Backyard BIOLOGY: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects (Build It Yourself) - Hardcover

Latham, Donna

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1619301520 ISBN 13: 9781619301528

Publisher: Nomad Press, 2013

Synopsis

This introduction to the basic concepts of biology removes any fears associated with the subject and reveals exciting discoveries about microorganism, plant, and animal life using the backyard as a laboratory. Kids in both the city and the country will engage in the scientific process as they watch yeast blow up a balloon, make predictions about and test seed growth in different soils, grow microbes in a Winogradsky Column, observe the effects of geotropism, prepare and nurture a habitat for bugs, and make an edible coral reef. As readers engage with the text and understand what living things are made of, and how backyard plants and animals thrive and adapt, they will also learn about how their own actions can harm the living things around them, and what they can do to protect their backyard habitats.

About this title

Review:

Praise for Backyard Biology: Investigate Habitats Outside Your Door with 25 Projects
Children's Literature
"Being a biologist, I smiled at all of the exciting information packed into this book. . . This is the book for your budding biologist, microbiologist, and environmentalist. There are 25 great experimental activities to try. . . a great addition to an elementary teacher's collection to help them introduce their students to the wonderful world of biology. It should be a home-schooled must."

Publishers Weekly
"This addition to the Build It Yourself series incorporates 25 projects for kids to try as they explore the ecosystems that are outside your door.” The book’s eight chapters cover biology (and microbiology), cells, and the life cycles of both plants and animals, among other topics; definitions of key terms appear throughout, as do Hetland’s cartoons and diagrams. Latham’s accessible, encouraging tone, along with such experiments as creating habitats for woodlice (aka roly-polies) and building bird nests using natural materials, should pique kids’ interest and get them outdoors. "

School Library Journal
"This resource guide contains a wealth of information and challenging activities for budding scientists. It provides nature projects that can easily be implemented and includes growing microbes, molds, and yeasts; engaging in chemical chromatography; and learning what average people can do to protect neighborhood habitats. Each activity begins with an overview, provides a list of needed supplies, and then usually offers two pages of numbered directions. Many illustrations, diagrams, and sidebars are integrated into the text. The Did you know” boxes contain interesting facts about the topics of investigation. Each activity expands students’ vocabularies through Words to Know” mini-glossaries on the pages on which they appear. An appended master glossary contains approximately 180 terms. A good choice for science collections."

Dr. H. Thorsten Lumbsch, MacArthur Associate Curator and Chair, Department of Botany, The Field Museum
Backyard Biology does a great job in sparking interest in biology and encouraging kids to look around them at plants and animals. This book has the potential of sowing the seeds for a new biologist or conservationist!”

Holly L. Lutz, Department of Zoology, The Field Museum
I love science it should be fun and exciting, and Backyard Biology does an excellent job of making it both! These experiments are a perfect introduction to the diversity of life for aspiring young scientists and explorers, and they can all be done in your very own backyard!”

Christine Fanning, Executive Director, The Outdoor Foundation
What better place to learn about biology than in your backyard! From spores to butterflies to organelles, this book teaches kids how to explore habitats right outside their door and to enjoy the scientific process along the way. Whether in the country or in the city, this book encourages kids to grab a microscope, get curious, and head outside!”

From the Back Cover:

Life is everywhere, thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planetin deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic. And life is right outside your door! "Backyard Biology" invites children ages 9 and up to investigate living thingsespecially in yards, parks, nature areas, and playgrounds. Trivia and fun facts bring animals, plants, and microorganisms to life, in all their wonder.
Readers become Nature Detectives with activities and projects that encourage children to make discoveries. Children will construct a plankton net to collect pond samples, and they ll grow microorganisms in a Winogradsky Column. They ll discover what mystery plants sprout from collected soil samples and build a rolypoly habitat. When children experiment with phototropism and geotropism, they'll discover the ways plants move. In "Backyard Biology," children will scout out different habitats to observe and investigateand do their part to protect them. Furthermore, this title meets the Common Core Curriculum Standards for reading informational text and the framework for K12 earth science as well as life science, science inquiry, and natural resources."

About this edition

• Publisher: Nomad Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1619301520
• ISBN 13: 9781619301528
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Hetland Beth