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  • STEM Tuesday-- Survival Science -- In the Classroom
    STEM Tuesday– Survival Science — In the Classroom
    June 11, 2024 by
      When we talk about animals, we are usually talking about their biological make-up: How they look, what they eat, where they live, and how they interact with other animals. But this month we are focusing on a different topic. It’s more about how animals survive in the wild. This is an important idea and one that is a good to explore with your students. Especially because as climates change and humans move into their habitats, animals are needing to work harder to survive. There are many great books to use in the classroom on our Species Survival  list this month. Here are a few activities that you can use in your classroom:   Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science, and Survival by Sneed Collard This book takes a look at whether animals are able to adapt to climate change to survive. The snowshoe hare is white because normally it is found in areas with a lot of...
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  • STEM Tuesday-- Survival Science -- Book List
    STEM Tuesday– Survival Science — Book List
    June 4, 2024 by
    June 2024 – Species Survival How do animals and plants survive Earth’s most extreme conditions? This month’s book list explores the unique challenges and adaptations that species face amid wildfires, polar ice, climate change, and more.   Extreme Survival: How People, Plants, and Animals Live in the World’s Toughest Places Written by Ben Lerwill & illustrated by Daniel Long   Reading like an adventure guide, this book takes readers on a tour of the most extreme habitats our world has to offer. Each destination features facts and stories about the people and animals who live there, as well as practical tips for survival. STEM connections range from biology (animal adaptations) to earth science (climate and weather) to engineering (igloo-building), and more!   Fire Escape: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires (publishes June 25, 2024) Written by Jessica Stremer and illustrated by Michael Garland Did you know that goats can help...
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  • STEM Tuesday -- Renewable Energy -- Writing Tips & Resources
    STEM Tuesday — Renewable Energy — Writing Tips & Resources
    May 21, 2024 by
    Renewable Creative Energy STEM Tuesday friends, I was creatively tired. Drained. The well was dry. Etc., etc., etc. It’s been a wild couple of months in which I feel I’ve been running full tilt on a treadmill not going anywhere. The battery was drained.  There’s a definition of energy derived from Aristotle and his concept of enérgeia. Energy is a condition that allows the capacity to do work. I needed some renewable energy. I need the capacity to do my work. Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only be transformed from one form to another. This little nugget is the Law of Conservation of Energy.  Ah, but since energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form to another, I couldn’t just wave a magic wand and create the “Best STEM Tuesday Post of All Time” I dreamt of making.  I needed some renewable energy. But how?...
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  • STEM Tuesday -- Renewable Energy -- In the Classroom
    STEM Tuesday — Renewable Energy — In the Classroom
    May 14, 2024 by
      How will renewable energy be part of our future? These books explore different sources of renewable energy and how they are being used today and in the future. The possibilities are endless for energy-filled classroom discussions and activities! Energy lab for kids: 40 exciting experiments to explore, create, harness, and unleash energy by Emily Hawbacker Do you want to know about the different types of energy and how they help us in our everyday lives? Potential, kinetic, chemical, radiant and thermal energy: they affect us daily. This book provides activities that explore the different components of energy: from what it is, to how it’s discovered and used, and how we can save it. If you like hands-on fun, this is the book for you!   Classroom Activity How much energy do you use? Ask students to track their energy use for 24 hours. Have them write down the activity,...
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Photo of Karen Latchana Kenney

Karen Latchana Kenney

Biography

Karen Latchana Kenney loves to write books about animals, and looks for them wherever she goes—from leafcutter ants trailing through the Amazon rain forest in Guyana, where she was born, to puffins in cliff-side burrows on the Irish island of Skellig Michael. She especially enjoys creating books about nature, biodiversity, conservation, and groundbreaking scientific discoveries—but also writes about civil rights, astronomy, historical moments, and many other topics. Her award-winning and star-reviewed books have been named a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, a 2015 Book of Note from the TriState Review Committee, a 2011 Editor’s Choice for School Library Connection, and Junior Library Guild selections. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and son, and bikes, hikes, and gazes at the night sky in northern Minnesota any moment she can.