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Gold Mine for Teachers at the UM Exhibit Museum of Natural History

by lola

If you are looking for fun and educational field trips for your class, check into what the University of Michigan Exhibit Museum of Natural History has to offer. There are guided tours exploring how fossils form and the cultures of Native Americans indigenous to the Michigan area. The museum also has planetarium shows, with shows specific for a wide age range of students. Located on the museum website are links to teacher and student resources with scavenger hunts and crossword puzzles, as well as the schedule of current program offerings.

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Voice of Faith and Science

by annevm

A new book out this summer by Francis Collins, head of the Human Genome Project, is entitled The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief. Enlightening and engaging, this book is the subject of a wonderful current article at Salon. Collins, who joined the U-M faculty in 1984 and still has ties here, talks in the Salon interview about topics including C.S. Lewis and atheism.

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Twenty Years of the Friz

by Eartoground

September 15 will be the 20th anniversary of Ms. Frizzle and The Magic School Bus series. To celebrate, NASDAQ will open with a dedication to the series and Scholastic will release "The Magic School Bus and the Science Fair Expedition," the 11th picture book in the series and the first in seven years, according to Publishers Weekly. Joanna Cole, the writer of the series, says "We have to make it simple enough for kids to understand, but not so simple that the meaning goes out of it."

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Bird droppings survive space launch!

by K.C.

Forgive my skepticism but what kind of bird could produce droppings that are impervious to Florida downpours and the shuttle launch?!? Check out this story.

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Michigan Field Guides

by Van

With Memorial Day and summer vacations just ahead, these field guides will enrich your hikes, bike rides, and camping trips.

Birds: National Geographic Field Guide to Birds: Michigan
Mammals: Mammals of Michigan Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Reptiles and Amphibians:
Reptiles and Amphibians of Michigan Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Michigan Turtles and Lizards by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman
Michigan Frogs, Toads, and Salamanders by James H. Harding and J. Alan Holman
Michigan Snakes by J. Alan Holman
Insects: Insects of the Great Lakes Region by Gary A. Dunn
Butterflies: Michigan Butterflies and Skippers by Mogens C. Nielsen
Butterflies of Michigan Field Guide by Jaret C. Daniels
Fish: Fishes of the Great Lake Region by Carl L. Hubbs
Trees: Michigan Trees by Burton V. Barnes and Warren H. Wagner
Trees of Michigan by Linda Kershaw
Wild Flowers: Michigan Wildflowers in Color by Harry C. Lund
Wildflowers of Michigan Field Guide by Stan Tekiela
Stars: Michigan Starwatch by Mike Lynch

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Animal Diversity Web

by Van

AADL Select Sites: Science

Great for students, great for general information, the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web is written largely by and for college students but has the materials elementary, middle, and high school students might need for reports and that the general public might need to understand the particular animal.

The information section covers the geographic range, the habitat, a physical description, reproduction, lifespan/longevity, behavior, communication and perception, food habits, predation, ecosystem roles, positive and negative economic importance for humans, and conservation status. There is a box listing the kingdom, phylum, subphylum, class, order, family, genus, and species.

There are tabs for pictures (14 for the sandhill crane) and specimens (skeletal structure, teeth, etc.).

Some highlights from the coverage of the sandhill crane: “Five courtship displays have been identified as part of “dancing,” the primary mechanism of pair formation in this species. These displays are the Upright wing stretch, Horizontal head pump, Bow, Vertical Leap and Vertical toss.” The chicks “are able to leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching.”

With the first snow now falling you might think the sandhill cranes have left for southern climes but the Monday count at the Phyllis Haehnle Memorial Audubon Sanctuary was 1902 cranes, the highest count this fall. Based on previous years’ counts, the sandhill cranes should be departing in the next two weeks.