Table of contents for Issue 312 - August 2021 in MiniMag

Oh dear August airHow you blow in my hair.The cold is almost overWish I could pick up a four-leaf clover.Instead, I pick up a piece of litterAnd ask the same of my babysitter.Together we clean up our beautiful parkAnd head home just before dark.Finally back to school we areThe end of the year is not too far!Soon we will all be able toget the vaccineFor we must be the ones to intervene.To get this virus under controlSo we can once again be whole.“Don’t let what you can’t dostop you from doing whatyou can do.”…

Run the washing machine fully loaded Do not wash single items in your washing machine. Don't use the toilet as a wastebasket Every time you flush a tissue or small piece of trash, 5 to 10 litres of water is wasted. Tightly turn off taps A slow drip can waste a lot of water over time. Take shorter showers Turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to rinse. Every minute in the shower uses 15 litres of water. Turn off the water after you wet your toothbrush Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.…

These magnificent crystals have formed from hot watery solutions within the Earth. They show characteristic faces. Many substances can grow in characteristic geometric forms enclosed by smooth plane surfaces. They are said to have crystallised, and the plane surfaces are known as faces. The word crystal is based on the Greek word krystallos, derived from kryos meaning icy cold. In ancient times it was thought that rock crystal, a colourless variety of quartz, was ice that had frozen so hard it would never melt. Potato surprise (Geodes) Crystals often occur in places where you would least expect to find them. In certain ploughed fields of southern England, irregular nodules known as “potato stones” are found. When broken open they often reveal sparkling crystals. A world of crystals Crystals are all…

The postal service enjoyed a good reputation and valuable articles could be dispatched with confidence by mail at a minimal rate. A gift fit for a king A huge diamond of more than 3 000 carats was uncovered in the gravel by an employee of the Cullinan diamond mine, Mr Wells with his pocket knife. Everyone at the mine was invited to hold this huge diamond for a few minutes at the home of the mine manager that evening. The Transvaal government bought the Cullinan diamonds, one of the largest diamonds ever found, for an amount of 125 000 pounds. It was decided to present the unpolished diamond as a gift to King Edward VII. The most valuable postal parcel In the 1905 annual report of the Department of Posts…

Just like walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people are of the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck. Though it’s uncertain exactly when this particular tradition began, negative superstitions have swirled around the number 13 for centuries. While Western cultures have historically associated the number 12 with completeness (there are 12 days of Christmas, 12 months and zodiac signs, 12 labours of Hercules, 12 gods of Olympus and 12 tribes of Israel, just to name a few examples), its successor 13, has a long history as a sign of bad luck. Fear of the number 13 has even earned a psychological term: triskaidekaphobia. If you ask us? Friday the 13th is just another wonderful day filled with exciting opportunities!…

Life on Earth would be impossible without water. We have to face the fact that plants, animals and all forms of life need a constant supply of water to survive. Did you know that there is as much water in the world today as there was thousands of years ago? In fact, it is the same water. The water we drink contains the same molecules that the dinosaurs drank. How amazing is that? The Earth naturally recycles water This water cycle is controlled by the Sun. Heat and energy from the Sun causes the Earth’s oceans, seas, lakes and all other open bodies of water to heat up and evaporate. This happens because of the properties of water. When water is heated, it changes from a liquid to a gas…

Firstly, you would need a hollow rock for a geode to form, but how do you get a hollow rock? Most commonly, hollow rocks are created when a bubble of carbon dioxide and water vapour forms inside a lava flow. When the lava solidifies (hardens) and cools down, you are left with a hollow rock because the gas has dissolved. Although these rocks look solid, they are porous – this means that they have tiny holes which you cannot see with your naked eye. Creating crystals Rainwater or mineral rich groundwater slowly seeps into the rock through the tiny holes and fills the cavity inside (a cavity is another word for an empty space). Because the water is rich in minerals, these minerals are deposited on the inside of the…

The Diamond was named after Sir Thomas Cullinan, the mine’s chairman, who opened the mine in 1902. In April 1905, the stone was put on sale in London, but despite great interest, it went unsold after two years. In 1907, the Transvaal Colony government gifted it to King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The diamond was presented to the king at Sandringham House by Sir Richard Solomon on 9 November 1907 at his 66th birthday party, where many guests attended, including the Queen of Sweden and the Queen of Spain. It was announced that he accepted the gift for himself and his successors and that he would ensure “this great and unique diamond be kept and preserved among the historic jewels which form the heirlooms of the Crown”. The…

Entering our competitions and giveaways is just one easy step! Simply complete the form below by ticking the giveaway and competition you are interested in receiving and send this form to: MiniMag / Giveaways 312, P. O. Box 72738, Lynnwood Ridge 0040 or e-mail your entry form to competitions@minimag.co.za before 30 September 2021! Giveaways: An entire series of Dog Diaries. Pan Macmillan book PAW PATROL ANSWERS: (page 4) The answers to the Spot 5 are: 1. Spot missing from Marshall’s ear. 2. Star badge on Chase changed colour. 3. Skye’s tail is missing. 4. Yellow stripe missing above Marshall’s front paw. 5. Paw Patrol badge missing from Rubble’s helmet.…

Preventing water pollution and conserving water will help to ensure an adequate supply of usable water for ourselves and for future generations. Using water wisely helps to protect the quantity and quality of our water resources. Wise water use can also help people to save money on water, sewer and energy bills. It helps to reduce the demand on water treatment and wastewater facilities and to reduce the amount of waste put into rivers and streams. People and animals need water to drink, plants need water to grow and fish need water to live in. People need water to clean their bodies and stay healthy. Children need water to play in. Use only as much water as you need and never waste water! Water covers about 75 per cent of…

STEP 1 With a drawing pin, poke a hole in the top and bottom of your egg. To make things a little easier, try and make the holes slightly bigger. Put your mouth over the one hole and blow out the inside of the egg into the bowl. STEP 2 You might want to get an adult to help you with this part. Using your scissors, cut the egg in half – from the one hole all the way around to the second and back to the first. Clean out your egg and leave it overnight to dry properly. STEP 3 When your eggs are completely dry, get the glue and alum powder ready. Put a blob of glue inside the egg and spread it evenly around the inside with…

Most rocks in the Earth’s crust are composed of only eight of the chemical elements – oxygen, silicon, aluminium, iron, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Two of these elements, silicon and oxygen, combine in silicates, which make up 75 per cent of the Earth’s rocks. Most minerals are crystalline – the atoms that make up the crystals are arranged in an orderly fashion. It is the job of the mineralogist to understand what minerals are, where they are to be found, and what they can be used for. Elements in the Earth’s crust The crust, or lithosphere, is the outermost solid layer on the Earth’s surface. Oxygen atoms are so large that almost all the Earth’s crust is made of them with the other elements just filling in the spaces…