Blog Posts by Whyzz

From the icky bugs who make you wonder to the secrets of your body's grossest functions - check out whyzz.com's amazing facts for young kids about everything grossly cool! (And don't forget to click each fact for more info all about it!)

Gross Crawling Critters

· Certain dung beetles roll the wastes of other animals into balls before using them as anything from food, to home, to a place to lay their eggs!

· Lice have special spit that they use to stick their tiny eggs to people's hair.

· Some cultures are known to eat termites! In certain places, a Queen termite is even considered to be a delicacy.

· One of a roach's favorite foods is glue.

· Because they can't chew, houseflies only eat liquids. That's why they "spit" on anything they want to eat: the spit-like substance turns the solid into a liquid so they can drink it up!

Animal Surprises

· Adult penguins feed their babies by coughing up food from their own stomachs!

· Frogs and toads

Every fall, the anniversary of September 11 th presents families with a subject that can be difficult to explain, discuss, and observe. How can we teach our children about the events of that day without frightening or overwhelming them? What are some ways to remember and honor the lives that were lost?

We here at whyzz have been so greatly encouraged by the wonderful resources we've found on this topic, from talking points for parents geared towards the age of their child, to educational resources to use in the classroom. Here are some of the websites and articles we can recommend:

The NYU Child Study Center has a section of materials for "The Day Our World Changed: The Anniversary of 9/11." Parents and caregivers can download a guide developed specifically for preparing for the anniversary of the attacks. It includes help for parents to talk to their children (regardless of age) as well as a special section specific to those who lost a loved one.

The Children of September

Help your young kids kick off the school year with some great read-aloud Q&A about friendship! From the importance of friends to the meaning of kindness to the power of respect - join in and learn all about it!

Why do we need friends?

When you think of a friend, what are some of the things you think of? A person you can trust? A person you get along with really well? Someone who has the same hobbies or sense of humor as you do?

A friend is any person who fits these descriptions, as well as many others. It's important to have friends because it's important to have a "support system" of people you can depend on. When we think of "friends" we often think of people we aren't related to, like a kid you know from school or from the house next door. But friends can definitely also include your relatives like siblings, cousins, or even parents! - The neat thing about friends is that they come in lots of shapes and sizes, and there's no limit on how many you can have!

Some

Bugs are among the tiniest creatures we can see, and yet, they also have some of the most amazing and fascinating features around. Use these read-aloud Q&As with your young kids to learn some awesome new things about our squirming, crawling, flying friends!

How do flies sit upside down on ceilings?

Have you ever been trying to shoo a pesky fly out the window, only to have it land upside down on your ceiling, where you can't reach? How do flies stay stuck upside down like that?!

The reason a fly is able to land upside down on a ceiling or sideways on a wall is that flies have special sticky feet! These sticky feet have wide footpads that give them lots of sticking power, especially when all four feet are being used at once, which is what flies make sure to do. Their gluey footprints are also helped by tiny hairs on each foot that have a special shape which give them some sticky strength too.

If you're wondering how such a sticky-footed fly ever gets unstuck after it

Teaching young kids about how to eat right, get exercise, and stay healthy is one of the most important tools we can give them. This month, in association with Nourish Interactive, whyzz brings you Be Healthy, a special feature dedicated to learning all about it!

Join in and use these five great read-aloud Q&As with your little ones, to help them learn a few important lessons about nutrition and health!


What are nutrients?

"Nutrients" are the things that make up the healthfulness of food, like vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, and more! Nutrients are important because making sure to get your fill of the right ones helps you to grow and be healthy!!

The important thing with nutrients is that you can't have just some of them - you need balanced amounts of all the different types out there! To do that, make sure to eat the right number of daily servings from each food group such as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, and proteins.

Certain foods

Get ready for the unofficial first day of summer! Use these read-aloud answers with your young kids to learn all about where Memorial Day comes from, and the what-why-how behind some of its most popular traditions.

What is Memorial Day?

Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday celebrated every year on the last Monday in May. It was originally called "Decoration Day" and it's meant to serve as a day to remember citizens who have passed away while serving in the military.

Especially in its earliest days, people spent Memorial Day by putting flags, flowers, or ribbons on the graves of war soldiers or by having parades. Today, many people still see the holiday as one of remembrance while also enjoying the day as part of a long weekend to spend with their families at the start of summer! Things like barbequing, beach trips, and picnics have all become popular Memorial Day activities!

Also see: Why are some holidays celebrated on a different day every year?

What is a

Get your kids ready to make smart decisions about money and form good habits about spending and saving from a young age! Use whyzz.com's read-aloud Q&As with your little ones to learn five important lessons about how money works.

1. What are goods and services?

We acquire the things we need (and when possible, the things we want) through the exchange of goods and services. Goods are items. Anything from a pencil to a computer to a box of spaghetti is a good. Services are things that people do. Driving a bus, mowing a lawn, being a doctor, working as a police officer - all of these jobs are types of services.

We trade goods and services to get the things we need and want. For example, a builder can construct a barn for a farmer, and in exchange receive the farmer's vegetables to eat; in this example a service (building a barn) is traded for a good (vegetables). Often, money is used to help in the exchange. Say the farmer needs a barn but the builder doesn't need any

For many people, this Friday's Royal Wedding is like something out of a fairytale! If your young kids love everything related to princes and princesses, check out these read-aloud Q&As about real-life and storybook royalty!

What countries have real-life kings, queens, princes, and princesses?

In different places in the world throughout various times in history, there have been (and still are) Royal Families, meaning kings, queens, princes, princesses, and more. Sometimes, these Royal Families are the rulers of the country they live in, while other times, having a Royal Family is mostly just a symbol and elected officials rule the government.

Some of the places that currently have Royal Families include the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, The Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Lesotho, Swaziland, Japan, and Thailand! Read more…

Why do kings and queens wear crowns?

Nobody knows how long members of royal families have used crowns, but these