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Be a Citizen Scientist and help NASA GLOBE Measure Trees!!

NASA GLOBE Tree Challenge logo

Calling all teachers, parents, homeschoolers– here is a way to help the environment!

 

Have you ever looked up at a tree and wondered just exactly how tall it really is?  How did it grow that high? And does the height of the tree really affect the environment? YES!

 

Tree height can help scientists determine not how healthy the environment is but also let them know how much carbon is being pulled out of the atmosphere.

 

Sounds, cool, doesn’t it?

 

NASA GLOBE  (Global Learning and Observations to benefit the Environment)
is a program that encompasses many different parts of the environment. , NASA looks for help from the public
to gather data across the Earth and then compares it with data that it gathers from satellites in space.

 

There is a GLOBE Clouds program where you can identify clouds  Clouds

 

    and a podcast for that
Cloud Watching podcast image

 

and also a GLOBE TREES program  

 

NASA GLOBE Trees needs  YOU! 

 

Join the NASA GLOBE Trees Challenge 2022: “Trees in a Changing Climate” from 11 October through 11 November

NASA GLOBE Trees Challenge 2022

 

From the NASA GLOBE website:

Help us estimate the number of trees that make up your area and contribute to tree and climate science by sharing your observations of trees.

 

How to participate:

  1. Download the GLOBE Observer app and register an account.
  2. Estimate heights of trees around you using the Trees tool.* (Remember to always be safe and follow local guidelines when observing.)
  3. Optionally, use a tape measure to add data about tree circumference to your observations.
  4. Comment in the field notes about any changes you know have occurred in the area you took the tree heights, and if the trees appear healthy, unhealthy, or dead.

 

 

To learn more about the program and hear from Brian Campbell, NASA Senior Earth Science Outreach Specialist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight  Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, USA, take a listen to the podcast below. Brian is also the Trees Around the GLOBE Student Research Campaign Lead and the Trees Science Lead for the NASA GLOBE Observer citizen science program. Brian works with local to international students, educators, citizen scientists, and researchers in over 100 countries.

 

To hear the podcast, just click on the image:

 

Once you upload your tree data you can see if NASA has captured a picture of your tree from their satellite in space! You can compare the information from both sources and see how accurate the satellite data is.

The challenge runs from October 11th to November 11th, 2022. So get your apps ready and go out and MEASURE SOME TREES!!

 

This is a great challenge for teachers, classrooms, kids, families, parents, and grandparents. Let’s get TONS of data for NASA GLOBE. Then we can help figure out how healthy our planet really is.

Trees

 

 

 

 

 

National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas Blog Tour and Giveaway

Welcome to the National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas Blog Tour!

To celebrate the release of the National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas on September 20th, come along on a blog tour that spans the continents as we showcase not only the most awesome dinosaurs, but also highlight the geography, environment, and climate that supported these ferocious, fascinating, and fabulous creatures. This is a blog tour to really sink your teeth into!

Africa

Fewer dinosaur fossils have been found in Africa than in some other parts of the world. One reason is that some of the areas—like the harsh Sahara desert environment— can be difficult to explore safely. But paleontologists are beginning to spend much more time searching this important continent. The fossils that have been found here come in all sizes, from dog-size fossils from the mid-Triassic—when the very first dinosaur lived!—all the way to huge titanosaurs from the last days of the Cretaceous.


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Dinosaur Nesting Ground
In 1976 in South Africa’s Golden Gate Highlands National Park, eggs were found with baby Massospondylus fossils inside. In 2006, paleontologists found 10 more groups of eggs. One group had at least 34 eggs! Massospondylus mothers raised babies here about 200 million years ago. That makes it the oldest known site where dinosaurs nested in groups. Back then, this area was near a lake. When it flooded, the eggs were covered with sediment and became fossils.

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SPOTLIGHT ON KEM KEM GROUP, MOROCCO AND SAHARA, EGYPT
FOSSIL FINDS: SPINOSAURUS, MANSOURASAURUS
WHEN: CRETACEOUS

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world. It covers almost all of North Africa and is about 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from east to west. But during the time of dinosaurs, the Tethys Sea covered much of North Africa. There was more rain than there is today. There were lots of plants. Rising sea levels caused floods during the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Then, about seven to 11 million years ago, sea levels began to drop. The Tethys Sea became smaller and smaller as the continents moved. The climate changed. It began to rain less. About seven million years ago, this area became the dry desert we know today.

SPINOSAURUS (SPINE-oh-SORE-us)
MEANING: “Spine lizard”
PERIOD: Late Cretaceous
There is only one dinosaur known to have swum in water: Spinosaurus. Its long crocodile-like snout, long paddle-like tail, and small back legs meant that it could hunt better in water than on land. It used its sharp teeth to snap up large fish. But it is most famous for the six-foot (2-m)-tall “sail” on its back. Scientists believe that at more than 50 feet (15 m) in length, Spinosaurus was the largest meat-eater that ever lived.

The only known Spinosaurus skeleton in the world was destroyed during World War II. Only drawings and pictures were left—until a new Spinosaurus skeleton was found in Morocco in 2013. In 2020, scientists announced that they had found a fossil of a nearly complete Spinosaurus tail.


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About the Book

BuyGoodreads

With more than 75 prehistoric creatures featured, the National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas takes readers on a tour of every dinosaur-inhabited continent, from Pangea to the modern day, revealing which creatures lived there, what their habitats were like and where dinosaur bones are being found today. Special sections introducing the dinosaur family tree, a prehistoric era timeline, the geography of the prehistoric globe, what happened to the dinosaurs, and a dinosaur dictionary  (with phonetic pronunciations) are also included . Readers will find inspiration from profiles of diverse paleontologists from around the world.

The oversized hardcover format showcases stunning, full color dinosaur illustrations on every page and the custom-made, kid-friendly maps were created by National Geographic’s legendary cartography and exploration experts. Vetted and curated by Dr. Steve Brusatte — a paleontologist on faculty at the School of Geosciences at the University of Edinburg, a PhD recipient from Columbia University, and the science consultant for the Jurassic World franchise — this atlas contains the most detailed and accurate information not only about dino “fan favorites” but also about the most recent dinosaur discoveries from less explored dig sites around the world.

For more fun information about dinosaurs, visit https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/prehistoric.

About the Creators

Website | Twitter

About the Expert Reviewer, Professor Steve Brusatte:
STEVE BRUSATTE, a paleontologist on the faculty of the School of GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, served as the expert reviewer for this atlas. He grew up in the midwestern United States and has a B.S. in Geophysical Sciences from the University of Chicago, M.Sc. in Paleobiology from the University of Bristol, and Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Columbia University in New York. He has written more than 150 peer-reviewed scientific papers during his 15 years of research in the field, named and described over a dozen new species of dinosaurs and mammals, and led groundbreaking studies on how dinosaurs rose to dominance and eventually went extinct, and were then replaced by mammals. Among his particular research interests are the evolutionary transition between dinosaurs and birds and the rise of placental mammals. He is also a noted specialist on the anatomy, genealogy, and evolution of the carnivorous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. His 2018 book, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs, was a New York Times best seller, and he is the science consultant for the Jurassic World film franchise.

 

Website | Instagram

About the illustrator, Franco Tempesta: 
Born in Milan, Italy, FRANCO TEMPESTA has loved drawing animals, dinosaurs and dragons since he was a child.  Franco specializes in naturalistic illustration, and in the last twenty years has focused his attention on the realization of realistic images of dinosaurs and prehistoric animals.  In April 2014 the Museum of Paleontology of Naples hosted a permanent exhibition dedicated to his illustrations of dinosaurs and in 2016 the Science Museum of Camerino hosted an exhibition of his paleo art.


GIVEAWAY

  • Five (5) winners will receive a copy of National Geographic Kids Dinosaur Atlas (ARV $25)
  • US/Canada only
  • Ends 10/16 at 11:59pm ET
  • Enter via the Rafflecopter below
  • Visit the other stops on the tour for more chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 


Blog Tour Schedule:

October 3rd Whirlwind of Surprises
October 4th Nerdophiles
October 5th Pragmatic Mom
October 6th From the Mixed-Up Files… of Middle-Grade Authors
October 7th Chat with Vera

Books & Cats: A Unique Bookstore

Have you ever visited a bookstore where you can buy books and adopt a cat? Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, PA, is a unique indie bookstore where you can do both. It’s a cat lover’s and a book lover’s dream. In addition to three resident cats, the store always has several adorable cats and kittens looking for Furever homes.

First, let’s meet the resident cats with their unique personalities:

My favorite is Annika. I’d never seen a grumpy-looking cat before, but Annika looks annoyed when you meet her. Maybe she didn’t like posing as a unicorn when she has a dragon-cut fur, or else she wants to look fierce when she guards the books. Don’t let her expression fool you, though. She’ll warm up if you offer her a treat. And she loves books.

grumpy catcat with dragon cut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next is Mouse, a cuddly gray and white cat, who was born in the bookstore during the COVID-19 shutdown in Spring 2020.

cat

If you want to hold or pet a cat, Mouse’s buddy, Zak, loves attention. The two of them also enjoy helping each new foster cat feel at home.

siamese cat

In addition to these three lovable felines and about 130,000 books at Cupboard Maker Books, you’ll also find cats to take home. The bookstore partners with Castaway Critters, a local rescue organization, to find foster homes for abandoned cats.

When you enter the store, go on a cat hunt. Some of the cats will seek you out. You’ll find others on the yellow brick road to the children’s section. . .

yellow brick road

sitting on stools or ladders. . .

cat on stoolcat on ladder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

lounging atop cages. . .

cats on cages

snuggling in baskets. . .

cats in basket

peeking out from behind chairs. . .

cat behind chair

sauntering down aisles. . .

cats walking

or hanging out at the inspiration wall, where cats and people can get their pictures taken with butterfly wings.

butterfly wallcat with wings

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t forget to check out the book arch. . .

book arch

High overhead, the cats also like to strut along the ramps above the bookshelves. But they can always be lured down by treats. (The pictures on the ramps represent the more than 170 cats who’ve found their special homes.)

Cats on Ramp video

The bookstore has an interesting history. You might wonder how it got its name. When it opened in 1998, the store was called the Cupboard Maker, and they sold hand-crafted cupboards. Back then, the store had only one bookshelf. But the book collection grew and grew and grew until it moved to its present location at 157 N Enola Rd (Routes 11/15), Enola, PA 17025.

logo

So would you rather buy a book or adopt a cat? If your answer is either or both, you’ll want to visit Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, PA. Owner Michelle Mioff-Haring and her book-loving (and cat-loving) staff love matching readers with great books and special pets. They also host multiple book clubs and author visits. You can check them out online, see the most recent foster cats on Facebook, or call (717) 732-7288.

Bookstore Hours:

Mon-Sat 10 am – 8 pm

Sundays 11 to 5

(Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas)

cat car