Sandra Markle's Blog, page 21

IT'S LEAP YEAR--SO HOP TO IT!

Yes, it's LEAP YEAR! What better reason to think about frogs and toads.



I value these amphibians for all they do for us:

Eating lots of insects like mosquitoes and flies that would otherwise become pests.

Being food for lots of animals, such as birds, snakes, foxes, and some fish like pike and bass. (Okay--not an angle the frogs and toads might want to consider but valuable all the same.)


Plus frogs and toads are just plain cool. Like the fact that they have a sticky tongue attached to the inside front of their mouth and it rolls out in less than a second to snag a bug. Or that to swallow their eyes sink to push food down their throats.

Here are some more fun facts about frogs and toads:



A group of frogs is called an army. A group of toads is called a knot or a nest.







Only male frogs croak. They may also whistle or bark. In some kinds of toads both the males and females make noise.

Some toads play dead or puff up to look bigger, if threatened by a predator.



Toads have special glands on the back of their heads. If the toad is stressed, these give off poison that can kill a predator that bites it. It won't cause warts on people but it's best to not touch toads or wash well if you do.




No matter how many times you kiss either a frog or a toad, though,it won't turn into a prince.
And here are some fun frog and toad activities to enjoy in honor of 2016 being LEAP YEAR.

Hopping Off The Page

Compare the toads in each of these two book. To do this, first read these books.

Fiction:  Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel (Harper Collins, 1972)













Faction (fictional story where all the facts are true): Toad Weather by Sandra Markle (Peachtree Publishing, 2015)







1. What is one way the toads in these two books are different?

2. What is one way the toads in these two books are alike? 

3. What time of day does the fiction story take place? How about the faction story?

4. Look at the pictures of toads in each book. What's one way the toads look alike? What's one way they look different? 

Say It In A Poem


Create a cinquain (say sin-cane) about a frog or toad. This is a kind of poetry first created by the American poet Adelaide Crapsey about 100 years ago. 

This kind of poem is just 5 lines long. It usually tells a short story about something and follows this format--2,4,6,8.2. That means
The first line has just 2 syllables (pronounced beats)
The second line has 4 syllables.
The third line has 6 syllables.
The fourth line has 8 syllables.
The fifth line has just 2 syllables again.

What's more there's a flow to the short story shared in a cinquain. It goes like this:
Line 1 = Name the subject
Line 2 = Describe it
Line 3 = Show some action
Line 4 = Share some feeling about it
Line 5 = Give a quick conclusion




For example

Bull frog.Green and hungry.Sees a fly and snags it.What a master garden insecthunter!

BONUS Fold A Hopper

Visit this website and follow the directions to fold a paper frog. Then push on the frog to make it hop off a starting line. Measure how far it hops. 

Try your paper hopper on 3 different kinds of surfaces, such as carpeting, wood and tile. On which does your frog hop the farthest? How much farther is the longest hop than the shortest?


And one more--take this photo and saying as a story starter.
Okay--because LEAP YEAR has one extra day--here's one more thing to do on this longer-than-usual-month. Read THE CASE OF THE VANISHING GOLDEN FROGS aloud. Did science detectives solve this mystery? Did they save the frogs?

MEMORIES OF MAGNITUDE

Five years ago,  my girlfriend and I went to lunch in Christchurch, New Zealand and, like these two women became survivors. Today, with all my Christchurch friends, I remember that day and what followed.

I'd written about major earthquakes but until that day I'd never experienced one.



At 12:51 on February 22, 2011 a 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand. 





It was shallow--less than three miles deep--and for all those people going about their lives on the earth’s surface, it was world-changing. 


Reporters said the dust from the collapsing buildings and whole hillsides exploding could be seen for miles. I don’t doubt it. But, at the time, dust was the farthest thing from my mind. I was in Christchurch when the earthquake struck. All I was thinking about was staying alive.

I’d already been through the September 4, 2010, Christchurch earthquake. It was as different as night and day from this one. For one thing, its epicenter, the point where sections of the earth slid past each other, was about thirty miles away and about ten miles deep. 


That quake also happened in the early hours of the morning when most people were home in bed. That time, I awoke to a roar like a violent windstorm. 



Then the house began to tremble and the shaking became increasingly violent until it again slowed and, finally, stopped. It was scary, and some buildings were destroyed, but no one died. Along with everyone else who lived through that quake, I thought, “Well, I’ve lived through the big one. Thank heavens my house only suffered minor cracks, and my husband and I are safe.”



Four months on, Christchurch was in recovery mode. The rubble had pretty much disappeared and new buildings were springing up. 




The fact that a few streets still had residents living with port-a-potties was considered absolutely outrageous. After all, the earthquake was an event for the history books—over and done. 


An earthquake was definitely the farthest thing from my mind on February 22nd. My girlfriend was here visiting from out-of-town, so we went out to lunch at one of my favorite Christchurch restaurants. We ate sandwiches and laughed a lot. Then our after-lunch coffees arrived, I picked up my cup, and the restaurant exploded. Everything in the restaurant was instantly shrapnel. Food and dishes launched and smashed. Tables and chairs launched and crashed. People were airborne, screaming, falling, gasping, landing, crumpling. Windows shattered.

I’ve been told the quake only lasted twenty seconds. It felt like hours. It’s hard to believe so much damage could happen in only twenty seconds. Just around the corner from me—less than half the length of a football field away—part of the front of the two-story shopping mall crashed onto the sidewalk, seriously injuring a number of people and crushing a mother and her baby.






Less than a mile away, in the very center of Christchurch, tall buildings pancaked down and parking garages collapsed. In just one-fifth of a minute, 750 buildings became rubble. 





The iconic Christchurch Cathedral’s bell tower tumbled into a heap. 




The fabulous stained glass windows of Knox Centre Church were reduced to sparkly bits. 




Two city buses lay crushed under heaps of bricks, power lines snapped, school buildings cracked, bridges split, and flat roads were transformed into roller coasters. 




Besides that damage in the center of the city, in surrounding suburbs, 100,000 homes suffered significant damage and 10,000 more were completely destroyed. Many people were seriously hurt. Nearly two hundred people died.


But I didn’t know the extent of the damage surrounding me when I fled the restaurant while the earth was still jerking with strong aftershocks. I only knew the nightmare wasn’t over, and I wasn’t yet safe. The world around me was chaos. Piles of shattered glass gleamed in the sunlight outside buildings like weird snowdrifts. Confused people staggered into the street and ambled aimlessly. 



Others sat on the curb weeping. Still others, like my girlfriend and I hugged, and hurried toward the parking lot. 




We skirted bubbling gray mud spouting from cracks in the ground, but the mud was everywhere. The going was difficult. It was also hard to hear—hard to think—over the sounds of chaos and the shrill blaring of many sirens.


That day, the drive home that normally took forty minutes took four and a half hours. Aftershocks repeatedly rocked the car. An especially strong aftershock briefly had the car airborne. Again, that event probably barely lasted a second but it seemed much longer as I gripped the steering wheel. Time was strangely out-of-whack in this alien world. 

My girlfriend came home with me. Her husband and their two sons and their families arrived  later that night. I was blessed that my home again suffered very minor damage and we had electricity, clean water, and working toilets. We settled down to a surreal existence that became a struggle to obtain supplies that were in short supply. Neighbors shared with neighbors to keep going. It was nearly a week before our visitors could safely go home or on to other families living outside of Christchurch. 


















Japan’s major quake just a few weeks later took this event out of the world's spotlight. For those of us who were there, the memory dimmed but will never be extinguished. 

Five years on and rebuilding continues. Recovery, in so many ways, continues. The recent Valentine's Day Quake that registered 5.7 on the Richter Scale was a vivid reminder and jolted barely soothed nerves. The city I loved no longer exists. 






But today, as I remember that fateful day five years ago, I also want to remember Christchurch the way it was--an amazingly beautiful city. 

The first time I saw Christchurch just after Christmas in 1996. I’d flown in from Atlanta, Georgia late at night and gone straight to my hotel. The next morning as the New Zealand summer sun rose bright and hot, I walked across a bridge, over a beautiful meandering river, and into the city. I felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, opening the door from her black and white world into the spectacular, brilliantly colored world of Oz. It was a vibrant, culturally rich city that would become my home for fourteen years.



















Most of those buildings are gone now but the people who I count as dear friends--the people who are the heart of Christchurch--remain. I'm thinking of them today, remembering the past, and hoping for strong, safe beautiful future for Christchurch.

GET READY--February 28th is NATIONAL TOOTH FAIRY DAY!

This photo is from the Clutter Free Classroom blog. Who reports: "It is currently the most popular book in our class library." SMILE!!!National Tooth Fair Day is coming up on February 28th. So I want to thank a few of the many teachers and librarians who have helped me share WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH!? And, of course, the rest of the series including the newest book, WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL EARS!?





Here are a few of the blogs I know are sharing one of my books--WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? (Scholastic, 2013).  I hope those of you who are also sharing this book or know of blogs with activities based WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? will Comment. I'd love the sites I'm sharing here to grow, and grow, and grow. SMILE!

Definitely check out Science For Kids: Adventures of An Elementary School Science Teacher by Sue Cahalane.

Sue has created activities based on my book WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH?  She shares patterns for four kinds of teeth (narwhale, elephant, camel, tiger) kids can use while imaging themselves with different kinds of animal teeth.  She also shares worksheets for an animal classification activity based on this book.



At Oceans of First Grade Fun by Yolanda Arnold. You'll find patterns for the other kinds of animal teeth in this book. Like her students, your children can try their hand at a little opinion writing answering these questions:
If you could have teeth like any one of the animals in this book, which would you choose?Why would you like to have that kind of animal teeth?


Of course, like the book, also challenge children to think about what's great about having human teeth.

At First Grade W.O.W. (Windows On Wonder) Nancy Vandenberge shared her entire class with their animal teeth.  These kids also examined some cool REAL teeth Nancy brought in to share.

"I love collecting fun things for our science center.  I have a bull skull which includes many of his teeth, a small deer jawbone, and a good friend just gave me an elk skull with teeth.  We had an amazing time examining each one. " Nancy Vandenberge

And what a great chance for children to think about how each animal's teeth are just right for what that animal eats.

Definitely don't miss Homeschool Share. Scroll down to Science Activity 7 and Animal Teeth
You can download a  worksheet with wonderful photos your children can use to match animal teeth to just the right animal.Or go to Science Kids: Fun Science & Technology For Kids.  There your students can play an interactive game. They're challenged to drag teeth to the right animal, including a human, and click on EAT.  Making a mistake is as much fun (and interesting) as getting it right.



And you'll find more fun at Teach Mentor Texts.  There, Jen gives the book five hearts and suggests this activity.

"Writing Prompts: Imagine that you did have animal teeth - as if they were a super power. What could you do with animal teeth that would help you in your daily life? Write a story where you show how you would put your animal teeth to use. Choose two animals from the book to compare and contrast. How do they use their teeth in similar or different ways?"

Also check out one more activity called One Big Bite. It has lots of action-packed, mind-building fun for your students to chew on. And if you have a special way you're sharing WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? with kids please click on Comment and share. That'll let us all share the SMILES!!

And while you're sharing how you're building activities around WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL TEETH? here are some more teacher created activities you won't want to miss.

Lesson Plan Resource File--Animal Teeth--Estimating Length

VALENTINE'S DAY IS FUN WITH HEART!

Valentine's Day is coming so jump into this activity to be ready. And have fun along the way.





During the Victorian Age, Valentine’s Day cards became works of art and action cards became popular.  Here are step-by-step instructions for making some that are historic favorites--and some that are sure to make history.  




Window To My Heart  

Who doesn't love a surprise. Here are two that are easy to do and lots of fun to receive.

PEEK-A-BOO Card: To make this card, first cut a heart out of folded paper so it's hinged. Have a child glue their photo inside. Then mark the spot where the eyes will be when the heart card is closed. On the side that will be the outside of the card when it's closed, poke holes with a hole punch or a sharp pencil.  Finally have the child add a "Guess Who Loves You?" message on the face of the card. And a "It's me, love note" inside.




I LOVE YOU THIS MUCH Card: Making this card offers kids a chance to share measuring how far they can stretch. Have the child lay on the paper and draw around their hands. Have them print H-U-G in between. Print a Happy Valentine's Wish on the back. Then fold up or roll up and send. Sure to be a Valentine Card grandparents will keep-forever!




Both of these cards are courtesy of G Is For Gift.

Sweet Scent Of Love Potpourri was extremely popular in Victorian homes so Valentine’s cards often included sweet scented sachets. Here's a kid-friendly recipe for making potpourri. Once that's done, have kids cut twin hearts and carefully print a message on one. Next staple the edges together (with the message out and visible) except for the top. Tuck some potpourri inside and then finish stapling. 

Potpourri Recipes Apple Potpourri Recipe
1 Cup dried apple slices
2 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/4 Cup whole allspice berries
10 (2") cinnamon sticks
2 Tablespoon whole cloves
1/4 Cup sumac, canella or nandina berries
10 small pine cones
7 drops cinnamon essential oil
Combine all ingredients and place in a tight jar or tin. Shake every few days. Cinnamon oil has an extremely strong scent that intensifies as it is absorbed. Add additional oil if needed. The red sumac berries that grow wild can be used dried as a stabilizer for potpourri (in other recipes it takes the place of orris root which is very expensive).

Simple Spice Potpourri Recipe
1 oz. can cinnamon sticks, broken into small pieces
1 (1.12 oz.) can whole cloves
1 (1.25 oz.) can whole allspice
dried orange peels
Combine all ingredients. Place 1 heaping teaspoon and 1/2 cup of water in simmer pot and heat.

Rose Potpourri
Lay rose petals out to dry on a flat surface for several days. You will need about 6 cups.
3 cinnamon sticks
A few drops of essential oil
Mix together and place in a jar. Shake every few days and let sit for 7-10 days. Then package and give away in potpourri pillows or gift bags.

Recipes courtesy of Kids Cooking Activities.
Kids could also simply glue the potpourri onto paper hearts.




For longer lasting Valentine hearts, make them out of felt or other cloth and stitch them together.






In case you were wondering, Potpourri is the French word for "rotten pot". In fact, it refers to flower petals, leaves, herbs and spices which are dried to keep them from rotting. They were frequently used in Victorian times to improve how homes smelled.

Magic Message  

Send a card that looks blank but comes with a set of instructions. This Valentine card idea is courtesy of The Magic Onions.


It is a tradition in South Africa to never sign your Valentine’s Day card with your name… it is so much fun. All cards come from secret admirers and you are never quite sure who the card was from. You can guess (and, sometimes, hope) but the sender never reveals his true identity. I received a few Valentine’s cards in my younger years and I must tell you, the intrigue was wonderful!
So, when K wanted to make Valentine’s Day cards for her friends, I suggested she make ‘Secret Admirer’ cards… the ‘secret’ part had her hooked and she eagerly agreed to my idea. As it was raining outside, I set up her art table looking out at the rain. She needed white card paper, a white candle, water color paints and a paintbrush. She began by folding the paper in half to make a card.
Then, on the outside of each card, she used the white candle to draw designs on the white paper. She needed to press rather hard with the candle as the thicker the wax on the paper, the better the result.
Drawing with a candle was a wonderfully imaginative experience for her as she had to picture her drawing in her mind. She couldn’t see it on the paper and she found this quite amazing… as if she was creating an invisible letter! At last it was time for painting. She couldn’t quite believe that her drawings would magically appear when she painted over them. ‘Look, MOM!!’ she exclaimed with excitement as each stroke revealed her secret design!
When her cards had dried, she once again used the candle to draw on the inside of the card. She discovered that if she held her card just so in the sun, the wax shined her writing back to her.
This page will be left, unpainted, for the recipient of her Valentine to paint themselves… K’s design will magically appear before their eyes… ooh, how amazed they’ll be!Blessing and magic.



Or use a science trick to send a valentine card with a secret message revealed by holding it close to the heat of lit lightbulb.  The directions will include the secret of invisible ink and why heat works like magic.

Try this activity now, courtesy of Playdough to Plato



Bloomin’ Hearts  This card has a packet of flower seeds tucked into a slot in a paper flowerpot.  It’s a card that keeps on giving as the seeds sprout and the young plants grow.
Directions are courtesy of Faithfullyfree
This tutorial is for Seed Packet Valentines, you can view my other Valentine’s Day projects here.This year I am focusing on giving candy-free valentines. Don’t get me wrong, I love candy as much as the next person, but with four kids, the last thing I need is a house full of candy! We literally had four Walmart bags full of candy over Halloween. That’s just TOO MUCH candy! My first candy-free valentine is the DIY Seed Packet Valentines. My kids would love receiving these because they love to plant, well just about anything, and then watch it grow. The coolest thing about giving seeds is that they last much longer than candy, and will leave the recipient thinking of you every time they see them. This year the kids are going to take in some of these seed packet valentines, as well as some other pretty cool cards I’ve been working on (I’m going to try to get those up this weekend) so stay tuned!These are so easy to put together, and I’m even including a free flower pot valentine printable for those of you who may not have the time to create your own! You can get your free printable below.Materials for Seed Packet Valentines: – White Cardstock
– Razor Blade or X-Acto Knife
– Spray Adhesive
– Tape
– Glitter
– Seed Packets
-Pencils (optional) You can grab your free Flower Pot Printable Valentine here. These only print two per page because they have to be big enough to fit the seed packet.After your print the flower pot, simply cut it out, and then using a razor blade or X-acto knife cut a slit across the top of the pot (keep the cut within the outline of the pot to avoid ripping the card). Using a spray adhesive, lightly spray the cardstock and sprinkle with glitter. You can also use liquid glue, but I find the spray easier to use.Insert seed packets into valentines and affix the bottom of the packet with tape. Attach a pencil with tape as well, and you’re done! You can skip the pencil if you want to make a less expensive card.




Or just follow the idea shared by ABCs & Garden Peas to wrap and give a seed packet. Perfect for growing friendships.



Pop-Up Card  
Open this card and get a big surprise.  Step-by-step instructions make it easy to create a card with a pop-up action figure.
This idea is courtesy of  Make and Takes

Want to send a Valentine card that really POPs?! Try this fun technique for helping your card stand out from the crowd. Because “Valentine, you make my heart POP!”Supplies for Heart Pop Up Cards:1 sheet of paper, any sizepencilscissors1 sheet of cardstock paper, larger than your first papersmall cut out shape of a heartcrayons, markers, or stickers to decorate1. Fold your smaller paper in half. With your pencil, draw 2 lines on the edge of a folded card about 2 inches apart and 1 inch in. You can make your lines large or small, fat or skinny. It all depends on what you are planning to have pop out on the inside.2. Cut along the pencil lines with your scissors.3. Fold back the cut out area to make a good crease in the fold.4. Open up the card and bend the new fold forward, making it pop out.Now you can glue anything you want to the space that pops out. Make sure not to put glue on the top of the step, just the front edge. We added our large 2-3 inch heart.
Glue on your cardstock piece of paper to the back. Then write some fun words to your Valentine. I wrote “You make my heart POP!” for a fun Valentines day card. This card is ready to give your loved one this Valentines!
Or kids can do a foldable card to send their love with this template courtesy of Martha Stewart.
Now you're all set to make this Valentine's Day fun for everyone!

GUESS WHO GOES TO SNOW SCHOOL!

It's SNOW LEOPARD CUBS, of course! You can visit and see what happens in my book Snow School.

Snow School was inspired by my love of cats, especially wild cats. There are none more fascinating than snow leopards.  These wild cats are so rare there are believed to be as few as 3,500 left in the entire world.  







As always, when I want to learn more about a wild animal I go exploring. That’s how I came to spend a winter in Antarctica, the experience that inspired me to write  A Mother’s Journey , a story about what female emperor penguins do while the males hatch out the eggs. 








Dr. Tom McCarthy with snow leopard cub
(courtesy of Panthera Snow Leopard Trust)Sometimes, though, I just can’t get to the places I need to go to explore firsthand.  Then I track down experts who have been able to go to those places and studied the wild animals I want to write about.  That was the case with  Snow School .  I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Tom McCarthy who has spent many years climbing the high, rugged mountains of Pakistan in order to learn about the life and behavior of snow leopards.  




To see where snow leopards live and the story of  Snow School  takes place, go on-line to find out about Pakistan (in red on the globe).  Also search for information about the Hindu Kush Mountains, the setting for the story.  This habitat is one of the harshest on earth and requires the cats to be able to chase fast prey downhill over very rocky terrain.









Even during his many years studying snow leopards Dr. McCarthy shared that he only had a chance to watch a few downhill chases as snow leopards caught prey.  He said, “Once, I was lucky enough to see a mother have two cubs with her while she hunted.”  












Dr. McCarthy guessed these cubs were in training.  Snow leopard cubs spend two years with their mothers learning to survive on their own.  That inspired me to wonder what lessons snow leopard cubs need to learn in order to be successful in the extreme conditions of their home habitat.  
For one thing, as soon as they’re big enough, snow leopard cubs travel with their mother. That way they get a close look at the features of their environment.  And they learn the shortest, safest routes to take. 



To get a feel for what the snow leopard cubs are learning, go to your local park or playground with a parent or adult partner.  Take along a pencil and a notepad.  Draw a map of the area.  Use symbols to mark any key landmarks, like fountains or statues, big trees, or benches.  Next, study the map with your partner and plan the fastest, safest path to use to travel across the mapped area.  Then use a watch to time how long it takes you to run across the area following your chosen path.  Afterwards, revisit the map and decide if another way might be easier or safer.  Time your new route.

The snow leopard’s habitat is really a high desert with very steep terrain.  When these cats hunt, they have to chase down prey animals, like ibex, capable of running down steep, rocky slopes without falling.  And they have to pounce at just the right moment to stop their prey without going over a cliff.







Snow leopards do have some natural built-in advantages. One is a very long tail.  Dr. McCarthy reports that a snow leopard’s tail is all muscle and that it’s heavy. He said, “It must even be heavy for the snow leopard.  In snow, I’d see a mark where  a cat would start to drag its tail after every two or three steps.  So holding up its long tail must be tiring.”











Having such a long tail is worth the effort, though, when the snow leopard starts to run.  It swings its tail back and forth and that helps it stay balance while twisting and turning.  To get a feel for how its tail helps a snow leopard stay balanced, try this.  Stand on one foot with your hands at your sides.  Then repeat standing on one foot but this time stretch out your arms and move them forward and backward.  
Snow leopards also have big feet that act like snowshoes, helping them walk on top of fluffy snow.  In fact, Dr. McCarthy reported a snow leopard’s feet leave very round footprints because their feet are about as wide as they are long (about four to five inches in both directions.) Measure the length and width of one of your feet.  How much longer is your foot that it is wide?  And, just for fun, figure out how much longer your foot is than a snow leopard’s.



These cats also have a lot of fur around their toes and the pads of their feet to shield them from the ice and snow.  Like housecats, snow leopards have retractable claws.  They put these out to help them climb and to stop themselves from skidding.







Dr. McCarthy reported that once a snow leopard catches prey it needs a safe place to eat—safer than on a steep mountainside.  Dr. McCarthy said, “I’ve watched a snow leopard drag a big goat that weighs as much, if not slightly more, than the cat does.  And it drags this prey uphill.”   
Imagine pulling something that weighs as much as you do.  Now, imagine doing it the way a snow leopard does.  This cat bites to grab its prey.  Then it drags this weight between its legs.  This is another behavior snow leopard cubs learn by being copycats, doing what their mother does.


 From an early age, the cubs learn the smell of what’s good to hunt because their mother brings home prey.  See if you’ve learned to identify your food by its scent.  Have an adult partner blindfold you. Then have them hold each of the following five food items, one at a time, under your nose for you to sniff.  Test your scent IQ on the following: peanut butter, orange juice, mustard, cheese, and ketchup. 
You might be surprised to learn that snow leopards usually only get a chance to catch big prey about once a week.  So when it does, the cat is likely to stay by its prey and eat as much as 25 pounds of meat a day for two to three days.  How much is that.  Weigh a plate.  Then put the food you’re going to eat for dinner on that plate and weigh it again. Subtract the weight of the plate to see how much your meal weighs.  How many of those meals would you have to eat to equal what a snow leopard eats when food is available?


Can you guess what snow leopards do after such big meals?  You’re right!  They sleep.  Like lions, tigers, and housecats, snow leopards sleep most of the day to save their energy for hunting.  
I hope you enjoy reading  Snow School .  

IT'S SNOWING--HAVE FUN!!!

Some animals can't wait for it to snow.








And some can't wait for there to be lots of ice.









So those animals would think you're lucky to have cold winter weather.

You definitely can have a special kind of winter fun.  These activities will give you ideas for ways you can make the most out of living where winter is--well--wintery!


Go On A Scavenger Hunt
You might find maple seeds like these.

Try to find:
Something older than you areSomething younger than you areA seedSomething roughSomething smoothSomething that will change in the springA bird feather


How wet is the snow? 
 Find out. In an average snowfall, ten inches (25 cm) of snow melts down to one inch (2.5 cm) of water. How much drier or wetter is your current snowfall.



You'll need a can at least ten inches (25 centimeters) tall with straight sides. Try to collect your snow sample shortly after the snow stops falling. Fill your sampling can, but don't pack the snow.


Next, take the can indoors and let the water melt.

Try keeping a record of each new snowfall for the rest of the winter. Which months had the wettest snow? If you keep your tracking going, find out how one year's snowfalls compare to another.


By the way, I spent one winter at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. I'd always heard that, if temperatures were below -60F (-51C) boiling water thrown into the air would freeze before it hit the ground. I had a chance to test it because that winter the temperatures dropped as low as -129F. The boiling water immediately turned into tiny sparkling ice crystals.




This is a great winter time read--don't miss it.The Winter of the Blue Snow
Have you ever heard of Paul Bunyan? He was a giant of a man--and I mean a real giant, so the stories go. There are tales about the lumber camp he ran in the far North. One of those is about the winter of the blue snow.
Nobody knew why the snow was blue that winter. Some say it was because it was so terribly cold. How cold was it? It was too cold for thermometers to measure. The men each had sixteen blankets to sleep under, but they still couldn't keep warm. Shot Gunderson, the head woodchopper, slept under forty-two blankets one extra cold night. There were so many blankets he got lost trying to find his way out from under that huge pile. In fact, it took him three whole days to uncover himself. The poor fellow nearly starved to death before he made it to the cook shake.

Not that eating was easy once you got to the table. When Hot Biscuit Slim, the cook, set coffee out to cool, the steaming brew froze so fast that the ice was hot. The men had to eat with their mittens on because the hot biscuits froze solid before they went the distance from plate to mouth.

Conversations around the bunkhouse were slowed down mightily that super-cold winter. Words froze as fast as they were spoken. Piles of icy words had to be heaped behind the stove because nobody could tell what had been said until the words thawed out.

About the time summer was due, the weather got even colder and the blue snow kept on falling. Snowdrifts piled up two hundred feet (60 meters) deep. Elevators were built just to carry the men from the bunkhouse to the surface. To log the trees, Paul had to scoop out holes and lower his men down to the forest.

What you don't believe this wintery tale? Make up one of your own packed full of all the things that might happen if it was super cold and the snow was super deep.
One of the most famous blizzards ever recorded was during the winter of 1888. Thirty to forty inches (75-100 cm) of snow and ice was dump on the Northeastern United States. That was before snowplows and entire cities were helpless for weeks. Before the blizzard was over four hundred people had died.

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.


Go Tracking Duck Tracks
Rabbit Tracks


When the ground's covered with snow, it's the perfect time to collect animal tracks like these.



Take along an adult partner and a digital camera. Snap photos of any animal tracks you find. Back home, look on-line to match the prints you found to the animal. Google images is one good source to check out.

While you're at it try to decide what the animal might have been doing at the time it left its tracks. Was it running or walking? How do you think you could tell? Try making tracks of your own running and walking and observe the difference. It's even more fun if you find overlapping sets of tracks from different animals. Now, make up a story for what might have happened. Was one animal there first? Was one animal chasing the other? There's a new story in every set of snow tracks you find--even if they're people footprints.

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.

THE DAY MY WORLD BLEW UP

Most of the time, we roll along without really noticing how our personal history intertwines with the world's history. Then there are moments when the two collide and what touches the world effects us with life-changing force. That's actually happened to me more than once. But one moment that happened thirty years ago is what's on mind and in my heart today as it's anniversary looms. So I'll share.


While I'm best known for writing about wildlife and conservation issues, I have a long history of being involved with NASA and the space program. It was an exciting, totally amazing experience. You could say I grew into writing about science and striving to bring science to life for children because of that experience. 




My relationship with NASA began because I was writing the "Hands-On, Minds-On" column for Instructor Magazine (something I did for eleven years). Plus I was simply fascinated by the space program. After all, when I was in elementary school the space race was just starting. 


I remember standing outside at night with my mom and dad, watching for Sputnik to zip by overhead. In college, rushing to the Student Union between classes to elbow into the crowd around the TV watching John Glenn's return from earth orbit. And the summer of 1969 driving for hours to get back to the girl's camp I was working at in time to watch Neil Armstrong step on the moon. The space program was in my blood.



How exciting to have the opportunity as a writer to go inside NASA first for Instructor Magazine. Later, for NASA and the Martin Marietta Corporation on assignment to produce educational materials for the backs of posters and handouts for schools. I actually sat in a room with moon rocks. Climbed around inside the Space Shuttle trainer. Tried out the MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit) trainer. 



And I had a chance to interview astronauts. I remember asking George "Pinky" Nelson what it felt like to launch in the Space Shuttle. He said, "Like being smacked in the back with a baseball bat."

In 2007, I was blessed to interview Scott Carpenter toward the end of his life. He was amazing to talk to because, while he was the fourth American to fly into space and the second to orbit the earth, he'd also lived and worked for 30 days in SeaLab II--deep down at the bottom of the ocean. 



That interview happened because Tuffy, the dolphin, brought mail and supplies from the surface to the deep habitat. But what I was most interested in was his take on being in those two extreme environments. Scott said, "In space flight, you sense the acceleration but not the reduced pressure once you're weightless. Weightlessness is unimportant to you. Likewise, once you're underwater, you're insensitive to the great pressure. What's exciting always for someone who's curious, like me, is the chance to learn all sorts of things and do all sorts of things that had not been done before."


For me, being curious led to some incredible, unforgettable moments connected with the space program. One of those was June 18, 1983. That was when Sally Ride became the first U.S. woman astronaut to fly into space. 








Because of my long involvement with NASA and the space program by that time, I was honored to be invited to be one of the women journalists to attend a three-day celebration of that event. The culminating moment, of course, was standing with the press for the launch. 




We were as close as viewers are allowed to be. The weather was perfect. And it was as spectacular as you can possibly imagine. The ground shook under my feet. The air around me quivered so that I felt that launch to my bones. Tears filled my eyes but that blur only made the image of the rising Space Shuttle all the more soul-stirring. I was so proud to know a woman had now accomplished this--proving WE CAN DO ANYTHING! 



I was determined from that moment on to let children know science careers were exciting--full of possibilities. And for young girls to know there are no doors their curiosity can't open. 


So I proposed and sold the idea for a book about the Space Shuttle and the in-space experiments it was making possible. Through my research for that book, I interviewed scientists involved in developing the latest technology for the Shuttle. I also had the opportunity to stand under the Challenger as tiles which had been damaged or dropped off during reentry were replaced. And I talked to more astronauts preparing to work in space. I was very excited that a teacher would soon be going into space. In fact, would be launching just before my book would be published.
Then January 28, 1986 happened. Thirty years ago this January I was working on some revision notes my editor had sent me for my book on the Space Shuttle. I'd meant to watch the launch on television but my revision was due and I was intent on my work. Then the phone rang. 
Had I seen it? Had I watched the explosion?

I raced to the television. I was watching the replay of the Challenger disaster when the phone rang. It was my editor saying they couldn't possibly publish my book. Not now.



Over the next few weeks as the world stumbled from shock to grief, my publisher reeled between "No Way!" to "We'll publish it!" and back again. I even flew to New York for one long discussion on the subject. Ultimately, the publisher was simply too afraid children couldn't read about the Space Shuttle after this tragedy. So I accepted that this was also the end of my book--until one afternoon when the phone rang.


I was cooking dinner and the kitchen had a wall phone within reach so I grabbed it. I expected it to be one of my children needing a ride but it was June Scobee, wife of Major General Richard "Dick" Scobee, Commander of the Challenger who'd been killed in that fateful launch. It was a hot day and yet I remember feeling a shiver tremble through me. 


June asked if I had time to talk. 
Of course.
My phone had a long, stretchy cord and so I slipped up onto the kitchen counter to sit with my legs dangling and the phone clutched to my ear. I listened. June talked. And of what she said one part  burned into my memory.
June said, "You have to get that book published. Children need to read it. If people had stopped going West when something terrible happened, we would never have settled the West. So promise me, you'll get it published."





It took me eight years to keep that promise. Took changing the book a lot by then. Took finding a different publisher. But I did publish PIONEERING SPACE. 




It was well reviewed and had a good run. But, after a while, PIONEERING SPACE went out-of-print. I turned my focus to conservation issues. Voyaged three times to Antarctica and even spent a nine-month long winter there. I also loosed my NASA ties as people moved on or retired.  But I never stopped feeling the explorer's spirit being involved with the space program had ignited in me. Never wavered in working to inspire children to feel it too. 

Then, just recently, I was searching for a scientist to interview because of her involvement studying an amazing bird I'm writing about. She seemed to have left her university position but I was determined to connect. So I tracked her from one possible place to another. And, finally, found her. She had joined NASA following her childhood dream. I pursued a chance to interview her and was put through a series of clearance tests until someone asked if I'd ever had any previous clearance by NASA. "Well, yes, I said." And shared, briefly.


I was given a time to call and when the young woman came on the line, I was able to congratulate her. You see, she'd just successfully completed her astronaut training. What's more, her class is the first to be designated as NASA's Mars Astronauts. 



So we talked about her bird research but we also talked about her goals for the future in today's space program. And I felt that long-damped spark of interest in space flicker to life inside me. My curiosity swell to bursting. When we said, good-bye with the mutual promise of staying in touch, I thought,"What if?!"
And if there is anything I've learned in my years of writing WHAT IF has life-changing force. 

HOORAY! It's Time for THE TWELVE ARACHNIDS OF CHRISTMAS!

Okay, here it is for all of you who've asked for it. The TWELVE ARACHNIDS OF CHRISTMAS! are back. And for any of you who are discovering this for the first time, ENJOY!

[Books mentioned below are from my ARACHNID WORLD Series by Lerner]




On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave me to 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.





What in the world just happened? To find out, read Black Widows: Deadly Biters pages 22 through 23.


On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me two striped bark scorpions--one big female 3 inches (7.5 cm) long and a smaller male.





As I watched, the male grabbed the female's pedipalps (body parts near the mouth). He tugged her forward and then they turned around in a circle. They did this over and over for hours.

What was happening to my scorpions? To find out, read Scorpions: Armored Stingers pages 28 and 29.



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


As I watched, a round ball about one-third as big as the spider and stuck to its spinnerets split open. Hundreds of tiny spiders crawled out and climbed onto the big spider.

What's likely to happen next? To find out, read Wolf Spiders: Mothers On Guard pages 26 through 29.





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? To find out, read Wind Scorpions: Killer Jaws pages 24 and 25.












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? To find out read Tarantulas: Supersized Predators pages 32 and 33.



























Then keep on reading quickly to let me know whether I should stay to watch or run away. Two of the other tarantulas have turned their hairy rear ends toward me and look ready to rub these with their hind legs.
Help me decide what action to take by reading pages 30 and 31.




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






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? To find out, read Orb Weavers: Hungry Spinners pages 24 and 25.




I kept on watching and saw a fly zip into another spider's web. I expected the web to break, but it didn't. Why not? To find out, read page 17 and page 22.



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






At just that moment, a bat flew past and all the fishing spiders dived beneath the surface. They stayed underwater for nearly thirty minutes.
How were they able to stay underwater for so long? To find out, read Fishing Spiders: Water Ninjas pages 22 through 23.






On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me eight crab spiderslurking 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 just the right flower color to hide and wait to ambush insects? To find out, read Crab Spiders: Phantom Hunters pages 22 and 23.




On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me nine harvestmen packed close together and bobbing up and down.


Why were they doing that? To find out, read Harvestmen: Secret Operatives page 21.


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 could they swell so big? To find out read Ticks: Dangerous Hitchhikers pages 14 and 15.

Why can a tick's bite make people and animals sick? Read pages 28 through 36 to find out.




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 find out, read Jumping Spiders: Gold Medal Stalkers pages 22 and 23.

What's the record for how far a jumping spider can leap? Read pages 46 and 47 to find out.


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


At first, I couldn't see the tiny two-spotted mites sucking on one of the plant's leaves. In less than a month, the plant was nearly covered with web strands dotted with tiny mites. They were sucking the plant's juices and producing even more two-spotted mites.
How did there get to be so many so quickly. To find out, read Mites: Master Sneaks pages 36 and 37.

Yes, 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-a-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 called, "Merry Christmas to all and Happy New Year!"

CELEBRATE REDHEADS AND ELECT THE RED HAIRED ANIMAL OF THE YEAR

I'm a redhead 
And I'm proud of it. In fact, being a redhead is a big thing in my family. I have redheaded cousins and a redheaded son. We trace our family red hair roots proudly back to my great grandfather John Wesley Haldeman and we enjoy this shared bond. So I'm happy to announce that November 5, 2015 is National LOVE Your Red Hair Day. 


To my surprise, this isn't the only calendar day set aside to appreciate redheads. There is even a festival held each year in Breda, The Netherlands. That event started in 2005 when Dutch painter Bart Rouwenhorst decided he wanted to paint 15 redheads. He advertised for models and had 150 replies. Over time the festival has grown and now attracts around 5,000 redheads each year.

Of course, people aren't the only redheads. There are redheaded animals too. In fact, a few animals are red all over. So try these activities to have fun getting to know some of the redheads of the animal world.


2015 Redhead of the Year 
Invite kids to join in electing one of these three red haired animals to hold this title. Here's a snapshot of the candidates.

Red Panda: This animal is not a kind of panda. It's a unique kind of mammal (hairy, warm-blooded animal whose mothers nurse their young). Its red hair helps it blend in with the red mosses growing on the trees where it live.









Orangutan: In the swampy forests where this ape lives the muddy orange water casts an orange-red light into the trees. So it hides in plain sight thanks to its red hair.







Golden Lion Tamarin: This monkey's red hair makes it stand out. That may help it find other golden lion tamarins in its forest home. 




Scientists believe its hair is red at least partly because of the chemicals (carotenoids) in the fruit it eats. 


Now pick one candidate to support.  
Click on one of the names below to go to websites and find out more about your favorite candidate for REDHEAD OF THE YEAR.


Red PandaOrangutanGolden Lion Tamarin

Next, write a paragraph to share with others to convince them to vote for your candidate.

Also make a campaign poster. And think up a slogan--a catchy phrase--for why others should vote for your candidate.

Hold an election and count the votes to find out who is the winner.

Don't forget to celebrate the election of the 2015 REDHEAD OF THE YEAR!!!



How The Woodpecker Got Its Red head
Another of my favorite wild redheads is the red-headed woodpecker. 

There is a Cherokee legend about how the red-headed woodpecker came to be.  Here is my retelling of this legend.


Long ago, there was a cabin way off in the woods. A man who was a wood carver lived there with his beautiful red-haired wife. One day, while the man was away and the woman was home baking, an old Cherokee man came to the cabin. He had been travelling a long time and was very hungry. He asked the woman to give him something to eat. But she sent him away.
The old man was surprised because the Cherokee would never send anyone away hungry. He went back the next day. The woman in the cabin still would not give him any food to eat.
Now the old man was able to work magic. So he decided to teach the woman a lesson. The next day he went to the cabin yet again. When the woman still would not give him even a slice of the bread she was baking, he cast a spell on her. He said, “From this day on, you will spend every day searching for food and have to work very hard for what you eat.”


As he walked away, the woman began to change. The black dress she was wearing, her white apron and her bright red hair changed to feathers. She became a woodpecker. To this day, the woodpecker must fly from tree to tree and peck very hard to get food to eat.      


Another telling of the "Ta-la-la" story is found here. "Ta-la-la" is the Cherokee word for redheaded woodpecker.

Now, just for fun, make up a story of your own for how the woodpecker got its red head.

Save A Redhead

Finally, don't miss reading the true life story of how people worked very hard to save one of my favorite red-haired animals. 

CELEBRATE BAT WEEK!

It's officially BAT WEEK!  In fact helping out bats is so important this celebration is continuing.  It's the perfect time to find out about bats. You could even build a bat house to help out your local bats. Check out these sites to learn more.
Organization for Bat Conservation
U.S. Department of Interior Bat Week
Care2 For Bats
Bat Conservation International 

Then share how science detectives tracked down what's been killing a great many bats. So many that little brown bats that were once among the most common kind of bat are in danger of becoming extinct (no more exist). You’ll also discover what's being done to try and save bats of all kinds--even how you can help save your local bats.

Then put what you discovered in this book to work and dig even deeper to tackle these activities.





What If You Could HIBERNATE?  
You know what it's like to be asleep. You do it every night. So what if you could hibernate for an entire season the way little brown bats do during the winter? Read about how a bat's body changes during hibernation (read over pages 10 and 11). Then look at this list. Which describes how your body would work if you were hibernating.

1. Your body stays its normal temperature--about 98.6F.
2. You become active sometimes to pass liquid wastes.
3. You become active sometimes to get a drink of water.
4. You eat at least three times a day.
5. Your heart rate drops to a much slower rate than the usual resting rate of 100 beats per minute. 
6. Your immune system isn't nearly as strong in fighting bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

If you could hibernate, which of the four seasons would you choose to skip: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter? Why would you like to miss that one?


What Should We Do?



Here are three ways scientists are trying to help bats survive. Choose the one you believe has the best chance of working. Prepare to tell others why you think this effort is the one to focus on.
*Winifred Frick and her team hope to find bacteria or fungi that could just naturally stop the growth of Pd, the fungus causing the problem. Then bats could be swabbed with this to help them resist infection. (Check it out on pages 38-39)

*David Blehert and his team are trying to find ways to change the temperature and humidity inside hibernation sites. Their goal is to make those sites less likely to encourage Pd to grow. (Check it out on pages 34-35)

*DeeAnn Reeder and her team is working on developing an implant that could be inserted into the bat's bat. It would slowly release a protective chemical into the bat's blood over the winter. (Check it out on pages 36-37)

Once Upon A Field Trip


Find out more about little brown bats. Go online. Use these keyword phrases as you search for information:

1. Little brown bat diet
2. Little brown bat echolocation
3. Little brown bat nursery colonies

 
















Now use your research to write a one-page story.  Pretend you’re on a field trip (during the day or at night). Tell about watching this bat. Work something you learned about this bat’s life into your story. 
And don't miss checking out these sites for ways you and your family can help bats survive!

Organization for Bat Conservation

Bat Conservation International