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A Net in Time

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Animals

Unstoppable: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals

January 13, 2021 By Annette1 2 Comments

Who would have thought that the advent of 3D printers would create unstoppable animals?   Here, let me give you an example!

Would you like to know more?  In Unstoppable you will meet 13 animals that haven’t let a disability stop them from living life.  They’ve needed some people to help them along the way.  with the advent 3D printers and bionics  it means nothing slows them down now. 

Unstoppable

What do you get?

Full colour pictures fill every page of the 128 page book.  You’ll meet lambs, goats, cows, puppies, birds, turtles and more.  So many ways that animals can be helped! I was rather surprised myself.  Imagine seeing a little guinea pig on wheels!   I’ve seen dogs on wheels so I suppose I shouldn’t have been too surprised, but imagine the fidgeting you’d need to do for a wee guinea pig.

Written by Nancy Furstinger and published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. You may recall another book by Furstinger called Mercy.  I am reviewing this book on behalf of Raincoast Books.   13 chapters complete with along with a note from the author, glossary, bibliography and photo credits.  A page is listed with websites to learn more about the animals talked about. 

Unstoppable, the details

Written for children 8-12 years old, Unstoppable: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals, you’ll find the text easy to read.  The font was very clean and clear. It is a fairly large font that suited the size of the book excellently.  It comes in kindle, trade paperback or hardcover.   

unstoppable sample page

I was very surprised at the types of animals represented: Cows, goats, sheep, ducks, guinea pigs,geese, rabbits, cats, turtles, elephants, guinea pigs, horses, sandhill cranes, alligators, dolphins, llamas, bald eagles and donkeys.   

As a farmers daughter I rather wonder about the expense for providing bionic prosthetics for farm animals but have come to understand that some individuals turn them into pets.  Pets of all shapes and sizes should be provided with good care should they not?

Just look at these really well done images!  Being able to see them in use and how these different animals can now lead full lives, rather cool isn’t it?

The stories are well-written showing the need of each animal, the challenge in creating the right prosthetic and how it has impacted the animal life.   Can you imagine the challenge in making a prosthetic for an alligator? 

Should you get it?

I found Unstoppable: True Stories of Amazing Bionic Animals to be an absolutely fascinating book.   The efforts people go to in order to help their disabled pets amazes me. 

The science behind making the prosthetics intrigues me, and knowing that people can make these aids for their animals using a 3D printer surprises me.  What a cost-effective way to help more animals!

If you have children with a love for animals, science, and engineering this would be an excellent book to share with them. 

Not all the links posted at the close of this book worked. Be advised that some links lead to sanctuaries and rescues that twist the truth. 

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Reviews Tagged With: Animals, Book Review, Engineering, Raincoast

Science Comics : Crows

October 10, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

raincoast FTC

Did you know that I now know more about crows than I ever really wanted to?  🙂 Yes, crows are fascinating, SMART animals.  Like intensely intelligent and now I know why.  Science comics: Crows gave me all the answers, and hints on where I can go to further my education into these amazing animals. 

Come along, discover why YOU should learn about the Corvidae family of birds, you’ll be delighted, I promise.

Amazon affiliate links used in this review.

Science Comics: Crows

What I am Reviewing

Science comics: Crows is part of the fascinating and educational series of Science Comics.  An illustrated, full-colour graphic novel style, this comic goes in-depth into the intelligence of these wonderful birds.   Crows are such a genius animals!   Produced by First Second books and written by Kyla Vanderklugt. A hardcover that runs at 128 pages. Written for youth 9-13 years old, it fits well within that demographic, though as an adult, I loved it!   I am reviewing Crows: Genius Birds on behalf of Raincoast books. 

Details on Science Comics: Crows

From the cover: Did you know that crows make their own tools, lead complex social lives, and never forget a human face? Scientists are just beginning to unlock the secrets of the crow’s brain to discover how these avian Einsteins can be as smart as some primates, and even perform some of the same cognitive feats as human children! Crows have problem-solving skills that will make you you rethink what it means to be a bird brain!

You will adore this book, or at least your middle schoolers will.  Humour is found throughout as the crow and dog communicate.   You’ll love the clean, well-inked graphics, and the easy to read font. 

Being delighted with the sheer amount of information presented with a great story-line, you will most likely read through Crows: Genius Birds more than once.  

Should you get Science Comics: Crows?

YES!  Seriously, whether you love crows or not, learning about these amazing birds is well worth your time.  Science Comics: Crows is a well-done graphic novel written with a clear font and good inking.    Have fun learning about these wonderful birds, and who knows, maybe you can think of your own challenge for them.

It would be a great addition to a study on birds, intelligent animals, part of a zoology unit, animals using tools unit and such like. 

Social Media Links

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Filed Under: Homeschooling, Reviews Tagged With: Animals, biology, Book Review, Books for Middle School, Raincoast

Shark Posts!

August 25, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

One of my colleagues was asking about shark posts the other day and I thought I’d send her a list of all of them.  I got to think it would probably be easiest if I sent them all as one post!  What do you think?

AND… I don’t know if you know this BUT The Old Schoolhouse has a shark of a deal going on right now.  TWO YEARS for the price of one.. an absolutely mind-boggling deal indeed.    More on that later though.   Just so you know, affiliate links will be made in this post. Won’t affect your end price, just helps me keep this blog going.  🙂 

shark-posts

Sharks are such amazing creatures.  I’ve been watching an oceans series on Curiousity Stream lately, and we’ve gone through all of the world’s biggest sharks.  Then we started to learn about some of the world’s smallest sharks.   I never would have imagined there were such small sharks out there. 

And now we are doing glow in the dark sharks.  I’m so amazed at the sheer variety that is the shark.  From sharks like the basking or whale sharks eating plankton, to the well-known great white who are meat-eaters. Learning about sharks that live deep down in the oceans and use bio-luminescence.  God’s complexity in the shark world surprises me. 

Shark Books Reviewed

It has been my pleasure to review some shark books over the years.  The three most recent are as follows.  It would be rather silly of me to not let you know about these interesting books in this shark posts tribute eh?

Shark Week.  A fascinating book all about sharks.  Tons of interesting facts. 

Sharks Never Sleep. Real-life stories from both sides of the shark debate. 

Shark Lady.  A researcher who is intensely curious about sharks. 

What does Sharks have to do with TOS?

First up… check out this amazing shark!

TOS bogo july

This is just one of the many amazing facts you will learn on SchoolhouseTeachers.com.  450 courses.  Covers your family from preschool up through adulthood.  Courses for little kids, bigger kids, senior kids and adult kids alike!  $179 for one year is a good price, imagine it now for TWO years!  Where else can you find a curriculum all put together for you, for your whole family for $179?   Trust me…you won’t find it anywhere else!

You can learn about sharks using World Book Resources, have shark-themed math or language arts lessons, Find them in your high school biology courses, and even learn about them in “A world of animals” lessons.  Sharks abound on SchoolhouseTeachers.com….. learn more about them today!

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: Animals, TOS

Homeschool Mascots

August 8, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

The crew has a challenge for us.  Talk about homeschool mascots.  I have to admit, I can’t really say we have a mascot… not like when you are in public school and have a large bird, pig, or wolf.   But we do have critters about the place so I figured I could introduce you. 

Homeschool Mascots

Homeschool Mascots – Lizzy the cat

Tortieshell cat sitting by door frame

Miss Lizzy came into our lives when our boy Chase passed away.  I told the fellows I didn’t want another cat, that one was enough, but they nagged away at me.  I finally said “Fine, you want another cat, it will be MY choice this time.”  After all, I knew if I left it to them we’d get another brown cat and I didn’t want another brown cat.  🙂    

Lizzy came from a home about an hour from here.  Free cat, didn’t fit well with her owner, and … honestly when she was first here I wasn’t overly fond of her.  She had TONS of attitude and would bite.  I wasn’t sure we’d be able to turn her around until she had her first bath.  I expected a fighting, snarling mess. What I got a cat who simply stopped once she realized I wasn’t giving in.  She stopped.  Won my heart in that instant as I knew then I could work with her. 

She’s become my girl.  I often say “Where’s my baby girl? and she’ll come running”.  A super smart cat who I am fairly sure was removed from her momma too early, and wasn’t given the stimulus she needed in her previous home.  She still has some bad habits, but she’s learning “NO BITES!”, and if she does means no attention will be given her and she’s not fond of that.   She jumps up on a chair to be petted when asked. Purrs more often than growls now and is a good girlie overall. 

Milo the cat

tabby cat sitting on couch

Milo here is my son’s cat.  He’s an older boy now, three years younger than my son, he was an early birthday present.  My son has loved cats since he was wee little and he chose Milo out of a box of nearly identical kittens. 

Milo is a soft touch, not particularly intelligent, but a great cat for a lad.  In his older age, he developed diabetes leading us to make our own homemade cat food.  It keeps him in remission and means no more ear pricks for a “getting testy in his older years” cat. 

Having a couple of cats has served us well in our homeschool.  You’ll often find Milo laying on the bed with my lad keeping him company as he works.  My son was given a stem challenge and chose to make toys for them.  The making up cat food for them means practicing his math skills and following directions.  He’s learned about parasites found in wild mice/voles and how freezing and cooking destroys viruses in meat.   But most of all, he’s discovered the joy of loving on a cat… even a testy older-age cat!  🙂

Milo has been ever present as the lad learns, perhaps he’s learned a few things along the way too!  (like not eating Mr. Friendly)

The Budgies

yellow budgie

We started with one budgie, added two more, sold one because ganging up was happening, and then one died a year later.  Now we just have YellowFeather.  She’s a bit of a nut, but she likes to talk, loves seed bells, and if someone is getting loud, or an argument is happening… SCREECHING happens.  Oh my!  🙂    She makes me laugh, and belongs to the lad. 

He’s learning financial responsibility for her as he pays for her feed.  I pay for toys, seed bells and gravel.  We think she’s doing fine on her own and aren’t in a rush to get a second.  The lad ALMOST has her coming to his palm to eat so patience is being rewarded, and more of an incentive to just keep YellowFeather on her own.  She’s learning to be more people-friendly. Cleaning out is a pain, but less work with one than with two for sure. 

Fireheart, our snake

We’ve had Fireheart the common garter snake for a few years now.  She was discovered as a little snake along with two others.  They had some damage, we kept them long enough to get better.  We let two go and Fireheart stayed behind.  

Garter snake

She ate lots of worms and we learned you can switch them to mice so we learned how to do that.  Dealing with a somewhat stubborn animal allowed us times of rejoicing!   🙂 Eventually she learned to take deceased newborn bunnies too.  

I recently learned while watching Snake Discovery that garter snakes can also eat bits of chicken, heart, beef and so forth.  Small meals going over better than bigger ones (this part we had learned already).   So we’re hoping to convince Fireheart to expand her repertoire of food a bit. 

My Bunnies

Although MOST of my bunnies aren’t pets OR even remotely a mascot they are a part of our everyday lives.  My lad and I have an agreement.  If I sell his mice I get a 10% commission, if he sells one of my rabbits, he gets the same commission (FYI…it works out better for him).  🙂 

Now Gregory (pictured below) is MOSTLY a pet but he also helps us with our meat rabbits. A total love he is.  

english lop rabbit cross

What does the lad learn from bunnies and even his mice?

  • early lessons in reproduction
  • balancing feed costs
  • customer service
  • website building
  • cleaning, waste removal/care/disposition
  • anatomy
  • dissection
  • vetting your own animals
  • parasitology
  • animal welfare vs animal rights
  • insurance requirements
  • financial management
  • and more

The mice

pet mouse

I used to raise mice for pets or feeders, but my lad wanted a way to earn some change so asked to take them over.  Over the years he’s assumed more responsibility for them which is good to see. 

Managing the mice teaches all the above plus more hands-on research.  Testing out what food they like, learning to grow meal worms, fixing dry-tail, managing aggression, group sizes, colour management/genetics, and other things I haven’t considered.      

August

So how about you?   Do you have a homeschool mascot?  Or even just friendly critters running about the place?  Perhaps you think the idea of  homeschool mascots is silly… and that’s okay too!   If so, add a linky or leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts. 

Filed Under: Homeschooling Tagged With: Animals, homeschool

Run Salmon Run

May 16, 2020 By Annette1 2 Comments

raincoast FTC

The other day as I was walking on the treadmill I watched a video about the Spirit Bears of British Columbia.  A big part of the menu for these bears is the salmon run.  It made me think of my most recent review.  Run Salmon Run would be a great book to go along with learning about these elusive bears.  Salmon don’t only provide a major part of their diet, but the off cast feeds many smaller animals, providing fertilizer for the forest, a nutrient-dense environment for their fry and much much more.  The Salmon run is a necessary part of the eco-system.  Learn more about salmon and their very necessary lifecycle. 

What I am Reviewing

Raincoast BooksRun Salmon Run is a hardcover picture book geared at children in kindergarten to grade 3.  Written by Bobs & Lolo and illustrated by Lori Joy Smith it was published by Page Two Books.  36 pages of full colour illustrations along with large print to make it easy to share with a group of children.  It covers the life-cycle of the wild Pacific Salmon from tiny egg to returning adult.  Run Salmon Runs comes complete with a glossary of terms.   Reviewed for Raincoast Books. 

The Details about Run Salmon Run

Run Salmon Run

Large print text fills the first page of every two-page spread.  Rhyming couplets easy to read. 

Run Salmon Run

The second part of the two-page spread introduces new terminology in a short rhyme. Words like alevin, fry, smolt, krill, and spawn.  Introducing us to various life stages and food sources. 

Run Salmon run

Should you get it?

YES!   It’s short and sweet, a great primer to learning the basics of the salmon and their life-cycle.  It would for me, be the first book in learning about salmon.  I do wish they had a bit more in it about the importance of salmon to the eco-system, but for a book directed at youngsters, it’s a good start.  The colourful pages fill the eye with delight, and the numerous items to look at on the page give additional conversation-starters.   A lovely book indeed, I urge you to look into Run Salmon Run. 

Review image run salmon run

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Reviews Tagged With: Animals, Book Review, Elementary, Raincoast

A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals

October 12, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

Do you know many of the world’s endangered animals?  In A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals you can learn about 43 animals scattered across the world.  Learn their stories, and in learning them, be prepared to help them. 

A wild child's guide to endangered animals review

A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals.
Millie Marotta.
Chronicle Books.
140 pages.  All ages.

Reviewed for Raincoast Books.

Endangered Animals, plant and animal art, animals, biology, science,

From New York Times bestselling author Millie Marotta comes this gorgeous celebration of the animal kingdom. A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals highlights the plight of 43 endangered species from around the world, including rare and well-known animals living in freshwater, oceans, forests, mountains, tundras, deserts, grasslands, and wetlands. Vivid illustrations bring caribous, axolotls, giraffes, agami herons, and many more to life on these rich and varied pages. Illuminating text relays the story of each species, from how they live and why they are endangered to what is being done about it. Complete with a map detailing where each species can still be found, this visually rich, timely, informative book raises awareness in the most spectacular way.

A wild child's guide to endangered animals

The Details of Endangered Animals

When I first glanced A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals, I thought “Wow, what a pretty book!”.  Every page in this over-sized book is filled with creative plant and animal drawings. 

A wild child's guide to endangered animals

Each full-page depiction of each endangered animal is followed by text that gives clear information about them.   We can learn about the superior swimming abilities of the Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, and incredible survival skills of the Wild Bactrian Camel.  Be surprised at the large size of the Gharial, and about the horned marsupial frog with horns.  So many fascinating animals that are endangered all around the globe. 

A wild child's guide to endangered animals

Learn about animals from 8 different ecosystems of the world.  43 different animals with their own unique abilities and their own needs. 

  • Oceans : Tiger tail seahorse
  • Forests : Black robin
  • Deserts : Gobi bear
  • Fresh Water : Axolotl
  • Grasslands : Chinese Penguin
  • Mountains : Olm
  • Tundra : Caribou
  • Wetlands : Shoebill
A wild child's guide to endangered animals

Helpful tips for getting involved are enclosed at the close of the book.  Ways to be involved include actively being part of wildlife organizations, raises awareness, using social media and learning how to live with the planet in mind.  Books such as Small changes and Ways to change the world are part of this. 

A wild child's guide to endangered animals

It’s good you know, to learn what makes each animal unique.  Be amazed at the pygmy raccoon living on a small island, the wonders of a cat the hunts for fish, and the battling skills of the Nilgiri Tahr. 

endangered animals map

Recommendations

If you have any interest in protecting the animals of this planet and want to learn the stories of just a few of them, A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals will help you.   

If you have a desire to study the ecosystems, or countries of the world, you will find this hard-cover book a great way to expand your learning. 

The beauty of the pages, the informative text, and the encouragement to be involved.  A fantastic book to help you on your journey to protect the things that help make this world great. 

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Animals, Book Review, Raincoast

The Truth about Hawks

June 27, 2019 By Annette1 2 Comments

You may remember I wrote about The Truth of Crocodiles last week?  Today I have The Truth about Hawks to share with you.  Maxwell Eaton has again created a fascinating, humour-filled book. 

the truth about hawks

What I am Reviewing

The Truth About Hawks.
Maxwell Eaton III (author and illustrator)
Roaring Brook Press.
40 pages, ages 4-8, grades 1-2.
Picture book, hawks, birds, humour, children,
Series: The Truth about Your Favourite Animals.
Book Six.
Reviewed for: Raincoast Books.

Maxwell Eaton III’s The Truth About Hawks is part of his illustrated nonfiction series continuing to enlighten and delight readers. Filled with useful facts about hawks that will make you laugh so hard you won’t even realize you’re learning something!
Did you know that hawks can see four to eight times better than a human?
How about that some hawks even eat other types of birds?
Did you know that hawks use ultra-violet light to find their prey?
Discover these facts and more in this new addition to the popular series that combines raucous amounts of humor with a surprising amount of information on beloved animal friends.

the truth about hawks

The Details

Bright colourful images fill the pages of this picture book.   The natural colours of these magnificent birds are brought into sharp relief. 

the truth about hawks

Scattered throughout the pages is humour.  When we are told that golden eagles knock Dall sheep off mountain tops, and then we see Dall sheep taking parachutes off the cliff with looks and expressions of glee.   It’s funny!  (at least I know it would be for kids right?)  🙂

the truth about hawks

We are introduced to a variety of raptors some of which are golden eagle, vultures, snail kites, bald eagles, and red-tailed hawks.  We learn about mating habits, child rearing, food requirements, migration and threats to their existence.   Mr. Eaton lightly touches on all these areas and more. 

My Thoughts

As much as I like this book I am bothered by eagles, owls etc being called hawks.  They are birds of prey, and given the birds discussed in the book a better title would be “The Truth about Raptors”.   Even with littles, being more accurate is better than being less accurate. 

That said… would I want people to read this book?  YES!  Learning about these magnificent birds is important.  Helping to conserve them means learning about who they are, where they live, what threats they face and everything we can.   Maxwell Eaton does a marvellous job of doing that with a sense of style and well-played humour. 

disclosure

Filed Under: Homeschooling, Reviews Tagged With: Animals, Book Review, Elementary, Nature, Raincoast

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