Did you know today is the 48th anniversary of the first moon walk on July 20, 1969?
The lunar landing inspired many children to consider careers in science and math. Let’s take a look at a book that might inspire the next generation, as well.
Discover what led up to the big day when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, as well as what happened afterwards.
As the cover suggests, the book allows readers to make 48 choices that lead to 9 different endings. Although it sounds complicated, it is actually simply very well organized text that flows logically. After reading it, you will wonder why more books aren’t written this way.
Learn about history and science by walking through a copy with a child today.
Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Publisher: Capstone Press (August 1, 2016)
ISBN-10: 1491481374
ISBN-13: 978-1491481370
Disclosure: This book was 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.
We are pleased to be hosting STEM Friday this week, a celebration of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books for children. The theme for today is wildflowers, so be sure to click through the link and check it out. (This post contains affiliate links to Amazon).
We are fast approaching the the centennial of Lady Bird Johnson’s birth, December 22, 2012, and it seemed like a perfect time to pull out Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt and illustrated by Joy Fisher Hein. This is a beautiful picture book biography that overflows with the beautiful wildflowers that Lady Bird Johnson enjoyed so much. (For a full review of the book, see our sister blog, Wrapped in Foil.)
You may wonder how a picture book about a former first lady who loved wildflowers could be used as a jumping off point for STEM. Here are just a few ideas:
Construct two weather stations and compare the weather in a wildflower garden versus a parking lot
Engineering:
Wildflower seeds come in many different sizes and shapes. Investigate how wildflower seeds are planted, harvested, processed or threshed, and packaged for sale. Can you think of a machine to do this in a better way?
Math:
Look for patterns and shapes in a wildflower garden (see free .pdf curricula to download at the Wildflower Center)
Investigating wildflowers can be a wonderful way to promote all aspects of STEM.
Lupine life cycle
Let’s take a look at the life cycle of one of Lady Bird Johnson’s favorite flowers, the bluebonnet or lupine. Her favorite was Lupinus texensis, the Texas bluebonnet. We are showing the arroyo lupine, Lupinussucculentus, which is a similar plant.
Lupine seeds
sprout into seedlings. The first two smooth oval “leaves” are actually the cotyledons.
Soon the regular leaves emerge and the plants begin to grow.
In a few short months the lupines begin to flower.
Honey bees and other pollinators pollinate the flowers. When the flower has been pollinated, the white part turns red.
Now the petals fall off and the seed pods begin to form. You can see the dark green seeds forming inside.
When they are mature, the pods turn brown. Do you see the ones towards the bottom of the photograph that are twisted? The pods burst open when they are mature and send the seeds shooting through the air. Hopefully, the seeds will land in a good location and grow into new lupines the following year.
Plant some wildflowers so you can follow your own plant life cycles. In the Sonoran Desert the time to plant wildflowers flowers for a spring bloom is right now (November).
Related activities/information:
Be sure to check either Kathi Appelt‘s (click on the icon next to the “brand new” image) or Joy Fisher Hein‘s websites for a beautiful and fun activity kit (in .pdf) to download that accompanies the book. The kit includes a word search, card matching game and many ideas for hands-on learning.
What is an ophiologist? As you probably have guessed, unlike a herpetologist, who studies amphibians and reptiles, an ophiologist is a person who specializes in the study of snakes.
Why would anyone study snakes? Snakes are fascinating (yet also sometimes feared creatures) that deserve further study. They can be important predators of pests like mice, rats, insects and slugs. Researchers are finding new medical uses for snake venom. Understanding snakes helps keep people safe from the venomous ones. Studying snakes helps us understand our natural world. The list goes on and on.
Do you need live snakes to do the activities from this book? No, Blobaum has created scientifically-relevant activities that can be done with items from around the home, although they beg to be supplemented by a trip to a zoo to see some live specimens. For example, learning how to estimate the length of a snake lying on the ground is something snake scientists must do in the field quickly and accurately. In Blobaum’s “Snake Survey” activity, snake stand-ins like lengths of yarn and belts to help children learn the estimating, measuring and data-collecting skills that can definitely be applied in the real world.
Other activities sure to appeal to children include making foldable fangs, creating a model of snakes’ eyes, investigating snake venom using an enzyme found in pineapple, and creating a bad odor to mimic snake defensive compounds. These are fabulous for the young hands-on learner.
Although I only have highest praise for the text in the book, I should mention that the photographs used to illustrate the activities are not printed in color like the vibrant cover. Some of the photographs are too dark to be really effective. It was probably done to reduce printing costs, which is unfortunate because the rest of the book is so good.
Awesome Snake Science! is an amazing book that sets a new standard for how hands-on science should be done. It is sure to appeal to budding scientists, particularly those interested in becoming ophiologists. 🙂
Our own learning adventures, inspired by the book:
Snake Identification Activity
Snakes can be hard to identify because you often only catch a glimpse of one slithering by, because many species are camouflaged, or because they may mimic other species that are well-defended. The good news is that these days there are Internet sites and even apps to help with snake identification.
Let’s figure out which of the following photographs is of a Sonoran gopher snake, a desert king snake and a desert blind snake using the Discover Life snake identification guide.
First of all, these snakes are all from western North America (Arizona to be exact).
A.
Make a guess which of the three snakes this might be.
Click on the Discover Life snake identification guide. Select the following choices (I provided the choices because they may not be visible in the photograph. Feel free to modify them.)
1. Body bottom color: other
2. Body bottom pattern: solid
3. Body color: solid
4. Scales:Â smooth
5. Divided? don’t check box
6. Range:Â North American West
Now hit one of the “search” buttons on the far right side
You should see matches come up in the column on the left side. Click on your guess for which snake it is (hopefully it will be in the list) and check the photographs to see if it matches. If not, try one of the other names. Remember, snakes can vary a lot in color, so look other characteristics, too.
B.
Click in the top menu to “restart”
Which snake is this?
1. Body bottom color: other
2. Body bottom pattern: blotches
3. Body color: spots
4. Scales:Â smooth
5. Divided? don’t check box
6. Range:Â North American West
This time only one of the names will probably come up in the list on the left. See if this snake matches.
C.
If all went well, there’s only one name left. Let’s see what kind of snake this is.
Characteristics:
1. Body bottom color: white
2. Body bottom pattern: solid color
3. Body color: spots
4. Scales:Â keeled strongly
5. Divided? don’t check box
6. Range:Â North American West
Skip all the rattlesnakes, because it doesn’t have a rattle on its tail.
Looking for a science fair project idea? Dragonfly TV has a show about a snake experiment testing snake senses. Caution for sensitive types: the video shows a dead mouse being immersed in water.
Reading level: Ages 9 and up
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Chicago Review Press (July 1, 2012)
ISBN-10: 1569768072
ISBN-13: 978-1569768075
The copy reviewed was purchased.
Answers to snake identification:Â A. desert blind snake B. Sonoran king snake C. desert gopher snake
More books for kids about snakes:
Verdi by Janell Cannon – Lovely fiction picture book to pair with nonfiction
