tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70205004192469260922024-03-18T19:48:32.500-07:00Mama JoulesFamily-friendly science jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.comBlogger458125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-69125986919668998632018-03-21T15:16:00.000-07:002018-03-21T15:16:42.312-07:00Spring Snow!Today, I had the pleasure of enjoying the freak March snowstorm with my middle child, Little Brother. We were both so excited to see a decent snowfall - last winter, we barely saw any snow where we live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.<br />
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This snow was thick and heavy, coming down on a layer of ice, and the trees were simply stunning. There’s something truly magical about driving around and hopping out of the car at random intervals to take photos, or in having your almost-teen son share his favorite park.<br />
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I wish you all a day of glitter and sparkles.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/albums/72157664917364917" title="Spring Snow 2018"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/802/27073998578_b16951a396.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Spring Snow 2018"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-17165151773822870322018-03-18T10:10:00.000-07:002018-03-18T10:10:50.742-07:00Using Crafts to Teach Science (Science Literacy Series #2)<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/40173762244/in/dateposted-public/" title="Rubber Band Bracelets"><img alt="Rubber Band Bracelets" height="500" src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/800/40173762244_0485ebe123.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
My 9-year-old daughter’s latest obsession is making jewelry from tiny, colorful rubber bands. I’m a firm believer in integrating <a href="https://mamajoules.blogspot.com/search?q=Science+education" target="_blank">science education</a> into whatever subject interests a person. So, how could you approach this with crafting?<br />
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In my daughter’s case, she is a messy crafter. Her floor is currently littered with tiny rubber bands. This presents the perfect opportunity to teach about the theory of <a href="https://www.livescience.com/474-controversy-evolution-works.html" target="_blank">evolution</a>, namely <a href="https://animals.howstuffworks.com/animal-facts/animal-camouflage.htm" target="_blank">camouflage</a> (Which rubber bands blend into the carpet?) and the mechanism of <a href="https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_25" target="_blank">natural selection</a> (Which color bands are the easiest to detect? If you were a predator, these prey would be caught first and wouldn’t have a chance to reproduce.).<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/39988009295/in/dateposted-public/" title="Rubber Band Bracelet Supplies"><img alt="Rubber Band Bracelet Supplies" height="500" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4771/39988009295_bc5e254044.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>
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Another on-ramp to science would be to discuss the rubber itself. <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/rubber-chemical-compound" target="_blank">What is rubber anyway?</a> Is it an element? What’s the difference between natural and synthetic rubber? How was rubber first discovered? What else is made of rubber?<br />
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<a href="https://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-are-all-scientists.html" target="_blank">You don’t have to know the answers.</a> You and your child can have fun looking them up together. This is the start of scientific inquiry. <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5019873/" target="_blank">Scientific research</a> sounds impressive, but all it really means is this: “<i>Research conducted for the purpose of contributing towards science by the systematic collection, interpretation and evaluation of data...” - </i><i>Turkish Journal of Anaesthesiology and Reanimation.</i><br />
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<b>Scientists are simply curious people who keep asking questions long after others grow bored with the topic. </b>If you can find the right hook to grab a person’s attention, you can make science relevant to (almost) anyone.<br />
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Maybe, instead of jewelry, the young crafter in your life likes to use a hot glue gun. This is a great time to talk about the <a href="https://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-states-of-matter.html?q=Science+education" target="_blank">states of matter</a>. Why is the glue now more liquid than solid? What changed? You can introduce the idea that there are more than three states of matter, and that new states of matter are still being discovered!<br />
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Collecting natural materials, like pine cones, for crafting can be a nice chance to talk about the types of plants and animals that live in your community. How have they adapted to the climate in your area? For example, some pine trees have <a href="http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/forsite/valentine/fire_ecology.htm" target="_blank">serotinous cones</a> that are sealed with resin and require the heat of a fire to release their seeds! (Be sure to bake any pine cones you collect in a low heat oven [200 degrees F] for about 20 minutes before using them. This both kills any insects present and helps to open up the scales.)<br />
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Constructing new items out of (relatively clean) waste materials is a great opportunity to introduce the concepts of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/recycle" target="_blank">reduce, reuse & recycle</a>. What happens to our garbage? Can we <a href="https://patch.com/maryland/germantown/fun-on-a-rainy-day-kids-crafts-from-household-waste" target="_blank">make crafts from household waste</a>? I went to one training where we were instructed to build a bird out of paper scraps, pipe cleaners, cardboard, and small cans. The only new materials introduced were feathers, glue, and googly eyes. All of our craft birds were so different! This led to an interesting discussion about <a href="https://lakota-phoenix.deviantart.com/art/External-Anatomy-of-a-Bird-17252876" target="_blank">avian anatomy</a>.<br />
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Have you ever used crafts to teach about science? Please share your thoughts in the comments!<br />
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<br />jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-79693921121842193982018-03-17T09:47:00.000-07:002018-03-17T09:59:21.497-07:00The (Revised) Calendar of Science Holidays<small>(Note from Julie: Well, Blogger and I had a falling out over my previous<a href="https://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/09/calendar-of-science-holidays.html" target="_blank"> <i>Calendar of Science Holidays</i></a>. So, I thought I'd recreate the post here. My apologies to those kind folks who commented on the previous version and sent me new holidays. Please add your comments or any link corrections here. Thanks!)</small><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/santarosa/79571458/" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517288918609429394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6keevwE8YMSiOzBhUqazUWuSMskO6JT71JzMBpVy1TaMJnoHcRiG1CrAPPFsf5pKaBFAgF2H43FDZVWKWoE5BZ3pdZ3PAN1vPtcywJEg6FUCgmA7WbsKXW2Jmx1kpX_aOiOmiC2KYYq8/s320/79571458_77f0c19b98.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 242px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
Each year holds a wealth of weird, wacky, and interesting -- yet under-celebrated -- days for science, like <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/world-meteorological-day" target="_blank">World Meteorological Day</a> and <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/03/happy-world-water-day.html">World Water Day</a>. I decided to put together a calendar of annual science holidays and special events that celebrate science so that we could enjoy them together.<br />
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National events listed here refer to the United States, unless otherwise noted. Of course, if you live outside of the US, you are more than welcome to celebrate with us! (And I'll admit, some of these holidays are a little less "official" than others.) I expect to update this post in the future, so feel free to send me your special day and I'll add it to the list. Thanks!<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">January</span><br />
5 - <a href="http://www.nationalbirdday.com/">National Bird Day</a><br />
17 - <a href="http://kidinventorsday.com/">Kid Inventors' Day</a><br />
Last Saturday of the month - <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2011/01/national-seed-swap-day.html">National Seed Swap Day</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">February</span><br />
2 - <a href="http://www.ramsar.org/cda/ramsar/display/main/main.jsp?zn=ramsar&cp=1-63-78%5E24106_4000_0">World Wetlands Day</a><br />
11 - <a href="http://www.ansi.org/news_publications/news_story.aspx?menuid=7&articleid=2444">National Inventors' Day</a><br />
11 - <a href="http://www.womeninscienceday.org/" target="_blank">International Day of Women and Girls in Science </a><br />
12 - <a href="http://www.darwinday.org/">Darwin Day</a><br />
mid-month - <a href="http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/">Great Backyard Bird Count</a> (four days)<br />
third week - <a href="http://www.eweek.org/Home.aspx">National Engineers Week</a> (includes <a href="http://www.eweek.org/EngineersWeek/Introduce.aspx">Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day</a>)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">March</span><br />
12 - <a href="http://www.agday.org/">National Agriculture Day</a><br />
12 - <a href="http://www.nwf.org/News-and-Magazines/National-Wildlife/Gardening/Archives/2010/Plant-A-Flower-Day.aspx">Plant a Flower Day</a><br />
14 - <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/03/get-ready-for-pi-day.html">Pi Day</a><br />
22 - <a href="http://www.worldwaterday.org/">World Water Day</a><br />
23 - <a href="https://public.wmo.int/en/resources/world-meteorological-day" target="_blank">World Meteorological Day</a> <br />
on or near Spring Equinox - <a href="http://sunearthday.nasa.gov/">Sun-Earth Day</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Be-Out-There/Events/National-Wildlife-Week.aspx">National Wildlife Week</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">April</span><br />
12 - <a href="http://yurisnight.net/">Yuri's Night (The World Space Party)</a><br />
13 - <a href="http://www.plantea.com/international-plant-appreciation.htm">International Plant Appreciation Day</a><br />
14 - <a href="http://citizenscience.org/events/citizen-science-day/" target="_blank">Citizen Science Day</a><br />
22 - <a href="http://www.earthday.net/earthday2010">Earth Day</a><br />
25 - <a href="https://www.genome.gov/10506367/national-dna-day/">National DNA Day</a><br />
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second full week - <a href="http://www.nationalroboticsweek.org/">National Robotics Week</a><br />
last week - <a href="https://www.neefusa.org/environmental-education-week" target="_blank">National Environmental Education Week</a><br />
the week of the new moon - <a href="http://www.darksky.org/dark-sky-week-2018/" target="_blank">International Dark Sky Week </a> <br />
<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/Features/EarthMonth/">Earth Month</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">May</span><br />
4 - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Day" target="_blank">Star Wars Day</a> (May the 4th be with you!)<br />
8 - <a href="http://www.nationalrainday.com/">National Rain Day</a> (Australia)<br />
12 - <a href="http://www.nationallabday.org/about">National Lab Day</a> <br />
22 - <a href="http://www.biodiversity-day.info/">International Day of Biodiversity</a><br />
23 - <a href="http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/press_releases/be_kind_to_turtles_world_turtle_day_is_may_23.html">World Turtle Day</a><br />
third Friday - <a href="http://www.stopextinction.org/esd.html">Endangered Species Day</a><br />
first full week - <a href="http://www.wildflower.org/nww/">National Wildflower Week</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">June</span><br />
5 - <a href="http://www.unep.org/wed/2010/english/">World Environment Day</a><br />
6 - <a href="http://www.forbutterflies.org/gardening/national-butterfly-awareness-day-june-6/">National Butterfly Awareness Day</a> <br />
8 - <a href="http://www.un.org/Depts/los/reference_files/worldoceansday.htm">World Oceans Day</a><br />
15 - <a href="https://globalwindday.org/about/" target="_blank">Global Wind Day</a> <br />
first Saturday - <a href="http://usparks.about.com/od/trailspathsdayhikes/a/national_trails_day.htm">National Trails Day</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pollinator.org/pollinator_week_2010.htm">National Pollinator Week</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">July</span><br />
20 - <a href="http://history.nasa.gov/ap11ann/introduction.htm">Moon Day</a><br />
22 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day" target="_blank">Pi Approximation Day </a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">August</span><br />
fourth Sunday - <a href="http://kitchengardeners.org/world-kitchen-garden-day">World Kitchen Garden Day</a><br />
National Water Quality Month<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">September</span><br />
12 or 13 - <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Programmer" target="_blank">Day of the Programmer </a><br />
14 - <a href="http://www.ngwa.org/public/PYGD/pygd.aspx">Protect Your Groundwater Day</a><br />
18 - <a href="http://observethemoonnight.org/">International Observe the Moon Night</a> <br />
18 - <a href="http://www.worldwatermonitoringday.org/">World Water Monitoring Day</a><br />
25 - <a href="http://www.naturerocks.org/">Nature Rocks Day</a><br />
26 - <a href="http://commons.bcit.ca/worldriversday/">World Rivers Day</a> (Canada)<br />
third Saturday - <a href="http://www.worldtreeday.org/">World Tree Day</a><br />
last Saturday of the month - <a href="http://www.publiclandsday.org/">National Public Lands Day</a><br />
24-30 <a href="http://www.takeachildoutside.org/">Take a Child Outside Week</a><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">October</span><br />
10 - <a href="http://www.powersof10.com/">Powers of Ten Day</a><br />
14 - <a href="http://www.earthsciweek.org/ncli/" target="_blank">No Child Left Inside Day</a> (date varies, part of Earth Science Week)<br />
15 - <a href="http://nature.nps.gov/geology/nationalfossilday/" target="_blank">National Fossil Day</a> (date varies, part of Earth Science Week)<br />
17 - <a href="http://www.earthsciweek.org/geologicmap/" target="_blank">Geologic Map Day</a> (date varies, part of Earth Science Week) <br />
20 - <a href="http://unstats.un.org/unsd/wsd/">World Statistics Day</a> <br />
23 - <a href="http://www.moleday.org/">National Mole Day</a> (celebrating Avogadro's number)<br />
4 - 10 <a href="http://www.worldspaceweek.org/">World Space Week</a><br />
week containing the 10th day - <a href="http://www.nctm.org/news/content.aspx?id=10248">National Metric Week</a><br />
second full week - <a href="http://www.earthsciweek.org/">Earth Science Week</a><br />
third full week - <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/10/get-ready-for-national-chemistry-week.html">National Chemistry Week</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wrwcanada.com/">Waste Reduction Week</a> (Canada)<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">November</span><br />
10 - <a href="https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-science-day" target="_blank">World Science Day </a>(for Peace and Development) <span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br />
15 - <a href="http://www.kab.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ard_homepage">America Recycles Day</a><br />
30 - <a href="http://csd.ncb.mu/English/Pages/Home.aspx" target="_blank">Computer Security Day</a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />December</span><br />
(No listings yet.)<br />
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[Last updated - 3/17/18: Updated <i>World Weather Day</i> into <i>World Meteorological Day</i>, added <i>Global Wind Day</i>, <i>International Day of Women and Girls in Science, World Science Day</i>, <i>International Dark Sky Week</i>, <i>Pi Approximation Day</i>, <i>Day of the Programmer</i>; 3/16/18: Added <i>Citizen Science Day</i> and <i>National DNA Day</i>; 3/28/14: Added <i>Star Wars Day</i> and <i>No Child Left Inside Day</i>, corrected dates. 10/20/12 - Added <i>Geologic Map Day</i>. 1/29/11 - Added <span style="font-style: italic;">National Seed Swap Day</span>; edited link for<span style="font-style: italic;"> Sun-Earth Day</span>. 10/4/10 - Added <span style="font-style: italic;">World Space Week</span>. 9/17/10 - Added <span style="font-style: italic;">International Observe the Moon Night</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">National Metric Week</span>. ]<br />
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Photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/santarosa/">SantaRosa OLD SKOOL</a> via flickr // <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" rel="license">CC BY 2.0</a>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-51770331758387167972018-03-15T08:50:00.001-07:002018-03-15T08:50:40.268-07:00Spots and Stripes: A Preschool Nature WalkThis week, for my naturalist walk at nature preschool, we talked about the two species of skunks found in Maryland: the <a href="http://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Pages/plants_wildlife/Striped_Skunk.aspx" target="_blank">Eastern striped skunk</a> and the rarer, smaller <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_spotted_skunk" target="_blank">Eastern spotted skunk</a>. I brought a skunk pelt to show them, and the kids had a lot of questions.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/40825180131/in/dateposted-public/" title="Child Touching Striped Skunk Skin"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/802/40825180131_64d5392d59.jpg" width="500" height="438" alt="Child Touching Striped Skunk Skin"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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“Turn it over!”<br />
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“What’s on the other side?”<br />
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“Where’s the bones?”<br />
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Apparently, although the kids had seen animal skulls before, they’d never seen a fur. One of their teachers explained how scientists preserve pelts of dead mammals to learn more about the animals and to teach others about them.<br />
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I pointed out that skunks have warning coloration, which is the opposite of camouflage. Instead of blending into the background, their striking black and white coloration warns other animals that they are dangerous, and not to mess with them. The scientific term for this is <a href="https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/side_0_0/aposematic_01" target="_blank">aposematic</a>.<br />
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In keeping with the theme of spots and stripes, I decided that we should look for these patterns while walking. Finding stripes and spots in nature at the tail end of winter in Maryland took a little work! Frankly, everything looked brown where we were walking, with a tiny pop of color here and there.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/40825181221/in/dateposted-public/" title="Trees at Woodend"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/799/40825181221_0e241ca319.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Trees at Woodend"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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I did find spring flowers along the roadside: delicate white Snowdrops and flashy Glory of the Snow. Aren’t those great names for flowers?<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/39930456065/in/dateposted-public/" title="Spring at Woodend"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4795/39930456065_4ccdc5c60a.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Spring at Woodend"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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We noticed stripes in the tree rings of cut trees, along the bark of some tree trunks, and in little lines in the ice at the pond. We found spots of bird poop and in a series of tree slices.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/25953617987/in/dateposted-public/" title="Kids Playing on Wood Slices"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4788/25953617987_b21746e219.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Kids Playing on Wood Slices"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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But the most exciting find came when one of the teachers rolled a rotten log** and there was a <a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/amphibians/s/spotted-salamander/" target="_blank">yellow-spotted salamander</a> resting beneath it! We squealed and took pictures and one of the teachers mentioned that she was going to forward this find to another preschool class and to the scientists working at the mansion. We rolled the log back to protect the salamander. I told the kids that this was really cool because they got to be <a href="https://scistarter.com/citizenscience.html" target="_blank">citizen scientists</a> - everyday folks whose findings help scientists.
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/26923720568/in/dateposted-public/" title="Yellow-spotted salamander"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4776/26923720568_ed0282d690.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Yellow-spotted salamander"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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It was a great nature walk!<br />
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** Always remember to roll a log toward you, in case something underneath comes running out!jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-17403398163296775462018-03-14T13:40:00.000-07:002018-03-14T13:40:11.425-07:00Wordless Wednesday: Fog over Gunners Lake<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/26779052@N05/39899052905/in/dateposted-public/" title="Fog over Gunners Lake"><img alt="Fog over Gunners Lake" height="448" src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4778/39899052905_76d3f56d6b.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-90412619241268556022018-03-08T21:08:00.002-08:002018-03-08T21:08:27.359-08:00Fun Facts About Flying Squirrels<br />
There are two species of flying squirrels living in the forests of North America: southern and northern. They prefer forests with ample tree canopy.<br />
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Flying squirrels don’t really fly, they glide – like superheroes with a cape! Imagine you are wearing a blanket on your back, and it’s attached to your wrists and ankles. On a flying squirrel, this is called the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagium" target="_blank">patagium</a>. It’s similar to gliding with a parachute. <a href="https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article-abstract/62/1/101/952913?redirectedFrom=PDF" target="_blank">This article</a>, in the <i>Journal of Mammalogy</i>, compares flying squirrels to hang gliders.<br />
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The tail of the flying squirrel has smooth fur and is horizontally flat. It is used as both a rudder and a stabilizer during glides.<br />
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Flying squirrels live in holes in trees or build nests of leaves and twigs. They have been known to use <a href="http://www.sialis.org/flyingsquirrel.htm" target="_blank">nest boxes</a> and sometimes even kick birds out of their nest boxes while eating their eggs!<br />
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They store acorns for winter. They also eat fruit, other nuts, insects, and mushrooms.<br />
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Southern flying squirrels are about as common as the Eastern gray squirrel, but we seldom see them because flying squirrels are nocturnal. Notice the giant eyes in the photo below of a Carolina northern flying squirrel.<br />
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<i>Photo credit: Corinne Diggins, Virginia Tech/USGS VCFWRU</i></div>
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The Carolina northern flying squirrel is an endangered subspecies of the northern flying squirrel. It lives at elevations 4,500 feet above sea level or higher. As of 2015, its <a href="https://www.usgs.gov/news/endangered-flying-squirrel-relegated-living-sky-islands" target="_blank">habitat had been reduced</a> to nine mountain peaks in the southern Appalachians. Scientists refer to these fragments of habitat as “sky-islands”.
jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-79161448423021620672018-03-07T10:27:00.000-08:002018-03-17T18:35:12.932-07:00Top Ten Blog Posts at Mama JoulesI’m cleaning house here at <i>Mama Joules</i> and that means upgrading my page layout, which has become messy, dated, and cluttered. Much like my physical house ... but I digress. One thing I didn’t want to lose in a frenzy of cleaning was my list of most popular posts here at <i>Mama Joules.</i><br />
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As of today, here are the top ten most visited posts since I started this blog in 2007:</div>
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10. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/07/cricket-ears-are-amazing.html" target="_blank">Cricket Ears are Amazing</a>. Did you know that crickets hear through their knees? Neither did I! For whatever reason, this is my most popular post with spammers.</div>
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9. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/11/fingernails-are-like-tree-trunks.html" target="_blank">Fingernails are like tree trunks</a>. Oh, my heart. The teeny tiny hands in this blog post are now 12 years old and Little Brother is taller than me.</div>
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8. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/03/thoughts-on-pollution.html" target="_blank">Thoughts on Pollution</a>. I’ll have to let my high school junior know that his thoughts on pollution at the age of 7 have gone viral. 😀 But Kerm is now in an ecology magnet program, so maybe this post pointed toward his future.</div>
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7. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/01/carnival-of-space-139.html" target="_blank">Carnival of Space #139</a>. Wow! This blog carnival devoted to all things astronomy is still going strong. You can read #551, the March 6, 2018 installment, <a href="https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2018/03/carnival-of-space-551.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>
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6. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/10/caterpillars-change-colors-who-knew.html" target="_blank">Caterpillars change colors ... who knew?</a> I certainly didn’t. The most enjoyable thing about writing a science blog, for me, is that I can indulge my curiosity about the natural world.</div>
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5. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/01/whats-in-bowling-ball.html" target="_blank">What’s in a bowling ball? </a>This is one of my all-time favorite posts. I had no idea that the interior of a bowling ball is so complex.</div>
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4. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/05/more-weird-animal-names.html" target="_blank">More Weird Animal Names</a>. This was a follow-up post to #3, because folks just seem to like reading about animals like the poor man’s pig and Pac-Man frogs.</div>
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3. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2007/11/weird-animal-names.html" target="_blank">Weird Animal Names</a>. From dung beetles to stinkpot turtles, some animals are just stuck with unflattering names.<br />
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2. <a href="https://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-revised-calendar-of-science-holidays.html" target="_blank">The Calendar of Science Holidays</a>. This is another personal favorite of mine. I’m still taking holidays! Let me know if there’s something you think I should add. (This link takes you to the revised page since the original is now lost in cyberspace somewhere.)<br />
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1. <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/12/joy-of-paper-snowflakes.html" target="_blank">The Joy of Paper Snowflakes</a>. Well, darn it. It looks like Make-A-Flake is still up, but I can’t access it from my iPad. The other sites are down. I should look into updating this post, especially since it seems people like making flakes!<br />
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This picture used to sit in the sidebar of this blog because I loved it so much. These Moreton Bay fig trees, located on Kauai, were featured in </i>Jurassic Park<i>. This particular photo found its way into a book, </i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Not-Same-Tree-Angela-Dyer/dp/095737481X" target="_blank">Not the Same Tree</a>, <i>by Angela Dyer.</i></center>
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If you liked this post, you might also like these five, which historically have been popular here at <i>Mama Joules</i> too:<br />
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<a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/04/drought-for-thought.html" target="_blank">Drought for Thought</a><br />
<a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-big-are-raindrops.html" target="_blank">How Big Are Raindrops?</a><br />
<a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/06/length-area-and-volume.html" target="_blank">Length, Area, and Volume</a><br />
<a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-are-all-scientists.html" target="_blank">We Are All Scientists</a><br />
<a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-is-global-warming.html" target="_blank">What is Global Warming?</a><br />
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-6325087968398379582018-02-28T13:22:00.000-08:002018-02-28T14:03:19.638-08:00What is Science Fiction Tanka?<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-top: 8px;">
<span style="font-size: 17pt;">One of the hats I wear, when I’m not volunteering as a naturalist or pondering science, is as a <a href="https://www.pw.org/content/julie_bloss_kelsey" target="_blank">poet</a>. I started seriously writing short-form poetry in 2009, after the birth of my daughter. Science fiction haiku, known as <a href="http://www.hsa-haiku.org/frogpond/2010-issue33-1/essay2-scifaiku.html" target="_blank">scifaiku</a>, is one of my favorite means of expression, and led me to a new project. (The information below is largely adapted from my poetry blog,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 17pt;"><a href="https://starsinmysugarbowl.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Stars in My Sugar Bowl</a>):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">Recently, I teamed up with my friend</span><span style="font-size: 17pt;"> </span><a href="https://iaforhaikuaward.org/meet-susan-burch/" style="font-size: 17pt;">Susan Burch</a><span style="font-size: 17pt;"> and co-edited a special feature at <i>Atlas Poetica</i> on science fiction tanka. Simply put, science fiction tanka is a cross between tanka and science fiction. In other words, tanka with science fiction themes.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">I tend to think of <a href="http://www.tankasocietyofamerica.org/essays/what-is-tanka" target="_blank">tanka</a> as expanded haiku, but they are really more of the opposite, since - historically speaking - haiku is an abridged form of tanka. The five-lined tanka has a rich history in Japan, and these short little poems were primarily sung as love notes at one time.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">While you can find isolated science fiction tanka published here and there, there isn’t much written to define exactly what it is. We explored the boundaries of the form as we sifted through the submissions.</span> </blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;">Strong science fiction tanka are well-crafted tanka with a clear voice and rich imagery that immerse you in an alien world. Poems about watching science fiction or pondering the idea of alien life didn’t grab us as much as poems written from a truly alien perspective. Yet, there has to be something about the poem for the reader to relate and adhere to. I think the mix between the truly bizarre alien experience and yet somehow familiar marks a good science fiction tanka in much the same way as <a href="http://www.graceguts.com/essays/aha-moments-and-the-miracle-of-haiku" target="_blank">the aha! moment</a> - </span><span style="font-size: 22.66666603088379px;">the reader’s reaction of wow, I didn’t expect the poem to do that but it’s exactly right - </span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">does for haiku.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: 17pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 17pt;">I’ve heard that reading a good haiku sampler should be akin to trying a box of chocolates - lots of variety, a few favorites, but nothing tastes bad. I think we’ve achieved that with</span> <span style="font-size: 17pt;"><i>25 Science Fiction Tanka and Kyoka, </i>which can be viewed </span><a href="http://atlaspoetica.org/?page_id=1841" style="font-size: 17pt;">here</a><span style="font-size: 17pt;">. (If you can’t get the link to work, try standard view.)</span></blockquote>
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-61254222515640507482016-10-18T08:54:00.001-07:002016-10-18T08:54:13.565-07:00Unteaching Nature<span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">I've been helping teach a class for preschoolers at the Audubon Naturalist Society. The kids in the class are quite young - I think most of the participants are two - but I've been surprised at how much I have learned from them.</span><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">When leading a nature walk for kids that young, it's pretty easy to dominate the conversation. I can point out the differences between a daddy long-legs (or harvestmen) and a true spider (daddy long-legs only have one body part; spiders have two). Or I can teach how to identify a maple leaf versus a tulip poplar (maple leaves look like hands, with five points, while tulip poplars have four points and look like tulips). </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPeYIy_5kBnVnqjkefwztLdEjcHPK8yTrvHUwssuo4YJkob52E034NWTyNxqciKYRYpO6TFrU9oaqNpijC6szqUV8Fz-GpghexHsPuQ1pH36QZw-7dfsD7yY1zxN_BtUetRVokTS_tJs/s640/blogger-image--1447086171.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPeYIy_5kBnVnqjkefwztLdEjcHPK8yTrvHUwssuo4YJkob52E034NWTyNxqciKYRYpO6TFrU9oaqNpijC6szqUV8Fz-GpghexHsPuQ1pH36QZw-7dfsD7yY1zxN_BtUetRVokTS_tJs/s640/blogger-image--1447086171.jpg"></a></div></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">What I can't teach is how to make a child observe nature. I can't teach wonder.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Wonder is fostered by letting the child lead you. Observation is "taught" through un-teaching, so to speak, by stepping back and letting the children lead the way. When they pick up leaves, you can teach them about leaf identification. When they squat on the trail to study a daddy long-legs, you can talk about the differences between true spiders and other insects. </div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">No lesson is going to be driven home unless the child is engaged. I've learned that you can't teach that, but you can definitely foster it.</div><div style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 19px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;"><br></div>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-8239619011807087272016-05-31T13:33:00.001-07:002018-03-13T14:16:13.273-07:00Wordless Wednesday<br />
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-3935711605083475812015-12-14T06:53:00.001-08:002015-12-14T06:53:09.519-08:00The Difference Between Dirt and Soil Dirt and soil - they mean the same thing, right? Not to a scientist. My graduate school soils teacher had this to say about the topic: "Dirt is dead. Soils are not."<br />
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Soils are actually pretty complex. According to Brady and Weil, in their fine volume <i>The Nature and Properties of Soils:</i><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;"><b>The four major components of soil are air, water, mineral matter, and organic matter.</b></span></h2>
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What does that mean exactly? Let's break it down.<br />
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<b>Air</b> in soil is contained in pore spaces. Different soils have varying amounts of pore space. A well-aerated soil is more likely to grow crops, since it is easier for plants to stretch out their roots. If a soil is highly compacted, nothing is going to grow there. Think of tight packed clay, for example. <br />
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<b>Water</b> in soil is pretty easy to visualize. A sandy desert soil, for example, might retain very little water, even after a rain. But a soil higher in organic content, like a loam, will hold more water. <br />
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<b>Mineral matter</b> simply refers to the type of bedrock from which the soil was derived. Bedrock is sometimes referred to as a soil's "parent material." A soil that came from granite will have different properties than a soil derived from limestone. (According to <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00380768.2013.822301" target="_blank">this article</a> in <i>Soil Science and Plant Nutrition</i>, red limestone-based soils have higher levels of trace elements than soils derived from other types of bedrock.) <br />
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<b>Organic matter</b> in soil consists of plant or animal residues along with soil-dwelling critters like earthworms. This is probably the biggest difference between dirt and soil, and is the origin of the comment above from my professor: soils are living ecosystems. <br />
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Soils are probably the most underrated of all ecological resources. If you think about it, everything we do depends upon the soil. We rely upon soils to filter the water we drink. We need soils to grow crops for food, lumber for housing, cotton and hemp for clothing. How well a soil compacts - or doesn't - affects our ability to build homes and businesses. In short, we shouldn't treat soil like dirt!
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/87743206@N04/8053614949/in/photolist-dgET9a-77LK5N-fEBSXb-dkjqds-dgETYd-dgEWqj-qLmxyr-fEdzQt-fEvaF1-fEvb2o-h8dJZ9-gjUfUJ-o6xdBP-gge2Nu-fEki5c-fEz9xd-fEz9oC-bnTN1k-f8upSC-bMjCua-fEz9d5-nHtHyg-h8dCDc-fPQmMY-8Lq63V-nYijY3-bXrwzC-o3h5MZ-hzNate-gctZow-h8dFyv-dgEVgb-e5cnJU-wvDkAU-fPxQXn-h17a33-h17HRj-h4Wf1L-h4XtzQ-7YPjos-ha1viv-9Zrji9-h18qun-h7VNR1-s8jkgp-9rGq3H-h4W6VQ-wvMspD-wNgyCK-vRdDBN" title="See what healthy soil looks like"><img alt="See what healthy soil looks like" height="350" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8310/8053614949_982fecf12d_k.jpg" width="500" /></a><script async="" charset="utf-8" src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js"></script><br />
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This soil from Illinois is high in organic matter. Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/87743206@N04/">Natural Resources Conservation Service Soil Health Campaign</a>, via Flickrjublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-77908764631033513352015-04-16T06:06:00.001-07:002015-04-16T21:10:41.717-07:00Drive-By NatureAbout a week ago, a large fire affected roughly twenty acres of park land near my house. I was out of town during this event, so I drove through the park this morning to see if I could find the impacted land. (I couldn't see it from the road.)<br />
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As I was driving - following all of the roads in the park, barely slowing down, never leaving my car - it occurred to me that mainstream American society today often relegates nature to experiences like this. It's as if we want a take-out order of nature, rather than staying for the real experience.</div>
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A litany of excuses ran through my mind as I drove:</div>
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- I don't have time to stop.</div>
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- I<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">'m not wearing the right clothes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">- What if there are ticks?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">The sad part is, I like nature. There is no excuse for my behavior other than conditioning and complacency. </span></div>
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What barriers prevent you from experiencing time outdoors? Are they real barriers or imagined ones?</div>
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-64723889443628587562015-04-15T06:25:00.001-07:002015-04-15T06:25:38.403-07:00Science Literacy Starts at Home (Science Literacy Series #1)I think the way we talk about science in this country is flawed. Too often, I hear people speak of science as a subject in school, rather than an integral part of daily life. If we want our children to be literate in science, we need to change the way that we approach the subject.<br />
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I once had a discussion with another mother in which I spoke of my love of taking my son to our local nature center.<br />
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"Oh," she said. "I don't do that. My husband does the science."<br />
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That statement of hers has bothered me ever since. It's not that she doesn't like science - I can appreciate that some people don't. It's that she is modelling the idea that science is somehow separate from the rest of her life - as if science is simply a concept that you can graft on at a later date.<br />
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Science needs to be integral to a child's life from the beginning. And by this, I mean that we - as parents - approach teaching our children with science literacy in mind.<br />
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1) <i>Ask the what if questions.</i> What if the <a href="https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AwrBT9Q7ZC5VgJQAHShXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTBrc21pbnUyBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQD?qid=20120611173310AAgP6qj" target="_blank">sky was red instead of blue</a>? What if <a href="https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=B111US0D20140627&p=drop+egg+from+a+building" target="_blank">we dropped this egg from the top of that building</a>? What happens when we <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRT1f5luywU" target="_blank">microwave marshmallow Easter candy</a>? (Goal: encourage curiosity, thinking outside of the box)<br />
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2) <i>Challenge popular thinking. </i>Why does everyone love pop star of the moment? What makes him or her so special? Why should we buy that brand of toothpaste? What is that commercial really trying to sell us? (Goal: critical thinking)<br />
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3) <i>Observe your surroundings. </i>What makes this dancer better than the others? Is it the way he moves? The way he uses the space on the dance floor? How he carries himself? (Goal: observation skills, concentration) <br />
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What do you think? How do you encourage science literacy at home?<br />
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<ul>
<li>If you like this post, you might also like: <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2010/01/we-are-all-scientists.html" target="_blank">We are all scientists</a></li>
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-11328965126322590872015-03-12T09:20:00.001-07:002015-03-12T09:28:12.572-07:00In Praise of Rats<div style="text-align: center;">
This is Dragon, my son's pet rat.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWWYb6ss0hKXWzSHkbhqhTcrIejoEArVw5gN8tLJPhvAGkGEwbe70RFUZww2sPzMxAEdCnezOPw1skEEC2GUSMn9nn0k7adaFMQvTkXMFm6Th38NNuI2JyajcBCBMlSe4MBgl5gDJxE8/s640/blogger-image-238654510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWWYb6ss0hKXWzSHkbhqhTcrIejoEArVw5gN8tLJPhvAGkGEwbe70RFUZww2sPzMxAEdCnezOPw1skEEC2GUSMn9nn0k7adaFMQvTkXMFm6Th38NNuI2JyajcBCBMlSe4MBgl5gDJxE8/s640/blogger-image-238654510.jpg"></a></div></div>
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When we first brought him home from the pet store, we put him in the basement with the hamster and had limited contact with him. I soon noticed that whenever we went downstairs, unlike the hamster, who ignored me and spun on his wheel, the rat would stand up on his hind legs, cock his head to one side, and try to make eye contact. Even my husband, who largely ignores the small animal population at our house, began talking to him. </div>
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I decided that the rat seemed sad and discussed my concern with a rat-loving friend of mine. She told me that pet rats have been described as pocket dogs and need frequent attention to be happy. Social animals, they are often sold in pairs so that they don't get lonely. </div>
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As a result of that discussion, we moved the rat into my boys' bedroom. He seems much happier upstairs. I talk to him daily. He is inquisitive about any activity that surrounds him, and with three kids in the house, there's quite a lot of activity. We started buying him dog toys, soft things that he can shred and tear and sleep on. </div>
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Dragon is a good listener.<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvlrfqLR5DYmpgWIPRBTxnBqq5kq417ngwAhO5JwN6iDvwQSBsKPXKm0ZxQhDKihkFntGZVcbAZb5yvLYydruLp0QGMUSVDeYcyb6J1aqzqimaZiFe6P3w8paHGk341BGfP95ZRKUcSY/s640/blogger-image-2098134229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvlrfqLR5DYmpgWIPRBTxnBqq5kq417ngwAhO5JwN6iDvwQSBsKPXKm0ZxQhDKihkFntGZVcbAZb5yvLYydruLp0QGMUSVDeYcyb6J1aqzqimaZiFe6P3w8paHGk341BGfP95ZRKUcSY/s640/blogger-image-2098134229.jpg"></a></div></div>
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And that brings me to the point of this essay: Rats make nice pets. </div>
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Frankly speaking, rats get a bad rap. A recent headline in <i>The Independent </i>screamed, <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/bubonic-plaguecarrying-fleas-found-on-new-york-city-rats-10083563.html" target="_blank">"Bubonic plague-carrying fleas found on New York City rats." </a>What a misleading headline! One would assume that we are headed straight for an epidemic of the plague. The actual article reveals that the rats were found to carry the </span><i style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">type</i><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> of fleas that transmit the disease, not the disease itself.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Another recent article - this one in <i>The Guardian</i> - suggests that <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2015/feb/24/dirty-rat-giant-gerbils-responsible-black-death" target="_blank">giant gerbils, not rats, may have been the source of the Black Death.</a> As reported by the BBC,<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31588671" target="_blank"> a team of researchers from Norway </a></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31588671" target="_blank">"</a></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-31588671" target="_blank">now plans to analyse plague bacteria DNA</a> taken from ancient skeletons across Europe. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">If the genetic material shows a large amount of variation, it would suggest the team's theory is correct. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Different waves of the plague coming from Asia would show more differences than a strain that emerged from a rat reservoir." </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So, the next time that someone tells you that they have a pet rat, try to keep an open mind. You might find that they aren't so bad after all.</span></div>
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-40437584107146242382015-03-10T21:37:00.001-07:002015-03-10T21:41:35.652-07:00Is Your Organic Garden Really Organic?<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">This was the first magazine article that I wrote as a freelance writer, for a natural family website. The site has since changed hands - and many of the articles have been largely rewritten, presumably to evade copyscape - but I managed to find an old copy of my piece and thought I'd post it here for safekeeping.</span></div></div><div><br></div><div>---</div><div><br></div><div><div><b>Is Your Organic Garden Really Organic?</b></div><div><b>By Julie Bloss Kelsey</b></div><div><br></div><div>You know not to garden near your house, because your home was once painted with lead-based paint. You know not to garden near the road because automobile exhaust used to contain lead. But did you know that former farming practices might have contributed to lead and arsenic contamination in the rest of your soil?</div><div><br></div><div>We take for granted that organically grown produce contains lower quantities of harmful pesticides than food grown by conventional means. But organic gardening doesn’t guarantee safe food. Do you know the historic land use of the soil in your garden? Was it ever used for conventional farming? If so, there may be pesticide residues in your soil.</div><div><br></div><div><i>Look back at non-organic farming practices</i></div><div><br></div><div>Arsenic-based pesticides were used by farmers in the United States from the late 1800s until around 1940. After about 1945, U.S. farmers began to use synthetic pesticides, and the use of arsenic-based pesticides declined dramatically. However, in some parts of the country, farmers used arsenic-based pesticides on fruit trees until the mid-1950s and 1960s. Lead arsenate was not banned completely on food crops in the U.S. until 1988.</div><div><br></div><div>But problems can develop many years later. In 1997, a routine test conducted by the FDA revealed elevated levels of lead in a package of frozen mixed vegetables. Carrots, grown on old orchard land in the state of Washington, were the source of the lead. At the time the carrots were grown, use of lead arsenate had been banned in that state for over 20 years.</div><div><br></div><div>And this wasn’t an isolated incident, as evidenced by the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. As reported on their web site, “In the late 1990s, elevated levels of lead were found in a baby food (chicken and vegetables). The source was traced to carrots grown in fields previously used as apple orchards that had been treated with lead arsenate.”</div><div><br></div><div><i>Reduce your risk</i></div><div><br></div><div>Just because your garden was formerly used for conventional farming does not mean that you should stop gardening. If you follow these simple tips, you will greatly reduce your risk of exposure to any pesticide residues that may remain in your soil.</div><div><br></div><div>• Wash your hands after gardening and remove your shoes before coming into the house. Be sure to wipe the feet of pets that have been in the garden with you.</div><div><br></div><div>• Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly before eating them. Ingesting contaminated soil poses a greater human health risk than eating foods grown in contaminated soil.</div><div><br></div><div>• Be aware that leafy greens, like lettuce, are the most likely to uptake metals, followed by roots such as carrots. If you are concerned about the soil in your garden, you may wish to grow fruits, such as tomatoes.</div><div><br></div><div>• If your land has a known history of conventional agriculture — particularly if it was a cotton field or a fruit orchard — consider importing fresh topsoil from a trusted source for your garden. If you are concerned that the topsoil might erode (for example, your garden is on a slope), you can use an elevated planter.</div><div><br></div><div>Above all, don’t let fears of residual soil contamination dampen your enthusiasm for organic gardening. You know more about how your food is grown than most people do. And you can take proactive steps to ensure that your food is as safe as possible.</div><div><br></div><div>© Julie Bloss Kelsey</div><div><br></div><div>Julie Bloss Kelsey holds a master's degree in environmental management from Duke University, where her master's project was called "The Impact of Historic Pesticide Applications on Former Agricultural Soils."</div></div><div><br></div><div>---</div><div><br></div><div>If you liked this post, check out http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/07/take-lead-out-of-gardening.html</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfZ_oY1LNSlCqFSi4pHSn0VU4mf0PipeK-VCCcNRyiP5S8rjLlTN6Vb6SvSvkrUQGRVnaa4AxUjU1i-dzchw_X2WiRDwC0_rsiTJQiACcmzb9hI34irIfOl6hmI_kwVFmAvOojW8m6lI/s640/blogger-image--1398165254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfZ_oY1LNSlCqFSi4pHSn0VU4mf0PipeK-VCCcNRyiP5S8rjLlTN6Vb6SvSvkrUQGRVnaa4AxUjU1i-dzchw_X2WiRDwC0_rsiTJQiACcmzb9hI34irIfOl6hmI_kwVFmAvOojW8m6lI/s640/blogger-image--1398165254.jpg"></a><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Organic gardening is good for native bees.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">(Note the discarded antennae on the floor.)</span></div>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-28384335501329590242015-02-13T08:18:00.000-08:002015-02-13T08:18:00.072-08:00A Naturalist's Thoughts on Invasive Species<a href="http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/index.shtml" target="_blank">Invasive species</a> are defined as exotics that were brought or accidentally introduced to an ecosystem and wreak havoc on it because they have no native predators. Think <a href="http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/kudzu.shtml" target="_blank">kudzu</a> in the American South.<br />
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A healthy ecosystem has checks and balances to keep each species in line. Visualize a <span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">very simple food cycle - let's say trees, white-tailed deer, black bear. Trees sprout and grow but the stand can't get too thick because of deer browsing the seedlings. The deer population is held in check by the bears. And the bears eat the berries on the trees and poop out the seeds, allowing new trees to grow.</span><br />
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Now, this is highly oversimplified, but you can see what I mean about checks and balances. You throw something non-native in the mix and the whole cycle suffers.</div>
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But it occurred to me yesterday that native species can become invasive. In reality, the simple food web that I described above doesn't work all that well where I live. Black bears (and other top predators) are rare and the white-tailed deer population has exploded. The understory of the forest here has almost no seedlings because the deer browse everything, leaving no baby trees to replace the ones that are sick or dying. </div>
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In my opinion, white-tailed deer in the mid-Atlantic are an invasive species. Now, the very definition of an invasive species, at this point, implies that a species is non-native. But I would argue that when a native species population explodes out of control with nothing to check it, it's invasive too.</div>
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Interesting point<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> of fact: not all exotics are invasive. Some, like the honeybee in the United States, were imported here and the local ecosystem adapted to them - and depend on them - over time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanwick/3213722703" title="Honeybee on lavender by Ryan Wick, on Flickr"><img alt="Honeybee on lavender" height="362" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3457/3213722703_fe52aa4400.jpg" width="500" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ryanwick/" target="_blank">Ryan Wick</a>, via Flickr (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">cc by 2.0</a>) </span><br />
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-57381260272707417012015-02-06T09:42:00.000-08:002015-02-06T09:42:00.625-08:00A Naturalist's Thoughts on Winter WeatherFebruary in the Mid-Atlantic can bring a wide range of weather - anything from sunny and balmy to freezing cold and snowy. This variability contributes to a wide range of winter precipitation. A <b>wintry mix</b> is a combination of rain, snow, freezing rain, and sleet.<br />
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<b>Rain</b> is liquid precipitation. The diameter of the droplets determines whether you have fog, mist, drizzle, light rain, moderate rain, heavy rain, excessive rain, or a cloudburst. Cloudburst droplets, although small at 2.85 mm in diameter, are over 200 times larger than fog droplets. (I wrote a previous post on this topic called <i><a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-big-are-raindrops.html">How Big Are Raindrops?</a></i>).<br />
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<b>Snow</b> consists of ice particles frozen into complex, six-sided patterns. Non-branching ice crystals - or diamond dust - form in the shapes of needles, columns, or plates.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Xt8Vtoj17x4mSmhZqV0MkBsmVtvx-gl2P_f0TwArvs9qkId2ai4nvJyU8EWDpa82E1ep2uR0AwelQQZvTTX1LBB43V915KhllliCoOHqHUZdZmuzdZcLhkulwckUTsSbzgsUq280GYQ/s640/blogger-image-1744226889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Xt8Vtoj17x4mSmhZqV0MkBsmVtvx-gl2P_f0TwArvs9qkId2ai4nvJyU8EWDpa82E1ep2uR0AwelQQZvTTX1LBB43V915KhllliCoOHqHUZdZmuzdZcLhkulwckUTsSbzgsUq280GYQ/s400/blogger-image-1744226889.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Little Brother was very little when I took this photo of him playing in the snow.</i></div>
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<i>He was very proud of his snowman!</i><i> </i><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Freezing Rain</b> occurs when the atmosphere is warm enough for rain, but ground temperatures are 32 degrees F or lower. The rain freezes instantly when it hits the ground, coating everything in a layer of ice. <b>Freezing drizzle</b> is similar, but the individual drops of water are smaller. <b>Freezing fog</b> occurs when ice crystals are suspended in fog.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKo8PzJATeZfPDx4NwjDr4Sv0GO3WK0lWQ_D2G-fgNINjOotzqgqLeY2xvuYAT1mc28u_jrvIupXNvBu2zUjmik4Lz3MYcl5_52-5-ZLx9_hk5ADzGqbPNfgDHNtCjz5MvZFvi6mgXts/s1600/1451558_10151925480126847_1755070829_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJKo8PzJATeZfPDx4NwjDr4Sv0GO3WK0lWQ_D2G-fgNINjOotzqgqLeY2xvuYAT1mc28u_jrvIupXNvBu2zUjmik4Lz3MYcl5_52-5-ZLx9_hk5ADzGqbPNfgDHNtCjz5MvZFvi6mgXts/s1600/1451558_10151925480126847_1755070829_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i> I took this picture after an ice storm last winter. The rain froze the instant it hit the tree branches.</i><b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Sleet</b> forms when snow melts in the atmosphere and then refreezes before it hits the ground. Sleet does not stick to objects the way freezing rain does.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This article (sans photographs) was first posted at the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/" target="_blank">Audubon Naturalist Society</a>. Come visit <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md" target="_blank">Woodend</a>!</span>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-32371707432763387372015-01-30T09:54:00.000-08:002015-01-30T09:54:00.138-08:00A Naturalist's Thoughts on Winter Nature WalksIn the northern hemisphere, the season of winter - with its freezing temperatures, muddy trails, and a dearth of wildlife - can be a difficult time to appreciate nature. Unlike the frenetic activity that occurs each spring, winter can seem downright boring by comparison. But if you take the time to experience nature in winter, you will find it a rewarding experience. Here are some tips for your next nature walk:
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<b>Silence your phone. </b>In this age of constant communication, it is hard to let go and experience the moment. Allow yourself some time to simply be in nature, without expecting anything from yourself or your surroundings.<br />
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<b>Use your four senses.</b> At first, you may notice human activities like helicopters buzzing overhead or cars idling in the parking lot. But the longer you listen, sounds of nature will capture your fancy: birdsong, leaves crackling under the weight of a squirrel, a light breeze through tree branches. Take a closer look at the downed trees, the dried grasses in the meadow, or the animal tracks in the mud or snow. Touch tree bark and the hulls of seed pods. Inhale deeply and smell the unique scents of nature. But please don't taste anything during a nature walk unless you are certain of what it is!<br />
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<b>Savor your visit. </b>Capture your moments of awareness by jotting them down in a nature journal, taking a photograph, or writing a poem or essay about your experiences.<br />
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T<span style="font-size: small;">his article was first posted at the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/" target="_blank">Audubon Naturalist Society</a>. Come visit <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md" target="_blank">Woodend</a>!</span>jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-25755930824586145332015-01-23T08:51:00.000-08:002015-01-23T08:51:00.111-08:00A Naturalist's Thoughts on Animal Tracks in WinterWinter, in the northern hemisphere, can be a hard time of year to spot mammals. Many are hibernating now or have significantly slowed their activities due to the cold. But fresh snowfall can lead to animal tracks, which is a fun way to study animals in winter. The following animals (and their tracks) are commonly found in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. My thanks to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vastateparksstaff/" target="_blank">vastateparksstaff</a> for posting - and sharing - these great pictures online via Flickr (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">cc by 2.0</a>). Note the use of a ruler - it's really helpful when trying to gauge the size of a print.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vastateparksstaff/8322313910" title="White-tailed deer tracks by vastateparksstaff, on Flickr"><img alt="White-tailed deer tracks" height="333" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8322313910_34fbef29e9.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
White-tailed deer tracks sometimes look like little hearts!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vastateparksstaff/8322307994" title="Eastern Gray Squirrel tracks by vastateparksstaff, on Flickr"><img alt="Eastern Gray Squirrel tracks" height="500" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8322307994_f9dbc239af.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
This squirrel was running so fast that its front feet appear behind its hind feet!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vastateparksstaff/5374954651" title="HM Winter Visitors by vastateparksstaff, on Flickr"><img alt="HM Winter Visitors" height="333" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5127/5374954651_1fdbde4830.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
Raccoon tracks<br />
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The text of this entry was first posted at the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/" target="_blank">Audubon Naturalist Society</a>. Come visit <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md" target="_blank">Woodend</a>!jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-18416020794334781792015-01-16T08:09:00.000-08:002015-01-16T08:09:00.112-08:00A Naturalist's Thoughts on Tree Rings<div class="Body" style="mso-outline-level: 1;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">A </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">tree is a woody plant with a single
trunk that branches out at the top. Trees are perennial, meaning that they can
live for many years. Tree height varies widely across the planet. Some <a href="http://www.nps.gov/redw/index.htm" target="_blank">California redwoods</a> are more than 350 feet high, while the world's shortest tree,
Greenland's dwarf willow, grows to be less than two and a half inches.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">What causes tree rings?</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">The outer bark of a tree trunk
consists of dead tissue, while the inner parts of the trunk are alive. New
yearly trunk growth is added on between the inner old wood and the bark
outside. Individual rings form because tree cells grow differently from the
beginning to the end of a growing season. Each tree ring consists of two layers.
A light-colored layer is formed when the tree grows rapidly in the spring;
slower growth in the late summer and early fall causes a second, darker layer
to form. Tree rings are only found in temperate climates. Tropical trees grow
year-round, so they do not form rings.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">When you look at a cross-section of a
cut tree trunk, inner rings are the oldest. The rings' shape and width can tell
you about the tree's life. Scars in the rings are usually caused by fire; if
growth is limited by rainfall, wetter years tend to yield thicker rings. Narrow
rings indicate tree stress, perhaps from drought or pests.</span></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lawmurray/2284340556" title="Pacific Spirit by Lawrence Murray, on Flickr"><img alt="Pacific Spirit" height="406" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2308/2284340556_014977363f_o.jpg" width="540" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: x-small; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Photo credit: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/lawmurray/" target="_blank">Lawrence Murray</a>, via Flickr (<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/" target="_blank">cc by 2.0</a>)</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">This information was first posted at the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/" target="_blank">Audubon Naturalist Society</a></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">. Come visit <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md" target="_blank">Woodend</a>!</span></div>
jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-79191040017841762972015-01-09T07:33:00.000-08:002015-01-09T07:41:56.135-08:00Become a Master Naturalist!<div style="text-align: left;">
<b><i>You'll never look at downed trees the same way again!</i></b>
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Recently, I earned my certification as a <a href="http://extension.umd.edu/masternaturalist" target="_blank">Maryland Master Naturalist</a>. As part of this program, I took 60 hours of classes and instruction covering the ecology, geology, flora, and fauna of the state of Maryland. In order to keep my certification, I have to volunteer 40 hours a year and take 8 hours of refresher classes yearly. One way that I have been volunteering is to write up a short flyer each month for the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/" target="_blank">Audubon Naturalist Society</a> to post at their trail heads on the <a href="http://www.audubonnaturalist.org/index.php/sanctuaries/woodend-chevy-chase-md" target="_blank">Woodend Nature Center</a> sanctuary. I've decided to share these <a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/search/label/naturalist%20thoughts" target="_blank">naturalist thoughts</a> here in this blog on select Fridays.</div>
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Nearly every state in the US has a <a href="http://www.ecosystemgardening.com/master-naturalist-programs-by-state.html" target="_blank">Master Naturalist Program</a>. If you like spending time in nature, I encourage you to look into the training. I think it's a great opportunity for those of us who enjoy time outdoors. Here are a few reasons why:<br />
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- Training costs are low when compared with earning a similar certificate or degree.<br />
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- You meet lots of great eco-minded folks.<br />
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- You develop a greater appreciation and understanding of natural spaces around you.<br />
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- You'll have something new to add to your resume. <br />
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<i>I developed a new appreciation for fungi as a part of my training. I used to always think of fungi as a sort of weird exception to plants. Nope! Fungi are totally different than plants and animals and have completely different life cycles and evolutionary strategies. Thinking about fungi has fueled some of my creative writing. :)</i><br />
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-33811205695810643762014-09-18T08:27:00.001-07:002014-09-27T12:36:02.898-07:00Worthwhile diversions<div>
<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Last Sunday, I went for a walk around the lake with my oldest child. Lake is a generous term for the neighborhood retention pond, but it's been in place for over 30 years and local wildlife have taken to it. </span></div>
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During our walk, we crossed a bridge over a meandering stream. My son hopped down to the creek bed and began exploring. </div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">My first thought was that we didn't have time for this - I needed to get home to make dinner. My second thought was that we probably weren't supposed to be off the beaten path. But my third thought was hey, I wonder what's down there?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">So, we went creeking. Without a dip net, it was hard to discover what lurked beneath the rocks and muck. But we still managed to find water striders, several schools of minnows, and three crayfish.</span></div>
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All in all, it was a very worthwhile diversion. And a nice way to bond in nature with my teen-aged son.</div>
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jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-47011913350083854992014-09-12T05:27:00.000-07:002014-09-12T05:27:00.023-07:00Website of the Week: NASA's S'COOL<br />
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If you are over the age of 5 and you like clouds, <a href="http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">NASA's S'COOL website</a> is the place for you. This citizen science project is designed to let student observers report cloud conditions and compare their findings with <a href="http://ceres.larc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">CERES</a> satellite data (a fact sheet about CERES can be found<a href="http://www.nasa.gov/centers/langley/pdf/70877main_FS-2002-03-71-LaRC.pdf" target="_blank"> here</a>). Although this project is primarily designed for school classes, <a href="http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/Rover/" target="_blank">individuals can report their findings</a> too. To date, over eighty countries have participated in this project!<br />
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There are some neat information sheets tucked into this website, including a <a href="http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/Cloud_ID.php" target="_blank">cloud chart</a>, <a href="http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/lintips.html" target="_blank">tips for observing clouds</a>, and<a href="http://science-edu.larc.nasa.gov/SCOOL/cldtips.html" target="_blank"> more tips</a> for observing clouds. Enjoy! jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-89318922558374295882014-09-10T05:45:00.000-07:002014-09-10T05:45:00.367-07:00Ten Tips to Inspire Environmentalists<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://mamajoules.blogspot.com/2009/10/what-is-global-warming.html" target="_blank">Climate change</a> is profoundly and noticeably impacting the environment where I live. For the past few years, I've observed increasingly intense summer thunderstorms and accelerating tree death from a variety of causes. Despite an abundance of dragonflies this year (yay!), I've seen fewer butterflies, moths, and bees this summer. This loss has affected me deeply and left me feeling out of sorts. Discouraged about the general state of the planet's health and concerned for my eco-community specifically, I turned to a listserv of Maryland Master Naturalists for advice. Why keep plugging away at saving the environment, I asked, when things look so bleak? How do I keep my spirits up when I find myself discouraged?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Here are the ten best tips that I received for coping with environmental degradation and dealing with the feelings of loss and helplessness that can arise:<br /><br />1. Remember that the Earth is resilient and will be here long after we are gone.<br /><br />2. Recognize that it may take a number of adverse ecological changes before real, meaningful climate change legislation is enacted.<br /><br />3. Get involved. Plant trees, keep bees, study native plants, aid pollinators. Every little bit helps.<br /><br />4. Rejoice over small eco-victories.<br /><br />5. Focus on what you can do for the planet and set a good example for others.<br /><br />6. Speak out about climate change. Let your voice be heard and educate others.<br /><br />7. Teach children to be environmental stewards.<br /><br />8. Accept that some environmental change is inevitable. New, more adaptable species will arise to succession. This is part of life.<br /><br />9. Know that you are part of a larger community of environmental stewards who are working to make a difference.<br /><br />10. Events that we interpret as undesirable (such as tree death) have important environmental benefits too (bird habitat).</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My thanks to the kind and generous <a href="http://extension.umd.edu/masternaturalist" target="_blank">Maryland Master Naturalists</a> who responded to cheer me up. Keep fighting the good fight!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Save_The_Planet_g386-Love_The_Earth_p67681.html" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9AiY9_aPRBhwohStCyAPEl51QDxzX9BuTztHOX_-MiFerDJGOpkpFrEsaJ49jnuxU6PY5O6encpHaUunk0QJAyaYb2Qc6YFEauL23lwQLEyqgPH_9ordgmIXKzMGVNc0Ak-282mOVSqs/s1600/ID-10067681.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Image credit:<a href="http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=3685" target="_blank"> tongdang</a>, on freedigitalphotos.net</span></div>
jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7020500419246926092.post-54855644656065659812014-09-07T12:11:00.001-07:002014-09-14T05:34:54.857-07:00Mackerel SkyI love clouds. There's something alluring about their ephemeral beauty. Each morning, I look to the sky to see what surprises Mother Nature has in store for me.<br>
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Today, I found a mackerel sky. This is a cloudscape that looks like rows of fish scales, or, as I like to think of it, a popcorn sky.</div>
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<b><i>Altocumulus</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Technically, these rows of small puffy clouds are altocumulus, mid-level cumulus that form in the lower middle portion of the sky. These clouds are sometimes confused with cirrocumulus, although the two form in very different vertical layers. If you look through the bumpy rows of clouds and the sun looks fuzzy, you've spotted the rarer and higher lying cirrocumulus.</span></div>
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<b><i>Cirrocumulus</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">Over on <a href="http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">NASA's S'COOL </a></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://scool.larc.nasa.gov/" target="_blank">website</a> (Students' Cloud Observations On-line), Lin Chambers suggests holding your hand up at arm's length when trying to differentiate between these two cloud types. If the individual clouds are the size of your thumbnail, you have altocumulus; if they are the size of your pinky fingernail, you have cirrocumulus.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br></span></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">Note: Since I posted this, I've learned that the term mackerel sky can be used to describe either cirrocumulus or altocumulus or both! </font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="Helvetica Neue Light, HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif">[Edited 9/14/14]</font></div>
jublkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06217297649484707101noreply@blogger.com0