Spruce Up Your Mutt Pod for Max and GC

Posted on April 11, 2013 by JumpStart

Max and GC are getting into the spring cleaning spirit and want to see other Blasters’ progress on their mutt pods.  How does your mutt’s pod look?  After a long, cold winter, chances are your mutt’s pod may not be the cleanest it has ever been so take advantage of this opportunity to clean, rearrange, and redecorate your mutt’s home for the chance to be featured in an upcoming issue of the Math Blaster Times!

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Is your mutt’s pod looking chaotic or disarrayed?  What your mutt’s pod may be lacking is an eye-catching theme that brings everything together.  Luckily, you can purchase a number of decorations, beds, couches, and more that can create a cohesive look.  Try experimenting with different styles until you find one that you like or fits your mutt’s personality.

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Working with different style combinations can be a fun activity, especially when you see how excited your mutt is with its new home.  Invite your fellow Blasters to view your improved mutt pod and make sure to let Max and GC know about the fresh decorations.  If they like what they see, your mutt’s pod may be featured in the Math Blaster Times!

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Worksheet of the Week

Posted on April 8, 2013 by JumpStart

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Sea Lions Move to the Beat

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Math Blaster

Scientists have found that humans are not the only mammals that can keep a beat. Studies have been conducted at the University of California, Santa Cruz by researchers and have discovered that sea lions possess the capability to conduct certain actions that were quite unexpected.

The University of California, Santa Cruz Cognition and Sensory Systems Laboratory team have been particularly studying one sea lion named Ronan. Ronan was born in the wild in 2008 and was discovered to not be capable of living in the wild. Rescuers had to save this animal from being stranded three times and was finally taken into captivity after its third. In 2010, Ronan joined the UC Santa Cruz’s Cognition and Sensory Systems Laboratory and was used for control studies that focused on the effects of a natural neurotoxin produced by algae on the California coast.

Currently, Ronan is being used for another study. This particular project is run by Peter Cook, a graduate student in psychology at University of California, Santa Cruz. Initially, this study was noted as a simple side project and was not to be highly publicized. However, the findings proved otherwise. Researchers on the team spent several months training Ronan to listen to musical beats.

According to the NBC news article “This Sea Lion Grooves to a Disco Beat”, Cook and the team started out with a simple rhythm track and used food as a reward for Ronan to follow through with the proper head-bobbing behavior. Eventually, Ronan was able to bob her head in time with a variety of tunes, including some that she was hearing for the first time. After observing that Ronan was capable of doing such a task, researchers’ now believe that other mammals out in the wild are also capable of performing at the same level as Ronan.

According to Cook, this study challenges scientists’ previous assumption that “the ability to move in time with a beat was connected to the ability for vocal learning and vocal mimicry.” Before this study, these skills seemed only possible by humans, cockatoos, parrots and budgies. This recent study has placed a new beginning for further studies on comparative psychology.

Filed under: Current Events, Family Fun, Just for Fun, learning resources, Newsletter, Parents and Kids, Science Facts, Technology and Kids, What's New | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Revamp Your Pod

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Math Blaster

Spring’s arrival signifies the beginning of a fresh, new season.  Abandon heavy layers of jackets for shorts and t-shirts, watch flowers bloom and green seep back into nature, and bask in the warmth of spring’s sunshine.  Of course, it would not be spring without some good, old-fashioned spring cleaning, and what better place to start than your pod?

1Take a look around your pod and brainstorm about how to make your home both comfortable and fit for the season.  Spring is all about vivid colors so why not try utilizing a variety of them when decorating your pod?  Instead of sticking to one or two cooler colors, experiment with warmer tones that reflect the excitement of the season.

2Similarly, try straying from the predictable and decorate using different styles of furniture and decorations.  Do not afraid to be creative or silly!  You will be surprised to see how this idea will generate positive energy from your B.F.F.s and inspire you in your pod-decorating endeavors.

These tips will help make your pod more inviting to guests and transform your room into a social hub.  Show off your newly decorated pod to your B.F.F.s and give them a taste of spring from your creative arrangements, bright color combinations, and refreshing arrangements.  While spring cleaning may not generally be considered the most exciting way to celebrate the new season, Math Blaster makes this tradition fun with all of the potential combinations and features you can include in your pod.

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Worksheet of the Week

Posted on April 1, 2013 by JumpStart

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Scientists May Have Discovered First Meteorite from Mercury

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Math Blaster

Last year, a green meteorite known as NWA 7325 was discovered in Morocco.  Part of a group of 35 recovered meteorites, NWA 7325 is believed to be the first known meteorite from Mercury.  Found by Anthony Irving, he and his team dated the space rock to be about 4.56 billion years old.

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There are a few important characteristics about NWA 7325 that give Irving reason to believe that the meteorite is from Mercury.  First, scientists believe that Mercury’s surface is very low in iron.  NWA 7325 is also low in iron, suggesting that the rock must hail from Mercury or another planet with a similar makeup.

Second, meteorites tend to have chemical characteristics distinct to the larger planets or asteroids that they come from.  Having studied numerous rocks from Mars and other major asteroids, Irving has found that NWA 7325 has a unique chemical makeup, eliminating the possibility that it came from Mars or other previously studied asteroids.

Finally, NWA 7325 has a magnetic intensity—magnetism passed from a cosmic body’s magnetic field to the rock—that is lower than that found on any previously discovered meteorite.  Data recently received from NASA’s Messenger spacecraft indicates that the magnetic intensity of Mercury closely resembles that of NWA 7325.

The discovery of NWA 7325 has been an exciting opportunity for scientists.  As potentially the first meteorite to be studied from Mercury, the rock can provide vast amounts of insight into the solar system’s innermost planet that may otherwise be unattainable.

Filed under: Current Events, Newsletter, Science Facts | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Check Out Ice Cubed

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Math Blaster

The Math Blaster World offers all of you Blasters different, exciting activities to do. Max and his team have worked hard to create an out-of-this-world experience for each and every Blaster, so have you decided which types of activities are your favorites in Math Blaster?

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This week, Max and GC — along with their trusty team — want to see your Blasters giving Ice Cubed a try! If you are looking for a way to have some intergalactic fun, head on over to the Math Academy and find the portal for this game. Ice Cubed is a game that gives Blasters the opportunity to be heroes; Blasters must maneuver the frozen caveman across the dangerous ice toward the fire vent.

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There are a variety of levels to conquer, each with a different combination of challenging obstacles to overcome. As Blasters move the frozen caveman across the icy course, different ice blocks are weaker than others — some ice blocks might even disappear right from under the caveman! The object of the game is to free the caveman from its icy enclosure by melting away all of the ice on the fire vent.

Filed under: Game, Learning Tips, Math Blaster Mission, Technology and Kids | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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