Sea That?

by Margriet Ruurs

Not long ago I was at the Dead Sea in Jordan.
This large ‘lake’ is about 65 KM from the capital city of Jordan, called Amman. Amman is at 700 meters above sea level and can be chilly in Fall or Winter. But a one hour drive to the floor of the Jordan River Valley takes you to the lowest point on earth: about -400 meters. The temperature differences can be impressive. You can go here in one hour from cold, even snow, to warm enough to sit on the beach and swim!

 

Along the main road south I spotted vendors selling inflatable beach floaties. But you don’t need a flotation device to float in the Dead Sea. Because the water contains more than 35% salt, its density allows you to float! The high salt content also makes it impossible for anything to live in such salty water, which is exactly why it is called the Dead Sea.
As we drove to the lowest point on earth, we suddenly noticed that our water bottles went completely flat as the air pressure changed.

 

When we got closer to the water’s edge, what looked like a sandy beach turned out to be salt crystals. And the ‘frost’ build-up along the edges of the ‘sea’ were salt formations. This water came from the Mediterranean Sea about 3 million years ago. A million years ago the access was cut off but the salt water remained inland, although it is slowly drying up and the Dead Sea grows smaller in size each year.

We had fun discovering what it was like to float. The water felt normal but its density allowed us to put our feet up and wave with two hands without sinking. Getting up was harder… I had to force my legs down before I could stand up.

For $3.- US you can buy a Dead Sea mud rub here. Once you get rubbed down in black mud, it looks like you’re wearing a dive suit! Dead Sea mud is rich in salts and minerals, including sodium, chloride, magnesium, potassium, iron, and calcium and is said to be rejuvenating for the body.

 

On the way back to Amman, suddenly we heard loud popping sounds as our water bottles expanded again! An interesting side effect that we had not expected!

Next I traveled to a beach on the other side of the world: the Andaman Sea in Malaysia. Here, I discovered another interesting thing. This sea is also salty but not at all ‘dead’: there are coral and fishes, squid, crabs, even Irrawaddy dolphins.

Every time I walk on the beach at low tide, I notice that the sand looks all raked in an interesting pattern. I am curious so I researched what causes this change in the sand. And this is what I learned: tiny little crustaceans called Bubbler Crabs live in the sand. Each one is about the size of the nail on your pinky finger. At high tide, they live in burrows deep in the sand under the water. But at low tide, it’s time to eat. The tiny crabs scurry out of their burrows and get to work. They search each grain of sand, eating its edible content like detritus and plankton, stripping the sand with their pinchers, rolling the rest of the sand into a tiny ball and discarding it. They work fast since the tide will be coming in again soon. As they search and discard the sand efficiently and systematically, these tiny balls form an intricate pattern on the beach around each burrow hole.

So, next time you SEE something interesting by the SEA, be sure to be curious and do some research!

Click here to see bubble crabs at work:
https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/sand-bubbler-crabs

Margriet Ruurs is the author of books like Wild Babies and In My Backyard. She lives on Salt Spring Island BC. Photos here are by the author and her family.

Learning About Gardening

 by Margriet Ruurs

There’s nothing like a pandemic to make people want to be more self-sufficient.
First, everyone stocked up on toilet paper and flour. You never knew which shelves would be empty the next time you ventured into a supermarket. It even became difficult to buy new laying hens since, suddenly, everyone wanted chickens. And everyone, it seems, wanted to grow their own food to be on the safe side.

Once school was discontinued, my ten year old grandson Nico watched more movies than normal. One of them was a fabulous documentary called Biggest Little Farm which you can find at this link. The film follows ten years of a young couple who buy an acreage and, never having farmed before, turn dead soil into a gorgeous lush farm. The film is inspiring on so many levels, and not just to adults.

Three days after viewing it, Nico came to get me. “I want to run my own farm,” he announced, asking if he could use a flat piece of land on our 5 acres. The piece of our acreage which he selected was outside our deer fencing and thus not a good choice. But we soon found another, better suited piece of level land which is protected from the many deer that roam our island. He staked it off and, after promising to do all the weeding and watering, it was his.

His dad happened to own an old-fashioned plow so he turned the grass. Nico spent the next week on his knees, pulling grass and weeds from clumps of clay.

He designed a garden plan with beds and paths.
Friends donated berries, seeds and seedlings. We also made a trip to a local organic farm for some seedlings which he nurtured in a bay window until the weather turned warm enough for planting.

By early May, in the Pacific Northwest, it was time to plant. Nico chose his own crops: corn, peas, potatoes, squash and more.

He planted, pulled more weeds and watered. He also had to put up a small fence to keep rabbits from helping themselves to his hard earned veggies. All of the weeds he pulled, sometimes helped by his younger brother, were donated to the chickens who munched happily and turned the greens into eggs.

In turn, we put egg shells, coffee grinds and vegetable waste into our composter and mulch compost into the soil. Growing veggies is a never ending circle.

By June, the potato greens were up and the peas were climbing the bamboo stalks. In July the corn grew over his head and the tomato plants had yellow flowers.

By early August Nico was able to harvest the first huge zucchini and share it with his family for dinner.

Hopefully 2021 will be a better year for the world, without a pandemic. But the science of producing your own food is here to stay. And hopefully Nico will be inspired enough to keep growing his own vegetables and munch on snacks that he nurtured himself, from seeds to fruits.

 

Here are names of two books to consult if you want to start your own garden:

Watch Me Grow! and
Up We Grow! by Deborah Hodge.

Geocaching - A Fun Way to Enjoy the Outdoors

by Margriet Ruurs

Geocaching - A Fun Way to Enjoy the Outdoors

What is geocaching?

Geocaching can be called a worldwide treasure hunt where you use a GPS to search for hidden objects. It’s a fun and exciting way to enjoy the great outdoors. Geocaching combines the sport of walking with the excitement of discovering treasure. ‘Geo’ means ‘earth’ and ‘cache’ means ‘hidden’ in French.

Nico is 10 years old and an avid geocacher. “Geocaching has taught me all about navigating with maps, how to use GPS and coordinates,” he says, “I’ve become a better hiker and better at spotting things because of it.”

This sport will get you outdoors and actively walking, whether it is in a city or in a forest.

The easiest way to get started is to go to the website:

https://www.geocaching.com/play

You can download the app on your phone or tablet. Using maps, it allows you to navigate geocaches anywhere by GPS. You pinpoint your current location and the app will show you where, near you, there are hidden treasures. After creating a (free) account, it takes you to your home location, from where you can navigate anywhere in the world to see caches.

Not only will you see the approximate location on your map, there is also a description and a hint of the location and container for which you will be searching. The coordinates are such that you will need to use your eyes, and your legs, to find the actual spot once you get close. The map brings you to within a few meters from the container and that’s when the real search begins. Searching is half the fun. Perhaps the container is inside a post, or under some branches. The coordinates might lead you to within 5 or 10 meters but then you have to start turning over rocks and peeking under logs, using the information you read in the description.

A traditional cache will be a small container, a tin or a plastic box. Inside you will likely find a tiny logbook in which you can record your name and the date you found it. There will also likely be some small ‘treasures’ - a coin, a toy, a pin…. You can pick one and leave a new gift for the next person so come prepared with some tiny gifts in your pocket to leave behind. You might also want to carry a pen or pencil in your pocket.

Besides traditional caches, there are many different caches, including trackables. This comes in the shape of a key chain which you can purchase. On it is a code. Once you enter it online, and then hide it in a cache, you can track its location. Online you can learn where the trackable came from. It is given a name and a description. This also tells you what the owner would like his or her trackable to accomplish. For instance, Nico has a trackable out there named Frogo the Froggie Travel Buddy. He hopes his frog hops around the world and that it will return home in 5 years. Meanwhile, he can follow its location online. A fun and unique way to learn about the world.

There are many more types of caches. And, once you know what you’re doing, you can start making and hiding your own.

“

“

Once the new location, description and hint were approved, Nico had to go hide his creation well and it became an official cache. One of thousands of caches around the world that you can now go out and find!

Nico’s geocache: https://coord.info/GC8PWVW

To learn more, visit: https://www.geocaching.com/play

Science Books for Kids

 book reviews by Margriet Ruurs

What is science?
The dictionary defines it as:

sci·ence -
/ˈsīəns/ the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.

There are many different kinds of science: technology, biology, physics… And possibly the best way to learn more and to find out which type of science most appeals to you, is by reading books.

Science books are as varied as the branches of science themselves. Many of the contributors to this blog are writers of books or articles about science. Here is a list of recent, and not so recent, titles that I love:

Back Holes and Supernovas by Joan Marie Galat, Capstone Books, ISBN 978-1-4296-7225-2, is a fascinating read about the lives and deaths of stars and the black holes they leave behind. Full of interesting facts and photos.

50 Climate Questions, A Blizzard of Blistering Facts.
Written by Peter Christie and illustrated by Ross Kinnaird, published by Annick Press, ISBN 978-1-55451-374-1.

This book is divided into different topics. Each page starts with a question, all to do with climate change. Questions about volcanoes, ancient civilizations, electricity and much more. Besides answers, there are text boxes with additional information as well as a few activities. The illustrations almost turn this book into a fun graphic novel.

One of my favourite science books is The World in your Lunch Box, The Wacky History and Weird Science of Everyday Foods, written by Claire Eamer, illustrated by Sa Boothroyd and published by Annick Press, ISBN 978-1-55451-392-5.
What a cool idea to look at the history, mystery and facts of food by looking at what’s in most people’s lunch boxes. The history of pizza, what kind of eggs can you eat, why are hot dogs called hot dogs, how did we get spices? A great book for anyone who’s ever… well, eaten anything.

Philippe Cousteau is the grandson of the famous Captain Jacques Cousteau who brought us awareness of oceans, its wildlife and water pollution. Philippe and Cathryn Berger Kaye, an educator, wrote two books together:

Make A Splash! ISBN 978-1-57542-417-0 is a kid’s guide to protecting oceans, lakes, rivers and wetlands. Full of facts and photos, the book shares information on such topics as over-fishing, trash, keeping rivers clean, wildlife and much more. But most importantly, it gives many examples of how kids can make a difference. It offers solutions to many problems and helps kids to become environmental activists.

Similarly, Going Blue ISBN 978-1-57542-348-7 by the same two authors, is aimed at teens.

Tackling trash, water shortages, coral reefs - every aspect of water - this book also offers solutions and doesn’t just state problems. There are many examples of young activists from around the world who are making a difference.

And finally some fictional reads with a science twist. When are animals really extinct? The last one touches on sci-fi. Or does it?

Music for Tigers by Michelle Kadarusman, published by Pajama Press, ISBN 978-1-77278-054-3, is fiction does have to do with environmental protection and species going extinct. This is a realistic story about a girl who visits a relative in Tasmania. There she learns about the environment and about an elusive animal that is occasionally spotted. Could it be the Tasmanian Tiger, believed to be extinct? After I finished reading this novel, I searched the topic online and discovered that, indeed, many sightings are still being reported. So perhaps Tasmanian Tigers are still living in deep, dark corners of their habitat….

And finally a book that walks a fine line between fiction and science fiction: Elephant Secret, by Eric Walters, published by Penguin Random House, ISBN 978-0-7352-6281-2
In this story, Samantha and her dad run an elephant sanctuary. They face financial troubles and fear that they might not be able to protect the elephants any longer. Until a new elephant baby arrives that seems both adorable and strange. The baby arrives at the same time as a mysterious investor. In this riveting novel, Samantha learns about cloning and wonders if, perhaps, she is raising a wooly mammoth instead of an elephant.

Nenes, Anoles and Dewlaps

Here's a guest post from our colleague Margriet Ruurs, written when she was visiting Hawaii in the winter. There she discovered that Hawaii is home to both Nene geese and anoles!

Ever heard of a Nene goose or an anole and his dewlap? I hadn’t until I traveled to Hawaii.

I love learning new things and animals never cease to amaze me. Each continent has amazing animals that are unique to that part of the world.

We’ve all heard of kangaroos and koalas in Australia. We know that North America has moose and bears and Canada geese.

Strange geese

But have you ever heard of Nene geese?

I hadn’t until I spotted this sign along the road on Moloka’i, a small, sparsely populated island. Turns out that the Nene goose is only found on the Hawaiian islands and is quite rare.

Stranger lizards

If you have been to tropical places, you may have spotted iguanas, geckos or other types of intriguing lizards.

I’m sitting in a garden in Hawaii and notice a little lizard running along the wall. I marvel at how their toe pads are equipped with tiny little hooks that allow them to run straight up the wall.

This little guy is about 12 cm long. It darts along a stone wall on little legs with a long tail and a flicking tongue. Then he stops so I can get a good look at him. But, what I think is just another little gecko, turns out to be quite something else.

Researching this cool little guy teaches me that this is a lizard, but not a gecko at all. It’s a brown, male anole.

A what?

I had never heard of anoles. While geckos and anoles are both lizards, they have evolved in different ways. Anoles didn’t appear on the scene until roughly 150 million years after the gecko. Both have adhesive toe pads that allow them to run straight up walls.

Geckos can live in dry, rocky areas while anoles prefer living among more trees. While they can live near each other, they are competitive. Anoles are active during the day, while geckos are more nocturnal.

Strangest...

But the coolest thing I notice about my little anole friend, is his dewlap.

His what?!

A dewlap is a flap of skin underneath the lizard’s chin, which he can extend and retract. It’s not an air sac, just a flag he waves when staking out his territory or when trying to attract a female. He also waves it to warn off an intruding gecko.

Watch him raise his warning flag in the sequence of photos below:

©Photos copyright: Margriet Ruurs

You can learn more about Nene geese here: http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/hawaiian-nene-goose

For more details on anoles, click here: http://www.anoleannals.org/2018/03/26/anoles-versus-geckos-the-ultimate-showdown/

Margriet Ruurs is the author of Amazing Animals (Tundra Books). You can find out more about her work at her website, www.margrietruurs.com

Protecting Elephants in Zambia

Protecting Elephants in Zambia
By Margriet Ruurs
photos by Margriet Ruurs

If you visit Africa, you need to go on safari!
So when I toured international schools across Africa, I knew I’d want to see wildlife in the place where it belongs: the vast wilderness of the African continent.

Driving across the Serengeti I spotted a lion crouched low in the grass – both painted orange by the rising sun.
Seeing a white rhino in the Ngorogoro Crater was iconic and drove home the need to preserve this natural legacy for generations to come.

But perhaps the highlight was a visit to Zambia’s National Parks. Wildlife in Zambia is abundant. Even on the ride from the tiny airport to the lodge in a National Park, we saw the "big five" and more. Africa's big five animals include lions, leopards, elephants,  African buffalo, and rhinoceros.

During a walking safari, we learned about reading tracks and other signs. “A cheetah walked here about two hours ago, carrying an impala,” our guide would ‘read’ with confidence. But he also told us about poachers and how elephant populations are dwindling. We met with a poacher to hear his side of the story. And ended up financing a system whereby poachers who have served a jail sentence wear ankle bracelets that allow for tracking them to make sure they don’t sneak off again during the night.

And then we met Aaron. A young man who grew up in a poaching community, he explained how his family went hungry as herds of elephants came through his village, trampling rice crops and eating the mangos. How poaching allowed for a bit of income in a place without jobs. And how he had never known that elephants would be endangered. He had been forced to drop out of school to help his family’s income. Elephants were the enemy.

At the elephant orphanage, elephants bond into new families.

But one day, Aaron was involved in the rescue of a baby elephant at the resort where he had a menial job. That’s when he met people working for Game Rangers International and the Lilyai Elephant Orphanage outside Lusaka, Zambia.

“I thought there was black magic involved,” Aaron said when he first saw people working with elephants. But, upon visiting the orphanage to check up on the rescued baby, he not only learned about their work but was offered a job. Now Aaron is a skilled elephant caretaker who helps to save the lives of young, orphaned elephants who will later be released into the wild again. He also speaks to Zambian youths in schools about the need for preservation. “Tourists bring more resources than poaching,” he now knows.

You can read many more details about this true story in:
The Elephant Keeper, Caring For Orphaned Elephants in Zambia
by Margriet Ruurs
Kids Can Press
ISBN  978-1771385619
The book encourages schools and individuals to ‘adopt’ an orphaned elephant.
Check this website for details: https://www.gamerangersinternational.org

A Science Trick to Try at Home

Instructions from Margriet Ruurs

You -- yes, you, right there -- can turn two solids into one liquid. It's not magic. It's science.

How can you turn a solid substance into a liquid without adding any liquid? Here’s a fun trick to try at home. All you need is a spoonful of sugar and some fresh yeast. You can buy fresh yeast at any bakery.

Instructions:

Fresh yeast. Image by Hellahulla, from
Wikimedia Commons

• In a small bowl put a small slice of the fresh yeast.

• Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar on top.

• Just let it sit for a few minutes. You’ll notice the yeast turning darker.

• After a while, take a teaspoon and stir the two solid materials. 

You’ll find that both solid ingredients have turned into a liquid all by themselves! This process is called osmosis.

White sugar is made up of solid crystals -- until the crystals
meet the moisture in the fresh yeast.

The sugar crystals dissolve because of the humidity (dampness) in the fresh yeast, forming a highly concentrated sugar solution. But the sugar concentration inside the yeast cells is low.

The liquid containing a large amount of sugar has a natural tendency to mix with the liquid that has less sugar and even out the sugar concentration. The yeast cell membranes separating the two solutions aren't strong enough to overcome that force, so the membranes break down. Then the water inside the cells bursts out. Pretty soon, all the sugar is completely dissolved in the released water.

And presto! -- Osmosis has turned your two solids into one liquid. It's a little magical, but it's science magic!

Brand New School Year, Brand New Books!

by L. E. Carmichael

Forget January, for me, September is the start of the new year - the year of learning new things! September is also Read a New Book Month, and we at Sci/Why are here to help you with that task. Discover a new favourite with our freshly-updated-for-2018 Science Book List. Here are some hot-off-the-presses choices for you and your favourite junior scientist. Captions link direct to Amazon.

Bus to the Badlands

Cats

Erupt!

Do Frogs Drink Hot Chocolate?

Hubots

Hungry for Science

Counting on Katherine

Out of the Ice

Solve This!

The Triumphant Tale of the House Sparrow

Stories in the Clouds

Wild Buildings and Bridges