Sandra Markle's Blog, page 13

DID YOU KNOW AIR CAN BE SCIENCE MAGIC!?

Did you know air can be science magic!?

It can because AIR TAKES UP SPACE!
To try this at home, you will need:an empty water bottle (any plastic bottle)a balloon (with an opening big enough to fit over the top of the bottle)1 teaspoonful of baking soda1/4 cup vinegar1 paper towel or napkinscissors
STEPS TO SUCCESS!
1. Be sure the bottle is empty. Cut a strip of paper towell or napking about as big as a cellphone.
2. Put the teaspoonful of baking soda on the paper. Fold the paper over and over till the baking soda is tucked inside. Twist up the ends of the paper and trim them off leaving just a little.
3. Pour the vinegar into the bottle.
4. Drop in the paper packet of baking soda. QUICKLY spread the neck of the balloon over the top of the bottle sealing it.
5. Shake the bottle gently if you want to speed up the action.
WHAT IS HAPPENING!?
Air does take up space. And it's everywhere! So, the bottle was already full of air.
When the vinegar soaked through the paper and reached the baking soda, a chemical reaction happened. 
WHOA! Did it ever happen! It created carbon dioxide gas--the same waste gas you breath out with every breath. But the bottle was already full of air. So the new gas pushed the old gas--the air--out of its way and out of the bottle. 
The balloon caught and trapped that escaping air. AND you saw what happened next!
Hmmm...what if you had more baking soda and more vinegar? Would the balloon inflate even bigger? What if you used baking powder instead of baking soda?
Those are safe new things to test. NEVER test anything you don't know is safe to try. 
I'll be sharing more SCIENCE MAGIC FUN Soon! 

WHAT IF YOU HAD SCIENCE MAGIC FUN AT HOME!?

DID YOU KNOW WATER CAN LET YOU DO SCIENCE MAGIC!? 

YOU CAN BE AN AUTHOR!

Are you home from school and looking for something fun to do!? Follow these steps to create your very own WHAT IF YOU HAD!? book. WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL TONGUE!? is coming next. But what animals and facts would you put in your very own WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL TONGUE!? book?



Follow the 4--RRRRs!

1-R is REVV UP! This is where everyone fires up their brain cells and comes up with ideas.



Okay, we already have the book's title and thus it's subject matter. The challenge now is to come up with animals with interesting tongues. Every WHAT IF YOU HAD?! book introduces 11 (count them) animals. But for your book how about just 6 animals.

If you need a little help thinking up possibilities, try these:AlligatorChameleonGiraffeBlue WhaleFlamingoTiger
Those may or may not be in the real book. You will have to wait to read it to see.


This REVV UP step is a great time for a little brainstorming. 

2-R is RESEARCH! 
Try Googling the animals on your list--or my list--to find out what is interesting about their tongues.




A girafee has a super cool tongue! Just looking at this picture of a giraffe is bound to give you a clue about why it's so cool.
Remember--even though you'll find a lot of interesting info about each animal you have to limit what you share to one thing. Only tell about the animal's tongue.

And pick out one extra bit to share in the FACT box.


Then roll on to the next R.

3-R is READY TO WRITE!

Start with "Get the clay out." Roughly write sentences about the key information to be shared. Next, "Work the clay." That means work on squeezing the information down to just two or three fact-packed sentences. 

Then write the FACT in one fun sentence.


And on to the next R.

4-R is REVIEW AND RE-IMAGINE.

This is the really FUN part! Imagine if you had that animal's tongue. Think about the color, shape and what the animals does with its tongue. Then think "What would it be fun to be able to do because you have that animal's tongue!"

Write what you imagine being able to do with that animal's tongue in a sentence. Finally, draw and color a picture of yourself having that kind of animal tongue.


At the very end of the book, tell why having an animal tongue could be fun for a while.

Then tell at least 3 reasons you're glad you have a human tongue. 

Now you have your very own WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL TONGUE!? book
BUT you will have to wait to see the real animals and all of the fun packed into WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL TONGUE!? Coming SOON!

VIRTUAL VISITS ARE A REAL BLAST!

WOW! You can still have a great time sharing reading and science in a VIRTUAL VISIT! Today's Scholastic Virtual School Visits in Illinois, New York state and Arkansas proved it. These pics show it--as the librarian at one school said, "Just look at those faces!"


 PS--I'm the one on the big screen for our group pic.

MAKE TIME FOR MARCH ACTIVITIES!

March is that month when winter isn't quite gone and spring isn't quite near enough. It's wildly windy, possibly stormy and definitely a great month for exploring, imagining, investigating, and wondering. 


It's also NATIONAL READING MONTH! So check out my BRAND NEW spin-off series!

And  MAKE TIME FOR MARCH ACTIVIES!

March 1: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK was established by Congress in 1872. Covering over 2,220,000 acres of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho, it became the first National Park in the US. Find Yellowstone National Park on a map. Do a little research to find out and share at least 5 facts about it. Here's one of my favorite books about the founding of US National Parks. And one of my favorite stories I told about one very special wolf, Female #7, who was part of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone.

HAPPY NEW YEAR--once upon a time! Ancient Romans followed a calendar just 10 months long. So the year started in March and ended in December. That's how December got its name--stands for the Latin Decem for 10. In case you're worried, there were 2 other months but these were just called "winter" instead of being January and February. 



March 2: SAM HOUSTON was born in 1793. He became the only person to serve as a congressman, senator and governor of two states: TX and TN. Read about him in two books. Compare how he's described as a man and a legend.















MOUNT RAINIER NATIONAL PARK in WA became National Park #2 in 1899.

March 3: ANNE SULLIVAN began teach blind-deaf Hellen Keller when she was six years old. 


Find out why this was such an amazing challenge.What are 3 things Helen Keller is remembered for doing?
March 4: GARRETT MORGAN was born in 1877. He later invented the gas mask, a belt fastener and an automatic traffic light. So he helped people survive wars, hold up their pants and avoid traffic accidents. :-)

INTERNATIONAL PANCAKE DAY started in 1445 in Only, England. The town's women would make pancakes to use up the fat in the house beofre Lent. then race to the church carrying a pancake in a skillet. In 1950, the residents of Liberal, KS picked up this race. Now the two town hold rival races and compare winning times.  Click on this link to find out more.


You could hold your own race!

March 5: 301 DAYS remain till the end of the year.


How many days until your birthday?

March 6: MICHELANGELO was born in Italy in 1475. He began one of the world's most famous painters and sculptors. I like this focus on just one of his fabulous works. But he's an artist worthy of researching to create a timeline of his life. 



March 7: THE TELEPHONE was patented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. Everyone needs to experience the fun of a string phone at least once. So click this link for directions to build one. 

The CHALLENGE: How long can the string be and still transmit the sound?






NATIONAL CEREAL DAY  What's your favorite? Make a bar graph by asking that question of at least 20 people. And record the results.  Here are some fun cereal facts:
The cereal industry uses over 800 million pounds of sugar a yearThe average American consumes over 160 bowls of cereal a yearCheeriOats was the original name for CheeriosCorn Flakes was the first boxed cereal to offer a prize
We don't usually think of food as being an invention--but cereals were invented. 












March 8: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY was first celebrated in New York City in 1857 to honor women in the garment industry. Today it is celebrated in many countries to honor all working women.

March 9: AMERIGO VESPUCCI was born in Italy in 1454. He became a famous explorer and The Americas were named after him. Find out more about him through books and on-line. Then make a timeline of his life.




March 10: "MR. WATSON, COME HERE. I WANT YOU." became the first clearly heard telephone message. It was transmitted in 1876 by Alexander Graham Bell while he was just experimenting with the telephone. Check out this link to phones through the ages. 




*Time for kids to take a survey and make a graph. How many parents/grandparents used a rotary phone? And I'm old enough to remember having only one phone in the house (rotary) on a party line. Do I need to define that for any of you? :-)
March 11: JOHN CHAPMAN died in 1845 in MA. No one is sure when he was born but he is known for roaming the Ohio Valley planting apple trees. They called him Johnny Appleseed and this date is officially Johnny Appleseed Day!Check out my blog archives for IT'S APPLE TIME! and lots of activities.

These two biographies are a great chance to compare a first person story vs one in third person. HOW ARE THEY ALIKE? HOW ARE THEY DIFFERENT? WHICH DID READERS LIKE BETTER? WHY?

First Person






















Third Person



























March 12: COCA-COLA began selling its first bottles in 1894. 

March 13: EARMUFF DAY It really is. And time to thank Chester Greenwood for creating them in 1877. He called them "Champion Ear Protectors".
Make a list of other names for this invention. Be really creative! Then create a commercial for this newly named invention.

March 14: COTTON GIN was patented in 1794 by Eli Whitney. It made it as much as 50 times faster to separate the seeds from the cotton fibers than doing that job by hand.

March 15: IDES OF MARCH is in history the day that the leader of the ancient Romanan Empire Julius Caesar was assassinated.

March 16: ROCKET AWAY! Robert Goddard launched a liquid fuel rocket in 1926. It rose more than 47 feet and traveled 184 feet in just 2.5 seconds. 
Read about this inventor. Then blast off some rockets of your own following the directions below.



Blast into rocketry with these activities from NASA



And this fun site
Then think outside the box and try this rocket boat activity in my SCIENCE DARES YOU! book.

March 17: ST. PATRICK'S DAY honors the death of the patron saint of Ireland who died in 493.
March 18: RUSSIAN COSMONAUT ALEXI LEONOV became the first man to wear a space suit and step out of his rocket and into space. He stayed 20 minutes.

March 19: THEY'RE BACK! The swallows migrate to the San Juan Capistrano Mission in California from Mexico. They don't all come on that day but it's the day their return is celebrated.
And they're not the only birds whose annual return is celebrated.

After reading, find where these birds start and where they land on a map.
March 20: SPRING officially begins on this day or the next, depending on when the sun crosses the equator. It's also called the vernal equinox.

WORLD STORYTELLING DAY Click here to learn more about its history and get some ideas for celebrating.

March 21: Johann Sebastian Bach, the famous composer, was born in 1685.

Don't just read about him--listen to his work. Fantasia impressed Walt Disney so much it's the music in his film Fantasia. (Toccata and Fugue in D Minor)
March 22: POWER UP! In 1941, electricity was first generated by the hydroelectric plant at the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.

Try out these fun activities using electricity--from battery power--More SCIENCE DARES YOU fun!

March 23: WERNER von BRAUN was born in Germany in 1912. After coming to the states following WWII, he would lead a team in launching the first US satellite, Explorer I.

PATRICK HENRY in 1775, gave the American Revolution a famous saying to remember, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Of course, read about the man who made history.

Then read a fun mystery that shares this bit of history.

March 24: EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL happened when the oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound off Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil and damaging over 45 miles of natural habitat. *When I visited this area 10 years after the spill while writing my book AFTER THE SPILL, there was still on-going clean up efforts. This spill hurt the environment and the plants and animals living there. It also seriously damaged some local native communities as young people left for the new clean up jobs and never came home.

March 25: FIRST COLOR TV SET was manufactured by RCA in 1954.

March 26: ROBERT FROST was born in 1874 in CA. He became a famous poet but he also worked as a farmer, teacher, shoemaker and editor.

Listen to one of my favorite poems--recited by the author Robert Frost.


When I was a little girl, my grandfather gave me a sleigh bell from his family's sleigh. I still have it. Still love it. It always makes me think of this poem by Robert Frost. Write a poem about something you treasure.
VACCINE TO PREVENT POLIO was announced by Jonas Salk in 1953.

March 27: US NAVY was created in 1794.

WILHELM ROENTGEN was born in 1845. He discovered X-rays.

March 28:  THREE MILE ISLAND NUCLEAR POWER PLANT DISASTER happened in 1979, near Harrisburg, PA, when uranium in the reactor core overheated due to a cooling valve failure. Radioactive steam was released into the atmosphere. Afterwards, there was a storm of cocern over the future safety of nuclear power plants.  
March 29: EARTH HOUR was founded by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Sydney, Australia in 2007. The goal is to have people think about climate change by turning off all non-needed lights for one hour. JOIN IN THIS YEAR! 



March 30: ERASE THAT! The first pencil with an eraser on the end was patented by Hyman Lipman in 1858. Don't miss this book!




March 31: EIFFEL TOWER was completed in Paris in 1889. It was named for its architect Gustave Eiffel and built to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

Read these two books about the famous Eiffel Tower. What's different about the way they tell the story?
Which do you like better? Why?

ARE YOU AS TALL AS A GIANT PANDA!?

Thanks to the creativity of Rhonda Jenkins, Library Director Extraordinaire at Kendall Elementary School in Naperville, IL I now know. It's true. 

I AM AS TALL AS A GIANT PANDA! 
I love the title Rhonda chose for this activity!! And I love being able to share this fantastic idea. 

Choose a column or a place on the wall where you can put up paper to display a giant "ruler". Then add photos at specific heights to share the heights of various animals. 

Not only fun to find out what animal you measure up against--this is the perfect launch for a graphing activity. How many students are as tall as:

A camel? 


An ostrich?


A giant panda? (Standing up)

Or is ANYONE in the school as tall as an elephant?

No way a giraffe--Right?

GET KIDS RESEARCHING--AND LOVING IT!

Children often ask, "What do you like best about writing nonfiction books?"

My answer RESEARCH!  That's how I either get to do hands-on investigating myself or talk to experts. 

Me in Antarctica


Me and Baby Mike
Or I get to interview experts around the world who have explored and investigated what I'm researching.


Dr. Andrew Whitworth in 14-story tall tree in cloud forest in Peru studying woolly monkeys. Read about his research in WOOLLY MONKEY MYSTERIES (Millbrook, 2019)


Luckily, children can safely start now to develop both their investigative and interviewing skills. AND have fun in the process!



A great research topic for RESEARCHERS-IN-TRAINING is a local tree. 




Older students can tackle investigating a tree in their home yard--or during a visit to a local park with their adult partner. Younger students can share in a class investigation of a tree in the school yard--or bring in a potted tree as a classroom "visitor".



Below is the hands-on investigation. It's to give a tree it's annual checkup. 


A TREE'S CHECKUP

Pick a tree whose lower branches are easy to reach. Then check it out by answering these questions "Yes" or "No".

1. Are some twigs or branches bare?

(When it's still the season for leaves. In other seasons, there should be buds where new leaves will grow.)

2. Do any of the leaves look curled or dead?

(When it's still the season for leaves to be healthy.)


3. Look closely, do you see any holes or tunnels through the bark? If so, insects may have attacked the tree.

If you answered "No" more than "Yes" the tree is probably in good health




For the expert interview, the children could do this activity.




FAMILY TREE
Have children interview an adult member of their family about a tree they remember from their childhood. They should work up 3 questions to ask their expert. Here are some samples they could use:

1. Where was the biggest tree you ever remember seeing as a child?

2. Can you tell me a story about any tree you remember from where you grew up?

3. Please tell me about any time you got to play in a tree. Did you climb up? Did you fall down? Did you have a tree house? Or a tree swing?





GET READY! Once kids discover what fun RESEARCH can be, they'll be eager for new RESEARCH Adventures. I know I always am!

TEXAS FUN!

[image error] Having a wonderful time sharing science magic and my books with Hudson PEP Elementary in Longview, TX!

ON THE ROAD FUN!

C lick this link to check out my latest on the road sharing science magic and all the FUN my books pack.

MAKE FEBRUARY FABULOUS!

February brings us Valentine's Day but so much more!
It's a month for discovering, exploring, inventing...playing!
And a monthful of amazing moments in history. Check it out for a day-by-day month that's  FABULOUS!

February 1: NATIONAL FREEDOM DAY celebrates President Abraham Lincoln signing the 13th Ammendment of the United States Constitution outlawing slavery in 1865. *Here's a special story to share.






February 2: GROUNDHOG DAY. It's said that if the groundhog peeks out of its burrow and sees its shadow, there will be six more week of winter weather. No shadow sighting and winter is over right then. 
Click to link to fun activities for the day from Scholastic. 

OR try this Alaskan native peoples way for forecasting what weather's coming. They hold a tug of war. On one side are the Ducks, anyone born during a summer month. On the other side are the Ptarmigans, anyone born during a winter month. If the Ducks win, winter will soon be over. If the Ptarmigans win, more winter weather is ahead.


February 3: FLOAT FREE In 1984, two American astronauts floated free of the space shuttle Challenger. It was made possible by a nitrogen jet-propelled backpack called the MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit). *I have to share that while working on my book PIONEERING SPACE I had a chance to test drive the trainer for the MMU. I was on Earth not in space but it was still fantastic.



February 4: CHARLES LINDBERGH was born. In 1927, he made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic in a plane called The Spirit of St. Louis. 


February 5: RUBBER BOOTS were first introduced in 1824 by J. W. Goodrich. Put on your boots and go outside on a scavenger hunt. See how many of these you can find.

Something older than you are.Something younger than you are.Something that will not rot. Something that will rot.Something rough.Something Smooth.Something that will change over time.

February 6: BABE (George) RUTH was born in 1895. He was noted for hitting home runs and dubbed The King of Swing. Get to know him. Read about him. Then link to fun facts.



February 7: QUAKE In 1812 a series of earthquakes shook New Madrid, MO and caused the Misissippi River to flow backwards for several hours..

February 8: NATIONAL KITE FLYING DAY Check out this link to kite flying activities and history from Scholastic.

And for a little older readers...








February 9: WEATHER In 1870, Congress created the first public weather service. In 1970, it was officially named the National Weather Service. *I love walking in the rain and seeing the world all rain-changed. That's why I wrote this rainy day story. And it's about something real that happens when the weather is just---TOADY. :-)

February 10: SURRENDER France signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763, giving Canada to Great Britain. French is still spoken, especially in Quebec.
Here's a few fun French words and phrases to learn.

Oui (say whee)  Yes
Merci (say mair-see) Thank you
De Rien (say du-rhee-en) Your welcome


February 11: INVENTOR'S DAY This is celebrated in honor of Thomas Edison's birthday because of all his many inventions, including an improved telephone, the phonograph, and a long-glowing electric light bulb. National Inventors Hall of Fame was founded in 1973, in Akron, OH. Moved to Alexandria, VA, in 2008.

February 12: ABRAHAM LINCOLN was born in 1809. *Two of my favorite books. :-)


February 13: HOORAY FOR SCHOOL The oldest public secondary school in America opened in 1635. John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Robert Paine and William Hooper, all signers of the Declaration of Independence, went to school there. 

February 14: VALENTINE'S DAY
Check my blog archives for VALENTINE'S DAY IS FUN WITH HEART! to discover lots of ways for kids to make their own Valentine cards.


February 15: SUSAN B. ANTHONY was born in 1820. Her work was key in gaining women the Right to Vote.

February 16: OPERATION SANDBLAST The submarine USS Triton left New London, CT beginning what became the world's first underwater circumnavigation of the earth. It took 84 days and covered 41,500 miles. It also followed, generally, the route of the first ever circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan from 1519-1522.


February 17: NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY. Think of some way to be nice to someone else.


February 18: ALESSANDRO VOLTA was born in Italy in 1745. He invented the electric battery. It's become NATIONAL BATTERY DAY. List at least 10 things you use that's battery-powered.


February 19: PHONOGRAPH In 1878, Thomas Edison received a patent for inventing the phonograph, which could play recorded sounds. 

February 20: ANSEL ADAMS was born in 1902. His amazing photographs of nature encouraged people to want to conserve and protect nature. It's also LOVE YOUR PET DAY. *I have to share one of my favorite love your pet books.





February 21: WASHINGTON MONUMENT was completed in 1885. Work had begun 37 years earlier on July 4, 1848.

February 22: POPCORN While this may not be the exact date, it's believe February, 1630 was when Native American Quadequina introduced early colonists to popped corn. You may be shocked to learn popcorn was the original puffed breakfast cereal. Popcorn was also worn by the early Native Americans. Have kids pop up some jewelry too. After threading dental floss through a needle have them poke the needle through the thickest part of the popped kernel. String necklaces or bracelets. After wearing, hang outdoors for bird snacks. 

February 23: TOOTSIE ROLL This chocolate-flavored candy treat was first introduced to the world in New York City. It was the first individually wrapped penny candy in the US.


February 24: STEAM SHOVEL This machine was invented in 1838 by William Otis and patented on this day in 1839.


February 25: READ ACROSS AMERICA begins today! It ends on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss's birthday. So be sure and read a Dr. Seuss book out loud today. *Here's my favorite.








February 26: NATIONAL TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY. It really is! *Here's one of my favorites.











February 27: POLAR BEAR DAY It's the day to celebrate this amazing animal. *I have to share one of my own stories about a polar bear because it's about a real bear--a very special polar bear cub.


February 28: NATIONAL TOOTH FAIRY DAY *And what could be a better way to end the fun. I hope all the young readers enjoy my very first WHAT IF YOU HAD!? book. Ask children what kind of animal teeth they would like to have and let them imagine having them!


I hope your FEBRUARY is FABULOUS!