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Category: Fun Science Activity (Page 50 of 112)

Giant Squid Invades STEM Friday

April 26, 2012 / / 3 Comments

Today Growing with Science is hosting STEM Friday, the meme that highlights recently released Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books for children (as well as older favorites). The STEM Friday book meme has been ongoing for a year, but now you can find it in one place each week – at the new STEM Friday blog. You should go check it out.
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Our featured guest today has some unusual characteristics.
It is an animal that:

  • has a beak
  • is related to a slug
  • has the largest eyes of any animal
  • is eaten by sperm whales.

Can you guess what it is?

The book Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster (Smithsonian) by Mary M Cerullo and Clyde F.E. Roper will give you all the answers to this mystery, or at least all the answers that are known so far.

One of the authors, Dr. Clyde Roper, is a zoologist at Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History who has devoted his life to finding out more about giant squid.

It isn’t easy studying giant squid, however. They live in the depths of the oceans, so far down only one person has ever recorded images of a living specimen (by sending a camera deep into the ocean). How do scientists like Dr. Roper study something that they can’t see? Dr. Roper looks for rare specimens that wash up on shore and also examines sperm whales. He studies sperm whales because they dive down and eat giant squid. In fact, it was the sucker-shaped scars left on the skin of the sperm whales by giant squid tentacles that helped scientists figure out how big they were.

In this video, Dr. Roper discusses some of his findings. The film editing is a bit “unusual,” but I think you can still see his passion for his subject.

CREDIT: Smithsonian Institution

Doesn’t that make you want to become a zoologist, too?

What I really like about this book is it shows how marine biologists use clues from a variety of sources to learn about these mysterious creatures. For example, scientists can estimate how many giant squid are in the ocean depths by calculating the number of giant squid a sperm whale eats and then multiplying that number by the number of sperm whales there are. Assuming sperm whales are not catching all giant squids that are living in the ocean, the numbers suggest there are millions of giant squid. Amazing!

How do scientists figure out how many giant squid a sperm whale eats? It is based on the number of giant squid beaks found in the stomachs of sperm whales, because the hard beaks are not digested. This leads to the part of the book that is not for the squeamish. Some of the photographs show researchers dissecting a sperm whale carcass that washed up on shore, in order to find out what its stomach contents were. It is a bloody, smelly process. Some of the photographs of the dead giant squids that have been found aren’t that pleasant, either. Sensitive children should probably be warned about the graphic nature of some of the photographs, but the story is so fascinating, they should be encouraged to give it a try. And the color photographs of the squids relatives, particularly the cuttlefishes, are just enchanting.

I really could go on and on about this book. The bottom line is that Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster is a fascinating look at a mysterious creature, and a wonderful glimpse into the scientific process as well. I highly recommend it, particularly for budding marine biologists. Take it along on your next trip to the beach.

For more giant squid information and lesson ideas:

Giant Squid at  Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History

Ocean Portal – For educators has links to many lessons about the ocean, for example:

Museum of New Zealand has a kid-friendly site with activities and information about the related Colossal Squid

The University of Arizona has a lesson:  The Cool Communication of Cephalopods

Spineless Smarts- a NOVA program about studying cuttlefish – too cute

A book about glass squid – shows relative sizes of different squid and sperm whales compared to a semi-trailer truck.
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Did you know that April has been National Poetry month? To celebrate, The STEM Friday blog has a post about STEM Haiku . Here is my haiku inspired by the book:

Search for sea monster
Giant squid swimming so deep
Tentacle comes up

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Paperback: 48 pages
Publisher: Capstone Press (January 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1429680237
ISBN-13: 978-1429680233


This plush toy might be interesting, as well.


Disclosures: Book was provided by 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.

National DNA Day Friday April 20, 2012

April 17, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Did you know it is National DNA Day this Friday, April 20, 2012? 

National DNA Day celebrates the completion of the Human Genome Project in April 2003, as well as the discovery of the double helix structure of DNA.

Of course I went right to the Teaching Tools to see what was available.  The NHGRI Activities for the USA Science and Engineering Festival link takes you to instructions for kid-friendly activities:

  • Craft a DNA Bracelet
  • Create Tree of Genetic Traits
  • Take The Genetic Challenge
  • Extract Strawberry DNA (see related post here)

Digging around, the Genetics Resources for Teachers has .pdf files to download. The Educator’s Page has links to a variety of resources, as well. Many of the materials are suitable for older children and young adults.

K8 Science has also put together some resources to honor National DNA Day.

I noticed the American Society of Human Genetics sponsors a DNA Day Essay Contest for students in grades 9-12 with cash prizes (it’s not clear whether it is open to homeschool students). Although too late for this year, it might be something to keep in mind for next year.

Why not take a few minutes and build a DNA molecule on Friday to celebrate?

Illustration from Wikimedia

All About Lizards

April 9, 2012 / / 2 Comments

Our post today is inspired by a book I spotted at our local library: Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards by, you guessed it, Sneed B. Collard III (for a full review, see Wrapped in Foil).

We have many different kinds of lizards here in Arizona. I love how this book starts out with an introduction to “Joe Lizard,” a western fence lizard, which is the kind we see in our yard all the time. The author also discusses other lizards common to Arizona, such as Gila monsters, horned lizards and western whiptails.

What are lizards?

Lizards are reptiles with over-lapping scales. They also have moveable quadrate bones that allow them to open their mouths very wide. Finally most lizards (but not all) have legs, which distinguishes them from the snakes.

Lizards also have the ability to drop their tails if they are attacked by a predator. You can see the discolored area of the tail where this one has just grown its tail back.

Western fence lizards can be found climbing on trees, where they lend in perfectly with the bark, as well as on fences. The males have bright blue bellies, which they show off by doing push-ups.

Whiptails have particularly long and slender tails.

Collared lizards, named for the black band at their neck, are often brightly-colored.

Activity 1 :  Lizard body temperature

Lizards and other reptiles are ectothermic, which means that their internal body temperature is controlled by the temperature of the environment around them. Another word for this is “cold-blooded,” although lizard don’t really have cold blood. Lizards move from sun to shade and place to place to keep their temperature in the optimal range.

Children may assume that when the outdoor temperature is 78° F, it is the same temperature everywhere. In fact, many surfaces will be colder or warmer than the air temperature depending on sun exposure and other factors. These differences are called “microclimates.”

Gather:

  • Thermometers (enough for every participant, if possible.)
  • Lamp (if doing this activity indoors), or sunny day outdoors
  • Dry play sand (or soil if not available)
  • Water
  • 2 containers to hold sand (enough for small groups of participants to share)
  • Timer or watch
  • Pencil and paper

Place a similar amount of sand into each container. Moisten the sand in one of the containers with water. Set both containers in the shade or indoors with the lamp off for a a few minutes to allow it to stabilize. Now take the temperature of the sand just under the surface with the thermometer for both containers and record the results.

Move the containers to a sunny place or under a lamp. Take the temperature after five minutes and again after ten minutes. Did it change? How did the temperature of the wet sand change in comparison to the dry sand? (The temperature of the wet sand should change less than dry sand).

If outdoors, encourage the children to check and record temperatures in several locations, both in the shade and in the sun.

If you were a lizard that should have an internal temperature about 80 °F, where would you spend your time? How about if your preferred temperature was 90°F?

What do lizards do when it is too cold out? Our Arizona lizards hibernate during the coldest months of the year.

Activity 2. Lizard in the Sun (Under a lamp)

See how a “lizard” absorbs heat. Appropriate for younger children.

Gather:

  • Two lizard shapes cut from black construction paper
  • Small desk lamp

Place one lizard shape directly under the lamp and one at least three feet away, preferably in a shaded or dark area. Have the children compare the temperature of each.

(Older children could record the temperature difference with a thermometer.)

Optional: Added graphic of temperature vs. lizard activity on page 3 from Sonoran Desert Museum’s Leaping Lizard’s handout.

 

(See more activities for preschoolers in our newer post.)

Citizen Science:  More opportunities for studying lizards

And don’t forget,

Sneed B. Collard III’s Most Fun Book Ever About Lizards

Hardcover: 48 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1580893244
ISBN-13: 978-1580893244


Disclosures: The book was from our local library. 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.

Where is your favorite place to watch lizards?

(*Note: It was entirely the lizard’s own decision to climb up this person. It was not picked up or handled.)

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