Kids News - Articles for Grades 6-8

This past weekend's massive blizzard that brought epic amounts of snow to Washington D.C. and cities across the US East coast had most people and animals scrambling for the safety of their homes. However, one of National Zoo's most beloved residents, Tian Tian was not amongst them....

While Spain's tomato-throwing festival, La Tomatina, that is celebrated in Bunol every summer is world-renowned, the country's other food-centric celebrations are not as well known. The Els Enfarinats and the Jarramplas festivals that are held in December and January respectively, also involve food fights, except the produce being tossed, is not as gentle as tomatoes....

Remember ROY.G. BIV (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet), the mnemonic that helped you to memorize the order and colors of the rainbow? Well, you can forget it because as it turns out, not all rainbows are equal. They can vary drastically depending on the conditions under which they occur. A team led by atmospheric scientist Jean Ricard of the National Centre for Meteorological Research in Toulouse, France, has identified twelve rainbow 'flavors', each with its own distinct characteristics....

When Pluto was demoted to dwarf status in 2006 we were left with a mere eight planets in our solar system. Now Planetary Astronomy Professor Mike Brown, the researcher responsible for 'killing' Pluto may have redeemed himself with the discovery of a massive ninth planet - One he believes is worthy of being added to the elite group of eight....

Being famous for having one of the most bitter winters in China and most likely the world does not sound like a good way to market a city. However, it works for Harbin. That's because for the residents of the capital of China's Heilongjiang Province it means a chance to stage a spectacular winter festival....

Thanks to strict regulations imposed by the US Environmental and Protection Agency, clean tap water is something Americans take for granted. But such is not the case for the residents of Flint, Michigan. Their water supply is so tainted that President Obama declared a federal state of emergency in Flint releasing up to $5 million USD to help the city combat what is probably one of the biggest public health crisis of recent times....

On December 30, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry announced that elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 are now approved to join the prestigious periodic table. Their addition completes the group of man-made elements that make up the table's 7th row, and brings the total number that will need to be memorized by students to 118!...

On January 16, hundreds of panda lovers lined up outside the gates of the National Zoo in Washington D.C. to be the first to get a glimpse at Bei Bei. While the giant panda cub that was born on August 22, 2015 has been visible on the zoo's video camera, this was his first public appearance....

In an attempt to attract more female visitors to the area, officials of the Budai Township in Chiayi County, Taiwan have come up with an unusual idea - A church in the shape of a glass slipper. Though the design closely resembles Cinderella's shoe, it was inspired by a local, albeit sad folklore....