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Tag: STEM Friday (Page 28 of 39)

Zoology Science Activities for Kids

March 6, 2015 / / 6 Comments

Our post today is inspired by a new middle grade children’s book, Zoology for Kids: Understanding and Working with Animals, with 21 Activities (For Kids series) by Josh Hestermann and Bethanie Hestermann with a foreword by The Kratt Brothers. The book is so awesome I want to share it by giving away a copy.  See below for details on how you can enter to win a paperback copy of this book.

 

Josh Hestermann is a zoologist/zookeeper and his wife, Bethanie Hestermann, is a writer. Together they explain what zoology is (the study of animals) and what an animal is, and then give a lively introduction to the science of zoology. The second part describes common career options for people who want to work with animals. Sprinkled throughout are hands-on activities for middle-grade-aged children, such as baking a model of an animal cell, playing a dolphin echolocation game, eating a bat fruit salad, and planning an animal’s exhibit for a zoo. See our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil, for a full review.

Related Activity:  Making Animal Books

Gather:

  • Photographs of animals (from old magazines, the Internet, take photographs at your local zoo, or see these public domain line drawings)
  • Spiral notebook or binder with 3-hole paper (or an artist’s sketch book)
  • Crayons, markers and colored pencils
  • Glue stick or tape

Version 1. Animal Alphabet Book for the Youngest Set

Create a page for each letter of the alphabet. Try to find an animal or animals whose name starts with each letter. Don’t forget that fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and invertebrates are also animals.

Glue or tape the pictures on the page. Draw the letters and add the animal’s name.

For older children, have them add information about the animals, such as what they eat and where they live, maps, etc. Encourage them to draw pictures as well as write the text.

Examples:

anteater-page-1zebra page

Looking for an animal with a name that starts with X? Suggestions:

  • Ground squirrels in the genus Xerus
  • X-ray tetra fish
  • Swordfish in the genus Xiphias
  • Xantus’s hummingbird

zoo-visayan-warty-pig

Did you take a picture at the zoo and now can’t remember what kind of animal it is?

Hint:  Try an Internet image search to see if you can find matches. Just be careful to look for reputable sources.

Another hint:  If you go on a trip to the zoo to take photographs, take a few photographs of the signs as well. This will help you remember which animal is which and also gives you more information to talk about when you get home.

zoo-sign

Turns out this one can be used for the letter V!

Version 2: Animal Phyla (For older children)

For older children, consider exploring the phyla that make up the Kingdom Animalia by making a scrapbook or presentation. See our previous post for details (because it got too long to be included here).

Related:

Extensive interview with a Zoo Docent here at Growing With Science

Zoology for Kids website

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GIVEAWAY

Would you like to try to win a copy of Zoology for Kids? Simply sign into Rafflecopter (U.S. mailing addresses only, please). It will ask you to leave a comment on this blog post and/or like our FaceBook page by March 14, 2015 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. A single winner will be selected at random by Rafflecopter and I will notify the winner via e-mail.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

__________________________________________

Age Range: 9 and up
Grade Level: 4 and up
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (March 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1613749619
ISBN-13: 978-1613749616

Disclosures: The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate for Amazon. If you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

 

 

Desert Science Books and Activities

February 13, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Today we were inspired by two new picture books about deserts and desert animals. See full reviews at our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil.

Get to Know Gila Monsters (Get To Know Reptiles) by Flora Brett is a simple text for beginning readers that helps sort myth from facts about this unique lizard found only in the desert Southwest.

A Day and Night in the Desert (Caroline Arnold’s Habitats) by Caroline Arnold reveals which desert creatures are active during which parts of the day and night. Although it centers on animals and plants found in the Sonoran desert, the book also contains a map showing where deserts are located throughout the world.

Desert Mammals Activity

We often think of cacti and reptiles when we think of deserts, but as A Day and Night in the Desert shows, there are quite a few mammals found in deserts as well.

Some mammals found in deserts:

  • Jackrabbits
  • Coyotes
  • Foxes
  • Ringtails
  • Coatis
  • Skunks
  • Cougars
  • Bobcats
  • Bighorn sheep
  • Javelinas
  • Bats
  • Ground squirrels
  • Mice
  • Packrats
  • Rats

Pick a desert mammal and find out more about it.

ground-squirrel-puffy

This ground squirrel is all puffed up on a cold morning.

For example, is the mammal diurnal or nocturnal? Is it active all year around or does it hibernate for part of the year? What does it eat? What is its life cycle? Does it have any special ways to conserve water in the desert?

javelinaWhat are these javelinas (also called collared peccaries) doing to keep cool?

Create a lapbook, poster, diorama, or report about your findings.

Resources to check:

1. The AZ-Sonora Desert Museum has an extensive list of fact sheets about desert bats as well as fact sheets about other desert animals and plants.

2. Pima Community College in Tucson has online facts about desert mammals

3. Arizona Naturalists has information about Sonora desert mammals

4. Tohono Chul Gardens has a number of desert related handouts on their website. Scroll down to “Fun and Smart Projects for Kids,” and look for links to the Desert Pathfinders Activity Booklet (this link takes you directly to the .pdf), Saguaros, etc.

5. Look for the Desert Habitats activities page on our Growing With Science website.

Looking for a list of more books for kids about desert habitats? Try our growing list at Science Books for Kids.

desert-books-button

Disclosures:  These books were provided by the publisher for review purposes.  I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

 

Exploring the Energy Potential of Oceans with The Next Wave

January 9, 2015 / / 1 Comment

Today for STEM Friday we are featuring The Next Wave: The Quest to Harness the Power of the Oceans (Scientists in the Field Series). Author Elizabeth Rusch introduces us to a number of scientists who are working hard to convert the mechanical energy of ocean waves into electrical energy. See a full review at our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil.

Waves are actually very complex and we are still learning about them.

How do waves form?

The waves in the ocean form due to wind blowing on the surface. The shape and size of the waves depend on the force and steadiness of the wind, and the distance over which the wind travels, called “fetch.” The shape of the wave is also influenced by the depth of the water, especially as it meets the shore.

Activity 1. Exploring Waves

Gather:

  • Plastic bin
  • Water
  • Food coloring
  • Dropper

You may use a sink or bathtub to hold the water, but because you will be blowing across the surface, a plastic bin situated on the waterproof surface of a counter or tabletop will probably be easier to maneuver around. This would be an ideal activity to try outdoors.

bin-with-water

Fill the bin 3/4 full of water.

Ask the children if they have ever been to the ocean and seen waves. If they have not, consider showing a video (YouTube has dozens).

ocean-waves-ca

Brainstorm about how to form waves. If water splashes are not a problem, allow the children to free-explore their ideas about how best to produce waves. They will probably put their hands in and swirl the water.

Now reveal that waves are formed by wind blowing over the water. Have the children blow and see how the waves look different from those they produced using their hands.

Did they form in parallel lines like in the video above?

Once the children have seen waves, add a drop of food coloring to the water and have them blow waves again. How does the water move? Do all layers move the same way?

Many texts will tell you that the water in the deeper part of the ocean does not move forward as a wave passes by, but simply travels in a circle or oscillates. Proof is given when an object floating in the water simply bobs up and down, rather than moving forward.

waves-oscillating

 

If you look closely at the second video, however, you will see that the top layer of the water with the food coloring moves across the surface with the waves. Why?  One possible solution is that the bin is too shallow and the waves are behaving more like those at the shore, where the circular motion is disrupted. Can you think of any other reasons?

Activity 2. Water Vortices

Older students might want to try the experiments with vortices suggested in this video by Physics Girl (has a pop-up ad):

Isn’t that incredible? I can’t wait until it is warm enough to try it myself.

If your children like these activities with waves, be sure to pick up The Next Wave: The Quest to Harness the Power of the Oceans (Scientists in the Field Series) . It introduces young readers to an exciting new technology that will capture the energy of waves and convert it to useful electrical energy. The book will definitely inspire young readers who want explore waves and oceans. It is also a great resource for adults who want to learn more about this relatively new area of research on a potentially renewable source of energy.

Age Range: 10 – 14 years
Grade Level: 5 – 9
Series: Scientists in the Field Series
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (October 14, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0544099990
ISBN-13: 978-0544099999

You might also be interested in other books we have reviewed from the Scientists in the Field series. 

 

scientists-in-the-field-series-book-reviews

Disclosures:  The book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.  I am an affiliate for Amazon, and if you click through the linked titles or ads and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Proceeds will be used to maintain this self-hosted blog.

 

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.

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