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    STEM Tuesday– Naturalists– Writing Tips & Resources
    April 15, 2025 by
    Hello again, STEM Tuesday friends. Here in Utah the spring has been iffy, with bitter winds and snow as recently as two weeks ago. Now that the air is warm and filled with little white blossoms from the cherry trees, it seems like we’re finally close to summer. With the warming weather, and our monthly theme of naturalists, my first impulse is to recommend a nature walk. When I was young, I loved looking at different leaf shapes, and feeling their various textures. I remember washing out an Altoids tin and keeping an assortment of dried flowers, twigs, and rocks. These sorts of outings are timeless. It being poetry month, I have a wonderful resource for you: a book about writing nature poems, written for and featuring young poets called A Crow Doesn’t Need a Shadow: A Guide to Writing Poetry From Nature by Lorraine Ferra. Indeed, the first chapter is about poetry field trips; getting into the great outdoors...
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  • STEM Tuesday-- Naturalists-- In the Classroom
    STEM Tuesday– Naturalists– In the Classroom
    April 8, 2025 by
      Instead of just reading about ecosystems or food chains in a textbook, naturalists are out in the world seeing it happen —watching ants build a colony, seeing mushrooms grow after rain, or noticing how birds behave at different times of day. These books explore naturalists, what they do, and how you can be a naturalist too. They make a great starting point for nature explorations, classroom discussions, and activities!   I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau  by Julie Dunlap and Megan Elizabeth Baratta Henry Thoreau collected leaves and arrowheads from a young age. He could tell when skunk cabbage was blooming by smelling the air. As an adult, he kept copious notes about nature, sending samples and observations to scientists. Observant readers will enjoy the timeline that runs along the bottom of the pages. Back matter dives into phenology (botanical signs of the...
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  • STEM Tuesday-- Naturalists -- Book List
    STEM Tuesday– Naturalists — Book List
    April 1, 2025 by
    A naturalist is a person who observes plants, animals and fungi, and looks at how they fit into their environments. You don’t have to go to a special school to learn how to be a naturalist; you just have to be curious. Here are a few books about naturalists, and how you can become one. I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau by Julie Dunlap and Megan Elizabeth Baratta Henry Thoreau collected leaves and arrowheads from a young age. He could tell when skunk cabbage was blooming by smelling the air. As an adult, he kept copious notes about nature, sending samples and observations to scientists. Observant readers will enjoy the timeline that runs along the bottom of the pages. Back matter dives into phenology (botanical signs of the seasons) and how Thoreau’s work has helped modern scientists understand climate change. Wildheart: the Daring Adventures...
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    STEM Tuesday– Periodic Table — Author Interview with Jon Chad
    March 25, 2025 by
    Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview, a repeating feature for the last Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math! Today we’re interviewing Jon Chad, author and illustrator of  The Periodic Table of Elements. Understanding the Building Blocks of Everything published by First Second a division of Macmillan.  The graphic novel gives rare insight into the anxiety children experience the night before the test. In this case, the young girl, Mel, faces apocalyptic fear over the next day’s test on elements. When she falls asleep she’s transported to a land where elements control the narrative and push her boundaries. There, she has to recover a book of science experiments and stop the evil Elemancer in his fortress modeled off the Periodic Table. The Jon Chad describes this story as part chemistry, part dungeon crawler! “Solid gold.” —Kirkus, starred review “A fun scientific romp with a Black girl protagonist; perfect for middle grade...
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Jennifer Swanson

Website: www.jenniferswansonbooks.com

Biography

Jennifer Swanson dreams of one day running away to the Museum of Science and Industry- then maybe she could look at all the exhibits and try out all the gadgets without competing for them with her kids. An author of thirty nonfiction science books for grades 3-6, Jennifer’s goal is to show kids that Science Rocks! She lives in sunny Florida with her husband, three kids and two dogs. When not writing she’s on the hunt for fun science facts.