Science

February 18 – National Battery Day

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Using Batteries Picture Book review

About the Holiday

While not an official holiday, National Battery Day is a great time to think about how these small, ubiquitous power cells have changed and improved our lives, allowing us to take our gadgets and our necessities wherever we go. Batteries themselves may be relatively new, but the idea may have been around for 2,000 years. In 1936 archaeologist Wilhelm Konig unearthed a clay jar from a Parthian tomb that held an iron rod encased in copper that may have been used to electroplate gold onto silver.

It was Benjamin Franklin (of course it was!) who coined the term “battery” in 1748 to describe an array of charged glass plates. The word “volt” or a battery’s electric potential comes from Alessandro Volta, who in 1800 generated electrical current by layering silver, a material soaked in salt or acid, and zinc. William Cruickshank, an English chemist, advanced this method, and in 1802 created a battery for mass production. The first commercially available battery was introduced in 1896 by the company now known as Eveready, and we were off and charging!

It’s Electric Series: Using Batteries

By Chris Oxlade

Batteries—those things that make our our cars run, our TV remotes change channels, our little book lights glow, and so much more—are part of our lives from the very beginning, when they’re required (but not included) for our favorite toys. But how many of us really know how they work? This little book explains to children in simple and easily understood language how batteries store and use electricity to fuel many of the world’s machines and gadgets.

Large photographs accompany the text and clearly demonstrate the concepts. Children will learn about using batteries, how batteries work in circuits, the different battery shapes and sizes, battery materials, rechargeable batteries, battery safety, portable power, and more!

For kids interested in electricity – and batteries in particular – theIt’s Electric series of books is a great place to start learning!

Battery Day Activity

Connect the Battery Puzzle

CPB - Battery Day maze

Hmmm…The flashlight, watch, video game controller, and smoke detector are all broken! Can you find which battery goes into which object to make them work again? Print out the Connect the Battery puzzle here.

February 16 – Innovation Day

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CPB - Girls Think of Everything Innovation Day

About the Holiday

Today we celebrate all those people who look at a problem and design a solution, or who just ask, “What if…?” and search for answers. So put on your thinking cap, look around you, and do something new, novel, and completely unexpected. Who knows…you may be the next great inventor!

Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women

Written by Catherine Thimmesh | Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

 

Throughout history women have invented new and clever ways of doing things—necessity is the Mother of invention, after all. In her fascinating picture book, Catherine Thimmesh highlights ten women and two girls whose creativity has changed the world.

Here, you’ll learn the intriguing stories behind each invention, the struggles for recognition, and the ultimate victory of innovation. Did you know that the original recipe for chocolate chip cookies was just a time-saver? Or that people once thought windshield wipers weren’t necessary? You’ll also discover how liquid paper, flat-bottomed paper bags, and the Glo-sheet came to be. Women in science have contributed Kevlar, Scotchgard, the COBOL computer language, and the space shields that protect the International Space Station, satellites, and more.

Catherine Thimmesh is an excellent storyteller, drawing you into the actions and minds of these women innovators and the situations or environments that fostered their talents. Melissa Sweet accompanies each profile with portraits of the inventor and colorful collage illustrations that build on the text and tell stories of their own.

Ages 7 – 12

Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2000 | ISBN 978-0618195633

Innovation Day Activity

CPB - Invention Word Scramble

Invention Word Scramble

 

Every invention started out as a jumble of ideas in someone’s head. In this Invention Word Scramble you can unscramble the letters of some of the world’s greatest creations. Solutionincluded. Odog cklu!

 

February 5 – Western Monarch Day

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CPB - Hurry and the Monarch - Monarch Day

 

About the Holiday

Western Monarch Day celebrates the migration of these beautiful butterflies from the Rocky Mountain area to California, where they spend the winter. Other monarchs make different journeys, as you will see in today’s reviewed picture book. Today the monarch population is in peril, but there is something you can do! In honor of today’s holiday, consider planting milkweed in your yard. Not only will you attract these fascinating creatures to your home, but you will be helping to feed them and increase the population.

Hurry and the Monarch

Written by Antoine Ó Flatharta | Illustrated by Meilo So

 

A swift, graceful monarch butterfly and a slow, lumbering tortoise couldn’t be more different, but the friendship between these two creatures in Ó Flatharta’s Hurry and the Monarch, illuminates the majesty of life for all.

On an October day in Texas a monarch butterfly lands on Hurry the tortoise’s back and asks where she is. “Wichita Falls,” answers Hurry, and the monarch knows her trip from Canada is not over yet. Before she continues her flight, however, the monarch and Hurry talk about their differences. While the monarch is well traveled, Hurry feels he has been in Wichita Falls “forever.” The monarch suggests that Hurry may one day break out of his shell and fly away like she did, but Hurry doubts it. And when it comes to dealing with cold weather, the monarch seeks out a warmer climate, while Hurry sleeps the winter away.

The monarch flies away and joins other monarchs on their journey to Mexico. It is now November, and the monarch has found the green forest where she will spend the winter with millions of others. With the spring thaw, the monarch begins her return journey, stopping once again to visit Hurry. Here she lays eggs on a milkweed plant and flies away. Hurry watches as the eggs transform into caterpillars and finally into butterflies.

Before hurrying away to discover life, one newborn monarch asks Hurry what he thinks the world is like. “I imagine,” Hurry says, “that it is like my garden. A place full of astonishing things.”

Meilo So’s watercolor illustrations are full of color and motion that beautifully depict both the gentile friendship between Hurry and the monarch and the astounding migration of the millions of butterflies that occurs each year. The natural world these characters inhabit is rendered in bold, joyous colors, and children will love to linger over the details of each page.

The Author’s afterword is a must-read, as it contains many fascinating facts about the lives of monarch butterflies and tortoises.

Ages 4 – 8

Dragonfly Books, 2009 | ISBN 978-0385737197

Western Monarch Day Activity

CPB - Monarch Maze

Monarch Migration Maze

The monarch needs help finding her way to the green forest. Print out the Monarch Migration Maze and show her the way!