Kids News - Articles for Grade 6

Here is a story most of you are probably familiar with. Kid gets invited to a classmate's birthday party. Parents respond with a resounding yes, but later realize they have a conflict and decide it's okay to skip the party without informing the host. End of story right? No, says this British mother who wants the errant party to pay for the cost incurred....

In early January, Mercedes-Benz captured the world’s imagination by unveiling a futuristic self-driving car prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to being autonomous, the F015 Luxury in Motion, also promises to be fuel efficient and as its name indicates, the epitome of luxury. While this is in complete contrast to Google's compact, koala-like autonomous vehicle, one thing is apparent - if manufacturers have their way, driverless cars will be sharing the highways with human-driven vehicles, within the next decade....

On March 28th, US astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko will launch aboard the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft on a historic mission - a year long visit to the International Space Station. The trip, the first of many that will be undertaken before a manned mission to Mars, is a test to gather information about the psychological and physical effects of extended space travel on the human body....

Animals use many tricks to hide from predators - from blending in with the environment to disguising themselves into something unsavory and even, creating decoys. While different, they are all optical. Now scientists have uncovered a fish species that uses both visual and chemical camouflage. That means they not only blend in with the colorful coral they feed on, but also smell like it!...

First there was San Francisco-based Lava Mae that came up with the brilliant idea of mobile showers for the homeless, and now two Australian youngsters that have created a similar laundry service for those down on their luck....

On Monday January 19th, Americans will celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., (MLK), a Baptist clergyman turned activist, who is often credited with spearheading the country's civil rights movement. It is thanks to his efforts that America is today a nation where everyone has equal rights, regardless of race, color or creed....

On Sunday, January 11th, almost 4 million people across France and several hundred thousand more globally, marched in solidarity against terrorism. The biggest gathering was in Paris where an estimated 1.7 million people, including 40 world leaders, walked along the boulevards and avenues of central Paris. Some were carrying signs with the slogan “Je suis Charlie” (I am Charlie), while others held up large stylized pencils or wore writing implements on their hats or other items of clothing....

Though the sight of a baby whale is always welcome, the report of a newborn in the group of orcas that scientists call the J-Pod, is particularly exciting. That's because, this batch which is part of the 77-member Southern Resident Killer Whale group (SRKW) that reside off the coast of the state of Washington and British Columbia, has been on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's endangered list since 2005....

Every year around this time, schools districts in the Eastern and Midwestern regions of the United States brace themselves for the inevitable "snow days" - school closures forced by the freezing Arctic blasts that dip temperatures to as low as 40 below in states like Iowa. While a great favorite amongst students, the unscheduled holidays are a big nuisance for educators. That's because in order to complete the State mandated 180 days of student instruction, they have to compensate for the unscheduled holidays by cancelling teacher enrichment days, long weekends and in extreme cases, even cutting short spring and summer vacations....