September 20, 2013
Heads up for lovers of Einstein Anderson: Science Geek! We have really enjoyed reading your writing this week, and hearing about all the ways that you describe yourselves as similar to and also different from the characters of Einstein and Fiona.
Have any of you been reading Seymour’s new science mystery chapter books and thinking about trying out the projects and experiments that come at the end of each story?
We’ve made that a little easier for you by putting free copies of all the experiments on SeymourSimon.com. They are all in the section called Kids/Free Stuff (mouse over the pull-down menu called "Kids" at the top of each page, and then click on "Free Stuff"). Here’s what the page looks like. 
You can download whatever experiment you want to try, print it out and you’re ready to go!
If you haven’t tried an Einstein Anderson story yet, what are you waiting for? Click this link to read a sample chapter.
And don’t forget, if your school or library has the StarWalk Kids eBook collection, you already have access to FOUR of these great books! Just log in and search for “Einstein Anderson.
Posted by: Liz Nealon
September 19, 2013
I received this interesting question from two of the readers of this blog:
We have been reading about the Alaskan brown bear and polar bears. Both claim to be the biggest bear. Could you answer this question? Which bear is bigger, the Alaskan brown bear or the polar bear? Thank you very much! You have a wonderful site and books! Thanks for doing what you do. We really do appreciate it very much!
Kaitlyn and Jacob, Minnesota
Dear Kaitlyn and Jacob,
One of the things that I’ve learned over years of exploring and researching my books is that sometimes it is impossible to find the answer you are looking for until you figure out what is the right question! I’ve often started out researching a subject and as I learn along the way, I end up adjusting the question, sometimes more than once. This is one of those times, so let’s think about what you really want to know. What does "biggest" actually mean? Do you mean the heaviest? Or do you mean the longest?
As you found, the Alaskan, or Kodiak brown bear and the polar bear are the two largest members of the bear family. The Kodiak bear is the longest (or tallest), while the polar bear is the heaviest (on average). The Library of Congress website has this excellent chart which illustrates the differences between these two kinds of bear:
You can see why it is hard to say which is the "biggest" bear. But you can clearly distinguish between the heaviest and the longest/tallest.
Thanks for writing, and for giving me a chance to write about the importance of finding the right the question!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 18, 2013
Yesterday, Seymour Simon spotted a fox in his front yard and wrote about watching, photographing, and imagining what it would be like to be that magnificent animal, basking in the sun.
Today we would like you to look at this photograph of the red fox and write a paragraph about what you see (or imagine) in this scene.
Use strong adjectives to describe the animal and your reaction to observing it. Set the scene by describing the autumn day, and use all your senses to help this photograph come alive for your reader.
Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog post if you would like to publish your writing for others to read.
Posted by: Liz Nealon
September 18, 2013
A visit from a red fox allowed me to capture our Cool Photo of the Week. A few days ago I was at my desk writing, and something coppery colored caught my eye. "What is that outside the window?" I wondered.
To my surprise, I discovered this magnificent red fox sunning itself on the stones at the bottom of my driveway. It was one of the first chilly days of autumn here in the Northeast….I think it probably found those stones to be a good spot to soak up the warmth of the sun.
The fox hung out for more than two hours, so of course I stopped writing and spent the morning with my camera.
As I shot photo after photo, I found myself imagining that I were the red fox, and thinking about all the chores that would fill up my morning.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 13, 2013
We are so pleased to welcome lots of new users to the Seymour Science blog this week. It is exciting to know that kids, parents, and educators are using this resource, because we create it for YOU! Take a look at the list called "Labels" on the left hand side of the blog page. These are links to lots of stories that we have posted here in the past. As you browse around I’m sure you will find topics in which you are interested. Just click on the label name, and all the stories with that label will pop right up for you to read. For example, if you click on the label called Space, you will find all kinds of interesting stories and photographs from space. Dog lovers should try the label Dogs - I think you will like what you see!
Writing on this blog is also a great way to practice Internet safety. Did you notice today that it takes a few hours before your comment shows up after you post it? That is because we check every single comment on the website to be sure that you are all using the Internet safely before we make the comment live on the website for everyone to see.
We noticed recently that some kids are leaving comments with both their first and last name - not a good idea if you are under 13 years old (don’t worry, we changed your last name to just an initial before we made them live). So, as we do every September, we want to remind students about five important "Internet Rules of the Road." You should follow these rules if you are writing a comment, uploading a photo, or uploading a video anywhere on the Internet, not just on SeymourSimon.com.
1. Never give your full name. Use just your first name, or your first name and last initial (I would be "Seymour S").
2. Never give your exact address. If you want to say where you are from, keep the answer general. For example, "Alicia N. from Texas." Or "Jeremy S., from Lee Road School."
3. I bet you have already figured out that you should never give your email address or telephone number to anyone you meet on the Internet. That is a BIG no no!
4. DO practice kindness when you interact with other kids on the Internet. Treat people you meet with respect, just as you would want to be treated. If something is too mean to say directly to someone’s face, then it is too mean to write on the Internet.
5. Your parents and teachers can and should be able to see what you are doing on the Internet. Share your activities with them when they ask, and let them help you with learning the Internet Rules of the Road.
Teachers and librarians, this is also a chance to remind you to get parental permission before you send us any photographs of your students.
We are always glad to hear from you here at SeymourSimon.com, and we want to keep everybody safe.
Keep on writing! I love to hear from you!
Photo courtesy of Shannon McClintock Miller
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 12, 2013
What I think of "Einstein Anderson" and "Extreme Earth Records" books by Seymour Simon 
by Sarah, age 11 years, Year 6, Earlsfield Primary School, London, England, UK
I really enjoyed these books. My favourite one was the Einstein Anderson book - "The Impossible Shrinking Machine".
It was really funny and clever. I liked the fact that it was interactive - you could solve the puzzle before the book. The book was also very easy reading and the drawings are very realistic. They were cool!!
The other book - "Extreme Earth Records" - was amazing. I loved all the little bits of information. The pictures were amazing!! My favourite one was the first one about the snow.
I would recommend these books to anyone. The only thing that I would change is I would make the Einstein books harder to read and more challenging. But otherwise the books are absolutely GREAT!!!
Photo: Sarah is the one at the top in the photo, with glasses and wearing the pink baseball jacket - the one at the bottom is her elder sister Molly!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
September 10, 2013
It is time for a new contest! Seymour Simon is visiting the Cider Mill School in Wilton, Connecticut later this month, and this Writing Wednesday contest is for all the Cider Mill students to enter. Three lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s new book LIGHTNING NEVER LIES, from the Einstein Anderson: Science Geek series of science mysteries.
Here is how you enter. First, read this excerpt from LIGHTNING NEVER LIES. 
Once you have read this, here is what you do to enter:
1. Think about what these pages and the illustration (at right) tell you about the characters of Einstein and Paloma. Based on what you have read, make a list of each of their likes and dislikes, as well as their characteristics (their appearance and their personalities). Give specific examples from what you read to support your list.2. Then write at least one paragraph telling us about an interest or characteristic that you share with one of these characters, either Einstein or Paloma.
3. To enter the contest, click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog entry and share both your list and your writing.
4. When you enter, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), your grade, your age and your teacher’s name, so that we can find you if your entry is chosen. Allow 24 hours for your comment to show up online, because all comments by people under 13 years old are reviewed by a moderator and approved before they appear on the website. Be patient if your writing doesn’t appear right away!
5. Be sure to post your entry by midnight on Wednesday, September 25th. The contest ends then.
6. One winner from each grade will be chosen randomly from all the complete entries.
7. Students who do not attend Cider Mill School may also enter this contest. The rules are the same as above, but for #4, please include your first name, your grade, your teacher’s name, the name of your school, and the city where your school is located. If we have at least 20 entries from other schools, we will randomly choose an extra prize winner from the non-Cider Mill entries.
All winners will receive copies of LIGHTNING NEVER LIES, personally autographed by Seymour Simon. So, get to work and send us your entries today!
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 10, 2013
How about this shot of a frog nabbing its lunch as our Cool Photo of the Week? What a great action shot!
I’m looking at lots of photographs of frogs this week because I am writing a new book about these fascinating amphibians. Do you see how the frog’s eyes bulge out of the side of its head? That enables them to see in nearly all directions, and they will snap at any small, moving object they see.
It’s not that easy to see a frog catching its prey. If a frog spots a large object (like a human) moving nearby, it will immediately leap away to a safe, hidden spot. You must be very still and very sneaky to observe a frog close up.
Photo: Cathy Keifer / 123RF
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 9, 2013
In today’s Science News, scientists have discovered one of the largest known volcanoes in our Solar System under the Pacific Ocean, about 1,000 miles east of Japan. That’s right, the new volcano, named Tamu Massif, is not only the largest volcano on Earth (by far), it is one of the largest in the Solar System. Quite a discovery, right here at home!
Tamu Massif covers an area of about 120,000 square miles - about the size of the state of New Mexico. That is 60 times bigger than Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, which up until now we had thought was the largest volcano on Earth.
Fortunately, the huge volcano is no longer active, but scientists are eager to study it and try to learn more about how these mega volcanoes form.
There is much that we are still learning, about Earth’s geology and about animals, under the oceans that cover 70% of the surface of our planet.
Posted by: Seymour Simon
September 7, 2013
Seymour Simon is pleased and honored that two of his books, VOLCANOES and HORSES, are included in the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as English Language Arts Text Exemplars, Grades 4-5 Informational Text. Now, we are providing extra resources to help you make the most of these two popular books!
Seymour has created detailed Teacher Guides for both of these books, and they are available as free downloads to anyone who is registered as a member of this website. The reason that you must register to become a member of SeymourSimon.com in order to access the free teacher guides is that children also use the website and these materials are not for them. We do not share, sell or use personal information for any other purpose other than to register parents and educators for access to this area of the website.You can become a member by simply clicking "Sign Up" at the right hand side of the yellow bar at the top of the page. Once you have registered, be sure that you are logged in and visit the "Educators and Families" section of Seymour Simon’s website to download individual copies of the Guide.
While you are exploring the website, you may also want to try some of the many other free resources that we offer for classroom use on SeymoursSimon.com. The website offers extensive classroom resources designed to expand students’ understanding and exploration of his books, and also to encourage and reward their efforts as growing readers and writers. In particular, the Seymour Science blog is widely used by schools and classes who are studying his books and looking for opportunities to publish student writing. We have also had very enthusiastic participation by classes in our weekly "Writing Wednesdays," which began again at the beginning of September.
Best wishes to all the educators who use this website for a smooth and productive start to the new school year!
Posted by: Liz Nealon
