Monday, November 2, 2009

Results for Halloween

Congratulations Jose & Natnael














You guys won the competition and the funniest
photo for the Halloween Version of
Hometown Discoveries!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Halloween Edition Answers 2009

Clue #1 It’s a Wrap!
Don’t be too loud with this first clue; you don’t want to wake the dead!
Head to the Origins of Western Culture in the Natural History Museum and you will find a gift that was given to the museum by Minister Cox.

This gift is over 2,200 years old and comes from the country of TEPYG. (unscramble)

What is the country? _________________

It usually resides in a tomb NOT in a museum. What is the purpose of a tomb for this gift?

A) To keep the dead warm under the cold sands.
B) To protect and sustain the deceased’s spirit in the next world.
C) To mark where treasure is for archeologists.

Remember to get a photo of both of you in front of Minister Cox’s gift signing the answer to the question.







Clue #2 Talking Bones!

Have you ever listened to what a skeleton might tell you? Maybe you will this Halloween!
Where should you go in the Natural History Museum if you wanted to “read” a story from someone’s skeleton?

Once you are there, find Forensic File #1.
“Forensic” means to deal with facts in order to understand what has happened.

So what facts were anthropologists able to find out about this person just by investigating the skeleton?

Age:____________
Sex:_____________
Height:__________

They were also able to figure out what happened to this person. What happened?

D) The person was shot and then buried.
E) The person died of cancer and died in the woods alone.
F) The person was stabbed to death and then burned.

Get a photo of both of you in front of this skeleton signing the correct answer.









Bonus: Forensic Anthropology Lab

Be afraid…you are about to handle an actual skeleton!
Head to the Forensic Anthropology Lab in the same section as the answer to clue #2 of the Natural History Museum and complete these three video challenges. (This opens at 11AM)


Bonus Video #1
Shoot a short video in which you show and explain how you were able to figure out the gender of the skeleton. We want to see the skeleton in the video! (25 pts)



Bonus Video #2 Shoot a short video in which you show and explain how you were able to figure out the stature of the skeleton. We want to see the skeleton in the video! (25 pts)



Bonus Video #3 Speed assembly! Head to the floor and film your partner putting together a plastic skeleton as fast as possible. All bones must start in the bin. Give us the thumbs up when you are done! (25 points)









Clue #3 Korean Fidelity

On Halloween we wear costumes that sometimes have hidden meanings. This clue deals with the hidden meanings of wedding dresses.
Head to the Korean Gallery of the Natural History Museum and find the animal that is incorporated into the dress of a wedding party. This animal means that the couple will mate for life and have fidelity or loyalty towards each other. What animal symbolizes marriage in Korea?
G) Ostrich
H) Duck
I) Goldfish

Get a picture of both of you in front of this outfit signing your answer.







Clue #4 Spooky Sonar!

Watch out! You are about to encounter the spookiest Halloween animal yet! Don’t get bitten!!!!!!
Head to the Hall of Mammals and in the Natural History Museum find the 2nd largest group of living mammals that usually fly around on Halloween night!

You must find:
Pteropus Alecto

Here is a riddle that might help you:
Some are known as vampires and others stick to fruit but all of them like baseball because it can’t be played without them.

Get a picture of both of you with this mammal acting like you are scared of it. The Pteropus Alecto must be clearly visible.







Clue #5 Halloween Island
On Halloween we are welcoming the spirits of the past back to Earth. These spirits would be our ancestors, the ones who came and went before us.
Head to the spooky basement of the Natural History Museum but beware of the ancestors you will find there.

Look for the giant Moai who are “ancestors who brought benefits to their living descendants.” What did the people of this Island put in their eyes to bring them alive?

K) Burning pieces of Coal
L) White Coral and Red Scoria Rock
M) Pigeon eggs that would hatch and fly away

Take a picture of both of you standing in front of the Moai signing the correct answer.







Clue#6 Japanese Halloween

Many traditions with Halloween are connected to driving out evil spirits. But the Japanese have another connection with the original Samhain. What is it?
Head to the Freer Gallery of Art and find
The ritual mask from the Edo period (F1905.314)
in gallery # (650-578)/9 = ___

When would this mask be used to perform exorcisms?
N) At the Winter Solstice
O) At the Beginning of Spring festival
P) The night before the New Year celebration

Take a photo of both of you signing the answer in front of this ritual mask.








Clue #7 Magical Animals
In the original Halloween, the Celts wore costumes with animal heads to tell fortunes. Check out this magical animal and find out its powers!

Head to the Freer Gallery of Art and find gallery # (127-99)/2 = _________

Find the creature that has wings, is part lion and part unicorn.
What is it called and what does it do?

Q) A Bartjok and it helps grow food.
R) A Chimera and it averts and protects from evil
S) A Demoktos and it spreads healing power to all.

Take a photo with both of you in front of this magical creature signing the answer.








Clue #8 Spectral Security
Protecting the tombs of ancestors was important to the Chinese and that is why they tried to scare off evil spirits much like the Celts had to protect their crops from the spirits on Halloween.

Head to the underground lair known as the Sackler Gallery of Art to find the Arts of 6 Dynasties and Tang in China.

Find the piece of artwork that best fits 4 of the 5 descriptions below.
Which description does not fit?
T) Grimacing Human and Bestial Face
U) Most Admired Object from the Tang in China
V) Blood Sucking Fangs
W) Flaming Mane
X) Wards off Evil Forces

Take a photo of your team in front of this piece of artwork signing the answer that does not fit.









Clue #9 Animal Undertakers

The Celts wore animal costumes to tell the future but in parts of Africa animals also symbolized life and death.
Head to the African Art Museum to take in the animal exhibit but beware, some animals are not what they seem to be!!!!

What animal is actually a coffin? _______________
Now read about this animal and how this animal has been used in “masquerades.” This animal is also a symbol of the cycle of life and death and longevity (meaning to live a long life).
What country believes that this animal is a metaphor for Change? __________________________________________________
Now find two Face Masks from this country right next to each other. One from the Wee people and one from the Baule people. Take a photo of both of you looking through these masks.
There is your Halloween Costume with a mask finally!








Clue # 10 Final Resting Place

Halloween was combined with Roman holidays to remember the passing of the dead. Now we must pay tribute to a very important person who is no longer with us.
Head to the Smithsonian Castle to find out who is buried here. That is right! Someone is actually buried inside the Smithsonian Castle. To find him you must go to the Crypt which means a burial place. Who is it?
X) George Washington our 1st President
Y) James Smithson founder of the Smithsonian Institution
Z) Wilbur Wright who was the first American to fly

Snap a photo of both of you signing the answer in front of the tombstone which shows his face (profile).

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Clue Sheet for Special Halloween Edition

Here is the Clues Sheet from today's Halloween edition of Hometown Discoveries.

HD Halloween Clues

Sunday, October 4, 2009

October 2009 Results

Congratulations are in order for Natnael and Michael for taking home the first win of the 2009-2010 school year. Keep it up!

1st Place










This month's funniest photo goes to Jose, Marck and Carron. They will compete next month for free!











1st Place

Natnael & Michael 1075 points

2nd Place
Avril, Ashley & Carolyn 1075 points

3rd Place
Jose,Marck & Carron 975 points

4th Place
Curtis & Cameron 920 Points

5th Place
Eugene & Marques 875 Points

6th Place
Amira, Katoya & Nakia 860 points

7th Place
Emani & Emmanuel 650 Points

8th Place
Malik & Chris 550 Points

9th Place
Asha, Ariel & William 550 Points

Here is what we learned!

October 2009 Answers

Clue #1 Look up in the sky!
Maybe this “New Cat” won’t be so high in the sky but along the Asian Trail it definitely can help make for an overcast day.

Find the Neofelis nebulosa to get the picture.
If Neofelis means “New Cat” what does nebulosa mean?

Sign your answer in front of this “New Cat”
A) Furry
B) Rain
C) Clouded
Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal signing the answer.








Clue #2 Who gives a hoot?

Who is a cinicularia?
Who is Athena’s pet?
Who lives in the Bird House and fits this description?
Who, Who, Who could it be?

Sign your answer in front of the animal that fits the description above.
D) Owl
E) Toucan
F) Kiwi
Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal signing the answer.







Clue #3 Hanging Around

Head to the Small Mammal House to find the prehensilis animal that has spikes or quills as a defense. It also can hang out with its tail. Did you know that a prehensile tale means that the animal can grab things with the tail? But this only happens on one continent of the world.
Which continent would you find animals with prehensile tails?
G) Australia
H) Africa
i) South America
Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal signing the answer.








Clue #4 No Leather Here

There are lots of animals in the Reptile Discovery Center that can be used for leather but why not the Paleoschus palpebrosus?

It is an Osteoderm. This word is made up of Osteo which is Greek for Bone and derm which is Greek for Skin.

So why would people avoid making leather out of an osteoderm?

Find the reason and shoot a short video in which one of you acts like an investigative reporter explaining why there are no belts or shoes made of the Paleoschus palpebrosus.

Make sure you show the animal and record you touching the Osteoderm skin.


Clue #5 Skeletal Remains

Head to the Invertebrate area to find a model of a human with an exoskeleton –How is that possible?
Humans don’t have exoskeletons!

Or can they?

This model is in the right place but make sure that you are pointing to the right model with the exoskeleton.

So what does exo- mean?
J) Under
K) Inner
L) Outer

Remember that your whole team needs to be pointing to the right model and signing the answer.







Clue # 6 Great Primates

Scientific names are developed to be specific and the names are usually in Greek or Latin. Sometimes the scientific name is the same name we call the animal but usually it isn’t.

For example, we are usually called Humans but our scientific name is Homo sapiens…but the great Bison of the west have an interesting scientific name, it is Bison bison. So Howard University’s mascot has a scientific name that we can understand.

So here is the challenge…find the GREAT PRIMATE that has a scientific name we can easily understand 3 times!

Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal in the photo.








Clue #7 Time to Think

Head to the Think Tank to find out how Scientists are trying to find out how animals think. They are researching brains of all sizes…but sometimes the relative brain size may surprise you. Does the size of the Balaenoptera physalus surprise you?

Well first you have to know that this scientific name is part of the Balene family. If you knew your Latin or ancient Greek you would already know what type of animal you’re looking for.

Do you think the Balaenoptera physalus brain should be…. larger or smaller? (Circle one)

What types of animals are in the Balene family?
M) Elephants
N) Bats
O) Tigers
P) Whales

Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this brain and signing the answer.







Clue # 8 A Day on the Farm

Head to the Kid’s Farm and find an animal that fits into the Equus family. The Equus family can be mixed up with many different types of animals that are similar. Since the family can have a mixture of different animals…you must unscramble the animal’s name.

Unscramble this name: HLSAF
Now figure out which types of animals the Equus family is most like:
Q) Rabbits
R) Horses
S) Cows
Get a picture of your team signing the answer in front of this animal.










BONUS: 45 extra points if you are actually petting this animal.







Clue #9 Between Two Worlds

Head to Amazonia and find the animal in the Science Gallery that fits this description:

Looks like a worm but it has a backbone
Looks like an eel but it’s not a fish.
It lives in water but can breathe on land.
In Greek it would be part of the class of animals that
are "living two lives."

What is the Greek word that means to “Live two lives” and is the type of animal that this one is?
T) Amphibians
U) Reptiles
V) Mammals
Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal signing the answer in the photo.









Clue #10 Join the Pack
On the Valley Trail you’ll find a howler who looks after her pups and shares a tooth with you! Did you know that you have a canine tooth? How did you get that you are not in the Canis family?
What animals make up the Canis family?
W) Beavers & Otters
X) Seals & Sea Lions
Y) Wolves & Dogs
Remember that your whole team needs to be in front of this animal signing the answer in the photo.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Scavenger Hunt Sheet for October 2009

Here is the handout from today's Hometown Discoveries Competition. The answers will be posted tomorrow.
Oct 309 Clues

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Results for June 6th

What an upset! After an entire year of winning Natnael came in 2nd place to our winning team of Jose, Rose & Carron Here are the funny photos from Saturday's last competition of the year. Good luck to all teams for the last round of voting.

Funniest Photo



















Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Hometown Discoveries in the News!

Check out the coverage we gained this year in the Northwest Current. This article was published on April 1st 2009. Enjoy!
09

Sunday, March 29, 2009

March Scoreboard: Women's History Month

Congratulations are in order for Natnael and Cameron for winning this month's Hometown Discoveries!

1st Place!













This month's funniest photo goes to Jose, William and Carron! They can compete next time for free!
Funniest Photo of March










March Results

1st Place
Natnael & Cameron (1125 points)

2nd Place
William, Carron & Jose (850 points)

3rd Place
Emani & Sydney (525 points)

4th Place
Asha & Ariel (200 points)

Face to Face with History








While going through the Air & Space Museum two teams met Curtis Christopher Robinson of the 99th Fighter Squadron. He was one of the renowned Tuskegee Airmen who served our country bravely in World War II. It was a chance encounter that shows that it pays to Discover your Hometown!

Here's What We Learned!
Here are the results about what we learned during our Women's History Month scavenger hunt.
Women's History MonthHD Women's History MonthHD cromagnuson@yahoo.com