Label: Contests

January 13, 2013

Thank you to everyone who entered the second MY AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest. We enjoyed seeing the choices you made and reading your writing using those words. Nealy 100 students and classes entered this contest - that is a lot of excellent research and writing!

Are you ready? Here are the winners of Seymour Simon’s 2nd Awesome Science Word contest:

Individual Winner: Brandon/4th Grade, Penn Valley Elementary, Ms. Kochersperger’s class                         

Definition: Zircons are solid minerals that come in many different colors and can be transparent (see through) crystals used as gemstones.

Why you think it is awesome: I think the word zircon is awesome, not only because of how the word looks and sounds, but also because I like learning about different minerals found in the Earth.

Use the word in a sentence: Yesterday, my friends and I went to a cave full of crystals and my favorite one was a green, transparent zircon.

Classroom Winner: Mrs. Caron’s 2nd Grade Class, Oxford Valley Elementary School

Definition: Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide that is -107 degrees Fahrenheit or colder.

Why you think it is awesome: Dry ice is interesting because it keeps food cold while it gets shipped to your house.

Use the word in a sentence: When a metal spoon touches dry ice, it makes a high-pitched, squeaky sound.

Both winners will receive a personally autographed copy of Seymour Simon’s SCIENCE DICTIONARY. Congratulations to everyone who entered! 

January 6, 2013

Seymour Simon is heading back to Pennsylvania and visiting six more schools this coming week. As promised, we are running our contest again for students  in the Pennsbury school district. Welcome to the AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest!

Two lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s newly updated SCIENCE DICTIONARY, with more than 2,000 entries!

Did you ever spend time browsing through an encyclopedia or dictionary? You might not have been looking for a specific word but just leafing through, finding cool topics and reading about them. For this contest Seymour Simon invites you to browse through his online Science Dictionary and find a word or image that you really like. Here is the link where you can find his Science Dictionary online: http://www.seymoursimon.com/index.php/science_dictionary/

Here is what you need to know to enter Seymour’s Awesome Science Word Contest:

Take a look around in the online Science Dictionary and find a word that you think is an Awesome Science Word. Once you have decided on your word, you have to do three things:

1. Tell us what your word is and explain the definition in your own words.

 2. Tell us why you think your word is awesome.

3. Use your Awesome Science Word in a sentence to prove that you really understand what it means.

Here is an example. Let’s say that I look at the online Dictionary pick "geyser" as my Awesome Science Word. I would write:

Definition in my own words: A geyser is a hot, underground pool or stream of water that sometimes explodes into the air, releasing hot water and steam.

Why it is awesome: I think it is awesome that hot water, smoke and steam can just explode out of the ground without any warning.

Using it in a sentence: If you ever go to Yellowstone National Park, don’t walk too near the "Old Faithful" geyser, because you never know when it is going to blow!

Here is how to enter once you have selected your Awesome Science Word:

A. Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog to enter the contest by sharing your word along with your definition, why you think it is awesome, and your sentence using your word.

B. When you write you information, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), your school, and your teacher’s name. That way we can find you if you are the winner!

C. Be sure to post your entry by midnight on Friday, January 11th. The contest ends then.

 

RULES:

• Two winners in the Pennsbury Schools will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries. 
• Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner. 
• Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner. 
• Both winners will receive copies of the printed version of the SCIENCE DICTIONARY, autographed by Seymour Simon.
• Students who are not in the Pennsbury (Pennsylvania) school district may also enter this contest. If we have at least 20 entries from other schools, we will randomly choose a third prizewinner from the non-Pennsylvania entries. 

So, get to work and send us your entries today. Good luck!

December 5, 2012

Seymour Simon is preparing to travel to visit five schools in Pennsylvania next week. It is easy to tell because we are seeing so many new readers on the Seymour Science blog. Students in the Pennsbury school district - this AWESOME SCIENCE WORD contest is for you!

Two lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s newly updated SCIENCE DICTIONARY, with more than 2,000 entries!

Did you ever spend time browsing through an encyclopedia or dictionary? You might not have been looking for a specific word but just leafing through, finding cool topics and reading about them. For this contest Seymour Simon invites you to browse through his online Science Dictionary and find a word or image that you really like. Here is the link where you can find his Science Dictionary online: http://www.seymoursimon.com/index.php/science_dictionary/

Here is what you need to know to enter Seymour’s Awesome Science Word Contest:

Take a look around in the online Science Dictionary and find a word that you think is an Awesome Science Word. Once you have decided on your word, you have to do three things:

1. Tell us what your word is and explain the definition in your own words.

 2. Tell us why you think your word is awesome.

3. Use your Awesome Science Word in a sentence to prove that you really understand what it means.

Here is an example. Let’s say that I look at the online Dictionary pick "geyser" as my Awesome Science Word. I would write:

Definition in my own words: A geyser is a hot, underground pool or stream of water that sometimes explodes into the air, releasing hot water and steam.

Why it is awesome: I think it is awesome that hot water, smoke and steam can just explode out of the ground without any warning.

Using it in a sentence: If you ever go to Yellowstone National Park, don’t walk too near the "Old Faithful" geyser, because you never know when it is going to blow!

Here is how to enter once you have selected your Awesome Science Word:

A. Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of the blog to enter the contest by sharing your word along with your definition, why you think it is awesome, and your sentence using your word.

B. When you write you information, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), your school, and your teacher’s name. That way we can find you if you are the winner!

C. Be sure to post your entry by midnight on Thursday, December 13. The contest ends then.

 

RULES:

• Two winners in the Pennsbury Schools will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries. 
• Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner. 
• Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner. 
• Both winners will receive copies of the printed version of the SCIENCE DICTIONARY, autographed by Seymour Simon.
• Students who are not in the Pennsbury (Pennsylvania) school district may also enter this contest. If we have at least 20 entries from other schools, we will randomly choose a third prizewinner from the non-Pennsylvania entries. 

So, get to work and send us your entries today. Good luck!

April 22, 2012

Happy Earth Day, everyone! Your Earth Day Promises are wonderful. Anyone who reads your writing for the past 22 days on this blog is sure to feel good about the prospects for our environment, and the future of our planet! 

The winners were randomly chosen by a true random number generator on the website www.random.org. First we listed all the entries in order of when they were received. Then we used the random number generator to pick the winners from among the hundreds of entries.

The "individual student" winner was actually a pair of students who wrote, so they will each win a personally autographed copy of my book EARTH: OUR PLANET IN SPACE. Those winners are Baylee Y. and Austin P., from Mrs. Stewart’s class at Midway Elementary in Holt, Michigan. Baylee and Austin wrote:

Survival of Polar Bears is threatened by the melting of the Arctic ice because polar bears eat a lot of food and the more the ice melts the less food Polar bears have to eat. Global Warming has been around since 1995 so you should care now, not later. Global Warming doesn’t only affect animals, it also affects humans. Polar bears are threatened by Global Warming.  

The second prize goes to the student who uploaded a photograph of his poster, called "Promise Island." This student is a homeschooler from Ohio named Will B., and Will will receive a personally autographed copy of my book BUTTERFLIES. He wrote:

I promise to recycle with my dad.  I promise to not run the water when I brush my teeth.  And I promise to sleep my computer when I am not using it to save electricity.  Thank you.

 And finally, I asked classes to write and tell me their Earth Day Promises, and I was so pleased to receive many great entries! The randomly selected winning class entry was one of Mrs. Houck’s second grade library classes at JB Blayton School in Williamsburg, Virginia. When Mrs. Studdard’s class was in the library, they came up with this list:

~ using water bottles that can be reused instead of plastic water bottles.

~ picking up trash that we see outside.

~ plant a tree to help clean up our atmosphere.

These are excellent promises, and for making them, Mrs. Studdard’s class has won a free Skype session. I can’t wait to "meet" you all over Skype!

We had a number of schools whose students entered often, and one school, in particular, posted many more entries than any other. We decided to add one more winner, to recognize the participation by all the students from Mrs. Maggio’s Library Classes at James Fallon School in Wayne, New Jersey.

Ryan A. was the randomly chosen winner from this class, and he will also win a personally autographed copy of EARTH: OUR PLANET IN SPACE. Ryan wrote:

This Earth Day I promise to re-use paper and recycle plastic bottles.

Thank you, again, to everyone who wrote in with your Earth Day Promises. You have made Earth Day 2012 very special, indeed.

Take a moment to reflect on Earth Day today, and what it means to you. If you have a few minutes, go back to April 1 on my blog, and read all the student "promises" which were posted as comments on the stories between April 1 and today. I guarantee you that you will be inspired by the hundreds of commitments to protect and honor our home planet. 

March 30, 2012

We’re going to celebrate Earth Day for the entire month of April here on the Seymour Science blog. Our team will be writing lots of articles about our home planet - showing the beauty of nature, plants and animals, talking about how we can help our environment, and what kids can do to make a difference.

When you comment on our stories, we want you to share Your Earth Day Promises. What will you do, not just on Earth Day but every day, to help protect our environment? How have you changed your behavior because of what you have learned about taking care of our planet Earth? What beauty do you see around you that inspires you to love Earth?

March 10, 2012

This week we ran a contest called WHAT KIND OF CLOUD IS THAT? for students at the K-8 school in Menands, NY, where I visited this week. I asked students to do some research about the three most common types of clouds, and to tell me which one they would be most like to see on a fair weather day. 67 students and classes left comments on the blog with their answers. Wonderful!

How did I come up with a winner among the many correct answers? The winner was randomly chosen by a true random number generator on the website www.random.org. First we listed all the entries on page after page, in order of when they were received. Then we used the random number generator, first to pick a page number and then to pick a number on the page. The winning pick was Delia, a fourth grader. Here is what Delia wrote: 

Hi, Seymour Simon. You are my class’s model right now. We are so excited to meet you we can hardly stay in our seats. The three types of clouds are stratus clouds, cumuls clouds and cirrus clouds. Cumulus clouds are found on a fair weather day.

From Delia, 4^th grade

The class pick, for Kindergarten through second grade, was Mrs. Sposito’s first grade class. They wrote:

The three most common clouds are cumulus, stratus, and cirrus. The common cloud you would see on a fair day is cumulus.

By: Mrs. Sposito’s First Grade Class, Menands School

Delia and Mrs. Sposito’s class will receive personally autographed copies of my book WEATHER. Congratulations to both winners, and thank you to everyone who entered. There was some very good writing and thinking posted this week. 

I had so much fun meeting you all this week, and reading all your great writing on my blog. Please keep in touch by telling me about what book of mine you’re reading, and what subjects you like the most!

March 1, 2012

Seymour Simon is preparing to travel to visit a school next week. It is easy to tell because we are getting so many comments from new readers on the Seymour Science blog. Students in the Menands, NY schools - this contest is for you!

  Two lucky winners are going to receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s book WEATHER! Here is how you enter Seymour’s Cloud Watching Contest:

  1.    Have you ever heard the expression "March comes in like a lion, but goes out like lamb?" There is often blustery, snowy, windy weather at the beginning of March. And that means this month is a perfect time for cloud watching.

2.    Do some research and tell us which are the three most common types of clouds. And, tell us which type of cloud are you most likely to see on a fair weather day.

3.    You can find your information on this blog, in Seymour’s books about weather, or using other resources, like the library and the Internet.

4.    Click on the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog entry to enter the contest by writing what you have learned about clouds.

5.    When you write your information, be sure to also tell us your name (first name only), school and email address. If you do not have an email address, tell us your teacher’s name, so we can contact you if you are the winner.

6.    Be sure to post your entry by midnight, Friday, March 9. The contest ends then.

Two winners will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries. Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner. Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner. Both winners will receive copies of WEATHER, autographed by Seymour Simon.

So, get to work and send us your entries today. Your comments will be invisible until everyone has a chance to enter. Once the contest is over, we will post everyone’s writing.

Good luck!

For Families, Teachers and Media Specialists: Did you know that there is a free, downloadable "Teachers Guide" for WEATHER? In fact, there are guides for all of Seymour Simon’s Smithsonian books. Become a member of SeymourSimon.com today by clicking on the "Educators and Families" header. We hope you use these extensive, free support materials with your children.

Photo: Seymour Simon 

February 11, 2012

This week we ran a contest called 3 CHEERS FOR PLUTO! for students at schools that I visited in Wayne, New Jersey, Skillman, New Jersey, and Newtown, Pennsylvania.  I asked students to do some research about Pluto, and write three facts about the dwarf planet. 163 students and classes left comments on the blog with their answers. Wow!

How did I come up with a winner among the many correct answers? The winner was randomly chosen by a true random number generator on the website www.random.org. First we listed all the entries on page after page, in order of when they were received. Then we used the random number generator, first to pick a page number and then to pick a number on the page. The winning pick was Ainsley, in Mrs. Rodgers’ Class, at Sol Feinstone Elementary School.

Ainsley wrote: 

1. The region of its orbit is known as the Kuiper belt.

2. Puto’s distance from the sun is about 3,670,050,000 miles [5,906,380,000 kilometers]

3. Pluto’s surface is one of the coldest places in our solar system.

The class pick, for Kindergarten through second grade, was a little different. We put each class entry on a small slip of paper, put all of the class entries into a paper bag and then I put my hand into the bag and picked up one of the slips of paper without looking. The winning slip of paper was Mrs. Doheny’s 2nd grade class at Sol Feinstone Elementary School. They wrote:

On August 24th, 2006 Pluto’s status was changed from planet to dwarf planet. 

Pluto is the only planet named by a kid.

Pluto has three moons.

 Our second grade class had so much fun researching facts about Pluto this afternoon.  The children can’t wait until Seymour Simon comes to visit us tomorrow!!! 

See you soon,

Mrs. Doheny’s Second Grade Class 

Congratulations to both winners. Ainsley will receive an autographed copy of OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, and Mrs. Doheny’s class will receive an autographed copy of PLANETS AROUND THE SUN.

Now, some of you very advanced planet studiers may have noticed that just a few months ago, astronomers identified a fourth moon orbiting Pluto. For now, it is just being called P4 - it is so new that it has not been given another name yet. Since it is so new, we did not disqualify any entries that said that Pluto has three moons, Charon, Nix and Hydra.

For those of you who are interested, here is a recent diagram from NASA, showing Pluto’s satellite system, which includes all four moons.

Congratulations to everyone who entered the contest! All of your entries have been posted as comments on my blog. Look for your name and your entry on my website, www.seymoursimon.com. Some of you put your comments on stories other than the contest story, so if you don’t see it there, you’ll probably find your comment under another blog story.

Please keep in touch by telling me about what book of mine you’re reading, and what subjects you like the most!

I had so much fun meeting you all last week. Thank you for your enthusiasm for paper airplanes, strange mysteries, and Pluto!

February 1, 2012

It is easy to tell that another Seymour Simon school visit week is coming up -  we have been getting so many comments from new readers on the Seymour Science blog. Students in Wayne, New Jersey, Skillman, New Jersey and Newtown, Pennsylvania  - this contest is for you!

Two lucky winners will receive personally autographed copies of Seymour Simon’s OUR SOLAR SYSTEM (grades 3-6) and PLANETS AROUND THE SUN (grades K-2).

Here is what you have to do to enter the 3 Cheers for Pluto Contest:

1.    Seymour is thinking about writing a book about Pluto. That means he is starting to research information about the dwarf planet.

2.    He would like you to add your own research about Pluto. Click the yellow "Comments" link at the bottom of this blog post, and tell Seymour 3 facts about Pluto.

3.    You can find your facts on this blog, in Seymour’s books about the solar system, or using other resources, like the library and the Internet. Any fact is ok (as long as it is true!)

4.    Tell us your name (first name only), school and email address. If you do not have an email address, tell us your teacher’s name, so we can contact you if you are the winner.

5.    Be sure to post your entry by midnight, Friday, February 10. The contest ends then.

Two winners will be chosen randomly from all the correct entries. Older students may enter individually, and we will pick one winner. Students in grades K-2 may enter as a class and work with their teacher to enter the contest; there will be one classroom winner.

Do you need some help getting started? You can find facts about Pluto right on this blog. Look at all the entries under the label "Solar System." We guarantee you that you will find information there!

So, get to work and send us your entries today. Your comments will be invisible until everyone has a chance to enter. Once the contest is over, we will post everyone’s writing.

Good luck!

December 3, 2011

This week we ran a contest called BUTTERFLY or MOTH? for students in the Niskayuna, NY school district, where I was visiting. We showed two photographs, side by side, and asked you to tell us which was a butterfly and which was a moth…..and give three reasons why. We had 256 students and classes leave comments on the blog with their answers. Wow!

How did we come up with a winner among the many correct answers? The winner was randomly chosen by a true random number generator on the website www.random.org. First we listed all the entries on page after page, in order of when they were received. We had 256 entries, so there were 16 pages of entries with 16 entries on each page. Then we used the random generator, first to pick a page number and then to pick a number on the page. The winning pick was Alexandra L. in Class 4V at Glencliff Elementary School.

Alexandra wrote:

Insect A: moth

1. Moths rest with their wings open.

2. They do not have a club on their antennae.

Insect B. Butterfly

1. They rest with their wings closed.

2. They have a little club on their antennae.

The class pick was a little different. We put each class entry on a small slip of paper, put all of the class entries into a paper bag and then I put my hand into the bag and picked up one of the slips of paper without looking. The winning slip of paper was Mrs. Robitaille’s 2nd grade class in Hillside Elementary School. They wrote:

Insect A is a moth. We know this because the moth’s wings are dull, the moth’s wings fold back, and the antennae are feathery. Insect B is a butterfly. We know this because its wings are folded up, its wings are colorful, and it has a bulb at the top of its antennae.

Congratulations to both winners. You will receive your signed copy of BUTTERFLIES in the mail this week. More than that, congratulations to everyone who entered the contest! All of your entries have been posted as comments on my blog. Look for your name and your entry on my website, www.seymoursimon.com. Some of you put your comments on stories other than the contest story, so if you don’t see it there, you’ll probably find your comment under another blog story.

Keep in touch by telling me what book of mine you’re reading and what subjects you like the most!

I had so much fun talking to you last week; did you enjoy my speaking? Tell me one thing you remember from what I said!

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