Recruiting Alien Space Scouts

Alien Worlds: Your Guide to Extraterrestrial Life

by David Aguilar

80 pages; ages 8-12

National Geographic Kids, 2013

Are you ready to jump into space? To boldly go where no man has gone before? If so, you’ll need a handy field guide to extraterrestrial life.

David Aguilar’s new book may look like science fiction… but it’s not. Aguilar, who directs the Science Information at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, has written a number of nonfiction books about space – but he wanted to write something that would appeal to kids. Especially kids who love adventure.

So in this book he invites readers to enlist as “alien space scouts” to search for life on eight new worlds. Space scout training begins with a briefing on how planets form, where to locate habitable zones around stars, what types of “Earth-like” planets we might find, and how to identify life on another planet. He includes the obligatory warning: Do not try to feed these life-forms. Some of them sting or bite, with nasty consequences.

Then it’s time to suit up, fuel the rocket and head out to explore. There’s Ocean World, similar to a young sea-covered Earth with a few emerging volcanic rocks. Life on this world looks a lot like what we would find if we visited Earth 450 million years ago, says Aguilar.

There’s a desert-like “Dying World” where temperatures range from 85 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit – a snapshot of what Earth could be like a billion-and-a-half years from now. “Sleepy Hypnos” is a planet that, with three earth-years of winter, is populated by a variety of life-forms that undergo metamorphosis. And there’s “Rogue World” where life has evolved from metal, glass, and energy fields.

For each world Aguilar provides a field guide to the aliens, with in-depth information about life under those environmental conditions. Truth is, says Aguilar, we don’t know what life on other planets will look like. But we do know about the diversity of creatures that have lived – and are living – on our own planet. And though he doesn’t come right out and say it, this fun exploration of other worlds underscores just how important habitat is to life.

Beyond the book:

Go on an “alien” hunt. You don’t need a spaceship to see weird creatures – just check out what’s living in a neighborhood pond or under a log. Or take a virtual field trip via your computer to check out things that live in Earth’s harshest environments. What lives in the Sahara desert, on top of Mount Everest, or at 20,000 leagues under the sea?

Design an extraterrestrial creature. Choose one of the alien worlds and design a plant or animal that lives there. Think about what it needs to survive:

•     a way to breathe
•     a food source
•     protection from heat and/or cold
•     protection from cosmic radiation
•     a way to sense their environment
•     a way to move (based on the planet’s gravity)

Drop by STEM Friday to see what other science books and resources bloggers are sharing.

A Boy who Loved Math!

The Boy Who Loved Math

by Debora Heiligman; illustrated by LeUyen Pham

44 pages; ages 5 & up

Roaring Brook Press, 2013

Paul Erdos loved numbers and grew up to be one of the greatest mathematicians in the world. And it all started with a big problem …his nanny. Nanny loved rules. Paul didn’t. So he counted the days until his mama returned. And he kept on counting. He added numbers, subtracted numbers, and discovered that you could go the other way beyond zero. Negative numbers – what a cool concept for a young child!

This book describes the life of a very eccentric mathematician who couldn’t tie his shoes but could find patterns for prime numbers. If you’re not too sure about prime numbers, don’t worry -  there’s a great explanation in the story. There are wonderful illustrations of Paul and his college classmates “doing math” around Budapest; they see math in rooftops and steeples.

At the age of 20, Paul was traveling about, giving lectures on math. He couldn’t do his laundry or cook food for himself. Or drive a car or open a carton of orange juice. But boy, could he do math! And people invited him to stay in their homes while he taught classes around the world. Some folks even buttered his toast.

Thankfully (for us mathematically-challenged) both the author and illustrator include great notes for kids (and parents) who want to learn more about Paul. They also include explanations about where the puzzles and graphs come from. This is one picture book that will interest older readers! 

Today's review is part of STEM Friday, where the "M" stands for Math. Find out what other people are reading and doing this week by checking out the STEM Friday Blog. Then on Monday head over to the Nonfiction Monday blog to see what books other bloggers are reviewing.

Bedtime Math - what an excuse to stay up late!

Bedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay Up Late
by Laura Overdeck; illustrated by Jim Paillot
ages 3-8; 96 pages
Feiwel & Friends, 2013

Laura Overdeck loves numbers. Granted, she's got a degree in astrophysics, so she gets an automatic pass into the math world.... but numbers shouldn't be scary, she thinks. To anyone, whether they're a teacher or a parent or a kid. So when her first child was two years old, Laura and her husband started counting out stuffed animals and creating bedtime riddles. It was when their third child demanded math problems that they realized they were on to something: a flashcard-free home where math had become a favorite bedtime activity, much like reading a story is.

Now Laura's pulled some of her favorite problems into a book, Bedtime Math. I posted a review of the book over at STEM Friday, but here's a sample of one of her problems - a seasonal one at that:
 If you have giant pumpkins that weigh 1,000 pounds each, and your car weighs 4,500 pounds, how many whole pumpkins do you need to outweigh your car? For big kids she asks: what weighs more, 4 of the 900-pound pumpkins or 5 of the 700-pound zucchinis?

A few weeks ago Laura graciously answered a few questions about why Bedtime Math is so important. It started back in college when she was figuring out such things as how much the universe weighs and whether the universe is growing or collapsing. Astrophysics, says Laura, is a lot of math!

Laura: I took a teacher prep class, and that got me thinking how math and science are taught - and how we make this stuff approachable. Years later, as a mom, I see how math anxiety pervades our society. There are elementary teachers who are afraid of math, and parents. We need to break this cycle. (check out Laura's TED talk below)

Archimedes: In your book you mention that math literacy is every bit as important as language and reading.

Laura: Yes! Parents read to kids all the time, and children have a positive view of reading. So why not math? Even if parents don't love math, they can weave it into daily life in a way that makes math fun. That way children can see that math is fun before they set foot into their first classroom. The thing is, we use math every day, and it shouldn't be relegated to the "homework" category. We can play with math while in the car, or before breakfast or any time that is not school - and that way the message becomes "math is not homework; it's part of everyday life."

Archimedes: Aside from never saying "Oh, I never did well in math...", how can math-phobic parents help their kids fall in love with math?

Laura: There are so many simple things. When playing with toy trucks you can ask: if the truck drives 2 feet this way and then 3 feet that way, how many feet does it drive? There are so many ways to draw children into mathematical thinking, and the more you explore, the more likely a child can find a math area where he or she has strength. Children have different math intelligences- some have an easier time with geometry and spatial orientation, while another might be more inclined towards engineering and another more in tune with the language of algebra.

Head over to Laura's website,Bedtime Math - and sign up to get a nightly problem. Today's review is part of the STEM Friday round-up. Check out the other science books and resources reviewed this week. Then on Monday, we're joining Abby the Librarian for Nonfiction Monday.

 Review copy provided by publisher.

The Fungus Among Us

The other day I was walking about the lawn looking for a mushroom. It had rained a lot, so I figured that mushrooms should be sprouting all about. I nearly stepped on these little guys ... no larger than acorn caps.

Turns out, fungi come in all sizes and shapes, from what we think of as a "normal" mushroom - with stalk and cap - to things that look more like corals.

I could probably put this "coral fungi" in my small plastic aquarium and glue hang some paper fish from the top and fool my friends.

Fungi are not plants. In fact, they have their own kingdom. And one of the biggest questions is: how do I pronounce "fungi"?

Some folks (mostly those across the pond) say "fun-gee".  Most folks I know say "fun-guy" - as in: why would you invite a mushroom to your party? Because he's a fun guy! Others say "fun-ji".

Like icebergs, there's more to fungi than what you see. But I'll let the "naked scientist" explain, with her awesome sketchbook. Then, why not grab your own sketchbook and head out to see what fungi are lurking in your lawn?

This is part of STEM Friday. Check out the STEM Friday blog for book reviews and resources.

Flight Plans - make a helicopter

One of the fun things I do as a volunteer at Ithaca's Sciencenter is build helicopters with kids - and parents, grandparents, teachers.... everyone loves to make 'em. So I thought to go along with my review of Explore Flight! over at STEM Friday, that I'd share some helicopter flying here.

According to historians, kids have been playing with helicopter toys for the past 2500 years. All you need is a blade attached to a stem; give it a good rub and set it spinning. In the 1480s, Leonardo daVinci created a design for an "aerial screw" - and in 1906 French inventor Paul Cornu built a machine with 20-foot rotors powered by a small engine. It lifted him a foot off the ground and kept him there for 20 seconds.

Our helicopters won't have engines; they're more "helicopter-gliders". The spinning blades provide enough lift to slow its descent. And since it's a vertical flier, it only goes one direction: down.

Start with a template - this is the one we use for the kids and you can find a downloadable version from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. You'll need a few items:

• scissors
• ruler
• paper
• paperclips
• pencil

Cut along solid lines. Then fold sections A & B along the dotted lines, and fold up the bottom to keep the "stem" from unfolding when you fly. Bend the blades (D & E) with one folded towards you and one away. Then try flying your 'copter. Hm-m-m... I wonder if a paper clip might help it fly better?

When you drop your helicopter, it pushes the air that's around it out of its way. The air pushes the blades into a slanted position (drop it again and watch closely). According to the folks at the Exploratorium,  the air under one blade pushes one way and the air under the other blade pushes the opposite direction. Those two forces push the blade around and make it spin.


So what happens if you angle the blades? Put a bend in them?
What happens if you make a 'copter with blades that are twice as long? Or twice as wide?
What if you cut jagged edges on the blades or make them rounded?
 What if you have one blade fatter or longer than the other?
What if you make 3 blades? or 4?
What if you add more weight to the stem?

Be a helicopter engineer today! Ask questions! Have fun!

And remember to head over to the STEM Friday round-up to see what other people are posting.

Moonwalking with the Birds

When ornithologist Kimberly Bostwick isn't curating Cornell's Museum of Vertebrates, she's in the forests of South and Central America watching birds. She studies manakins, a group of diverse species including this Red-capped Manaking that incorporates "moonwalking" into his courtship display. Kim gives a demonstration, with the help of her feathery partner.




Take a short "field trip" outside your house and look at the birds in your neighborhood, or at a local park. Watch them and see if they do any dances. If they do, can you figure out the steps? Maybe it's a dance you can teach your friends.

There are some tiny shorebirds called "moonbirds" that fly astronomical distances during their migration. But they don't moonwalk. Check out other STEM Friday posts here.

Snakes Bask in the Sun for a Reason

creative commons license

 Snakes, like their reptile cousins, are "coldblooded." That doesn't mean they have cold blood - it means that they regulate their body temperature by using the energy of the environment around them.

When we get cold, our body starts to shiver and that shivering warms us up. When snakes need to warm up, they slither to a warm rock and bask in the sun. It's like when you get out of a cold swimming pool and lay down on warm cement - it warms you up. 

Scientists have a cool name for using the environment to regulate your body temperature: ectothermic. 

You can test the powers of basking by putting different materials out in the sun for awhile. Try a piece of aluminum foil, a white napkin, a dark napkin, a light colored rock, a dark rock, and other items. If you have a thermometer, you can check their temperatures after 5 minutes, 10 minutes.... an hour. How fast do different materials warm up? Does color make a difference? 

Once your items are warm, put them in the shade. How long does it take for them to cool down? Check out other science posts at STEM Friday.

Python

Python
by Christopher Cheng; illus by Mark Jackson
 32 pages; ages 5 - 8
Candlewick, 2013

"It's morning in the bush. Python stirs..." She is hungry, but first she slithers to a sunny rock to bask and warm up. That's because pythons, like all reptiles, are ectothermic.

'Ectothermic' is more than just another cool word to add to your vocabulary; it refers to animals that acquire heat from their environment - like a sun-warmed rock.

This is a great story of the daily life of a python - but not for the squeamish or faint of heart. Because after shedding her old itchy skin (molting), this python is off on a hunt. She strikes out for a bird - and we see her rows of needle-like teeth that, writes Christopher Cheng, are "perfect for grabbing, hooking and holding". The bird escapes; a rat is not so lucky. We see python wrap around and suffocate its prey. We watch the rat disappear, tail-last.

Python lays eggs and coils around them to keep them warm. But once they hatch, she doesn't stick around caring for her young. That's OK because the hatchlings are soon ready to start their own lives of watching, waiting, and catching their own meals.

Pythons live in Africa, Asia and Australia. While they aren't native to North America, there are pythons living in the southern regions of the US - particularly in Florida where Burmese pythons are eating local wildlife. People organize "python patrols" and hunt the invaders. Where did these exotic pythons come from? People releasing their pets.

Check out other science resources at STEM Friday.

Snakes Alive!

Garter Snakes (Photo credit: Miles Frank, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)

The other day I was walking down my road and a garter snake slithered out of my way. It was sunning itself on the warm hardpacked oil & stone surface, grateful for warmth after what seems like a late-arriving spring.

I usually have a snake or three hiding in beneath the mulch in my garden, or warming themselves on a stone in the morning. Snakes are great garden workers: they kill pests without poisoning beneficial species, don't eat the plants, and they're usually shy.

Like other reptiles, snakes have scales instead of fur or feathers. Unlike their reptilian relatives, snakes don't have legs, though way back in evolutionary time their ancestors might have. At least that's what some research indicates.

Of the 3,000 or so species of snakes around the world, 17 live in my state of New York. The most common is the garter snake that I see in my garden and along the roads. But I also find Northern redbellies, black rat snakes (really long!), green snakes (aka "grass snakes") ans milk snakes.

This year, 2013, is the Year of the Snake. Get to know some of the snakes in your neighborhood. Where do they hide during the day? Where do they sun themselves? And do they have special sunning places that they return to day after day? Make a "snake map" of your yard.

Check out other science posts and book reviews at STEM Friday.