Welcome to the December 9, 2011 edition of STEM Friday.
Are you looking for Science, Technology, Engineering or Math children’s books? Then you’ve come to the right place. We’ve gathered some of our favorites here today.
For our contribution, we are featuring Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish by Janet Halfmann and illustrated by Joan Paley. This lovely picture book has been selected as one of the 2012 NSTA (National Science Teachers Association) Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12.
Once again award-winning author Janet Halfmann has come up with a charming and informative story for readers 5 and up. Ochre sea star has a busy day looking for food and avoiding becoming food for other animals. The limpet extends its mantle and is too slippery for ochre sea star to grasp, but she is able to open and eat a mussel using her powerful arms. She manages to escape from a hungry fish, but isn’t so lucky when it comes to an encounter with a sea gull. (Note: sensitive children may be alarmed that the sea star loses one of her arms, but remind them that she will be able to grow a new one again soon.)
In the backmatter Halfmann provides detailed information about the life history of ochre sea stars, including facts about their anatomy, locomotion, and reproduction. This type of background material is so helpful for busy teachers who don’t have time to gather a lot of other sources to look up all the answers to questions that might come up ahead of time. In this book, it’s all at their fingertips. She also includes sources to “Find Out More.”
Star of the Sea would be useful for units on marine animals (my nephew was just studying marine invertebrates in fourth grade), and also lessons on food chains. For informal science, it would be a great tie-in to a trip to an aquarium or the beach, especially to tide pools.
I couldn’t help myself, the book inspired some related activities:
1. For children who haven’t visited an aquarium or a beach, it helps to give them something concrete to explore. Sometimes you can find dried sea stars in craft stores to show. Otherwise, toy stores often carry realistic toy models.
2. To investigate how the sea star’s tube feet act like suction cups, allow the children to free explore with some inexpensive hook-style suction cups used as to hang household items. Let them try to attach and detach the suction cups to different surfaces. Which surface works best, rough or smooth? What happens if you moisten the suction surface with a damp sponge, versus a dry suction cup? Which comes off more easily?
Brimful Curiosities has wonderful starfish craft to accompany the book. Notice how she uses real shells, also available in craft stores.
Growing with Science has hands on activities about Tide Pool Invertebrates
Monterey Bay Aquarium has a wealth of lesson plans and guides. Be sure to listen to I am a Sea Star.
Our STEM Friday posts:
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Ugly Animals by Gilda and Melvin Berger
An eye-popping book reviewed by Jeff at NC Teacher Stuff |
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Amazing Kitchen Chemistry Projects You Can Build Yourself by Cynthia Light Brown and illustrated by Blair Shedd
Cooked up today by Laurie Thompson. |
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Lightning, Hurricanes, and Blizzards: The Science of Storms by Paul Fleisher
Highlighted at Booktalking by Anastasia Suen |
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The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore with collages by Susan L. Roth.
The story of Gordon Sato, reviewed today at rovingfiddlehead kidlit. |
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MotherReader has a Science and Stories program for preschoolers called “Motion and Force” featuring:
Move! by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page |
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Enterprise STEM By Shirley Duke, part of the Let’s Explore Science series
Shirley shares her book at Simply Science. |
If you would like to participate in STEM Friday in the future, go to Booktalking blog and click on STEM Friday for more information.
