Sandra Markle's Blog, page 19

THE NOSE KNOWS

It's here! WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL NOSE?! has been published.

Perfect timing for launching the new year with activities focusing on the one and only NOSE.

More Than A Sniffer




Dig into the book to find out some of the cool things these animals can do with their nose besides sniff. 
Elephant
Wart Hog
Star Nosed Mole
Giant Anteater



What your favorite animal nose in the book? What would you like about having that kind of animal nose?

Is there an animal's nose that's not in the book but you think should be?

Love That Smell!


Smells are an important part of our memories. 
Invite children to share some of their favorite smell memories, such as eating popcorn with friends, your family getting a brand new car, your pet being wet from the rain or eating a favorite fruit.

Perhaps there is also a scent that reminds them of their home or a place they love to go, such as the park or the movies.

Make a list together of words that can be used to describe smells. You'll think of more but here are a few to get you started:
sweet
spicy
stinky
sweaty
piney
flowery
sour
lemony
rotten

Smells Like Me
Many animals use their sense of smell to know who belongs to their pack, flock, pride or other kind of group. This fun activity will let children use their noses to find their group. 

You'll need one self-sealing plastic bag for each child. Put a cotton ball into each. Next, drip a couple of drops of one of the following liquid flavorings on each cotton ball: 

peppermintlemonvanilla
Be sure there are at least two bags that have the same scent. If lots of children are sharing this activity, use additional flavorings. 

To play, have the children move around without talking. And tap each other gently on the shoulder to ask permission to sniff the flavoring in each bag.  Once two children find they share a scent have them team up to search out other members of their scent group. 

Finish by having the children guess their group scent. 

Trick Your Nose

Our tongues can easily taste sweet, sour, bitter and salty. Other flavors are partly what we taste and partly what we smell. It's the reason foods don't taste the same when we have a cold.

Check out how much smell effects taste by giving  children an apple or apple slices to eat. Have them describe the taste after one bite. Next, drip drops of liquid cooking vanilla on one cotton ball for each child. Have them hold this close enough to their nose to pick up the scent and take a second bite of their apple slice.

The flavor will seem different. Ask children to describe how changing what they can smell has changed the apple's taste.

Have a great time investigating the sense of smell while you enjoy my new book. 

TEACHERS--Would love to hear from you about how you're finding ways to tie this book into classroom activities.

THEY'RE BACK!!! THE TWELVE ARACHNIDS OF CHRISTMAS!

For all of you that have been asking for it--the waiting is over. They're back!! THE TWELVE ARACHNIDS OF CHRISTMAS! It's just a little discovery fun inspired by my 12 book series: Arachnid World published by Lerner Publishing. ENJOY!






On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a black widow in a fir tree.





As I watched, that black widow spider dangled upside down from a silk thread. Next, its exoskeleton (armor-like covering) split open along the back. Then the spider pushed and pulled and crawled out of its exoskeleton.

Oh my, that spider has a new bigger body for Christmas.

By the way, are you wondering: "What's an ARACHNID?"
It's an animal that always has an exoskeleton and usually has two main body parts: a cephalothoras (like a head/chest) and an abdomen. It also usually has 8 legs.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two striped bark scorpions.



As I watched, the smaller one--the male--grabbed the female's pedipalps (body parts near the mouth). They did a kind of dance, moving forward and backward. Then they went and around and around in circle. They did this over and over for hours.

Did you guess it's a mating dance? There will be new baby scorpions in the new year. 





On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me three wolf spiders.




As I watched, a round ball stuck to one spider's spinnerets (the part that gives out silk) split open. Hundreds of tiny spiders crawled out and onto the big spider.

She's a new mother for Christmas.






On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me four wind scorpions.



Almost at once, one of the wind scorpions ran straight up a nearly vertical rock. How did it keep from falling off? This arachnid has sticky tips on its pedipalps, those long parts you can see at the front of this arachnid.

Wind scorpions have special body parts to stay safe on Christmas and all year long.





On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me five tarantulas.


One goliath bird-eater tarantula was holding a gecko. As I watched it sank in its fangs and brought up digestive juices.
Why in the world did it do that? This tarantula was preparing its meal by breaking it down first. Even big spiders, like tarantulas have very small mouths. Next, the spider will suck the juice in. It's having its Christmas dinner. Of course, it eats every meal this way.




On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love to me six female cross spiders spinning.

Whatever were they doing?  As I watched, a fly landed on one spider's web. That female ran to the fly and shots strands of silk over it.
Why did she do that? She was wrapping up presents--well, sort of. She was storing food for later.









I kept on watching and saw a fly zip into another spider's web. I expected the web to break. Spider silk isn't stronger than steal but it's super strong. That spider wrapped up its meal too.



On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me seven fishing spiders.




At just that moment, a bat flew past and all the fishing spiders dived underwater. They stayed down for nearly thirty minutes.
How were they able to stay underwater for so long? When a fishing spider dives a layer of air coats its body. The spider is able to draw oxygen from the air-filled coat into its book lungs. Those are thin, flat folds of tissue with slits that open through its armor-like exoskeleton.




On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eight crab spiders lurking 
inside flowers.

Some goldenrod crab spiders were inside yellow flowers and they were yellow. Other goldenrod crab spiders were inside white flowers and they were white.
How were these spiders able to be either yellow or white? When the spider's eyes detect it's on yellow, its body makes that coloring matter and it flows into the outer cell layer of its body. 



It takes about a week to become completely yellow. That's because to turn white, it doesn't make coloring matter. The yellow just flows down to lower layers and passes out with its wastes.




On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me nine bobbing  harvestmen.


Why were these spiders bobbing? They do this in a group when a predator, like a bird, is nearby. That way they look like a bigger animal--hopefully. By the way, harvestmen don't eat like spiders. Their mouths are big enough to bite off chunks and swallow.


On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me ten ticks-a-sucking blood 
from their host.





As I watched these female dog ticks over several days, their bodies swelled up until they were nearly six hundred times bigger.
How in the world can they swell so big? It's because the hard part covering their body is made up of layers. They spread, fanning apart, as the tick sucks in blood.








On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eleven jumping spiders jumping.


As I watched, one leapt from one leaf to another to catch an insect.
How could it possibly jump so far? To leap muscles inside the spider's body contract, instantly forcing blood into its four hind legs. This makes them suddenly stretch. And that launches the spider forward.  As it jumps, the spider continually produces silk. It attached that to the surface just before it leapt. So if the spider falls, it dangles instead of crashing.

What's the record for how far a jumping spider can leap? Some have been recorded leaping 40 times their own body length. 

How far can you jump? Can you jump farther than your body length (your height)?



On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a plant with twelve mites-a-multiplying.


On the first day of Christmas I didn't even notice the twelve, tiny two-spotted mites on one of my plant's leaves. After all, each was only 0.02 inch long. However, on the twelfth day of Christmas, the plant was nearly covered with web strands dotted with tiny mites. 
How did there get to be so many mites so quickly? It's because each female laid about 10 eggs a day. Soon the young hatched, became adults, and the new females started laying eggs. There were soon lots of mites. Worse, each and everyone was feeding by sucking the plant's juices. I couldn't get rid of them. I finally just threw away my plant. 

So my arachnid Christmas this year is one I'll always remember. After all, it's the year I received:

12 mites-a-multiplying11 jumping spiders jumping10 ticks sucking9 harvestmen bobbing8 crab spiders lurking7 fishing spiders fishing6 orb weavers spinning5  TARANTULAS4 wind scorpions3 wolf spiders2 scorpionsAnd a black widow in a fir tree

And as he drove out of sight, Spider Claus spun a silk web with a message, "Merry Christmas to all and have Even MORE fun exploriing Arachnids in the New Year!"

HAVE A BLIZZARD OF FUN!

I grew up in northern Ohio and I've been to Antarctica so I KNOW  SNOW!
If you live where winter is snowy, here are some ways to explore and have fun.


Collect Snowflakes
While no two snowflakes are ever exactly alike (as far as anyone knows), they are all hexagone--six-sided crystals. Snowflakes take several main shapes.

If you want to catch some snowflakes, chill a clean glass slide or a small mirror in the refrigerator. Take the cold glass outside and allow a few flakes to collect on it. You may need a magnifying glass to see the snowflakes if they are very small.

To preserve snowflakes so you can even take them inside with you you'll need a can of plastic spray--the kind artists use on chalk drawings.


Chill the spray along with the clean glass slide. Carry the glass slide outside on a piece of cardboard. This keeps your body heat from warming the glass. Spray the glass lightly with the plastic coating. Let snowflakes collect on the glass. Take the preserved snowflakes inside and let the plastic coating completely dry (about fifteen minutes).


Check out this book about Wilson Bentley.
His photos of snowflakes became world famous.
Now you can examine the snowflakes with a magnifying glass or a microscope if you have one. No need to rush. These snowflakes will stay crystal-clear forever.


What is it?!Look at the bottom of the blog to find out....
Treat The Birds


You can get a good look at birds that spend the winter in your neighborhood, if you invite them to dinner. An easy treat to make is a peanut butter pinecone. Loop a string around the top of a pine cone and tie a knot. Next, smear peanut butter on the cone and roll the cone in birdseed. Then have an adult partner hang the pinecone where birds will be able to perch and eat. 
Now, keep watch. Use bird books and search on-line to help you identify the birds visiting your bird diner. Also, answer these questions:1. What time of day do the birds come to eat? 2. Do the birds come more on stormy or sunny days?3. Do the birds take turns and feed one at a time? Or do they compete to eat?4. Which birds usually chase other birds away?
Create a colorful bar graph to share the data you collect about your dinner guests.
Remember, to replace your pinecone with a fresh treat from time-to-time to keep the dinners coming back for more.

And when you're ready to warm up inside, curl up with one of my newest books.

















Do you know what this is?


It's a photo taken in the Arctic of a cup of hot tea tossed into the air. The liquid was boiling hot but instantly froze into tiny crystals.

JOIN THE READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA

SOMETHING EXCITING is happening!  
My publisher Tumblehome Learning is hosting GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA in honor of the publication of my very first Middle Grade novel GASPARILLA’S GOLD. Here are the details of this SPECIAL event!
From November 1, 2016 (the official publication date) through January 31, 2017, every class that signs up for GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA will receive the following:

·      Classroom set of my novel GASPARILLA’S GOLD—25 paperback copies for students and a hardbound teachers copy. (See story overview below.)·      Classroom set of bookmarks.·      Discovery Pack of activities designed to enrich this whole class reading experience.

All for $125.00 (less than half-price and it includes FREE shipping). 
Here's the link to get started. SIGN UP NOW








TEN classes that sign up for GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA will also receive a FREE Skype visit with me (a $250 value). More about this will soon be posted on the Tumblehome Learning website
And there’s more!
Every class that signs up for GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA also receives access to additional learning experiences and fun activities on Tumblehome Learning’s website and my blog. There will also be an opportunity for classes to share student book reviews and Tumblehome Learning will publish a selection of these on their website (with class and school credits).
PLUS— Every class that signs up for GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA will become part of the Class Database. So your class will immediately gain reading buddies to connect with in other schools and states to multiply the fun of puzzling out the mysteries as Gus, Fiona and Coop hunt for pirate treasure. Then your class can share cheering for Gus and Fiona as they join forces to save a rare (and totally cute) Florida panther cub from poachers.



I can’t wait to share  GASPARILLA’S GOLD READ-IN ACROSS AMERICA  with you!




GASPARILLA’S GOLD (story overview) Gus goes to spend the summer with his aunt in Florida and help out at her wildlife shelter. Then he discovers a carved whale’s tooth and is caught up in solving clues that could reveal the long hidden site of the pirate Gasparilla’s buried gold. But Gus also gets caught up in an even wilder race to save a rare Florida panther cub from poachers. A search for pirate treasure becomes much more . . .
GASPARILLA’S GOLD  READ-IN  ACROSS AMERICA  is going to be a blast! 

HAPPY DINOSAUR MONTH!

Wow! Who knew we could have an excuse to have fun exploring dinosaurs. But October is it! I LOVE that October is INTERNATIONAL DINOSAUR MONTH!

Dig In
Here are some sites where you can find lots of fun things to do and ways for children to investigate.

Science Made Fun
This site is packed with info about dinosaur record holders. For example do you know which dinosaur is the smallest when fully-grown? Or which kind was the first ever to be discovered in North America? You will once you visit this site.


Can you make up a story about what's going on in this picture?

Child Care Lounge: Dinosaur Activities
Songs and crafts add fun and games to learning about dinosaurs.

Enchanted Learning: Dinosaur Quizes

Ten questions, word unscrambles, crosswords and name hunts. There's lots of dino-fun here. 

And don't miss the jokes! You'll find the answers to these and more.

Why did the Archaeopteryx catch the worm?

What do you get when dinosaurs crash their cars?

Breaking News: Dinosaur Egg Discovered


Check out this latest discovery of dinosaur eggs. Also, take a look inside my book to see how the latest technology let scientists study baby dinosaurs. And learn what they were like and how they developed.
See a real baby dinosaur on page 35

 Encourage children to imagine dinosaur eggs were discovered at their school or at home in their backyard. Have them become reporters to bring this breaking news to the world.

South Pole Dinosaurs
Dr. Christian Sidor with fossil
Hard as it is to believe, during the Age of Dinosaurs the world's climate was very different. In fact, it was a time of Greenhouse kind of warming. So there were forests in Antarctica where the land is now covered with thick ice sheets. Scientist Dr. Vanessa Bowman reported that the rainforests of New Zealand with their fern trees show what the Antarctic forests were once like. In fact, Robert Falcon Scott found fossilized plants there in 1912. Since, explorers have discovered fossilized, bush-sized beech trees and remains of ginkgos, another ancient kind of tree. And dinosaur bones have also been discovered.
Leaellynasaura What's fascinating about these dinosaur remains isn't that they lived in Antarctica. It's that they had to deal with the polar night. Though the climate was clearly warmer in that ancient time, there still would have been the long period of dark. Professor Thomas Rich has found several of the now eight known species (kinds) of Antarctic dinosaurs. And the only complete skeleton found was for Leaellynasaura. This provided a big clue as to how the dinosaurs managed. Its skull had extra big eye sockets so it probably had big eyes--what it would have needed to see in the long night. 

[Don't miss the sweet story of how this dinosaur got its name.]

So what kinds of dinosaurs once lived near the South Pole? Here's the names of three. Click on the name of each to link to a site where you can begin learning more about that dinosaur. If you're interested go online to discover more about one or more of these dinosaurs. And create a 12-page mini-picture book about the dinosaur.

  Antarctopelta , meaning “Antarctic shield.” Discovered in 1986. Believed to be an ankylosaurus type of armored plant eater.

Cryolophosaurus
Cryolophosaurus , means “coldcrested lizard.” Approximately 20–26 feet (6–8 m) long, this massive creature must have required a hefty diet, including other dinosaurs.

Glacialisaurus , meaning “frozen lizard.” The entire dinosaur must have been 20–25 feet (6–8 m) long and weighed an estimated 4–6 tons.

Now, imagine that you have travelled to Antarctica. And you're part of a team that has found the fossil remains of a brand new kind of dinosaur. Read this story about someone who lived that exciting adventure. Then make up a story about being along on this expedition.

Have Dino Dreams

Dinosaurs are also perfect for launching all sorts of creative thinking. Let children look at this picture and:
1. Imagine living in that city.
2. Draw another kind of dinosaur that's hosting a city.
3. Dream up a class pet dinosaur. 

And enjoy some of these fun reads:
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
Dinosaur Dig

CELEBRATE NATIONAL WILDLIFE MONTH and SHARE A MEMORY

This is National Wildlife Month. I share my appreciation of wildlife in many of my books. But one book shares one of my own special wildlife memories. Children can join me in sharing that experience in Butterfly Tree (Peachtree Publishers). 





First, the heart of this book is about making a memory—taking time to do something together you can remember sharing forever. Talk about and then write about a special time you remember sharing with someone. 


*Where and when did it happen?
*What happened?
*What was the key moment of that shared time?



Of course, there are also places we’d like to go and things we’d like to do to make memories. Talk about and then write about something you’d like to share doing together.







Now, explore the special memory Jilly and her mother share in Butterfly Tree.




When Jilly first spots something strange in the sky out over Lake Erie, what does she think it looks like?  Read and discover.


Describing what something looks like by comparing it to something else is called a metaphor. Basically, something unfamiliar is described by telling how it’s like something familiar. A metaphor can be a powerful way to use words to paint a picture in someone’s mind. Try it.

Sit quietly for a few minutes either indoors or outside. Look around. Pick out something to focus on. Then think how you could describe what it looks like to someone who’s never seen it by comparing it to something else--something familiar. 

Next, share your metaphor. Ask the person to describe the visual image your words painted in their mind. Trade metaphors back and forth to work together building a description.

Here are some places and times you could use metaphors to partner building a description others can enjoy too.
*A sunset

*A stormy day

*An animal in action: a bird taking flight; a squirrel in a tree; a cat playing





When Jilly first sees the orange cloud in the sky, she makes lots of guesses of what it might be. Each of those guesses probably instantly made Jilly think of a different possibility for where the cloud came from and why it’s over Lake Erie. What did Jilly imagine the cloud might be? Read and discover.



Spend some time cloud watching with someone. Look out a window or go outside on a wonderfully cloudy day. Focus on one cloud that looks like an animal, an object, or something totally magical. Tell a short story about that cloud and what you imagined about it. 

Then write your cloud story. Be sure to include at least one metaphor to help your reader see what you’re describing.




Jilly’s ready to run away because of the orange cloud she’s spotted, but her Mom suggests they go searching for where the cloud landed. 

What orange things do Jilly and her Mom discover in the woods before they find the orange cloud? Read and discover.


What happens to reveal what the orange cloud really is? Don't miss reading to find out!




Mom says she remembers seeing the butterflies when she was a girl. Why do you think she didn’t just tell Jilly what the orange cloud was?



Now, discover more about monarch butterflies. 


The Circle of Life

Look at these images of the stages of a monarch butterfly’s life cycle. 




Egg
The female lays her eggs on the leaves of milkweed plants. Caterpillars hatch out in about four days.


Caterpillar
Caterpillars eat their egg case and keep on eating. They eat the milkweed leaves they’re on. They eat nearly twenty-four hours a day for about two weeks.


Pupa
The caterpillar spins a silk pad on the under side of a leaf. It grips this with tiny legs, called prolegs. It hangs in a J-shape and molts. This way it sheds its exoskeleton, or outer covering. 

That hardens to form a chrysalis, a protective case. Inside the chrysalis, digestive juices break down a lot of the caterpillar’s old body. Using energy from stored up fats, a new body grows from the old one bit by bit.



Adult
After about two weeks, an adult monarch butterfly emerges from its chrysalis. It takes several hours for its wings to fully inflate and harden. Then it flies off to feed on nectar, the sweet liquid produced by flowers. It lives from two to eight weeks. During this time, the males and females mate. Then the females lay their eggs, starting the cycle over again. 


Butterfly Inside
Experience what happens when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. Cut out and color an adult monarch. 

Then fold this up small and push it inside a balloon. 
Have an adult partner blow up a balloon just enough to partly inflate it. Tie the neck to seal the balloon.

Cover the balloon with paper mache. To do this, first snip newspaper into strips about an inch (2.5 cm) wide and 6 inches (25 cm) long. Cut at least 25 strips. In a bowl, mix one-half cup flour with enough water to make a runny paste. Dip one paper strp into the glue mixture. Hold the strip over the bowl and slide between your thumb and fingers to remove excess paste. Smooth the strip onto the balloon. Repeat until the whole balloon is covered up to the neck. Smooth your fingers over the wet balloon. This will help seal the edges of the paper strips. Set the balloon in a clean, dry bowl. Turn frequently for a few hours to help it dry evenly. Leave overnight.

The balloon now represents the chrysalis inside which the caterpillar is changing into an adult butterfly. Use scissors to carefully snip into the balloon just below the neck. That will pop the balloon. It will deflate and separate from the inside of the paper mache. Carefully pull out the balloon. Open it and pull out the folded up adult. Unfold the adult slowly. 

In real life, the adult butterfly’s body gives off a special chemical that helps break open the chrysalis. Then the adult crawls out and hangs upside down from its chrysalis. Its abdomen squeezes over and over, pumping fluid into the wings. The big wings slowly unfold. The butterfly flaps these wings while they dry and become strong. Then it’s ready to fly. 


Scavenger Hunt

Now, go on an on-line scavenger hunt to track down the answers to these questions.




How can you help monarch butterflies?


Why is a viceroy butterfly colored to mimic a monarch butterfly?

Also, don’t miss the fun, interactive jigsaw puzzles on this site.





Where do monarch butterflies go to escape cold winters?
Watch the slide show at The Magic of Monarch Butterfly Migration


Also find out what is the longest any monarch butterfly has flown to date during its migration?


Wonder how monarch know where they’re going when they migrate?

Journey North’s Monarch Butterfly Migration Tracking Project reports
“This is a question that scientists are still working to answer. People working at the University of Kansas with Chip Taylor have shown that they use the sun, and also probably the earth’s magnetic field to know which way is south during the fall migration. But we don’t know how they find the specific spots in Mexico. Personally, I’m not sure that we’ll ever be able to answer this one—which I think is kind of nice. I like mysteries!”



Now, in honor of National Wildlife Day, jump into the amazing story of what's being done to help a rare big cat, the Amur leopard.

QUCK--BEFORE SUMMER IS TOTALLY OVER!

Okay, some places it's time for school to start again. But there is still going to be summer weather for a while even where winters get icy cold.  So here are ten things you should definitely try while you can enjoy getting outside.




1.  Make something out of mud. Even better do it after it's rained. What is that mud like? How is different from dry dirt? Is there one way it's still the same? Take pictures of what you made and send me one to share here. 

2. Play flashlight tag in the dark. 


3. Go on a shadow hunt to find the following shadows. But take an adult along because grown-ups need to have fun too:a. Find a shadow with a bright hole in it.b. Find the biggest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.c. Find the littlest shadow you can. Figure out what made it.  
4. Fly a kite. But make one first. Here are sites with easy how-to instructions.
Easy Paper KiteKites For EveryoneHow To Build Kites
5. Make a FOOT painting. Sure, you've probably done fingerprinting. But have you ever painted with your feet? It will really let you STEP UP as an artist. Try mixing your own paints first. Here's some how-to sites to help you. Then send a picture of your art work. I'll share it on my blog. :-)!
 How To Make Your Own FingerpaintHomemade Edible FingerpaintHomemade Fingerpaint
6. Look at the world through a magnifying glass. Especially something you never thought to look at closely before. See anything that surprised you?  


7. Put on a puppet show with puppets you make yourself. Here's some sites with ideas to help you do just that.

Puppet Craft for KidsHow To Make PuppetsHow To Design Hand Puppets
8. Learn one constellation you didn't know in the night sky. Find out what story people used to tell about it. Then make up a new story yourself.
Here's my favorite constellation ORION. And here's a couple of sites with star stories, including ones about Orion.
Windows To The UniverseSkyServer



Hope you have fun with these activities. I'll share more soon. And, of course, I'm always as close as reading one of my books. Like BUTTERFLY TREE. It's about a special kind of surprise that happened to me once right about this time of year. 



Or imagine WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!?

IT'S NATIONAL CRAYON COLLECTION MONTH--JOIN IN! And Have Fun!!!

It's back to school time. 
Let's make this a colorful year!



How perfect that for the very first time ever August has been declared NATIONAL CRAYON COLLECTION MONTH. The idea launched by Sheila Morovati, President and Founder of Crayon Collection is to help insure every child going back to school has a supply of crayons to fuel their creativity. The source of this valuable resource is all of those local restaurants who provide crayons for children to color while waiting for dinner. I think it's brilliant for three reasons:1. Children get crayons to make their school life colorful.2. Teachers who spend their own money adding supplies to what's provided in their classrooms save money, which they'll probably spend on other things for their classrooms. Teachers do that I know from personal experience. :-)3. Ever wonder where all the old restaurant crayons go? To landfills! So this helps the environment.


So if you take this challenge, here are some restaurants to contact to collect crayons. Of course, you'll need to make the commitment to visit monthly for a few months and collect what they save for you.For some great ideas (divided into grade level groups) for putting those crayons to use check out this site Crayon Collection Curriculum. You can share photos of your crayon collections and crayon art by using #GotCrayons on social media to encourage others to participate and to show how simply you can gain access to thousands of crayons.  Kid Friendly Restaurants IHOP                                          Denny’s
Applebees                                  BJ’s
Cracker Barrel                            Olive Garden
California Pizza Kitchen            Outback
Island’s Restaurants                   Buffalo Wild Wings
Bubba GumpAnd, of course, being National Crayon Collection Month, August is the perfect time to share several of my favorite children's books that star crayons.

Red: A Crayon's Story (Michael Hall/Greenwillow Books, 2015)

Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

The Day The Crayons Quit (Drew Daywalt/Philomela Books, 2013)

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?


AND MORE CRAYON FUNPlus there's lots more ways kids can be creative with crayons. Check out these websites.

35 Things to do with Crayons

27 New Uses for Old Crayons

Six Projects That Reuse Broken Crayons
Whatever you do with all of those recycled crayons is bound to make this new school year super colorful!

GO BATTY FOR BATS!

Summer is bat season. While you're trying to avoid those buzzing insects, some kinds of bats are busy catching and eating insects. HOORAY FOR BATS!

And while you're appreciating bats find out why some bats are in trouble--plus how scientists are working to help bats survive.


Mother and Pup Reunion



Mother Mexican free-tail bats leave their babies behind in a nursery cave. When they return, they always find their baby. How do they do it?  Play this game to find out.

Cut a sheet of paper into twenty pieces.  On each of ten slips, write the name of a sound, such as tweet or click. Copy the name of each sound onto a second slip of paper.  Next, have a group of twenty people gather together.  Pass out one set of sound slips. Those players are now the “Mother bats”.  Have them leave the room. Or they can go to one wall and turn their backs on the others.  Next, pass out the other set of sound slips.  These players are now the “Bat Pups”.   Have these bats stand close together.



Tell the Mother Bats that their job will be to find their baby, the Bat Pup making their same sound. On your signal have the pups start making their sounds.  Also have the Mother Bats move toward the pups while making their own sounds. Give the Mother bats just ten seconds to find their Bat Pups. Any Pup without a Mother dies.  How many of the Pups were lost?



Just Like Bats
You could say bats did it first. They make noises and listen to the echoes to find their way through the dark.  Now, human inventors are copying them to help people who are blind.



What they invented is called the “UltraCane”.


To build it, scientists first studied the way bats make ultrasonic (super high-pitched) sounds and listen for echoes.  Hearing these echoes alerts bats to things they might run into. It even lets them “see” when its pitch dark.  Then scientists made a cane that puts out ultrasonic sounds and picks up the echoes.   It has a short range mode that picks up things that are about 6 feet (about 2 meters) away.  It also has a long range mode. That picks up any object about 13 feet (4 meters) away.  This way it senses things a blind person might run into.



Then two buttons on the handle—one for things that are close and one for things far away—vibrate.  Being warned what’s coming up lets the person have time to change directions.



 Like a flying bat, they can move freely through their environment. The UltraCane limits the risk of bumping into things.



Can you think of anything you might invent based on what’s special about bats? Think about these things:
Backward facing knees to make it easy to hang upside down. Also help steer in flight.Funnel-like ears for sharp hearing.Leather wings can wrap up in to stay warm and protect against rainy weather.Wings that let a bat flip and turn easily in flight.
Brainstorm to think what you might invent that mimics bats and would help people.


Visit My Cave
What's it like to live like a bat?  
Cover a table on three sides with a blanket or paper to create a cave.  Have your family or a group of friends crawl inside your pretend cave with you.  While you're there with this group, think about these questions.
Why is a cave a good home for small bats, like Mexican Free-tailed Bats? Why do you think big bats, like Grey-Headed Flying Foxes, camp in the open in trees instead?What are some problems to sharing a cave with other bats?
What Good Are Bats? Check out the hand-like structure of a bat's wings.
Try this to find out.  

Take a large bowl of popcorn kernels to the gym or outdoors to a paved area of the playground.  Work with friends to scatter 50 popped kernels on the floor or ground.  Count to ten. Then have people place two more popcorn kernels next to each original kernel.  This is as if the insect pests have multiplied.  


Now pretend you are an insect-hunting bat. Have four others pretend they are too.  While someone counts to five, have each “bat” pick up all of the insects they can carry.  Then have other children place two popcorn kernels next to each remaining kernel.  

Repeat these steps two more times, having “bats” collect “insects”.   Then have any remaining “insects” multiply.  


Now look at the results.How much of an affect did the “bats” have on the “insect” population?What limited how much of an effect the bats could have on the insects? What do you think would happen to populations of insect pests if there weren’t any bats?
My Favorite Bat
Decide which of the bats you read about in Bats: Biggest! Littlest! is your favorite.  Tell why you like it best.  Read the section about that bat again. Also Go on-line to learn more.  Then write a short story about the life of your favorite bat. Be sure your story answers the following questions: 
Where does it live?What does it eat?How is this bat different from other kinds of bats?How does it care of its babies?Does it have any enemies?  If so, what must it watch out for?
Bats for Good Measure Again, here's a good chance to see the arm and hand-like structure of a bat's wing.
The wingspan of the largest flying foxes can be up to 6 feet (about 2 meters).  Take string that length. Find at least 5 things about the same length.  What are they?  

Now, measure each of these things.  Find out how longer or shorter each is compared to a large flying fox’s wingspan. 
The teacher’s deskThe class’s two shortest students lying head to feet on the floor.The classes two tallest students lying head to feet on the floor.Your teacher’s armspan (from fingertip to fingertip with both arms stretched out)
The wingspan of the Bumblebee bat is 6 inches (15 centimeters).  Take a piece of string that length.  Find at least 5 things about the same length.  What are they?

Now, measure each of these things.  Find out how much longer or shorter each is compared to a Bumblebee Bat’s wingspan.

The smallest book in the classroomYour pencilThe shoe of the student with the littlest footYour right hand span (from thumb to little finger with your hand spread wide).  Draw around your hand span on a piece of paper. Then compare to your bat wing measuring string.So now what do you think about bats?!

I'M ON THE SCHOLASTIC SUMMER READING ROAD TRIP

The Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip is fabulous! 
See me? I'm right under the giraffe's head!

I’m having a wonderful time joining in the fun and meeting fans. 












The Vero Beach Book Center in Vero Beach, Florida was such a special store--more like a journey to a magical country.


The store manager estimated the turnout was between 200 and 300 people. I know I signed books non-stop for the whole two hours. 

What's your favorite animal teeth?
If you could have any animal's feet, which would you choose?

















At the Vero Beach stop, I also had a special treat--I was asked to sign the table in the Summer Reading Road Trip RV. Now maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal to you. But I remember reading how J.K. Rowling signed the desk in her hotel room when she finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So I've always wanted to do that. However, I've never had the nerve to whip out my pen and scrawl my name on any of my furniture. 

This fulfilled my dream. And, if you ever get a chance to see that table, I added a little face to make my autograph stand out. SMILE!
I also loved visiting the Scholastic Book Fairs Headquarters in Lake Mary, Florida. The atmosphere there is amazing. Everyone clearly loves the books that go out to the Book Fairs. I mean just take a look at the rug at the building's entrance.

I had to remind them that writing for Scholastic took me all the way to the South Pole. In 1996, I did some of the very first reporting to schools from a remote location for Scholastic. And the South Pole is about as far as any book can take you here on Earth. 
And what a great crowd turned out for that event. 

Though the temperature was pushing 90F, people lined up to meet me. Such a treat to say talk to everyone and sign a copy of my newest WHAT IF YOU HAD!? book.

And I whispered the title of the book coming out next--
but don't tell!!!

And the fun went on.  I never stopped autographing WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EARS!? for over two hours. In fact, I ran one brand new pen dry and had to pull out another. 
HOW COOL IS THAT!? 
Before the day was over I also had a chance to chat with one of my favorite book characters. 









And I joined in celebrating kids all over the country logging in a record-breaking number of minutes reading for the Scholastic On-Line Reading Challenge.  That number is the total number of minutes kids have logged in as reading so far--and the summer isn't over!
So, of course, I had to take that reading challenge too by reading my cat, Beau, his favorite book WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!?.








And the Scholastic Summer Reading Road Trip isn't over. Friday, July 22nd it will be at the Marietta Public Library in Marietta, Georgia. Saturday, July 23rd it will be at the Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia. I'm still on board so, if you live close, come visit. Don't miss it. 

Can you guess which animal ears are my favorite in my newest book WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EARS!? Come meet me and ask me. I can't wait to meet you--and show you the page with my favorite animal ears!!