A collection of activities and projects exploring nature in the spring.

Explains what mud is, where it is found, what kinds of animals and plants live in it, and how it can be made into bricks or pottery.

Examines the energy and light produced by the sun and their importance to life on Earth.

Describes different kinds of energy and explores some properties of energy and some of the different forms that it can take.

Describes the nature, dispersal, growth, and uses of seeds.

Examines the lifestyles and physical characteristics of bears and pandas, how they survive, and where they live, from the Arctic tundra and mountain slopes to scrub deserts and tropical forests.

FROGS and toads are some of the most interesting creatures of the amphibian world. Their variety is enormous, from the familiar bullfrog of ponds and lakes to the exotic but deadly arrow-poison frog of the tropical rain forests. Their history stretches back 300 million years, and their ancestors may have been among the first animals to leave the water for life on land. Readers will introduce themselves to a few of the more than 2,700 species known...

Practically everything we do or use in our daily lives depends on materials we take from the ground. The history of our exploration of the world has often centered on obtaining strategic mineral resources. For example, the lust for gold funded much of the exploration and conquest of the Americas by Europeans. Look around you now and see all the things that are made out of rocks and minerals. The paper of this book, though mostly plant fiber, has probably...

Everyday dandelions or showy orchids wildflowers come in an amazing variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. The flowers all of us enjoy in our gardens and from florists roses, irises, and orchids were all developed from wild species. In their natural states, wildflowers add color and beauty to even the harshest of landscapes. Always a joy to look at, wildflowers also display some incredible adaptations to extreme environments. From snow-crested mountaintops...