Part III

Happy Earth Day! In celebration of Earth Day we took this question to nature.

The girls decided that the "biggest thing" in nature was a TREE. So, we spent the day observing various trees in our neighborhood.








L then decided that maybe the biggest thing could be a flower. And, as we do not have gigantic flowers around our neighborhood we looked at all the flowerbeds in the area.






The Tallest Tree According to Wikipedia:

Hyperion is the name of a coast redwood tree in Northern California that was confirmed to measure 115.55 metres (379.1 ft), which ranks it as the world's tallest known living tree.[1] Despite its great height, Hyperion is not the largest known coast redwood; that distinction belongs to the Lost Monarch tree.

Hyperion was discovered September 8, 2006 by naturalists Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor. The tree was verified as standing 115.55 m tall by Stephen Sillett. The tree was found in a remote area of the Redwood National Park purchased in 1978, during the Carter Administration. The exact location of the tree has not been revealed to the public for fear that human traffic would upset the ecosystem the tree inhabits. The tree is estimated to contain 502 m³ (18,600 cubic feet) of wood.[2]

Researchers stated that woodpecker damage at the top prevented the tree from reaching 380 feet (115.82 m).[3]

The Largest Tree:
Lost Monarch is the name of a Coast Redwood tree in Northern California confirmed to be at least 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter at DBH (diameter breast height, measured 4.5 feet/1.4 metres above soil grade), and 320 feet (98 m) in height. It is the world's largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume, although the Del Norte Titan is listed by some sources as the largest single-stem tree[1].

Lost Monarch was discovered on May 11, 1998, by Stephen C. Sillett, and amateur naturalist Michael Taylor, and is located among other giant redwoods called "The Grove of Titans". The Lost Monarch Tree is located in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The exact location has not been revealed to the public out of concern that excessive human foot traffic may upset that ecosystem. The tree is estimated to contain 42,500 cubic feet (1,200 m³) of wood[2]. One account of the discovery was published by Richard Preston[3].

Whether in print or on the internet, comments and documents for the Lost Monarch are exceptionally limited, because few people know where this tree is. Most information is being withheld in an attempt to reduce environmental impact.


The world Biggest Flower
The Rafflesia arnoldii.
The flower with the world's largest bloom is the Rafflesia arnoldii. This rare flower is found in the rainforests of Indonesia. It can grow to be 3 feet across and weigh up to 15 pounds! It is a parasitic plant, with no visible leaves, roots, or stem. It attaches itself to a host plant to obtain water and nutrients. When in bloom, the Rafflesia emits a repulsive odor, similar to that of rotting meat. This odor attracts insects that pollinate the plant.




Another enormous flower found in Indonesia is the Amorphophallus titanum, or Titan arum. It is also known as the "corpse flower" for its unpleasant odor. Like the Rafflesia, the Titan emits the smell of rotting flesh to attract pollinators. Technically, the Titan arum is not a single flower. It is a cluster of many tiny flowers, called an inflorescence. The Titan arum has the largest unbranched inflorescence of all flowering plants. The plant can reach heights of 7 to 12 feet and weigh as much as 170 pounds!




God Bless!

Biggest Thing: Part II

Today we have a sick child so only K was contemplating our question: "What is the Biggest Thing in the World."

We began by asking: What will be our criteria for the term "big?"

K stated that "Big" means "Large." (how insightful)

So I asked K: Is big the same for everyone or is it relative to a person's stature/size?

K: Big is the same for any person no matter their size. But, big may be different for animals.

Mommy: What kind of animals? and, what would these animals think the biggest thing in the world could be?

K: A mouse. It might think a house is the biggest thing.

Mommy: Okay, but tell me what do you mean by "big." For example, why did you state that a building the biggest thing in the world?

K: It is tall. (now, we are getting somewhere.)

So we searched the internet today for the "tallest" building in the world.


Our answer was the Burj Dubai.

According to Wikipedia:
"Burj Dubai (Arabic: برج دبي‎ "Dubai Tower") is a supertall skyscraper under construction in the Downtown Burj Dubai district of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and is the tallest man-made structure ever built, despite being incomplete. Construction began on 21 September 2004, and the tower is expected to be completed and ready for occupancy by September 2009.[1][2]

The building is part of the 2 km2 (0.8 sq mi) development called "Downtown Burj Dubai" at the "First Interchange" along Sheikh Zayed Road at Financial Centre Road (previously known as Doha Street). The tower's architect is Adrian Smith who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006.[6][7] The architecture and engineering firm SOM is in charge of the project.[6] The primary builders are Samsung Engineering & Construction and Besix along with Arabtec.[8] Turner Construction Company was chosen as the construction manager.[9]

The total budget for the Burj Dubai project is about US$4.1 billion and for the entire new 'Downtown Dubai', US$20 billion[10] Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the CEO of Emaar Properties, speaking at the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat 8th World Congress, said that the price of office space at Burj Dubai had reached $4,000 per sq ft (over $43,000 per sq m) and that the Armani Residences, also in Burj Dubai, were selling for US$3,500 per sq ft (over $37,500 per sq m).[11]"




Then K said that "biggest" could mean that something could be the "longest."

So, we searched for the "longest thing in the world."

We came across this website that K thought was VERY interesting and gross. The nails are what grossed her out the most. Here are a few of our favorites.

http://thelongestlistofthelongeststuffatthelongestdomainnameatlonglast.com/

Longest Worm


Longest Nails


Longest Mustache (what we thought was the silliest.)


Longest Ear Hair (What grossed me out the most!)

First Question.

WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING IN THE WORLD?

Today we start off easy. We drew pictures with chalk to answer the question.

K: The biggest thing was a tie between a building and a tree. Then, she cocked her head at an angle and said "But I think the widest thing would be the road b/c it goes everywhere. Or maybe the sky because it is everywhere when you look up."







L: A building and maybe a tree, too. So, she became creative and drew a picture of a building that was a "fake" tree as well. And, on the bottom it had places for her various animals to reside.

Understanding.

Welcome everyone! Here in the Burns household we are embarking on a new endeavor. My 3 children being ever so inquisitive and always needing an explanation to what can sometimes be unexplainable, have sparked my imagination.

Children tend to need to know about EVERYTHING. And, with my older 2 it has moved from the "what's that" and "why" stages to the quest for incessant knowledge. I have now become the all knowing, fountain of knowledge for questions about anything and everything. From how it works to what it is made of. From who created that to why can't I do that. Therefore, we have come up with a project of sorts.

Each week we will post a "Question of the Week" developed by none other than our darling children. We will then take you on a little quest each day trying to decipher the appropriate answer. By the end of the week, on Friday, we will post what our final assessment has been. And, if you have followed throughout the week you will have the pleasure of understanding how we reached our conclusion.

Now, we must place the disclaimer. I must warn you that the answer sought and the answer found may not always be in agreement. What some experts would term the "correct" answer to said question may not always hold true for our children. This will be their quest and in the end the answer will solely be based on their own pursuit of knowledge, value judgements and creative evaluations of said question.

And, we are off................