Ten For Me

Lots of scientific and mathematical information is written into the pages of Ten For Me!

Mariconda, Barbara.
Ten For Me.
August 2011.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Rose and her friend Ed race to see who can catch the most butterflies. While they're out on the hunt, they find themselves caught in a mathematical problem, having to solve numerous addition problems to see who ultimately ends up catching the most. The results (and reasons for them) may surprise you!

The story provides useful in more aspect than one! Children are introduced to simple additions (0-10), determining different ways to get a sum of 10, tallying totals and also learning useful information about butterflies! While the immediate educational aspects of the story will likely require some explanation to children, the information is all very easy to understand and will probably help them to catch on to the ideas rather quickly! This book could be used in so many wonderful ways!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Check out the amazing Teaching Guide provided by Sylvan Dell Publishing! There are lots of wonderful activities to use with children in collaboration with this story that will make it a hit among your curriculum or just as a resource when sharing the story with your own children!
  

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Queen of the Falls

Introduce children to the concept of physics and gravity after learning a true account of an individual who survived a barrel drop over Niagara Falls!

Van Allsburg, Chris.
Queen of the Falls.
April 2011.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Depending on where you live in the United States (or world), the Niagara Falls are one of the must-see historical landmarks. I have been there several times myself, and each time, the height and force of the falls amazes me! Why someone would even consider going over the falls in a barrel to try a dare-devilish stunt is beyond my knowledge... but, to each his own!

Chris Van Allsburg's Queen of the Falls shares the journey of the Annie Edson Taylor, the first person (and only woman) to have ever gone over the falls alone and survive. Her journey began in 1901 after the sixty-two year old charm teacher noticed a lack of work in her field. Naturally, worry set in about how she would survive the future financially and Annie decided something must be done to strike it rich. After reading a newspaper article about the tourists visiting Niagara Falls and remembering her own experiences visiting Niagara Falls as a child, Annie decided at that point that she would do something that had never been done before - travel over the falls in a barrel.

Despite the length of the story, it is incredibly well written and will more than likely capture the attention of many children, ages 7-12. Younger children will need help reading and breaking the story down to truly understand it, but older children should be able to handle it on their own. The book would be great to accompany a thematic unit on different natural landscapes and would likely provide for an interesting study when trying to learn about the individuals who have tried successfully to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

Reading/Learning Activities:

• Have your child(ren) pursue their studies of individuals who survived a barrel ride over Niagara Falls by researching one of the individuals mentioned at Daredevils of Niagara Falls.
• Encourage children to experiment with the force of gravity by completing an Egg Drop activity, which would be similar to the planning required by someone hoping to take a barrel over the falls successfully. There are some different websites with ideas about this activity: Whatever Else: Egg Drop Devices, Egg Drop Contest, and Egg Drop Project Ideas are just a few... simply Google "Egg Drop Project" and you'll find many, many more!
  

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If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Newton and Me

Teaching children about Newton's Law in a kid-friendly way!

Mayer, Lynne.
Newton and Me.
February 2010.
Sylvan Dell Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

A little boy and his dog, Newton, discover much about forces of motion in this story as the two spend the day together exploring. Through simple, everyday child-friendly activities , such as rolling a ball, pushing a toy truck, pulling a wagon, riding a bike, and playing tug-of-war, children will learn a great deal about motion and moving objects.

I've had the opportunity to review several different Sylvan Dell titles in the year and a half my blog has been up and running. However, I don't think that until now, I've found a book that will be quite as useful and educational in my classroom! I feel very fortunate to be able to add this story to my collection. The curriculum used by my school has one preschool theme that's titled "Let's Move." This will be a wonderful addition to enhance my students' knowledge on movement and a unique way to incorporate science into the theme, as I can already envision my students having a great deal of fun exploring all of these different activities on their own!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• I created an activity to go along with Newton and Me that is appropriate and can be used by my preschoolers. The activity has children exploring where objects move easier/quicker - on carpet or on the floor and then by pushing or pulling. This activity is 2-pages and can be downloaded here and here.
• Sylvan Dell has also provided a Teaching Activities packet that can be downloaded here with many wonderful activities as well!
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Weatherman's Day

Today is Weatherman's Day! I have some weather-related books for review today!

Branley, Franklyn.

Down Comes the Rain.

1997.

Harper Collins Publishers: New York, NY.

Ages: 5-8
Genre/Subjects: Non-Fiction, Weather

Guided Reading Level: N

Review/Summary:

Young children tell the story of weather, most specifically, rain and how rain comes about. The text is simple and will likely easily be understood by even the youngest children. The dialogue bubbles showing the character's words in the illustrations connect these scientific concepts to children's everyday lives.

Lesson Plans/Book Activities:

• The Water Cycle
• Time for Kids: We Need Rain
• Rainbow Unit/Theme

Gibbons, Gail.

Weather Words and What They Mean.

1990.

Holiday House: New York, NY.

Ages: 5-8
Genre/Subects: Non-fiction, Weather
Guided Reading Level: R

Review/Summary:

As can be expected from any Gail Gibbons book, this is full of information that would be of interest to children. In this non-fiction text relating to the weather, children can gain a basic understanding of weather terminology and understand it based on the illustrations that match alongside the text. This would fit perfectly into a thematic unit on the weather.

Lesson Plans/Book Activities:

• Weather Words and What They Mean Writing Prompt
• Weather Watchers
• Let's Learn About the Weather