Senor Parrot's Perch

Science Fair Blues

Dan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:27:24 +0000

It's science fair time at my daughters' school. Science rules. Science Rocks. When I heard this yesterday evening, I was pumped, ready to spring into action and make...whoops, I mean, guide, my third-grader in her science fair project.

INK, a Kid’s Nonfiction Blog

Dan — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 11:58:11 +0000

Kid's Nonfiction is important because it seeds the fallow ground of our kids' minds and produces much different results than fiction. Unlike learning magic, nonfiction actually empowers kids to see the possibilities within themselves and it works like much like the yellow brick road to Oz, taking kids to a place where they can grow wiser and find answers to their questions.

Get Your Game On

Dan — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 03:29:07 +0000

If you live in the Madison, WI area, I'd recommend looking for I'm Board, a new store specializing in board and RPG games. It's on University Avenue in Middleton, just west of Middleton Cyclery on the same side. They have an open game room with many games available to play and scheduled times for other games where kids and adults from around the area can meet and play.

Using Non-Fiction to Bolster Core Knowledge in the Classroom

Dan — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:16:37 +0000

My own daughters are drawn to reading science books, probably in large part because their mother is a microbiologist and I just love the stuff, and we both enthusiastically encourage it. But if they weren't well written, telling a rich story, I don't think they'd have anywhere near the interest that they do. On trips to the library they will grab an armful of books about the ocean or physics to take home to read just for pleasure reading.

Interview with Cressida Cowell, Author of How to Train Your Dragon – Link

Dan — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 16:34:42 +0000

I enjoyed this MovieWeb interview with children's book author Cressida Cowell, who wrote the How to Train Your Dragon books. In the interview, she talks about her feelings about having her fantastic book made into an animated movie. She also talks about her unique summers spent on an isolated island with her family that in many ways inspired her writing.

Here come the Singing Robots – Video

Dan — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 21:07:22 +0000

I saw this singing robot at Wired magazine. This robot diva has been programmed to mimic a human singer's facial movements breathing patterns. Watch the video and read the subtitles closely, since much of it is in Japanese. This is Cool Science!

Children’s Book Review: Moose and Magpie by Bettina Restrepo, Illustrated by Sherry Rogers

Dan — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:59:00 +0000

Moose and Magpie, by Bettina Restrepo and Sherry Rogers is an interesting children's book about Moose.

Google Builds Self-Driving Robot Car – Perfect for Texting

Dan — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:41:40 +0000

Here's some Cool Science News: Google has developed a self-driving robot car and has been testing it out. Right now, it requires a human in the driver seat to take control in an emergency, but think of the possibilities!

Training Flights for Bees – New York Times

Dan — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:56:23 +0000

Bees have the capacity to learn complex behaviors that are crucial to the hives survival. Never having thought about this, I would have chalked bee behavior mostly to some sort of inate ability. The apparent fact that they need to learn makes them much more interesting.

Whaling Season: A Year in the Life of an Arctic Whale Scientist – Nonfiction Book Review

Dan — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 04:16:56 +0000

From a family of scientists, it is really no surprise that John Craighead George would become one himself. From early on he loved the outdoors and spent many days in the wilderness. He spent some time when he was a young man working at a scientific station in Alaska, and after earning his Ph.D., he returned to work as a field scientist to study the bowhead whales that live year-round in the frigid arctic waters.