Kids News - Articles for Grades 2-3

About 130 years ago, Harry Govier Seeley, a paleontologist trained in Cambridge, classified dinosaurs into two distinct groups, or clades, based on the shape of their pelvic bones. The “reptile-hipped” saurischians included carnivorous theropods like the Tyrannosaurus Rex (T-Rex), while the “bird-hipped” ornithischians comprised herbivores such as the Stegosaurus and Triceratops. As more dinosaur fossils were discovered, a third group, dubbed sauropodomorphs, was established. In 1887, Seeley concluded that the long-necked herbivorous sauropods, like the Brontosaurus, were related to theropods and classified them as saurischians....

Flying cars have been in the works since 1946, when aeronautical engineer Ted Hall created two prototypes of the ConvAirCar. Unfortunately, a crash landing due to low fuel caused the hybrid vehicle’s manufacturer, Convair, to lose interest and shut down the venture within a year. While there have been numerous attempts since, none have gone beyond the experimental stage. That is about to change thanks to a slew of new and established companies that are determined to make this 70-year-old quest a reality....

All canine owners know that feeding their pets regular ice cream can result in serious health issues. Many dogs are lactose intolerant and consumption of dairy upsets their digestive systems. Moreover, just like in humans, eating large amounts of sugar causes dogs to become hyper and unfocused, and can also result in dental cavities, diabetes, and obesity. Now, thanks to Mauricio Montoya, some lucky dogs in Mexico City are finally able to enjoy the frozen treat without their owners worrying about any harmful side effects....

Forty-seven years ago, on April 22, 1970, twenty million Americans took to the streets to voice their concern about the deteriorating environment and urge the government to take action before it was too late. The grassroots movement, which is now celebrated by over 2 billion people in 192 countries, led to the enactment of numerous environmental laws, including the Clean Air Act of 1970 and the Endangered Species Act of 1973....

It is a well-known fact that plastic bottles, which take hundreds of years to decompose, are harmful to our environment. However, efforts by environmentalists to encourage consumers to switch to alternatives, like water fountains or reusable bottles, have not been very effective. The U.S. alone utilizes over 50 million plastic bottles annually, 80% of which end up in landfills....

Space travel is expensive, especially since every launch requires a new rocket. The biggest and most costly part is the booster that powers the spacecraft beyond the Earth’s orbit. Once the job, which takes a few minutes, is completed, it separates from the rest of the rocket and drops back into the ocean while the second stage engine takes over and delivers the payload to its destination....

New York City’s impressive skyline that includes iconic structures like the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, may get even more interesting with the addition of the “Big Bend.” The tall and slender U-shaped residential tower is the brainchild of Oiio Studio, an architectural firm with offices in Manhattan and Athens....

Easter, which will be celebrated on Sunday, April 16 this year, offers many fun activities. But the one all kids look forward to the most is the egg hunt. However, in 2005 U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) special agent David Hyche realized that visually impaired children like his then 19-month-old daughter, Rachel, were unable to participate in this exciting event....

What better way to spend an afternoon than having an old-fashioned pillow fight with total strangers? That, believe it or not, is what thousands of fun-loving adults and children across the world did on Saturday, April 1, which in addition to being Fools’ Day, also happened to be International Pillow Fight Day....