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media type="youtube" key="KIeXEiJuJUY" height="346" width="462" Today’s Wonder of the Day stars an animal that may be a cheetah, but it wins all its races fair and square!
 * Can a human outrun a Cheetah? **
 * Have you ever wondered…**
 * Can a human outrun a cheetah?
 * How fast can a cheetah run?
 * What special adaptations make cheetahs so fast?

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 * How far can a Paper Airplane fly? **

Today’s Wonder of the Day will have you soaring on wings of paper!
 * Have you ever wondered…**
 * How far can a paper airplane fly?
 * Are paper airplanes just for fun?
 * Can you make your own paper airplane?


 * Did you know?**

Do you like making paper airplanes? If you like origami, we’re sure you’d enjoy making paper airplanes, too. All it takes is some paper and a few simple supplies. Paper airplanes can be fun to fly around the house or outside in the yard. You can decorate them with any color or patterns that you like. If you play with a friend, you can race your paper airplanes and see whose can go the highest or the farthest! No one knows for sure when the first paper airplane was created. Sometimes, historians give credit to Leonardo da Vinci. However, paper folding and kite making were both popular in Asia hundreds of years ago, so it’s likely the first paper airplanes may have been made long, long ago. In Japan, the art of folding paper is called origami. Some people call the art of making paper airplanes aerogami. Paper airplanes are obviously lots of fun to play with. But did you realize that they can be more than just toys? It’s true! Since paper airplanes glide through the air, they can teach scientists and engineers a lot about basic concepts of flight, engineering and aerodynamics. In fact, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) once sent a paper airplane into space on a space shuttle! If you’re wondering how a paper airplane would fly in outer space, you might be surprised by the answer. According to scientists, paper airplanes won’t actually fly in outer space, because there’s no atmosphere. Instead, paper airplanes would simply float in a straight line and could possibly float forever unless they hit another object! The Wright Brothers also used paper airplanes to test out their theories about flight before making their first flight. They built a wind tunnel and used paper airplanes to gain a better understanding of how their aircraft would operate in the wind. So just how far can a paper airplane fly? On February 28, 2012, former college quarterback Joe Ayoob set the world record for the longest paper airplane flight. He threw a paper airplane the entire length of a warehouse, setting the record at 226 feet, 10 inches. That broke the old record by 19 feet, 6 inches! Ready to make and fly your own paper airplanes? All you need are a few simple supplies and some creativity! Check out the links below for step-by-step directions to make several different types of paper airplanes: Which paper airplanes did you make? Did they fly far? media type="youtube" key="XewIWTwkVhE" height="315" width="420" Today’s Wonder of the Day is all about making the most out of the energy we use.
 * Try it out!**
 * The Arrow
 * The Stealth
 * The Dart
 * The Ring
 * The Moth
 * What is a Hybrid? **
 * Have you ever wondered…**
 * What is a hybrid?
 * How do hybrid cars work?
 * What are the pros and cons of hybrid cars?

By now, you’ve probably heard about hybrid cars. They’ve been around for several years, and their popularity continues to grow each year. You may even have one in your family or know someone who drives a hybrid. But what exactly is a hybrid? Regular cars have only engines powered by gasoline. Hybrid cars, on the other hand, can be powered by both a gasoline engine and an electric battery. Why would automobile makers create cars that also run on electric batteries? The electric batteries in hybrid cars allow these cars to use gasoline more efficiently. At low speeds, hybrid cars can run on just the electric battery. This reduces the amount of gasoline the car uses. At higher speeds, the gasoline engine kicks in to provide more power. When the gasoline engine runs, the electric battery recharges. That way it will have plenty of power again later when it’s needed. As technology improves, automobile makers are constantly improving their hybrid car systems. Today, there are several different types of hybrid cars available. There are small differences in the way they work, but the basic idea remains the same: use an electric battery to improve the gas mileage you get from the gasoline-powered engine. The next wave of hybrid cars are expected to be plug-in hybrid cars that can run solely on either electric or gasoline power. To charge these cars, owners will need to plug them into a power source to recharge the electric batteries when they get low on power. In addition to getting great gas mileage, hybrid cars are also good for the environment. Since some of their power is produced by electric batteries, hybrid cars emit fewer fumes (pollution) than regular gasoline-powered cars. However, before you think about buying a hybrid car, you will also need to take their price into account. Most hybrid cars are several thousand dollars more expensive than their “regular” car counterparts. This means that much of the money you save on gasoline will be spent upfront by paying more for the car at the beginning. Despite their higher cost, though, hybrids are attractive to many people because of their beneficial impact on the environment. Just be sure to do your research before you set your sights on a hybrid car. It’s always good to consider both the pros and the cons when making any major decision! What kind of car will you drive when you get old enough? Do you think it will be a hybrid? Do you know anyone whose family drives a hybrid car already? Talk with a friend or family member about the changes they’ve seen in cars over the past 10-20 years. What changes do you think you’ll see in cars by the time you’re old enough to drive? People used to talk years ago about the “flying cars” of the future. So far, cars are still rooted firmly to the ground. Do you think you’ll see flying cars in your lifetime? Why or why not? Would you rather learn to drive or to fly? Even if your family doesn’t drive a hybrid car now, there are still some things you can do to improve the gas mileage of your car and reduce the amount of fossil fuel your car uses. The next time you’re in the car, discuss these easy tips with your parents: media type="custom" key="19202532" width="110" height="110" Colours are everywhere. A red ball bouncing around during a kickball game… a black and white dog taking a stroll at the end of a leash… green grass under your bare feet… and a brilliant blue sky on a clear, sunny day. If you’ve ever wondered what makes the sky blue, today’s Wonder of the Day is just for you. The sunlight we see each day, called “white light,” may appear colorless, but it is actually full of a lot of colors mixed together. This is why you see a rainbow when you shine white light through a prism. The prism separates the white light into each of its colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. Each of the colors is made up of its own wavelengths, kind of like a unique fingerprint. Red has the longest wavelength, violet has the shortest and all the other colors are somewhere in the middle. When you look at an object, such as a yellow sunflower or a red wagon, the color you see is actually the color of light the object reflects to your eye. A yellow sunflower reflects yellow wavelengths while absorbing all the other colors. A red wagon, on the other hand, reflects red wavelengths. So how does the air in the sky have a color? The Earth’s atmosphere is filled with gas molecules. As white light from the sun passes through the atmosphere, colors with longer wavelengths, such as red, orange and yellow, pass through. Blue and violet wavelengths, on the other hand, are absorbed by the gas molecules and scattered across the sky. Your eye sees these reflected wavelengths as blue. Of course, you’ve probably seen the sky turn brilliant shades of orange and red during a sunrise or sunset. When the sun is low near the horizon as it rises or sets, the wavelengths have farther to go in order to reach your eyes. This causes the shorter blue wavelengths you see during the day to scatter even more, clearing the way for longer wavelengths like red and orange to reach your eyes.
 * Try it out!**
 * Slow down! Reducing your speed even a little can help you conserve on gas.
 * Carpool! If you’re going somewhere, share a ride. Heading to the school dance or a sporting event? Find several friends and ride together.
 * Combine trips! Before heading out to run errands, take some time to think about what you need to accomplish. If you don’t think in advance, you could find yourself making multiple trips…and wasting lots of gas!
 * Wonder words to know and use:**
 * hybrid
 * automotive
 * engine
 * gasoline
 * battery
 * electric
 * efficiently
 * mileage
 * environment
 * emit
 * pollution
 * counterparts
 * Why is the Sky blue? **
 * Have you ever wondered…**
 * Why is the sky blue?
 * What color is sunlight?
 * Why does the sky turn red and orange at dawn and dusk?
 * Did you know?**

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 * What is the Ozone Layer? **

People all over the world celebrate World Environment Day each year on June 5. Join us in Wonderopolis as we take a look at a precious resource worth saving.
 * Have you ever wondered…**
 * What is the ozone layer?
 * How do ozone-depleting substances hurt the ozone layer?
 * Can the ozone layer be saved?

When you head out into the summer sun, do you lather up with sunscreen? We hope so! It’s important to protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. If you’ve ever had a bad sunburn, you probably already know the value of sunscreen. Would you believe the Earth has its own form of sunscreen? It’s true! It’s called the “ozone layer.” Way up high (between 8 and 25 miles up!) in a part of the atmosphere known as the “stratosphere,” there’s a layer of ozone. Ozone is a gas molecule made up of three oxygen atoms. Its chemical symbol is O3. Ozone occurs naturally in the atmosphere. It helps to protect the Earth by blocking many of the ultraviolet rays that come from the sun. Ozone is not always good for us, though. When ozone occurs closer to the surface of the Earth, it can be an air pollutant that makes it hard to breathe and hurts trees and crops. Ground-level ozone is one of the main parts of smog that you see in many big cities. The ozone way up high in the ozone layer, though, is very helpful. Unfortunately, the ozone layer is under attack by man-made chemicals called “ozone-depleting substances” (ODS). Common ODS include chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Many ODS could be found — and sometimes can still be found — in refrigerator and air conditioner coolants, fire extinguishers, pesticides and aerosol propellants. When released into the air, ODS move very slowly toward the upper atmosphere. Up high, they are broken down by ultraviolet rays from the sun and release harmful molecules that destroy the “good” ozone. ODS make the ozone layer thinner and, in some areas (such as over Antarctica), they can even create “holes” in it. When this happens, more ultraviolet light rays are allowed to pass through to the Earth. As ultraviolet radiation on Earth increases, health issues — such as skin cancer and cataracts — increase. Ultraviolet rays can also affect food chains by reducing crop yields and harming marine organisms, which are the base of the ocean food chain. In 1987, the United States and more than 180 other countries adopted an international treaty that called for phasing out ODS. Today, ODS have been greatly reduced. Research shows that depletion of the ozone layer is diminishing worldwide. If the United States and other countries around the world continue to eliminate ODS, scientists believe natural ozone production should heal the ozone layer by around 2050. The Environmental Protection Agency wants you to become SunWise ! It’s important to protect your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Take the SunWise Survivor Challenge and follow the SunWise Action Steps to learn more about how to make good decisions to stay healthy. Can you really make a difference in the fight to save the ozone layer? You sure can! Watch this fun video with Ozzy Ozone to learn more about what is attacking the ozone layer and how you can play an important role in the Earth’s future. Check out National Geographic Xpeditions’ The Arctic and Antarctic Circles lesson to learn more about the polar regions most affected by ozone depletion.
 * Did you know?**
 * Try it out!**
 * Wonder words to know and use:**
 * ozone
 * depleting
 * lather
 * ultraviolet
 * atmosphere
 * stratosphere
 * molecule
 * atom
 * pollutant
 * smog
 * urban
 * coolant
 * aerosol
 * propellant
 * yields
 * Still wondering?**


 * Questions That No-One Knows The Answer To! **

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 * WALT:** Ask better questions to make inquiries about things we would like to learn about


 * TASK:** Come up with your own question that no-one knows the answer to!