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CHALLENGE ONE
Frog watch
What is Frog watch?
Frog watch is a community action project, which involves people looking and listening for frogs, and is a major response to the concerns raised by biologists that frogs are in a worldwide decline. The project is a complete survey of frogs.
Who is involved?
School children, farmers or any interested person can survey and monitor frogs.
Why monitor frogs?
Frog species and numbers have been declining worldwide since 1979.
The famous Australian Gastric Brooding Frog has not been seensince1981.
The results of Mike Tyler’s 1991 survey supported comments that frogs are not as plentiful in South Australia as they once were, particularly near built up areas.
Because frogs rely on good quality water, land, air and insects for survival a decline in the number of frogs can indicate a decline in the quality of their habitat.
How to get involved.
Register and order your Frog watch Kit. (This will show you how to identify frog locations and frog calls and how to collect data.)
Send the data via computer modem to the Nexus computer or by post.
Your data will go into a database, which will help in mapping frogs across South Australia. A strategy for saving and restoring high value habitats will then be developed.
Frog watch Kits cost $20.00 and are available from
Gould League of South Australia
PO Box 56
Modbury North 5092
telephone or fax (08) 8277 2851
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CHALLENGE TWO
PETS
Did you know that you can rent a pet?
In Japan a company which rents pets has started business. It may be nice for lonely people, but it seems a little hard on the pets. They could become emotionally disturbed.
Pets need to know that their owners love them. Trust will occur once the owner and the pet have bonded and learned to live together.
The company, which rents pets, says that people who are choosing a particular pet can rent one and after a trial period can decide whether or not that pet is what they really want.
Maybe a person who is trying to get to know their neighbours could rent a dog and walk it for several weeks. Once they have introduced themselves to the neighbours they could return the pet as past its use by date.
All sorts of pets are for rent. Dogs, cats, lizards and snakes are just a few. A person wanting to create the right decor for a special dinner party might rent colourful gold fish, or a tank with a live lobster. Perhaps they could pretend they are going to eat the lobster when the mood takes them. All sorts of strange possibilities come to mind.
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CHALLENGE THREE
Some interesting frog facts
In the last ten years two brooding frogs have disappeared. These two frogs were the only land vertebrates to brood young in their stomach. (Most frogs lay eggs which hatch into tadpoles and then turn into frogs.)
‘Day Frogs’ are so named because they hop around by day andbask in the sun. Of the five Day Frog species, three have disappeared in the last 10 years. Prior to this they were very common.
The ‘Hip-pocket Frog’ is another amazing animal because it is the only frog to carry its tadpoles in hip pockets. It is also one of only three species of frog in the world where the male plays a role in raising the young.
South Australia has more frogs than the whole of Europe.
Frogs existed before the dinosaurs.
Of the world’s 4 000 species of frogs, Australia has 208 known species, of which 29 species occur in South Australia.
Frogs swallow by forcing food into their throat with the tongue and eyeballs.
The introduced Cane Toad is the only true ‘toad’ in Australia. There are no true toads in South Australia, although several species have a toad-like appearance.
Excerpt from ‘Frog watch’
Further information available from
Gould League of South Australia
PO Box 56
MODBURY NORTH 5092
telephone or fax (08) 8277 2851
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CHALLENGE FOUR
Earth Sanctuaries Ltd
Dr John Walmsley, with the help of a public company that he set up a few years ago, has managed to establish a number of feral-free animal sanctuaries in Australia.
To establish a sanctuary Dr Walmsley needs to obtain good land with the right climate and vegetation. He then encloses it with a high fence, which is angled outwards at the top. The foxes and feral cats cannot scale the fences. These fences also extend down into the earth so thatburrowing animals cannot dig under them and enter the sanctuaries. This means that native animals cannot escape and technically he is keeping them in captivity. Keeping native animals in captivity is against the law in most parts of Australia and so special permission must be obtained before a sanctuary can be established.
Dr Walmsley has many problems to overcome before he will achievehis dream of 100 000 square miles of Australia being fenced and feral-free in the early years of this century. He constantly needs injections of cash to finance his sanctuaries and he raises much of this cash through the Stock Exchange.
You see if a company, such as Dr Walmsley’s Earth Sanctuaries, wants to raise money it can sell shares in the company on the Stock Exchange. If enough people think it is a worthwhile investment then quite large sums of money can be obtained. John Walmsley hopes many people in Australia are prepared to support his dream and buy shares in his company.
Initially, Dr Walmsley met with a lukewarm response to his offers of shares. However, in the last few years people are realising it is good to invest their finances in ethical, environmentally sound companies, which are seeking to redress some of the environmental damage done in Australia.
These days Dr Walmsley launches his appeals via theInternet. He is capturing the imagination of people in Australia and in other countries. As a frequent visitor to his Warrawong Sanctuary at Mylor I hope Dr Walmsley is successful.
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CHALLENGE FIVE
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
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CHALLENGE SIX
A pack of ordinary cards has 52 individual cards in it
The suits of cards are:
Hearts
Clubs
Spades
Diamonds
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CHALLENGE SEVEN
Dear Friend
I am writing to tell you about a book that I have just finished reading. It is a really old book I picked up for 10 cents at a garage sale. I don’t know if you can borrow it from the library it’s called ‘Daddy Long-legs’. You might think it is a book about spiders, but it isn’t. It’s a love story. The entire book is made up of a series of letters all sent by one girl to a man whom she calls Daddy Long-legs. The girl is an orphan who grew up in an orphanage quite some time ago. Because she was clever a trustee of the orphanage agreed to pay her fees so she could go to university. He only asked her to write to him and tell him about her progress in university both academically and socially. The problems she has in socialising with girls who come from a ‘normal family’ are humorously told in her letters to this man. She doesn’t know who he is but she calls him Daddy Long-legs because once when he left the orphanage his shadow appeared to be a man with long legs. She opens her heart to the reader in her letters, sometimes they are sad, sometimes happy, but all the time her lack of family affects her. What has excited me about this book is that even though I cannot imagine ever writing an entire book, I am quite good at writing letters. Maybe I can use this style myself to tell a story. I think I will try. Why don’t you borrow this book and read it? Maybe you know of other books written in this format? If you do will you please send me their names, as I am serious about pursuing this writing style.
Your good friend
Hopeful Author
Reference
Daddy Long-legs
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CHALLENGE EIGHT
English / Indonesian / Italian / JapaneseGood morning / Selamat Pagi / Buon giorno / Ohayō gozaimasu
Good night / Selamat malam / Buon sera / Kon ban wa
Thank you / Terima Kasih / Grazie / Arigatgo zaimasu
My name is / Nama saya / Mi chiamo / Watashi no namae wa
What is your name? / Nama anda siapa? / Come ti chiami? / ō-namae wa nan desi kei
How are you? / Apa kabar? / Come stai? / Genki desuka?
How much is this? / Harganya berapa? / Quanto costa? / Ikura desuka
Where do you live? / Anda tinggal di-mana? / Dove abiti / Doko ni sunde imesuka
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CHALLENGE NINE
Can you change the shape of Wally Worm?
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ANZACS
The Anzac legend, largely recognised as the foundation of nationhood in Australia, grew not from success in battle but from a remarkable story of bravery in the face of incredible adversity.
The legend of the Anzacs tells of courage, ingenuity and triumph against overwhelming odds. The Gallipoli campaign itself, however, led to failure, death and wounding of thousands of soldiers.
The term Anzac was first used by the Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill at the time of the First World War. Anzac is an abbreviation for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and April 25, Anzac Day, was the day the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula in 1915. Though the ANZACS were there for only 8 months, around 8 000 of them died.
The Gallipoli Peninsula is very near the famous ancient city of Troy in Turkey. Because Britain wished to distract the Turks from attacking Russia large numbers of Australian and New Zealand fighting men and equipment were landed on the beaches from the sea. They faced a well organised, well armed Turkish force determined to defend their country against the enemy. If successful, however, this campaign would have greatly weakened the strategic position of the enemy.
The Anzacs literally had to dig themselves into trenches they dug on a beach which became known as Anzac Cove. These trenches were in between the beach and the Turkish troops so that the Anzacs were hemmed in and had nowhere to go. Bitter trench warfare followed.
Life in these trenches was very hard. Death from sniper fire, shells and grenades was common. A range of illnesses including typhus and gangrene were also common.
Because the Turks had also dug themselves into trenches the enemies were sometimes less than 50 feet apart. Soldiers could simply lob bombs into the Turk’s trenches.
The Anzac’s diet was poor and consisted of fat bacon, tinned corn beef, biscuits, tinned preserves with few vegetables or fruit. Many Anzac’s became ill with scurvy. Fresh water was scarce and flies often covered the food the soldiers ate. Dysentry was also a common illness.
When it became apparent to the leaders that the campaign had failed it was decided the Anzacs would have to be withdrawn. They were evacuated by boats and returned to the Middle East and the Western Front where many of them went on to fight other battles.
Every year on April 25 Australians gather at War Memorials, cemeteries and at Anzac Cove to remember the Anzacs. Anzac Day dawn services lasting about 15 minutes are held in all Australian cities and towns. Australians of all ages gather together to participate in remembering the heroic deeds of the Australian soldiers. The Anzac Day marches later in the morning give all Australian’s a chance to pause and reflect on the extraordinary efforts of the Australian Imperial Force at Gallipoli and of Australian soldiers in other wars. Anzac Day, because it unites all Australians, is truly a national day for Australia.
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HOT AIR BALLOONING
One cold, cold morning we woke up in our cosy campervan at the Seppeltsfield wine chalet in the Barossa Valley. We were there to see the early morning flights of the hot air balloons.
Not wanting to waste time we skipped breakfast and headed out over the icy grass to the fields where the balloons were preparing for take off.
It was important for us to be at Seppeltsfield early in the morning because hot air balloons need the air to be still and calm. For a balloon to rise from the ground fire made from propane heats the air and lifts the balloon into the sky where it is then allowed to drift. Once a balloon is lifted it moves with the air mass in which it floats, no faster, no slower and in the same direction.
At Seppeltsfield the majestic fliers of many colours and sizes hung motionless over the beautiful terrain of the Barossa Valley or drifted quietly above us in the azure blue sky.
Friends of ours who have been lucky enough to take a hot air balloon ride say the sensation is one of floating along. A balloonist feels no sense of movement or height, even though balloons can reach heights above the land of 1 500 feet. Ballooning is also very quiet, a bonus for those of us who hate to hear the noise most machinery makes.
Hot air balloons are classed as aircraft even though they use air as their lifting and moving gas. The pilot cannot steer the balloon but can alter the balloon’s course only by finding an air mass going in a slightly different direction.
Ballooning as a sport is very dependent on favourable weather conditions. Safety precautions and regulations will ensure that a ‘no launch’ will occur if conditions are not right. If you are ever planning to take a look or take a ride in a balloon make sure you check with the organisers that the event is going ahead.
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Mummies
Mummies have existed for thousands of years in Egypt. The first mummies were bodies that were buried in the desert and preserved naturally by the hot dry sand. The heat of the sand drove out the bodies’ fluids which prevented the growth of bacteria and decay. This natural process left the bodies hard with skin stretched over the bones. Later the Egyptians found a way of making mummies that were more lifelike. Natron, a salt like substance found on the shores of Wadi Natrun situated 70 kilometres from modern Cairo, was used in the process.
Herodotus, an ancient Greek historian who visited Egypt around 450 BC, wrote an account of how the Egyptians mummified their dead. Firstly with a crooked piece of iron, the brain was drawn out through the nostrils. Then with a sharp stone, a cut was made along the flank and the intestines were removed. After filling the body cavity with plum wine and spices, it was sewn up again. Following this, the body was put in salt for no more than seventy days. It was then washed and wrapped from head to toe with strips of cut sheets of fine linen and finally smeared with gum.
The role of the relatives was to take the body and have a wooden coffin made in the shape of a person, which was then buried in a chamber in an upright position against a wall.
Before the wrapping of a mummy began, all the linen that had to be used was grouped together in piles according to size and purpose, and the top piece in each pile was appropriately marked. In one pile there would be shrouds (large white cloths used to wrap around the body), usually seven in number for magical reasons. The other piles consisted of padding specially prepared shaped and folded. Lastly there would be roll upon roll of bandages, the longest up to fifteen metres long and anything up to twenty centimetres in width. It has been proved that a single mummy might have been wrapped in up to four hundred square metres of material.
Later according to Egyptian history some bodies were dipped in tar as a form of preservation. This was a much cheaper and quicker process than mummification. It was the use of tar that actually gave mummies their name as the word ‘mummy’ comes from the Egyptian word for tar.
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Task One
Heavenly Bodies
Have you ever thought about the stars? I mean really wondered what they are, where they came from, how they got there or why they are there?
When I was small my friends and I used to compete trying to imagine how big the stars were. We would look up at the sky and say things like “If a star fell to earth probably every one in our street and maybe the next two streets would die”. We could not imagine that the earth we live on is just a speck of dust in the heavens and we are tinier still.