Tag Archives: history

Learning About Other Cultures

Learning About Other Cultures While Traveling

Do you have a trip or family vacation coming up? If you’ll be traveling to another country, you’ll have the perfect chance to learn all about the local culture. While it might be easy to find fast food places or other familiar restaurants in other countries, eating at these places won’t really teach you anything about the people who live in that area. Besides, you already know what to expect from these restaurants. Take the opportunity to try something new, and enjoy restaurants that serve local foods instead.

Check Out New Foods

One of the best things about eating at local restaurants in other countries is you get to try foods you’ve never had before. You might even see foods you’ve never heard of. This gives you a chance to explore different kinds of foods, ranging from vegetables to spices, and experience new flavors while you’re at it. You might also get to eat more familiar foods that are prepared in ways that are much different from what you’re used to. Eating local dishes also means you might get a chance to check out food combinations you would never have thought of, like pairing certain vegetables with noodles or sauce.

Enjoy Local Traditions

Dining in local restaurants when you’re traveling is about more than just sitting and eating. You also get to experience local customs and traditions that revolve around food. When you’re at one of these restaurants, look around at how the place is decorated and set up. Do people eat in smaller groups at different tables, or is everyone seated around one larger table? Does everyone have their own meal, or do they share one big dish?

The restaurant’s menu can also tell you a lot about the local culture. Before ordering your food, look through all of the menu options to get a better idea of the types of foods people in the area eats. How are these foods prepared? What kinds of foods are usually served together? What do people usually drink with their meal? Keep in mind that you can always ask your server or the restaurant owner more about local foods and customs.

As you travel, keep a notebook or journal handy, so you can keep track of the foods you’ve tried and the customs you’ve experienced in each area. When you get home, you can look up recipes for these foods and make them at home.

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Learn MORE About the Rock of Gibraltar

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The Rock of Gibraltar has been an important piece of land for centuries. It’s first claim to fame was that it was where two huge, skyscraper-sized rocks stood, almost like giant pillars. These were called by the ancient people, the Pillars of Hercules. One of the pillars has long since washed away, but the other remained. It is after this pillar and the body of water around it (called Gibraltar) that the area is named. This area has been held by many different countries including, Arabia, Spain, France, and England.

Fun Facts about the Rock of Gibraltar

If you are lost and wandering in the Mediterranean Sea, you can see the Rock of Gibraltar even if you are several miles away from it. Why? It is because the Rock of Gibraltar is as high as 426 meters. It protrudes out of the Mediterranean Sea the way candles stand upon a birthday cake. The Rock of Gibraltar is made of limestone which is the material that companies use to make cement, so it is very strong.

The Rock of Gibraltar Preserves Past History

Bones and the remains of animals that lived more than 100 million years ago have been found preserved right there on the Rock of Gibraltar. Even though fossils were preserved in the Rock of Gibraltar, they are not in good shape because they have decayed so much that only scientists can study them and know what they really were millions of years ago. Also found in the area are some of the oldest manmade artwork the world has ever known. They are still discovering new artifacts each year.

The Caves of Gibraltar

Did you know that there are more than 100 caves that can be found under the Gibraltar rock alone? There is also a network of tunnels and underground passages that were dug by warlords during times of war in Gibraltar. These passages are known as galleries and are currently being used as archives for tourists who visit the rock. In fact, if you are in these passages or halls you might see the Spanish coast which is not too far off in the distance. It is in some of these caves where some of the most ancient discoveries have been made. Artwork, pottery, even bones have been found, which are very old and tell scientists what life was like for the people who used to live there.

Monkeys and the Rock of Gibraltar

There are many ideas as to how the monkeys first found their way to Gibraltar, but the most widely accepted idea is that the monkeys used one of the tunnels under the rock that leads 15 miles to Africa. Regardless of how the monkeys first arrived there, it is said that as long as the monkeys live on the Rock, it will always be under British rule. The monkeys have no tails and are a type of Barbary Ape. The park maintains their populations and makes sure that they are given their immunizations and are kept healthy.

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Learn MORE About the Roman Coliseum

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The Coliseum was what ancient Romans called a skyscraper because there was no other structure as big as a coliseum back then. That does not mean there were no other amphitheaters in ancient Rome. In fact, there were more than 250 amphitheatres but none was as big as the Colosseum. It is located in Piazza del Colosseo on the eastside of the Roman Forum. While it is a beautiful place to visit, this beauty came at a price, and there is much tragedy that surrounds this structure.

Fun Facts about the Roman Colosseum
The Emperor Vespasian started construction on the Roman Coliseum after a victory in battle. The money to build the Colosseum came from selling the treasure that the soldiers had taken from the defeated foes in Jerusalem. Vesparian came up with the idea and started to build in AD 72. To be more specific, the construction began more than 1900 years ago. However, Vespasian did not complete the construction and his son, named Titus, took over the building project and completed it in AD 80. After the completion of the amphitheater, it was 188 meters long and 156 meters wide, which is as high as a 12 -story building. That means that it so large that it could hold more than 50,000 visitors. It was so huge that it was held upright by 240 masts.

Gladiators, Swords, and Lions, Oh My!

When Vespasian constructed the Coliseum, he had in mind that he wanted to stage dangerous sports which would entertain the people in the city. So he made the Coliseum a ground for gladiators to fight and kill each other using weapons such as swords and daggers. Sometimes, the fight was between humans and dangerous animals like lions. If the ground became too stained, crews would simply pour more sand over the soiled areas and the fighting would continue.

Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Entertainment at the Colosseum was free for spectators and those who were invited. This is because all of the free food and drinks were paid for by the wealthy politicians in the city in order to remain popular with those who had voted for them. Sometimes the games would run for 100 days straight, with different people coming each day. That means that the city of Rome was very large with a lot of people. Though the ruins of the Colosseum are beautiful if you visit you should also not forget that many lives were lost within its walls.

Secret Passages and Special Effects

The Colosseum was cleverly constructed with secret passageways underneath the main staging area. This was where the gladiators waited for their time to go into the ring, and it was also where the animals were kept. In later years there were 36 trap doors added, and a water pump so that the fighting area could be flooded with water to make a water fight for the people to watch. Today, there are no shows going on, but tourists in the thousands flock to see this historic area in Rome, Italy. The Colosseum is considered one of the new 7 Wonders of the World.

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Learn About Airplanes

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Ever wanted to fly? Boarding an airplane is an easy way to fly today. It wasn’t an easy journey to get there. For years, flying seemed too hard. That didn’t stop people from trying out many ways to fly. After going through trial and error, humans finally flew the early airplanes. Today, we still enjoy many ways to fly high in the sky, going to many amazing places on airplanes with our families.

How Airplanes Came to Be

The history of airplanes started earlier than you think!

In 400 A.D., the Chinese first experimented with flight by inventing the kite. The invention of the kite made many Chinese scientists look into how kites and wind currents worked together. By 1485, Leonardo Da Vinci, the artist, famously drew many pictures of flying machines. Although people began experimenting with building an airplane that worked, the first successful motor-powered aircraft flew in 1903. The Wright brothers famously invented the first aircraft that ran on motor power.

Orville Wright rode in the first aircraft after it came to life. He flew as far as 120 feet (36 meters) in about 12 seconds. The Wright brothers’ achievement showed that true flight in an aircraft was now possible in the western world.

How Airplanes Work

An airplane can defy gravity!

Gravity is an invisible force that holds down everything on Earth. Gravity also affects everything on and around the planet. Getting an airplane into the air involves defying this very strong force. The length and shape of airplane wings make this happen.

Airplane wings help make the device lift in the air. The airplane body is thin and long, which helps the airplane defy gravity. The engine helps give the airplane enough power to thrust forward and travel through the air. When each part of the airplane works together, the entire airplane can move past the drag caused by air currents and the heavy pull of gravity to fly freely.

Types of Airplanes

From gliders to fighter jets, airplanes come in many different forms. It’s because the design of airplanes changed over time!

The glider used to be motorless. It worked by being pushed forward by a sharp gust of air when a rider jumped off a high place. Gliders today have a small motor engine that helps them stay off the ground and boost their flying time.

Passenger airplanes are what people first think about when they imagine airplanes. These large aircraft hold dozens of people at a time. They travel all over the world during every hour of the day.

Helicopters are also common types of planes. They are known for their large propeller blades that sit on top of the body. The blades create motion and help lift the aircraft when they work. A helicopter is usually built to carry a few people at a time.

Like helicopters, fighter jets and planes are also designed for a few passengers. They are used in special industries like the military. They are known for their incredible speeds. Many jets can reach speeds as fast as 2,574 kilometers (1,600 miles per hour)!

Sources:

http://www.scienceforkidsclub.com/airplanes.html

http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Airplane

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What You Didn’t Know About The Eiffel Tower

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Located in the heart of Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous monuments in history. But why was it built? Do you know how high it is? What does it weigh? Learn the answers to these questions, and more below. Begin your adventure with the Eiffel Tower NOW!

Fun Facts About the Eiffel Tower

Did you know that almost 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year? That’s a lot of people. So, what makes the Eiffel Tower such an amazing place to visit? The tower was first built because there was a World’s Fair that was coming to Paris. It took more than two years to build. At first, most people who saw it didn’t like it because it was so different from all other buildings in the country. In fact, after the fair they almost tore it down! Today, people think differently and it is one of the world’s most amazing structures ever to be built. It takes over 500 people to keep it working and running properly.

The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall (that’s 1063 feet), and it weighs 10 tons. That’s as much as 5 cars stacked up, or two elephants. There are elevators in the tower to take you to the top for an amazing view of the city of Paris, but if you are adventurous, you can climb the 1,665 steps to the top. You WILL be out of breath.

The Amazing Shrinking Eiffel Tower

Did you know that the Eiffel Tower doesn’t stay the same size the year ‘round? When the weather gets cold in Paris, France, the Eiffel Tower, made of nearly 7000 tons of iron, can shrink almost six inches! The tower is a beautiful sight to see in the daytime, but at night nearly 20,000 light bulbs make the structure light up the night sky so much that it can be seen from space.

Painting the Eiffel Tower

With so much surface, guess how much paint is needed to paint the Eiffel Tower every seven years. 60 tons of paint are needed to keep the structure from rusting. That’s enough paint to fill almost two swimming pools that are four feet deep. Most don’t know this, but the Eiffel Tower is actually painted in three different shades of paint. The paint is lighter at the top, medium color in the middle, and the darkest at its base. This is to make it easier to see against the sky in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower Talks

If the Eiffel Tower could talk, the ‘Iron Lady’ would tell you about all of the history that she’s seen. It wasn’t all fun and games, either. In World War I she operated as a radiograph tower overhearing enemy radio messages. After serving an important role in many wars, the Eiffel Tower had a hand in the discovery of cosmic rays as scientist, Theodor Wulf experimented from the top of the tower. Later, the Eiffel Tower became a movie star when she was featured in the film, Slumbering Paris in 1923. Today, the Eiffel Tower has been featured in millions of movies, television shows, paintings, photographs, and sketches. Last, but not least, thousands have proposed marriage to someone at the top of this famous landmark in the city of lights.

Learn more about the Eiffel Tower and other important monuments around the world with the Spartan And The Green Egg Explorer Sticker Starter Kit!

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What In The World Is The Taj Mahal?

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Ever wonder what the Taj Mahal is, or why it’s so important to India? Well, there’s a deeper, more powerful story behind it than you may realize, especially if you’re around Spartan’s age! So let’s look at how we can travel there together through this amazing story of love…

So let’s look at how we can travel there together through this amazing story of love…

The Taj Mahal is located in Agra, in India, and is considered worldwide to be one of the seven wonders of the world. Made of white marble, this large castle-like structure on the Yamuna river. For all its beauty, however, it was built out of sorrow and grief by the Shaah Jahan after the death of his wife. Find out why this grand building is called the ‘crown of palaces’.

Fun Facts about the Taj Mahal
The all white structure took more than 20 years to finish and is said to change colors throughout the day, depending on how the light strikes it. More than 20,000 people helped to build it in 1632 and included over 1,000 elephants. The center dome is very high, nearly 240 feet (73 m), and has four smaller domes that surround it. The building is called a mausoleum, which is a building that is dedicated to the dead and often houses the remains of those who have died.

Walls Worth A Million
So beloved was the Shah’s wife that he took precious gemstones and had them built into the walls around the building. The builders of the Taj Mahal thought about the future of the structure and built the smaller domes that surround the larger one so that in the event of an earthquake that they would fall away from the main dome, thus protecting it from damage.

The Taj Mahal’s Reflecting Pool and Secret Garden
The Taj Mahal is more than just a building. There are vast acres of gardens and pools surrounding it. One of these pools is called the reflecting pool, which is very shallow and reflects the image of the Taj Mahal. The Shah’s wife, Mumtaz Maha, is not actually buried in the structure at all, but was buried in the lush gardens, which he was sure she would have loved. This building was built so that all of those who would visit over the centuries would be reminded of his love for his wife.

The Building that Love Built
Shah Jahan first met Mumtaz when they were only 14 and 15 years old. Because they were so young they were made to wait five years before they were allowed to be married. Once they were married they had many children. Mumtaz Mahal died giving birth to their 14th child and Shah Jahan was so sad that he ordered his court to be sad with him for two more years. Twelve years after the building was completed, Shah Jahan died, too. He was buried next to his wife. Now, everyone who visits can see the beauty of the buildings, walk through the lovely gardens and see the building that was built with love.

Want to learn more about other places in the world with powerful stories? Check out the Spartan And The Gren Egg Explorer Pin Set to find more places you can travel to!

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Caring About Climate Change

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If the weather in your area seems unusual or extreme at times, you can blame it on climate change. While our planet’s climate goes through natural changes over long periods of time, people are making things worse by burning fossil fuels. These changes are making the Earth warmer overall, which is causing quite a few problems. Climate change is an issue that affects everyone on the planet, so doing your part to help stop it is important.
How Are People Causing Climate Change?

People burn oil, gas and other fossil fuels for many reasons, such as producing electricity, driving cars around and heating homes. When we do this, the fossil fuels we use to give off gases that trap heat in our atmosphere. This makes Earth’s temperatures warmer, which leads to climate change.
What Kinds of Changes Happen?

The higher temperatures overall don’t mean that every place on the planet becomes hotter. Instead, we experience a wide range of changes, including:
• Colder winters in some areas
• More droughts
• More tornadoes
• Stronger hurricanes and other storms

The rising temperatures are also causing glaciers to melt and sea ice to shrink, making it hard for animals who live in the Arctic region to find food and shelter. The oceans’ temperatures are becoming warmer, too, which affects many marine creatures. Sea levels are rising as well, leading to higher risks of flooding in areas that are close to shorelines.

How Can We Stop Climate Change?

There are many steps you can take to help stop climate change, including:
• Using less energy: Shut lights off, replace regular lights with CFL bulbs and turn electronics off when they’re not in use.
• Using less water: Keep your showers short, and don’t let the water run when you brush your teeth or do the dishes.
• Recycling: Recycle as much as possible to reduce the amount of waste that ends up going to landfills.
• Planting trees: Trees are our environmental allies. They absorb carbon dioxide, one of the gases given off by fossil fuels, which helps slow climate change.
• Eating locally grown food: Food that’s grown in or near your area doesn’t have to go far to get to your home, which lowers a number of gases given off by the trucks that transport it.

While these steps might seem small or perhaps too easy, they add up to big changes when more and more people start doing them. Talk to your family and friends about how they can join you in stopping climate change and making the planet healthier for all of us.

Want to learn more about how to contribute now? Visit our gift page and see how you can invest in educational gifts about the environment while giving back!

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