Seymour Simon's Blog, page 21

Dolphin Rescue!

When a dolphin needed help off the coast of Hawaii, he swam right up to a scuba instructor and let him know. Keller Laros was leading a group of divers on a tour off the coast of Kona, Hawaii, last week. "All of a sudden I heard a loud squeak, and I turned around, and the dolphin was literally three feet behind me," Laros said. "He swam right up to me." The diving instructor could tell that something was wrong, and looking more closely, he saw that there was a fishing line hooked onto his fin. "I said, ‘come here,’ and he swam right up to me," he said. "I put my hand out and I tried to get the fishing hook out of his left pectoral fin." But the animal was having trouble swimming because his fin was still tangled up in the fishing line. The 10-foot long dolphin - almost twice as long as his rescuer was tall - waited patiently while Laros rummaged through the dive tools that he carries in his suit, pulling out a pair of small scissors. He was able to clip the line off of the dolphin’s mouth and fin, but there was still a little left.They waited while the dolphin went up for a breath of air and came back down. Then Laros and another dive guide removed as much line from under the fin as they could. "I guess the dolphin was happy with our work. He swam away and we never saw him again," he said. "It’s a huge thrill to be able to help an animal that clearly knows what’s going on," he said. "He made the effort to come to us… The dolphin is really intelligent. It’s a relationship. He came to us because he had a problem."One of the divers in the class that Laros was teaching had a video camera and filmed the whole interaction. Here it is for you to see. Isn’t that a magnificent moment between two intelligent mammals?

Gold Stars for Seymour’s Digital Books!

We are pleased to report that four - count them, 4! - of Seymour Simon’s eBooks received the QED seal of approval at the recent Digital Book World Conference.Is it true that some cats have no fur? Can you really tell a dog by his noseprints? And what kind of animals are also known as hobs, jills and kits?Find out the answers to all this and more!If you liked SILLY ZOO ANIMAL JOKES & RIDDLES, you’re sure to enjoy this book about one of Seymour’s favorite topics - SPACE MONSTERS!Younger readers are sure to enjoy SEYMOUR SIMON’s ANIMAL ABCs, full of fascinating information about baby animals from A to Z.And finally, the first book in Seymour Simon’s new series, A SHIPMATE’S GUIDE TO OUR SOLAR SYSTEM."Like the passengers on a ship, all the humans, plants and animals of the world are traveling together, shipmates on this huge spaceship we call Earth."The 2013 QED Seals were awarded at the recent Digital Book World Conference.TheQEDprocess consists of a 13-point checklist to ensure a high quality user experience. DBW considers theQEDSeal, which stands forQuality, Excellence, Design, the "Good HousekeepingSeal of ApprovalTM" for ebooks and apps.To ensure that an ebook title submitted for aQEDwill render well on the device a reader chooses, it is reviewed on three devices: a small, mobile-sized screen, an eInk reader-sized screen, and a tablet-sized screen.TheQEDis judged on the criteria established on the recommendation of the Publishing Innovation Awards advisory council, who are respected leaders in the digital production and design space. Congratulations, Seymour, on all this great recognition of your digital original books. All these books are available to purchase individually for Kindle Fire or Nook Color/Nook Tablet, but they are also part of the StarWalk Kids collection of digital books for kids K-8. If you haven’t yet checked out what we are doing, please come have a look today!www.starwalkkids.com

Cool Photo: Dust/Rain Cloud

Dust + Rain = An Amazing Sight! This incredible sight is the result of a rain cloud and a dust storm meeting and combining off the western coast of Australia. Tug boat worker Brett Martin snapped this photograph of the amazing red cloud traveling rapidly across the Indian Ocean.

Pennsbury Students Win Signed Science Dictionaries!

Thank you to everyone who entered the second MY AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest. We enjoyed seeing the choices you made and reading your writing using those words. Nealy 100 students and classes entered this contest - that is a lot of excellent research and writing! As promised, we have selected two winners of this contest, and both will receive an autographed copy of the newly updated edition of Seymour Simon’sSCIENCE DICTIONARY, which was published by Dover Books on December 19th. Are you ready? Here are the winners of Seymour Simon’s 2nd Awesome Science Word contest: Individual Winner: Brandon/4th Grade, Penn Valley Elementary,Ms. Kochersperger’sclass Awesome Science Word: ZirconDefinition: Zircons are solid minerals that come in many different colors and can be transparent (see through) crystals used as gemstones.Why you think it is awesome: I think the word zircon is awesome, not only because of how the word looks and sounds, but also because I like learning about different minerals found in the Earth.Use the word in a sentence: Yesterday, my friends and I went to a cave full of crystals and my favorite one was a green, transparent zircon. Classroom Winner: Mrs. Caron’s 2nd Grade Class, Oxford Valley Elementary School Awesome Science Word: Dry Ice Definition: Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide that is -107 degrees Fahrenheit or colder. Why you think it is awesome: Dry ice is interesting because it keeps food cold while it gets shipped to your house. Use the word in a sentence: When a metal spoon touches dry ice, it makes a high-pitched, squeaky sound. Both winners will receive a personally autographed copy of Seymour Simon’s SCIENCE DICTIONARY. Congratulations to everyone who entered!

Mr. Guenther’s Class Writes

Mr. Guenther’s Third Grade class presented me with a book made up of their writing when I visited Oxford Valley Elementary School yesterday. It was titled: MR. GUENTHER’S CLASS READS AND WRITES SEYMOUR SIMON STORIES! Wow. It was great. Every student did a full page, with an illustration, writing about a book of mine that they had studied, and telling what they learned. There is not time to show the whole book here, but I’d like to share three great examples.Good work, everybody, and thank you for your warm welcome yesterday!

Thank you, Village Park Elementary!

Ms. Miele from Village Park Elementary School in Pennsylvania brought me wonderful thank you cards, with student writing and drawings, after my visit there this week. We don’t have enough space here to share them all, but I wanted to show you some of the lovely notes from these students. Destiny wrote: "Mr. Simon, I hope you had a great time here," along with this lovely drawing of the two of us holding hands. Thank you, Destiny! Savannah wanted me to know that she has some suggestions for new books: "What about flowers or bees? Birds are cool, too." And she added, "P.S. You inspire me." I am so touched by that. 2nd grader Tyler wrote: "I liked when you showed us the paper airplane!" And look at this terrific drawing of a space monster! One of my favorite topics!

Writing Wednesday: Snow Animals!

Welcome to Writing Wednesday! Today we’re going to start with this funny photograph of a snow person and snow dog! Isn’t it great? We would like you to tell us in your own words what snow animal you would build if you could.Think about your favorite animal, and tell us why you like that animal so much. Use facts, concrete details and other information to convince us why your snow animal would be the best one ever! When you are finished writing, click on the yellow "comments" link at the bottom of this blog post if you would like to publish your snow animal writing for others to read. Or, share with your classmates, family or friends! Happy (snowy) writing!Note for Educators: Today’s Writing Wednesday exercise is designed to support CCSS Writing Standard w.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (2b) Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.

Cool Photo: Saturn

The Cassini orbiter - an unmanned space probe - sent back this magnificent image of Saturn last month. The reason this photograph is so spectacular is that the orbiter is shooting from the "dark side" of Saturn, so the planet is glowing with the sun’s light behind it. Look closely at the bottom left-hand corner of the photograph - do you see anything there? Those two little spots are Enceladus and Tethys, two of Saturn’s moons. Here’s what Carolyn Porco, leader of the Cassini imaging team at the Colorado-based Space Science Institute, said about this image:"Of all the many glorious images we have received from Saturn, none are more strikingly unusual than those we have taken from Saturn’s shadow. They unveil a rare splendor seldom seen anywhere else in our solar system."

Science News: Dinosaur Feathers on Display

Scientists think that feathered, two-legged dinosaurs called Oviraptors may have used their muscular tails to shake their feathers as part of a mating dance, just as some male birds do today. One of the researchers who analyzed 75-million-year-old oviraptor fossils said, "I think like peacocks, oviraptors were strutting their stuff by shaking their tail feathers to show off." Oviraptor tailswere short, but were made of many tailbones attached by very strong muscles. This suggests that their tails were both very flexible and very strong, enabling these prehistoric animals to do eye-catching dances and hold powerful poses. The mating dance has apparently been with us through the ages! Drawing by Sydney Mohr

Contest Part 2: MY AWESOME SCIENCE WORD!

Seymour Simon is heading back to Pennsylvania and visiting six more schools this coming week. As promised, we are running our contest again for students in the Pennsburyschool district. Welcome to the AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest!Two lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s newly updated SCIENCE DICTIONARY, with more than 2,000 entries!Did you ever spend time browsing through an encyclopedia or dictionary? You might not have been looking for a specific word but just leafing through, finding cool topics and reading about them. For this contest Seymour Simon invites you to browse through hisonlineScience Dictionaryand find a word or image that you really like. Here is the link where you can find his Science Dictionary online:http://www.seymoursimon.com/index.php... is what you need to know to enter Seymour’s Awesome Science Word Contest:Take a look around in the online Science Dictionary and find a word that you think is an Awesome Science Word. Once you have decided on your word, you have to do three things:1. Tell us what your word is and explain the definition in your own words.2. Tell us why you think your word is awesome.3. Use your Awesome Science Word in a sentence to prove that you really understand what it means.Here is an example. Let’s say that I look at the online Dictionary pick "geyser" as my Awesome Science Word. I would write:Definition in my own words: A geyser is a hot, underground pool or stream of water that sometimes explodes into the air, releasing hot water and steam.Why it is awesome: I think it is awesome that hot water, smoke and steam can just explode out of the ground without any warning.Using it in a sentence: If you ever go to Yellowstone National Park, don’t walk too near the "Old Faithful" geyser, because you never know when it is going to blow!Here is how to enter once you have selected your Awesome Science Word:A. Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog to enter the contest by sharing your word along with your definition, why you think it is awesome, and your sentence using your word. B. When you write you information, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), your school, and your teacher’s name. That way we can find you if you are the winner!C. Be sure to post your entry by midnight on Friday, January 11th. The contest ends then. RULES:Two winners in the Pennsbury Schools will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries.Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner.Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner.Both winners will receive copies of the printed version of the SCIENCE DICTIONARY, autographed by Seymour Simon.Students who are not in the Pennsbury (Pennsylvania) school district may also enter this contest. If we have at least 20 entries from other schools, we will randomly choose a third prizewinner from the non-Pennsylvania entries.This new book is completely updated, and was just published by Dover Books on December 19.So, get to work and send us your entries today. Good luck!