Ordinary Life Magic (Too.)

(Giddy, I tell you.)

Ordinary Life Magic welcomes Janice VanCleave – and more specifically, her terrific website -

Science Project Ideas For Kids

A place to ask questions and get ideas and share your observations and talk shop with someone who is thrilled to share with you.Janice has so graciously offered us three (three!) books that will go to three (three!) lucky winners.

Oh wait – that would be autographed books, friends.

Here are The Particulars:

When:  Now.  Between now and December 31, 2009, actually.

What:  Science!  Choose an experiment from any one of Janice’s dozens of science books.  If you don’t have any of her books, then your library surely does.  Probably loads of them.   If that doesn’t appeal to you – then by all means, go to her website, and look around and find something you like.  She has experiments there, too.

Who:  You, of course.  And your children.  And your neighbors or co-op if  you like.  Or your class (should the stray teacher find his or her way to this announcement).  Whoever wants to play.

Where: At home!  In your classroom.  On your blog if you have one, or through an email if you don’t.

How: Here’s the interesting part:

You just have to do an experiment to enter, and write a blogpost about it, or send me an email with pictures and your observations to be entered.  (Fanciness is not required, it isn’t a contest.  It’s a drawing, remember.  Short and simple will do -as long as you have fun-  no one is judging.)  Send me the experiment’s title, and from which book you got it, or the link to the experiment on Janice’s site.

Now.  If you experiment (goof around with the process, stretch it a bit to see where it goes) and you write in to Janice to let her know what your findings were (she loves to hear from people!) then you get two extra chances in the drawing!

And!   If you mention this Give-away -with a link- on your (public) blog to your readers, you get another two chances!

woohoo!

Not bad, eh?

Why: Books!  We have three.  (Janice says that if only one person enters the drawing, then we’ll be happy with that one, and he or she will get all three books!  :) )

All three books have a list price of $19.95 each.

Teaching the Fun of Math

From the Publisher:

Make Learning Math Fun With This Hands-on Resource from Everyone’s Favorite math and Science Teacher!

Now you can help students develop their math skills while fostering a long-term love for mathematical exploration. In Janice VanCleave’s Teaching the Fun of Math, the award-winning teacher and popular children’s author gives you a wealth of teaching techniques for elementary and middle school math lessons that make learning fun.

By engaging students in these hands-on mathematical activities and investigations, you’ll help them understand basic concepts, apply their mathematical thinking skills, and become independent math investigators. Covering a wide range of math topics—from numbers and operations, algebra, and measurements to geometry, data analysis, and probability—this invaluable classroom companion also:
* Features teaching tips and key terms for each ready-to-use, reproducible activity
* Adheres to the standards of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
* Makes it easy to adapt activities and investigations to different grade levels
* Provides advice on preparing materials and presenting each topic, as well as suggestions for challenging extensions
* Explains how the math problems apply in the real world

As with all of Janice VanCleave’s books, the format is easy to follow and the required materials are inexpensive and easy to find. With Janice VanCleave’s Teaching the Fun of Math you can inspire, challenge, and help your students improve their test scores—and develop a lifelong interest in math!

*  *  *  *  *

Teaching the Fun of Science

From the Publisher:

Make Learning Science Fun with this Essential Guide from Everyone’s Favorite Science Teacher!
Now you can introduce children to the wonders of science in a way that’s exhilarating and lasting. In Janice VanCleave’s Teaching the Fun of Science, the award-winning teacher and popular children’s author provides key tools to help you effectively teach the physical, life, and Earth and space sciences and encourage kids to become enthusiastic, independent investigators. Each science concept is presented with hands-on activities, teacher tips, key terms, and much more, including:
* reproducible sheets of experiments and patterns
* lists of expectations based on National Science Education Standards and Benchmarks
* advice on preparing materials and presenting each topic
* dozens of suggestions for extensions
As with all of Janice VanCleave’s books, the format is easy to follow and the required materials are inexpensive and easy to find. With Janice VanCleave’s Teaching the Fun of Science you can inspire, challenge, and help your students to develop a lively and lifelong interest in science.

*  *  *  *  *

Teaching the Fun of Science to Young Learners

From the Publisher:

The book’s 75 lessons and reproducible activities touch on all areas of science and provide the key to a world of science magic and mystery. While kids will have fun doing the activities and learning to love science, they are also being encouraged to develop other skills, including reading, writing, math, and art.

The book is designed to help young students catch the “science bug” and find the answers for themselves to these and other questions:

• Why do cats have whiskers?
• How does a caterpillar change into a butterfly?
• Why do elephants have such large ears?
• How does a grasshopper grow?
• Why is the skin on my elbows so wrinkled?
• Why does food taste different when I have a cold?
• How can we make perfume from flower petals?
• Why does my shadow change during the day?

*  *  *  *  *

It would be lovely if all three winners of the drawing wanted three different books!   But just in case – we’ll do our best to make it fair.  It would be unfortunate for someone with older children to win the Young Learner book, so we’ll do our best, okay?

I would really, really appreciate a comment to this post if you plan on entering – I really have no idea if I’ll be able to do this drawing by hand (and toes) or if I’ll have to have help with it.  Letting me know you plan to enter will give me a good idea of what to expect– and I’d be so thankful for that!

I think that’s it!

If you have any questions, either send an email to science@ordinarylifemagic.com, or leave a comment on this post.

Have fun Exploring….. and good luck!!