A young friend helped me test out these tube feet when I was working on Amazing Cardboard Tube Science. It's the special extra experiment you get in the bind-up (a paperback with the whole series combined). He's walking like a pro: https://youtu.be/Jcz0F_m_RnU Challenge: Play with the materials used to make Tube Feet. Can you figure … Continue reading Tube Feet
Thought this image might be fun for teachers using Chapter 13 of Once Upon a Life Science Book. By the way, if you have a copy of the book from the first printing (you can find out on the copyright page), you have errors on pp. 130-131. The pages are correct in more recent printings, … Continue reading Socially Awkward Penguin
Being the science person that I am, I went to random.org to generate random numbers for my prize drawing, and then counted down the list of people who like my Facebook page. Congratulations to Christy Maple Crisp who will get Amazing Cardboard Tubes and Carolyn Wallace, who will get Once Upon an Earth Science Book. … Continue reading Winners!
Is it gold? Gold is heavier than pyrite, so it should feel heavy in your hand. Stick a needle in it. Gold is soft, malleable, and won't chip. Likewise, the edges of its crystals smooth easily, so it's rare to find sharply defined crystals. Gold is shiny even when it is dry and in the … Continue reading Who wore it better? (the errata edition)
To celebrate the end of a summer with two new books and a new Facebook page, I decided to combine the two. Like my Facebook page by August 24 to be entered into a drawing. Two "likers" will win a book!
I took some video while I was writing Amazing Cardboard Tube Science. This shows one the projects--a marble run. Marble runs are great for discussing potential energy, kinetic energy, and energy transformations. https://youtu.be/rwhGntSfK28 And here you can see some of the engineering challenges I had to overcome as I worked: https://youtu.be/6T2CKH_64kA Now, a challenge for … Continue reading Marble Run
Yup, many swallowtail caterpillars disguise themselves as bird poop. What better way to keep birds from eating you? (The lovely poop shot comes from Gerry Wykes at Naturespeak—a blog with fantastic, unusual nature photos. Gerry approved this post, but told me it looked like cr*p…)
Only for Georgians this time, sorry. Get Georgia Reading purchased a state-wide subscription to Capstone's e-book database. I believe it checks your IP address and only works in Georgia. But this is even better than Epic (how do I know? because they have some of my books, of course!) Go to myON.com (weird name, right?) … Continue reading One More Free Reading Resource
This is always so fun! My editor, Brenda Haugen, did a great job making it pretty!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERgU-3AerlA The family is staying at Willet Ponds Farm in NC right now--it's an amazing mountain getaway, with the added plus that you get to "help" with farm chores. I don't think I have ever seen a more delighted look on boy munchkin's face than when he was carrying a bundle of hay to the … Continue reading A Phalanx of Ducks
Once Upon a Science Book 