Standing Up for Learning

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Do you have a hard time sitting still all day? Do you think stand-up desks would help you do better in school? Would you like to have stand-up desks in your classroom?

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Final Four Are In!

March Madness has come to an end and it’s time for the final four college basketball teams to compete and determine the champion.  The madness began with 64 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) teams; in April, it comes down to the Final Four.

On Saturday, April 4, the Connecticut Huskies will face the Michigan State Spartans to see who will go to the finals. That game begins at 6:07 P.M. Eastern Time.

Thirty minutes after the end of that game, the Villanova Wildcats will play North Carolina Tar Heels on the same court. The two winners will go on to play in a final on Monday, April 6.

The teams will go head to head in Detroit, Michigan, which is almost home turf for the Spartans.

Kid Reporter Sean Coffey has been following the action. He was in Dayton, Ohio, on March 22, for the game between Ohio State and Siena College. Read another of Sean's stories on the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament here.

Get in on the action, and send in your best predictions and favorite moments by clicking on “Comment” at the end of this blog post.

Mission Accomplished

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International Space Station crew members can stay in orbit for months at a time. Would you want to be an astronaut and live on the International Space Station? Why or why not?

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Vote for Earth

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Will you participate in Earth Hour? What ideas do you have to help protect the Earth and the environment?

Photos courtesy Earth Hour

North Dakota Braces for Historic Floods

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Have you ever lived through a natural disaster? What were your experiences?

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Jump In!

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What sports do you play in school?

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Get In On the Excitement!

by Kid Reporter Sean Coffey

Late on a Friday night in Dayton, Ohio, basketball became the talk of the town. With just over 10 seconds left in this first round NCAA tournament game, Siena College’s Ronald Moore hit a three-pointer to tie the game.

Jubilation turned to agony for the more than 14,000 red-draped Ohio State fans. Moore, a 6-foot twig of a guard for Siena College, had ripped victory from their grasp as he dribbled the ball down the court and around Ohio State’s defense for the throw.

In overtime, the Buckeye faithful stayed on their feet, rooting for their team to hold on to its one-point lead. Then here comes Moore—again.

He blazed through a couple of defenders, stopped and pulled up to hit yet another three-point shot. This one just beat the buzzer to put the Siena College Saints into the next round.

Vastly outnumbered, Siena fans jumped and shouted in ecstasy, even as disappointed Ohio State fans trudged toward the exits.

This is what March Madness and NCAA basketball is all about. Teams like Siena College, with an enrollment of only 3,000, beating a big-time school like Ohio State with an enrollment of 61,000.

Two days later, however, Siena met its match against the No. 1 ranked team in the country, the Louisville Cardinals.

After the game, Louisville coach Rick Pitino was asked what he considers to be the best part of March Madness. Pitino smiled.

“Having nervous breakdowns in games like this with three minutes left," Pitino said.

It is not only the teams and the games that make March Madness so special, but the passion expressed on and off the court by both the fans and players.

Sure, the games are great, but who doesn’t love that win-or-you’re-out intensity of every single game?

Who doesn’t become immediately captivated watching a favorite team fight its way to the ranks of the best teams in the country?

March Madness grabs more viewers than any other sporting event in the country, with one exception: the Super Bowl.

“I think that the ‘one loss and done’ mentality is really what draws the fans,” said Louisville guard Edgar Sosa. “I mean, it’s the survival of the fittest. If you win, you get to live another day.”

One of the other reasons March Madness is so wildly popular is the brackets!

Brackets is the popular term for the chart fans use to pick their winners and losers in every game played over the three-week period.

More than 100,000,000 Americans fill out brackets every year, according to a poll by USA Today. The best part about brackets is anyone can get in on the action, whether it’s the President of the United States, or a 5th grader in rural America.

Another attraction is the Cinderella aspect. Small teams like Siena College are often overlooked throughout the season. March Madness gives them a chance to shine. Every team, no matter how big or how small, gets the opportunity to leave make its mark on history, to rise up, to win.

As Oklahoma State’s James Anderson playfully puts it, “Anything can happen in March.”

On Top of the World

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Do you think Japan is No. 1 in the world in baseball? Why or why not?

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Gardener-in-Chief

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Would you be more likely to try new vegetables and fruits if they came from a garden that you helped grow? Why or why not?

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Endangered Species List Grows

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Do you think it is important to save endangered plants and animals? Why? What are your ideas to help preserve species that are in danger of disappearing from the Earth?

Photo: Hank Oppenheimer/Plant Extinction Prevention Program/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/AP Images

Leaders of the Pack

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Completing the Iditarod takes incredible strength, determination, and endurance. What is the most challenging thing you have ever done?

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On the Road Again

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What ideas do you have to fix the economy?

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Let the Madness Begin!

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Will you be watching the 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament? What team or teams will you be rooting for?

Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

We Have Liftoff

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NASA's plans for future missions include returning to the Moon and then traveling to Mars. Would you want to live on the Moon? Would you want to visit Mars? What other places in outer space would you like to visit?

Photo: Reuters

Ancient Footprints Found

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What do you imagine life was like for our prehistoric human ancestors?

Illustration: Troy Cummings

No Gas Required: Pod cars are on the way

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Do pod-car systems sound like a good idea to you? Why or why not? Do you have any ideas for other new forms of transportation?

Photo: Advanced Transport Systems Ltd.-www.atsltd.co.uk

Brain Power

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Scientists have developed a process to use person's thoughts to control a robotic arm. Do you think your thoughts could be used to control other kinds of technology? What are your ideas?

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In Search of Other Earths

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Do you think the Kepler telescope will discover Earth-size planets outside our solar system? Why or why not?

Photos: (left) NASA, (right) NASA/AMES Research Center/W.Stenzel (OSC)

Baseball On a Global Stage

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Are any of your favorite players in the 2009 World Baseball Classic? Will you root for your country’s team or for the team your favorite players are on?

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Getting to Know You

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton must travel to many different countries in order to do her job. If you were the Secretary of State, what country would you want to visit? Why?

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How to Save a Suspension Bridge

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In President Barack Obama's economic stimulus plan, money will be made available to fix up America's aging infrastructure, like roads and bridges. Are there any bridges in your town that need fixing? Why?

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Funky-looking Fish

Check out this video of Macropinna microstoma narrated by marine biologist Bruce Robison.

(©MBARI 2009)

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What's the weirdest-looking animal you've ever seen? Why was it so weird?

End in Sight

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What do you think about President Barack Obama’s plan to withdraw American troops from Iraq? Should they come home sooner, or should they stay there longer? Why?

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