79 Fun Facts About First and Second Grade

How many legs does a spider have?

That is two more than an insect, and each leg has seven separate parts.

How many legs does an insect such as an ant or a beetle have?

An insect such as an ant or a beetle has six legs, all attached to the thorax, the middle section of its body.

What does a caterpillar turn into?

It happens inside a chrysalis, and the whole life cycle from egg to adult has four stages.

A tadpole grows up to become what animal?

A tadpole grows into a frog: it starts with a tail and gills like a fish, then grows legs and lungs and loses the tail.

What is the tallest animal in the world?

The giraffe is the tallest animal: adult males can stand over 5 metres tall, and they fight by swinging their long necks, called necking.

What is the fastest land animal?

The cheetah is the fastest land animal, sprinting at over 90 kilometres per hour thanks to long legs and a very flexible spine.

What is the biggest animal that has ever lived?

The blue whale is the biggest animal that has ever lived, reaching about 30 metres long and weighing more than any known dinosaur.

What is the largest animal that lives on land?

The elephant is the largest land animal: an adult African elephant weighs several tonnes, as much as a large truck, and its trunk carries food and water to its mouth.

A baby kangaroo, called a joey, grows up inside its mother's what?

The pouch is called a marsupium, and kangaroos come from Australia and New Guinea.

Which bird cannot fly but is a great swimmer?

Its wings have become flippers, and almost all penguins live in the Southern Hemisphere.

Which of these animals is a mammal that can truly fly?

A bat's wing is really a hand with very long fingers covered by thin skin.

What do giant pandas mostly eat?

Giant pandas eat mostly bamboo, around 99 percent of their diet, and an extra thumb-like wrist bone helps them grip the stalks.

A polar bear has white fur, but what colour is its skin underneath?

The dark skin and a thick layer of fat help keep it warm in the Arctic.

Which sea creature has three hearts?

The octopus is the sea creature with the extra hearts: two serve its gills and the third serves its organs, and its blood is blue from a copper-based pigment.

A group of lions is called a what?

A group of lions is called a pride, usually a few related females, their cubs and one or two adult males.

What is a baby horse called?

A foal can stand up and run within hours of being born.

What is a baby sheep called?

A baby sheep is a lamb; it is usually born in spring, and a grown female sheep is a ewe and a male a ram.

Which animal is known for being very slow and hanging upside down in trees?

The sloth hangs upside down in the rainforests of Central and South America and moves so slowly that algae can grow on its fur.

What does a camel store in its hump?

A camel's hump stores fat, not water; the camel breaks the fat down for energy when food is scarce, so the hump shrinks and flops over.

Which planet is called the Red Planet?

Mars earned that nickname because iron in its dusty soil has rusted, giving the whole surface a rusty orange colour.

Which planet has big, bright rings around it?

Saturn has the big, bright rings; they are made mostly of chunks of ice, and Saturn is the second-biggest planet in the Solar System.

What is the largest planet in our Solar System?

Jupiter is the largest planet in our Solar System: more than 1,300 Earths could fit inside it, and it is a giant ball of gas, mostly hydrogen and helium.

Which planet is closest to the Sun?

Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun; it is also the smallest planet, and with almost no air its days are scorching and its nights freezing.

The Sun is actually a giant what?

The Sun is a star, a huge ball of hot glowing gas, and it is the closest star to Earth.

Who was the first person to walk on the Moon?

Neil Armstrong was first onto the Moon, in July 1969 on Apollo 11; Buzz Aldrin followed him while Michael Collins circled overhead in the command ship.

How many sides does a triangle have?

It also has three corners, and its name comes from 'tri', meaning three.

A shape with six sides is called a what?

The shape is a hexagon: honeycomb cells are hexagons, and its name comes from hex, the Greek word for that number of sides.

How many things are in a dozen?

A dozen is twelve; eggs are often sold by the dozen, and twelve dozen, or 144, is called a gross.

How many letters are in the English alphabet?

The English alphabet has 26 letters, from A to Z; five of them, A, E, I, O and U, are vowels.

How many colours are usually listed in a rainbow?

A rainbow is usually said to have seven colours; Isaac Newton picked that number, and the made-up name Roy G. Biv gives their order.

In art class, which three colours are usually taught as the primary colours?

Art class usually teaches red, yellow and blue as the primary colours, because those paints cannot be made by mixing other colours, yet mixing pairs of them gives the secondary colours.

What is the first month of the year?

January is the first month; it is named after Janus, a Roman god with two faces who looked backward and forward.

How many seasons are there in a year in most of the United States?

Most of the United States has four seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter, caused by Earth's tilt as it goes around the Sun.

In a leap year, February has how many days?

In a leap year February has 29 days instead of 28; the extra day keeps the calendar lined up with Earth's trip around the Sun, which takes about 365 and a quarter days.

What temperature does water freeze at?

Water freezes at 0 degrees Celsius, which is 32 degrees Fahrenheit; ice floats because it is lighter than the same amount of liquid water.

What is the Moon?

The Moon is Earth's natural satellite: it goes around the Earth about once a month, which is where the word 'month' comes from.

Which is the largest of the world's oceans?

The Pacific is the largest ocean, covering almost a third of the planet's surface, and it is also the deepest, with the Mariana Trench.

What is the tallest mountain in the world?

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain, about 8,849 metres high, standing on the border of Nepal and China.

What is the largest hot desert in the world?

The Sahara is the largest hot desert, stretching across northern Africa at about 9 million square kilometres; only the icy Antarctic and Arctic deserts are bigger.

How many stars are on the flag of the United States?

The flag has 50 stars, one for each state, since Hawaii joined in 1959; the 13 stripes stand for the 13 original colonies.

Who was the first president of the United States?

George Washington was the first president, serving from 1789 to 1797; his face is on the one-dollar bill and the quarter.

The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from which country?

France gave the Statue of Liberty to the United States in 1886; its copper skin turned green over time, and its iron skeleton was designed by Gustave Eiffel.

What bird is the national symbol of the United States?

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States and has appeared on the Great Seal since 1782; adults are brown with a white head and tail.

What shape is a stop sign?

A stop sign is an octagon, with twice as many sides as a square; the unusual shape lets drivers recognise it even from behind.

On a traffic light, which colour means stop?

Red means stop on a traffic light; the very first traffic light, gas-lit and hand-operated, was put up in London in 1868.

In the story of the Three Little Pigs, which home does the wolf fail to blow down?

The straw and stick houses both blow down, but the third pig's hard work pays off.

In Goldilocks and the Three Bears, what does Goldilocks eat at the bears' house?

Goldilocks eats the bears' porridge, finding Baby Bear's bowl just right; she also breaks a chair and falls asleep in Baby Bear's bed.

Pinocchio is a wooden puppet who dreams of becoming what?

Pinocchio longs to become a real boy, and a fairy finally makes him one; he was carved from wood by Geppetto, a poor woodcarver.

In E. B. White's story, what kind of animal is Charlotte, Wilbur's friend?

Charlotte is a barn spider who spins words into her web to save her friend Wilbur the pig from being killed.

In Where the Wild Things Are, who sails away to the island of the wild things?

Max is the child in Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are; sent to bed without supper, he sails to an island and becomes king of the wild things.

What kind of animal is Curious George?

Curious George is a monkey; the books, first published in 1941, were written by Margret and H. A. Rey, who fled Paris by bicycle carrying the manuscript.

What is the name of Bluey's little sister?

Bluey's little sister is Bingo; their dad is Bandit, their mum is Chilli, and the family of heeler dogs lives in Brisbane, Australia.

In the movie Frozen, what is the name of the snowman who likes warm hugs?

Olaf is the snowman who likes warm hugs; Elsa's magic brings him to life, Sven is Kristoff's reindeer, and the kingdom is Arendelle.

In Toy Story, what kind of toy is Woody?

Woody is a pull-string cowboy doll, the sheriff of Andy's toys; he gets jealous when Buzz Lightyear, a space ranger action figure, becomes Andy's new favourite.

In Finding Nemo, what kind of fish are Nemo and his dad Marlin?

Nemo and Marlin are clownfish, which live safely among the stinging tentacles of a sea anemone; their forgetful friend Dory is a blue tang.

In The Lion King, who is Simba's father?

Mufasa is Simba's father and king; his brother Scar causes his death in a wildebeest stampede, and Simba must come home to win the throne back.

What is Mario's job in the Nintendo games?

Mario is a plumber, which is why he travels through green warp pipes; he lives in the Mushroom Kingdom with his twin brother Luigi.

What colour is Pikachu?

Pikachu is yellow, with brown stripes on its back, a lightning-bolt-shaped tail and cheeks that store electricity.

In Minecraft, what does a Creeper do when it sneaks up on you?

A Creeper hisses and then explodes, blowing a hole in whatever is around it; its green colour is camouflage and it makes no sound as it walks up.

On which date is Halloween celebrated?

Halloween is October 31, the night before All Saints' Day on November 1, which is why it is also called All Hallows' Eve.

American Thanksgiving is always on which day of the week?

American Thanksgiving is always a Thursday, the fourth Thursday of November, so it falls somewhere between November 22 and November 28.

What is the Fourth of July holiday in the United States called?

The Fourth of July is Independence Day; it marks the day in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was adopted.

How many teeth are in a full set of baby teeth?

A full set of baby teeth has 20 teeth, which begin to fall out in early primary school; grown-ups usually end up with 32, including wisdom teeth.

What job does the heart do?

The blood it pumps carries oxygen and food to every part of you.

Roughly how many bones does a grown-up human have?

A grown-up has about 206 bones; babies are born with around 270, but many join together as they grow.

What is bread mostly made from?

Bread is mostly flour and water, usually with salt and yeast; the yeast makes tiny gas bubbles that puff the dough up.

What is cheese made from?

Cheese is made from milk, usually from cows, goats or sheep; the milk is curdled and the solid curds are pressed and aged.

What vegetable is ketchup made from?

Ketchup is made from tomatoes, cooked down with vinegar and sugar; very old ketchup recipes used mushrooms, oysters or even walnuts instead.

Which vegetable is usually orange and grows underground as a root?

A carrot is an orange root that grows underground; its colour comes from beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A.

What makes popcorn pop?

Heating the kernel makes popcorn pop: water inside the hard kernel turns to steam, pressure builds, and the kernel bursts inside out.

Which fruit is botanically a berry, even though most people never think of it as one?

A banana is botanically a berry, described as a 'leathery berry', and the banana plant is a giant herb, not a tree.

Which of these best describes Big Bird from Sesame Street?

Big Bird is eight feet tall and yellow, covered in thousands of feathers; he cannot fly but can roller skate and ride a unicycle.

Which cartoon character made his first big appearance in a 1928 film called Steamboat Willie?

Mickey Mouse starred in Steamboat Willie in 1928; he was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and the film was one of the first cartoons with synchronised sound.

Where does SpongeBob SquarePants live?

SpongeBob lives in a pineapple under the sea, in the town of Bikini Bottom, next door to Squidward; his best friend Patrick is a starfish.

Which two paint colours do you mix to make green?

Yellow and blue paint mix to make green; with light it works differently, and on TV screens green is itself one of the primary colours.

How many keys does a modern piano usually have?

A modern piano usually has 88 keys, 52 white and 36 narrower dark ones; pressing one makes a little hammer strike a string inside.

Which animal builds dams across streams using branches and mud?

Beavers build dams from branches and mud to create ponds, and their big orange front teeth never stop growing.

What kind of animal is a dolphin?

A dolphin is a mammal: it breathes air through a blowhole, is warm-blooded and gives birth to live young; the biggest dolphin is the orca.

What is the 'lady' in the name ladybug or ladybird said to refer to?

The 'lady' is Mary, the mother of Jesus: the beetle was once called 'Our Lady's bird'; scientists call them lady beetles, with more than 6,000 kinds worldwide.