Did you know that there are people who work in the field of social media? It’s not all fun, you know…
Facebook, Instagram, Youtube… social media is a whole new world. You might be aware of the fun side of it, but did you know that there are people who have made a career around it? One such job is that of a social media manager. Scroll through the slides to learn more.
Spread the joy of Easter by making your own greeting card to give to your friends and family.
Happy Easter! Let’s get a little creative. Follow these steps to make a simple greeting card and spread the joy.
Photos: Getty Images/iStockPhoto
The first World Sparrow Day was celebrated on March 20, 2010. Why do we need a special day for this bird? Read on…
When was the last time you heard a sparrow chirp? These little brown-grey birds, once found in plenty, are hardly ever seen in cities today.This is why we need to celebrate World Sparrow Day, to spread the message of conservation and appreciate the beauty of something that was once taken for granted.
Declining numbers
The house sparrow was once found in huge numbers across the world. A social bird, it lived in colonies (called flocks) across urban and rural areas, in bus stands, railway stations, homes, parks… However, the indiscriminate felling of trees and the increasing number of high-rise buildings across cities led to declining numbers. How did this affect the sparrows?
The sparrow feeds on food grains and insects and worms found in plants. With green spaces decreasing, food supplies dried up. Earlier, local grocery stores would store food grains in gunny bags and the sparrows would feed on those that fell on the ground when rice, wheat or pulses were being measured. Today, these are pre-packaged and sold in supermarkets, leading to declining access for the birds. In the fields, where the sparrows once fed, the use of chemical fertilizers has poisoned their diet. Second, sparrows also love to bathe; both in water and dust. Water is a scarce resource in most cities and concrete areas rarely have dust. Third, scientists suspect that the mushrooming of cell phone towers and the radiation from them has had a harmful impact on sparrows by damaging their immune and nervous system and interfering with their ability to navigate.
To know more about this cheerful chirper and how you can help it, click below
Why do we need to save the sparrows? Click on the plus signs in the image below to know the reasons.
How familiar are you with sparrows apart from the common house sparrow? Take a look at these birds.
Who doesn’t love sparrows? Cute, tiny, and always around, they are an integral part of the urban ecosystem. Though their existence is threatened and they have dwindled, they are slowly making a comeback.
The sparrow we are most familiar with is the house sparrow. But there are several other kinds. Here are a few of them. Scroll through the slides to take a look.
The IPL is back! Are you ready for the cricketing action that will soon take the country by storm?
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is back! The 17th edition kicks off today at Chennai, as reigning champions Chennai Super Kings take on Royal Challengers Bangalore. Ten teams will compete with each other for sporting glory, giving cricket fans an unforgettable summer.
Who are the captains of all the 10 teams? Match the pairs in this interactive task.
Photos: Getty Images, PTI, AFP, ANI, SPORTZPICS, Nagara Gopal, Ritu Raj Konwar, RV Moorthy, Murali Kumar K
River? Stream? Delta? Glacier? Can you identify these water features correctly? Try this interactive task now.
You might have heard these names in your Geography class, but do you know what they typically look like? This World Water Day, try this task that’s all about some water-based features on Earth.
Drag and drop the labels in the correct spot.
This World Water Day, learn more about the sources of fresh water and try your hand at the activity at the end.
Look at satellite images of the Earth. What’s the first thing that strikes you? Isn’t it the vast expanse of blue, indicating water? Imagine this: Around 76.5% of the Earth’s surface is water. Yet, today, we struggle to ensure that everyone has access to clean water. That’s one of the reasons that we have World Water Day (March 22). This year’s theme is Water for Peace.
Why Peace? If water is not easily available or is polluted, it can cause problems between people and countries. Rivers and lakes cut across boundaries – both inside a nation and between countries. As human population rises and climate change changes the world, it is more important to protect and conserve this precious natural resource and use it for sustainable development that doesn’t leave anyone out.
So, when we talk about water, we are clearly not talking about the seas and oceans. Where, then, do we get fresh water from? From Glaciers, Rivers, Lakes, Ponds, Rain and Groundwater. Read on to know more about them:
Glaciers: These massive blocks of ice and snow are the largest containers of fresh water. Did you know that 99% of the fresh water is found in the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets? No wonder, that melting glaciers are a source of concern. Not only do we lose the fresh water they hold, but the water going into the sea causes ocean levels to rise.
Rivers: A flowing stream of water is called a river. Streams, brooks or creeks also have flowing water but these are smaller than rivers. A river’s source can be a glacier on a mountain top or groundwater that bubbles up to the surface. Apart from water, rivers also carry soil and nutrients that help support life along its course. No wonder then that the first human civilisations sprung up along riversides. The Nile is the longest river in the world, covering 6650 km across 10 countries in northern Africa. In terms of volume of flow and drainage basin the largest river is the Amazon in South America, which weaves it way through the complex rainforest ecosystem.
Lakes: By definition, a lake is a body of water surrounded by land. There are 11 kinds of lakes that are further divided into other sub-types. Canada has the largest number of lakes in the world, followed by Finland. While most are freshwater lakes, a few may hold saline water, such as the Dead Sea in the Rift Valley in Jordan. While Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia, is the largest lake in the world by volume and depth, Lake Superior on the U.S.-Canada border is the largest in terms of surface area. It is also one of the five Great Lakes. England has a region in Cumbria known as the Lake District, which contains 16 lakes.
Ponds: Another body of water enclosed by land, ponds are smaller than lakes. There is no specific criteria to differentiate between the two. A pond can be created either by river channels being cut off or animals such as beavers creating their dams or even just be a natural depression on land filled by water. Apart from supporting a variety of plant and animal life, ponds provide water for human use, serve as flood control areas and also help control pollution by absorbing greenhouse gases. Among the most famous ponds in the world are Walden Pond in Massachusetts, the U.S., made famous by the writer Thoreau, and the Giverny Pond in France, immortalised in the paintings of Claude Monet.
Rainwater: Technically, it is the purest form of water but the pollution caused by industrialisation has led to the phenomenon called acid rain. The simplest explanation for how rain is formed is the water cycle. Water from the earth’s surface evaporates and collects as water vapour in the atmosphere. When the air can no longer hold the vapour, it becomes a liquid again through a process of condensation. When this returns to earth in the form of rain or snow, it is called precipitation. The village of Mawsynram in India’s Meghalaya receives the most amount of rainfall in the world.
Groundwater: As the name suggests, this is water found under the Earth’s surface. Found in the soil and in the spaces between the rocks, groundwater forms around 30% of the available freshwater in the world. When there is a deposit of enough water for use, it is called an aquifer. Groundwater is found almost everywhere but the level of the water table depends on many factors. While it can be replenished by rain or snow melt or rainwater harvesting, using up groundwater too quickly can cause water shortage in some areas.
Now that you have read all about fresh water sources, try your hand at this activity. These words come from the text you have read. Fit them into the correct spot in the grid.
Try your hand at this jigsaw puzzle set in a kitchen. How quickly can you solve it?
The kitchen can be a wonderful place with enticing aromas and tasty bits to munch on. Have you ever tried your hand at whipping up a delicious dish? Before you do that, try to solve this puzzle.
How well do you know the main characters from popular books? Try this game and find out.
In the realm of storybooks, heroes stand tall as beacons of courage, compassion, and resilience. From daring knights to intrepid explorers, these characters embark on epic quests, facing challenges with unwavering determination and a sense of justice. Through their noble deeds and inspiring journeys, they teach valuable lessons of bravery, kindness, and the triumph of the human spirit. With every turn of the page, these heroes captivate readers of all ages, leaving an indelible mark on the heart and reminding us that greatness lies within each of us.
Play this game and see how many heroes you can spot in the grid.
Exercise equipment is used to strengthen the body. How well do you know the different kinds of fitness aids? Try this activity to find out.
A gym is the place you go to when you want to get fit. It has different kinds of equipment. Each works on a specific part of your body. You can use the cycle to increase your stamina, or lift weights to improve the strength in your limbs. The equipment in the gym helps you increase your exercise efficiency and helps you achieve better results faster.
Can you identify the gym equipment in these images?
