#EnvironmentMonth: We're insane about insects!

Posted by Remya Padmadas on June 18, 2018

Insects have one of the largest biomass' of terrestrial animals. At any time, it is estimated that there are 10 quintillion (10,000,000,000,000,000,000) individual insects alive. But even though they have numbers on their side, it's not easy being an insect. People are terrified of you before they even get to know you. You get called names like creepy crawly and bug. Worst of all, you get stomped on or sprayed at with poison. If people actually got to know the members of Family Insecta, they would realise what wonderful, hard working, diverse creatures belong to this group and how essential they are for our survival. Here are a set of picture books across reading levels, available in multiple languages, that teach young readers how to appreciate insects instead of fearing them.   

Off to See Spiders by Vena Kapoor and Pia Meenakshi

OK. So technically, spiders are arachnids and not insects, but we can't help but inclue this lovely book here. Join Shivi and Kaveri as they go for a spider walk with their cool cousin Shama. Get ready to meet ant-mimic spiders, crab spiders and wolf spiders.

From Submarines to Sky Raiders - All about Dragonflies and Damselflies by Ranjit Lal and Sanjay Sarkar

Dragonflies have been on the earth much before human beings appeared! Read this account of their incredible life cycle in Ranjit Lal's effervescent style. Sanjay Sarkar's expert brush comes up with illustrations to match!

Why Do Bees Buzz by Nabanita Deshmukh and Zainab Tambawalla

Why can't bees work quietly? They buzz because there are some very good reasons to do so. Learn about the humble bees in this book.

An Umbrella for Druvi by Shabnam Minwalla and Malavika Tiwari

Druvi needs an umbrella to protect her wings from the rain. Join the dragonfly as she searches for the perfect leaf-umbrella.

Where Am I? by Priya Venkatesh and Karthikeyan S.

Can you spot the insects camouflaged in this spotting book? 

All these books are free to read, download and share in many languages thanks to open licensing. If you're fluent in a language, consider translating one (or more) of these stories, so that more children can read and enjoy them!

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The Magic of Technology

Posted by Remya Padmadas on February 27, 2018

Vidya Pradhan is a freelance writer and editor based in California. She loves the intricacies of language and is learning Spanish to better teach English to native Spanish speakers. She has written several children's books and is currently writing and editing a memoir for a prominent businessperson. In her spare time she hikes and plays Scrabble. Vidya wrote Lazy Mama for Pratham Books, a brand new STEM picture book about virtual reality.

 
Science Fiction has always been my favorite genre of books, even if I sometimes understand only half of what is being written! Dragons and fairies are all right, but what is magical about the belief of human imagination that we will touch the stars, colonize moons, and make first contact with new forms of life is that these visions often come true! Whether it is reading Jules Verne, whose inventions about undersea travel and space exploration were realized nearly 200 years after he was born, or H.G. Wells, who dreamed of time travel, I have always been excited about the possibilities of technology to take our species boldly where no one has gone before. So when Pratham Books offered me the opportunity to write about Virtual Reality (VR), I jumped at the chance, because VR is another of those ideas which was first speculated about eight decades ago and is feasible now. 
 
But how would I write about VR in a way that was easy for kids to understand? It helped that I do not have a technical background and had to educate myself about the science behind it. Every bit of information I found only increased my awe of this marvelous technology and its applications. When writing the story, I was Soni, imagining myself swimming with the turtles while comfortably air-breathing in my study. I was Amish, exploring tiger-infesting jungles from the safety of my suburban home. I was lazy mama, unwilling to put myself through the discomfort of physical travel when I could be having those adventures sipping chai on my sofa. 
 
 
All it takes is a little spark to get a child's interest in science ignited. And unlike my childhood, where I had to wait till I was a fluent reader before I could access the world of science and science fiction, today we have picture books that do a terrific job of creating that foundation of curiosity and wonder very early. Rohit Kelkar's delightful art in Lazy Mama transports children to the fascinating world of Virtual Reality in a way that my words can only inadequately express. Thanks to Pratham Book's STEM series, there will be a generation of kids in India, from all walks of life, who will get to experience the magic and wonder of science at a very young age. Who knows, maybe one of them will set foot on Mars not many years from now!
 
Wishing everyone many real and virtual adventures in science.
 
Follow us all this week for seven days of STEM. We're celebrating National Science Day with brand new books, blog posts, instagram takeovers and more! #WonderWhyWeek
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Ready to take off? Fun activities for aeroplane buffs!

Posted by Remya Padmadas on March 05, 2016

How do Aeroplanes Fly? by Aditi Sarawagi and Lavanya Karthik is a book that will give a child's imagination wings! 

Sarla wished she could fly high like an eagle or like an aeroplane. Of course you can fly, said her new teacher. Sarla shares all that she has learnt about flight and aeroplanes in this delightful book. 

ACTIVITIES

Cargo Planes

(Source: http://kidsactivitiesblog.com/77853/stem-paper-airplane-challenge)

Resources

  • Construction Paper

  • Cellotape

  • A handful of coins of different sizes and weight

  • A doorway

  • Whistle

What to do

  • Ask each child to create a paper aeroplane using the YouTube tutorial shared here:

https://youtu.be/qhuRw88A-8c

  • Once their plane is ready ask them to stick coins of different size and weigh to it using tape (this is why you need to use construction paper and not regular A4 paper)

  • Decide upon a start line and mark it with masking tape or even a long rope. Make sure it’s opposite a doorway!

  • Ask the children to line up together at the ‘starting line’.

  • When you blow the whistle they all launch their planes.

  • The plane that glides the farthest wins!

Straw Rockets

(Source: http://lifeasmama.com/10-rainy-day-activities-your-kids-will-love/6/)

Resources

  • Drinking straws

  • Paper

  • Glue or cellotape

  • Scissors

  • Crayons or markers.

 

What to do

  • Cut down pieces of paper and decorate to your desire.

  • Then lightly fold around the end of a straw and tape the paper together (not to the straw) like a cap

  • Then just blow! Kids can see how far each can blow their rockets or come up with their own games.

Target Practice

(Source: http://lifeasmama.com/10-rainy-day-activities-your-kids-will-love/7/)

This is a variation of activity 1, but a little more tricky!

Resources

  • Paper

  • Large sheet of thick board paper.

  • A doorway

  • Whistle

  • Scissors

  • Masking tape.

What to do

  • Cut out different sized holes on the board paper and hang it over an open door using masking tape

  • Ask children to line up at a pre-determined ‘starting point’ with their paper aeroplanes.

  • Blow the whistle. Kids must try and get their planes through the holes on the board sheet!

If you have some fun activities based on 'How Do Aeroplanes Fly' share them with us in the comments section below or on Twitter or Facebook.

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