Where there’s a river, you’re sure to see people living on its banks and boats traveling on its waters. You’ll find farms spreading out from its shores and power plants producing electricity along its length.
Unit
Rivers
Rivers and the flowing waters that feed them have many names— creek, stream, brook, rill, runnel, rivulet, watercourse. And many individual rivers have nicknames too, such as “Big Muddy” for America’s longest river, the Mississippi.
Unit
Lakes
Dive into Lakes, which takes kids through all the wild and watery features of these numberless bodies of water. They’ll start off with information about the three different kinds of lakes. For kids who want to learn more, facts about the many shapes they come in, including oxbows and sinkholes, are next up. And just how are they formed? Bet you didn’t know that lakes can appear when glaciers melt, volcanoes explode, or meteorites strike the Earth! After that, kids can read up on the five distinct layers of a typical lake, which reveal their many splendors and oddities
Unit
Oceans
Oceans digs into the many mysterious and incredible features of our watery surroundings – starting with the origins of what should rightly be called the “world ocean” 4.5 billion years ago.
Unit
Earth’s Oceans
Before your next trip to the beach, let's think about all that water you're about to dive into. Oceans make up a big piece of our planet but they are still full of mystery and questions.
Unit
Wetlands
Most kids don’t know what wetlands are, but all this will change after they read this issue. Even better, they’ll develop a sense of how pivotal wetlands are in regulating Earth’s climate, and how crucial they are to the survival of many endangered species.
Unit
Rivers
Rivers and the flowing waters that feed them have many names— creek, stream, brook, rill, runnel, rivulet, watercourse. And many individual rivers have nicknames too, such as “Big Muddy” for America’s longest river, the Mississippi.
Unit
Lakes
Dive into Lakes, which takes kids through all the wild and watery features of these numberless bodies of water. They’ll start off with information about the three different kinds of lakes. For kids who want to learn more, facts about the many shapes they come in, including oxbows and sinkholes, are next up. And just how are they formed? Bet you didn’t know that lakes can appear when glaciers melt, volcanoes explode, or meteorites strike the Earth! After that, kids can read up on the five distinct layers of a typical lake, which reveal their many splendors and oddities
Unit
Oceans
Oceans digs into the many mysterious and incredible features of our watery surroundings – starting with the origins of what should rightly be called the “world ocean” 4.5 billion years ago.
Unit
Earth’s Oceans
Before your next trip to the beach, let's think about all that water you're about to dive into. Oceans make up a big piece of our planet but they are still full of mystery and questions.
Unit
Wetlands
Most kids don’t know what wetlands are, but all this will change after they read this issue. Even better, they’ll develop a sense of how pivotal wetlands are in regulating Earth’s climate, and how crucial they are to the survival of many endangered species.
Browse by Category
-
American History
-
Earth Science
-
Geography
-
Historical Figures
-
Human Body
-
Life Science
-
Physical Science
-
Space Science
-
Technology
-
World History

American History

Earth Science

Geography

Historical Figures

Human Body

Life Science

Physical Science

Space Science

Technology

World History
Free Summer Reading
The Important Role of Rivers
How the Canyon Was Formed
The rocky walls of the Grand Canyon look like a box of melted crayons.
Different Kinds of Lakes
Earth’s water is always on the move, surging down rivers, churning in oceans, and floating through the air. Sometimes, a little water stops to rest on the surface, and the basins where it rests are called lakes.
In Lincoln’s Memory
Abraham Lincoln died more than 150 years ago. Yet he is still one of the most respected figures in the world.
Mountains of the World
Mountains stand on every continent on Earth—and even between some continents, far under the ocean.
Mountain Climbing
For some folks, it’s enough to admire mountains from afar. Others like their mountain scenery up close. But for the truly fearless, climbing is the only way to really experience a mountain. It’s a difficult sport, but its popularity is on the rise.
The Blue Planet
The Earth is covered by five oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic, and Arctic. Other smaller bodies of water, like the Mediterranean, Red, and Caribbean Seas, also cover the planet’s surface.
Shelters On, Near, and In Water
In many places, empty land is hard to find, and it costs a lot. In big cities, builders get around that problem by building up instead of out.
Fast Facts About Lady Liberty
Millions of immigrants from all over the world have passed by the Statue of Liberty on their way to a new life in a new land.
Volcanic America
When you travel across the United States, you can see many sights made by volcanoes. You know what cone-shaped volcanoes look like. But you can keep an eye out for many other volcanic landscapes too.
The Monuments of Our Capital
Washington, D.C., is full of monuments and memorials. They honor special people and events in U.S. history.
The Everglades
It’s a swamp! It’s a marsh! It’s the Everglades!
The Himalayas
High in the Himalayan mountain range of Asia, climbers cling to a treacherous slope.
Coral Reefs
It begins about 10,000 years ago, toward the end of the Ice Age.
National Parks
You stand at the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
Bodies of Water
Imagine a time before airplanes, cars, trains, and even paved roads. How would you get around? Travel over land on dirt roads by foot or horse-drawn wagon would be slow and difficult. What if the roads were muddy or covered in snow? In bad weather, travel could be nearly impossible.
The Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell stands for freedom. Freedom is being able to act and speak as you want.
Mount Rushmore
This is Mount Rushmore. Mount Rushmore honors four presidents. Which ones do you know about?
The Great Lakes and the Mississippi River
Leaving the mountains and deep thick forests, you come to the Central Plains.
The Rocky Mountains
Traveling farther west, you enter the Rocky Mountains. The range reaches north and south, dividing the continent in two.
The Intermountain Region
Coming down from the mountains, you enter the Intermountain Region, which lies between the Rockies and the Sierra Nevada.
Life in the Mountains
A Wyoming ecologist may wear many layers of clothing to prepare for any kind of weather. Instead of driving to an office building, she’ll be outdoors all day.
The Blue Planet
Go up in a spaceship. Look at Earth. It is mostly blue. That’s because almost three-fourths of Earth is covered by water.
Friend of the Ocean
Jacques Cousteau was born in France in 1910. He loved the ocean.
Oceans of Salty Water
There are two kinds of water environments – saltwater and freshwater.
Mountains of the World
There are mountains on every continent. The Rockies are in North America.
Water Habitats
“Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink.”
Animal Topics
Ants
You might think of ants as pesky little critters you brush off your arms or legs at a picnic. But ants have us humans beat in ways that might surprise you.
Armadillos
Imagine going to sleep at 3:00 p.m. and not getting up until 7:00 a.m. the next morning. Many kinds of armadillos do something similar, sleeping in a burrow for up to 16 hours a day.
Barracudas
You may have heard someone being called a barracuda. It means the person is very aggressive in trying to get their way. It’s also the name of a fish.
Bats
Imagine you’re exploring a cave. Suddenly, you look up and see bats hanging upside down above you. Do you shriek and run away? Or do you smile and observe them?
Bison
Your parents or grandparents may know a song about the Old West called “Home on the Range.” The song starts, “Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam / Where the deer and the antelope play.”
Blue Jays
Ever heard someone be called a “birdbrain”? It’s usually meant as an insult. Many people think birds aren’t intelligent because their brains are so small, but they’re wrong.
Blue Whales
This animal is thought to be the biggest to have ever existed. Its stomach can hold a ton of food. Its tongue can weigh as much as an elephant. What animal could this be? The blue whale.
Boa Constrictors
To constrict means to compress or squeeze tightly. For a boa constrictor, it means squeezing the snake’s prey, or victim, so tightly its blood can’t flow through its body.
Chameleons
You may have heard someone described as a chameleon. It means that the person’s ideas or ways of thinking change to be similar to the people they’re with. In other words, their surroundings.
Cobras
It’s not called the king for nothing. This snake – the king cobra – is among the most poisonous on Earth. A single bite has enough venom to kill an elephant.
Crabs
If you say someone is a crab or crabby, you’re suggesting the person is grumpy. Someone who likes to whine and complain. But real crabs – crabs that are cousins to shrimp and lobsters – are quite different.
Deer
You may know the song, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” But you may not know that the part of the song about the red nose is true. . . well, sort of.
Dolphins
A square is a kind of rectangle. But all rectangles are not squares. The same is true for dolphins and whales. A dolphin is a kind of whale. But all whales are not dolphins.
Ducks
You may have heard of Donald Duck. Or maybe you’ve read Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey. You may even know of the Oregon Ducks, a college football team.
Eels
When you imagine a fish, you probably imagine an animal with a tail and fins that stick out. Not an animal that looks like a snake. Yet, that’s very much what eels look like.
Falcons
If you’re a football fan, you may have heard of the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a professional football team named for a powerful bird of prey found on every continent except Antarctica. The falcon.
Giraffes
Giraffes. They’re big, they’re heavy, they’re tall – so tall they can look into the window of a two-story building. Their neck alone is about six feet long and weighs almost 600 pounds.
Great White Sharks
The main character and hero of many stories is often an animal. But not usually a great white shark. Except for the movie Jaws. There, a great white shark is the main character. But no hero.
Grizzly Bears
Grizzly bears are brown bears, but not all brown bears are grizzlies. Only the ones with fur that’s gray or white at the ends are grizzlies. That’s how they got their name. Grizzly means ”streaked with gray.”
Alligators
You may find this creature in zoos all over the world, but it’s found in nature in only two places. The United States and China. Did you guess the creature was an alligator?
View
More
New NGSS Units for Lower Elementary
Engineering Solutions
Animals and Their Young
The Changing Earth
Printable Infographics
Infographic
The Water Cycle
Ever wonder where that water you’re drinking comes from?
Infographic
Curiosity Rover Landing
Controlled by small rockets, Curiosity descended through the Martian atmosphere.
Infographic
States of Matter
All around us, water is constantly changing states.
Infographic
How a Bottle Gets Recycled
Have you ever wondered what happens to a bottle after you toss it into the recycling bin?
Infographic
The Digestive System
Everything you eat – from a salad to a slice of pizza – goes through the same basic process once you eat it.
Infographic
Continental Drift Theory
Piecing It All Together
Infographic
Plate Tectonics
The Science Behind the Drift
Infographic
Infopacket: The Bill of Rights
A Primer on the First 10 Amendments of the Constitution
Infographic
Infopacket: Rocks and Minerals
If you look at pictures of Earth from space, you can see what a rocky planet we live on.
Infographic
Simple Machines
Cars and bicycles. Forklifts and cranes. Water faucets and even the flush mechanism on toilets.
Infographic
The Rock Cycle
Rocks are continually changing form.
Infographic
Infopacket: Ancient Empires
Armies battling. War horses clad in iron armor charging into battle.
Infographic
Infopacket: The Renaissance
The Renaissance was an explosion of ideas, education, and literacy.
Infographic
10 Super Fun Ways to Make Summer Last
Check out the below infographic for 10 super-fun ways to keep kids busy and entertained this summer.
Infographic
Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22nd!
Infographic
How the Body Fights Off Germs
The human body is built to fight off germs, and its first line of defense is skin.
Infographic
Edison's First Inventions
Thomas Edison was always working on some project throughout his long life.
Infographic
Inside the Great Pyramid
Take a trip through the inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Infographic
Time Zones
A time zone is one of 24 regions of Earth where the same standard time is used.
Infographic
How Electrical Energy Happens
Flip on a light switch. Now flip it off.
View
More
The Human Body
Blood
Heart
Germs
Lungs
Nutrition
Muscles
Skin
Featured Videos
View
More
Kindergarten and Grade 1 Social Studies Units
The American People
Neighborhood Helpers
Flags and Other Symbols
Yesterday and Today
Rules and Laws
Holidays
Engineering Design
How Bicycles Work
Bicycles are easy to understand. Modern bikes have only about 1,500 parts!
How a Beam Bridge Works
Imagine yourself down on all fours, as if you were crawling.
How an Arch Bridge Works
Take a cardboard strip about one inch wide by ten inches long, and gently bend the strip so that it creates an arch.
How the Brooklyn Bridge Was Built
Between 1810 and 1850, the population of Brooklyn, New York, jumped from about 3,000 to over 100,000.
Machines: Simple and Complex
Take a look around you. How many machines are you aware of? Maybe you can hear a dishwasher in the kitchen. Or a vacuum cleaner being run over a carpet. Can you look out a window and see cars and buses?
The Automobile
Some inventions make a job easier.
The Computer
Could you make a list of all the ways computers affect your life? Maybe you could use a computer to help you!
The Rocket
From blastoff to touchdown, a rocket is an awesome sight.
Lasers and Other High-Tech Uses of Light
Light can do a lot of things, and light can do a lot of things for you. Sure, it already does the important work of helping you to see things.
Building Materials
Remember the story of the three little pigs? Each pig had a different plan for keeping out the wolf. One pig built his house out of straw, and another used sticks.
What Is a Simple Machine?
Which is easier: lifting a piano ten feet up in the air or pushing it up a ramp until it is ten feet from the ground?
Levers
Think of a long, strong stick. That’s a lever.
Wheels
Early civilizations did fine without the wheel and axle, or the rod that goes through a wheel.
Planes
A plane is a flat surface. An inclined plane is a flat surface that slopes, like a ramp. How does it work?
The Physics of Launching a Rocket
Have you ever done this? You blow up a balloon, but instead of tying a knot to hold in the air, you let go—and air rushes out. The balloon swerves, circles, and zigzags but keeps flying as long as the air keeps rushing out. When the air stops flowing, the balloon drops to the ground.
The Origin of Engines
Engines give people the power to do what was once only possible in myths and dreams. Thanks to engines, you can fly halfway across the world in half a day.
The Steam Engine
In 1712, an English inventor named Thomas Newcomen came up with a machine—a steam engine—that could remove water from mines.
Gravity and Magnetism
Some forces are invisible and can make objects move without touching them.
Robots and Robotics
By the end of the day, you surely will have touched a robot or something a robot helped manufacture.
Engineering Feats
The word engine comes from the Latin word ingenerare, which means “to create.”
View
More
Space Science Topics
Life on Earth
So far, scientists have identified about 1.2 million species of living creatures on Earth.
A Galaxy Is Born?
How are star systems, or entire galaxies, born? How and why do billions of stars start spinning around the same center? Does it happen all at once? Or slowly over a long time? These are big questions with lots of big answers. How do we know which answers are right?
Imaginary Journeys to the Moon
People have dreamed of going to the Moon for a long time.
Our Solar System
Our solar system contains a star (the Sun) and the planets orbiting it.
Mars
Mars is called the red planet.
A Spin Around the Solar System
In the solar system, nothing stands still—not even you.
Space Exploration in the Twentieth Century
In the twentieth century, the dream of space travel became real. It started in 1957, with the launch of the first human-made object into space. The Sputnik 1 satellite, which orbited Earth, was built by the USSR.
The Birth of a Star
The birth of a star is a mysterious process.
Star Clusters
Spiral galaxies are the star factories of the universe. A spiral galaxy’s arms are lanes where dust and gas pile up.
Types of Stars
Whether people grow up to be tall or short or have big or small bones depends on the genes they get from their parents. But a star’s life is shaped by only one thing: how massive it is when it is born.
Searching for Planets and Other Objects in the Sky
With telescopes, bigger is always better.
Backyard Astronomy
Constellations are stars that appear to be close together. When connected by imaginary lines, they are seen as a picture.
Auroras
It is September 2, 1859. There are no cell phones and no telephones.
Our Watery World
Life would not exist without water.
The Eight Planets
The four planets closest to the Sun (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) are known as terrestrial planets. They have a hard, rocky surface.
A Rocket by Any Other Name
Rocket. The word refers to that tall, slim vehicle on a launchpad ready to fly into space.
Rocket FAQs
FAQs are Frequently Asked Questions.
Fourth Rock from the Sun
If Earth is the “third rock from the sun,” then Mars is number four. All four inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars – are made of rock.
And Now…the Weather
Can’t make it to Mars this year? Try the next best place: Antarctica. Like Mars, the southern continent is super-cold, stormy, and barren.
21st-Century Exploration of Mars
The number of successful missions to Mars has exploded since the start of the 21st century. As has the number of countries sending them.
View
More
NGSS Grade 2 Science Units
Plants and Flowers
Ponds
Mountains Near and Far
The Changing Earth
Geography Units
Communities
South America
Asia
North America
People and the Environment
Location
Culture: Expressions Around the World
California: Places and Regions
Grand Canyon
Amazon
Antarctica
View
More
Quick Reads
Istanbul Teen Creates Bioplastic From Bananas
Who looks at a banana peel and thinks, “I could turn that into plastic”? Elif Bilgin, for one.
Meet the Hickory Horned Devil, a Fierce but Harmless Caterpillar
Hickory horned devil caterpillars look fierce and can be almost as big as a hot dog, but they’re harmless.
In Southeast Asia, Watch Out for Flying Snakes
Remember that movie “Snakes on a Plane”? Here’s a twist: flying snakes!
Harriet Tubman Freed Hundreds of Slaves on the Underground Railroad
Nicknamed “Moses,” Harriet Tubman (c. 1820-1913) was a famous “conductor” of the Underground Railroad, the secret network of people who helped slaves escape the South using “safe houses” along the route from the South to the North.
Crop Circles of the Sea: Product of the Pufferfish
In 1995, divers off the coast of Japan were baffled by circular patterns on the sandy ocean floor.
About Horsetail Falls, One of Yosemite's Ephemeral Waterfalls
An ephemeral or temporary waterfall only flows at certain times, and usually not for long. ("Ephemeral" means "lasting a very short time.")
A Diving Tour of Five Early Submarines
People have been thinking about submarines for centuries. As far back as the 12th century, Alexander the Great may have sent people out in a diving bell for recon missions.
10 Facts About Your Feet
Those funny-looking things at the end of your legs are incredibly complex devices. Here's some info that may give you new respect for feet.
Free Light, Fresh Air: The Promise of French Algae Lamps
Okay, here's a riddle:
Frost on Cars Helps Explain How Emperor Penguins Stay Warm
Scottish and French scientists using thermal imaging found that the outer layer of an Emperor penguin’s feathers is a few degrees colder than the icy Antarctic air around it, which can drop as low as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Could a Rogue Planet Collide with Earth?
The short answer is no. But what is a rogue or nomad planet, and why should we not be afraid of something that big hurtling through space?
All About the Kepler Telescope, Our Wounded Space Scout
What is the Kepler telescope?
Jupiter's Moon Io: Solar System's Most Volcanically Active Body
Io, the third largest moon of Jupiter, is the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
Rare Baby Mammoth Emerges from Permafrost Intact
In 2007, a reindeer herder in Siberia found the body of a baby woolly mammoth that had been washed out from the permafrost along the Yuribei River.
Ancient Chinese Seismometer Used Dragons and Toads
In 132 AD, Chinese astronomer Zhang Heng created a seismometer, a device that detects the ground’s movement during an earthquake.
How Flesh-Eating Dermestid Beetles Help Museums
Many museums and universities use dermestid beetles to clean skeletons.
Nine Shiny Facts About the Metal Silver
It's a precious metal found in lots of jewelry, but silver has plenty of everyday uses in electronics, medicine, paint, photography, currency, clothing, and more.
How Prehistoric Trees Became Arizona's Petrified National Forest
The Petrified National Forest in the Arizona desert is what's left of a prehistoric, semi-tropical forest from the Late Triassic Period.
11 Awesome Facts About Lightning
How hot is a lightning bolt? Only about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit -- roughly five times hotter than the surface of the sun!
Angel's Glow: The Bacterium That Saved Civil War Soldiers
As the sun went down after the 1862 Battle of Shiloh during the Civil War, some soldiers noticed that their wounds were glowing a faint blue.