I really admire this interesting book.
It has not only inspired me but it has given me
the impression that this is the book that I would
like to put to use!

Janice VanCleave has done a marvelous job of taking a kid's natural curiosity, love for the outdoors and fascination with animals and combining them with great learning activities. I homeschool 4 children and when we received this book 5 years ago, even my youngest (who was then only 2) enjoyed participating in the experiments. Nearly all the experiments can readily be done with things you already have at home and the scientific explanations are clear enough that even a "science-challenged" mom can understand them. I would heartily recommend this resource for homeschooling parents, school science projects, or just plain rainy day fun!

I am never disappointed by a Janice VanCleave Book!

This book lends itself well to experimenting with earth science using the scientific method. It outlines the purpose, materials needed, procedure, results expected, and explanation of results for each experiment. Experiments are included in the areas of space, rocks and minerals, movement of the earth's crust, erosion, atmosphere, weather, and ocean. The best thing is that they use common, easy to obtain materials!

I use these books in my classroom a lot!

I first saw this book on sale at the Liberty Science Center and decided I could use it as a source of ideas to help me teach earthquake science. There are not a great deal of hands-on activities suggested by text books to help students relate to the ideas underpinning earthquake science. This book satisfies a void by suggesting many relevant experiements. I would have loved to receive this book as a gift when I was a student.

I just had a science project to do, so I liked insects, then I looked at this book, and it told many projects I could do with insects! The teacher was very impressed that I did three projects for the science fair. Everyone liked my project, except for Emily, who is scared of insects all the time! This is an excellent book for projects (and extra credit)!

But it's good for 5 to 10-year olds. It appeals to the hands-on kid, but doesn't speak down to them at all. Explains the concepts (fractions, averages, volume, graphs, measurements, etc.) clearly and quickly, then gives exercises and fun things for the kid to try. Mostly needs parent to be helping, though most are simple. We loved making a color spinner and folding paper (doubling). We charted doubling to show her what a parabola looked like. It has plenty of clear effective line sketches to illustrate. I found this at the library and decided to buy it.

Hi, I am Janice VanCleave, the author of this plant book. It is my goal to provide educators and kids fun, safe, workable experiments. THE END

A great teaching tool. This informative and well illustrated book is a great homeschool tool. We homeschool 4 children ages 5 to 12 and this book is adaptable to all levels of learning. Exercises and activities will keep your kids wanting to move to the next chapter. Each of the major systems of the human body are presented in a clear and understandable way. Janice VanCleave takes you and your child from human cell division all the way to reproduction.(no explicit graphics used). We particularly enjoyed the chapters on the human brain where there are many hands on activities to give the kids a better understanding of how the brain works. If you have kids and your trying to teach them something about human anatomy, THIS IS THE BOOK TO GET.

Many books telling the story of *Johnny Appleseed* are available for the enjoyment of children & adults. Most illustrators treat this subject as strictly legend. A few emphasize that John Chapman did in fact live and leave his mark on the landscape of the future mid-west. Imagine how Grant Wood might have colored that landscape!

While I like to study the old engravings to help form my picture of this man, children may prefer the 'eccentric-woodsman-with-cookpot-on-head' image. Gwenyth Swain's story is colorfully illustrated by Janice Porter who portrays Chapman as being almost oriental. In the past I have liked many of her illustrations, but I feel this 5 star interpretation by the author is not enhanced by these pictures. Swain writes as close to the truth as possible. Sometimes the veil of myth is hard to push aside.

The book tells of Chapman's friendship with settlers and Indians; how he 'found' God and spread that word while planting more and more trees. The author helps readers learn about the 'real' Johnny Appleseed, and appreciate the impact of his life's work even though some facts are missing. Yes, we want children to grow up with heroes but they should also be encouraged to look behind and beyond the myths.

For a long time I have been able to communicate mentally with my friend, companion and helper. He is my seeing eye dog, and is with me constantly. Over the years we have developed the ability to talk together in a way I just can't explain. It is as if some profound and complex electronic device is connecting our thought processes. I never had the courage to discuss this with anyone because in addition to my obvious handicap, I didn't want people to think I was mentally unbalanced as well. But when a friend read Janice Kolb's book to me, I got the courage to tell people what I am experiencing. I can't do the journaling technique she recommends, but I'm sure this would enhance my experience. As it did for me, this book can open new worlds for those who truly love their pets.