Book Review - STEM Adventures: Sensational Science

About the Book

Get children excited about the amazing world of Science!

• This science-themed puzzle and activity book includes:
• High quality contemporary illustrations and graphics
• Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for the activities and experiments
• Bite-sized text explaining scientific facts, discoveries, and much more

Kids will enjoy connecting stars to reveal constellations, spotting the differences in two space station images, and following bees through a maze to pollinate flowers, and other incredible science activities. It's a wonderful way to inspire future scientists!


My Take on the Book
Another great activity book that challenges kids to explore science in many new ways. The book looks at the world around the reader and starts to show them that Science is all around them. The book really does offer a ton of activities for kids that will help strengthen their science understanding and skills.

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Book Review - Astonishing Atoms and Matter Mayhem

About the Book

Discover the wonders of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) with this cool series!

You'll find tons of super-fun, hands-on activities that will captivate all the inquisitive girls and boys around. In this book, kids will build a model atom with marshmallows, create your own rainbow, and construct your own volcano! This book includes:

• Compelling challenges, activities, and do-at-home experiments
• High-quality, contemporary, "this isn't your boring school book" illustrations and graphics
• Easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions for the activities and experiments
• Bite-sized text explaining scientific facts and stats, and much more

This inspiring series was created with input from STEM Editor Consultant Georgette Yakman. Ms. Yakman is the founding researcher and creator of STEAM Education, a U.S. organization that provides educational programs to encourage innovative learning in science and technology. So get ready to explore, engage, and entertain young minds with this exciting collection of genius activities and games!



My Take on the Book
We were very impressed with this book, especially because my daughter loves science! his book is filled with some fun activities that include supplies that you typically will have around the house. My daughter loved creating an atom out of marshmallows. Yes, she did eat some of the atom, but she also learned!

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Book Review - Science Encyclopedia: Atom Smashing, Food Chemistry, Animals, Space, and More!

About the Book
Food chemistry, atom crashing, wave power, food chemistry, and robots! These are just a few of the topics covered in this fantastic new science encyclopedia, which presents a comprehensive overview of physical and life sciences from A to Z. Super smart and kid-friendly, it’s packed with full-color photographs, weird but true facts, amazing statistics, do-it-yourself experiments, plus profiles of scientists and National Geographic's explorers who rock the world of science. Keep up with the changes happening all around us with this stellar science reference book.



My Take on the Book
My oldest daughter is in her first true science class this year and loves it. She has come home with stories of science experiments and it is always so fun to see her eyes light up when she talks about this. This book has been a great supplement to her learning and with all of the information and resources as well as full color images throughout the book you really are able to learn so much! This book goes into so many facets of science and no matter what area of science your child is interested in you will learn a ton with this amazing book!


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Book Review - National Geographic Kids - How Things Work

About the Book
Ever wanted to take apart the microwave to see how it works? Crack open your computer and peek inside? Intrigued by how things work? So are we! That's why we're dissecting all kinds of things from rubber erasers to tractor beams! Read along as National Geographic Kids unplugs, unravels, and reveals how things do what they do. Complete with "Tales from the Lab," true stories, biographies of real scientists and engineers, exciting diagrams and illustrations, accessible explanations, trivia, and fun features, this cool book explains it all!



My Take on the Book
Ever wondered how things work? I know growing up I was always inquisitive and would always look at things to figure out how they worked. This book was so interesting as it truly breaks down how some very cool things work. The boook was very easy to read and is filled with tons of images and information. You and your kids will have a blast learning from this amazing book!


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Book Review - Everyday Science: 66 Experiments that explain the small and big things all around us

About the Book
You don't need a laboratory full of expensive equipment to be a super cool science sleuth! With help from Everyday Science, kids can learn how to find the science that exists in everyday activities. Four main chapters offer experiments in physics, chemistry, geology, and biology. Budding scientists will gain practical knowledge while learning how to:

• Build a time machine
• Guess tomorrow's weather
• Generate salty stalactites
• Make a rainbow disappear
• Form mountain ranges
• Learn how the water cycle works
• Make a well
• Build a pendulum
• Create fossils, and more

Amaze your family and friends with these original, fun, and surprising experiments that will help you discover the many fun ways that science can be applied to the real world.



My Take on the Book
This is a great book that has some very fun experiments within it. Best of all was the fact that many of the experiments were ones that we already had the items for in my own home. The experiments covered many genres of science which made the book so broad and all-encompassing.My daughters loved exploring these chapters and this past weekend we worked together on a few of the experiments. That being said, the book provided step-by-step instructions that were easy to follow and the end result were fun times and happy kids. The end results of the experience was that the experiment turned out as expected and my girls are already asking for more!

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Book Review - Physics: An Illustrated History of the Foundations of Science

About the Book
Just in time for the holidays...the fourth book from the new Ponderables™ series is here! Great gifts for anyone from 9.... to 99....

Physics: An Illustrated History of the Foundations of Science (Shelter Harbor Press, Oct 2013) is an authoritative reference book and timeline, filled with 100 milestone facts upon which all scientific knowledge rests. Without physics, everything else – from astronomy to zoology – would be meaningless conjecture.

The thoughts and deeds of great thinkers always make great stories. Each story relates a confounding puzzle, a “ponderable”, a weighty problem that became a discovery and changed the way we understand the world and our place in it.

Our high-tech, inter-connected world is built on these Ponderables™, growing, changing step-by-step into an ever clearer picture of reality. "PHYSICS" is one of these great stories.

"PHYSICS" follows physics through the ages as great scientists, such as Thales, Galileo, Feynman, and many others, gradually unpick the fabric of the Universe to reveal an array of fundamental forces, intangible particles and indestructible energy. Today, physics discoveries make headline news as we confirm the fresh mysteries of the Higgs boson, supersymmetry, and dark energy.

Physics deals with basics – space, matter, energy – and combines them to create forces, motion, heat, light, and everything else in the Universe. The development of physics is a story of many chapters, each adding to our understanding of the way the Universe functions:

• Archimedes has the original Eureka moment while taking a bath when he figures out the way objects float or sink.
• By complete accident, Luigi Galvani turns freshly cut frogs legs into a simple battery and sparks humankind’s link to electricity.
• Heinrich Hertz invents a way to send and receive invisible radio waves, and his name is immortalized in the frequencies of the world’s radio stations.
• In just one miraculous year, Albert Einstein provides the first observable proof that atoms exist, reveals the mechanism behind light, and explains how space and time are really the same thing!

PHYSICS is an authoritative and lively text lavished with exciting imagery and helpful diagrams accompany each of the steps along the way to make complex physics accessible to everyone. It includes a removable fold-out concertina neatly housed at the back of the book: a 12-page Timeline History of Physics on one-side and 12 pages detailing the Système International (SI), a set of units that can measure anything in the Universe, on the other side.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tom Jackson is a science author based in the United Kingdom. He has written more than 80 books and contributed to many more, covering everything from axolotls to Zoroastrianism. He studied zoology at the University of Bristol, and still lives in that city with his wife and three children, where he can be found mainly in the attic.



My Take on the Book
This was a great book that taught me so much! I never took Physics when I was younger, and while I knew some of the concepts, I was floored by how much I did not know. Another thing that I really liked was how this book talked directly to the reader and explained the concepts in a way that everyone could understand. Filled with amazing images you get drawn further into the book with each page that goes by. Each page itself makes you think about the issue/question that was being asked. As you "ponder" these issues, you learn so much! This makes me want to check out some of the other Ponderables books too!


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Product Review - The Magic School Bus Kit Series - Explore The Wonders of Nature

About the Product
Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride into the wonders of nature. Young Scientists make a bug house, find treasures on a scavenger hunt, cast an animal track, create a paper mâché ant, learn about the life cycle, build an ant farm, explore sun prints, construct leaf art, dry flowers, dissolve an egg shell, play the animal tracks game, and much, much more! Seatbelts everyone! Get ready to Explore the Wonders of Nature!

My Take on the Product
This nature science box is for children 5 years and up. I worked on the experiments and learning activities with my 5 1/2 year old and 9 year old.

The directions were written so well. The step by step process, listing of all the materials I had to supply and the kit supplied were easy to read and understand. There were plenty of knowledge based "speech bubbles" used to impart the information about each activity/experiment.

The scavenger hunt was a huge success. Finding the nature articles on the way home from school and then after school with a next door neighbor friend was exciting and fun. The chart and stickers used on the chart were added motivation to locate the items.

Making the animal print sand and plaster activity was easy for the 5 1/2 year old to do. But we had to do it twice because I moistened the sand too much and the print did not take the first time.

Learning about the ants and making the leaf prints were a big hit also.

There are many more activities in this kit that you and your child will enjoy together. Adult supervision is necessary plus you want to be part of the fun too.


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Product Review - Clifford The Big Red Dog: Kitchen Science

About the Kit
Clifford and his friends love exploring the world around them and with this exciting kit they are learning all about KITCHEN SCIENCE! Emily Elizabeth, the narrator in the colorful 20-page manual, guides young scientists through captivating experiments with catchy titles such as test tube explosion, making slime, crystal star, crystal art, milk glue, colored celery, waking up fungus, fungus eats bananas, fungus in a tube, sticky ice, upside down trick, crystal garden, and exploding volcano. Young Scientists will feel like real scientists when they use the included colorful lab tray, measuring cup, test tubes, and funnel to perform their experiments! Join Clifford and his friends on an adventure into the world of science! (Ages 3 and up)

My Take on the Kit
After school, my 5 1/2 year old and I enjoyed the experiments in this box of kitchen science experiments. The kit included most of the materials needed to perform the experiments. I supplied the baking soda, vinegar, food coloring, milk, and a few others. There were no unusual materials that were needed to complete the experiments.

We enjoyed making the volcano. Her eyes grew huge with excitement as the volcano fizzed through the volcano shape. She wanted to repeat the process.

Now we are watching mold grow and crystals form.

This kit was perfect for her age.She was able to do the measuring and mixing. Even though the actual concepts may be difficult for her to understand right now, she is learning about combinations of materials and a process. She was totally engaged in the activities and it was fun for both of us.

Adult supervision is necessary with the activities. The directions are explained so well.

In my opinion, you and your child will thoroughly enjoy this kitchen science kit.


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The Magic School Bus Weather Lab Makes Science Come Alive

About the Product
Ms. Frizzle and her students take Young Scientists on a wild ride with The Magic School Bus as they explore the weather. Young Scientists learn about the weather by spinning a pinwheel, making a tornado in a bottle, swirling a paper snake, recreating the water cycle, creating a rain cloud, using a sun dial, constructing a barometer, catching a rainbow, and learning about the greenhouse effect. Young Scientists become their own meteorologist by building the bus-shaped weather station with a thermometer, rain gauge, wind meter, wind vane, and compass. The weather is then tracked on the enclosed weather chart with colorful stickers. This captivating bus-shaped kit comes packed with lots of science components, 28 colorful experiment cards, weather station, weather chart, stickers, and data notebook to record observations. Seatbelts, everyone! Get ready to become a meteorologist with Weather Lab! (Ages: 5 and up)


My Take on the Product
The weather lab by Scholastic arrived in an attractive box decorated as a school bus with Ms Frizzle and her students. The kit included most of the materials you and your child will need to perform the activities. The activity cards were excellent. They included a description of the activity, the materials needed for each activity, and the method. The activity cards were easy to read and the directions were easy to follow. Over 20 activities were included in the weather lab. There were some materials you would need to provide. For example, when we made the tornado, we needed 2 empty liter soda bottles.

Most of the activities were appropriate for the nine year old I worked with. However she had some difficulty with the actual concepts. It was a good way to introduce her to the concepts and hopefully she has more of an understanding of all the equipment and the details of weather forecasting now.

Some of the activities she enjoyed the most were: setting up the weather station and learning about the parts, making the compass and watching it continuously turning to north, making the tornado and the disappearing rainbow.

I explained the daily weather report chart with the included stickers and hope we will keep track of that each day and then analyze it at the end of the month to see what kind of weather we actually experienced where we live.

If you have an older child who enjoys science, in particular the weather, I encourage you to take a look at the weather lab as a gift for that child.


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Young Scientists Club Kits Make Science Fun!

Purpose
For children between the ages of 5 and 12 to develop a love for science by exploring science through exciting and thrilling experiments that will spark an interest in future scientific endeavors.

Materials
Complete kits (shipped once or twice a month – your choice) filled with materials such as chromatography paper, owl pellet, minerals, magnets, mirrors, thermometers, rulers, pH paper, brine shrimp and much more!

Methods
Young Scientists will use the special instructions given by Celsius the Science Bug to explore the exciting world of science with topics such as magnets, weather, minerals, batteries, planets, stars, senses, acids and bases, forces, tornadoes, human body,volcanoes, and more (36 topics in all). Easy to follow adult instructions are also included (adults with no science background will find the kits as easy to use as adults with advanced science degrees).

Results
Hours filled with science experiments, learning, and fun!

Conclusion
Young Scientists experience science in a fun and hands-on manner with our multiple award-winning science kits and receive an edge with this Educational Science Adventure That Will Last a Life Time!

My Take on the Product
Several science kits arrived of various subject matter: minerals, acids and bases, and understanding ball and socket and joints.

I am choosing to tell you about the kit about minerals (Kit #7) for this review. The kit included excellent step by step directions ,charts, all the materials were labeled in small baggies. The experiments were divided into sections that were easy to follow. There were some materials you needed to provide that were not included and they were listed in the beginning. I would encourage you to read through the beginning segments so you can have those materials ready. I used this kit on minerals with my girls. They enjoyed the activities but the concepts were difficult for them to understand. They are 5 and 8 years old. We concluded all of the experiments with the materials we were given and had to supply.

I would recommend that the kits be used with older children due to the complexity of the concepts. Adults need to supervise the experiments and assist the children with the steps and concepts.

The kits are developed very well and parents of older children will find them appropriate for your children, especially those children who enjoy science. It is also a wonderful way to introduce science concept to your older child. You never know what may "turn your child" onto science.


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Bubble Science With Clifford Makes Science Fun!

About the Product
Clifford and his friends love exploring the world around them and with this exhilarating kit they are learning all about BUBBLE SCIENCE! Emily Elizabeth, the narrator in the colorful 20-page manual, guides young scientists through exciting experiments with catchy titles such as oil and water, water bubbles, jumping pepper, gliding boat, bubble sculptures, big bubbles, mini bubbles, funnel bubbles, colored bubbles, bubble prints, bubble blow art, pipe cleaner bubbles, and carbon dioxide bubbles. Young Scientists will feel like real scientists when they use the included colorful lab tray, measuring cup, and funnel to perform their experiments! Join Clifford and his friends on an adventure into the world of science! (Ages 3 and up)


My Take on the Product
Esther Novis, the founder and president of The Young Scientist Club, sent one of the Clifford Science kits from the series of simple kits for young children. This particular kit was to help children learn about bubbles.

The kit included a manual of 14 activities. There were bottles of bubble solution, paper, straws,a funnel,measuring cup, piece of foil, rubber bands, a bubble wand, and pipe cleaners. A few items from your pantry are needed to supplement the activities. They supplemental items are: vinegar, baking soda, dish soap, cooking oil, food coloring, and pepper.

The step by step directions were explained well and easy to follow. Each page included the reason for the activity and then a concluding statement about the final results at the bottom of each page.

My girls (ages 5 and 8) enjoyed all the activities. Most can be done in your kitchen but the activities with the food coloring we decided to perform in the garage. The girls had fun, used their observation skills, and learned new facts about bubbles, water, and air.

I believe you and your child will enjoy this excellent opportunity to introduce a science concept. You will discuss the concepts, answer questions, and probably have fun reworking the experiments several times to the delight of your children.


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Book Review - Wonderful Life with the Elements: The Periodic Table Personified

About the Book
Open a typical chemistry textbook and you'll find a slew of lifeless, geometric representations of various elements and compounds. Sure, these diagrams may describe the properties of each element, but they completely miss the personalities, the physiques, and, most importantly, the haircuts of nature's building blocks.

Wonderful Life with the Elements (No Starch Press, September 2012, 208 pp., $17.95, ISBN 9781593274238) grants readers a glimpse of elemental properties as seen through the brilliant and whimsical mind of famed Japanese artist Bunpei Yorifuji. In this book, each element is represented by an illustrated profile that reflects its unique properties in an intuitive, playful, and visually compelling way. Heavy elements are fat, minerals are dressed in skimpy tighty-whiteys ("to show off their healthy physiques"), and the easy going noble gases sport luscious afros. Every detail is relevant, from the length of an element's beard to the clothes on its back. Even the most playful aspects of Yorifuji's illustrations are grounded in the element's real properties and provide meaningful connections that help readers learn and understand the periodic table.

"When you're introduced to chemistry in the right way, you learn how fun and interesting it can be. But make things hard and boring and you can spend countless hours banging your head against your textbook," said No Starch Press founder Bill Pollock. "Wonderful Life with the Elements promises to give chemistry that extra spark and inspire readers to learn more.

About the Author
Japanese artist Bunpei Yorifuji is well-known for his series of humorous ads for the Tokyo metro, "Do It At Home," which show riders doing inappropriate activities on the subway. He is the author of several books in Japanese, including Milk Century and The Catalogue of Death.

My Take on the Book
Chemistry was always the bane of my existence in high school, and whenever I see the Periodic Table, I am reminded of my experiences in high school when I had to struggle through the class and understand! bonds and molar value ( I still get confused by it today)! In reading through this book the author has made the concepts easy to grasp and utilize. They also make the Periodic Table fun. Though crazy looking illustrations, the book makes chemistry fun for all (Even the non-science fan). I also loved how the book goes into the elements and where you would see them in society today, thus making the active learning tangible. This was a great, easy read that will challenge and educate you!

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Math and Science Investigations: Helping Young Learners Make Big Discoveries

About the Book 
Young children are naturally interested in the patterns and processes occurring in the world around them. They are beginning to learn about the changes happening each day, month, and season. They are starting to ask questions about the environment and world beyond. They are anxious to explore the creatures in their own backyard.

Math and Science Investigations supports young children's natural curiosity and encourages them to explore what happens around them. Hands-on investigations help children learn the skills, concepts, and standards of mathematics, science, language, and literacy—all at the same time—using some of their favorite books.

Each chapter includes a general introduction to the theme; ideas to start you thinking about math, science, language, and literacy; vocabulary related to the topic; and children's book suggestions.

Sally Anderson is the founder and executive director of the Vermont Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. She has created professional development programs for early childhood educators and librarians across the country, including courses centering on math, science, social studies, and early literacy.

About the Author 
Sally Anderson is the founder and executive director of the Vermont Center for the Book, an affiliate of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. She has created professional development programs for early childhood educators and librarians across the country, including courses centering on math, science, social studies, and early literacy. Sally is the author of Social Studies and Me! and is a recipient of many awards and honors, among them the Hope S. Dean Memorial Award from the Foundation for Children’s Literature, the Lyman Hunt Jr. Award from the Vermont Council on Reading, and a Special Recognition Award from the New England Reading Association.

My Take on the Book 
Sally Anderson provides yet another amazing book that connects parents and teachers with amazing activities that will allow them to support the educational growth of their own children and students in the investigation of math and science. What I loved about the book was that not only does it offer easy to understand and implement activities, but activities that are grounded by children's literature as well. So, you not only have a lesson that challenges the child to learn about math and science, but they also will read about the same topic/component through the books that Ms. Anderson provides the reader as well. The activities within the book were great and even better were easy to implement with my own kids, and they continuously came back and told me how much fun they had doing the activities (which is exactly what I want to hear). All-in-all, if you are a teacher or a parent, this is a great book that will open your eyes to some amazing activities that will help you and your child bond and learn together!

 All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Museum provides free curriculum just in time for Science Fair season

Science fairs are a great way for young students to research a topic of interest and gain valuable knowledge in science through the hands-on experience of research and experiments. Our society relies more on science every day, and science fairs give students the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about how the world around them works. To help students brainstorm, research, and perform fun scientific experiments this spring, the Museum of Vision, a public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, is providing free curriculum guides to help illuminate the exciting science of vision.

The Museum of Vision provides educational materials for physicians, teachers, and parents interested in teaching children about the eye, vision, and ophthalmology, making education affordable and fun. The Museum’s entire range of curriculum offerings aims to teach children about the fascinating and spectacular science of vision.

One of their popular guides, Art and Vision: Seeing in 3D, explores the concepts of vision and special visual techniques that help to create the illusion of depth. It includes sections on size scaling, overlapping, atmospheric perspective, and linear perspective. The first chapter of the guide teaches children about the eye’s anatomy and how the human visual system works to help us see in 3D. This guide also includes activities for youngsters and provides all appropriate handouts. It is most suitable for children ages 11 and up, and is offered free of charge.

Also offered are teacher workbooks, created by the Museum to focus on the human eye, the differences between human and animal vision, how the brain processes images like optical illusions and 3D, and the importance on keeping eyes healthy. These and all of the curriculum guides, Healthy Eyes, Healthy Body, Eye Openers, Animal Eyes, and Art and Vision are filled with discussion points and fun interactive activities to keep children’s interest and build knowledge. Each of these guides can also be downloaded for free on the museum’s website at www.museumofvision.org/education.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Sparking Science Interest Early in Kids

Discovery Education andthe Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) announced their science-based TurfMutt program has expanded to meet the needs of K-5 educators across the country. The program offers classroom resources for fostering an appreciation of the environment and green spaces through investigation, activities and experiments.

In addition to the new resources, educators can enter the ‘Spruce Up Your School’Sweepstakes for a chance to win a $5,000 grant to give their school's play area an eco-friendly makeover. Two runners up will receive "Green Packs," complete with eco-friendly, TurfMutt-branded school supplies for the whole classroom. Educators may enter once a day, every day to increase their chances of winning.

Based on TurfMutt’s tremendous success among 3-5 grade teachers in its first year, the program has now been expanded to meet the needs of K-2 classrooms. Designed to get students outside investigating the benefits of landscaping and recycling, TurfMutt online lessons and resources help students understand the importance of the green spaces that surround us daily such as lawns, flowers, bushes and trees.

“TurfMutt has helped open my students’ eyes to a new way of learning about our nations’ various ecosystems and has inspired them to take a deeper interest in preserving their environment,” said Wendy Palese, a fourth and fifth grade teacher for Mechanicsburg Area School District in Pennsylvania. “The interactive, kid-friendly TurfMutt website is more intriguing than ordinary classroom materials and encourages students to explore and research science beyond what they read about in their textbooks.”

“TurfMutt gives students the unique opportunity to connect what they learn in school to the important environmental choices they make on a daily basis,” said Mary Rollins, Discovery Education vice president of educational partnerships. “We are thrilled to expand the program to all K-5 classrooms to help spark students’ natural interest in science and encourage them to explore their curiosity beyond the walls of their classroom.”

A 2011 study published in the journal Science Education finds that sparking students' interest in science at an early age is more effective at steering them toward eventual careers in the "STEM" fields – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – than pushing high school students into more advanced courses. 

“What’s great about the TurfMutt program is that it reminds students that science is right in their backyard – and all around them as they play outside,” said Kris Kiser, President of OPEI. “TurfMutt is filling a need for lessons plans that teach science and get kids outside in nature.”

OPEI and Discovery Education have created a dynamic digital curriculum led by Lucky, a real-life rescue dog who encourages kids to protect the land around them and fosters an appreciation of natural surroundings in their own community.  In addition to lesson plans, engaging activities, puzzles and videos, students can enjoy an interactive map about ecosystems across the country. With these resources, teachers can emphasize the benefits of landscaping in balance with local environments, and instill a new appreciation for environmental issues.

Lesson plans can be found at: http://turfmutt.discoveryeducation.com/educators.cfm
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Scholastic Reader Level 2: Hibernation

About the Book
Learn all about these animals and where they go during winter!

During the cold winter months, some animals go into a deep sleep called hibernation. You'd be surprised to learn about all of the other animals that hibernate besides bears, like squirrels, skunks, chipmunks and bats. Children will learn how an animal prepares for hibernation by stuffing itself with food so that it can survive in its dormant months and how animals prepare "safe spots," like dens and burrows, so that they will be protected from predators as they sleep.

My Take on the Book
Scholastic books has published another excellent nonfiction book for young readers. All children love animals and are curious about them. This specific book about animal hibernation will fascinate you and your child.

Each set of pages includes a beautiful photograph of the warm or cold blooded animal that hibernates. The text explains what kind of hibernation the animal prepares for and how it prepares. I found this especially interesting as I did not know there were so many different forms of hibernation.

I see this book as a resource for a classroom and family library. I know you will enjoy this book along with your child. It may be a good springboard to locating other animals besides the ones in the book that hibernate.
All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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Book Review - Scholastic Reader Level 2: Solar System

About the Book
This revised Scholastic Science Reader features a brand-new cover, photographs, and interior design!

In SOLAR SYSTEM, young readers will get a simple explanation of the Sun, the eight planets, and their moons with additional information about other parts of the solar system. Among other facts, they willl find out how far each planet is from the sun and what it looks like up close!


My Take on the Book
If your child enjoys science and loves to learn about the solar system, this book will be a good nonfiction addition to your library.

The detailed photographs of the sun, moon, and eight planets are on separate pages with accompanying text. The text highlights new vocabulary and defines it within the sentence in a clear and concise manner. Each page has information about the planets of the solar system: the size, rotation, distance from the sun, orbit length, number of moons, and number of rings. The back of the book has a complete glossary of the terms used.

Our children need to read nonfiction as well as fiction. This small book is packed with information and would be a good starter book explaining our solar system at an elementary level.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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