Friday, March 17, 2023
Women Invent Solutions!
Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Patterns in Nature
One of the patterns people find frequently in nature is a spiral. Ammonites (extinct marine mollusks) had a coiled external shell. Perhaps you know some other mollusks with coiled shells? You can find spirals hidden in many plants: in the uncurling fern leaves, head of a sunflower, and curling dried leaves of grass.
This week, head out on a Pattern Walk. In addition to spirals, you might find lines and stripes...
Monday, March 13, 2023
It's Women's History Month!
When you think of inventors, chances are the names that come first to mind are Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright Brothers. What names are on the tip of your tongue when you think about great scientists? Darwin? Einstein? Maybe Marie Curie (she did, after all, receive two Nobel prizes for her outstanding work in chemistry and physics).
But here’s the thing: even as the guys were inventing flying machines and phones, women were building airplanes and bridges. And seriously, would a man ever even think of inventing a dishwashing machine?
Women have long contributed to our history as rulers, pirate queens, explorers, political leaders, artists, composers, musicians, scientists, engineers, doctors … Too often their contributions were overlooked, overshadowed, or simply erased from the history books.
So for the rest of this month I will be posting reviews of books about women who have contributed to the STEM fields. If you are looking for books to share in a classroom or to read at home with your kids, check out my “Women in STEM” page – the link is at the top of the blog. I’ve curated a list of books that I’ve reviewed here on Archimedes or elsewhere, along with some reviews by colleagues. There are picture books and books for older readers.
And, hey – if you come across a great book about a STEM woman, let me know so I can add it to the list.
Friday, March 10, 2023
Animal Moms have Superpowers!
Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Oh, Deer!
Friday, March 3, 2023
Celebrate World Wildlife Day with Animal Books!
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ A Listening Walk
Friday, February 24, 2023
Problems with Plastic
Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Nests Revealed
Friday, February 17, 2023
Animals on the Move
Wednesday, February 15, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ False Spring
Friday, February 10, 2023
These Books Put Stars in my Eyes!
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Looking for Tree Holes
Last Friday I posted a review about Tree Hole Homes. So I went out on a short walk to see if there were any holes in the trees around my house and garden. A branch had recently fallen during a storm, but too recent for a decent hole to form. However, there were some nice holes in the apple trees near my garden.
Monday, February 6, 2023
Celebrating the Days Between Seasons
And yet for many of us, February 2 is more than Groundhog Day or Candlemas. A cross-quarter day, it’s a midpoint between seasons. And even though we were subjected to polar temperatures (-30F in some places) this week feels like the beginning of a new season. Maybe it’s the fact that days are noticeably longer. Maybe it’s the way the morning light turns everything apricot-colored and sets ice-encrusted twigs and needles to shimmer and glint like precious gems. Sure, we
How do you measure spring? By the time it takes to shovel the driveway? The length of a day? The color of the sky? The sound of geese overhead? And when spring comes, where will X mark the spot?
Friday, February 3, 2023
Tree Hollows Make Cozy Hiding Places
- A hole high in a tree
- A hole low to the ground
- A hole made by a limb that fell
- A hole made by an animal
- An old hollow
- A new hole or hollow
- Small holes in a tree
- A large hole
- Holes that look like they were made while seeking food
- A hole used as a nesting or resting place
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Looking for Beauty
Last month I headed outside with a challenge to find five bits of beauty in the nature around me. It was cold, so I didn't go far - just up the road a bit - but there was plenty to see: snowflakes trapped in the curve of a beech leaf; the prickles and stickles of dried plants; the spiral of a desiccated goldenrod leaf; seeds whose parachutes never opened...
Friday, January 27, 2023
Evolution and Future Technology: two middle grade books for mid-winter
Wednesday, January 25, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Frost Flowers
Friday, January 20, 2023
Books for Little Engineers
Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Explore Outdoors ~ Rosehips in the Snow
Friday, January 13, 2023
The Mother of Nuclear Fission
The Woman Who Split the Atom: The Life of Lise Meitner