Signal is one of several trackablse sent on a mission by 2nd and 3rd grade explorers from St. Elmo Center for Gifted Education in Columbus, Georgia. Our goal is to follow Signal as he travels the world, hopefully headed toward OHio and Australia. We will track his progress, research the new places he visits and calculate the mileage he travels. Please take any pictures of our Signal along his journey.
Mission #4:
We would like for Signal the Frog to go to Hiroshima, Japan
By, Jack, Jason, Mason, Garrett
February 19, 2015
We would love for Signal the Frog to visit Hiroshima. Once in Hiroshima we would like him to visit The Itsuku-shima-jinja Shrine, the Hiroshima Castle, the A-Bomb Dome, and the Children’s Peace Monument.
The Itsuku-shima-jinja Shrine was built on Miyajima Island in the 12th century on the ground, but now the towering tides of the ocean around it consume the ground around the path. It was built there to strengthen the two religions, Shinto and Buddhism and the villagers on the island. The shrine was therefore described as a great World Heritage Site, which is a large accomplishment. It was described as a Site in 1996. This shrine now stays above the large tides of the ocean.
The Hiroshima castle was built in 1591 by Mori Terumoto because he was really wealthy and owned a lot of castles and wanted to make one big one. The Hiroshima castle was destroyed by a flood in1617. In 1619 the flood damage was fixed. In 1931 the Hiroshima castle was named a national treasure. The castle was destroyed by the atomic bomb in 1945. The castle was rebuilt in 1958.
The Atomic Bomb Dome, also known as the A-Bomb Dome, was constructed in 1915. It was made for selling products in the Hiroshima prefecture. It was also used as an art exhibit. On August 6, 1945, at exactly 8:16 in the morning, an atomic bomb, code named Little Boy after FDR, detonated 580 meters above the A- Bomb Dome and 160 meters away from it. The building was completely gutted by the 7,000 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. It later received its name by the locals because of the blast damage received. It has been hence forth been called the A-Bomb Dome. It has been a common symbol to the phrase “No more Hiroshimas,” which is a protest against nuclear arms.
The Tower of One Thousand Cranes, also known as the Children’s Peace Monument, is a monument to all those who suffered through the pain and sadness of losing their children. This memorial is especially dedicated to Sasoki Sasaki, who was exposed to the radiation as a two year old and contracted cancer 10 years later. She was frantic about folding cranes in an attempt to save herself. Many countries were saddened and felt the same pain that many parents did. Many countries including England, donated money to build a monument in an attempt to share that pain. The monument was finished in 1958, still commemorating Sasoki, and all the other children that were affected by the radiation.
sources
Http://www.hiroshima/navjor.jp/en/sightseeing/worldheritage /21923.php http://atomicbombmuseum.org/1_overview.shtml http://www.history.com/search?q=hiroshima%20atomic%20bomb http://www.jcastle.info/castle/profile/44-hiroshima-castle http://www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp/shimin/heiwa/crane.html http://whc.uneceo.org/en/list/776 http://www.jnto.go.jp./eng/location/spot/shritemp/itsukushimajinja.html
Mission #3: Signal goes to California
Keaton, Hogan and Javy
September 4, 2014
We want to send our trackable Signal the Frog to California. We want him to see the state tree, bird, and the state reptile.
The state tree is the California Redwood. The Red Wood is the tallest growing tree. It can grow up to 350 feet. The Redwood can also live up to 1000 years! The Redwoods roots can grow up to 250 feet sideways, yet they only go 5-6 feet deep. The bark on the tree is about 1 foot deep!
The California state bird is the quail. The California quail became the official state bird in 1931. It is a widely distributed and prized game bird. It is known for its hardiness and adaptability. The bird has a plump gray color and is smaller than a pigeon. It has a curved black plume on the top of its head.
The California state reptile is the Desert Tortoise. California recognized the Desert Tortoise as the official state reptile in 1972. This tortoise lives in southern California to Nevada, western Arizona to northern Mexico. It spends 95% of its life in burrows that allow escape from the heat and cold. The Desert Tortoise population has decreased by 90% since the 1980’s because of vandalism, predation, disease, and collection for pets. One defense mechanism the tortoise has when it is in trouble is it will empty its bladder.
Sources:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/califorina/
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/california/CAstatereptile.html
Signal the Frog's Second Mission:
Signal the Frog is off to Ohio
By Johnny and Grant
I want Signal to go to Sunwatch Indian village in Dayton, Ohio. Fort ancient Indians were Ohio’s first farmers that ever made corn, beans, squash, and gardens. Sunwatch was built 800 years ago from Fort Ancient Indians. Fort Ancient Indians were alive in 1,000 and 1,650 AD. Fort Ancient Indians were very old. Their houses were made out of thatched roofs and wooden poles in the heart of the house. The houses were called bannerstones. The houses they had built were 20 to 30 feet long. Some artifacts from Sunwatch are early tools, shells, and remains of bones such as crawfish’s claws. The Sunwatch Indian village is very interesting.
While in Ohio, Signal might also like to see Cedar Point, which is a 364 acre amusement park. Cedar point opened in 1870. It is the second oldest amusement park in the United States. Each year Cedar point uses 1,800 gallons of paint in 872 different colors! Cedar point has more than 1.6 million led lights illuminating it! Cedar point guests drink 802,000 gallons of soft drinks a year!
Http://voices.yahoo.com/visitsunwatchindianvilliage.
https://www.cedarpoint.com
Signal the Frog's first mission was to see the Outback
By Jackson, Liam, Mason, Jack
We would like Signal the Frog to visit his cousins in Australia, which is home to more than 200 frog species including the giant barred frog and the endangered creek frog. During his visit, he could dive the Great Barrier Reef, which is home to many types of fish, 1500 to be exact. The reef is 800 miles long. That is almost the entire coast of Queensland. It is sometimes 15 kilometers off shore. It is 65 kilometers wide. But it makes sense because it is made up of 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands. There are more than 400 types of coral. Astronauts can see the reef from space. Whales, dolphins, and dugong can also be seen in the reef. The Great Barrier Reef is a popular tourist destination. More than 2 million people visit The Great Barrier every year.
Signal want's to visit Australia, where aborigines live. Most aborigines came from Asia more than 40,000 years ago. They lived by hunting and gathering. In the 18th century, there were 500 to 600 different groups of aborigines speaking about 200 different languages, at least 50 languages are now extinct.
One of the neighboring islands to Australia is Papua New Guinea. Over 75% of New Guinea is rain forest. It has one of the most diverse populations with over 700 hundred languages spoken. There is the colorful Huli tribe who live in the southern highlands of New Guinea. Huli use colorful clay to make body decorations. Young men of the Sepkik region take painful skin cutting on their backs to show a symbol of power.