Category: ocean science (Page 3 of 6)

A New #Kidlit Book About Marine Mammals

July 22, 2016 / Roberta / 1 Comment

For STEM Friday we are featuring a new children’s picture book, About Marine Mammals: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill and illustrated by John Sill.

The Sills are a talented couple who have been collaborating on books in the award-winning About… series and the About Habitats series. If you have seen their work before, you know what to expect. John Sill’s gorgeous watercolor illustrations catch the readers’ eyes. Then they turn to Cathryn Sill’s clear, uncomplicated language. In remarkably few words she explains the scene and draws readers into it.

The “Afterward” in the back matter contains more detailed information about each of the previous scenes with a paragraph about each next to thumbnails of the illustrations. For example, did you know polar bears can be considered to be marine mammals? They swim between blocks of floating ice looking for other marine mammals such as seals.

Planning a trip to the beach? About Marine Mammals would be a perfect book to get children inspired about ocean creatures before the trip, learn more about what they see during the trip, and reinforce memories and learning after the trip. Not traveling? It would also be a wonderful way to take a trip to distant, cool places in your imagination.

Spectacular Summer Science: Fish Activities for Kids

July 5, 2016 / Roberta / 0 Comments

Today we’re participating in the Spectacular Summer Science Series, hosted by Share It! Science News. Follow the link to eight weeks of super summer science activities for kids.

Summer is a perfect time to study fish because we are often near or in the water where fish live.

What are fish? Fish are animals with fins and a backbone. Most breathe with gills. Bony fish have scales covering their body.

Activity 1. Fish Anatomy

Learning about the names of the external structures of fish can help with identification and understanding of fish behavior.

(Public Domain Photo via VisualHunt.com)

The fins help fish move through the water, steer, and also to stop. The position and types of fins vary with different kinds of fish.

Water carrying oxygen passes into the mouth, over the gills where some of the oxygen is removed, and then out from behind the operculum (gill cover).

The mouth shape varies depending on what kind of food the fish eats.

The nostrils detect odors or chemicals in the water, important for finding prey and avoiding predators.

Reinforce learning by having the children draw or make their own fish and then label and talk about the different parts.

Suggestions:

Gyotaku fish print activity (Growing with Science post)
For young children, look for Rainbow Fish crafts, like this one.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife has fish anatomy posters and worksheets to download, especially useful for older children.
Look for instructions for how to draw a fish, like this one.
Read the beginning reader Fish Body Parts by Clare Lewis

(Amazon Affiliate Link)

Age Range: 4 – 7 years
Publisher: Heinemann (August 1, 2015)
ISBN-10: 1484625633
ISBN-13: 978-1484625637

Activity 2. Fish Identification

The major groups of fish are jawless fishes (eels), bony fishes, and cartilaginous fishes (sharks, rays, skates).

The jawless fishes‘ skeleton is made of cartilage like the cartilaginous fishes, but they don’t have jaws or paired fins. Their gill is a single opening in the top of their head. They don’t have scales.

Bony fish have scales, jaws and their gills are on either side of their body. They have a skeleton made of bone.

(Public Domain Photos via Visual hunt)

Cartilaginous fishes also have a skeleton made of cartilage, but unlike jawless fishes they do have jaws and some paired fins. They have gill slits on either side of the body.

(Public Domain Photo via VisualHunt)

Pop quiz:Â To which of the above groups do seahorses belong? (Answer at bottom)

(Public domain photo by Lisa McCarty, PublicDomainPictures.net)

To reinforce learning, try some fish identification games. You can either print out prepared games or make your own. Try fish flash cards, a fish concentration game (make two copies of each fish card for making pairs), or make a board for fish bingo. Have your children create cards with different types of fish on them. Look for realistic fish stickers or images to download from the internet.

Suggestions:

The Texas Fish and Wildlife Service has printable flash cards of 24 different kinds of fish (direct link to .pdf)
Monterey Bay Aquarium has critter cards and game suggestions with fish and other underwater creatures.

Activity 3:Â Fish Behavior

We often think of fish simply as little robots swimming around, but they can exhibit many fascinating behaviors. Take for example the “fishy fireworks” produced by this cardinal fish feeding on ostracods. If the ostracods light up, then the fish spits them out to avoid attracting predators.

Take some time to watch fish in a tank or pool. You might discover fish playing, schooling (TED lesson), or fish defending themselves. We recently found out there is some evidence fish can suffer from motion sickness.

Record your observations in a notebook. If you have any questions, plan an experiment to test your ideas.

Discussion of bony fish behaviors (SeaWorld)

Further suggestions:

To learn more about fish, take a field trip to one of the many commercial and public aquariums nationwide. Wikipedia has a list to get you started.
Read a book. See our growing list of children’s books about fish for ideas.

Answer to pop quiz:Â Seahorses are bony fishes.

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Two New Animal Planet Books for Kids: Polar Animals and Ocean Animals

March 4, 2016 / Roberta / 1 Comment

Sometimes rather than focus on a certain kind of animal, children want to investigate the groups of living organisms found in a particular habitat. This approach allows for a bigger picture of nature, from similarities and differences between animals found in specialized habitats, to how they all fit together into a food web.

Today we are participating in STEM Friday (see below) by featuring two new children’s booksÂ published this month that highlight habitats. Both these books from Animal Planet are loaded with big color photographs and plenty of entertaining sidebars, sure to entice young readers. “Just Like Me” sections highlight how the featured animal and humans are similar, further bringing the child into the book. The back matter of both is also impressively robust. They have suggested activities to accompany the book, an extensive list of resources, a large glossary, and a comprehensive index.

The first is Animal Planet Polar Animals (Animal Bites Series) by Laaren Brown, which focuses on the polar regions.

As you can see from the images on the cover, this books deals with animals in cold places from polar bears in the Arctic to penguins in the Antarctic. In fact, maps of the two poles are included, as well as a sidebar with the average summer and winter temperatures in both regions.

Do you know what a bergy bit or a growler are? Not only does the book cover animals, but also other unique aspects of the habitat. (Bergy bits and growlers are different types of ice that can be found floating in seawater.)

Polar Animals is an enjoyable introduction to the animals in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. It has something from everyone because it offers both a fast facts and breathtaking photographs for the casual reader, and sufficient in-depth information for the more serious reader.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Animal Planet (March 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 161893161X
ISBN-13: 978-1618931610

Animal Planet Ocean Animals (Animal Bites Series) by Laaren Brown explores the unique creatures found in oceans.

In this case, the habitat is organized by depth of the water where the creature occurs. Most of the ocean creatures are found in the “Sunlight Zone” near the surface, but Brown also introduces what she calls the deeper “Twilight Zone,” and the deepest “Midnight Zone.” She also discusses the specialized organisms of hydrothermal vents.

In addition to introducing interesting animals, like the whale shark, the author also introduces important concepts. For example, many animals form large groups to help them survive in the vast oceans. Fish form schools, dolphins gather in pods, and sea birds fly together in flocks.

Ocean Animals makes a large and complex topic manageable for children to understand. In addition to being a resource for libraries, it would also be a good gift book to accompany a trip to the beach or an aquarium.

We’ll be adding this to our growing list of ocean-themed children’s books

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Animal Planet (March 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1618931628
ISBN-13: 978-1618931627

Disclosure:Â The books were provided by the publisher for review purposes. Also, I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at no extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

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

Category: ocean science (Page 3 of 6)

A New #Kidlit Book About Marine Mammals

Spectacular Summer Science: Fish Activities for Kids

Activity 1. Fish Anatomy

Activity 2. Fish Identification

Activity 3:Â Fish Behavior

Two New Animal Planet Books for Kids: Polar Animals and Ocean Animals

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