Can You Catch a Yawn from a Chimpanzee?

Earth Rangers

-

November 30, 2022

Make sure you don’t scroll down to the photos below unless you have a pillow and a blanket ready for a nap. These images will make you sleeepppy.

A few years ago, a bunch of researchers sat next to 33 chimpanzees and started yawning a lot. Guess what the chimpanzees did? They yawned back! They helped prove what we’ve all known for a long time: yawning is contagious!

The researchers made a lot of chimps look pretty sleepy, but no word yet if there was an increase in nap time for both researchers and chimpanzees.

If we can make chimpanzees yawn, can animals make us yawn? Scroll through these pictures and let us know if feel a yawn coming on!

fox yawning — Fox. Photo credit: Tambako Jaguar

japanese snow monkey yawning — Japanese snow monkey

wolf yawning — Wolf. Photo credit: Flick user breenzanemom

yawning red panda — Red panda. Photo credit: Flickr User, hizonic

Quiz: Remarkable Renewable Energy

Earth Rangers

-

November 29, 2022

60

Time for a pop quiz! Where would you find the biggest solar farm in the world? Can wind turbines be built on water? Do hydrogen-powered cars exist? Find out the answer to all of these questions and more in the Remarkable Renewable Energy Quiz!

You can learn more about renewable energy by accepting the We’ve Got the Power Mission. Look for it in the Mission section in the Earth Rangers App!

Ask an Expert: Peatlands Pro

Earth Rangers

-

November 25, 2022

111

What do polar bears, wood frogs, and caribou have in common? They all rely on the peatlands around Hudson Bay at some point during the year! But what in the world are peatlands? Well, we called in a Peatlands Pro to help answer that question.

Have you ever wondered what makes peatlands so special? Curious about the other types of animals that live there? Want to know how these ecosystems help us fight climate change?

Now is your chance to ask an expert!

Early next month, we’re chatting with Peatlands Pro, Connie O’Conner, PhD. She is the Director of the Ontario Northern Boreal Program at WCS Canada. You’re helping support their work with every polar bear, wood frog, and caribou adoption.

What are we going to ask Connie about? We don’t know! You tell us!

Ask your questions in the comments. We’ll select some and share them with Connie when we go live on Facebook on December 6 at 11:00 am ET!

Not able to join us on December 6? Don’t worry! We’ll post her answers on the blog after the interview.

Want to support WCS Canada’s work? Look for the polar bear, wood frog, or caribou in the Adoptions section of the Earth Rangers App.

Tap here to learn more about peatlands and WCS Canada’s work!

Jumping Frogs

Creative Corner

Earth Rangers

-

November 24, 2022

179

Jumping Frogs

Time:15 min

Difficulty:Hard

Boing! Boing! Boing! Frogs are famous for their giant jumps and huge hops! Are you ready to leap along with some paper frogs that actually jump? Grab your paper and start folding!

Here’s what you need:

A square piece of paper
- Tip: Upcycle an old piece of paper or newspaper instead of using something new
A marker to make the eyes
A flat surface
An adult to help

Here’s how you make it:

Step 1: Fold your paper in half to create a rectangle.

Step 2: One at a time, fold the top corners of your rectangle down and unfold them.

Step 3: Turn the paper over. Squeeze the sides of the paper together, so your corner folds meet in the middle, and press down. Your paper will now have a triangular top.

Step 4: Fold the square’s bottom edge of the paper up to meet the base of the triangle. This will give you a rectangle on the bottom half.

Step 5: Fold the edges of the square and the bottom layer of the triangle inwards so they meet in the centre. This will give you a smaller square and a triangle, creating a house shape. Leave the triangle on top as is.

Step 6: Fold the square’s bottom edge of the paper up to meet the base of the triangle. Fold the top outside corners down to the centre, then unfold until it looks like Step 5. Pull the two corners in the middle at the base outwards so that they are in line with the base of the triangle, creating a boat-shaped flap.

Step 7: Fold down the corners of the boat-shaped flap so they meet in the middle.

Step 8: To make the frog legs, fold all four flaps outwards.

Step 9: Fold the frog in half so that the bottom legs touch the top legs. Then fold the top piece in half.

Step 10: Flip your frog over! Use a marker to draw on its eyes!

Your frog is done! Keep making as many as you want. We made a frog family!

How to make it jump: Push down on the back end of your frog and let your finger slide off to watch your frog leap! It might take some practice so keep trying if it doesn’t work right away.

Earth Rangers Podcasts Win Big!

News

Earth Rangers

-

November 23, 2022

0

“We want to thank the academy for this award!” The Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts that is! Earth Rangers is thrilled to be the recipient of THREE 2022 Davey Gold Awards for Best in Show in the podcast category. The Big Melt won gold in the sustainability category. The Earth Rangers podcast featuring Earth Ranger Emma won the top award in the scripted and educational categories.

The Davey award’s namesake is from the story David and Goliath. David defeated the giant with a big idea and a little rock – something that small companies and organizations do every year. As the award’s founders are well known for saying, “Creative Davids derive their strength from big ideas, rather than stratospheric budgets”.

The judges are anything but small! Members from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts include executives from Disney, GE, Microsoft, MTV, Sesame Workshops and more.

The Earth Ranger podcast stars the intrepid Earth Ranger Emma, who travels the world to learn about animals and solve some of nature’s biggest mysteries.

Sounds like something your kids would enjoy? We recommend either starting at the very beginning or jumping in with our current story arc surrounding the mystery of “Adelia Goodwin’s secret journal”.

The Big Melt is for a teen audience featuring Sarah who is on a mission. She tackles climate change head on by getting real about what’s happening to our planet.

Learning about the environment and eco-action by listening to podcasts is a powerful way to engage children. Kids who participate in Earth Rangers are significantly more optimistic about the future of the planet and confident in their ability to make a difference. This has never been more important, as we increasingly see the impacts of climate change in real time.

We are honoured to be recognized by the Davey Awards and offer congratulations to all the other candidates and winners.

Penguins are Built to Swim

Earth Rangers

-

November 23, 2022

33

A penguin’s feathers are stiff and packed tightly together. While this doesn’t allow for soaring in the air, it makes them excellent swimmers. This type of feather keeps the water out and makes a great streamlined surface, perfect for water sports!

Hanging Out in the Kitchen with Chef Sam

Earth Rangers

-

November 18, 2022

14

Hanging Out in the Kitchen with Chef Sam

Om nom nom! We teamed up with Chef Sam from Maple Leaf Foods to turn leftovers into something new and delicious. Talk about a tasty way to help reduce food waste!

You can see the full video in the All Taste, No Waste Challenge toolkit! Look for it in the Challenges section in the App!

A Drafty Problem

Earth Rangers

-

November 17, 2022

34

Hello, Earth Rangers! It’s me, Beatrice Bear. I’ve been looking for the perfect hibernation location, and I think I’ve found one! A hollow under the roots of a giant tree looks really nice. I know what you’re thinking: don’t bears hibernate in caves? Some bears do, but most bears dig their dens into hillsides or find nice cozy hollows like mine.

There’s only ONE problem: there’s a hole in the side and the cold air is downright chilly. It’s a good thing I’m a handy bear! I’m going to patch the hole. When it snows, it’ll provide insulation that will keep me (and my future cubs) warm and toasty.

But what about humans? What happens when you get a drafty breeze in your home? Unlike bears, lots of humans heat their homes with electricity. When there’s a crack around a window or door frame, the warm air escapes, and the cold air comes blowing in. That’s a waste of energy. Wasting energy is definitely NOT eco-friendly, so it’s important to stop that draft!

To find out if you have a draft in your house, just run your hands around your windows and doors. If you feel cold air, tell an adult. They’ll be able to get to work and fix it!

I hope you have a warm, toasty winter. After I patch the hole in my den, I’m going to get ready for a lovely rest. See you in the spring!

Want to learn more about stopping that Devious Draft? Look for Operation Conservation in the Mission section of the Earth Rangers App!

Adelia Goodwin’s Secret Journal – A Tiger’s Tale

Earth Rangers

-

November 16, 2022

54

What do you do if you encounter a Tiger in the wild? Just ask Earth Ranger Emma: She’s been there and done that, and she has all the survival tips you need!

This episode, we learned about tigers! You’d think tigers would be easy to spot, but their stripes actually help them camouflage right into their surroundings, like this!

The tiger that Earth Ranger Emma found on her research expedition was a Bengal tiger, which is the second biggest tiger in the world! The biggest is the Siberian tiger, and the smallest is the Sumatran tiger.

Stay tuned for more episodes to find out what happens next!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Finding a Fungi

Earth Rangers

-

November 16, 2022

47

Once upon a time, fungi were grouped within the Plant Kingdom. But upon further investigation, they were given their own Kingdom. Unlike plants that use the sun’s energy to make sugars (a process called photosynthesis), fungi decompose organic matter into particles that other living things can use.

Earth Rangers

Earth Rangers

Can You Catch a Yawn from a Chimpanzee?

If we can make chimpanzees yawn, can animals make us yawn? Scroll through these pictures and let us know if feel a yawn coming on!

Quiz: Remarkable Renewable Energy

You can learn more about renewable energy by accepting the We’ve Got the Power Mission. Look for it in the Mission section in the Earth Rangers App!

Ask an Expert: Peatlands Pro

Now is your chance to ask an expert!

Ask your questions in the comments. We’ll select some and share them with Connie when we go live on Facebook on December 6 at 11:00 am ET!

Jumping Frogs

Jumping Frogs

Here’s what you need:

Here’s how you make it:

Earth Rangers Podcasts Win Big!

Penguins are Built to Swim

Hanging Out in the Kitchen with Chef Sam

You can see the full video in the All Taste, No Waste Challenge toolkit! Look for it in the Challenges section in the App!

A Drafty Problem

Want to learn more about stopping that Devious Draft? Look for Operation Conservation in the Mission section of the Earth Rangers App!

Adelia Goodwin’s Secret Journal – A Tiger’s Tale

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

Finding a Fungi

Families

The App

Educators

Podcasts

About

Support Us