YOUR FREE GIFT FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR

 Are you an elementary school Teacher, Librarian, or Media Specialist? 

Then SANDRA MARKLE invites you to become a Markle Book Explorer.

If you don't already know this multi-award winning children's book author and curriculum materials developer, check out this interview with SANDRA MARKLE.  

The 2026-2027 school year will be the 6th year for Markle Book Explorers. AND this school year marks the amazing point of there being at least 1,000 elementary schools across the US subscribing to enjoy all this FREE, curriculum-based program offers. 

As an MBE, you will receive monthly (September through May) resource-packed emails and ready-to-go discovery-learning activites along with an activity guide. These are all yours FREE to use and to share with others at your school. AND they come personalized to you via your school email.

To get started,just send your name and school email address to sandramarkle@yahoo.com  

Wondering WHAT WILL I GET MONTHLY!? 

Here is the April 2026 activity, activity guide resource-packed email as a sample. But you also receive a monthly resource-packed email sent personally to you from me.  ENJOY! 😀

[copyright Sandra Markle 2026 All rigths reserved to following materials]

ACTIVITY

GO AXOLOTLS GO!

Teams all have their mascots: LIONS, TIGERS, FALCONS, BULLDOGS, and more. The mascot represents the team. And the team is meant to be lucky by sharing its mascot’s special features. 

Your class is a team and needs a mascot. You want it to be the AXOLOTL because it’s COOL! GREAT! SPECIAL!

But you need to persuade your teacher to have your class mascot be the AXOLOTL. Read to discover and collect axolotl facts. Next, think why axolotls being your class mascot is important for the classroom...and to you. Then follow the steps to write your teacher and win AXOLOTL being your class mascot.

But

READ! THINK! What are 3 facts about axolotls that make them special?

__1._________________________________________________________

__2. _________________________________________________________

__3. _________________________________________________________

Put an X in front of the one you believe makes them a good choice for being your class mascot.

4. What is there about axolotls that makes you really want them to be your class mascot?__________________________________________________

5. Your class mascot will need to be pictured on posters, T-shirts, and such. What about the axolotl will make it easy to draw and display that way?

 

WRITE! Now, its’ time to write your persuasive letter to have the axolotl be your class mascot.

Dear____________________________________________(teacher’s name)

Have you ever wondered what animal would be a great class mascot for us?  I believe it’s the axolotl because____________________________________

___________________________________________________(tell one reason you want the axolotl). Also, did you know______________________

___________________________________________________________.

(share your most WOW reason it’s a good choice)  

In fact, I believe without axolotls as our mascot, our class will be_________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________.

(tell something that will be sad, bad, missing, upsetting…NOT wonderful)  

With BEST Wishes!____________________________(your name)

              For more FUN, READ more!

ACTIVITY GUIDE

GO AXOLOTLS GO! Activity Guide

LAUNCH:  Introduce the following vocabulary words before reading:

Lifespan: Total time lived from birth until death.

Amphibian: Animals with backbones that can’t produce their own body heat. Most are juveniles in water breathing through gills like a fish and then change to become adults, moving onto land and breathing air through lungs. Axolotls are amphibians that usually remain in juvenile form. But they still grow bigger and reproduce.

Webbed: Having stretchy skin between toes.

Captivity: Kept living confined to a set space.

BUILD UP TO READING: Share these videos to introduce both axolotls and persuasive writing.

10 Amazing Axolotl Facts for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sN0bfeH9Ak

Great, quick overview.

Can We Save Mexico City’s Famous Axolotls? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_lOASkYvjM

For Older Ss, this video shares an overview of wild axolotls, their home, why they are endangered, and efforts to save them. Pause at about 3 minutes into the video to challenge Ss to identify the key problems for axolotls and how each affects these animals. At the end, encourage Ss to list each of the conservation efforts underway and how these will help axolotls. Be sure Ss realize scientists do a survey to count at night because axolotls are nocturnal.

5 Tips for Persuasive Writing Introductions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp2UV6nR6dc

Can I Be Your Dog Read Aloud for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liGPckseaJI

Share this fun read aloud of the book by Troy Cummings (Random House Books for Young Readers). Discuss how the dog is using persuasive writing to reach a goal. What is its goal? How is it changing its persuasive writing with each letter?

CLOSE READING: Help Ss be reading detectives. Have them do a quick overview read. Then encourage them to examine the Fact page and the one spread again to search for clues they can use to answer each question. That means besides reading the text they need to read the photos and illustration. 

1. Regrow lost body parts as often as needs to.

2. Power up with both tail and webbed feet to swim as fast as 10 mph.

3. Have toes perfect for grabbing and digging.

[where the X goes will vary]

4. Will vary but likely to be their natural smile.

5. Answers will vary but likely to be their simple shape.

What’s included to fill-in-the-blanks for the letter will vary, but it should be persuasive enough to make everyone want the class mascot to be an AXOLOTL. Allow time for Ss to share their persuasive letter.

STRETCH: There are fiction stories about axolotls. But none about your class’s adventures with their mascot AXOLOTL. Use this story starter page to launch Ss writing a one paragraph or longer story. 

AXOLOTL TO THE RESCUE!

Last Friday, our class went on a fieldtrip to the City Aquarium. We took our Axolotl mascot named____________ with us. It travels so well in its clear plastic, motorized, rolling fish tank.  It was my turn to operate the controls. Everything was going super until we got to the top of the giant coral reef. 

OH NO! The axolotl’s tank went crazy. It spun. Bounced. Then WHOOSH! It tossed our mascot into the coral reef tank. I jumped in after it. So did everybody in my class—even my teacher. As soon as we were in the water we changed. We were still ourselves, but we could breathe and see and swim just like our mascot. It was fun for a second. Then we saw a big shark swimming straight for us. You won’t believe what happened next!                    [TELL US!]           

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sandra Markle Copyright 2026 All Rights Reserved

VISITING IN-PERSON IS FABULOUS!

 I LOVE SCHOOL VISITS! 

to get on my 2026-2027 calendar email sandramarkle@yahoo.com

I just had the most amazing time visiting schools! I say that after every visit! 

I share a science magic show with large groups. We have a blast!  I challenge everyone to think and vote on possible outcomes for each activity. Next comes that tension-building AWESOME moment when I count 1...2...3. And just as everyone practiced the crowd hums AHHHHHHH! as science makes magic! 

Oh, and the BIG crowd pleaser of every show is when the aliens visit.

Then it's time for crowd brainstorming. Creative thinking. And FUN!

Of course, I share my amazing research adventures that are behind-my-book stories. Being inside NASA's space program, camping out with penguins in Antarctica, touring a chocolate factory, up-close-with an elephant named Baby Mike, a weta, a sloth, a boa constrictor named Rosie...and so much, much, much more.

I love the read aloud times with small groups. And there are those special times when I just visit classrooms. Then I share one of my books and listen to young writers reading their own stories. 

I also love time for small group visits with older students sharing my writing and book creating process. 

Of course, we take time for those memory moments...group photos, books to award-winning young authors, STEM team heading off to competition. 

It all comes down to........................................... 

IN-PERSON VISITS MEAN FOREVER AFTER

 READING ONE OF MY BOOKS IS 

VISITING ME AGAIN!

APRIL IS FULL OF FUN--NO FOOLING!

 MAKE APRIL AWESOME!

April is famous for tricks from the weather and absolutely awesome, inspired creations from artists, scientists and curious thinkers!  

Meet Howard McWilliam the awesome illustrator ...


of our WHAT IF YOU HAD!? series.





April 1: April Fool's Day  The day is known for pranks but it started in 1564 when New Year's Day officially changed on the calendar from being April 1st to January 1st. People who continued to celebrate the year's change on April 1 were called "April Fools".

April 2: US MINT founded in 1792 in Philadelphia, PA. 
Do you know who is on each of the American coins? Guess. Then find coin samples to check. 

April 3: Pony Express started and the first mail delivery started from St. Joseph, MO in 1860.
Would you want to be a Pony Express rider? Read. Then decide.

April 4: Golden Gate Park was opened in San Francisco, CA in 1870.

April 5: Joseph Lister was born in Essex, England in 1827. He became a surgeon and was the first to use antiseptics to prevent infection after surgery.

April 6: North Pole! Robert E. Peary became the first recorded person to reach the North Pole in 1909. Read about the race to be the first. If this happened today, you could blog about it. So write a two paragraph blog report of this North Pole Race.

Communication Satellite the first commercial communication satellite, called Early Bird, went into orbit in 1965.

April 7: World Health Day 

April 8: William Henry Welch was born in Norfolk, CT in 1850. He is credited with transforming American medicine.

April 9: John Presper Eckert, co-inventor of ENIAC, the first electronic computer, was born in Philadelphia PA in 1919. 
I had the amazing opportunity to have lunch with Eckert and talk with him about the invention of ENIAC. :-)

April 10: Safety Pin was patented by Walter Hunt in 1849. List at least 5 things you could do with a safety pin--even better list 10.

April 11: Jackie Robinson became the first African-American to play in major league baseball in 1947. Read two different biographies of this person. In your opinion, which is better? How do the books tell Jackie's story differently?

April 12: Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gaganin became the first man in space in 1961. The flight lasted 108 minutes. Now Artemis II is in space and circling the moon!

April 13: Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States, was born in Albermarle County, VA in 1743. In this book, the author does a clever job of comparing Thomas Jefferson and another key person in history. List at least 3 ways the books tells that these men were different. How did those difference help them?

April 14: Mathematician and physicist Christian Huygens was born in Hague, Netherlands, in 1629. He discovered Saturn had rings.

April 15: Artist, inventor Leonaro da Vinci was born in Anchiano, Italy in 1452. Make a parachute, invisible ink, walk-on-water and more to follow in DaVinci's inventive footsteps. Activities are found in this book.

April16: Aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright was born in Milville, IN, in 1867. Read about the man. Then start flying your own planes--that's straw airplanes.

Click to link to directions.

April 17: Celebrate Bats Day
Read my book The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats (Millbrook/Lerner) to discover why bats are in trouble and why we need to help them.

April 18: Paul Revere and William Dawes made their "Midnight Ride" in 1775.
Read a really fun telling of this moment in history as shared by Paul Revere's horse.

And read one of my all time favorite books about this time in history.

The San Francisco earthquake and fire happened from April 18-21, 1906.
What was it like to survive this quake and fire? Here is one fun fictional story about it.

April 19: Surveyor 3 landed on the moon in 1967. This let scientists learn the surface is solid and not covered in fine powder. That opened the door for lunar landings.

April 20: RCA introduced the electron microscope in 1940, making it possible to sre the structure of very small things. 

April 21: Conservation leader and explorer John Muir born in Dunbar, Scotland, in 1838. His efforts led to the establishment of national parks. He led a successful effort to save California's giant redwoods. This is one of my favorite books. Read it to find out how this camping trip with John Muir changed the world. 

April 22: Arbor Day often observed on this date. First observed in Nebraska in 1872, by planting trees. 

And get to know trees from the Outside In.

Earth Day first observed on this day in 1970. 

April 23: First public showing of a motion picture took place in 1896 in New York City.
What is your favorite movie? Why?

April 24: Library of Congress established in 1800. It is considered the world's largest library with millions of books.

April 25: Guglielmo Marconi born in Bologna, Iltaly, in 1874. He invented the wireless telegraphy which made the radio possible.

The first Seeing Eye Dog was presented as a guide dog in 1928. Read the story about Roselle, the seeing eye dog in my book. How was this dog a hero?

April 26: Ornithologist (studier of birds) John Audubon was born in Haiti in 1785. 

April 27: Inventor Samuel Finley B. Morse was born in Charlestown, MA in 1791. He invented the telegraph. The first message ever sent was between Washington, D. and Baltimore, MD. It was "What hath God Wrought?" 

Check out the Morse Code alphabet. Then try writing a "Happy Birthday" message to your best friend in Morse Code.

April 28: First free fall parachute jump made by L.L.R. Irvin, in 1919 in Dayton, OH. 

April 29: "Separable Fastener" patented in 1913 by Gideon Sundback of Hoboken, NJ. With some tweaks, this became the zipper.  
What in the world can you do with a zipper? Find out and try some of the activities on thi site just for fun!

April 30: The Louisiana Purchase more than doubled the size of the US in 1803. Would you make the deal? Read and decide. What is your opinion?

WORLD READ ALOUD DAY FEBRUARY FUN!

Start off this month's FUN by Visiting with me as I share COULD YOU EVER WADDLE WITH PENGUINS! (Scholastic)

Now, discover more fun on these dates.

February 16: OPERATION SANDBLAST The submarine USS Triton left New London, CT beginning what became the world's first underwater circumnavigation of the earth. It took 84 days and covered 41,500 miles. It also followed, generally, the route of the first ever circumnavigation of the globe by Ferdinand Magellan from 1519-1522. 

Challenge Ss to think about being inside a sub for 84 days. What would they have taken along to entertain themselves? And it would have had to fit in a small space! What would they have loved about this adventure? But what would they have missed most?

Also, challenge Ss to think about Magellan's crew being away from home for years! And no way to text or call!

February 17: NATIONAL RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS DAY. Think of some way to be nice to someone else.

Now, give each Ss another Ss's name to be their Secret Kindness Friend for a week or just a day. Have them leave their friend a note on a Kindness Message Board. Think what other little acts of kindness they might do?

February 20: is LOVE YOUR PET DAY. *I have to share one of my favorite love your pet books.

Challenge Ss to write a one paragraph story about their pet...Or their wished for pet.

February 22: POPCORN While this may not be the exact date, it's believe February, 1630 was when Native American Quadequina introduced early colonists to popped corn. You may be shocked to learn popcorn was the original puffed breakfast cereal. Popcorn was also worn by the early Native Americans. Have kids pop up some jewelry too. After threading dental floss through a needle have them poke the needle through the thickest part of the popped kernel. String necklaces or bracelets. After wearing, hang outdoors for bird snacks. 

February 25: READ ACROSS AMERICA begins today! It ends on March 2nd, Dr. Seuss's birthday. So be sure and read a Dr. Seuss book out loud today. *Here's my favorite.

And don't miss me reading to your Ss too.

I'm reading WHAT IF YOU COULD SNIFF LIKE A SHARK!? (Scholastic)

CELEBRATE PENGUIN AWARENESS DAY!

 I've written three books about penguins and each book has been about a different kind of penguin.

THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE
(Millbrook/Lerner, 2017) is about African penguins. 

A MOTHER'S JOURNEY (Charlesbridge, 2005) is about Emperor penguins.

PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD (Currently Available on Amazon Kindle) is about Adelie penguins.

I love penguins because I had the wonderful opportunity twice to live with 160,000+ Adelies in Antarctica during the summer while they raised their chicks, watch Emperors from an icebreaker while they were riding on icebergs (off duty from wintertime egg hatching) and see even more kinds of penguins (Fairy Blue and Yellow-eyed) in New Zealand. 

So, here are some activities for you to enjoy getting to know the penguins in my books.

HOW PENGUINS STAY DRY
First, use the link to download 2 printable pictures of an African penguin--for each child.  

Next, supply children with paper cups of water and eyedroppers. Have them drip five drops of water on the uncolored African penguin. Then have them drip five drops on the colored African penguin. Ask, "What difference do you see?"

The children will observe the water soaks into the uncolored penguin and beads up on the colored on. African penguins, like all penguins, have a special gland that lets them spread an oily coat over their feathers. Like the wax, that lets their feather shed water. And penguin feathers are incredibly small (I know because I've held some in my hand). But the tiny feathers tuck tightly over each other, like roof shingles, to form a thick, watertight coat. In fact, penguins have more feathers than most birds--as many as 100 feather per square inch.

Emperor Dad On Duty

A MOTHER'S JOURNEY shares the less familiar story of what female emperors do while the dad's hunker down incubating their egg through Antarctica's freezing cold winter.  I know what winter in Antarctica is like. I experienced it firsthand at McMurdo Station.

Winds could be strong enough to lean into. Snow like tiny ice-glitter would fill the air. And temperatures averaged -50F to -70F (painfully cold to breathe) and dropped as low as -129F. It's an impressive cold. 

So the female emperor penguins get credit for traveling through this--in the dark--to reach open water and to feed, stay strong, and return just in time to feed their newly hatched chick. 

And the males get credit for staying the winter with the egg tucked into their brood patch (to share body warmth) and hold the egg on top of their feet to keep it off the cold ice and snow--even as they shift around with the huddle of other males. This activity will let kids get the idea.

Use any kind of baggie--even a self-sealing plastic bag. Put a ball inside to be the emperor penguin's egg.  First, have the children put their egg on top of their shoes (feet together) and practice waddling to move slowly without losing their egg. 

After a little practice, children are ready to be in a large penguin huddle with their egg on their feet. Tell them to pack as close together as they can. Then challenge them to waddle whenever you call "MOVE". And everyone at the outside of the huddle shifts one person to the inside. Repeat several times. 

It's fine for anyone who drops their eggs to return it to their feet. But point out Dad penguin must be quick in real life. Chilling puts the chick developing inside the egg at risk of not surviving to hatch. 

Listen to A MOTHER'S JOURNEY being read.