t be accepted because it ends up being fake.
Did you put on sunscreen today? Yes? Go put on some more.
Tans may be fashionable, but the risks that come with sun damage are anything but — and they can last a lifetime. That's why England banned tanning beds for anyone under 18 back in 2011. Even so, people as young as 14 have found ways to use them illegally. Now, the rules are getting stricter: businesses will be legally required to check ID before letting anyone near a sunbed, and salons will need to post clear health warnings — including dropping any misleading claims that certain beds can prevent sunburn or help with weight loss.
Even with stronger laws, misinformation is still a problem. Rumors about tanning beds offering benefits like vitamin D have a way of spreading while the risks get quietly ignored. Experts say that even a single tanning bed session before the age of 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by nearly 60% — and young skin is especially vulnerable. Skin cancer is already the most common cancer in the world. The tan isn't worth it.
“Shoot for the Moon — if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” won’t cut it for NASA, who says “Nah, Moon or bust.”
NASA’s got big plans, and their names are Moonbase 1, 2, and 3. They were too busy working on the science to put more into the names, okay? Moonbase 1 will be the first privately-funded lander to reach the lunar south pole, Moonbase 2 will deliver a record amount of equipment that would support astronauts at a lunar base, and Moonbase 3 will focus on gathering research and data.
But these are just glimpses of NASA’s lunar ambitions, namely to put a base on the Moon. It starts with sending dozens of rovers and lunar landers to scope out the perfect spot, followed by building small cabins for short missions, and then building larger structures sustained by nuclear power for the long term. That’s not until 2033, but NASA wants to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2028.
End-to-end encryption prevents anyone from viewing online communications except the sender and the receiver. Or, it prevents anyone online from viewing it. Can’t do much about someone looking over your shoulder on the subway.
In 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised to roll it out across his suite of apps — you know, those Facebook and Instagram things you may have heard of? But that promise was met with mixed results. On one hand, many were happy that their private conversations could be kept, well, private. On the other hand, there was pushback from police and government groups that could use messages to catch criminals.
Implementing end-to-end encryption was a years-long process for Zuckerberg, until his platforms abandoned the concept just this year. The company tweaked their terms and conditions to suggest that not enough people were opting into the encryption, but critics have questioned that explanation, pointing out that private messaging is an important part of how platforms keep users engaged and can support their advertising business.
Feeling the heat lately? It might be because of El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can affect the trade winds. These are the permanent, normally easterly winds that flow around the Earth's equator.
When we track the water temperature using tools like satellites, buoys, and ocean floats to measure temperatures below the ocean's surface, they show a large body of unusually hot water. Way bigger than the pot of water you’re boiling for your mac and cheese. Yes, even if you’re making extra mac and cheese. This is serious business! It can cause the sea-surface temperatures in parts of the tropical Pacific to rise by more than 2°C (about 3.6°F) above average, suggesting this year's El Niño is unusually strong, and could make 2027 one of the hottest years on record.
Depending on where you are in the world, El Niño is associated with both droughts and floods. These affect the lives of people living in those places, as well as their agriculture and food production, so the whole world feels the El Niño effects.
In Majuli: A River Island in India, learn about Majuli, the largest river island in Assam. It’s a busy place that’s an example of how Indian people work with each other and the natural world. This video is from the BBC’s Hidden India, in which presenter Geraldine James explores India’s diverse environments.
In Preparing Flowers for Chinese New Year, a farm in Kunming, China’s Spring City, prepares flowers for the busy Chinese New Year season. Flowers travel from farm to auction, where buyers purchase them for shops. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Make early reading feel magical with this Alphablocks Word Magic printable bundle! Designed with busy teachers and families in mind, these pages offer simple, joyful practice that helps young readers build confidence one word at a time. Students can trace letters to complete each word or use their letter tiles to build it themselves — an effective way to strengthen phonics understanding through both writing and hands-on play.
This “Word Magic” pack includes engaging practice with:
-
Hard “c” words to help students recognize how the letter c can change its sound.
-
Words with the “ear” sound, giving readers experience with trickier vowel teams.
-
“ch” and “sh” digraphs, perfect for boosting early decoding skills.
-
“ai” and “ee” vowel patterns, supporting growing readers as they learn long-vowel spellings.
-
Ending blends like nd, nt, and mp for stronger blending and spelling accuracy.
These worksheets are perfect for small-group instruction, literacy centers, morning work, tutoring, or home reading practice. They’re easy to use, fun to repeat, and help students feel proud of the words they can read and make.
Looking for even more Alphablocks resources? We have tons available — just search “Alphablocks” on the site!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you're learning about the holiday in the classroom or looking for a way to keep little hands busy while you make your turkey dinner at home, you're going to want this printable Thanksgiving activity sheet. You can use it as two separate worksheets or tape them together to make a Thanksgiving placemat.
Elementary-aged kids can do a Thanksgiving food word search, write about their family holiday traditions, try their hand at Thanksgiving History True or False?, and write what they're thankful for. They'll also learn fun facts like how the President of the United States pardons a turkey each year. Bonus: the whole thing is a coloring page!
Ever dreamed of having your very own toy shop? YOU HAVE? Excellent. Start by giving it a name (use your fave color and age). Next, do a stock check. Look at the toy patterns below and circle what comes next. Finally, stack the shelves! Draw some brand-new toys in the spaces. How about some unicorns? Or cool cars? Or furry monsters? Don't forget to draw your own favorite toy on one of the shelves. And add some customers!
Time for... pizza! Ever wanted to set up your own pizza delivery business? Let's give it a go! With stuff you can find around the house plus these bits 'n' bobs, you'll have everything you need to play Pizza Girls, just like Bingo and Bluey.
Inspired by Season 3, Episode 19 "Pizza Girls": Bluey and Bingo are making mud pizzas and delivering them to the grown-ups, but their pedal car’s wheel keeps falling off!
Tell Bluey and Bingo all about your vacation (or your dream vacation if you’re chillin’ at home!) What's it like — busy busy busy, loadsa fun, yummy food, so relaxing, super exciting, or... smelly toilet? What is the weather like? Draw your fave vacation food on the plate and stick a souvenir in the right spot.
“Flush with cash” might need to turn into “flush that cash” if fake money keeps popping up! Counterfeit cash used to be a problem for mostly shops and retailers, but there’s been a recent rise in fake cash popping up in the home! That doesn’t mean that more of your neighborhood pals have decided to print their own money, or that fake bills are appearing out of thin air, but enough of it is in circulation that everyday people are going to make a purchase or deposit money with counterfeit cash, very possibly by accident.
In 2024, there were 99,000 fake notes in circulation. Last year, that doubled to 200,000, partly because of a rise in organized crime. While the fake bills make their way between hands and households and businesses, people become increasingly reliant on electronic methods of payment (like cards and Venmo), so they fall a bit out of practice of knowing what physical, paper money looks and feels like.
Unfortunately, it’s not always the people making counterfeit bills that are punished. Shops and retailers are hurting, and customers go into banks and post offices to deposit money that can’t be accepted because it ends up being fake.
Did you put on sunscreen today? Yes? Go put on some more.
Tans may be fashionable, but the risks that come with sun damage are anything but — and they can last a lifetime. That's why England banned tanning beds for anyone under 18 back in 2011. Even so, people as young as 14 have found ways to use them illegally. Now, the rules are getting stricter: businesses will be legally required to check ID before letting anyone near a sunbed, and salons will need to post clear health warnings — including dropping any misleading claims that certain beds can prevent sunburn or help with weight loss.
Even with stronger laws, misinformation is still a problem. Rumors about tanning beds offering benefits like vitamin D have a way of spreading while the risks get quietly ignored. Experts say that even a single tanning bed session before the age of 35 increases the risk of skin cancer by nearly 60% — and young skin is especially vulnerable. Skin cancer is already the most common cancer in the world. The tan isn't worth it.
“Shoot for the Moon — if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” won’t cut it for NASA, who says “Nah, Moon or bust.”
NASA’s got big plans, and their names are Moonbase 1, 2, and 3. They were too busy working on the science to put more into the names, okay? Moonbase 1 will be the first privately-funded lander to reach the lunar south pole, Moonbase 2 will deliver a record amount of equipment that would support astronauts at a lunar base, and Moonbase 3 will focus on gathering research and data.
But these are just glimpses of NASA’s lunar ambitions, namely to put a base on the Moon. It starts with sending dozens of rovers and lunar landers to scope out the perfect spot, followed by building small cabins for short missions, and then building larger structures sustained by nuclear power for the long term. That’s not until 2033, but NASA wants to send astronauts back to the lunar surface by 2028.
End-to-end encryption prevents anyone from viewing online communications except the sender and the receiver. Or, it prevents anyone online from viewing it. Can’t do much about someone looking over your shoulder on the subway.
In 2019, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg promised to roll it out across his suite of apps — you know, those Facebook and Instagram things you may have heard of? But that promise was met with mixed results. On one hand, many were happy that their private conversations could be kept, well, private. On the other hand, there was pushback from police and government groups that could use messages to catch criminals.
Implementing end-to-end encryption was a years-long process for Zuckerberg, until his platforms abandoned the concept just this year. The company tweaked their terms and conditions to suggest that not enough people were opting into the encryption, but critics have questioned that explanation, pointing out that private messaging is an important part of how platforms keep users engaged and can support their advertising business.
Feeling the heat lately? It might be because of El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It can affect the trade winds. These are the permanent, normally easterly winds that flow around the Earth's equator.
When we track the water temperature using tools like satellites, buoys, and ocean floats to measure temperatures below the ocean's surface, they show a large body of unusually hot water. Way bigger than the pot of water you’re boiling for your mac and cheese. Yes, even if you’re making extra mac and cheese. This is serious business! It can cause the sea-surface temperatures in parts of the tropical Pacific to rise by more than 2°C (about 3.6°F) above average, suggesting this year's El Niño is unusually strong, and could make 2027 one of the hottest years on record.
Depending on where you are in the world, El Niño is associated with both droughts and floods. These affect the lives of people living in those places, as well as their agriculture and food production, so the whole world feels the El Niño effects.
In Majuli: A River Island in India, learn about Majuli, the largest river island in Assam. It’s a busy place that’s an example of how Indian people work with each other and the natural world. This video is from the BBC’s Hidden India, in which presenter Geraldine James explores India’s diverse environments.
In Preparing Flowers for Chinese New Year, a farm in Kunming, China’s Spring City, prepares flowers for the busy Chinese New Year season. Flowers travel from farm to auction, where buyers purchase them for shops. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Chinese New Year: The Biggest Celebration on Earth, a documentary series detailing the world's largest annual human migration (Chunyun), where over 1.5 billion people celebrate the Lunar New Year.
Make early reading feel magical with this Alphablocks Word Magic printable bundle! Designed with busy teachers and families in mind, these pages offer simple, joyful practice that helps young readers build confidence one word at a time. Students can trace letters to complete each word or use their letter tiles to build it themselves — an effective way to strengthen phonics understanding through both writing and hands-on play.
This “Word Magic” pack includes engaging practice with:
-
Hard “c” words to help students recognize how the letter c can change its sound.
-
Words with the “ear” sound, giving readers experience with trickier vowel teams.
-
“ch” and “sh” digraphs, perfect for boosting early decoding skills.
-
“ai” and “ee” vowel patterns, supporting growing readers as they learn long-vowel spellings.
-
Ending blends like nd, nt, and mp for stronger blending and spelling accuracy.
These worksheets are perfect for small-group instruction, literacy centers, morning work, tutoring, or home reading practice. They’re easy to use, fun to repeat, and help students feel proud of the words they can read and make.
Looking for even more Alphablocks resources? We have tons available — just search “Alphablocks” on the site!
Watch full episodes of Alphablocks on their official YouTube channel!
Happy Thanksgiving! Whether you're learning about the holiday in the classroom or looking for a way to keep little hands busy while you make your turkey dinner at home, you're going to want this printable Thanksgiving activity sheet. You can use it as two separate worksheets or tape them together to make a Thanksgiving placemat.
Elementary-aged kids can do a Thanksgiving food word search, write about their family holiday traditions, try their hand at Thanksgiving History True or False?, and write what they're thankful for. They'll also learn fun facts like how the President of the United States pardons a turkey each year. Bonus: the whole thing is a coloring page!
Ever dreamed of having your very own toy shop? YOU HAVE? Excellent. Start by giving it a name (use your fave color and age). Next, do a stock check. Look at the toy patterns below and circle what comes next. Finally, stack the shelves! Draw some brand-new toys in the spaces. How about some unicorns? Or cool cars? Or furry monsters? Don't forget to draw your own favorite toy on one of the shelves. And add some customers!
Time for... pizza! Ever wanted to set up your own pizza delivery business? Let's give it a go! With stuff you can find around the house plus these bits 'n' bobs, you'll have everything you need to play Pizza Girls, just like Bingo and Bluey.
Inspired by Season 3, Episode 19 "Pizza Girls": Bluey and Bingo are making mud pizzas and delivering them to the grown-ups, but their pedal car’s wheel keeps falling off!
Tell Bluey and Bingo all about your vacation (or your dream vacation if you’re chillin’ at home!) What's it like — busy busy busy, loadsa fun, yummy food, so relaxing, super exciting, or... smelly toilet? What is the weather like? Draw your fave vacation food on the plate and stick a souvenir in the right spot.