Synergy: Food

Food is any substance used by living things as a means of nutrition. People, plants, and animals all need food to survive and grow. People around the globe eat a wide range of food often based on their local agriculture and traditions.  

Read the recently published nonfiction book, then learn more at the website:

ULTIMATE FOOD ATLAS is a delicious way to learn about food and the world through maps, games, recipes, and more. The book is organized into chapters based on continents with subsections focusing on particular types of foods. The book concludes with information about the oceans, global nutrition, and other useful information. Maps, photographs, and visually-rich pages encourage readers to connect specific locations with the fascinating foods available.

TASTE ATLAS is an interactive map providing access to local ingredients, traditional dishes, and authentic restaurants around the world. Users can search for a particular location or food. Or, use the map to explore areas of the world.

To learn more, go to https://www.tasteatlas.com/.

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Synergy: Atlas

An atlas is a collection of maps representing the Earth or a particular region. Traditionally, they were bound into large books. However, today’s interactive atlas allow users to view features such as political boundaries or geographic elements through transparent layers.

Read the recently published atlases for youth, then learn more at the website:

National Geographic Kids has recently published new editions of their popular atlases.

BEGINNER’S UNITED STATES ATLAS (third edition) is an effective way to introduce atlases to children ages 7 to 10. The book begins with an introduction to maps. The attractive format uses maps and photographs to explore the land and its people. Icons are used to highlight key features. Divided into regions (northwest, southeast, midwest, southwest, west, U.S. territories), the atlas explores each state in a two-page spread. It concludes with a review, glossary, and charts.

UNITED STATES ATLAS (sixth edition) is designed for ages 10 to 14. Like the beginner’s version, it is organized by region and highlights each state. The maps are more detailed and the text provides a more in-depth examination of each state than the beginner edition.

National Geographic Kids also publishes world atlases for a variety of age levels.

MAPMAKER INTERACTIVE from National Geographic allows users to explore locations around the world through the use of a base map and layers. Students begin with a base layer such as streets, terrain, topo, or satellite. Then, they can add layers such as water, human population, climate, and history to explore an area in depth. Finally, users can use the tools provided to personalize, save, and print their map.

To visit the website, go to https://mapmaker.nationalgeographic.org/.

ARC courtesy of National Geographic Kids.

Website: The Feather Atlas

THE FEATHER ATLAS is a North American bird feather identification tool from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Representing nearly 400 bird species, the image database can be accessed a number of ways. First, students can choose to search the database by the common or scientific name of a bird species or group. Second, users can browse the database by taxonomic group. Third, users can use the Identify Feather tool to classify a feather by color, pattern, or other characteristics.

A glossary is included to assist students with basic terminology related to feathers. The Frequently Asked Questions section details laws, rules and guidelines for feather use.

Librarians will find this image database to be a fun way to explore North American birds and their feathers. Be sure to read the Feathers and the Law section before jumping into a feather project with students.

To visit the website, go to https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/.

Website Review: Canadian Geographic Kids

CANADIAN GEOGRAPHIC KIDS is a website designed to help users explore the geography, history, and wildlife of Canada.

Part of Canadian Geographic, the kid’s section focuses on resources of interest to youth.

The Animal Facts area provides information about dozens of animals that can be accessed by species or the province where they are found. A web page is provided for each animal and the entire collection can be downloaded as a PDF file.

The Games section includes activities related to the environment, maps, animals, and nature. Screensavers and wallpaper can also be downloaded.

The Fun Facts page contains statistics, information, flags, and maps associated with Canada.

The Maps section provides access to the Canadian Atlas Online, award-winning maps, interactive world maps, historical maps, and other fascinating geography resources.

For older children, make use of the entire Canadian Geographic website including the magazine, atlas, mapping tools, travel information, photo section, and blog.

To extend the experience use their links to other geography websites. Also, connect to their social media presence such as Twitter.

Librarians will find this website to be an excellent starting point for discovering information about Canada. It’s also useful for a wide range of projects related to animals, science, nature, geography, and history.

To learn more, go to http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/kids/.

Website Review: SAS Pathways

SAS Curriculum Pathways is a free resource for educators and students. Containing hundreds of interactives in English/Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, and more, the online service is easy to use and search. The tutorials include text, images, audio, and video elements. In addition, most tutorials end with a quick quiz or self-check. In addition to the tutorials, the system also includes interactives and tools such as an Interactive Atlas that allows users to create their own maps. The Data Depot provides a long list of datasets that students can download on topics such as Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Population Trends.

Of particular interest to school librarians are tutorials in the English/Language Arts section related to topics such as “how to read nonfiction”.

In addition to the website, SAS Curriculum Pathways has an increasing number of Apps available through the iTunes App Store.

To learn more, go to the SAS: Curriculum Pathways website at https://www.sascurriculumpathways.com/