The Blue Planet

We are lucky enough to live on one of the most beautiful spots in Universe.
This BBC film is a wonderful testimony to this fact!



So what do we do with our Home?
How much do we look after it?

How does this National Geographic video make you feel?

What's your role in this? What do you, your family, your school and your country already do to save our planet?
What commitments are you willing to make?
Write your comment here.

Making the mark!

Imagine a school...

Where kids have freedom to be themselves...
Where success is not defined by academic achievement but by the child's own definition of success...
Where the whole school deals democratically with issues, with each individual having an equal right to be heard...
Where you can play all day if you want to...
And there is time and space to sit and dream......could there be such a school?YES, and it's called Summerhill 

Here's a video of the students talking about their school. 

Now, let's use our imagination a little more...Imagine you've just finished Summerhill and your friend is about to start. He's asked you for some information on what to expect at  school and advice on classes, school rules and so on. Respond to him through an email that you will post as a comment here.

Antarctica gets back to us....

Johan, the scientist we are in touch with in Amudsen-Scott Polar Station in Antarctica has replied to our questions!

> How far is the South Pole from the North Pole?

The two points are directly opposite on a globe, so
the answer is half the circumference of the earth.
The circumference is often rounded as 24,000 miles,
so we're 12,000 miles from the North Pole.  That's
about 20,000 km.



> How many people live in the South pole?

The summer population is typically around 200, while
in winter it's more like 50.  No one actually "live"
here; we all spend time here and then return to the
"real world", though a number of us keep coming back
down, eventually spending more time in Antarctica
than not.

> I like to learn about the weather in north pole.

I don't know much about weather at the North Pole,
though I know that it's a lot warmer than at the South
Pole.  The South Pole is in the middle of a continent,
and quite high (we're on top of about 3 km of ice),
while the North Pole is on the frozen ocean, at sea
level.  Since the atmosphere generally gets colder
as you go up (think snow on the mountain tops), it's
colder here than there.  Our temperatures range from
about -20C in the summer to -75C in the winter.  We
tend to have fairly steady winds, but they're generally
light, typically between 4 and 8 m/s.  The sun is up
for six months and then down for six months.

> How long time do you live there?

I've been here for about ten months.  Most people
spend only the three months of the summer, but folks
who winter are here for about ten, and the full year
is a 12-13 months commitment.

> How far is the place that you live from the sea?

It's about 850 miles, or 1400 km, to the nearest
ocean.

> What kinds of animals live under the water???

There's no water here, but in the ocean around the
continent of Antarctica there are sponges, starfish,
anemones, fish of many kinds (including some that
have no red blood cells and that have antifreeze
proteins in their blood), sea birds like penguins,
seals, and whales.

> What kind of plants exist there???

Again, none here, since we're just on ice.  On the
coasts there are mosses and lichens, and a couple of
little flowering plants.


> Do they live many people there???

Many (about 30) nations have stations (about 40) in
Antarctica, but even so, the whole population of the
continent is about 4000 in the summer and 1000 in the
winter.

> can people from hot countries for example brazil
> can they live in antarctica???

Sure.  Brazil does have an Antarctic station.  Anyone
can spend time here, you just have to be sure that you
have the right clothes if you're going outside.

> how can someone survive in a place like that?

It's not that hard.  The station that we live in has
nice facilities, and we wear warm clothes outside.  We
do have to be completely self-sufficient, because we
can't call for help if something breaks, and we can't
run to the store if we need a spare part.  So in
addition to the scientists working here, we have
carpenters, plumbers, mechanics, computer folks,
medical staff, cooks, etc.

> Could you send us some photos of you in the station
> or even a video to see what it's like where you live?

I expect you could find some videos of the place on
Youtube.  And I know that Google Earth has some shots
both inside and outside of station.  I hate having my
picture taken, so there aren't any of me, but there are
lots of other people who post pictures of themselves
down here on blogs.  You could probably find those with
google, or you can start here:

http://southpolestation.com

Social Media and you!

The new generation is called generation Z and are digital natives. Children today seem to be born with a remote planted in their heads and a keyboard installed as an extension to their fingers!
Watch this video and read this text about social media.
Then do the quiz to see how much you've understood.
You can read the text as many times as you want to get all answers right!
Then write a comment on how YOU are involved with social media.

Have you seen the school's facebook page? Hit "Like" and 
share your thought there!





Today we sang along this award-winning song.

Could what the lyrics say happen between you and your friends because of social media?
Write your comment on this post,