Test your knowledge of the world above us with this crossword. Yes, it’s all about astronomy.
There’s a lot going on above our heads. Outer space is a fascinating area of study and this crossword tests your knowledge of that world. Go on, see how many of these clues you can answer…
Ants are common insects, but they have unique capabilities. There are more than 10,000 known ant species around the world. They are especially prevalent in tropical forests.
The next time you take a walk, look down. You may come across an orderly line of foraging ants carrying seeds. Follow this trail and you will come to their home–a beautiful rosette-shaped fort of mud. These ants are the Harvesters.
The rosette is a maze-like entry into the nest. The actual home has several chambers deep inside the ground.
The harvester ants pass the seeds on to another group that tears off the husks from the seeds. After drying the seeds, worker ants cover them with a germicidal chemical from their glands. This turns the seeds into a crumbly mass and ensures that they do not germinate or get infected by microbes once they are carried into the deepest underground chamber of their home, the granary. The granary may be as much as six feet deep. The mass of treated and softened seeds, rich in proteins and fats, forms the staple for the colony.
The ant world also has cultivators. These are the leaf-cutter ants that cultivate fungal gardens. Using their toothed mandibles, they bite off pieces of leaves from trees, often stripping them bare. After cleaning the leaf pieces, they chew and mix them with their saliva and deliberately infect them with a special kind of fungus. Sentry ants are posted to guard the precious fungus. The sentries use their extra sharp mandibles to simply slice off marauding ant thieves who
attempt to sneak into their fungus garden.
Certain species of ants protect plant pests such as aphids. They lead the aphids to the tenderest leaves with abundant sap. What do the ants get in return? When they tap the aphids’ rear end with their antennae, the latter secret a sweet honeydew, which the ants happily lap up.
We have a lot to learn from this social behaviour of ants. How each ant, in a colony of hundreds, works for the community as a whole. There is much selflessness, caring and nurturing in every colony. Neglecting duties is an absolute taboo.
What better way to observe World Paper Bag Day than to make one at home! Click here to find out how…
World Paper Bag Day, celebrated on July 12 every year, helps raise awareness on reducing plastic use. Paper bags are natural and biodegradable and can be recycled and reused. You can even make your own.
Follow the instructions given below to make your own paper bag from old newspapers. Move the slider to the next steps.
Sky High #22: Nala and Hanuman build an air-powered vehicle. You can build one too!
While Meghnath is acquiring knowledge about extremely advanced technologies, Hanuman is getting stronger with the basics of science and technology. Hanuman is yet to recover from the shock of learning the science behind how Sampati’s wings got burnt when Nala throws him another surprise.
Nala: Now you know that Sampati, the king of vultures, is Jatayu’s brother. Did you know that I have a brother as well?
Hanuman: Really? I did not know that!
Nala: Yes. He is much stronger and smarter than I am.
Hanuman: How come I have never seen him?
Nala: He is away training as a soldier, weapon-builder, and automobile engineer. Would you like to see some of his mind-blowing inventions?
Hanuman: Of course.
Nala: Come on. Let’s build our own air-powered vehicle to take us to meet my twin Nila.
Nala brings a bunch of materials. Together, they build a vehicle similar to the one given below. Why don’t you try making it too?
The author is the founder and CEO of Vaayusastra Aerospace, an IIT-Madras incubated ed-tech startup that offers Air Science workshops for children between five and 14 years.
Start your week with splashes of colour. Download this drawing sheet and let your inner artist out.
We’ve been laughing at their antics for ever so long. Here are some unforgettable comic characters from books and moves.
Clowns make us all laugh. This video will tell you about the different kinds of clowns.
Why is laughing good for you? Find out with this really fun set of interactive tasks.
A hearty laugh can really turn your day around. This International Joke Day, let’s learn some trivia about laughter and also a little bit about why it is good for health. Scroll through the slides to get going.
It is said that a good laugh is like sunshine in the house. If that is true, then its time to let the sunshine in. Here are some books and movies that will keep you laughing.
There’s so much more to eating a mango and this book unravels the mystery for us. Also try the mango personality quiz, mango kinaesthetics, mango recipes and even mango math. But what probably will steal your heart is the mango-based character building.
Reena, her brother Luke and their parents move to Maine. Far from the city, they now have to adjust to living in the country. Reena and Luke meet an eccentric neighbour, Mrs Falala, who has a pig named Paulie, a cat named China, a snake named Edna and a stubborn, stubborn cow named Zora.
Detective Gordon is a toad who loves solving mysteries and eating cake. Vladimir the squirrel is in distress as someone has stolen his stockpile of nuts. It’s time for Vladimir and his friend Buffy to crack the case.
Chiddy and Gouri, two baby sparrows, are bullied mercilessly by their elder siblings. They are so traumatised that they refuse to learn to fly. Assisted by a happy-go-lucky breeze named Breaking Wind, they run away. Now they have to fend for themselves.
Poppy and Branch discover that there are six troll tribes scattered over six lands. Each tribe is devoted to a kind of music–funk, country, techno, classical, pop and rock. Poppy and Branch have to save the diverse melodies from extinction.
Searching for a safer habitat, the prehistoric Crood family discovers an idyllic, walled-in paradise that meets all of its needs. Unfortunately, they must also learn to live with the Bettermans, who are a couple of steps above the Croods on the evolutionary ladder.
Charlie Hinton and his best friend, Phil Ryerson, lose their jobs and
open a day-care. While some parents are suspicious about men taking care of kids, others are happy they have a cheaper option. But all is not smooth sailing as the duo soon finds out.
In the city of Calatonia, a koala named Buster Moon owns a theatre. But it is not doing too well and the bank is threatening to take it all away. In an attempt to save his theatre, Buster decides to hold a singing competition, offering a prize of $1000.
In need of a good laugh? Click right here!
Have a laugh with these animal-themed jokes…
