ASK!

Kids ASK! about Pets & Animals

Scientists have made recordings of sleep, using an electroencephalograph (a medical instrument that records electric activity generated by the brain). Their research has shown that dreaming most often occurs during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.

REM sleep is thought of as “an active brain in an inactive body”. Studies have shown that REM sleep is found in most mammals, like rats, cats, monkeys, elephants and birds. Among the mammals, only the echidna (an animal similar to porcupine) does not have REM sleep.

So like us, some animals do dream!

Source : Brain and mind: Electronic magazine on neuroscience

DID YOU KNOW…
1. Dogs yap, whine and even move their legs as if in a chase, when they dream!
2. Chameleons change colour to match their surroundings even while they are sleeping!
3. Brown bats need almost 20 hours of sleep a day!

Source : Zoo friends

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ASK! about Science & Technology

Recommended books on fruits, vegetables, and their nutrients for primary level :

Fruits and vegetables by Susan DerKazarian.
Publisher : New York, N.Y. : Children’s Press, c2005.
Call No. : JP English 641.3 DER
Click here for item availability.

Healthy eating by Sylvia Goulding.
Publisher : Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Pub., c2005.
Call No. : J English 613.2 GOU
Click here for item availability.

Fruits and vegetables by Carrie Branigan and Richard Dunne.
Publisher : London : Franklin Watts, 2004.
Call No. : JP English 575.6 BRA
Click here for item availability.

An alphabet salad : fruits and vegetables from A to Z by Sarah L. Schuette.
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2003.
Call No. : JP English 634 SCH
Click here for item availability.

Eating pairs : counting fruits and vegetables by twos by Sarah L. Schuette.
Publisher : Mankato, Minn. : Capstone Press, c2003.
Call No. : JP English 513.2 SCH
Click here for item availability.

You may also refer to the following websites for more information on “fruits, vegetables and their nutrients suitable for primary level”: :

1. PCRM >> Health >> Vegetarian Diets for Children: Right from the Start
Provides information on the benefits of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains for growing children.

2. The Food Guide Pyramid
Provides information on the food pyramid, and the importance each group to our diet.

3. Healthy School Lunches / Dr.Spock on Good Nutrition for Kids
Provides useful articles and resources for parents, caregivers and teachers on the importance of healthy eating for children.

All websites are last accessed on 21 May 2007.

Answered by Ms Norasyikin Ahmad Ismail, Librarian, Children’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Singapore

Singapore withdrew from the Federation of Malaysia, and became an independent nation on 9th August 1965. The National Day falls on 9th August to commemorate Singapore becoming an independent nation. A parade was held at the Padang on 9 August 1966. It started with the arrival of the first President of Singapore, Mr Yusof Ishak, Cabinet members, and members of the Parliament on the steps of the City Hall. The highlight of the event was the march-past by 23, 000 men, women and children through Chinatown to Tanjong Pagar, which was televised live.

Source : Koh, Tommy. (Ed.). (2006). Singapore : The Encyclopedia. (1st ed.), Singapore: Editions Didier Millet in association with the National Heritage Board.

DID YOU KNOW…
1. The national anthem was first heard on 3 December 1959!
2. The red horizontal bar on the Singapore’s national flag stands for universal brotherhood and the equality of all people, while the white horizontal bar represents purity and virtue!
3. The Singapore’s Pledge signifies building a Singapore that was not divided by race, language, or religion!

Sources :
1. Small , Tat (1999). Let’s celebrate!. Singapore: Small Books.
2. Kummer, Patricia K. (2003). Singapore. New York: Children’s Press.

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Kids ASK! about Science & Technology

The First Microorganisms

Where did microorganisms really come from? No one knows, but many theories abound. The progenitors(A direct ancestor) of microorganisms were the first biological entities, and they no longer exist. Which microorganisms first evolved from these progenitors can only be speculated upon. One current idea is that the first microorganisms must have grown at very high temperatures in the absence of oxygen because the early earth was likely very hot with active volcanoes and no oxygen. Bacteria that can grow at temperatures higher than boiling water in the absence of oxygen have been isolated from ocean vents. Perhaps some suggestion as to how life arose on earth will be provided by finding life on other planets, the field of astrobiology.

Source: http://staff.fcps.net/cverdecc/Microbiology/notes/Unit%201/Exploration%20I/intro%20and%20applications.htm

Answered by Mr Koh Chee Boon, Librarian, Children’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

Kids ASK! about Anything & Everything

Around 350 BC, Plato wrote about a beautiful island in the Atlantic Ocean that went under the ocean waves in one day and one night. It took two books to describe the history and details of this almost magical island. For years people have been looking for this mysterious lost city, Atlantis.

Where Could Atlantis Be?

Many people, like British Royal Air Force photo interpreter J.M. Allen, have questioned the exact location of the lost city of Atlantis. He is convinced Atlantis is in Altiplano, near the Andes Mountains, in Bolivia. The famous psychic channeler Edgar Cayce believed the remains would be found off the coast of Florida near Bimini Island. Other people think it’s lost somewhere in Central America, the China Sea or Africa. Others believe that Atlantis is nothing more than a myth.

Until today, the exact location of Atlantis is still unknown.

Source: http://www.kidzworld.com/site/p960.htm

Here are some recommended books you can borrow from our libraries:

Atlantis by David Gibbins
Publisher : London : Headline, c2005
Call No. : GIB-[TH]
Click here for item availability.

Atlantis by Don Nardo
Publisher : San Diego, Calif. : Lucent Books, c2004.
Call No. : Y English 001.94 NAR
Click here for item availability.

Discovery of Atlantis : the startling case for the island of Cyprus by Robert Sarmast
Publisher : San Diego, Calif. : Lucent Books, c2004.
Call No. : English 001.94 SAR
Click here for item availability.

The Atlantis encyclopedia by Frank Joseph
Publisher : Franklin Lakes, NJ : New Page Books, c2005.
Call No. : R English q001.94 JOS
Click here for item availability.

Answered by Koh Chee Boon, Librarian, Children’s Services

Found this question interesting? What do you think? Post your comments.
If you have a different question, please email to mailto:ask@nlb.gov.sg?subject=ASK_blog- instead of sending a comment.

THE Librarian: Spot them at your library!

In this edition of THE Librarian, Yasmin interviews a male Children’s Librarian and shamelessly recycles questions asked to other people from other interviews.

Introducing today’s victim: Mr Koh Chee Boon, a male Children’s Librarian – a rare and unique kind of species of information spoon-feeder specialist. Or at least, rare in NLB.

Name: Koh Chee Boon
Common habitat: Geylang East Community Library
Can also be found at: Tampines Regional Library

Read on to find out more about Chee Boon!

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