Kids News - Articles for Grades 4-4

Though July 4th, the day our incredible country was 'born' is always celebrated with great abandon at the White House, this year's celebration is even more special. That's because in addition to the nation's 238th birthday, today also happens to be first daughter Malia Obama's, sweet sixteen....

While humans tend to shy away from people that don't quite fit their perception of 'normal,' animals are different. Time and again we hear about alliances being formed between the most unusual species. The most recent heartwarming tale comes the zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia where a female rhino named Manuela has bonded with the resident donkeys....

While most of us don't need an excuse to devour one or even a few scoops of ice cream, it is always nice to have one. And what better reason than helping fulfill one's civic duty, which is what United States residents will be doing when they eat the creamy treat this month. That's because July happens to be National Ice Cream Month!...

Shanghai-based Hong Yi or 'Red' as she likes to call herself is known for her unusual and imaginative portraits. Her previous masterpieces include a sketch of Chinese film director Yimou Zhang created with 790 pairs of black, white and grey socks and one of basketball superstar Yao Ming painted with - you guessed it - a basketball! Popular Hollywood actor Jackie Chen was portrayed with chopsticks, while British singer/songwriter Adele's portrait was created with melted candles....

On Friday, June 20th, 29 dogs along with their doting owners came to Petaluma, California to participate in a rather unusual competition - one that seeks out and honors the World's Ugliest Dog'. Now in its 26th year, the contest is one of the biggest attractions at the annual Sonoma-Marin Fair....

On June 8th, 2014, fourteen-year-old Hunter Gandee and his seven-year-old brother Braden, trekked 40-miles to raise awareness about Cerebral Palsy. While that was certainly impressive, what was even more so is that the entire 'Cerebral Palsy Swagger', as the boys called it, was completed with Braden perched on his brother's back. And it is not because the younger boy is lazy, but because the muscular disorder has left him debilitated and unable to walk without help....

On June 19th, a group of animal lovers on a whale watching cruise off the coast of Sydney, were treated to a rare sight - a pod of mammals that included Migaloo, the world's first documented white humpback whale. The gorgeous 55-ton all-white humpback, was sighted with five other whales as they made their annual migration from the Antarctica to the breeding areas off Queensland and Western Australia....

Los Angeles-based alternative rock group OK Go, is one of the few music bands that is more famous for the music videos they put together than their actual songs. They first captured the attention of fans in 2006 with a video of their single 'Here It Goes Again', in which they sang the song whilst dancing on fast-moving treadmills....

For people that live in the Northern Hemisphere, Saturday, June 21st, will appear to be one of those glorious days when the sun has forgotten to set and depending on where they live, that may actually be true. That's because tomorrow is not just the first day of summer, but also, the longest day of the year....