“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.
The UK wants to see more hedgehogs, and it’s not because hedgehogs are incredibly cute. Well, not just because of that. The UK’s hedgehog population is in dangerous decline, but part of the solution could be an AI tool called Tessera that uses satellite images to help build a map of hedgehog habitats.
Before Tessera can work its magic, it needs some input. Researchers need to find and learn hedgehogs’ preferred environments by identifying the habitat’s fingerprint. A fingerprint, in this case, is a pattern or collection of characteristics generally found in hedgehog habitats. Maybe your habitat fingerprint would include a freezer full of ice cream and trampoline floors! It has nothing to do with actual fingers, even though that would be a great excuse to spend all day looking at hedgehog paws.
Researchers do their field work in small areas, then input their findings into the software that can extrapolate, show where the other similar habitats are, and record changes over time. The project will hopefully help us learn about where hedgehogs live, how we can help them survive, and how we can set up our homes to comfortably accommodate a hedgehog houseguest.
Everybody’s destiny looks different. Scientist Nathan’s looks like a humanoid robot dancing in the street. Nathan is the engineer designing a robot named Destiny’s software, creating her personality, and making sure she doesn't trip over anything.
Like many other robots, Destiny’s hardware was built in China, but it's Nathan who has spent months customizing and programming instructions. It can do housework or walk the dog, but the tech is being developed to ultimately help save the world. Unless your room is dangerously dirty, that probably looks more like decommissioning nuclear reactors or remote bomb disposal. That’s possible with robots like Destiny because they be controlled from across the world, where their human bosses are safe and sound.
But even distance between engineer and robot doesn’t necessarily mean Destiny is open to threats. Nathan says software has come so far that if it gets hacked, the robot can turn itself off, so that it can’t be controlled. So, no danger of your teacher getting into the system and assigning extra homework or something. Destiny is meant to be a friend, not a threat! Unless you’re scared of getting out-danced. Turns out, she’s got some moves besides just “the robot”!
In JoJo and Gran Gran Visit a Christmas Tree Farm, JoJo and her grandmother work together to find the perfect tree for their home. It has to be big enough for decorations but small enough to fit in their house. A mother and daughter go to a real-life Christmas tree farm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage, activist Alice Paul leads marches and protests to secure women’s right to vote in the United States. Drawing inspiration from the militant suffrage movement in the UK, she organizes the National Woman’s Party, pickets the White House, and helps secure the passage of the 19th Amendment after decades of struggle.
Bluey's had Peddly since she was two! Talk to your class about how to appreciate what you have through the Bluey episode "Pizza Girls." The lesson includes printables for two activities in which kids draw and write about something old at their house that they love and complete a STEM challenge to make a bridge (to deliver pizzas, of course!)
Pizza Girls Episode Summary: Bluey and Bingo are making mud pizzas and delivering them to the grown-ups, but their pedal car’s wheel keeps falling off!
Watch the episode here! (Click here to watch in Australia.)
In Preparing for Chinese New Year, a family in Beijing prepares for Chinese New Year in 2016 by cleaning the house, getting haircuts, and preparing scrolls that they will hang outside their house. 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.
How Well Do You Know U.S. Presidents?
Presidents’ Day is a time to celebrate the leaders who have shaped the United States — from George Washington, the very first president, to Abraham Lincoln, who kept the country together, and Barack Obama, the first Black president. But how much do you really know about these famous figures, their fun hobbies, surprising pets, and historic accomplishments?
From presidential inventions and favorite pastimes to clever facts about the White House and the people who have lived there, this quiz is packed with fun and a few tricky twists. Will you be the Commander-in-Chief of Trivia?
Muffin, it's my turn! Talk to your class about the importance of listening and sharing through the Bluey episode "Faceytalk." Because we all know what happens when you hog! The lesson includes printables for three activities in which kids use a bubble map to brainstorm five different ways to share, listen to complete a directed drawing of Bluey in front of her house, and play a Bluey twist on Simon Says.
Faceytalk Episode Summary: Bluey and Bingo love to video chat with Muffin and Socks so they can all draw pictures together. When Muffin won’t give Socks a turn, the kids discover what happens when you hog.
Watch the episode here! (Click here to watch in Australia.)
Happy Heelerween! Don’t miss this spook-tacular Bluey bundle of three Halloween-themed printables packed with hands-on fun to get students learning, laughing, and creating. Here's what's included:
- Scary Story: Mix, match, and make up an epic spooky story to go with the story cards!
- Creepy Crafts: Snip and stick to create some cool bits to put around the house.
- Creepy Coloring: Grab your crayons or markers and finish this petrifying picture!
Want more? We have tons on the site. Just search "Bluey"!
Dive into the fascinating world of octopuses with this engaging playlist of 10 clips from BBC's Blue Planet and Natural World: The Octopus in My House. From playful antics and clever communication to incredible evolution and underwater adventures, explore the intelligence and charm of these eight-armed marvels. Perfect for curious minds and ocean lovers alike!
Snip out your square spotter, we’re going on a square hunt! Ask a grown-up to help you stick it to cardboard and cut it out. Take your spotter around classroom, the house, or out and about. Hold it in front of things to see if they’re squares. Check off the things you find. Found some more? Draw them!
Watch full episodes of Numberblocks on their official YouTube channel!
“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.
The UK wants to see more hedgehogs, and it’s not because hedgehogs are incredibly cute. Well, not just because of that. The UK’s hedgehog population is in dangerous decline, but part of the solution could be an AI tool called Tessera that uses satellite images to help build a map of hedgehog habitats.
Before Tessera can work its magic, it needs some input. Researchers need to find and learn hedgehogs’ preferred environments by identifying the habitat’s fingerprint. A fingerprint, in this case, is a pattern or collection of characteristics generally found in hedgehog habitats. Maybe your habitat fingerprint would include a freezer full of ice cream and trampoline floors! It has nothing to do with actual fingers, even though that would be a great excuse to spend all day looking at hedgehog paws.
Researchers do their field work in small areas, then input their findings into the software that can extrapolate, show where the other similar habitats are, and record changes over time. The project will hopefully help us learn about where hedgehogs live, how we can help them survive, and how we can set up our homes to comfortably accommodate a hedgehog houseguest.
Everybody’s destiny looks different. Scientist Nathan’s looks like a humanoid robot dancing in the street. Nathan is the engineer designing a robot named Destiny’s software, creating her personality, and making sure she doesn't trip over anything.
Like many other robots, Destiny’s hardware was built in China, but it's Nathan who has spent months customizing and programming instructions. It can do housework or walk the dog, but the tech is being developed to ultimately help save the world. Unless your room is dangerously dirty, that probably looks more like decommissioning nuclear reactors or remote bomb disposal. That’s possible with robots like Destiny because they be controlled from across the world, where their human bosses are safe and sound.
But even distance between engineer and robot doesn’t necessarily mean Destiny is open to threats. Nathan says software has come so far that if it gets hacked, the robot can turn itself off, so that it can’t be controlled. So, no danger of your teacher getting into the system and assigning extra homework or something. Destiny is meant to be a friend, not a threat! Unless you’re scared of getting out-danced. Turns out, she’s got some moves besides just “the robot”!
In JoJo and Gran Gran Visit a Christmas Tree Farm, JoJo and her grandmother work together to find the perfect tree for their home. It has to be big enough for decorations but small enough to fit in their house. A mother and daughter go to a real-life Christmas tree farm. This video is excerpted from BBC’s JoJo & Gran Gran, a children's animated television series following JoJo, an inquisitive and cheerful 4-and-a-half-year-old girl and her loving Gran Gran, who always has something new to teach her.
In Alice Paul and the Fight for Women’s Suffrage, activist Alice Paul leads marches and protests to secure women’s right to vote in the United States. Drawing inspiration from the militant suffrage movement in the UK, she organizes the National Woman’s Party, pickets the White House, and helps secure the passage of the 19th Amendment after decades of struggle.
Bluey's had Peddly since she was two! Talk to your class about how to appreciate what you have through the Bluey episode "Pizza Girls." The lesson includes printables for two activities in which kids draw and write about something old at their house that they love and complete a STEM challenge to make a bridge (to deliver pizzas, of course!)
Pizza Girls Episode Summary: Bluey and Bingo are making mud pizzas and delivering them to the grown-ups, but their pedal car’s wheel keeps falling off!
Watch the episode here! (Click here to watch in Australia.)
In Preparing for Chinese New Year, a family in Beijing prepares for Chinese New Year in 2016 by cleaning the house, getting haircuts, and preparing scrolls that they will hang outside their house. 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.
How Well Do You Know U.S. Presidents?
Presidents’ Day is a time to celebrate the leaders who have shaped the United States — from George Washington, the very first president, to Abraham Lincoln, who kept the country together, and Barack Obama, the first Black president. But how much do you really know about these famous figures, their fun hobbies, surprising pets, and historic accomplishments?
From presidential inventions and favorite pastimes to clever facts about the White House and the people who have lived there, this quiz is packed with fun and a few tricky twists. Will you be the Commander-in-Chief of Trivia?
Muffin, it's my turn! Talk to your class about the importance of listening and sharing through the Bluey episode "Faceytalk." Because we all know what happens when you hog! The lesson includes printables for three activities in which kids use a bubble map to brainstorm five different ways to share, listen to complete a directed drawing of Bluey in front of her house, and play a Bluey twist on Simon Says.
Faceytalk Episode Summary: Bluey and Bingo love to video chat with Muffin and Socks so they can all draw pictures together. When Muffin won’t give Socks a turn, the kids discover what happens when you hog.
Watch the episode here! (Click here to watch in Australia.)
Happy Heelerween! Don’t miss this spook-tacular Bluey bundle of three Halloween-themed printables packed with hands-on fun to get students learning, laughing, and creating. Here's what's included:
- Scary Story: Mix, match, and make up an epic spooky story to go with the story cards!
- Creepy Crafts: Snip and stick to create some cool bits to put around the house.
- Creepy Coloring: Grab your crayons or markers and finish this petrifying picture!
Want more? We have tons on the site. Just search "Bluey"!
Dive into the fascinating world of octopuses with this engaging playlist of 10 clips from BBC's Blue Planet and Natural World: The Octopus in My House. From playful antics and clever communication to incredible evolution and underwater adventures, explore the intelligence and charm of these eight-armed marvels. Perfect for curious minds and ocean lovers alike!
Snip out your square spotter, we’re going on a square hunt! Ask a grown-up to help you stick it to cardboard and cut it out. Take your spotter around classroom, the house, or out and about. Hold it in front of things to see if they’re squares. Check off the things you find. Found some more? Draw them!
Watch full episodes of Numberblocks on their official YouTube channel!