Dogfoose.com (Michael Kline) � Infotoon

The Speed of a Glacier

mikey — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:05:35 +0000

How fast is a glacier? It depends on a lot of things… the temperature at the time, the thickness, the slope, or if the glacier is late for dinner. Oh, wait… Click the image for a larger version. (From Kids Discover Glaciers.)

Curiosity, and what the cat saw

mikey — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 14:48:24 +0000

So, how curious are your students? If you pose a question to them, can they (will they) try to one-up you? If so, don’t take offense. Rather see it as a teaching/learning opportunity. Send that student on a lone assignment and ask him or her to report their findings to the rest of the class, which you will find creates a bit of competition in the process. Teach. Learn. Enjoy!

Skyscrapers and Birds

mikey — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 14:42:53 +0000

For all of their grandeur and outward signs of corporate success, skyscrapers can cause problems, particularly for migrating birds. Our avian friends are attracted to the warning lights (installed to warn aircraft) and often fly around them until they fall to the ground, exhausted. Some cities actually dim their lights during periods of heavy migration.

For more information on bird and building collisions, see New York City’s Lights Out program.

Infotoons on YouTube

mikey — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:14:23 +0000

Here’s a little YouTube portfolio piece I just put together. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

The Winter Solstice

mikey — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:28:57 +0000

Today (December 21st, 2011) is the Winter Solstice, or shortest day of the year. Because of the axial tilt of our planet as it spins around the sun, this day marks the 24-hour period in which the Northern Hemisphere receives the least amount of sunlight, and coincidentally, warmth. Though the length of days will begin to increase from here, Winter will not be shaken so easily. We will not likely see a great deal of warming until the Vernal Equinox occurs, midway through March. Stay warm! (Click the image below for a larger version.)

The seasons, with a navel orange standing in for the sun. What better to use for Old Sol than something that gains a great deal from it?

Life In a First-Aid Kit

mikey — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 15:40:57 +0000

Your typical first-aid kit. Lots of gags in here, but I think the best one is the box of adhesive strips that’s hitting on the moist towelettes. Enjoy!

Power Lines… Shocking!

mikey — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:42:50 +0000

Teach your children to give a very wide berth to power lines that have fallen during a storm. Without professional equipment it’s nearly impossible to tell if a line is “live” or not, and contact with a downed electrical wire can be fatal.

The Kalahari

mikey — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 21:59:04 +0000

The Kalahari desert in Southern Africa has to be the largest sandbox in the world, covering some 350,000 square miles. A great place to play with your Tonka trucks, but you might want to come prepared. Temperatures go from 117°F in the summer to 8°F in the winter!

Here’s to, ummm, cholera.

mikey — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:03:18 +0000

In 1850’s England, physician John Snow decided that authorities were off track when declaring that a deadly outbreak of cholera (also known as Black Death) was due to breathing foul air. Instead, he was able to track the disease to a public well near Broad Street in the Soho district of London. He also pointed out that the well was drawing its water from the much-polluted River Thames. Gross!

Creativity

mikey — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:11:10 +0000

It’s all around us. The secret is knowing what to look for…