Social Studies for Kids

For most of us, building a snowman or even an igloo is hard enough. So you can only imagine the effort, skill, and patience, it takes to build not just giant sculptures, but also, towering castles and beautifully chiseled buildings using just ice and snow - That is exactly what happens annually, in the city of Harbin in Northeast China....

With yet another storm unleashing its fury on the Eastern, Midwestern and even Southern regions of the United States, residents are really feeling the wrath of winter this year, and probably thinking that nobody in the world has it as bad as they do. Turns out, such is not the case. The people of Yakutsk in Russia have been enduring even worse weather for centuries, and have actually gotten to like it!...

At a symposium held by the Society for the Study of Egyptian Antiquities in Toronto, Ontario, on January 11th, archeologists revealed the uncovering of yet another provincial pyramid near the ancient settlement of Edfu in Southern Egypt. The 4,600-year-old structure, built decades before the Great Pyramid of Giza, is the seventh of its kind discovered scattered near major ancient settlements, throughout central and southern Egypt....

This morning, 25,000 people braved the early morning chill and made their way to Gobbler's Nob to see for themselves what Punxsutawney Phil had to say about the length of this year's frigid winter season. Unfortunately, the legendary woodchuck did not predict what most had been hoping for!...

There are few celebrations that Americans look forward to, more than Super Bowl Sunday. And while the love for the game is an obvious reason, there is another equally important element - The food! For, believe it or not, Super Bowl Sunday is not just the most popular television event of the year, but also the second-largest day for food consumption, after Thanksgiving!...

On Friday, January 31st, 2014, more than a billion people of Chinese origin will usher in the first day of the year 4712. Known as the Lunar New Year or Spring Festival, it marks the beginning of the longest and most significant of all Chinese festivals. As the name indicates, the four-thousand-year-old tradition whose date is determined by the lunar calendar, began as a way to mark the end of the dreary winter season and the beginning of spring....

The polar vortex that greeted many Americans at the start of the year, served as a rude reminder of the detrimental effects that global warming could have on our weather patterns. The fact that something has to be done to reverse or at least halt climate change is obvious, but the question for most of us is what and how? Turns out, that it doesn't take much money or resources - Just some ingenuity and will, both of which the founders of U.K. based design firm Studio Swine, seem to have in abundance....

On the third Monday of January each year, Americans celebrate the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - the civil rights activist who is often credited for singly-handedly spearheading the nation's civil rights movement....

With most governments struggling to balance their budgets by taking money from residents through higher taxes, it is refreshing to hear about one that is doing just the opposite. On Tuesday, January 9th, the world woke up to the news that every Norwegian, right down to the newest born, was worth a million Kroner or about $164,000 USD - at least on paper. This was not a cruel joke on the residents but a reality that has come about thanks to the financial savvy of the country's government....