Check Out Ice Cubed

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.

Worksheet of the Week

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A Recent Star Breakthrough

On Tuesday, March 19, the Herschel Space Observatory discovered some of the youngest stars scientists had ever witnessed. Thanks to NASA JPL’s Herschel Project Office, a European Space Agency mission, astronomers were able to view one of the largest sets of stars in a single-star forming region. Because of these results, scientists are now one step closer to discovering the formation of a star in its initial phase.

Scientists utilized the Herschel Photo detector Array Camera and Spectrometer instrument to collect infrared light at 70 and 160 micrometers in wavelength. This allowed them to compare precious scans of the star-forming in Orion. According to NASA JPL:

“Herschel spied the protostars in far-infrared, or long-wavelength, light, which can shine through the dense clouds around burgeoning stars that block out higher-energy, shorter wavelengths, including the light our eyes see.”

These observations made recently are able to provide a one of a kind observation that will provide scientists to build on from previous observations. Their discoveries on Tuesday included things no other space agency had ever seen. These gas-like, dust particles that surrounded the stars always challenged scientists from the beginning. Previous studies were not able to detect these protostars due to its cold and dense environment. Therefore, it had been difficult to observe some of the earlier star formations due to its physical conditions. However, these newly observed protostars came as a shock and turned out to be the initial starting point of star formations near the constellation, Orion. Now, scientists are able to dig deep into the earlier phases of star formation.

Among the 15 newly discovered protostars, 11 are colored red. What this means is that their light output trends toward the low-energy end of the electromagnetic spectrum. These stars are considered to be at a very young stage in life; something scientists have not been able to observe until this recent discovery.

With this new finding, researchers are now aiming to record every stage of a star’s development. If your child is interested in science, have them check out some of our math activities. Encourage your children to exercise their scientific and mathematical minds every day.

Screenshot of the Week!

Have you seen this week’s screenshot of the week? The spectacular shot has been up on the Math Blaster homepage and has been featured in game on one of our very own loading screens. Max wanted to take some time to congratulate the winner, Jasmine RicketyMillion, and thank all of you Blasters and your parents for sending in the great screenshots! Check out her winning shot, featuring the our popular Red Alert game:

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Looks like Jasmine is always ready to take on new challenges around the Space Station. After all, you never really know when a Red Alert alarm will sound. With the help of Blasters like you and Jasmine RicketyMillion the Space Station has remained safe from even the most sudden of attacks.

Keep up the great work Blasters. Max loves seeing Blasters like you show off your skills when he is picking the Screenshot of the Week.

Worksheet of the Week

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Monarch Butterfly Curiosities and Crafts

Over the years, your child has probably seen butterflies fluttering through the air, or they might have even raised them in their classrooms for a short while. However, did you know that monarchs, just like birds and other animals, migrate to a different region of the world for the winter season?

The Monarch butterfly, a butterfly characterized by its black and orange colors, migrates from the United States and Canada to Mexico for the winter season. This year, however, the number of Monarch butterflies migrated to Mexico decreased by 59 percent, making this year’s number the lowest levels the Monarch butterfly population has seen in 20 years. There are a variety of factors that could be contributing to this steady decline in the Monarch butterfly population, but there is no certainty as of yet.

You can tie in this specific current event with a special craft for your children. Here are some basic instructions:

Materials You Will Need:

  • Construction paper
  • Marker
  • Paint
  • Scissors

Directions:

  1. Draw a butterfly shape on the construction paper
  2. Fold the paper in half so that the butterfly is folded down the middle, with two identical halves
  3. Drizzle paint on only one side of the butterfly.
  4. Fold the paper in half, and pat the sides together.
  5. Open up the paper and let the paint dry.
  6. Cut out the butterfly shape, and post these shapes as decorations.

Monarch Butterfly - Process

Monarch Butterfly - Product

Please refer to the images above for demonstrations on the Monarch Butterfly craft. Encourage your child to use their imagination; use different colored paints and construction paper, and perhaps you can even make creative shapes. You might even want to relate this craft to a fun worksheet that helps your child learn how to categorize and differentiate between different items.

Worksheet of the Week

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