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@ Lost Umbrella
Raquel begins her experience of Wind!
Lost Umbrella
Did you lose an umbrella? I know where they go. The wind calls out, the leaves are cavorting already in the air, and the umbrellas want to join them. Waiting for the perfect moment when the wind swoops down and up, the umbrellas catch this drift and sail into the air to play and dance with the leaves.

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@ Let's Go Fly A Kite!

Yellow Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Let's Go Fly A Kite!
You don’t need to carry a brush for cleaning chimneys or have a bottomless bag to enjoy flying a kite. All you need is a steady wind—not too fierce—and some bit of paper or cloth over a light frame, with a string attached.

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@ Grass Flags
Air was considered a “pure” element, but in fact the air that’s all around us is made up of a variety of gases: primarily nitrogen and oxygen, with almost 1% argon and even smaller amounts of carbon dioxide and other elements such as krypton and helium. The composition of air is just right for life on Earth, though.
Grass Flags
Feathery fronds of grass, like little flags, wave in the breeze.

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@ Tilting at Windmills
The air in Earth’s atmosphere is made up of approximately 78 percent nitrogen and 21 percent oxygen. Air also has small amounts of lots of other gases, too, such as carbon dioxide, neon, and hydrogen.
Tilting at Windmills
We are in Don Quixote territory here, in Spain's Castilla–La Mancha region. The area is dotted with numerous vineyards, castles and windmills—and mountain ranges!

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@ Drifting Around On The Water
“Ooh, it's just starting to get a bit cold, Raquel!” said Choose a name. “Can you hold my map while I dig out my jumper?"
Raquel good-naturedly took charge of Choose a name's possessions while she emptied her rucksack of a pack of sandwiches, a Thermos flask, a pair of galoshes, a bag of toffees, a paperback novel, a bottle of mineral water, an address book, some postage stamps, an assortment of different coloured biros, a bottle opener, a couple of old train tickets, a handful of golden and silver moles, a door key, some shopping receipts, a screwdriver, a bottle of multivitamins, a lottery ticket and a selection of rather battered sachets of salt, sugar and tomato ketchup before locating the jumper right at the bottom. This she donned and then Raquel helped her put everything back in her rucksack.
Drifting Around On The Water
All the pets are clamouring to see their duck and geese pals. We gather up some bags of seeds and enjoy a leisurely walk to the pond. Spending time outdoors is always so relaxing.

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@ Turning Somersaults
"Wow! It says here in our brochure that there’s a bush called dictamnus albus which emits a flammable, oily substance which can be lit on fire, without burning the bush itself," remarked Raquel.
"Wow indeedy!" responded Brigit.
Turning Somersaults
Racing across the miles, dashing for the shore, tentacles of water, reaching forward, trying to grasp what is just out of reach.

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@ Touchdown
"Did you know you can start a fire with ice, Raquel?" asked fresh.
"How on earth do you do that?" queried Raquel.
"Well, you need a disc of clear ice shaped into a lens, then use it as you would a magnifying glass to shine the sun's rays onto flammable material, such as dry grass."
Touchdown
Sucking up and flinging out, the storm has unleashed its power and sends a column of twisting, churning air downward to rip across the landscape.

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@ Children Of The Dandelion
The strongest winds in the solar system are on Saturn where they reach speeds of over 1,100mph.
Children Of The Dandelion
Each seed has its own propeller that will allow the wind to carry it whirling and dancing across the land until the wind abates and the seed drops to find its new home.

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@ Flag, Great Britain
"What two elements is water made up of, Raquel?" asked Pingu.
"That's easy: hydrogen and oxygen!"
"Correct, Raquel! Two parts of hydrogen to one part oxygen, making the element name H2O."
Flag, Great Britain
A flag of Great Britain, fluttering in the breeze. Flags represent an idea or an ideal. Countries, businesses, sports, religions, railways, and clubs all use a flag to represent themselves. Flags are also used in semaphores to convey a message across a distance.

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@ The Power Of Water
Ray Bradbury wrote a book called The Fireman, but the editors found the name boring. They called a local fire station to ask at what temperature book paper would burn at. The firemen put Bradbury on hold, burnt a book, and reported that the temperature it burnt at was 451° Fahrenheit. The rest, as they say, is history.
The Power Of Water
The tide roars in, and tons of water will crash to the shore bringing sand, rocks, and treasures.

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@ Translucent Blue
Raquel and Frank were entranced on reaching this exhibit and eagerly posed for a picture standing on either side!
Translucent Blue
The sun is beaming down, the day is warm, and the water is crystal clear and looks so inviting. So let us jump right in and make some waves of our own.

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@ Swelling Seas
Raquel and BRUNO had shaken paws and took some time to enjoy the exhibits in a companionable silence!
Swelling Seas
The ocean is always in motion—the water swells—then subsides. Let’s go for a boat ride, and the waves can toss us hither and yon—hope you don’t get seasick.

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@ Golden Evening
"Fluffy, I've got something called "sepia effect" on my camera. I've got a feeling it’s faulty, though. It just makes everything go all brown!”
"Oh, Raquel, that's what it's supposed to do! See that exhibit over there?"
Golden Evening
At day's end, the wind gently pushes the grasses down as it sweeps across the field—as if to say— time for sleep.

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@ Pink and White Tulips
"After the Great Fire of London in 1666, businessmen started house insurance companies. They had to be careful because if another fire started they could lose a lot of money. To get around this, they ended up hiring their own fire brigade just in case a fire did start! This is when the first brigade started."
"It sounds a bit hit-and-miss, Raquel!" remarked Waddles.
"It was, yes. Any of the insurance companies' fire brigades weren't allowed to put out a fire of a house which was insured with a different company!"
"They'd just watch it burn, then, Raquel?"
"Well—I guess that was how it went, Waddles, yes!"
Pink and White Tulips
These tulips, swaying in the breeze, make a fine display in the Netherlands.

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@ So Much Snow
Oh look ... you won a pet!
So Much Snow
A snowy ribbon of road—snowy fields on either side—if walked will lead straight to the source, the snow clouds.

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@ Dutch Weathervane
Water expands by 9% when it freezes. Frozen water (ice) is lighter than water, which is why ice floats in water.
Dutch Weathervane
This ornate weathervane in the Netherlands features a splendid full masted ship, and depending on wind direction, will point to noord, zuid, oost or west!

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@ Dancing Dandelion Fluff
"Wind speed is measured with a device called an anemometer. There's a project here for making an anemometer, Raquel. We could try it out tonight when we get back to the accommodation."
"Goodness, Velveteen! Isn't it terribly technical and scientific to do that?" queried Raquel.
Velveteen studied the diagram helpfully provided in the brochure. "Nah. It seems to be made of empty yoghurt cartons and stuff. We'll give it a go!"
Dancing Dandelion Fluff
Oh, to be a dandelion seed swept along on currents of air sailing along on a journey that will end at an unknown destination.

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@ Breezy Fields
The ancient Greeks believed that there were four elements that everything was made up of: earth, water, air and fire. This theory was suggested around 450 BCE, and it was later supported and added to by Aristotle. Aristotle also suggested that there was a fifth element, aether, because it seemed strange that the stars would be made out of earthly elements. He would be surprised to learn that they are in fact made up of many elements found on earth, and are so hot they could be said to be on fire all the time!
Breezy Fields
Let’s run through the field as the grasses bend to the wind and the clouds race each other across the sky.

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@ Swirling Snow
"What two elements is water made up of, Raquel?" asked Heather.
"That's easy: hydrogen and oxygen!"
"Correct, Raquel! Two parts of hydrogen to one part oxygen, making the element name H2O."
Swirling Snow
The wind kicks up the snow, swirling and twirling around until—not only the land but—the very air is saturated—with white mist.

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@ Poppies, Red and Cornflowers, Blue
"There's a fun project in our brochure on how to make a weather vane from an ice cream container lid, scissors, a marker pen, a skewer, a straw and a pin," remarked Raquel.
"Cool!" responded Aunt Dora. "We could make a start when we get back to our hotel tonight."
Poppies, Red and Cornflowers, Blue
These meadow flowers make a colourful sight as they are blown by the passing wind!

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@ Hot Air Balloon Flight
"At the time of the Great Fire of London in 1666 there was no fire brigade such as we have today. Men from the Navy used gunpowder to blow up houses in the path of the fire to halt its spread!"
"Goodness me, Tiger! Drastic, or what? Did it work?" queried Raquel.
"It sort of worked—eventually! But it took some days, during which time a large part of London had been destroyed."
Hot Air Balloon Flight
Take off at dawn and glide gracefully through the countryside in a colourful hot air balloon as the sun rises over rolling hills, chocolate box villages and a patchwork of fields. Enjoy the perfect 360-degree view from 2000 feet in the air in the early morning, the perfect time to soak up spectacular landscapes for as far as the eye can see. It's an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. It is truly the best way to see the countryside—from the sky!

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@ Ruffled Waters
Raquel and Rockstar were entranced on reaching this exhibit and eagerly posed for a picture standing on either side!
Ruffled Waters
The blue, ruffled waters of this outdoor swimming pool look very inviting! Who's for a dip before breakfast?

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@ Rural Windmills
"Wind speed is measured with a device called an anemometer. There's a project here for making an anemometer, Raquel. We could try it out tonight when we get back to the accommodation."
"Goodness, Priya! Isn't it terribly technical and scientific to do that?" queried Raquel.
Priya studied the diagram helpfully provided in the brochure. "Nah. It seems to be made of empty yoghurt cartons and stuff. We'll give it a go!"
Rural Windmills
What a peaceful early morning scene in the misty dawn, with the dew still on the silver grass.

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@ The Star Spangled Banner
Air was considered a “pure” element, but in fact the air that’s all around us is made up of a variety of gases: primarily nitrogen and oxygen, with almost 1% argon and even smaller amounts of carbon dioxide and other elements such as krypton and helium. The composition of air is just right for life on Earth, though.
The Star Spangled Banner
... what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.

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@ Florida Storm
As Raquel's experience of "Wind" comes to an end, she receives a wonderful gift!
Short Tree, Violet
Gorgeous violet-leafed tree. Perhaps it grows in the fairy forest, or maybe the wizard worked some magic. If you can get seeds from this tree, you may have luck growing it in your garden.

Florida Storm
This is no mere wind! This is a hurricane! Stay safe indoors, all pets, you don't want to risk getting blown out to sea!
Raquel has completed her exploration of "Wind"! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also explore the Elements!