Kids News - Articles for Grades 6-8

Styrofoam, a plastic made of expandable polystyrene foam (EPS) is a useful invention. In fact one could call it almost too useful! The lightweight and buoyant plastic can be used for a myriad of things from thermal insulation to disposable plates & cups, packing material, and even to build boats! The only problem is that the versatile product is almost impossible to recycle....

For U.S. residents, fall and pumpkins go hand in hand. Some use the fruit to make delicious soups and bread, others to carve out scary jack-o-lanterns. Then there are those that spend months growing giant-sized gourds that they use to compete at pumpkin weigh-offs. While there are numerous competitions held across the country, the 'Super Bowl' takes place at Half Moon Bay, CA which prides itself on being the 'Pumpkin Capital of the World.'...

In 1920, Johnson and Johnson employee Earle Dickson created the first bandage to cover the frequent burns and cuts his wife Josephine inflicted on herself while cooking. The hand-made prototype was instantly adopted by his employer and marketed as Band-Aid, a brand that has become synonymous with the word bandage. However, while the adhesive strips may now look different from Dickson's creation they still perform the same job - Prevent bacteria from entering wounds....

Every year around this time, thousands of hot air balloon enthusiasts flock to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to participate in the city's annual International Balloon Fiesta. Now in its 44th year, the 2015 festival that took place from October 3rd -11th is the largest gathering of balloons and balloonists in the world....

On October 3rd, East Coast residents were relieved to hear that Hurricane Joaquin which had been hurtling towards the U.S., was no longer a threat. According to meteorologists, the hurricane that was weakened to a category 3 after battering the Bahamas, would likely remain out to sea instead of ramming into the coastline as had been previously thought....

On August 3rd, 1492 Italian explorer Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera, Spain, to seek out a western sea route to China and India. However, the explorer and his crew never made it to the gold and spice islands of Asia. Instead, about two months later, on October 12th, they landed on a small island in the modern-day Bahamas that Columbus claimed for Spain and named San Salvador....

Two Belgian men have come up with a way to take fine dining to a whole new level - Literally! Diners at their pop-up and franchised restaurants enjoy gourmet meals perched upon floating platforms suspended 180-feet above ground with the help of a giant crane!...

On September 25th, US first lady Michelle Obama and China's first lady Peng Liyuan announced that the recently born giant panda at Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington D.C. would be called Bei Bei. The name which means 'precious treasure' in Mandarin Chinese, was selected from a list suggested by officials at the zoo and the Wolong Nature Reserve in China....

Thanks to its carved topography, researchers have always suspected that Mars was once home to several rivers, lakes, and perhaps even oceans. There has even been some speculation about the existence of frozen water deep beneath the ground. However, finding evidence of liquid water in the present day, has been a little elusive. That is why NASA's September 28th announcement that confirmed the detection of liquid brine on the Red Planet caused so much excitement....