ICYMI: Instead of another dystopian future, this TED-Ed #animation shows an optimistic vision of 2125. It imagines cities where public transit and urban farms replace highways, mangroves protect restored coastlines, and mushrooms clean polluted soil.

Based on the "solarpunk" movement, it demonstrates how existing technologies in #LosAngeles, #Lagos, and #SãoPaulo could create sustainable urban environments where #nature, #technology, and humans thrive together.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/earth-2125-what-if-the-future-was-awesome

ICYMI: Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra made a surprising finding while examining museum specimens: caddisfly larvae from the early #1970s were already incorporating microplastics into their protective casings.

These #underwater #insects normally build tubes from pebbles, sand, and plant matter. Finding plastic in 50-year-old specimens from non-urban streams shows how long these pollutants have affected even relatively pristine ecosystems.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/microplastic-pollution-found-in-a-caddisfly-casing-from-1971

Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra made a surprising finding while examining museum specimens: caddisfly larvae from the early #1970s were already incorporating microplastics into their protective casings.

These #underwater #insects normally build tubes from pebbles, sand, and plant matter. Finding plastic in 50-year-old specimens from non-urban streams shows how long these pollutants have affected even relatively pristine ecosystems.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/microplastic-pollution-found-in-a-caddisfly-casing-from-1971

When a 5.2-magnitude #earthquake hit Southern #California on Monday, five African #elephants at #SanDiego Zoo Safari Park formed a protective "alert circle" that lasted about four minutes.

Zoo footage shows how the adults positioned themselves with backs together and faces outward while young Mkhaya ran for safety between them. Meanwhile, young Zuli stayed at the edge, receiving reassuring trunk taps from his caretaker Khosi.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/african-elephants-form-an-alert-circle-during-a-san-diego-earthquake

On this day in 1947: Jackie Robinson made his major league debut with the #Brooklyn #Dodgers, becoming the first African American to play in #MLB in the modern era. ️

Did you know? His brother Mack Robinson won a silver medal in the 1936 #Olympics, finishing just behind Jesse Owens. Both brothers are honored with memorial statues in their hometown of #Pasadena, California.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/jackie-robinson-a-mini-bio

ICYMI: OK Go's "#Love" music video took 36 attempts to capture in a single take. They turned a Budapest train station into a hall of 63 mirrors manipulated by robot arms programmed to move with 0.01-degree precision.

The whole setup spans about 100 meters, with each robot performing movements that synchronize with the #music. BTW they instantly stop if they detect contact with anything – like the hundreds of sharp edges careening around a person's head!

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/love-kaleidoscopic-mirrors-robots-ok-go-music-video

In a meticulous Rube Goldberg machine, Joseph Herscher transforms ordinary objects like mushrooms, laptops, and apples into an intricate chain of motion. The creator spent ten takes perfecting the sequence, particularly struggling with a mushroom that kept changing its roll, ultimately demonstrating the patience and precision required to bring such a mechanical performance to life.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/pass-the-salt-an-intricate-food-themed-rube-goldberg-machine
#engineering #food #physics #tksst #video

ICYMI: Did you know planets without tectonic plates still experience "earthquakes"? It's fascinating how seismic activity works across our solar system.

#Venus has volcanic tremors, while #Mars quakes as its core cools. #Jupiter's moon Io is our favorite example—with 400 active volcanoes, it's constantly shaking from Jupiter's immense gravitational forces pulling on its crust.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/which-planet-has-the-strongest-quakes-minuteearth

Did you know planets without tectonic plates still experience "earthquakes"? It's fascinating how seismic activity works across our solar system.

#Venus has volcanic tremors, while #Mars quakes as its core cools. #Jupiter's moon Io is our favorite example—with 400 active volcanoes, it's constantly shaking from Jupiter's immense gravitational forces pulling on its crust.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/which-planet-has-the-strongest-quakes-minuteearth

In 1828, a single #tariff revealed the intricate economic fault lines of a young #UnitedStates. The "Tariff of Abominations" wasn't just a tax #law—it was a complex negotiation of regional identities, economic interests, and emerging national tensions.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/the-tariff-of-1828-an-encyclopaedia-britannica-history-video

Bach's first prelude performed with boomwhackers by Les Objets Volants!

These performers approach juggling through theater, visual arts, and #math—creating what they call "particle #physics at human scale." Individual movements combine into complex patterns, much like atoms forming matter.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/boomwhacker-bach-prelude-n1-aux-tubes-musicaux

How do we separate historical #fact from #fiction?

Three videos show how historians examine primary sources (like artifacts and eyewitness accounts) and secondary sources (later analyses) to piece together events from 1800s #Britain, including the story behind why #London police are called "bobbies."

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-do-historians-know-about-the-past

On this day in 1915: Billie Holiday enters the world.

Her #music was more than performance – it was a profound narrative of African American experience, reshaping how we hear #jazz, emotion, and storytelling through #sound.

We've got dozens of videos that illuminate jazz's intricate musical landscape:
https://thekidshouldseethis.com/tagged/jazz

On this day in 1909: The first expedition reached the geographic North Pole.

Matthew Henson, an African-American explorer who traveled the world from age 11, was likely the first person to stand at the top of the world, though his contributions went largely unrecognized for decades due to the racial climate of the time.

Learn his story: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/matthew-henson-north-pole

On this day in 1856: Booker T. Washington was born into slavery before becoming an influential educator and orator.

Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald built nearly 5,000 schools serving over 660,000 students, creating 1 in 5 rural schools in the South by 1928 and educating future leaders like John Lewis and Maya Angelou.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/booker-t-washington-julius-rosenwald-schools-history

ICYMI: Scientists use magnetic minerals, fossil records, and innovative mapping to reconstruct our planet's 4-billion-year geological #history. You can trace the movement of continents from ancient Pangea to today's landscape, explaining how our world has constantly reshaped itself.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/magnetite-and-moving-maps-tracking-4-billion-years-of-plate-tectonics

Mathematician Hannah Fry's performs a #physics demonstration with thread and bricks! This elegant experiment shows how the same number of threads can either fail catastrophically or support heavy loads, depending on one simple factor. The #video explains the #engineering that keeps elevators safely suspended and bridges standing.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/hannah-fry-physics-lift-cables-pulley-rope-friction

ICYMI: Traditions aren't born—they evolve. This #video explains the intricate origins of April Fools' Day through medieval literature, seasonal festivals, and playful cultural practices. It's an example of humor and storytelling connecting across centuries.

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/where-does-april-fools-day-come-from

NEW: How Does a Jack in the Box Work?

Maddie Moate dismantles this classic surprise toy to reveal the clever #engineering inside—a simple spring mechanism that stores potential #energy until the perfect musical moment.

Plus: Learn how to create your own custom Jack in the Box featuring any character you can imagine—#dinosaurs, #robots, monsters, or anything else!

Learn more: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-does-a-jack-in-the-box-work-maddie-moate-look-inside

Have you heard the incredible sound of skating on thin black ice? ️

When Nordic skaters glide across pristine frozen lakes, their blades create vibrations that travel through the ice sheet, generating otherworldly sounds similar to laser beams or alien spacecraft.

This fascinating acoustic phenomenon demonstrates sound wave #physics in a naturally occurring setting - no special effects needed!

Learn more:` https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/the-sound-of-ice-nordic-skating-on-thin-black-ice-sounds-like-lasers