STEM Friday

March 20, 2020March 21, 2020

Creating Makerspaces at Home

As you know, I write a STEM column for Booklist. When I sent in my April column idea to my editor for discussion this week, she wanted it to be published right away . . . so she asked me to write it for their blog, something I had never done before. Then she put me in touch with the Booklist blog editor and after a discussion of the idea with that editor, I wrote the article that day (not over the course of a week, as I usually do) and sent it in. She published it on the blog the next day:

Creating Makerspaces at Home

When I sent the article in, I asked the blog editor if she was interested in events that started on March 23. She said yes. I wrote another resources article for her that came out on Friday afternoon:

Creating Makerspaces at Home: Part II

Please share these resources with any parents you know who are suddenly homeschooling their kids. It takes a village.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

March 20, 2020March 19, 2020

Kaia and the Bees

Kaia and the Bees
by Maribeth Boelts (Author) and Angela Dominguez (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Kaia is the brave type. Like hottest-hot-pepper brave. But there is one thing that scares her: BEES! And right now, thousands of bees live on her roof because Kaia’s dad is a beekeeper. Her dad says that the world needs bees and that’s why they are beekeepers. But only he goes on the roof, not Kaia — unless she can find a way to be the brave girl she always says she is.

Snippet:

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

March 13, 2020March 13, 2020

Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: Her Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities and Experiments

Right in time for Women’s History Month we have the middle grade title Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids: Her Life and Ideas, with 21 Activities and Experiments by Rowena Rae.

Rachel Carson is an amazing woman who is often credited with starting the modern environmental movement. She was a trained marine biologist, conservationist and outstanding nature writer. Her final book, Silent Spring, revealed the dangers of overuse of pesticides to a wide audience.

As to be expected from a middle grade title, the book delves deeply into Rachel Carson’s life. Wonder how the author handles the fact that Rachel Carson had health problems and was dying of breast cancer while she wrote Silent Spring? Rowena Rae does not pull any punches. She explains that Rachel found lumps and had a mastectomy. My mouth dropped when I read on pages 88-89 what happened next.

Although centered on Rachel Carson’s love of nature and ecology, Rowena Rae also highlights Carson’s writing process and the power of the written word. For example, she reveals that that Carson worked hard on her early pieces to make sure they sounded good when read aloud. Then she has the reader explore how to revise their own writing using audio. In fact, several of the activities for children in the book center on writing and honing writing skills.

Rachel Carson and Ecology for Kids is another outstanding title in the Chicago Review Press For Kids series. It will appeal to both young nature lovers and budding authors. What could be better than an in-depth history combined with hands-on activities to reinforce learning?

Check out the full review and activity suggestions at Wrapped in Foil blog.

March 13, 2020March 12, 2020

Changing the Equation

Changing the Equation: 50+ US Black Women in STEM
by Tonya Bolden (Author)

Booktalk: This book celebrates more than 50 women who have shattered the glass ceiling, defied racial discrimination, and pioneered in their fields, including groundbreaking computer scientists, doctors, inventors, physicists, pharmacists, mathematicians, aviators, and many more.

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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

March 6, 2020March 5, 2020

Dr. Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System

Dr. Maggie’s Grand Tour of the Solar System
by Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock (Author) and Chelen Écija (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Just how much would it cost to colonize Mars? Could a human survive on the blistering-hot surface of Venus? Space scientist Dr. Maggie Aderin-Pocock takes readers on the trip of a light-speed lifetime — from the proximity of the surface of our very own planet to the furthest sectors of the Solar System.

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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020

Baby Loves Scientists

Baby Loves Scientists
by Ruth Spiro (Author) and Irene Chan (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Baby loves to explore the world of science! What’s next for Baby after learning about physics, engineering, computers, and the natural world? Becoming a scientist of course!

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It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

February 28, 2020February 27, 2020

Amazing Amphibians

At Growing with Science Blog we are highlighting a fantastic book for upper elementary-aged children, Amazing Amphibians: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring Frogs, Toads, Salamanders, and More by Lisa J. Amstutz.

If you’ve never experienced one of the Young Naturalists series books from Chicago Review Press, you are in for a real treat. These books are designed not only for children who are independent researchers interested in a topic — in this case amphibians — but also for educators who need information and age-appropriate activity ideas for science lessons.

Lisa Amstutz’s text covers everything readers will want to know:

What an amphibian is
What animals belong to the different families
Amphibian anatomy
What amphibians eat
Their life cycles
Some of the threats to amphibians
And much more!

It is also filled with amazing facts. Did you know that the North American wood frog can survive being frozen solid? How about that some amphibians can absorb water from moist soil by sitting on it because they have specially absorptive skin on their bellies? Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to drink that way?

The activities (30 of them!) will keep young scientists engaged for hours. They range from making fake frog eggs from water beads to making your yard more toad friendly. Plus, there’s oodles of back matter for further research.

Amazing Amphibians is an exceptionally well organized and well written introduction to a fascinating group of animals. It is perfect for young naturalists and for hands-on learners. It is also a must-have resource for educators. Investigate a copy today!

Hop on over to Growing with Science for the full review and many related activity suggestions.

February 21, 2020February 20, 2020

My Wild Cat

My Wild Cat
by Isabelle Simler (Author / Illustrator)

Booktalk: A merciless hunter, an unrivaled expert in stealth and deception–a cat is no ordinary pet! Sure, he may look harmless as he snoozes on the sofa, or under the rug, or on top of the radiator. Sure, he may seem sweet as he snuggles a stuffed animal, but don’t let that fool you! When you least expect it, he’ll pounce . . .

Snippet: At times, my fierce hunter goes on the attack. *

*From the tips of its whiskers to the bottom of its chin, a cat is very sensitive to vibrations, which allows it to detect changes in air pressure and sense when obstacles are nearby.

See the book trailer.

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)

February 14, 2020February 14, 2020

Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner

Entomologist and teacher Charles Henry Turner passed away 97 years ago today on February 14, 1923, so it seems appropriate to highlight the biography Buzzing with Questions: The Inquisitive Mind of Charles Henry Turner by Janice N. Harrington and illustrated by Theodore Taylor III.

Driven by a fascination with living things, Charles Henry Turner defied the odds and went to college. He kept asking questions and working hard. In 1907 he earned his PhD in Zoology from the University of Chicago and graduated magna cum laude. After graduating, Turner worked at several different teaching positions while continuing to research and publish. He made many lasting contributions to the field of insect behavior, as well as being known for helping others.

Author Janice Harrington does a great job of weaving repeating threads through the text, like the fact that Turner loved books, “never stopped asking questions” and that he was “indefatigable.” Those are wonderful take away messages.

As for STEM, this book is important because it reveals the inner working of how Turner set up experiments to answer questions that he had. For example, he trained honey bees to come to red platforms and when he offered blue, the bees ignored them. Thus, he established honey bees can see color. Presenting the experiments, and not just the results, is golden.

Buzzing with Questions is an obvious choice for budding entomologists and to share for Black History Month, but its message of hope and persistence in the face of adversity will also resonate with a wide range of readers. Celebrate Turner’s love of books by sharing a copy today.

Our full review is at Wrapped in Foil blog.

February 14, 2020February 13, 2020

Creek Critters

Creek Critters
by Jennifer Keats Curtis with Stroud Water Research Center (Authors) and Phyllis Saroff (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Do you like scavenger hunts? How do you tell if creek water is clean and healthy? Join Lucas and his sister as they act like scientists looking for certain kinds of stream bugs (aquatic macroinvertebrates) that need clean, unpolluted water to survive. What will they find as they turn over rocks, pick up leaves and sort through the mud? Read along to find out if their creek gets a passing grade.

Snippet: Galumph! We step right into the water. This part of the creek is called a riffle. It’s shallow and the water runs fast enough over thr rocks to make a bubbling noise. Downstream is a pool. It’s deep and the water is calm.

BONUS! Download the Teaching Activity Guide

It’s STEM Friday! (STEM is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)