Really Weird Science!

 

How Weird Is It?

A Freaky Book All About Strangeness

Ben Hillman

Scholastic, 2009

ISBN# 0-439-91868-5

Nonfiction

 

 

 

 

You think some of your relatives are weird? You have no idea.

Well, for a start, let’s talk about your Cousin Toadstool and Aunt Puffball. Yes, you are related to the whole Fungus Family!

Huge, bizarre photographs illustrating the unusual or odd facts of various scientific principles dominate each spread in this book. The doctored photos vividly and literally present the idea behind the well-explained information on the narrow column of text along the right side of the spread. Ranging from mummy kitties to superposition to our relationship to fungus, this book covers a wide-ranging set of oddities in science.

Difficult concepts such as dark energy or neutrinos are explained in lay terms and the text provides fascinating reading about each subject. The book will appeal to budding scientists or those in search of a wow factor. The layout, with its informative text and large pictures, should attract even reluctant readers. The electric green family on the cover, including the pug, positioned against the orange Martian landscape will make any kid pick this one up for a look.

Activity 1

Use a topic from the book to look up additional information about that subject.

Suggested topics: See details about the plague of locusts that even Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her book, On the Banks of Plum Creek. 

Maybe you’d like to try scorpions or other tasty morsels in China.

Get the idea? Keep looking!

Other books about weird science:

Weird Science: 40 Strange-Acting, Bizarre-Looking, and Barely Believable Activities for Kids by Jim Wiese and Ed Shems

Weird Science (Ripley’s Believe It or Not!) by Mary Packard and Leanne Franson

National Science Standards: Each section relates to a different standard, but there are many physical science standards covered in the book.

Birds of a Feather

Birds

By Kevin Henkes

Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

Greenwillow Books, 2009

ISBN #978-0-06-136304-7

Picture book

 

 

 

In the morning, I hear birds singing through the open window.

 

This simply told, imaginative story expresses in few words the wonder and delight of birds and lets the reader’s imagination soar. It’s deceptively simple, which makes it perfect for preschoolers or anyone who likes to let their imagination soar.

The activities for today are geared toward the preschool set. The book also lends itself to imaginative art activities and descriptions of what they imagine in their own minds.

Activity 1

Identify the colors of the birds on the spread showing the colors. Use a bird book to look up the names of other birds that are red, yellow, blue, or brown.

Activity 2

Identify the birds on the spread showing bird sizes. In a reference book, look for birds the children might be familiar with and decide it they are big or little birds compared to the ones in the size spread.

Other books about birds:

About Birds: A Guide for Children by Cathryn Sill and John Sill

Birds, Nests & Eggs by Mel Boring

National Science Standard: classifying

Water, Water, Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink

Not a Drop to Drink

By Michael Burgan

National Geographic, 2008

ISBN# 978-1-4263-0360-9

Nonfiction grades 4-7

 

 

With more than 70% of the Earth covered by water, it seems that drinkable water would be available worldwide. But it’s not. With the available drinkable water threatened by pollution and overuse, the unequal distribution of water resources makes the search for water for many people a daily struggle.

 This book is one in a series of National Geographic Investigates. Detailed and well-researched, it covers water timelines, scientific studies and new developments, global warming and its effects on the supply, irrigation, and desalinization and the effects these issues have on our world. The text is broken into readable sections with headings, photos, and diagrams. Following a page of “What Lies Ahead” is a glossary, bibliography, and index. The reading level is a bit higher than most of the books I review, but it is well worth the information. It’s a great book for research.

Activity 1

Rates of evaporation experiment: Pour 2 cups of water into a foil pan. Cover it with see-through wrap and set it in a sunny place. For two weeks, measure the amount of water each day and record it in a data table. Plot the data on a line graph.

Adult supervision required! After observing and recording data for the first pan, pour 2 cups of water into another saucepan. Put it on a burner and let it come to a boil. Every 5 minutes, measure the amount of water remaining. Continue until the water is all gone. Make a second data table and plot these results on your line graph in a different color.

Identify the relationship of the evaporation to increased warming and draw your conclusions.

Activity 2

Do these activities and teachers and students can learn more about the water cycle and water vocabulary.

Look at this new water cycle book for the younger children: The Water Cycle by Bobbie Kalman

National Science Standard: Properties of earth materials

A New World Adventure

Animals Christopher Columbus Saw

By Sandra Markle

Illustrated by Jamel Akib

Chronicle Books, 2008

ISBN # 078-0-8118-4916-6

Nonfiction, 46 pages

Would you believe that, once, worms inspired people to explore the world? In fifteenth-century Europe, silk made from the thread of silkworms was more valuable than gold?

After arriving on what he named San Salvador in his search for a route to the Indies and the silk and spices of Cathay, Christopher Columbus found neither the silks and spices he expected, nor the route to Cathay, but he did encounter animals along the way. This book relates the story of Columbus’ search for a water route and ties in the animals he encountered along the way. The background for the lure of silk and the caterpillars which spin the coveted cocoons begins this narrative account of Columbus’ journey and his unexpected findings. The history of spices from afar, the idea for the trip and money from King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and the securing of the three ships continues the story of his journey to the New World. From silkworms to camels to parrots, the book details the sorts of animals he met along the way. It doesn’t include information about the domestic animals taken along with them.

Sidebars fill in additional details about the animals and provide interesting aspects of each in context of Columbus’ voyage. Subdued washes of color in chalk pastels portray the natives and animals in an appealing, realistic manner. A map, glossary, further information sources, and an index complete the book.

Activity 1

Identify the animals Columbus encountered and make a list of them. Look up each animal and categorize it as vertebrate or invertebrate. Then group the vertebrates as mammals, fish, amphibian, reptile, or bird.

Activity 2

Using the spread on pages 20-21, illustrate a food chain from the Sargasso Sea.

 Identify the producers and consumers. Draw out the example and label each organism. Use arrows to show the energy flow from producer to consumer. See my post “A Wolf Story” for definitions and more food chain facts. See further information here.

For more about Christopher Columbus, check out these books.

Follow the Dream: The Story of Christopher Columbus by Peter Sis

A Picture Book of Christopher Columbus  by David A. Adler

There are more recent books about Columbus as well. These two I happen to like. This particular book seems to be the only one about the animals Columbus met on the voyage. 

Markle has written other books about explorers and animals. See the Chronicle site to view her other titles.

National Science Standards: systems, order, and organization; characteristics of organisms