Teachers.netScience
Explore Rocks and Minerals!
Have you ever wondered what those sparkly specks in the piece of gravel in your driveway might be? Or why some crystals grow so big? In Explore Rocks and Minerals! kids can try activities that will help them figure out the answers, from testing minerals and making crystals, to making yummy models of the earth and volcanic meringue cookies. Explore Rocks and Minerals! presents an in-depth discussion of how minerals form, teaching readers ages 6–9 all about some of the most interesting and most common minerals. It also explores how and why the earth changes, including the rock cycles of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks.
Finally, the book introduces kids to fossils and what they tell us about the past, and how to start their own collections of rocks, minerals, and fossils.
"I recommend this fun and educational introduction to the science of Geology.”
—Marc L. Wilson, Carnegie Museum of Natural History
“This is a terrific introduction to an exciting science, one that appeals to kids at an early
age! I will certainly enjoy Explore Rocks and Minerals with my grandson (third-generation
geologist?) when he is a little older.” —R.A. (Bud) Wobus, Williams College
“A great book with accurate, factual information about geology coupled with
easy-to-do and instructive exercises. A worthwhile addition for families and
teachers alike!”—Matt Nyman, PhD, The University of New Mexico
Books
Anderson, Alan, Gwen Diehn,and Terry Krautwurst.
Geology Crafts for Kids: 50 Nifty Projects to Explore the
Marvels of Planet Earth. New York: Sterling, 1998.
Blobaum, Cindy and Michael Kline. Geology Rocks!:
50 Hands-On Activities to Explore the Earth.
Vermont:Williamson Publishing Company, 1999.
Bonewitz, Ronald Louis. Rock and Gem.
New York: DK Smithsonian, 2008.
Farndon, John. The Complete Guide to Rocks & Minerals.
Massachusetts: World Publications Group, 2007.
Farndon, John. How the Earth Works.
New York: Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd, 1999.
Pough, Frederick H. Peterson First Guide to Rocks
and Minerals. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company,1991.
Symes, R.F. and R.R Harding. Crystal and Gem. New York:
DK Children, 2007.
Ward, David. Fossils (Smithsonian Handbooks).
DK Adult, 2002.
Web Sites
U.S. Geological Survey (U.S.G.S.)
The City Rocks! Explore the Hidden World of Building Stone
The story of the Haddonfield “Bone Wars”
Strange Science: The Rocky Road to Modern Paleontology and Biology
Science News for Kids
The Story of the Hope Diamond at the Smithsonian
Mineral Information Institute
Museums
Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History,
Washington, D.C.
University of California Museum of Paleontology
Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences
Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA
Mineralogical Museum at Harvard University,
Cambridge, MA
Yale University Peabody Museum of Natural History
Franklin Mineral Museum,
Franklin, NJ
The Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture,
Seattle, WA
Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum, Phoenix, AZ
The Mineral Museum of Michigan
The Field Museum, Chicago, IL
Mineral and Fossil Museums, Exhibits, and Displays in
the USA
Bryan Stone has worked on a variety of professional comics and illustration projects, including drawings for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center and a monthly, three page, comic called Onion Head for Bash Magazine. Bryan also self-publishes his comic book, Frogherder. Bryan moved from Alabama to New England so that he could attend The Center for Cartoon Studies. Bryan and his wife, Amanda Ann, live in White River Junction, Vermont. For more information visit his website, www.bryan-stone.com
Try this activity to get an idea of how a fossil forms but remember NEVER pour plaster down the sink!
Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself
Make a geodesic dome big enough to sit in. Solve the world’s hardest two-piece puzzle. Pass a straight line though a curved slot. From prime numbers to paraboloids, activities in Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself introduce you to the beauty and wonder of math through hands-on activities.
Learn by building, playing, and doing. Cut apart shapes to discover area formulas, build beautiful geometric models to explore their properties, and amaze your friends with the mysterious Möbius strip.
Throughout the book, there are examples of how we encounter math in our daily lives. Marvel at the mathematical patterns in snowflakes and discover the graceful curves in the Golden Gate Bridge. You’ll never look at soap bubbles the same way again!
Amazing Math Projects You Can Build Yourself includes projects about number patterns, lines, curves, and shapes. Some activities show you a new way to look at math that you have learned in school; others give you a glimpse of things to come; and finally, some are simply fun. Each activity includes intriguing facts, vocabulary builders, and connections to other topics.
“…Very hands-on and easy to get into and draws students
into an active engagement with mathematical ideas. Well done!”
— David Bressoud, the DeWitt Wallace Professor of Mathematics,
Macalester College; President, Mathematical Association of America
“A wonderful book, I am utterlydelighted and pleased with its vast
mathematical content. The book begins with the simplest notions
of arithmetic and proceeds on to geometry and all kinds of higher
math, with plenty of hands-on constructions and do-it-yourself suggestions.”
— Magnus Wenninger Fr. www.saintjohnsabbey.org/wenninger/
Naylor, Michael. 2002. Golden, Square Root of 2, and π Flowers: A Spiral Story.
Mathematics Magazine 75, no. 3 (June): 163-172. doi:10.2307/3219239.
Pickover, Clifford A. 2006. The Möbius Strip: Dr. August Möbius's Marvelous Band in
Mathematics, Games, Literature, Art, Technology,and Cosmology. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press.
Polster, Burkard. 2006. The Shoelace Book: A Mathematical Guide to the Best (and worst) Ways to Lace Your Shoes. Providence, R.I: American Mathematical Society.
Pugh, Anthony. 1976. Polyhedra: A Visual Approach. Berkeley: University of California
Press.
Rudman, Peter Strom. 2007. How MathematicsHappened: The First 50,000 Years. Amherst,
N.Y: Prometheus Books.
Sayili, Aydin. 1960. Thâbit ibn Qurra's Generalization of the Pythagorean
Theorem. Isis 51, no. 1 (March): 35-37. doi:10.2307/227603.
Stewart, Ian. 2007. Game, Set and Math: Enigmas and Conundrums. Mineola, N.Y:
Dover Publications.
Strain, Steve. Golden Ratio Dividers. Wolfram Demonstrations Project.
Williams, Michael R. 1985. A History of Computing Technology. Englewood Cliffs, N.J:
Prentice-Hall.
Woodburn, Glenda. Tetrahedral Kite Building Instructions.
Anderson, Marlow, Victor J Katz, and Robin J Wilson, eds. 2004. Sherlock Holmes in Babylon: And Other Tales of Mathematical History. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.
Annal, David, and Seth Bareiss. Tessellations - Escher and how to make your own. Tessellations.
Bell, Alexander Graham. 1903. Tetrahedral Principle in Kite Structure. National Geographic
Magazine, June.
Berlinghoff, William P. 2004. Math Through the Ages: A Gentle History for Teachers and Others. Expanded ed. Washington, DC: Mathematical Association of America.
Blatner, David. 1997. The Joy of π. New York: Walker & Co.
Boys, C. V. 1959. Soap Bubbles and the Forces Which Mould Them. 1st ed. Garden City, N.Y:
Doubleday Anchor Books.
Bradley, Robert E, and Charles Edward Sandifer, eds. 2007. Leonhard Euler: Life, Work and Legacy. 1st ed. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Chyatte, Jeff. 2009. Math and the Arts: Just Passing Through. Math Horizons (April): 16.
Cooke, Roger. 2005. The History of Mathematics: A Brief Course. 2nd ed. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley-Interscience.
Cromwell, Peter R. 1997. Polyhedra. Cambridge, U.K: Cambridge University Press.
Eagle, M. Ruth. 1995. Exploring Mathematics Through History. Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press.
Fibonacci, Leonardo. 2002. Fibonacci's Liber Abaci: A Translation into Modern English of
Leonardo Pisano's Book of Calculation. Trans. L. E Sigler. New York: Springer.
Foister, Susan, and National Gallery (Great Britain). 1997. Holbein's Ambassadors. London:
National Gallery Publications.
Higgins, Peter M. 2007. Nets, Puzzles, and Postmen. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hopkins, Brian, and Robin J. Wilson. 2004. The Truth about Königsberg. The College
Mathematics Journal 35, no. 3 (May): 198-207. doi:10.2307/4146895.
Hunt, J. L., B. G. Nickel, and Christian Gigault. 2000. Anamorphic images. American Journal of Physics 68, no. 3 (March): 232-237.
Isenberg, Cyril. 1978. The Science of Soap Films and Soap Bubbles. Clevedon: Tieto Ltd.
Libbrecht, Kenneth George. 2003. The Snowflake: Winter's Secret Beauty. Stillwater,
MN: Voyageur Press.
Liungman, Carl G. Symbols.com - Symbol 28:24. Online Encyclopedia of Western Signs
and Ideograms.
Livio, Mario. 2003. The Golden Ratio: The Story of Phi, the World's Most Astonishing Number. 1st ed. New York: Broadway Books.
Lovett, D. R, and NetLibrary, Inc. 1994. Demonstrating Science with Soap Films. Bristol:
Institute of Physics Pub.
Maor, Eli. 2007. The Pythagorean Theorem: A 4,000-Year History. Princeton: Princeton
University Press.
Mitchison, G. J. 1977. Phyllotaxis and the Fibonacci Series. Science 196, no.
4287. New Series (April 15): 270-275. doi:10.2307/1743115.
Mungan, I., and Udo Wittek. 2004. Natural draught cooling towers. Taylor & Francis, April 15.
Sam Carbaugh received a BA from Cornerstone University and is earning his MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies. He currently lives in Vermont and enjoys hiking and playing Scrabble with his wife, Kristin. Check out his website at Carbaughcomics.wordpress.com
Amaze your friends with this fun trick that uses Fibonacci numbers!
Discover the Desert: The Driest Places On Earth
Ever wonder what it would be like to visit the desert? Is it as dry and barren as it seems, or are there exciting discoveries waiting to be found? And how would you survive the extremes of temperatures, the rough terrain, and the vast distances? Discover the Desert takes readers ages 8 to 12 across breathtaking landscapes to explore the plants and animals of the desert, its lost civilizations, and today's desert-dwelling cultures.
Discover the Deserts wins 2010 Skipping Stones Award
Skipping Stones Magazine Summer 2010—This fun-filled, easy-to-read educational gem will inspire you to explore the diversity of our world’s deserts through their unique climates, geography and ecology. But that’s not all! Among the engaging illustrtions you will find helpful vocabulary, fascinating facts, survival skills and fun at-home projects. It may even compel you to pick up a sandboard. Imagine snowboarding in the desert! Projects ideas include solar cooking, building an underground shelter, or planting an indoor cactus garden. Don’t forget, pack a copy of this book on your next expedition to the desert!
School Library Journal - 3/2010—Chock-full of definitions and facts, this exploration of deserts provides a lot of information about their location, formation, and characteristics.. . Produced to promote conservation of resources, the book includes illustrations and backgrounds in various shades of brown and gray, a logical choice for the subject… Those who peruse even some sections, though, can come away with topics they want to investigate in more depth by consulting additional sources, including the many books and Web sites noted at the end.
Wired Magazine, GeekDad- 1/2010 - Discover the Desert gives a great overview of deserts of the world, with plenty of specifics and important safety tips. You will come away with a much greater knowledge of what the world's deserts are like, culturally, meteorologically and biologically....the included activities and projects will be very memorable.
Booklist February 2010— This large-format book introduces deserts and helps readers imagine traveling through different types, observing their features, and coping with the challenges they present…. These relatively simple, hands-on activities will be useful to teachers and parents looking for ways to engage children with the subject.
“Deserts are the least understood among the land features of the earth because of their vastness and harsh conditions. Yet they remain one of the most fascinating regions of the earth, invoking mysteries and legends, especially in young minds. This book explains in simple terms the various features of deserts with practical lessons of how to travel in and enjoy that wilderness. Today’s young individuals are concerned about preserving the natural features of our planet. This book teaches them how to learn about and how to appreciate one of the most fragile environments on Earth.”
—Dr. Farouk El-Baz, renowned desert explorer, Boston University
“Children will learn a great deal about what deserts are like. I enjoyed Discover the Desert. Combines science with the excitement of discovery.” —Andrew Goudie, Master of St Cross College, Oxford, Emeritus Professor in Geography, recipient of the 2007 Geological Society of America’s Farouk El-Baz Prize for desert research
“Important concepts about the diversity of deserts, human habitation and use, and
geology are reinforced in a child-friendly and accessible manner. Discover the Desert
provokes excitement about a biome that has been traditionally and erroneously treated
as barren and devoid of life. Readers will be left with an increased understanding of the desert and, perhaps more importantly, an increased appreciation for the value of
deserts.” —Frank van Breukelen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences,
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Deserts of the World
California Academy of Sciences: The Great Sahara Desert
Deserts: Geology and Resources by Alta Sharon
Walker (US Geological Survey)
Living Desert, Palm Desert, CA
Missouri Botanical Garden Biomes of the World:
Desert
National Geographic Deserts Information
United Nations Environment Program: Global
Deserts Outlook
Deserts of the United States
Desert Survivors (University of Nevada, Las Vegas)
USGS Death Valley National Park Virtual
FieldTrip
Utah Geological Survey
Desert Travel and Recreation
California Deserts Visitors Association
The Cultured Traveler (February 2006 issue)
Dreamride Mountain Bike Skills
United Nations World Tourism Organization:
Sustainable Development of Ecotourism in
Desert Areas
Desert Survival
Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety
Agency Clothing and Solar UV Protection
Discovery Survival Zone: Desert
Expert Village Video Series: How to Survive in the
Desert
Lawrence of Arabia (PBS)
Maricopa County Dept. of Emergency Management
Desert Awareness Booklet
U.S Army Field Manual 3-05.70: Survival (May, 2002)
Desert Preservation and Desertification
The Center for Sonoran Desert Studies of the Desert
Research Institute, NV
The International Center for Agricultural Research
in the Dry Areas
The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research,
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
United Nations Conference on Desertification
United Nations World Food Program
General
Google Maps
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization World Heritage Convention
United States Department of the Interior Bureau
of Land Management
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Geological Survey
BOOKS
Allaby, Michael. Deserts. Chelsea House, 2006.
Annerino, John. Desert Survivor: An Adventurer’s
Guide to Exploing the Great American Desert.
Four Walls Eight Windows, 2001.
Brown, John. Journey Into the Desert.
Oxford University Press, 2002.
Castaldo, Nancy F. Deserts: An Activity Guide
for Ages 6-9. Chicago Review Press, 2004.
Davenport, Gregory J. Surviving the Desert.
Stackpole Books, 2004.
Flegg, Jim. Deserts: Miracle of Life.
Facts on File, 1993.
Guiberson, Brenda Z. Cactus Hotel.
H. Holt, 1991.
Harris, Nathaniel. Atlas of the World’s Deserts.
Fitzroy Dearborn, 2003.
Jenkins, Martin. Deserts.
Lerner Publications, 1995.
Lazaroff, David Wentworth. Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum Book of Answers. Arizona-Sonora
Desert Museum Press, 1998.
Le Rochais, Marie-Ange. Desert Trek:
An Eye-Opening Journey Through the World’s
Driest Places. Walker & Co., 2001.
Pipe, Jim. Desert Survival.
Gareth Stevens Pub., 2008.
Reynolds, Jan. Sahara: Vanishing Cultures.
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1991.
Rozario, Paul. Spreading Deserts.
Raintree, 2004.
Silver, Donald M. Cactus Desert.
W. H. Freeman, 1995.
Simon, Seymour. Deserts. Morrow Junior
Books, 1990.
Stilwell, Alexander. The Encyclopedia of Survival
Techniques. The Lyons Press, 2000.
Storm, Rory. Desert Survivor’s Guide.
Scholastic, 2001.
Warren, Andres and Tony Allan. Guide to Deserts.
Firefly Books Inc., 2006.
Sam Carbaugh received a BA from Cornerstone University and is earning his MFA from the Center for Cartoon Studies. He currently lives in Vermont and enjoys hiking and playing Scrabble with his wife, Kristin. Check out his website at Carbaughcomics.wordpress.com
Learn how light rays bend as they go from lower-density air to
higher-density water. The object you’re looking at will appear to be floating upside down
above the table!
Explore Transportation! 25 Great Projects, Activities, Experiments
Explore Transportation! travels on an adventure through time and around the globe to learn about the history and science of transportation. From camels to jet engines, pigeons to
submarines, young readers will explore the unusual and exciting ways that civilizations old and new have moved people, information, and objects from place to place.
Twenty-five easy-to-follow projects require minimal adult supervision and use primarily common household products and recycled supplies. Kids ages 6–9 will have so much fun with Explore Transportation! they won’t even realize they’re learning about history, science, math, culture, and geography along the way. Projects range from making a homemade compass and fl ying a miniparachute, to deciphering Morse code and locating the
North Star. Exploring the evolution of the simple wheel all the way to the sophisticated and complex spaceship, kids will discover that imagination has the power to create
huge changes in our world. By combining a hands-on element with riddles, jokes, fun facts, and comic cartoons, kids Explore Transportation!, and have a great time discovering all the ways we get around.
AVAILABLE NOW
Booklist February 2010 — This overview of transportation, with its easy-to-read print and cheerful, cartoon-style artwork, will have immediate appeal. Once they delve more deeply, readers will find a book that’s broadly well organized….. plenty of hits, and with so much information and ideas to pore through, readers should find something to interest them.
“Nothing has defined our modern existence more effectively than our ability to travel on land, sea, and air, as well as to move into space. Explore Transportation! shows how we have come to this point in our highly mobile society, tracing the history of transportation and offering easy to understand and complete activities that children of all ages will enjoy and learn from.” —Roger D. Launius, Ph.D., Senior Curator, Division of Space History, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
“A fantastic introduction to the fascinating, ever-changing world of transportation. The combination of hands-on activities and interesting facts make it an ideal active learning tool. My daughters would love it.” —Brian L. Smith, Associate Professor, University Director—Smart Travel Laboratory, University of Virginia
“Explore Transportation! is a delightful and engaging book for elementary school age children, helping them understand how transportation plays a vital part in everyday life for them and millions of people around the world. Filled with facts, pictures, and fun things to do, children will enjoy seeing how transportation has evolved over time and how important it is in moving people and goods from one place to another, whether by horse, bicycle, auto, train, boat, plane, or spaceship.” —Robert S. Foyle, P.E., The Institute for Transportation Research and Education, North Carolina State University
“Combining a sense of humor with valuable educational insights, Explore Transportation! introduces young children to the fascinating world of transportation. From an early age kids are naturally drawn to all modes of moving around. Explore Transportation! brings the topic to life and promises to inspire a new generation of students for my classes in transportation policy and technology.” —Professor Daniel Sperling, Founding Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis
“Offers a concise exploration of transportation and how it has affected the human race. The universal idea of travel gives way to new inventions and Kjelle interprets them all. —James Vannurden, Director/Curator, National Museum of Roller Skating
BOOKS
Benson, Joseph: The Traveler's Guide to Pony Express. Helena, Montana: Falcon Press, 1995.
Bingham, Caroline, and Trevor Lord. Big Book of Transportation. New York: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2006.
Branley, Franklyn M. Think Metric! New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1972.
Brimmer, Larry Dane. Subway: The Story of Tunnels, Tubes, and Tracks. Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2004.
Carson, Mary Kay. The Wright Brothers for Kids: How They Invented the Airplane. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, 2003.
Casanellas, Antonio. Great Discoveries and Inventions That Improved Transportation. Milwaukee, WI: Gareth Stevens, 1999.
Coiley, John. Eyewitness: Train. New York: DK Publishing, 2000.
Graham, Ian. Amazing Machines: Mighty Cars. Franklin Watts, 2006.
Farndon, John. 1000 Things You Should Know About Buildings and Transportation. Broomhall, PA: Mason Crest Publishers, 2003.
Hamilton, John. Transportation: A Pictorial History of the Past One Thousand Years. Edina, MN: Abdo, 2000.
Herbst, Judith. The History of Transportation (Major Inventions Through History). Minneapolis: Twenty First Century Books, 2006.
Humble, Richard. Submarines and Ships. New York: Viking, 1997.
Klaman, Bobbie and Kate Calder. Travel in the Early Days. New York: Crabtree Publishing, 2001.
Lavery, Brian. Ship: The Epic Story of Maritime Adventure. London: D.K. Publishing
Inc., 2004.
Mattern, JoAnn. Transportation: Yesterday and Today. Farmington Hills, MI, 2004.
Maynard, Christopher. I Wonder Why Planes Have Wings and Other Questions About Transportation. New York: Kingfisher Books, 1993.
McNeese, Tim. Conestogas and Stagecoaches. New York: Crestwood House, 1993.
Old, Wendie C. and Robert Andrew Parker. To Fly. Boston: Clarion Books, 2002.
Richards, John. The Big Book of Transportation. London: Brimax, 2002.
Richards, Jon. Transportation. (How Things Have Changed) North Mankato, MN: Chrysallis Education, 2005.
Santella, Andrew. Air Force One. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 2003.
Steins, Richard. Transportation Milestones and Breakthroughs. Austin, Texas: Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1995.
Sutton, Richard. Eyewitness: Car. New York: DK Publishing, 2005.
Will, Sandra. Transportation Inventions:From Subways to Submarines. New York: Bearport Publishing Company, Inc. 2006.
Williams, Brian. Transportation Technology. North Mankato, MN, 2008.
Wilson, Anthony. Visual Timeline of Transportation. New York: DK Publishing, 1995.
Woods, Michael, and Mary B.Woods. Ancient Transportation. Minneapolis: Lerner Publications Company, 2000.
Websites
Advanced Transportation Technology Institute
http://www.atti-infoorg/
Boeing Air Force One Website
www.boeing.com/defense-space/military.af1/
Canoe History
http://www.waterspirits.com/history.html
Bicycle History
http://www.pedalinghistory.com/PHhistory.html
Famous Inventors Website
http://inventors.about.com/od/famousinventions/Famous_Invention_From_A_t...
History of railroads and maps
http://www.memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrintro.html#US
How Stuff Works: Transportation Channel
www.howstuffworks.com/transportation-chanel.htm
The Moon Landing
http://www.kidport.com/REFLIB/Science/MoonLanding/MoonLanding.htm
NASA International Space Station Website
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
National Air and Space Museum
www.nasm.si.edu
National Railroad Museum
http://www.nationalrrmuseum.org
National Railroad Historical Society
www.nrhs.com
New York Metropolitan Transit Authority
www.mta.nyc.y.us
Roller Skate Museum
http://www.rollerskatingmuseum.com
Transportation Timeline
http://inventors.about.com
U.S. Centennial of Flight Commission
http://www.centennialoflight.gov
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) Statistics
www.bts.gov
Bryan Stone has worked on a variety of professional comics and illustration projects, including drawings for Dartmouth College’s Hopkins Center and a monthly, three page, comic called Onion Head for Bash Magazine. Bryan also self-publishes his comic book, Frogherder. Bryan moved from Alabama to New England so that he could attend The Center for Cartoon Studies. Bryan and his wife, Amanda Ann, live in White River Junction, Vermont. For more information visit his website, www.bryan-stone.com
You may not need to carry it on your head, but this papier-mâché basket is a nice way to keep or carry your belongings.
