Seymour Simon's Blog, page 41

Top Stories of 2011: Your Earth Day Promises

The top Seymour Science blog posting of 2011 was written by….YOU! I am so proud of all of you who wrote to me in response to Earth Day! On the last day of April, we posted almost 300 promises that you have made to Earth Day's BILLION ACTS OF GREEN website. Seymour Science readers have really stepped up to make a difference! I feel sure that you will all work hard to continue caring for our planet Earth every day.As promised, we are publishing everyone's writing about why they care about Earth Day. This list is alphabetical, so find your name and show your writing to your families, your teachers, your librarians and your friends. You are part of an important cause, and each of you deserves to be very proud of what you've done. Alana:Dear Mr. Simon, My carbon footprint was very surprising to me. To know how large of a footprint I am leaving is mind blowing. My carbon foot is 19.9. I have a fairly large family. I have 5 people in my family. To reduce my carbon footprint I could turn off the T.V. when I am not watching it. Also, I could reduce the amount of time I use the T.V. Another thing I could do is buy a reusable water bottle. I could also eat less fast food. Sincerely, Alana Alana B.: I am going to celebrate Earth month 2011 by doing many good things for the Earth. A few things that I will do is cleaning up the nearby creeks and roads. Also, I will make the people that surround me aware of the Earth and how much we need to help it. Alex: I love trees and that's why I don't waste paper so I recycle and encourage others to care about are world like a mother would care for her newborn. We can all do this together so join me!Alyssa: Hey Seymour Simon! Our class is recycling all of our paper to help the environment!!!!!!!! Our class is going green!!!!! Amanda: I am going to help my neighbors recycle (pick up) stray trash on the streets and our community!Earth Day is everyday!ALWAYS RECYCLE! Amber: Me and my mom grow our own food like fruits and vegetables. Maybe I could start a garden at my dad's too and that is how I will help the earth. Amelia P.: Hey Seymour Simon! Our class (Ms.Wolf's class.) is going green! We are recycling all of our old papers! Your butterfly garden is really cool! Andrew H.: Dear Seymour Simon, My name is Andrew and I am a student at Churchville Elementary. My carbon footprint was 16.25. I am not too proud about that so I've been trying to lessen that score by walking more to "baseball practice" or my friend's house. I also am only washing my clothes when I need to. My new wash day is Friday instead of ever other day. I also bought an aluminum bottle for water. I thank you for this opportunity to write back to you. Sincerely, Andrew Andy: My Earth Day Pledge is that I will never ever litter,and not use too much electricity. Andy: Here's my idea to save the earth: when you're done with electric appliances, turn them off. Never use too much electricity.How do you save the earth? Andy: I'm very concerned about global warming, so I don't use so much electricity. How about you? Ashley C.: For my project for Earth Day, I'm going to go around mypark and pick up trash. Also, I'm going to go around the house in themorning, afternoon, and at night and look at the faucets and turn off all ofthe dripping water. Do you think that would be good? Ashley C.:Happy Earth Day! Speaking of Earth, I made a little replica of earth along with other planets. I have been reading your Solar System books, and it isamazing how tiny earth is from all of the other planets!August:This year for Earth Day I plan to not use the lights during the day and at night only use the lights if I need to. Ayla: When I wash my hands I usually don't use the water on full pressure so I will use less water. I also recycle paper, plastic and anything else I can. Brigid: Dear Mr.Simon, My name is Brigid. I am a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary School. I'm a BIG fan. Our whole grade used the carbon footprint calculator and mine was pretty low. It was 7.6. Some of my goals were to help more wild animals, to recycle more, and to live a healthier lifestyle (eating more fruits and vegetables and when I'm done, putting the cores and peels in my aunt and uncle's composter, reducing usage of land fills). Thank you for coming to Churchville and inspiring me and my classmates. Sincerely, Brigid Brynn C.: Dear Mr. Simon, Our school (Churchville Elementary) has been talking about you, your books and your visit for a while now. I calculated my carbon footprint and made pledges to reduce it. One of mine was to use less electrical appliances. Whenever I leave my room, my lights get unplugged. I even have a water bottle label chain to show how many of my water bottles I have recycled. I'm trying to help our planet in as many ways as possible. Thank you for inspiring me. From, Brynn Bryanna T.: Hello. I just wanted to know if you ever recycle every day instead of only on Earth day? Ms. Wolf's class always recycles when we do our work. Cailin: My family and I pick up trash around our neighborhood. Caleb: Dear Seymour Simon, What I will do on Earth Day after school is "outdoor Friday". That way I will stop wasting electricity and let nature protect me. Cali: To use less water you can turn off the faucet when you wash your hands and then turn it back on to rinse off your hands. Another thing I will do to help our earth is try not to use plastic bottles and recycle so maybe one day another person could use it. Also, another way to preserve and help the earth is to get together and form a group to help clean up trash along in the roads in your neighborhood! EVERYDAY IS EARTHDAY!! LETS GO EVERYONE!!!!! LETS HELP THE EARTH!!!!!! Carly:A week ago I got a compost bin, and I use it all the time! Also, I recycle paper, plastic and soda cans!! I love Earth Day! Carly: I think that your books are truly great and so do all of my friends. Our class has a little recycling box and whenever we cut out paper everybody puts it in there and our trashcan has almost nothing!!Cayla: Me and my family recycle everyday. We recycle cans, bottles, cartons and many more things. We also use those light bulbs that look like frozen yogurt and help the environment. That's how I help the earth. Cecily:What my family and I are doing for earth day is that we are rarely using the lights in my house!!! Cecily: Earth Day is awesome! Celina: On Earth Day, Mrs. Edward always sells seedlings for a month. The money goes to saving the Earth. I was in her class last year, I miss her so much. She inspired me. Chris A.:I could turn the lights off when no one is using them. Christian: I use the swirly light bulbs to save energy and ride my bike to the park. I made a song about it and it goes like this: I planted PLANTS yes I did I RECYCLED didn't kick the plants in my garden EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAY OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHH YEAH EARTH DAY EARTH DAY EARTH DAY OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH YEAH. That's the end of my song. Christina: In my family we recycle and we have a composting bin all the way out in our back yard. Connor M.:I tore up a white-board to recycle the cardboard inside of it. I recycle water bottles, soda bottles and glass so our environment will not be a landfill. I will try to use and reserve energy. I am also getting fluorescent light bulbs. Conor: I think it was a great idea of doing this. Not many people really appreciate Earth Day and why we have it. Anyway, the way I'm helping to save the planet is by turning off lights when I don't need them. When it's raining outside and there's nothing to do, I run around in my basement. When I'm done, I turn off the lights and watch TV to relax my body. When I'm all relaxed and I want to run around again, I turn off the television and lights and run around. It's just a constant good cycle instead of letting the lights run out. Of course when it's sunny I like to run around in my backyard. Another way is to use reusable water bottles.Like I said, I run around so I need water. Since I'm using a lot of water, it's good to reuse bottles and not waste plastic. Dan: I use a bike to ride to my friend's house instead of asking my parents to drive me there. Dana: Whenever I use plastic cups or plates I will recycle them. I will also use old pizza boxes as gardens and punch holes in a plastic bottle to water the flowers. Dana :Dear Mr. Simon, My name is Dana and I am a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary school. My carbon footprint was 13.5 (not so good). Some things I can do to reduce my carbon footprint is that I can try to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I can reduce the amount of electricity I use during the day. I can also reuse some of my plastic water bottles. Finally, I can recycle papers along with plastics.Sincerely, DanaDaniella:Instead of using the plastic and paper my mom uses the other bags that are reusable all year around. Danny: THE EARTH DAY SONG Do you ever feel suspicious, like our earth is falling apart, and we, need to help, because we need to recycle and reuse, just like Blue's Clues. Maybe the reason why, we have global warming, is because we are using too many cars, because baby you need to recycle, think about using a bicycle, make them go la, la, la, you're going to leave them La! YAY! David: I usually help my Dad recycle all our plastic soda bottles and cans. Devin: I am recycling cans and plastic bottles, and I will convince my mom to do meatless Mondays. Cool, right, Seymour Simon? Drew: At home I collect bottles and cans that are left in front of my house. There were lots of cans and bottles on my lawn so I collected all of the cans. And when I go to the super market I use the bags for stuff so I that don't throw away. I use them for things I need to carry stuff in and I don't even throw them out when they're ripped. I recycle items like (paper, plastic, bottles, and cans). We pick up any trash we see. Elizabeth: When my family is done with our plastic water bottles we refill them with more water or other drink and keep refilling after we're done. Emma: I will try to get the whole family outside and playing instead of wasting energy inside. I think this will help because my brother plays a lot of games on the computer and on his Xbox and hardly any time outside. Now I'm not just blaming it on my brother. I too stay inside some times and play Wii when it's nice outside. Not only that but I can turn off all the lights when it is still bright outside and when we don't need them. Emma: Wow, there are so many things we can do to keep our earth clean and healthy. All you have to do is change light bulbs, shut off the T.V. when you're done, and recycle. I know in my family we always recycle and make sure we turn the light off in any room we leave. Save the earth and…....GO GREEN! Ethan: When I ride my bike I pick up any trash I see. Ethan: My family is using organic foods. If we do that animals can have a life instead of living instead of living in cages. Now they can roam free. Flugal: For Earth Day I am going to use the least amount of water, try to preserve energy, use reusable bags for shopping and keep the green life healthy and clean. (_( ( º-º) <———BUNNY! (")(") Frankie: I am playing outside and turning off the electricity to save energy. Glenn: My family and I reuse all paper bags. Giana: What my classmates and I do to help the environment is, when we are done with a math packet, instead of putting it in the trash, we put it in the recycling bin. Hailey: Dear Seymour Simon, For Earth Day I am going to try to use the least amount of electricity. I am also going to try to plant some plants like flowers or trees. Hera: That's cool having a butterfly garden!I'm planting a fruit tree in my backyard because every time I go to a grocery store, I want blueberries. Jack: At my house, we buy wind power instead of coal. Jackie: My mom and I were planning on planting flowers this spring and continuing to recycle cans, cartons and water bottles daily. I hope it makes a difference. I learned that it takes one step at a time and if we start now the earth will get better sooner, if we don't start…. who will? Jacob: I fall like all the time. I literally trip on nothing. As a matter of fact, I made a song called "I Tripped On Nuttin." Me and my friends made a group and that's one of our songs. I will try not to fall on the plants and kill them (I do it all the time, sadly). Jared: On Earth Day, I recycle paper and plastic. I also pick up trash and shut off the lights when I'm not in the room! Jason: I will try to use less lights in my house by turning them off when they are not being used. Jay: For earth day I will turn off lights and any thing electrical that I don't need to use. I am going to use candles instead of light bulbs!!! I will also unplug TVs and computers, not just put them in standby mode. Jennifer P.: My family and I always try to be "greener" This year we started to recycle! We recycle water bottles. My family and I also save plastic bags and keep on reusing them. We use less electricity and pick up litter in our neighborhood. I love helping to keep the earth clean! Jess: On Earth Day, I help out around my neighborhood. My mom and I pick up trash on the curbs and on my neighbors' yards. My other neighbors help, too. This really helps make our neighborhood look nice and helps the Earth!Jessie: In my family we recycle. Also, when we leave a room we turn off the lights to save energy. Jillian: Here are some things that I will do to help the Earth: 1. I will pick up trash around my neighborhood. 2. I will reduce, reuse, and recycle everything that I use. 3. I will walk or ride a bike to school instead of taking a car or the bus. 4. I will carpool with friends and use less fuel. 5. Instead of using paper bags for lunch and plastic water bottles, I will use reusable water bottles and lunch bags. 6. I will use less electricity and turn off electrical appliances when no one is using them.These are some things that I will do to help make the world a better place! Joey: I recycle plastic bottles when I find them. John Lyman School 3rd & 4th graders: We picked up trash in our yards and neighborhoods in honor of Earth Day. We also planted trees and gardens with our families. Someone also planted blueberries. We know you need to recycle to keep the earth clean.John Lyman School 3rd & 4th graders: Some of us planted gardens in honor of Earth Day. Our class also walked around our school grounds and picked up trash. Some of us also picked up trash at a baseball field. We continue to enjoy your books. At our school, your books are used everywhere. We've also just begun checking out your blog.BTW ~ The photo of the week of the tree frog was awesome! Jordan: Every day, my family recycles bottles. We also use reusable cups instead of buying water bottles at the store. Jordyn: Every day I recycle and have a lot of plants outside. When I walk my dog, I pick up trash, just to make the earth a little bit cleaner. My family and I recycle anything that we can possibly recycle. My mom, dad and I all use reusable water bottles. In the summer I water all the plants and in the winter and when it's cold out, my grandpa does it. This is what I do to help the earth on Earth Day and any other day! Thanks for reading this! Justin: For Earth Day this 2011 I'm going to not use my microphone and just project my voice. Also I'm going to not use any lights in my house. Also when my Dad and I go to the mart we will not get bags we will get reusable bags instead of plastic bags. Another thing I will do is go to the nearest beach and clean it up. Kayla:In my family we recycle! We also use fluorescent light bulbs. In our school we also recycle. We have a green club. Kara: On Earth Day I tried not to use as much electricity. I also recycled as much as I could. Keegan: When I take a walk I pick up trash on the street. Kevin S.: Some of things we could do to help our planet are very simple. We could recycle, shut off the lights when we are not in a room, or shut off the water when we are not using it. Some of the things I do personally are, I have a carpool to soccer practice. This helps the planet because there is not as much gas being used, which will lead to there not being any pollution! These are just some of the many ways we can help OUR planet. Kid: Earth Day is Great! Earth Day is fun! Earth Day is for everyone!! Kiera B.: I can walk or ride my bike to school or to the park. This can cut down fuel pollution. Kylie: My family and I always recycle. We recycle bottles and newspapers everyday. Kylie: My Family recycles bottles and newspaper everyday. We always try to recycle everything!!!!!! Lauren: At my house I clean up my neighborhood. I also recycle our paper bags and plastic bottles. Layton: I always have fruit peels and other things that I don't eat that can decompose so I want to ask my parents if we can buy a composting box. A composting box would be perfect for my family because of all the food that could be composted and made into rich soil. The soil is great for planting flowers it can also encourage me to plant more plants with homemade soil. It also can save money because there could be no more trips to buy soil. I also would like to save energy by turning of lights any time I am not in a room. Playing outside can also save energy and not watching TV or playing on the computers. I love the blog question and I'm going to use some of the other kids' ideas to help the Earth. Earth Day is a great day and I love to help the Earth. Lizzie: A couple of months ago I had solar panels built into my house and now my family and I are running on solar power.And we also have a compost bin which we put banana peels, apple cores, peels of all fruits, etc. Lizzie: I am a 4th grader at Churchville and our school is having a seedling sale and all the money is going to save the earth. Lucas: My family recycles cans and bottles and we reuse grocery bags for a trash bag. We also use fluorescent bulbs. Lucy M.: I am a student from Churchville Elementary and our Green Club is selling little seedlings this week! It costs $1.00, and I'm definitely buying one! Now I just have to figure out where to plant it… Maddie: My family and I recycle plastic bottles and turn off lights when I leave a room. Maddie: At our school, we have an e-Friday folder. We are trying to go paperless here at Churchville. One of the teachers that works here is totally green! Her name is Mrs. Edwards. That's all she does is come up with ways to help the earth! We even have a green club with her after school! Also at home there is a creek near me, every Earth Day, my brother and I go out and pick up all the litter that people throw in it. There are lots of fish and frogs so when we are all finished I look back and feel great because I made a difference! Maddy: Some of the ways that I will help clean up our Earth and make it a better place is that whenever I leave a room I will turn all the electric off so that we wouldn't waste the energy. I also would pick up trash while going for a walk so that our Earth would be a better place to look at and a better place to be. I will also try not to use gas because I know that the world has basically a cover around it that traps the gases and toxins right here on earth for us to breathe. That is basically all that I will do for Earth month this year and will try to do for the rest of my life. Mady: To help our planet I am going to reduce, reuse, and recycle. I am going to recycle any plastic bottles or glass bottles that are used in my house. Also I am going to try to clean up my neighborhood the trash on my lawn or on my neighbors. That is my Earth Day Pledge! Magenta: I will clean the creek by my house of all the trash in it!!! YAY!!!! Mark: I like to recycle and here's a song. Give your favorite tree a hug. Don't be a litterbug. If it's not recyclable it's not even likable. Hear us plead and hear us shout. Survival is what it's all about. Make a resolution help stop pollution. Love your Mother Earth. Max: What I do for Earth Day or every day actually is I turn off all of the lights and electronics when I am done using them. An example of that would be yesterday when I turned on my radio. When I was done listening to it I turned it off. Max: I ride my bike or the school bus to school to keep the air cleaner by not using our car! Megan: For Earth Day, my family and I are trying to be "greener". For example, we are saving plastic bags from the grocery store and reusing them from the smaller trash cans that are too small to use the regular trash bags. We also have been using the bags to use at store instead of using a new bag. So far, my family is "green and earth friendly!" Melanie W.: Dear Mr. Simon, For me Earth day is everyday! I cannot remember my carbon footprint but I know it was pretty good! I recycle my water bottles, I hand wash my clothes sometimes. I will be sure to lower my carbon footprint a little since it is very good! GO GREEN! Melanie W.: I Have Made A song for you. Earth Day oh Earth Day ... I love so much Earth Day I wish Earth Day was every day….. I will always remember my fragile Earth Day oh oh oh oh oh….. Melanie W.: Dear Mr.Simon, My name is Melanie W. and I am a 6th grader at Churchville Elementary School. I've been following my carbon footprint ever since I took the survey. I will stop using my phone, and laptop (computer) as much. I will turn off the lights and stop wasting electricity. When you were at our school and describing the earth, I realized that it's a big world and everyone is at least using too much electricity. We need to lower our use to help the world! Mike: For Earth Day, I went around my neighborhood and picked up trash. We also picked up trash on the highway near my home. I think Earth Day is great. I think we should have it every day. Nate: My family have recently installed a new and more green heating and AC system. Earth Day every day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nicholle: I can install CFL bulbs in all my lights. I can also turn lights off when I'm not using them. Nick: My family and I recycle bottles, cans and paper. Nick: I love recycling and I will clean the earth! Nick: My family and I go to the park and pick up the trash. Noah: On Earth Day I recycle plastic bottles and glass bottles, I also do this year round. Noah: What I do for Earth Day and all year round is use less electricity by playing outside and no video games or computer for the whole day, maybe a little time on the computer or playing video games. What my family and I do is recycle plastic bottles and glass bottles. Olivia: One day last year my sister and I went to a hill near our house and saw graffiti on an old outdoor fireplace with empty cans and snacks etc. So we went back home, got some bags and picked up all the trash around the fireplace. Plus my family is so green we have curtains made out of old coffee bean bags. So Cool! Also my friend Lizzie and I have Japanese erasers that are also eco-friendly. Back to my family we also use green toilet paper and save so many trees using it. Plus have you heard about blackle.com? It's the same as google.com but it saves electricity. Plus, every time I or anyone in my family leave a room we turn off our lights. Thanks Mr. Simon and GO GREEN! Olivia: I love recycling and when people throw trash on the ground I pick it up. I hate it when people don't recycle. I know this is weird but at school I usually pick up scrap paper that people put in our trash can and put it in the recycling can. Don't worry, I wash my hands after. Olivia: When I go food shopping with my mom we use reusable bags. Olivia: Dear Mr. Simon, My name is Olivia, a sixth grader at Churchville Elementary school. My carbon footprint is 9.25. What I am trying to do to reduce my carbon footprint is try to recycle everything I can. I'm also trying to be outside even more than I already am, and trying not to use as much electricity. I'm also telling my family and friends about how they can find their carbon footprint and how they can reduce it. Sincerely, Olivia Paige: Hi Seymour, I love your blog! My billion acts of green pledge is to reuse plastic bottles instead of throwing them away into a landfill. Also I will pick up trash around my neighborhood (the woods behind my house). That is my Earth Day pledge! Paige: Hello Mr. Simon, I am very sad because my favorite animal, the Giant Panda, is endangered. If I could I would do anything to save the GIANT PANDAS OF THE WORLD! Paige: On April 22nd, on Earth Day I will clean the trash off the streets. Paige:Hello Seymour, I just wanted to say HAPPY EARTH DAY to everyone who loves the earth! Hug a tree! Rafeef: At my house my family and I always pick up trash outside on the ground and we recycle. I love your blogs, Seymour, they're awesome. Rebecca: At home my dad and I have a veggie garden, three apple trees, three cranberry bushes, one gooseberry bush and a fig tree. When these plants die we do not throw them out instead we put them in a compost pile. We have gone through two of them already. That is how I help the Earth. Reza: I can turn off the sink while I'm brushing my teeth. Riley:For Earth Day I will turn off lights when they are not getting used and go pick up trash around my neighborhood. I will ride my bike to school instead of my mom driving me.This is how you can help the environment around your city. GO EARTH DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rye-Guy:I will turn the lights off when I'm not using them. Sachi: I save water by closing the water faucet when I brush my teeth. Saim: I Have Made a song for you ... Earth day oh Earth day ... I love so much earth day I wish earth day was every day….. I will always remember my fragile earth day oh oh oh oh oh Saim: For me Earth Day Is Everyday!!!! (: Saim: Dear Mr.Simon, My name is Saim and I go to Churchville Elm. I went on Carbon Footprint Calculator, and ever since I've been wondering how to lower my carbon footprint! I thought of some and they were to watch less T.V and to turn off the sink when I'm done using it. Also using my Phone and computer less. Sammy: On Earth day, my family helps out around the neighborhood. We also like to help my grandma out with the beautiful garden she has. We Love to keep the earth Fresh & Green! Especially on Earth Day!! Sarah: What I do is kind of unique. I read all my manga online. It's killing two birds with one stone! Instead of wasting gas by going to the bookstore, I read it on my own computer! And, since it's a book, it needs paper to be made, so I am also saving trees! More people should read manga online.Sean: At home I collect and recycle bottles, plastic bags and paper. Every time we go to the super market we use the bags to recycle items (paper, plastic, bottles and cans). When teenagers drive past our lawn and throw trash out the window we go pick it up and or recycle it or throw it in the trashcans. Shaun: Dear Seymour Simon, My name is Shaun and I am a Churchville student in 6th grade. I have a carbon footprint of 9.34. I keep trying to reduce my carbon footprint and my family is too. I tell my family to turn off the TV and go outside. I also car pool and that takes out a whole entire car on the road. I just took the test again and I got a 7.67. I am very proud of my self and continue to try to do better. I made a difference of 1.67 and that is good for me (for now).Sincerely, Shaun Shawn: Earth Day is every day! Simon: For Earth Day this year I am going to go to the grocery store and use my recyclable canvas bags. I am also not going to use the plastic bags for my fruit and vegetables. This weekend, I am also going to make a conscious effort to not use gasoline-powered transport over the next week. Mrs. Smalley, Librarian: Hi Seymour, Many of the third graders in the library just posted comments to your blog. They really enjoyed reading your blog site.I particularly liked your comment about how much carbon dioxide a tree absorbs in its lifetime. Verrry interesting! Sonny:I recycle soda cans and bottles and clean my yard! Steven P.: The way I celebrate Earth Day with my family is pick up trash whenever we see it. Use electric stuff less and reuse plastic bags. Steven P.: Some ways my family celebrates Earth Day is picking up litter when we see it. We could use less electricity. Stuart: I recycle and raise money for trees. Sydney: So, on Earth Day, our school sells baby trees and I always make sure I buy one. Also, my family recycles plastic and uses energy saving lights. I usually refuse to use plastic silverware and cups. I beg my parents not to buy them because they ruin our planet. I am happy they bought water bottles you can reuse!!! They are better because you can use them over and over and over again for years, and also, they keep drinks MUCH colder!!!! I didn't realize how much I help out our earth! Thanks for listening. Tavi: I am going to plant three small trees in my backyard. I already have started a food garden. It would be cool to make a flowerpot out of recycled soda cans. Taylor: One way that everyone can help the Earth is bynot wasting water. While waiting for the water to heat up in the shower, get all the cold water in a bucket and use it to water your grass. That way you won't be wasting water. Tommy: Earth Day is everyday! Tusia: My family and I already do a lot of things to keep the world clean, but here are some other things we could all try to do. I will pick up trash when I'm outside with my dog, and ask my parents to do so also. Something else I will do is use reusable water bottles instead of plastic ones. Another thing I will do is walk to places that don't need to be driven to, and if it's too long of a walk I will try to ride my bike or scooter there. The final thing I will do is use energy efficient light bulbs. These are all the things I will do to keep the world clean! Ty: Every Earth Day I pick up trash in my neighborhood. Victoria:Here's myidea to help save planet Earth: If any light is on in your house, turn it off and don't turn on lights if it's sunny outside. You could just use sunlight. Or if anything is plugged in the wall, unplug it so you won't be using electricity. Zack: Ummmmm I really don't know what to say but I know Earth Day should be every day. It would really help the planet a lot.

Top Stories of 2011: Your Favorite Dog

A simple question — What is your favorite breed of dog? — started with a fifth grade class in Churchville, Pennsylvania and prompted an avalanche of comments that continued all year long! The month before I was going to speak at Churchville Elementary School in Pennsylvania, it was obvious that they were doing lots of preparation!Mrs. Gorgol, the librarian at the school, sent in this"favorite dog breed" survey, conducted by students in Mr. K's 5th grade class. They chose my book DOGS to read and share with the class, and then they decided tosurvey the class to find out the favorite dog breed of their classmates.My favorite breed is the English Springer Spaniel, because that's what my dog Nova was.Here's what the kids had to say about their favorite dogs. Nice work creating the graph! I'd be curious to see if the results are similar across the country. Write and tell me: which is your favorite dog breed? Maybe you would like to send me a photo of your dog in an email? Be sure to send me the name of your dog and anything that makes him or her special!For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Becoming an Author

Many readers ask questions about how they can get started as a writer. This year, I combined many of those excellent questions into a single guideline for beginning authors. Hunter wrote: "I have improved in writing a lot this year!" And Olivia added:"GOOOOOOO WRITING!" When I speak in schools, I usually tell the story of writing my first book, called SPACE MONSTERS, when I was in second grade. Since I have been in a lot of schools recently, I have been hearing from students who love writing, and are asking for advice on how to become authors. A dog-lover named Natalie wrote: Ever since I was in 1st grade, I have wanted to be a writer to express my deep imagination. I have written fantasy books like you wrote Space Monsters. Every time I start a book I want to start a new one with a complete new idea. How do you stick to one book topic at a time? Or this note, from Marissa: I want to become an author when I grow up. I write every day. I just wrote a few stories in my writer's notebook at school!I tried to write a chapter book, it has a few chapters. Dina, whose school I visited this winter, asked: What do you think I should do to be a good writer likeyou? You already told us to start writing while you are a kid but I want to know more. I'm very interested about you and writing! I'm so glad to receive letters like these from fellow writers! I think that writers begin their life as a writer when they are young, just as you are. It's important to keep writing as much as you can. I've written many books and usually work on several books at the same time. I do research on a number of topics and write about one of them. I think you might like to do the same. While you are working on a book or story, keep the ideas for future books coming. Keep a notebook or journal where you jot down your story ideas, and any details that seem important to you. That way, you can stick with the one story that you're working on until you are finished, but you are still keeping track of ideas that you might want to write about later. Sometimes I go back and write a book from a scrap of an idea that I jotted down years before. So don't be shy about writing down your thoughts. You never know when they might come in handy! Finishing a book is always much harder than starting a new book. But like everything else that you want to learn to do well, writing takes practice. The more you write, the better you get at it, and the easier it becomes. I wish you well with all your writing projects! Your fellow writer, Seymour For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Dinosaur Video

This story about a beautiful natural history museum in Vienna, Austria included an amazingly realistic, CGI video from their new dinosaur exhibit. Readers LOVED the video, including Sebastian, who wrote: “My little brother was scared out of his mind!” I think Sebastian meant that as a compliment! Look at this great image from Vienna, in Austria. My stepdaughter, Jules, who is a college student studying abroad this semester, sent it with this note: "At the Natural History museum in Vienna (a converted Hapsburg Palace) they had scientific stained glass! Of course, I thought of you." Thanks, Jules. I love it! Look at the replica of the sea anemone, the delicate glass sculpture with many tendrils, like a flower, hanging from the ceiling in front of the window. Isn't it just magnificent? I decided to learn more about this museum, and discovered that it is the third-largest natural history museum in the world, after New York's American Museum of Natural History and London's British Museum. I love natural history museums, probably because when I was a teenager, I was the President of the U.S. Junior Astronomy Club, which had its office in the basement of the American Museum of Natural History. I spent many hours there, wandering through the exhibits, and I've loved natural history museums ever since. One of the main attractions of Vienna's Natural History Museum is their newly just-opened, modernized dinosaur hall. And I discovered that they have made a very exciting CGI animated movie that includes a life-sized animated model of an Allosaurus and a recreation of the giant asteroid impact that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs! The film is on YouTube and I've put a link to it here because I think my readers will like it as much as I do. Check it out and let me know what you think. Photo: Jules KellyFor those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Dog Rescue

No question that my readers love dogs. As the New Jersey second graders who call themselves Kramer's Kennel Club wrote: "we loved your storyabout a firefighter hero saving our favorite—a dog!" A Labrador retriever suffering from smoke inhalation was saved by firefighters who carried him out of a burning house and gave him "mouth-to-snout" resuscitation. When firefighters arrived at the fire in Wasau, Wisconsin, the owners told them that their dog was still inside. The rescuers rushed into the house and carried out the unconscious dog, named Koda. Firefighter Jamie Giese, who owns two dogs himself, said he told the other firefighters: "We've got to work on this dog. (We) laid him down in the front yard, and we started assisting breathing.''When Koda eventually regained consciousness, firefighters placed a human oxygen mask over his snout and rushed him to an animal emergency center for medical treatment.The rescue was successful….Koda was returned safe and sound to his owners the next morning. Photos: Dan Young/Wausau Daily HeraldFor those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Jewel…or Bug?!

The top “Cool Photo of the Week” for the year was an astounding macro photograph of a common dragonfly. Beaudoin wrote: “I like how the photographer chose the right time of day to capture a brilliant photo.” Many photographers like to shoot macro (very close up) photographs of insects because the macro camera lens reveals details of alien-looking creatures that we can't see with our own eyes. A Polish photographer named Miroslaw Swietek takes it even further. He goes into the forest in the early morning and photographs the insects when they are covered with dew. Through thecameralens, the drops of water make the insects look as though they are covered with diamonds. This is a photograph of a dragonfly. Look at how the water drops magnify the lenses in its compound eyes! (click here to read another one of my posts if you want to understand how compound eyes work). LiveScience interviewed Swietek about how he takes these amazing photographs, and he said that the time of day makes it easier. "That early in the morning, insects are very sleepy so the camera doesn't disturb them." If you would like to see more of these amazing images, click here to go to the LiveScience website, where they have a slideshow of Miroslaw Swietek's "jeweled" insect photographs.For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Back to the Moon

If I’ve been to your school, you know how much I love astronomy and space. This is important news in our ongoing exploration of the solar system, and classes across the country are invited to go along! Just after school started, I received a question from a fifth grade study group asking me: "Is the moon just a big rock?" Of course, that is exactly what the moon is, but being a former teacher, I never give a simple answer like that. Instead, I asked them if they would please do some research and write back to me with interesting information that they learned about the moon. Well, they did a great job! I received this email from Angela, Diana, Martin and Andres, who are a science study group in Mrs. Williamson's Fifth Grade class at Wolf Canyon Elementary School, in California. Dear Seymour Simon:Our science group found two great, interesting facts about the moon. 1) The moon is the fifth largest satellite in the solar system.2) It is thought to be formed some 4.5 million years ago.Thank you for your great science books! Good work by Mrs. Williamson's science group! They did their homework and found some very interesting facts about the moon. Soon, we are going to learn all sorts of new information about the moon. This year, NASA launched a new moon research mission called GRAIL (Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory). We are not sending human beings this time - there won't be any new footprints on the moon - but we are using advanced photography techniques to learn much more about how the moon was formed. And in particular, we are going to get a much clearer look at the "dark side of the moon," which faces away from our planet Earth.GRAIL consists of two satellites, which will separate from the rocket that is carrying them into space and become lunar orbiters (satellites that orbit around the moon). They will photograph the surface of the moon as they pass over it, and scientists will be able to accurately measure various formations and moonscapes based on how far apart the satellites are. The project will study how the moon was formed, what its interior consists of, and why the side seen from Earth looks so different from the lighter-colored "far side." We know that the far side is covered with hardened rock from lava flows, but there is much more we can learn. Most exciting to me is that for the first time, NASA has put a camera onboard that is strictly for classroom use. Called the MoonKAM, teachers can register their classes and middle-school students can request photography of lunar targets for classroom study. Sally Ride, the first American woman to fly in space, is heaing up the project. Imagine, allowing students to take their own pictures, so that they can study the surface of the moon. I wish that opportunity had happened when I was a middle school science teacher!Photos: NASA For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Dangerous Animals

This year I skyped withtwo schools in Durham and Middlefield, Connecticut, and the students asked me one of the questions I am asked most often: How do you take those photographs of dangerous animals without getting hurt?! I had a great "double Skype" session today with third and fourth graders in two schools in Durham and Middlefield, Connecticut. They have been studying my books and skyping with each other, and today all three of us did a Skype session together. The students were very well-prepared with questions about my books. They particularly love the very close up photographs in books like ANIMALS NOBODY LOVES, and wondered: how does the cameraperson get so close to a dangerous animal without getting hurt?This is a very good question, and one that I am asked quite often. For a shot like this one, of a rattlesnake's mouth and fangs, the photographer uses a bit of trickery called a "telephoto lens." That lens takes a picture that seems as though you are very, very close, when in fact, you are safely far away.Nobody is going to get THAT close to a poisonous snake!The round area with a dark slit (at the bottom of the rattlesnake's mouth) is a duct for releasing the venom. You can learn more about that and see a diagram at this link. Thanks to Mrs. Kohs and everyone who helped to organize today's Skype session. I really enjoyed talking with you all! Photograph by Anup Shah/Dembinsky Photo Associates For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Understanding Tsunamis

One of the top news stories of 2011 was the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan. Many areaders expressed their sympathy toward the people of Sendai, and wondered how exactly such a huge, deadly wave forms. The terrible earthquake that hit Japan in March 2011 was a magnitude 8.9. That's one of the biggest ever recorded. The devastation caused was bad enough, but the resulting tsunami was even worse. A tsunami used to be called a tidal wave, but that's not a correct term. Tsunamis have nothing to do with tides - those are caused by the gravitational pull of the moon (and the sun to a lesser degree). The violent shaking of the earth underneath the ocean causes tsunamis. Tsunamis can also travel across long distances on the ocean. At sea, a tsunami wave is scarcely noticeable, but when the wave comes close to shore, it builds up and up and can by many feet high.For readers who want to read more about earthquakes and why we seem to have had so many big ones this year, you can read my earlier blog post: EARTHQUAKES: WHAT IS GOING ON? Photograph: The tsunami crashing into homes in Natori, Japan. Courtesy Kyodo News, via Associated Press.For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!

Top Stories of 2011: Wild Animal Spotting

It is never an easy task selecting the Top Ten stories of 2011, but your comments really helped. Every day between now and New Years’ Day will feature one of the top stories of the year. Hope you enjoy it!When I saw a wild turkey crossing over the dirt road leading up to my house in the country the other day, I thought of Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States. Why? Because when it came to choosing a symbol of the United States, Ben Franklin thought the wild turkey was a more dignified bird than the bald eagle. I'm not sure if I agree; the bald eagle is magnificent soaring in the sky and I think the turkey looked a bit pompous and stuck-up strutting across my road. But the turkey is a pretty interesting bird. It would rather walk than fly (though it can fly, at least for a minute or two). Seeing a single turkey is rare around here; I usually seem them in flocks of a dozen or more birds. Not to be outdone by a wild turkey, a large snapping turtle came walking across the same dirt road. I stopped the car to take a picture of the snapper. When I came close, the turtle turned around to face me, snapped and hissed. "OK," I thought. "I'm just looking. Let's part friends!" And I got back in my car and watched the snapper disappear into the undergrowth. There's a stream just nearby the road and I guess that's where the turtle was headed.A snapping turtle has a large head with strong jaws. This one was quite large - I would estimate about 14-inches from its head to the tip of its armored tail. That's about the distance from your fingertips to your elbow.Unlike many other kinds of turtles, the snapper can't withdraw its head into its small shell. It relies on its jaws for defense and can bite hard and clamp down. I wouldn't try to pet a snapping turtle, and neither should you! Thinking it over, petting a wild animal is a "no, no" in every case, no matter what. Wild animals are not pets and should not be touched, for your own safety as well as theirs.For those of you receiving iPads or Nook Color/Tablets this season, Seymour Simon has many quality eBooks available for purchase, some discounted as much as 50% for the holidays. If you are adding reading material to a tablet, please consider making Seymour Simon's exceptional nonfiction for children part of your collection. Happy holidays to all!