Plant a Mystery Greenhouse Garden

Plant a Mystery Greenhouse Garden

What might be lurking in the soil? Find out by taking samples of soil from three different sites and seeing what grows!
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Design a Seed

Design a Seed

From Keystone Plants and Fungi

Use the engineering design process to design a seed!

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Design a Wildlife Corridor

Design a Wildlife Corridor

From Conservation Success

Wildlife crossings provide safe passages for animals moving between habitats. Time to think like an engineer and a conservationist to design a crossing near you!

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Microbes in Action

Microbes in Action

From Microbe Adaptations

Seeing is believing! Find your own evidence of microbes.

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Follow the Sun!

Follow the Sun!

From Plant Adaptations

Grow some seeds and watch how they adapt!

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Reviews

Praise for a previous edition of this book

Publishers Weekly
“Latham’s accessible, encouraging tone, along with such experiments as creating habitats for woodlice (aka roly-polies) and building bird nests using natural materials, should pique kids’ interest and get them outdoors.”

School Library Journal
“This resource guide contains a wealth of information and challenging activities for budding scientists.  A good choice for science collections.”

Detailed Book Description

This updated edition incorporates new scientific discoveries and a sharper look at the impact human actions have on the natural world!

Biology is the study of life, and life is all around you! You can find life thriving in the city and in the country, teeming in ecosystems around the planet—in deserts, oceans, and even the Arctic. Backyard Biology: Discover the Life Cycles and Adaptations Outside Your Door with Hands-On Science Activities introduces readers ages 9 to 12 to the amazing world of life science right outside their doors, no matter where they live.

Throughout Backyard Biology, hands-on STEM activities, essential questions, and links to online primary resources help readers learn the basics of life science, including cell structures, adaptations, life cycles, and microbes.

Try these hands-on biology projects!

  • Grow microbes in a Winogradsky column
  • Organize a clean up
  • Make animal tracker plaster caster
  • Study growth in a geotropism
Available In:
Paperback, $17.95
9781619308954
Hardcover, $22.95
9781619308923
Includes: Table of Contents | Charts | Glossary | Resources | Index | Metric Conversions Chart
Specs: 8x10 size | 4-color | 128 pages
Subject: Science
Content Focus: Biology | Life Science

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Backyards Around the World

Introduction
The Study of Life

Chapter 1
Cells Alive!

Chapter 2
Microbiology Reveals an Invisible World

Chapter 3
Plants Make Life Possible

Chapter 4
Plant Life Cycles

Chapter 5
Adaptations Are a Matter of Life and Death

Chapter 6
Animal Life Cycles

Chapter 7
Be the Difference

Glossary
Metric Conversions
Resources
Essential Questions
Index