As a child, Joseph Priestley noticed something that would influence the rest of his life: If you keep a bug in a jar for too long, it will die. At the time Joseph Priestley didn’t understand why that was true—nobody did. No one really studied the air; it was something everyone took for granted.

In 1927 a Roman Catholic priest and scientist Georges Lemaitre proposed what later became known as the Big Bang theory of the origin of the Universe, based on work by Edwin Hubble who theorized and then proved that the Universe was getting bigger and bigger. Many scientists have discovered other...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Story, "The Power of Water" Optional: A computer with Internet access, and a large monitor or digital projector Preparation for Activity Read the story and prepare to share it with the group. Read the discussion questions....

A Lamp in Every Corner (Boston: Skinner House, 2004). On a day not so very long ago, in a place not so very far away, a grass seed lay waiting. All through the cold, dark days of winter the seed waited, covered by a blanket of earth....