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Washday Mrs Ocean takes in washing Every day the whole year through And she uses so much bluing That it stains the water blue. I have seen soap suds floating When the waves were rough and high, But I have never discovered Where she hangs the clothes to dry. -       Elizabeth F. Upson    

  Laundry fun for kids Level: Primary School Aim: To introduce the poem Washday by Elizabeth F. Upson   Who does the laundry in your home? ................................................................. Do you think boys and men should also wash and dry clothes? .................................................................... What things do you need to do laundry? .......................................................................... Laundry blue is applied to unwashed clothes to add a dash of sparkling whiteness to them. When you often wear the same clothes, they get yellow. Bluing makes these clothes less yellow. The blued fabric needs to be sun-dried instead of doing the same in the washing machine. Sunlight and the blueing agent naturally kill many germs on moist clothing. Have you noticed the tiny colourful soap bubbles while washing clothes? .................................................................  

  Octopus 1.     You may often have heard someone proudly saying that he has blue blood running through his veins. 2.     This figuratively means that he is the descendant of a royal dynasty. 3.     Did you know that a creature living in the deep blue ocean really has blue-coloured blood? 4.     We are talking about the mollusc, the eight-legged octopus here. 5.     Octopuses are natural marine architects which build homes for themselves with rocks. 6.     With their powerful arms, they can easily shift rocks from one venue to another. 7.     Their rock den abodes have a stone door entrance which the octopus can lock after it safely enters its sweet home. 8.     Even after they are securely at home, they are better off without visitors. 9.     They disperse shells and rocks to carefully conceal themselves within their dens. 10.                        After catching prey which comprises worms, crustaceans, molluscs, prawns and fish they retire to their dens to savour

  Butterfly Facts for kids 1.    Your heart may leap when you see a colourful butterfly visit a brightly coloured flower to taste the nectar. 2.    There are around 17,500 species of beautiful butterflies fluttering all over the world. 3.    They come in various dazzling colours- red, yellow, blue, pink, brown, etc. 4.    With their tongues called proboscis, they sip nectar from plants. 5.    Their feet have taste buds as well. 6.    Some of them nourish themselves with the sap of trees, dung and decaying fruits and animals. 7.    They flutter around during the day and repose at night in bushes and safe nooks. 8.    Some butterflies migrate from colder to warmer regions when winter approaches. 9.    They lay eggs on leaves attaching them with   glue. 10.                     Only one out of the hundreds of eggs it lays hatches into a cute caterpillar.

  Baboon 1.     A baboon is a monkey which lives in Africa and Asia. 2.     You’ll find them mostly in the open woodlands, hills and the savannah of Africa. 3.     They can suit themselves well to various environments as long as they can find water and food there. 4.     These ground-roving monkeys are intelligent, fierce and boisterous animals that live in groups both big and small. 5.     They eat both plants and meat- roots, grasses, leaves, seeds, fruits, flowers, tree bark, insects, scorpions, fowl, fish, shellfish, rodents, birds, goats, antelopes, small monkeys, eggs etc. 6.     When it is cold, they warm themselves by cuddling together. 7.     Because of the spread of human settlements, agricultural fields, irrigation projects etc, baboons are losing their natural habitats. 8.     They have lived together with their human ancestors for thousands of years though. 9.     We share more than 90% of our genes with them. 10.                       The oldest baboon

  Cheetah Facts for kids 1.   You may think that a deer sprints fast, but the world’s fastest mammal is the cheetah. 2.   When it chases its prey, it runs much slower. 3.   Most cheetahs on this planet live in open forests and the savannah grasslands of Africa. 4.   A few of them dwell in Asia. 5.   Cheetahs have a light yellow coat with about 2000 black spots. 6.   Their dotted tawny coats help them to hide from their enemies in tall grass. 7.   They feast on gazelles, warthogs, rabbits, springboks and birds. 8.   Cheetahs hunt during the day to avoid competition from leopards, hyenas and lions which look for prey at night. 9.   Dusk and dawn are their favourite times to prowl for animals to eat. 10.              These animals mew, purr, growl, hiss and yelp but can’t roar as lions and tigers do.

  Lion Fun facts for kids 1.   The lion which is a large animal belonging to the cat family dwells in Africa and Asia. 2.   A male lion has brownish-yellow hair around its head, shoulder and neck which is called a mane. 3.   Lions, lionesses and cubs live together in groups known as prides. 4.   Lionesses hunt antelopes, zebras, deer, boars and other wild and domesticated animals nocturnally. 5.   They love to take advantage of storms at night to hunt prey as the strong winds make it difficult for the catch to hear and see them approaching. 6.   The lion eats first, the lionesses next and finally the baby gets its share. 7.   A lion rarely catches prey but protects the pride. 8.   Else another lion may join the group and kill the cubs. 9.   He lets out a loud roar soon after sunset which can be heard for miles. 10.              He intends to frighten intruding lions and signal to the pride members who’ve wandered off to return to it. 11.              While the a

  Zebra Facts for kids 1. Do you think a zebra is a white animal with black stripes? 2. It’s the other way around. 3. A zebra has black skin under their white-striped coat. 4. Zebras belong to the family of donkeys and horses. 5. They live on both plains and mountains of Africa. 6. The savanna woodlands and treeless grasslands are their favourite grazing grounds. 7. Zebras merrily munch on grass, hay, leaves, stems, barks, legumes, roots, herbs, tubers, twigs, seeds, flowers, fruits, berries, lettuce, carrots, corn, oats and plants. 8. When tired, they sleep under rocks, trees and bushes. 9. They constantly roam in herds to find fresh water and new grasslands. 10. They are fierce fighters to save themselves from carnivores like cheetahs, hyenas, leopards and lions who attack them. 11. Their gorgeous stripes enable them to camouflage themselves from predators when they hide in the long grass. 12. Each zebra is uniquely striped, and that’s a crucial way by which

  Rhinos   Facts for kids 1.     Rhinos are beautiful animals with magnificent horns that sprout from their snouts. 2.   Some rhinos are single-horned whereas others are double-horned. 3.   They live in swamps, rainforests and grassy plains in Asia and Africa. 4.   These herbivorous animals eat grass and plants all around the clock. 5.   When they feel hot, they soak in muddy pools and nap in the shade. 6.   Most rhino species like to live apart from other rhinos as they are solitary beings. 7.    They however adore the company of tick birds or ox peckers. 8.   These birds snack on the insects that irk the rhino’s skin. 9.   Though rhinos have weak eyesight, they have sharp hearing capacity and an astute sense of smell. 10.                     Rhinos have alarmingly declined in number as they are illegally hunted for their horns.

Food quotes 1 “A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring soul to the recipe.”   – Thomas Keller 2 “Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate.”   – Alan D. Wolfelt 3 “I watch cooking change the cook, just as it transforms the food.”   – Laura Esquivel 4 “You don’t need a silver fork to eat good food.”   – Paul Prudhomme 5 “The belly rules the mind.”   – Spanish Proverb 6 “The secret of food lies in memory – of thinking and then knowing what the taste of cinnamon or steak is.”   – Jerry Saltz 7 “Eating is so intimate. It’s very sensual. When you invite someone to sit at your table and you want to cook for them, you’re inviting a person into your life.”   – Maya Angelou 8 “Only the pure in heart can make a good soup.”   – Ludwig van Beethoven 9 “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”   –James Beard 10 “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a mer