Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Wild about Bears
by Jeannie Brett
32 pages; ages 6-9
Charlesbridge, 2014
themes: animals, nonfiction
There are bears around my town - North American Black Bears which can be any color from black to brown to cinnamon. They hibernate in the hills, emerging in early spring to scoop sunflower seeds from bird feeders and feast on unguarded suet left hanging for the woodpeckers.
In her book, Jeannie Brett introduces readers to the eight species of bear that populate our planet: the Polar bear, Brown bear, Spectacled bear, Asiatic black bear, Sloth bear, Sun bear, Panda, and the Black bears living in them thar hills. Each spread provides the scientific name, a list of common names, the size, and interesting facts about the bear's life. Sun bears, for example, spend their days sunbathing high amongst the tree branches, and dine on honey and snails and lizards.
Brett discusses the physical traits of bears and their behavior. At the back there's a map showing where bears live, a "habitat glossary", and a list of resources for curious naturalists who want to learn more.
Beyond the book:
Go on a Bear Hunt (but don't be afraid)...
Make a Bean Bag bear. All you need is a sock and some rice (or dried beans) and a few other things you can find around the house. Then decorate it with the features of one of the bears found in the book.
Drop by STEM Friday to see what other science books and resources bloggers are sharing. Today's review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Earth Week ~ Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Got an old pair of jeans hanging around? You know the ones I mean - the jeans with the ripped knees, or your favorite pair that just doesn't fit anymore....
Turn them into something else that you can use.
Make a book cover - or cover an old binder. Those pockets are great for holding pencils, pens, a flash drive.
If you have lots of pockets, you can turn them into pocket purses, or hang them on the wall to organize small things.
Jeans make great placemats and coasters. Cut off the legs and use the top part to make a satchel. Turn the legs into lunch bags.
You can find these projects and more in Re-Craft: Unique projects that look great (and save the planet) by Jen Jones and Carol Sirrine (Capstone Publishers, 2011). In addition to jeans, there are projects that will turn old T-shirts into wearable items - and even a dog toy. If you don't have a dog of your own, you can always make a bunch for your local animal shelter - that is, if the gardener in your family hasn't already appropriated the T-shirts for tying up tomato plants...
Jones & Sirrine have ideas for recycling cans, bottles, and even CDs. They note that each month nearly 50 tons of CDs are tossed into landfills. "That's the weight of a herd of elephants!" CDs are also made of the hardest plastic to recycle. So they put on their creative thinking caps and came up with some cool uses for old CDs - and their cases.
The authors have an entire section devoted to crafts from natural materials: twigs, pinecones.... stuff you find laying around which - when you tire of it - can be tossed into the compost bin to biodegrade. That's nature's way of recycling. And there's an easy recipe for how to make your own 100% recycles paper for note cards and other art projects.
What will you make out of the stuff hanging around your home? Review copy provided by publisher.
Turn them into something else that you can use.
If you have lots of pockets, you can turn them into pocket purses, or hang them on the wall to organize small things.
Jeans make great placemats and coasters. Cut off the legs and use the top part to make a satchel. Turn the legs into lunch bags.
You can find these projects and more in Re-Craft: Unique projects that look great (and save the planet) by Jen Jones and Carol Sirrine (Capstone Publishers, 2011). In addition to jeans, there are projects that will turn old T-shirts into wearable items - and even a dog toy. If you don't have a dog of your own, you can always make a bunch for your local animal shelter - that is, if the gardener in your family hasn't already appropriated the T-shirts for tying up tomato plants...Jones & Sirrine have ideas for recycling cans, bottles, and even CDs. They note that each month nearly 50 tons of CDs are tossed into landfills. "That's the weight of a herd of elephants!" CDs are also made of the hardest plastic to recycle. So they put on their creative thinking caps and came up with some cool uses for old CDs - and their cases.
The authors have an entire section devoted to crafts from natural materials: twigs, pinecones.... stuff you find laying around which - when you tire of it - can be tossed into the compost bin to biodegrade. That's nature's way of recycling. And there's an easy recipe for how to make your own 100% recycles paper for note cards and other art projects.
What will you make out of the stuff hanging around your home? Review copy provided by publisher.
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