Tuesday, August 22, 2017

# 170 Solar Eclipse Activities from August 21, 2017

Solar Eclipse Activities
from
August 21, 2017

     My husband and I did only one activity this time.  It required a paper punch, two sheets of paper, a black marker, and a camera from our cell phone.

       Just before the eclipse began, we drew a large black nose and a happy smile on one sheet of paper and punched two holes in the other piece. Like this:



     Then we waited for the eclipse to begin. When the time was right, we began to notice a dark bump on the edge of each sun circle that was projected through the holes we had cut in the first paper.  

     We placed the piece with the nose and mouth on the sidewalk near our feet. Then, with the sun behind him and over his shoulder, my husband focused the projected the images in place while I took a picture of the face with its "happy solar eclipse eyes".


     Can you see the image of the moon covering part of the sun in the little guy's eyes?

     At no time did we look directly at the sun.  If we had, we might have damaged our eyes. That would certainly have limited our ability to be good readers.

     Be careful of your eyes, and use them wisely.

     And read...read...read! 



       


Friday, August 18, 2017

#169 Partial Solar Eclipse activities from May 21, 2012

The following post 
was first published on 
on 
Monday, May 21, 2012

     We had a partial solar eclipse today.

     The moon seldom passes between us and the sun, dragging its dark shadow across the earth. Today it did exactly that right here where I live.

     Using a paper punch, I had made five holes in a half sheet of computer paper by 6:00 that evening.   

     Understanding that it was possible to burn the retina of my eyes if I looked at the sun directly, I planned to observe what was happening indirectly.  

     By projecting the sun's light through a small hole in a sheet of paper, I could safely watch its image change on the light cast on a second piece of paper held at arm's length from the first.

     Later, a little after 6:00, I noticed a small, dark bump in the upper-right of each of the five circles of light on the second sheet of paper.  As I continued to check every five minutes or so, the spot slowly changed into a crescent shape--like a cookie with a bite taken out of it. I knew that the moon was beginning to block out a little bit of the sun's light.

     I wondered if I could project the crescent shapes on the east wall around our back yard.  This is a photo of the result:


     Sure enough, the five little crescents shone onto the fence.  My husband began to get interested in the project, and that is his shadow holding the paper for me.


     Isn't it interesting how the projection of light through each little hole repeats the shape of the eclipse in the image?  --Five little holes and five crescents in the shadow of the paper.

     That was when I noticed that the branches and leaves from a nearby tree were casting some more unusual shadows.  The light shining through the tree's spaces was making more crescents on the fence.

     They resembled bubbles of light on the darkening wall because there were so many.  We took some pictures of them too.






       My husband had a sudden inspiration.  He found an old metal tractor seat with lots of holes in it.  It looked like this:




     "Do you think it will make crescent-shaped projections from each of these holes?" he asked.


     We took a picture of the result.


     Can you see the eclipse projection in each hole?




     What else do these shadows look like?  Is someone carrying a basket?  Does it look like an Inca Sun god with a fancy crown on his head?  



     What kind of books might this post inspire you to read?  Non-fiction books about eclipses?  Shadow puppets?  The pin-hole camera? Look that one up if you don't already know what it is, and enjoy your ability to read about anything and everything.


     What fun ideas can we discover about our new eclipse on Monday, August 21, 2017? Come back to visit Jump Up 2 Chapter Books next week to find out.


 











Sunday, March 20, 2016

#168 Topper's Book in Paperback

Topper's book is now available in paperback!




     Topper is a long-hair cat and a valued member of our family. I am often puzzled though, about what goes on in his little cat brain. Why does he do some of the things he does?
        
     As I try to figure him out, my unexpected and sometimes amusing results lead me to conclude that I might not know Topper so well after all.

     In the Mind of a Cat's text and illustrations give readers a peek at the gentle relationship between this beautiful cat, who is sometimes more than just a cat, and his family of people.

     The text of this paperback has a 4.3 reading level, and it is illustrated in full color. However, it is written for cat lovers of any age and is now available on any of the Amazon sites as well as through most other booksellers. 




     In the Mind of a Cat is my most recent of eight books published as both eBooks and paperbacks. The others are:

     Circles in the Wind, a picture book about the life cycle of a               dandelion plant;

     Monkey Tales, for beginning readers;

     Margaret's Christmas Cookies, a holiday chapter book;

...And four longer chapter books for middle grade readers,

     Tiny Others (Agent C Series);

     Pomegranate (Agent C Series);

     White Rabbit Time (Agent C Series);

and Lucky Alana (Agent C Series).

     For more information about me or these publications, please visit Amazon's Author Central at www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda.









Saturday, November 28, 2015

#167 Margaret's Christmas Cookies paperback

     " 'The Baby is the fourth gift, isn't He,' I reasoned.

   'Not quite, Dear,' she said. 'The Baby was the first gift.'

   I nodded in agreement."

                                           From Chapter Six of Margaret's Christmas Cookies




Margaret's Christmas Cookies by Lynda has six chapters, and a reading level of 4.8.  It is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your favorite bookstore.

Best of all, it will fit nicely into a Christmas stocking.

Thank you for supporting children's literacy.

Monday, November 23, 2015

#166 Books for the Christmas Stockings

Books for Christmas


     Books are very healthy for children, and they fit nicely into their Christmas stockings!

     They allow their young reader to travel in time, to other places, and to become someone else entirely.

     I am the author and illustrator of all seven of the paperbacks pictured above.  They are also available as eBooks for Kindle and Nook. For more information, please visit www.amazon.com/author/ebooksbylynda.

     (One of my books entitled In the Mind of a Cat is currently available only as an eBook.  It is about Topper, my writing muse.)


     Thank you for sharing my interest in children's literacy.

     And keep reading...




Monday, October 12, 2015

#165 Circles In the Wind in Paperback


Circles in the Wind
in Paperback!

     Circles in the Wind is now available in paperback. It is large (8 1/2" x 11"), has full color watercolor illustrations, and a text in poetic prose for young readers (1.0 reading level by Fresch-Kincaid on Microsoft Word).

     Best of all, it is a science book.  This story describes the life cycle of a tiny dandelion seed.  Life is sometimes a scary adventure for him, but with the support of friends; the wind, the rain, the earth, the sun, and bees, his story ends at a new beginning. 




     This book is listed at $12.99 but is discounted at many bookseller such as Amazon.  Just enter the title, Circles in the Wind, in their search windows for specific information.

     The author and illustrator, Lynda, has currently published eight children's eBooks for Kindle and Nook. Seven of these are now out in paperback as well. She holds two degrees in elementary education and has taught in grades 1,2,3,4, and 5 for twenty-one years.

     Click on the following link to learn more about Lynda's other publications: 











Wednesday, December 31, 2014

#164 A New Paperback for Beginning Readers


Monkey Tales by Lynda
is now available in paperback!

               Monkey Tales, an illustrated book for beginning readers, is only six chapters long. Its subjects include losing teeth, digging tunnels, observing the work habits of ants, and swinging on vines; all high interests for the children in its target audience.

          Mee-key is bored and sad. Mama-mo is having a busy day, and his older brother can go everywhere and do anything. Why does it take so long for a small monkey to grow bigger?
          However, Mee-key decides that being little has some advantages when his older brother can no longer fit on their mother's lap during a thunderstorm.
          "Sometimes I like to be little, and sometimes I want to be big," he concludes. "Little and big are both good. But when it storms, I'm happy to be little."

          Lynda  is a wife and mother of two grown daughters. As a retired teacher with two degrees in elementary education, she has written, illustrated, and published five other chapter books for children.  They are:

          The “Agent C Series” for middle-grade readers
                    Tiny Others by Lynda
                    Pomegranate by Lynda
                    White Rabbit Time by Lynda
                    Lucky Alana by Lynda
          A holiday book for middle-grade readers
                    Margaret’s Christmas Cookies by Lynda


The chapter books above are available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your favorite bookstore.

Thank you for supporting children's literacy
and my publishing efforts.