by Paula JohansonMost people think of science writing as writing about doing science or being a scientist. But some science writing is writing about how people think about science. This can be entertaining when you're reading a book by Stephen Jay Gould or Oliver Sacks. Learning how a scientist thinks about the process of discovering and teaching facts is informative and fun for those of us who are not career scientists! There are other books…

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by Yolanda RidgeFor the Love of Frogs This week, I finally visited what people in my town affectionately (and not-so-creatively) refer to as “the frog pond.” Being at home during the pandemic, I’ve sort of lost track of time. Maybe that’s why I expected the tadpoles to be bigger. Or maybe that’s why I was surprised—like I always am—to see so many of them huddled together, totally unconcerned about “social distancing.” Over the next month, my…

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Science, Traditional Knowledge, and Beautiful Picture Booksby Gillian O'ReillyCelebrate National Aboriginal Day (June21, 2020) and science by exploring these beautiful picture books. For toddlers and pre-schoolers, Indigenous artist Roy Henry Vickers and his co-author Robert Budd have created gorgeous board books One Eagle Soaring and Sockeye Silver, Saltchuck Blue (Harbour Publishing). Here's a link to the listing for One Eagle Soaring at Harbour Publishing.These books introduce little ones to numbers and colours and the landscape,…

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One of our own authors on Sci/Why blog, Helaine Becker, announced today (June 16) on Facebook good news about two of her books. She reports:Forest of Reading awards are being given out today. Thrilled that SLOTH AT THE ZOOM was chosen as a Blue Spruce Honour Book, and COUNTING ON KATHERINE as a Silver Birch Express Honour Book. Thanks , OLA!!!Glad to hear the Ontario Library Association moved their Forest of Reading awards to an…

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Science Fairs are such exciting events! But during the pandemic, it's not good to plan large gatherings where people will come in close contact. Here's a link to an online science fair for students across Canada from grades 7 through 12 or in Quebec's Cégeps. The Make: Projects website has a detailed virtual display of the Online STEM Fair 2020 sponsored by Youth Science Canada/Sciences Jeunesse Canada and several corporate donors.The topics for these student…

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The genesis of this blog was this Youtube video by Mark Rober:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFZFjoX2cGg The video shows squirrels brilliantly conquering a diabolically difficult obstacle course to get at a delicious treat. If you’re not one of those who’ve seen it (22.5 million in the first week, late in May) don’t miss it. Around the 16 minute mark he (Mark) demonstrates the launch platform in slow motion. It turns out that squirrels are amazing at figuring out where…

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Back when the canoe was purple.Fading: it sure can make things look old. Red patio umbrellas fade to pink; posters fade to monochrome; and twenty years after I bought my purple canoe, I found it was still shiny, but now it was blue! It totally changed colour. How is that possible?Not all colours fade at the same speed. Red is the least stable, and blue seems to last longest. Why is that?What Makes Colour &…

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By Claire EamerHave you noticed that the world is way too serious these days? I mean -- there are reasons why it's serious. I know that. But we can't do serious all day, every day. So here's some non-serious sciency stuff.When I'm researching a new book, my family gets used to my wandering through the living room or sitting down to a meal and starting the conversation with, "Did you know...?" It means I've found…

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 book reviews by Margriet RuursWhat is science?The dictionary defines it as:sci·ence - /ˈsÄ«É™ns/ the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.There are many different kinds of science: technology, biology, physics… And possibly the best way to learn more and to find out which type of science most appeals to you, is by reading books.Science books are as varied as…

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 book reviews by Margriet RuursWhat is science?The dictionary defines it as:sci·ence - /ˈsÄ«É™ns/ the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.There are many different kinds of science: technology, biology, physics… And possibly the best way to learn more and to find out which type of science most appeals to you, is by reading books.Science books are as varied as…

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