Sharks are so cool I've written 6 books about them. Dive in with me to share some sharky-FUN!
BIGGEST! LITTLEST! True Or False?
Boyds Mills Press, 2008 You decide. Then peek at the tiny print to see the correct answer. A Cookie-Cutter Shark is one of the biggest kinds of sharks. True Or False?
F It's just 18 inches long. It's so small other bigger fish don't see it until too late. It bites and spins around. Its sharp teeth slice out a cookie-shaped bite from its prey.
A Whale Shark is the biggest kind of shark which lets it catch and eat big whales. True Or False? F This biggest kind of shark only eats tiny fish and plankton, tiny animals drifting near the ocean's surface. It has a 4 foot wide mouth and about 3,000 teeth but its throat is as small around as a softball. No matter its size, a shark's body is covvered with little tooth-like scales. True Or False? T Called denticles, these grow out of the shark's skin. Like teeth, each has a hard enamel coat and soft center pulp. They are a protective covering and help the shark slip easily through the water.
What Do You Think Happened!?
Lerner, 2020 Read this opening story from The Great Shark Rescue. Then write your own ending.... TRAPPED!!!!
With its huge mouth open, a whale shark swims slowly near the surface close to Mafia Island off the coast of Tanzania. The 16-foot long giant is feeding on lots of tiny, shrimplike krill and a few little fish. All at once, a big net blocks its way. The whale shark dives and turns, trying to swim under or around the net. But the giant fishing net is everywhere.
The young whale shark is caught! TRAPPED!
Will your story have a happy ending with the whale shark escaping on its own?
Will your story have someone arrive to free the whale shark giving it a happy ending?
Or will something else happen?
START SNIFFING!
The Great White Shark is featured in WHAT IF YOU COULD SNIFF LIKE A SHARK? Here's an example of how it would help you to have a great smell-sniffer, like a Great White Shark.
But can you think of at least 3 examples of when you would happier not to have a good sense of smell!? And here are my other 3 books about sharks. Have fun exploring these too!
Lerner, 2004
Atheneum, 1996
Walker, 2007
WHO KNOWS what cool book
I'll think of to write next about sharks!?
Meanwhile, click to check out 6 amazing sharks you may not know exist.
It's the perfect time for reading to launch investigating, exploring, and having FUN!!!!
Here's a beginning for enjoying all of that with animals that can be found wherever you live...
BIRDS
Go Bird Watching
Go for a walk. Or sit quietly outdoors, look and listen. If you have binoculars, take those along too. A book showing pictures of local birds is great to have handy. So is a notebook and pencil for taking notes and sketching.
What are your local birds doing?
How are the birds you see different?
Do you see a lot of one kind? Only a few of another? List the names of any you know or can identify.
What activity do you see birds doing most often.
Pick a favorite. Sketch it.
Pretend you can understand birds. Write what you think two birds are saying to each other.
Think of someone you want to tell about your birdwatching adventure. Send them an email or a letter and share the fun.
Some birds, such as cardinals, are colored so males and females easily spy each other.
Male red. Female brown. Why might the female being this color help her stay safe when on the nest, incubating eggs?
Listen To The Birds
Outdoors, listen to all the different bird voices. Try mimicking them and listen for them to call back to you. Once you're back indoors, play the BIRD SONG game. It's a great way to discover the sounds some familiar North American birds make.
Turn a mask into "birdy" Fun.
Eating Like A Bird
Then visit this PBS website to have fun, "Eating Like A Bird." You'll explore what it's like to have different kinds of bird beaks when it's time to eat.
Next, take this fun challenge.
Now for some fun books for summer reading about birds. Enjoy!
Of course, I had to include one of mine. 😃 Did you see it? It's in such good company here!
Sadly many species (kinds) of bats are endangered.
But they are really worthy of our appreciation
SO.....
To get to know bats better check out the books I've written about bats...so far. I bet there will be more!
About the biggest and littlest bats...and bats with really big or little features that help them thrive.
The "true" story of how an orphaned baby bat is adopted by a new mother. Mexican free-tailed bats really do adopt orphaned babies.
All about bats and how their bodies are amazingly built for flight.
Why these little bats are in trouble--plus how scientists are working to help bats survive.
Of course, I've also tucked bats into three more books. Look inside these to find the bats!
NOW have some batty fun!
Visit My Cave
What's it like to live like a bat?
FIND OUT!
Cover a table on three sides with a blanket or paper to create a cave.Have your family or a group of friends crawl inside your pretend cave with you.While you're there with this group, think about these questions.
WHAT DO YOU THINK!?
1. Why is a cave a good home for small bats, like Mexican Free-tailed Bats?
2. Why do you think big bats, like Grey-Headed Flying Foxes, camp out in the open in trees instead of in caves?
3. What are some problems to sharing a cave with other bats?
What Good Are Bats?
Check out the hand-like structure of a bat's wings.
Try this to find out!
Take a large bowl of popcorn kernels to the gym or outdoors to a paved area of the playground.Scatter 50 popped kernels on the floor or ground.Count to ten. Then have people dash around placing two more popcorn kernels next to each original kernel.This is as if the insect pests have multiplied.
Now pretend you are an insect-hunting bat. Have four others pretend they are too.While someone counts to five, have each “bat” pick up all of the insects (popcorn) they can carry.Then have other children place two popcorn kernels next to each remaining kernel. Repeat these steps two more times, having “bats” collect “insects”.Then have the remaining “insects” multiply.
WHAT DO YOU THINK!?
1. How much of an effect did the “bats” have on the “insect” population?
2. What limited how much of an effect the bats could have on the insects?
3. What do you think would happen to populations of insect pests if there weren’t any bats?
Have each child choose his or her favorite animal feet. Choose some foot stomping music and have the children spread out at least an arm’s length apart. Then turn on the music and have kids dance where they’re standing. Remind them to dance as if they had their favorite animal feet.
Afterwards, ask the children to tell how it was different to dance with that animal’s feet.
FOOT SWAP
What if one day a rhino woke up with another animal's feet!? In fact, with kangaroo feet! What could a rhino do if it could hop like a kangaroo? How might a rhino have a problem living with kangaroo feet?
Now, imagine other foot swaps.
What would each of these animals do it could do before? What problem might it have?
*A Mountain Goat with Rhinoceros feet? *A Cheetah with Kangaroo feet? *A Barn Owl with Cheetah feet? *A Giant African Millipede with Green Basilisk feet?
While there are 31 days in March, some mark events so much fun they worth a little extra.
CHECK THESE OUT!
March 1: YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK was established by Congress in 1872. It became the first National Park in the US. But soon people became worried that the wolves living there were killing the deer. So, wolves were hunted until by 1926 no more remained in Yellowstone. That turned out to be a DISASTER!
The deer herds grew so large they ate and ate all the plants they could find till there wasn't enough to eat--especially during the winter. Not only were the deer dying, the forest trees were struggling because the starving deer were eating the buds and bark, killing the trees. Finally, in 1995--almost 70 years later--people decided wolves needed to be reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park to restore the natural way the habitat functioned.
Of the books I've written, one of my favorites is FAMILY PACK (Charlesbridge). It tells the true story of one very special wolf, Female #7, who was one of the first wolves released into Yellowstone.
You see, those working on reintroducing the wolves believed they could capture wolves in Canada and put them together when they released them in Yellowstone to create packs. They knew wolves do best when they have other wolves to hunt with them. But Female #7 wanted no part of that! In fact, she went out on her own as soon as she was released into the park. And what happened next was AMAZING! HISTORIC! Enjoy this special story.
Read on your own or share my reading it.
March 7: NATIONAL CEREAL DAY
What's your favorite kind cereal? Make a bar graph by asking that question of at least 20 people. And record the results. Here are some fun cereal facts:
The cereal industry uses over 800 million pounds of sugar a year
The average American consumes over 160 bowls of cereal a year
CheeriOats was the original name for Cheerios
Corn Flakes was the first boxed cereal to offer a prize
We don't usually think of food as being an invention--but cereals were invented.
March 13: EARMUFF DAY It really is. And time to thank Chester Greenwood for creating them in 1877. He called them "Champion Ear Protectors".
Now, it's your turn to create a really useful invention. Create an earmuff--face mask combination so people can stay healthy and have toasty warm ears on frosty March days. Draw a picture. Give it a name!
ONE MORE DAY TO CELEBRATE
March 29: EARTH HOUR was founded by the World Wide Fund for Nature in Sydney, Australia in 2007. The goal is to have people think about climate change by turning off all non-needed lights for one hour. But here's another way to celebrate on March 29th.
Take time to appreciate all of Earth's oceans because climate change will hit them hard--in fact it already is. And that effects all the ocean animals from the surface to the deepest depths. Explore the different layers and investigate some of the animals living in each layer as I read to you...
