Web Wednesday-Animals!

For this week’s Web Wednesday we’ve gathered a few cool websites for the animal lovers.

San Diego Zoo Kids

San Diego’s website is super fun. It’s colorful and delightfully animated. It’s a great balance of educational and fun.You can:

Get an inside look at zoo careers and what it takes to get that job

All about amphibians, birds, arthropods (insects, crustaceans arachnids, etc), mammals and reptiles

Fun games, many of which are available in the app store for download on your device

Activities & crafts

Live animal cams

Animal Diversity Web

Animal Diversity Web, an online database and encyclopedia of animal natural history, is best for older students, or young biology buffs. It’s less visually pleasing, but is full of interesting information. You can:

Learn how scientific animal names are created

Explore various animal anatomies

Check out photos of scientific specimens

National Aquarium

You have to love an aquarium! While this website has a lot of things you won’t be able to take part in unless you visit (exhibitions, programs, etc) there is still plenty of information, and exciting things to look at. Our favorite is the Blue Blubber Jelly cam! You can:

Learn about animal rescue and how the National Aquarium has taken part

Watch live cams. Jellyfish! Sharks! Coral Reefs!

Explore different animal facts and conservation facts

Click the video to see the mesmerizing jellies.

Summer Reading 2014: Mission Complete!

We had such an amazing time planning for the 2014 summer reading program theme, "Fizz! Boom! Read!" which focused on science in all of it's facets. We were elated to see so many friends and families from the Midview community venture to visit us at the library, attend our special programs and participate in our reading program! This summer we had a record breaking 466 children participate in our summer reading program. You all did an absolutely amazing job!

To celebrate the end of another successful summer reading program, we held a "Summer Science Fair" to provide an opportunity for our young patrons to show off their science skills! Children of all ages were invited to bring in a science experiment of any sort and any level of difficulty to exhibit at the library for the afternoon. The community was invited to stop in and check out the cool experiments while enjoying fun science themed refreshments created by myself and Miss Katie (brain cupcakes and petri dish Jell-o anyone?).

Scroll through our photos below to see some of the impressive experiments our little scientists brought in and some of the treats we created in the science lab otherwise known as the kitchen.

 

Again, thank you so much to everyone who participated!If you haven't done so already, please stop in the library to complete one of our summer reading surveys. We would love to hear what your favorite programs were this summer and any suggestions that you might have for next summer! Miss Katie and I are already brainstorming fun ideas for next summer. Can you guess what the theme of summer 2015 will be? (It has something to do with capes. *wink wink*). Grand prize winners will be notified Monday, July 21st. We will post the winners on our Facebook page in addition to calling winners.

Keep your eyes peeled for the awesome programs we have coming up this fall! September through December library newsletters should be arriving in Midview district mailboxes hopefully sometime in August.  See you soon!

You Can Be a Mad Scientist Too! Fun with Home Experiments

Looking for something totally dazzle-iffic to do with kids of all ages this summer? Channel your inner Bill Nye the Science Guy by conducting some awesome experiments! I don’t think there is anything better than doing some hands on activities that will mystify and astound yourself, your family, and friends! When I think back to my childhood, the moments that stick out are those times in school when we did fun and exciting experiments and of course, watching Bill Nye the Science Guy everyday before school. So what is science? Science comes from the Latin word for "knowing." It is the process of learning how things work in the world. According to Super Science Fair Projects,the fist science fair was in 1942. From tv shows, to books, to Pinterest, there are tons of great ideas for science experiments that will be engaging for you and your kids! Here are some books that we have in our library that you should check out as well as some blogs that are pretty BOOMtastic!

 

Image from Amazon.com

Junior Scientists Experiment with Liquids by Matt Mullins

Do you like to learn by experimenting? Do you want to find out more about how scientists work? Then the Science Explorer Junior books are for you! Use thinking and observation skills as you try activities that will help you learn more about everything from rocks and soil to magnets and solar energy.

 

Image from Amazon.com

Slimy Science and Awesome Experiments by Susan Martineau

A wonderful collection of wickedly slimy but perfectly simple science experiments! Balloon Belcher, Ectoplasmic Gunk, Floating Eyeball, and Pus-filled Boil are some activities guaranteed to appeal to gross-loving young scientists everywhere. All the projects are tried and tested, use everyday materials, and have clear step-by-step instructions. Every page includes a brief “fact file” that explains the underlying scientific principle involved in each experiment. Also look for extra “Weird or What?” sections sure to amuse and amaze. Freaky, fascinating, and fun!

Image from Amazon.com

Magic Science by Jim Wiese

Is it magic? No, it’s science! There’s a lot more to magic than just waving a wand. From chemistry to biology, gravity to electricity, discover the amazing magical powers of science with these fun-filled, easy to perform activities. You won’t need any special materials to become a science magician – just everyday things found around the house. With Magic Science, you’ll be dazzling family and friends quicker than you can say, “Nothing up my sleeve!” 

Image from Amazon.com

The Kids Book of Simple Everyday Science by Kelly Doudna

These 40 simple science activities will have young kids searching the house for everyday items to learn about temperature, pressure, water, air, heat, and plants! Each easy and fun activity includes how-to photos, simple instructions, short explanations, and introduces beginning math principles. With tips and extra information to extend the scientific experience, this book will get kids thinking like scientists in no time at all! The book includes: supply & tool lists, visual and text-based explanations, step-by-step instructions and photos, and safety information.

Love My Science - Website
All the experiments are simple, safe and easy to follow and can be achieved with everyday materials and recycled items found around your house. Help make learning fun and easy by trying some with your kids. Remember to always have fun with your experiments and don’t worry if they don’t come out as you would expect – some of the greatest scientific discoveries have been made by mistake. 
 

Housing a Forest – Blog

Make cool things like fluffy bathtub paint, tin can howler, exploding art, and exploding peep geysers! This awesome blog has tons of great ideas for super fun science experiments and projects. Learn about science while creating all kinds of cool stuff! 

 ScienceSparks – Blog

Fantastic blog where you can look for experiments by choosing from categories such as Preschool science, physics, chemistry, kitchen science, biology, and Age 5+. So many choices to pick from for those curious young scientists! Make frozen Kool-Aid oobleck, a hovercraft, baking soda ice cubes, and fizzing rocks.   

Funology – Website   

Try out all kinds of experiments on this website. Pepper on Parade, Bouncing Jell-O, Color a Flower, and Dancing Raisins! 

I hope you and your kids have a blast trying out these different science experiments! What better way to pass time on hot summer days than to conduct some creative science experiments in your own home. Don’t forget to stop by the Great Lakes Science Center in Cleveland or COSI in Columbus for a memorable day.