ChillKids
December 2019
Fun Family Educational Resource of Chapel Hill • Carrboro • Durham • Hillsborough • NC Triangle
Holiday Fun
in North Carolina!
Reindeer Games
Magical Holidays at Biltmore House Meet the Dwarf Lemur Triplets Games & Puzzles at the Duke Lemur Center FREE!
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25ivterhsary
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chefsete,ra r O e v Li rew McA And ctor Condu
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25th
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STARS Dot-to-Dots: Follow the instructions above, then color in the picture. Can you guess what it will be? drop off site
The Triangle Youth Ballet is a 501 (c) 3 non-proÞt member of the NC Center for Non-ProÞts and Regional Dance America Southeast
ChillKids ChillKids is your LOCAL award-winning educational family resource magazine for parents, grandparents, children, and educators K-5th grade in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough/Orange County, Durham and the NC Triangle.
HAVE FUN READING & LEARNING with ChillKids, featuring award-winning educational puzzles and games. Educators can request FREE distribution for your K-5 classroom(s) by calling (919) 951-4410. Read the monthly online edition at www. ChillKids.com/news. The ChillKids family educational resource is supported by sponsors who share our mission to promote literacy and a love of learning in our local community. To learn more about supporting our 501(c) (3) non-profit literacy mission in partnership with the Newspaper in Education Initiative, call us at (919) 951-4410.
DIVISION SUDOKU
READ TOGETHER
Educational fun for the whole family!
DECEMBER PUZZLE ANSWERS 8
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ADDITION SQUARE ANSWER 3, 0, 2, 4, 7, 7, 6 COIN CAPER ANSWER: HQDDD, QQQQN COIN CLUE PUZZLE: Q N Q
Winter Fun Double Puzzle Unscrambled Clues (p. 15):
Snowman, Reindeer, Sledding, Mittens Puzzle Secret Message: Winter Wonderland
Reindeer Games
Crossword Puzzle (p. 4): Across 4. Cupid 7. Dancer 8. Prancer
Down 1. Blitzen 2. Comet 3. Rudolph 5. Donner 6. Vixen 7. Dasher
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ChillKids Chapel Hill/Carrboro/Hillsborough/ Orange & Durham Counties' Fun Family Educational Resource PUBLISHER/EDITOR Kate Look kate@ChillKids.com Cover Art: Cirodelia For Sponsorship Information, or to request (FREE!) K-5 distribution for your school, contact us at: (919) 951-4410 www.ChillKids.com/news ChillKids 1818 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, #210 Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Copyright © 2019 ChillKids. All rights reserved. No part of this issue may be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without permission of the publisher. Neither participating advertisers nor the publishers will be responsible or liable for misinformation, misprints or typographical errors. The publishers reserve the right to edit any submitted material. ChillKids is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, artwork, or other material. Children's art submissions should include name, address, telephone number, and permission to publish signed by a parent or guardian.
Welcome December! December is here, and there are so many fun annual traditions to enjoy in the North Carolina Triangle! Celebrate the winter solstice at the annual Lantern Walk on December 21st at the Riverwalk on the Eno in Hillsborough, NC. Enjoy performances at the North Carolina Symphony, the Festival of Lights at Hill Ridge Farms, and the Triangle Youth Ballet's performances of The Nutcracker. Visit Biltmore House in Asheville, NC (read all about it on pages 12 and 13) and see the beautiful holiday decorations and the new Downtown Abbey exhibit at Biltmore (through April 7, 2020.) December is a great time to look up at the starry night sky! Ask your parents to watch for the Geminid meteor shower ("shooting stars") the nights of December 13th to14th. Learn about the amazing aurora borealis -- Northern Lights -- with NASA Space Place on page 6. This month we'll learn about fat-tailed dwarf lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center, and how they live off the fat stored in their tails when they hibernate. Dwarf lemurs are the world's only hibernating primates who hibernate for long periods of time. Three baby dwarf lemurs were born at the Duke Lemur Center this summer! Read all about the fat-tailed dwarf lemurs on pages 10 and 11. Schedule a tour at the Duke Lemur Center to visit the many different kinds of amazing lemurs who live there! Since it's December, some reindeer have a lot of work to do, so they'll take a break from all of the reindeer games. We'll learn about reindeer (also called caribou) on page 4. Have fun completing the Reindeer Games crossword puzzle! Have a joyf ul De cembe r !
November 28 - December 29, 2019 7 nights a week
* Sun. - Thurs. 5pm - 9pm * Fri. - Sat. 5pm - 10pm Christmas Eve 5pm - 8pm 12/26 to 12/29 5pm - 9pm Christmas Day 5pm - 9pm
Come join us for a magical holiday celebration!
Enjoy an old fashioned covered wagon hayride and magical train ride through our beautiful light show! Covered Wagon Hayride Train Rides Old Fashioned Toy & Candy Store Bonfires Giant Slide Visit Santa nightly through Dec. 23rd Smores/Hot Chocolate/Apple Cider Great Food at our Chuckwagon Grill! Jumping Pillow Barrel Racers
hillridgefarms.com
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703 Tarboro Road, Youngsville, NC 27596
December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
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Let the Reindeer Games Begin!
Animal Kingdom
Santa's Reindeer Can you name all of Santa Claus' reindeer? They are memorialized in the poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" (commonly called "The Night Before Christmas") by Clement C. Moore: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. And of course, Rudolph leads the way! The classic Christmas song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" celebrates Santa's reindeer. You probably know all of the words!
Fill in the names of Santa's Reindeer in the boxes below.
Beautiful reindeer at the Minnesota Zoo. Image: Minnesota Zoo (MNZOO.org).
The holiday season has a familiar (furry-faced) festive friend, the reindeer, and whether you see them pulling Santa’s sleigh or grazing at the Minnesota Zoo (where all of the reindeer in these photos live), we can all agree they are very cool animals!
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Fun Facts About Reindeer Reindeer have a two-layer coat to keep them warm in the bitter cold winter – a guard coat made of straight, tubular hairs and a wooly undercoat.
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Both Male and female reindeer have antlers. Unlike many deer species, reindeer calves are born without spots. Born for speed, a reindeer calf can follow its mother within one hour of birth, and can outrun a human after only one day! A highly nomadic species, reindeer may travel 3,000 miles in a year, the longest documented movements of any terrestrial mammal. Reindeer primarily eat leaves, herbs, lichens, sedges (a grass-like plant) and fungi. During winter, reindeer use their hooves to paw through the snow to reach the vegetation hidden beneath. When walking, a tendon in the foot slips over a bone producing a clicking sound. Did you know that caribou and reindeer are classified as the same species, Rangifer tarandus? North American caribou have never been domesticated, while some Old World reindeer remain wild and others have been domesticated for centuries. Source: http://mnzoo.org/blog/reindeer-facts/
Reindeer games at the Minnesota Zoo! Image: Jeremiah Schuster, Minnesota Zoo
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By Jan Buckner Walker
The Original Crossword Puzzle for Kids and Their Favorite Adults
™
The across clues are for kids and the down clues are for grown-ups!
Kids Across
1. When the holiday season starts, wrapping paper is all over the gifts, but it ends up all over the _______ 4. Smile!: With one click, a ____ captures the smiles of the holiday 9. A stuffed _____ is a pet you will never have to feed 10. According to the Christmas carol, it's the kind of tree in which you might find a partridge 12. These fall from a tree full of needles and look like little trees: ____ cones 14. Here's a homonym for the holidays: A ___ is a popular Christmas tree which sounds like a bear's coat 15. What a kid writes out to tell Santa what she wants (but Santa makes one and he checks it twice) 16. A song of the season: "The ____ Days of Christmas" celebrates the joy of giving 17. Love is a gift you can give for ____
20. What people will shout at midnight when the year ends when the confetti falls: "Happy ____ Year!" 21. Remember, big things can come in ____ packages 23. A person's hope for the holidays (or what you make when you blow out the candles on a birthday cake) 24. To wind Christmas lights around a tree (or what unwinds as you fly a kite)
8. 11.
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Parents Down 2. On a final note: It's the last word of "Deck the Halls" 3. Paper slip you'll want to hold on to in case that gift doesn't work for you 4. Writing with wax: What a preschooler might use to put his name on a gift tag 5. Holiday cheer delivered by a postal worker 6. Label that promises that the gift will fit: One size fits ____ 7. If you don't pick a 12A tree,
16. 18. 19.
22.
you might choose this "blue" Christmas tree variety (or, when followed by "up," to deck out a home for a holiday party) Handle with care: Easily broken, like a precious ornament 'Tis the season for patience: Winding formations that emerge in front of cash registers everywhere "Animal" name for a random gift exchange which promises inexpensive holiday fun: white ____ Santa's North Pole inventory, mostly Deep fried question: What if the fifth day of Christmas brought five golden onion ___? A ____ globe is a kitschy gift that bestows the power to control the weather year round. It's a goofy present that brings laughter to the holiday kris@kapd.com season: a ___ gift
Happy Holly Days
™
Solution on page 2.
KAPD ebooks now available on www.kapd.com
© 2015 KAPD, LLC
12/20/15
THE ANIMAL HOSPITAL December Word Find N W E N T S Z G X H F M H A W T
B H T O I E K X P Z E V W S S Y
I D A I Z A L L B B S T V H M B
L Z Q T H R O L P K T N I E R N
T H E A X D W U A V I H O V A U
DWARF LEMUR TRIPLETS HIBERNATION SOLSTICE WINTER
M K K N U O Q W K B V O U I F T
O D U R H A M P A R A D E L E C
R U M E L F R A W D L Y L L G R
E V Q B Y D O C F L O T W E D A
H O L I D A Y F U N F E S T I C
DURHAM PARADE HOLIDAY FUN FEST TYB NUTCRACKER BALLET RUDOLPH
I C M H F L D V A R L F B L R K
R E I N D E E R I E I R B Y L E
E C I T S L O S P T G N O G L R
T R I P L E T S Y N H L A Q I D
O W V K O R L P H I T J H R H Y
Y J D Q L Y Q X E W S R Q O W F
ASHEVILLE BILTMORE HILL RIDGE FARMS FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS REINDEER
Highest quality veterinarian services, using state of the art technology & techniques * Dog boarding * Cat boarding * Luxury cat condos * Dog self-wash service
North Carolina’s best small animal practice, serving the community since 1974!
112 West Main St. Carrboro, NC 27510
Happy Holidays!
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December AU 2019 D I E N C E www.ChillKids.com/news O RC H E S T R A BALLET CHILDREN CHRISTMAS CLARA DA N C I N G
PERFORMANCE PRESENT ENCHANTED PRINCE FRITZ S N OW Q U E E N H O L I DAY S TAG E
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Dancing Lights Mystified Ancestors Like draperies, shimmering curving sheets of green, red and blue light (sometimes mixed with pinks, purples, and yellow) ripple across the night sky. The stars shine in the background. Sometimes the sheets of light wave slowly and gracefully. Other times they shimmer or flicker as if being shaken. These are the aurora borealis, or northern lights. The auroras occur when fast-moving particles from the Sun collide with atoms and molecules of air in Earth's atmosphere. This event usually happens only near Earth's North Pole or South Pole (where they are called the aurora australis, or southern lights), due to the shape of Earth's magnetic field. Now we understand the auroras and what causes them. But this was not always so.
Chapel Hill Pediatrics
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Walk in Availability: Chapel Hill Office: 7:15 – 7:50 am and 1-7 pm M-F, 9 am - 2 pm Sat - Sun Durham Office: 7:15 – 7:50 am M-F
The aurora borealis shines and shimmers above Bear Lake, Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. (Photographer: Joshua Strang.) What would you feel if you saw this in the sky and didn't know what it was? Imagine what people 1000 years ago must have thought about the auroras. These strange, moving lights were frightening. Some people even thought they heard sounds from the lights -- crackling or swishing. However, sounds have never been recorded and may have been imagined. In ancient times, the Vikings, the Eskimos, many Native Americans and other peoples in far-north places saw the auroras. They had lots of different explanations. The moving lights were ghosts of maidens, loved ones, warriors and dancers. Dancing was often part of the story. In a Danish legend, a flock of swans flew too far north and were caught in the ice. Each flap of their wings was reflected in the sky as the northern lights. Many people saw the lights as a threat and would quickly gather their children and bring them inside. Others saw the lights as a sign from the creator that they were loved. We can still be awed by the beauty of the northern lights, even though we know what causes them. Perhaps we can appreicate them even more. Explore more fascinating folklore about nature and weather from people around the world by visiting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s SciJinks website for kids, https://scijinks.gov. SciJinks is all about having fun with Earth weather, space weather and even weather on other planets. There are games, animations, videos, lots of awesome images and easy-to-understand explanations of many other mysterious things. SciJinks is another creation by NASA Space Place. Visit NASA Space Place at https:// spaceplace.nasa.gov. This article was written by Diane K. Fisher and provided by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
919-942-4173 Open daily including weekends and holidays. Serving you in 2 locations: Chapel Hill: 205 Sage Road, Suite 100 Durham: 249 East NC Hwy 54, Suite 230
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Hidden Picture Puzzles by Liz How many hidden items can you find?
December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
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December Maze
5 Rules for Energy Safety
Sled your way through the maze to the finish line. Have fun sledding at the Durham Holiday Fun Fest on December 14th!
1. Always ask a grown-up for help when you need to use something that uses electricity.
Visit dprplaymore.org for more info.
2. Don’t yank or pull cords from a wall. Pulling cords can damage the outlet, the appliance or the plug. START
3. Ask a grown-up to put safety caps on all unused electrical outlets. This can also help save energy by stopping drafts. 4. Keep electrical stuff away from water. Water and electricity don’t mix. Most electrical accidents in the home happen when people use electricity near water. 5. Never touch or go near any kind of power line! Stay away from power lines that have fallen down. Never climb an electric tower or pole, or any tree that is near electric lines.
Piedmont Electric
FINISH
Membership Corporation A Touchstone Energy Cooperative TM
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TM
Follow the instructions above, then color in the picture. (Hint: Read all about it on page 4!) We love to publish your original art work, letters, poems and stories! Ask your parent/guardian to send or email your original art, along with their signed permission to publish, to Chill Kids at the Chapel Hill mailing address on page 3.
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Sunday
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Triangle Youth Ballet The Nutcracker
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Wednesday Thursday
Saturday
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Durham 14 Holiday Parade
Ages 3 – 6 Mondays & Tuesdays 10:30 am – 11:00 am and 3:30 pm - 4 pm Chapel Hill Public Library
triangleyouthballet.org
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Story Time
Moon
Ages 3 – 6 Mondays & Tuesdays 10:30 am – 11:00 am ALSO Tuesdays 3:30 pm - 4 pm Chapel Hill Public Library
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Story Time
4:00 pm East Chapel Hill High School
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Geminids Meteor Shower Peak between midnight & dawn
Dec. 13 Dec. 14, 2019
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Brothers Day
& Fun Fest (p. 8)
Triangle Youth Ballet The Nutcracker
2:00 pm & 7:00 pm Carolina Theatre, Durham triangleyouthballet.org
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The first powered human flight by Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903.
Solstice Celebration Lantern Walk
Hillsborough, NC Riverwalk Trail Entrance 5:45 pm
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Christmas Day
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December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
HillsboroughArtsCouncil.org/ solstice
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Fat-Tailed Lemur Triplets Born at the Duke Lemur Center Meet some of the newest members of the Duke Lemur Center family: fat-tailed dwarf lemur triplets, named Elephant Bird, Albatross, and Bustard (all boys)! This tiny trio was born on June 25, 2019 to parents Emu and Kookaburra. (All of the Duke Lemur Center’s dwarf lemurs are named after birds, and the newest dwarf lemur arrivals are no exception!) Their mother, Emu, has been very attentive to her babies. The week they were born, she spent most of her time grooming or nursing her newborns. She also made great use of the nesting materials provided by her keeper, and constructed TWO comfy nests for her little ones. Emu did a good job feeding her babies, and they gained weight at a faster-than-average rate for dwarf lemur triplets. The triplets were seen eating solid food for the first time on July 9. That same week, they were spotted venturing out of their nest box for the first time. By midJuly, all three were curiously climbing around their newly-enlarged enclosure, exploring branches, the ceiling, shelves, and their tunnel. It's so exciting to watch them as they continue to grow and mature!
Fat-tailed dwarf lemur triplets Elephant Bird, Albatross, and Emu (born at the Duke Lemur Center in June) are growing so quickly! Images: Duke Lemur Center.
Dwarf lemurs are the world’s only hibernating primates! Like all of the other kinds of lemurs, fat-tailed dwarf lemurs are native to Madagascar. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is the only primate in the world known to hibernate for an extended period of time – up to seven months! Before hibernating, dwarf lemurs begin accumulating fat in their tails by gorging (eating a lot of food) during the wet season in Madagascar, when fruits and flowers are more abundant, in preparation for the dry season when food is more scarce. During this time of gorging (eating lots of food), dwarf lemurs’ tails can almost double, reaching up to 40% of the lemurs’ total body weight! (This is why they are called "fat-tailed" dwarf lemurs.) They then enter a state of hibernation, living off of the fat stored in their tails. Duke Lemur Center research scientists have travelled to the rainforests of Madagascar’s high plateau, as part of their ongoing research project on hibernation in dwarf lemurs. You can learn more about their expedition – and see lots of great pictures, too – in their blog post, “Studying Dwarf Lemur Hibernation: A research expedition to Madagascar” at www. lemur.duke.edu.
Dwarf Lemur Fun Facts Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs survive long periods of food shortage by storing fat in their tails!
Diet: fruit, flowers (nectar), and occasional insects and small vertebrates
Adult size: 0.4 – 0.6 pounds
Duke Lemur Center naming theme for fat-tailed dwarf lemurs: Birds (Woodcock, Waxwing, Hummingbird, etc.)
Social life: Solitary forager, strictly nocturnal, sleeps in groups of up to 5 individuals Habitat: Western dry deciduous forests in Madagascar
Lifespan: over 20 years in captivity
Malagasy name: Matavirambo, Kely Behohy, Tsidihy (Malagasy means relating to Madagascar or its people or language.)
Source: https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/fat-tailed-dwarf-lemur/
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All About Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemurs The species of fat-tailed dwarf lemur found at the Duke Lemur Center, Cheirogaleus medius, is native to the dry deciduous forests of western and southern Madagascar. Fat-tailed dwarf lemurs are nocturnal (they sleep during the day and are active at night). They make their sleeping nests in hollow trees, whose cavities have been cushioned with leaves. Otherwise, the nests are spherical nests made of dead leaves concealed in heavy undergrowth. Dwarf lemurs forage (seeking food) in solitude at night. During the day they sleep snuggled together, in packs of up to five to a tree hole. The composition of these sleeping groups changes seasonally, and sometimes they choose to sleep alone.
Hibernation begins as early as March in Madagascar, when the dwarf lemurs retreat to shelters such as those offered by hollow tree trunks. They sometimes do not emerge until the beginning of the wet, hot season in November. Up to five animals may be found huddled together during this period. To prevent obesity in the captive dwarf lemurs during their torpor period, the Duke Lemur Center has established a “winter diet” and a “summer diet.” The winter diet is initiated in early to midSeptember, with a gradual decrease Images: Duke Lemur Center
Diet & Hibernation Typically solitary foragers, dwarf lemurs have a diverse diet consisting mostly of fruit and flower nectar. They sometimes also eat insects and small vertebrates. Dwarf lemurs may be responsible for pollinating some species of baobab trees in Madagascar. In addition, they play an important role in the ecology of the tropical forest by aiding in the dispersal of small seeds from the fruits and plants they eat. The fat-tailed dwarf lemur is the only primate in the world known to hibernate for an extended period of time. Before hibernating, dwarf lemurs begin accumulating fat in their tails by gorging on food (fruits and flowers) during the wet season (when fruits and flowers are more abundant) in preparation for the Madagascar’s dry season when its diet of fruits and flowers is more scarce. During their period of gorging, dwarf lemurs’ tails can reach up to 40% of the lemurs’ total body weight. They then enter a state of hibernation, living off of the fat stored in their tails. In the winter months when dwarf lemurs enter a state of hibernation, they experience a slow-down in their metabolic rates, decreased heart rate and body temperature, and show a marked decrease in activity and appetite which may last for up to seven months. During torpor, a fat-tailed dwarf lemur’s heart rate drops from about 180 beats per minute to as low as four beats per minute, and its breathing rate slows to just one breath every 10-15 minutes. Its body temperature drops, too, and becomes driven by the ambient temperature of the environment. It is during this period that dwarf lemurs live off of fat stored in their tails.
in rations fed to the animals. Starting in mid-March the diet is then increased gradually, reaching the full summer diet amount. Without the reduced rations of the winter months, the dwarf lemurs would continue to consume any and all food provided, which, coupled with a greatly reduced rate of metabolism, could result in extreme obesity!
Schedule a tour to see these amazing fat-tailed dwarf lemurs, and many more kinds of lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center! Fat-Tailed Dwarf Lemurs . . . & Human Space Travel?
Conservation Status As with all lemurs of Madagascar, habitat destruction increasingly threatens their survival. Primary threats to fat-tailed dwarf lemurs' habitat include slash-and-burn agriculture, charcoal production, and brushfires. Source: https://lemur.
duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/fattailed-dwarf-lemur/
The fat-tailed dwarf lemur prepares for its long hibernation by gorging on food (eating lots of food!) and storing the majority of its fat reserves in its tail, doubling its body weight! After hibernation, it emerges, with a slender tail and ready for warmer weather. (See images at right; the Ted Ed Youtube video link is below.)
Since dwarf lemurs are the world's only hibernating primates known to hibernate for an extended period of time, and humans are primates, scientists hope to learn from dwarf lemurs (with non-invasive observational studies) about hibernation, to possibly be able to create a hibernation-like state in humans for medical treatment of some kinds of brain injuries, as well as for future human space exploration to far away planets in the future. To learn more about fat-tailed dwarf lemur hibernation, and scientists' efforts to discover if humans could actually hibernate in real life (not just in science fiction movies) watch the Ted Ed Youtube video "How does hibernation work?" at https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=xptpXSTtgSY
Before Hibernation
After Hibernation
December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
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North Carolina Treasures
Biltmore Estate
An Amazing Treasure in Asheville, North Carolina
Biltmore House is a mansion that was built in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina, by George Washington Vanderbilt II from 1889 through 1895. Biltmore House is the largest privately-owned home in the United States. It has 250 rooms, 135,000 square feet.
Biltmore House Fun Facts Did you know? The Biltmore House has:
In the 1880s, George Vanderbilt began to make regular visits to the mountains in Asheville with his mother for his mother's health. He loved the Blue Ridge Mountains setting and the climate so much that he decided to build his own home in Asheville. Before beginning the design and construction of his home, George Vanderbilt traveled to Europe along with famous New York architect Richard Morris Hunt, to visit some of the castles there for ideas and inspiration in planning the home he wanted to build in Asheville. (Richard Morris Hunt had designed houses for other Vanderbilt family members before Biltmore House was built.) George Vanderbilt decided to build a château (a château is a castle or country home) like those he had visited in Europe, in the French Renaissance style. He employed architect Richard Morris Hunt to design Biltmore House. He also employed a famous landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted, to design the gardens and landscape, preserving the forests and mountain views surrounding Biltmore Estate. Frederick Law Olmsted also was the landscape architect who designed New York City's Central Park. Biltmore House took five years to build, and it was completed in 1895. Along with the Biltmore House, the estate also included its own village named "Biltmore Village" (which you can still visit today), and a church known as the "Cathedral of All Souls" (where George's only child, his daughter Cornelia, was married.) The Vanderbilt family established a forestry school and farming operations on the Estate. Now they also have a vineyard on Biltmore Estate at Antler Hill Village, which was once the center of farming and social life for the many employees who worked at Biltmore Estate.
- Its own bowling alley, with bowling pins that had to be retrieved and set back up in place by hand before each round of bowling. George's daughter Cornelia and her husband Cecil later opened Biltmore House to the public in March 1930. Family members continued to live there until 1956, when it was permanently opened to the public as a museum. Biltmore Estate is still owned and managed by George Vanderbilt's descendants.
- A 70,000 gallon indoor swimming pool, quite an engineering feat! - Electricity, running water and plumbing, and forced-air heating, all of which were rare at the time.
Visitors from all over the world travel to Asheville, NC to tour the Biltmore and marvel at its 70,000-gallon indoor swimming pool, private bowling alley, and two-store library. The rooms are filled with priceless artwork, paintings, tapestries, a ceiling mural, furniture, and other treasures.
- Electric freight elevators and passenger elevators, and refrigeration rooms.
The estate today covers approximately 8,000 acres, including 5 acres of formal gardens, a winery and a 200-room hotel on the estate.
- Dumb-waiters, centrally-controlled clocks, fire alarms, and an intercom call system.
In addition to tours of Biltmore House, Biltmore Estate also offers an outdoor adventure center, barns, horseback riding, vineyard, concerts, shops, museums shops, restaurants, and extensive gardens. Biltmore Estate remains a major tourist attraction in Western North Carolina and has over 1 million visitors each year. In 1964, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.
- Biltmore House has 43 bathrooms; many of them have tubs or showers. - The Library has more than 10,000 books. - The Library also is where Napoleon's chess set is on display. (The chess set was a gift to George Vanderbilt on his 21st birthday.)
All photos courtesy of Biltmore Estate.
12 www.ChillKids.com/news December 2019
Magical Holidays at Biltmore House When George Vanderbilt opened his home to family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895, so began a tradition at Biltmore House that is carried on to this day. Known for its monumental scale of traditional holiday décor and dazzling lights, this year Biltmore’s annual Christmas celebration will offer more than ever before. A yuletide feast for the senses, Christmas at Biltmore begins Nov. 1, 2019. Beginning Nov. 8, the estate will welcome Downton Abbey: The Exhibition, an immersive experience that celebrates the global hit television series and new feature film. (Downton Abbey: The Exhibition will run through April 7, 2020. ) Biltmore House aglow with five dozen Christmas trees Running through Jan. 5, 2020, Biltmore’s holiday celebration provides guests with a completely immersive experience. The wonders of Biltmore House—masterpieces of art, architecture, and Vanderbilt family treasures—are enhanced with more than 50 hand-decorated trees along with hundreds of poinsettias and garlands. Biltmore House interiors will shine with the sparkle of more than 50 hand-decorated Christmas trees, ribbons and garlands measured by the mile, and thousands of lights. A majestic 35-foot Fraser fir in the Banquet Hall is the home’s holiday centerpiece. For the first time, hand-decorated Christmas trees will be displayed on the balcony that wraps around the home’s two-story Library. Candlelight Christmas Evenings During Candlelight Christmas Evenings, candlelight, firelight, and live music create a magical environment that elevates seasonal celebrations inside Biltmore House. A 55-foot Norway Spruce on the home’s front lawn lit with 55,000 lights greets guests as they arrive to enter Biltmore House. The warm welcome continues at Antler Hill Village & Winery with a constellation of holiday lights leading to the Winery and estate restaurants. A towering tree of lights illuminates the Village Green, with a sea of lighted grapevine spheres nestled in the landscaping. Lights cascading from the trees that surround the bonfire area near Antler Hill Barn offer a magical touch. From fireplace mantels draped with evergreens to towering trees festooned with lights, Candlelight Christmas Evenings provide a warm welcome on a frosty night. By reservation only, these evenings in Biltmore House have become a cherished holiday tradition for many who enjoy a uniquely different view of holiday lights and live music. Candlelight Christmas Evenings are offered Nov. 1 through Jan. 4. For tickets, reservations, and more information about Christmas at Biltmore, visit Biltmore.com/visit.
December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
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Math-A-Muse
Look for Math-A-Muse Answers on page 2.
By Evelyn B. Christensen, Ed.D.
16 ÷ 4 40 ÷ 8
27 ÷ 3
28 ÷ 7 64 ÷ 8
18 ÷ 3 36 ÷ 9 24 ÷ 3 30 ÷ 6
56 ÷ 8
35 ÷ 7
49 ÷ 7
24 ÷ 6
72 ÷ 9
20 ÷ 4
2 1
2
and 60¢. 2. The line is symmetric. 3. The first coin is worth more than the second coin.
7
1 2
Use the clues to put the coins in order.
45 ÷ 9 16 ÷ 2
1. The value of the line is between 51¢
42 ÷ 6
1 3
16
Festival of Lights: Animals Light the Way Join in the Holiday Fun at these local Festivals of Light!
The San Diego Zoo has a special way of celebrating the holiday season. Every year they decorate the zoo with a festival of lights called "Jungle Bells." Visitors marvel at the zoo animal figures lit up in brighly colored lights like the ones shown here.
In the North Carolina Triangle, for a breathtaking Festival of Lights and festivities visit Hill Ridge Farms (http:// www.hillridgefarms.com/festival.php) (read more about the Hill Ridge Farms Festival of Lights on p. 3). Also visit the Tanglewood Park Festival of Lights in Winston-Salem for a merry display of holiday lights (http://www. forsyth.cc/Parks/Tanglewood/fol/). San Diego Zoo festival of lights. Photos: Terry Ambrose.
Giraffe in lights at the San Diego Zoo "Jungle Bells." Photo: Terry Ambrose.
14 www.ChillKids.com/news December 2019
DECEMBER 2019 Flick Picks Jumanji: The Next Level
In Theaters: December 13, 2019
In Jumanji: The Next Level, the gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to Jumanji to rescue one of their own, they discover that nothing is as they expect.
In Theaters: December 25, 2019
Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is … not. But what Walter lacks in social skills he makes up for in smarts and invention, creating the awesome gadgets Lance uses on his epic missions.
The players will have to brave parts unknown and unexplored, from arid deserts to snowy mountains, in order to escape the world’s most dangerous game.
When events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo are forced to team up together for the ultimate mission, which will require transforming Lance into an almost impossible disguise: a pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril.
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas, Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Ser'Darius Blain, Madison Iseman, with Danny Glover and Danny DeVito. Rated PG-13 for adventure action, comedic suggestive content and some language. (1 hr. 54 min.) Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures.
Spies in Disguise
Rated PG for action, and some rude humor. 20th Century Fox, Blue Sky Studios.
Playmobile: The Movie
Star Wars: The Rise of Luke Skywalker
In Theaters: December 6, 2019
In Theaters: December 20, 2019
In Playmobile’s® animated action adventure, Playmobile: The Movie, a top secret organization has caused citizens from different lands to vanish from thin air. The dashing and charismatic secret agent Rex Dasher (voiced by Daniel Radcliffe) must partner with smooth-talking food truck driver Del (Jim Gaffigan) and Marla (Anya TaylorJoy) a smart, savvy civilian with her own secret agenda, to rescue them. Against unthinkable odds, the trio go on a fantastic journey across stunning new worlds as they gather clues for their rescue mission.
The surviving Resistance faces the First Order once more in the final chapter of the Skywalker saga. Rey a scavenger toughened by life in Jakku’s harsh deserts, has been drawn into a galaxyspanning conflict and learned that her life is being shaped by the mysterious power of the Force. She seeks out Luke Skywalker, the lost Jedi Master, in hopes that he will aid the Resistance against the First Order and help her control her growing powers. But when that quest ends in disappointment, Rey must find a new way forward. Rated PG. 2 hr. 35 min. Lucasfilm, Bad Robot, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Rated PG (for adventure action and themes. (1 hr. 39 min.) DMG Entertainment, ON Animation Studios.
WINTER FUN DOUBLE PUZZLE 1. Unscramble each of the clue words. (Hint: Clue words match the winter images pictured.) 2. Copy the letters in the numbered boxes to the boxes with the matching numbers.
NAWSMON RENREDIE DGDILNES TIMTNSE
7
11
1
3
12 5
2
4
15
13
9
8
10
6
14 1
2
3
4
5
6
1
7
8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
December 2019 www.ChillKids.com/news
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During this busy time of year take a moment and start a new tradition of reading aloud 15 minutes every day.
Learn more at
ReadAloud.org