Difficulty: Beginner
USA
One way to prepare for Halloween is to make a jack o' lantern. In this segment, Sigrid explains what a jack o' lantern is, and how kids and adults celebrate Halloween.
Difficulty: Beginner
USA
The pumpkin is ready to carve out. Sigrid explains that pumpkins are indeed an edible type of squash and not just for making into jack o' lanterns. In fact, one pumpkin can become both a pumpkin pie and a jack o' lantern.
Difficulty: Beginner
USA
Sigrid finishes carving her pumpkin and places the candle inside so we can see the final effect of the jack o' lantern. Happy Halloween!
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Everyone's heard of California, but this documentary showcases the state's natural beauty and wildlife. It has a fascinating range of geographical features and is home to many unique species of animals.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Kelp is a fascinating plant. What we see on the surface has little in common with what's actually there. Californian harbor seals are mammals but they do a lot of hunting underwater.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
The Ocean Cleanup is a Netherlands-based, non-government environmental engineering organization that develops technology to extract plastic pollution from the oceans. They have developed a "passive" cleanup system that takes advantage of the natural oceanic forces of wind, water, and currents.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Every fall, the monarch butterflies migrate back to their breeding grounds in California. These fascinating and stunningly beautiful creatures weigh only a gram, yet travel extraordinary distances to complete their lifecycle. In the early spring, deep in the Yosemite valley, the sun warms the wet ground, forming clouds of misty fog.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Canada, Jamaica, USA
Brothers Dudley and Chris had the honor of being part of the first ever Jamaican bobsled team, competing at the nineteen eighty-eight Winter Olympics. We hear the true story of how this unlikely team came into existence, and how Chris went from being a spectator to an Olympic competitor with less than a week’s training.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Jamaica, USA
Decades later, the events of the nineteen eighty-eight Winter Olympics seem harder and harder to believe, even to the men at the heart of the original Jamaican Bobsled team. But it really did happen, and the proof is in the strong sporting and commercial legacy they leave for the next generations.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Alive since ancient times, the giant sequoia trees stand colossal and majestic. Deep in the valley, a pair of coyote hunt in the winter snow, while in the Mojave Desert, Joshua trees and cactus plants have adapted to survive the searing heat.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Life can be hard in the Californian desert, but many plants and animals are adapted to survive the hot, dry conditions. Jackrabbits, owls, hummingbirds, and the green stick tree all thrive in this harsh climate as they wait for the rare blessing of rain.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
The harbor seals gather in a sheltered cove to give birth. But even hidden from predators, there is no guarantee of survival, and we witness the tragic death of one newborn that gets trapped in its amniotic sac. Within a few hours, the pups that survive the birth are already into the waves, getting to know their new watery world.
Difficulty: Intermediate
USA
Off the coast of California, an island of floating kelp provides refuge for fish in the open waters. The many small fish then attract larger species, including the ocean sunfish that seek relief from their parasites, and the predatory blue shark.
Difficulty: Adv-Intermediate
United Kingdom
By following honeyguides, a species of bird, people in Africa are able to locate bees’ nests to harvest honey. Research now reveals that humans use special calls to solicit the help of honeyguides and that honeyguides actively recruit appropriate human partners. This relationship is a rare example of cooperation between humans and free-living animals.
Difficulty: Beginner
USA
Nursery rhymes are for children. The rhyme about Humpty Dumpty, however, is so famous that it's been used in literary and cinematic contexts as well.
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