I dedicate this book to Rachel and Austin.
May they be blessed with the joy of a purposeful life:  one that sees the beauty in nature, the compassion in caring, and the nobility in seeking the truth.

This book is free for individuals to use in their home or in early childhood classrooms.  The author loves to hear positive feedback from parents or children who find the stories interesting.  Please send me an email at scotta@uwstout.edu.  

This book and any portion of it's contents are copyrighted.  All rights to this book and it's contents are retained.  No commercial use may be made of these materials without written consent from the author.  Please get authorization from the author to duplicate or distribute. 

© 2002, Alan J. Scott

Preface

Stop That Train web links
Blast-Off To The Moon  web links
The Pull of Gravity web links
Rocket To Mars web links
Deep, Deep Underwater web links
A Fish With Big Eyes web links
Rumbling Earth (Earthquakes) web links
When Mountains Blow-Up (Volcanoes) web links
The Time of Dinosaurs web links
Teeny, Teeny, Tiny Atoms web links
The Wright Stuff web links
Mighty Waves (Tidal Waves) web links
Fast Photons web links
Bottom of the World web links
Swimming with Fish web links
Rocketing Through Space (Cassini) web links
The Time of Einstein web links
Lightning and Thunder web links
The Eagle of Wabasha web links
Firefighting web links

Martian Lander Cut-Out Pattern
Other Fun Web Sites
About The Author

For greatest impact on capturing your child’s interest, read each story with animated gestures, sound effects, and enthusiasm! Suggested effects are mentioned inside the blue brackets “[]”. Sharing these stories is a wonderful opportunity for quality time with your child. They are at a very impressionable age and these stories will ignite their thoughts. One summer, I went picnicking with my 4-year old daughter and 2-year old son. We came upon a walking bridge that was built over a railroad track. Suddenly, a train went rumbling by right below our feet. My kids were bubbling with excitement the rest of the day. At every chance, they would re-enact the sounds made by the train and the signal gates going down. Whenever we talk about trains, my kids beg to return and “watch the trains at Alma (Wisconsin)”. This experience captured their wonder and sparked their interest. The stories in this book are tailored to do the same.

This book is an alternative to the vast number of books that use fantasy creations such as magic, fairies, goblins, talking animals, etc., to stir-up a child’s wonder and interest. It is important for young children (and their parents) to realize that the real world can be exciting and meaningful. This philosophy is dedicated to helping children see the beauty and joy in observing and understanding the natural world. A nurturing that will serve the child well in later years. I’m not suggesting that all books with fantasy themes are bad for children. For instance, I enjoy reading Goodnight Moon written by Margaret Wise Brown to my children. In a way, my children find it fun to point out the book’s “silly” content - rabbits that talk and bears sitting on chairs. Furthermore, Goodnight Moon has some excellent content for building color and object recognition skills along with counting skills. When children find it fun to read, their minds are growing positively. The stories in this book do use some role playing and pretending. But it uses these activities carefully, so as to enhance the science themes and overall enjoyment for young children.

Every effort has been made to check the web links to be sure they are active.  On occasion some web links will not work temporarily due to a computer server being down or network congestion.  There is also the possibility that the link is inactive because the page has been moved or the page has been discontinued.  Clicking on the words Google and Alltheweb will start a web search for the indicated topic.  By clicking on "Just Text," you will be presented the stories without the recommended story-telling gestures and web searches.

I would like to tell you a train story.*  As a young boy I was walking over to a friend's house one day.  My friend lived across the railroad tracks.  Suddenly a big truck [emphasize big] made a loud scraping noise as it crossed the tracks!  [create noise of metal on pavement] I turned to look and saw the truck stuck on the train tracks.  The truck driver was spinning his wheels fast [make a tire screeching sound] but couldn’t move! The driver looked far down the tracks and saw the lights of a train coming his way! In a panic [act worried], the truck driver saw me standing beside the tracks.  He ran to his truck and pulled out a red flag.  He handed the flag to me and shouted “Stop That Train!”  I shook my head yes and knew what had to be done.  I ran fast toward the train for several minutes [pretend to run]. The train was approaching fast! [make the sound of a train] As the train got closer, I started waving the flag over my head to get the attention of the train driver.  The train went roaring by quite fast...I thought that maybe the train driver didn’t see me.   Suddenly, I heard the loud screeching of the train brakes. [create break sounds, metal on metal]  The train was stopping!   Would it stop in time not to smash into the big truck? [look worried] Trains need a long distance to stop because they are so big and move very fast!  Do you think it will stop before smashing into the truck?   Phew...it did stop in time!  After the train driver realized what had happened, he invited me onto the train for a short ride on the train.  The driver showed me the hot engine and the train whistle. [make a quiet train whistle sound]  It was an exciting day! 

Train video with crossing gates from Alma, Wisconsin.  [3.4 Mb, Windows Media Video (*.wmv) file format]

Train Pictures - Google/Alltheweb
Train Movies - Google/Alltheweb
Steam Engine Trains - Google/Alltheweb
Model Trains - Google/Alltheweb

Blast-Off To The Moon
Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

Many years ago there was a big rocket ship built. It was really big and tall!  It was called Apollo 11.  The engines were even bigger than this room.  People, called astronauts, climbed into this ship wearing special clothes with a helmet. [pretend to wear a helmet]  They sat down in the rocket and the countdown began.  Five, four, three, two, one...and the rocket made a huge noise as flames began to flow out of the bottom...blast-off!.  They were flying faster and faster toward the Moon! [hand gestures of a rocket flying]  Nobody had ever walked on the Moon before this trip. As they got closer to the Moon, two of the astronauts climbed aboard a spaceship that had legs. [cup hand to mimic the landing] Their spaceship came closer and closer to the Moon.  Dust began to fly everywhere. [pretend there is a dust storm] “Tshhhhh...Houston, this is tranquility base here, the Eagle has landed.”  The astronauts went walking around on the Moon looking for rocks. [use two fingers to walk around on child’s blanket and ask them if they have any moon rocks.]  After doing some work, the astronauts returned to their spaceship. Five, four, three, two, one...blast-off from the Moon. [cup hand to mimic the blast-off]  The astronauts were returning to the Earth safely.

Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

Have you ever heard of gravity?  Gravity is what keeps us from floating around in the air. It pulls us down.  Without gravity everything would float around. We would not be able to stay in our bed to sleep.  With gravity off, we would float around inside our house! [hand floats above the bed] Gravity is on. [hand falls toward the bed]  Gravity is off. [float around]  Gravity is on. [fall toward the bed, face-to-face]  Luckily, gravity is always on and pulling us toward the ground and our beds!  Gravity keeps our car on the road. Gravity helps us walk.  Gravity helps keep our planet - planet Earth - moving around the Sun.  One day, hundreds of years ago, a person named Isaac Newton noticed that gravity which causes apples to fall from the trees, and keeps us snuggled into our bed at night [tuck in the child] also causes the Moon to move around the Earth.  Astronauts in space seem to be floating without gravity, but gravity is still pulling them toward the earth even way, way out in space!  Do you remember when your tummy feels funny when we drive our car over a hill? [rub tummy gently] This is exactly what is happening to astronauts but for a much longer time.  Gravity is really interesting, can you say gravity? 

Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

One of the most interesting planets known is Mars.  It has a very reddish color and is similar to Earth in many ways! Mars has seasons of winter and summer.  The wind blows on Mars and can create big dust storms [pretend to be in a dust storm].  To find out more about this planet, we have sent several rocket ships to explore it.  A few years ago, a rocket ship named Pathfinder was sent to Mars.  It contained a little remote controlled car called Sojourner.  As this rocket ship got close to Mars a parachute opened up [use hand to simulate parachute opening].  Just before it reached the ground balloons were inflated around the ship [use both hands to represent balloon inflation]. When it hit the ground, it bounced just like a ball [bounce across the floor or bed]. It stopped and the balloons went flat, the spaceship opened up like a flower [simulate with hands].  Inside this spaceship was a little car that suddenly turned on and started driving around Mars looking for rocks [pretend to drive around on the floor or bed with one hand, move up to the child’s nose and ask if this is a rock? check ears, eyes, etc., asking if they are rocks]. Soon, the little car ran out of energy (or fuel) and was no longer able to move around. Your body needs food for energy!  Without food, you wouldn’t be able to move or run around just like the little car named Sojourner.  Your body also needs rest at night, so be sure to get a good night sleep.

Deep, Deep Underwater

Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

It certainly is fun to play in water.  Water is very important.  Your body needs to drink a lot of water to keep working.  Did you know that most of the Earth is covered with water?  The Earth has great big oceans that are very deep in spots! [hand gestures of size and depth] Cars are machines that take us from place to place on land.  A machine named Alvin was built to take people deep underwater.  It is called a submarine.  People climbed into Alvin, closed the doors tight, and went deep underwater. [finger closed and straight - simulate dive with floor or bed being the bottom]  They were looking for things people had never seen before.  While moving deep underwater, the people inside of Alvin saw many strange and unique creatures.  Some had large teeth [pretend to have fangs with your fingers], some glowed in the dark, and some lived in very hot water [breath hot air onto child's hand]. One time, a large fish (a Swordfish) became angry and smashed into Alvin and got it's snout (or nose) stuck. [wiggle child’s nose...ouch] On another day, Alvin accidentally went to the bottom of the water with nobody in it. When this happened, a person did leave their lunch in it.  After a long time underwater, the sandwich could still be eaten because of the unusual spot it was in - the deep, dark, and cold ocean bottom. [brrrrr] Good thing we have houses and blankets to keep us warm!  [tuck in the child if it is bedtime]

Ocean Trenches - Google/Alltheweb
Submarine Pictures - Google/Alltheweb
Alvin Submersible - Google/Alltheweb
Deep Sea Life - Google/Alltheweb

Submarine History, U.S. Navy
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/submarines/centennial/subs.html
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/submarines/sub100.html

Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

A very long time ago, giant animals called dinosaurs walked on land.  This was long before people existed.  During this age of the dinosaurs there swam many fish-like creatures in the oceans.  One of these fish was very unique. It was called an Ichthyosaur.  This fish had a long snout (or mouth) for catching squid. [stretch arms out straight, pretend to be looking for squid, spit out blankets, child`s nose, etc.]  These fish could really swim in the water!  They might have been the fastest swimming creature ever!  When we go swimming, we have to breath air.  We cannot breath underwater. This fish, the Ichthyosaur, also had to breath air. [blow some air]  Most fish can live underwater without breathing air at the surface.  What made this fish most interesting was its eyes!  Your eyes and my eyes are about this big (form circle with forefinger and thumb).  This fish had eyes this big! (show circle with both hands, a diameter of 26 cm or about one ruler length)  Those are big eyes! [move your eye close to the child's, be careful not to get poked]  These are the biggest eyes of any creature ever having lived on the Earth.  This fish used these eyes to see squid and other food deep underwater. It is very dark deep underwater and the bigger the eyes you have, the better you can see when it is dark. [pretend to have big eyes looking around in the dark]  This fish with big eyes swam the oceans for many years.  Do you think we could see one swimming in the ocean today? [shake head no]  No, they no longer exist and people aren’t sure why they died off.  It is a mystery that maybe you could solve one day by studying fossils. [hmmmm] They disappeared before the dinosaurs did.  All this happened a long, long time ago.

Just Text
Web Links and Gestures

We live on a big and beautiful planet called Earth. The Earth gives us air to breathe and water to drink.  We share the planet with many people, animals, and creatures. This planet is constantly changing.  Some changes happen very slowly - more slowly than a snail crawling across the floor. [move you left index finger slowly across your right arm] Some changes happen very fast!  Faster than fish can swim, faster than birds can fly. [mimic fish and birds] One such change is called an earthquake.  The ground that we walk on can suddenly shake!  It doesn’t shake very often, but when the ground does shake, it feels like you are riding in the car down a really bumpy road. [pretend to be riding on a bumpy road]  This shaking is all natural.  It is just nature wanting to change.  If you live where a lot of earthquakes occur, I (or your mommy or daddy) will help you be safe.  We are prepared and we will do our best to make sure nothing heavy can fall on you.  Should we worry if the ground shakes? [have a worried look] No, you should just follow what mommy or daddy tell you to do.  When you sing the alphabet song, you are learning the alphabet.  Some people study earthquakes to learn about them and maybe make buildings, such as the one we live in, safer.

Climbing hills can be really fun.  I know you have fun climbing around on the couch or climbing the hill at the park.  Some hills are very steep and can be tough to climb. [pretend to struggle climbing a hill]  Some hills are so big they are called mountains! [raise hands up high] Many years ago, one of these mountains began to rumble. The ground beneath the mountain began to shake! [pretend to gently shake]  The mountain’s name was Mt. St. Helens and do you know why the ground was shaking?  Deep under the ground, the rocks are very, very hot.  If you touched these rocks you would get burned and hurt yourself. [touch something and pretend it is hot rock]  These hot rocks are pushing their way toward the surface. [bulge one of the blankets with your hand, if bedtime] So these hot rocks moving through the ground cause the ground to shake.  People were told to stay away from the mountain because it could explode at any time! [pretend to run away from mountain with fingers] After getting bigger and bigger [hands in the air or push blanket up], the mountain suddenly went kaboom!  The mountain blew-up with a loud bang.  Hot rocks went flying everywhere. [pretend rocks are falling on the child]  It was like nature opened a giant can of soda that had been shaken. What happened is called a volcanic eruption.  Luckily, there aren’t any volcanoes around here, so we don’t have anything to worry about.  But when the ground under a mountain starts shaking, the rocks are baking, and it’s best to leave and let nature do it’s thing.

A long, long time ago, giant animals walked the earth!  These animals are called dinosaurs.  Did dinosaurs look like people? [no...shaking head] Did they have feet? [tickle the child’s feet] Yes, but some dinosaurs had really big feet. [stretch arms out] Did dinosaurs have legs? [tickle legs] Yes, but some were much taller than yours. [stretch arms high]  They could stand taller than this house and run very fast! Did dinosaurs have mouths? [touch yours and the child’s mouth]  Yes, but some were very large. Some were this big. [stretch arms out]  They would eat and eat and eat. [pretend to eat everything in sight]  Do you think that dinosaurs could talk? No, but they could certainly make loud noises by roaring [quiet roar with facial expressions] and grunt [quiet grunts].  Some dinosaurs could fly through the sky like a giant eagle. [pretend to fly] A dinosaur called a pterodactyl (pronounced with the “p” silent) was the biggest creature ever with the ability to fly!  It had wings that could stretch across the room. [20 meters or 65 feet, tip-to-tip] What do you think a pterodactyl sounded like? [let child create own sound] Would you like to pretend to be dinosaurs tomorrow?  I think that would be fun!  But tonight we should get a good night sleep so that we can have lots of energy to be dinosaurs.

Nature is quite wonderful.  In the summertime the sun keeps us warm. [wipe brow with hands] Sometimes we cool off by going swimming. In the fall, things start getting colder and the leaves turn beautiful colors.  In the winter it gets cold outside. [brrrr] I’m certainly happy to be in a nice, warm house during the winter.  In the spring the snow melts and the outside gets warmer.  The flowers sprout out of the ground [pretend to sprout out of the ground, sunshine...I love sunshine] and some animals wake up from a long sleep. [big yawn] [whisper the following] There is something else really interesting and fantastic about nature.  Everything we see around us, this bed, this house, the tree outside...are made of teeny, teeny, tiny things called atoms.  The snow we walk through during the winter is made of atoms.  The water we swim in during the summer is made of atoms. [pretend to swim] The leaves that change color in the fall are made of atoms. Air is made of atoms. [gently blow towards the child] What you feel are many, many tiny atoms that make the air we breath.  Do you remember helping Mommy make cookies? [hmmm] Just as Mommy puts sugar, eggs, and butter into the cookies to make them, Nature puts different types of little atoms into everything we see, touch, and taste.  Mommy helps nature make very good tasting cookies. [pat tummy] We’ll learn more about atoms in the future...maybe even tomorrow.  Did you know that learning about atoms is one of the most important things to learn about in school?  Right now it is time to say good-bye.  Have a great rest of the day!

The Wright Stuff

Did you know that many years ago there were no cars, no TVs, no radios?  A lot of people traveled by using horses! [neigh]  There were no airplanes or helicopters.  These things didn’t exist!  Then, people started playing around and wondering if they could exist. It is fun to play around with things.  While playing in the bathtub you can notice that some things float [raise hand up] and some things sink [lower hand]. Maybe we could make a boat out of the things that float!  Many years ago, before airplanes and helicopters, there were two brothers named Orville and Wilbur Wright.  They were playing around and thinking hard on how to build a machine that could fly up into the sky!  Many people said “impossible...can’t be done.” [shake head no] But the Wright brothers thought it could be done! They built a machine with big wings.  A stranger walked by this machine and asked what it was.  The Wright brothers said a flying machine and we are simply waiting for a good wind to fly it. [gently blow air] The stranger doubted that it would fly.  Then Orville stepped into the machine. They started the engine. [engine sound] The engine got louder and louder.  The wind was blowing.  The machine started moving faster and faster...it took off and was flying! Orville was finding it difficult to steer. [pretend right hand held flat is airplane, fly around erratically] Oh my gosh, Orville landed in your hair!  This was the first airplane to fly by itself with a person in it!  This was very exciting!  Phew, enough excitement for today.

Mighty Waves

In the bathtub, when you make the water go up and down you are creating waves. [pretend to splash] If you make really big waves in the bathtub what happens?  Yes, the water splashes out of the bathtub and gets on the floor.  Mommy and Daddy prefer that you keep the water in the bathtub.  In a big swimming pool you can really splash and have fun!  When you go down the slide and splash into the water, really big waves are made. [pretend to slide and get water in eyes]  Sometimes, out in the big ocean where the whales and dolphins live, a huge wave can be created! [really big, stretch arms out]  But this wave isn't created by people splashing in the water.  This wave, the biggest of all waves, is created when the ocean floor shakes during an earthquake. [shake the bed gently] This giant wave, also called a tsunami (silent ‘t`) or tidal wave, begins to approach land. [pretend a blanket is the wave at the foot of the bed]  The wave gets bigger and bigger until SPLASH...everything gets wet! [pretend to dry child] Luckily these waves don’t happen very often.  They can be dangerous, so it is good to get away from them.  They only happen in the ocean.  Will these waves ever happen in the pool? No...they will never happen in the pool.  Would you like to pretend to be a giant wave tomorrow? OK, I will see you soon.  Good-bye.

[Pretending to be a giant wave entails crouching on one side of a room and slowly walking forward, slowly raising your hands up high. Then splashing the water down at the end and rolling on the floor. Include sound effects.]

Fast Photons

There is something that moves fast, very fast. It goes faster than a car, it goes faster than an airplane, it even goes faster than a rocket ship!  And rocket ships can go very fast. [shake head up and down]  It is the fastest of all!  Nothing goes faster than the fast photon! What is a fast photon? [have a puzzled look] This fast photon is actually light. Light and fast photons are the same thing.  Our eyes can see these fast photons because we can see light.  If our eyes are closed [close eyes], we can not see any light. If our eyes are open [open eyes wide], we can see light. Isn’t it wonderful what our eyes can see? We can sometimes see the bright Moon in the night sky.  We can see the stars sparkling in the night sky - if there are no clouds.  The fast photons from stars may have been traveling for years and years, going really fast.  You can see the smile on Mommy and Daddy’s face [show smile].  We can see the smile on [child’s name] face when you think of walking on the Moon like astronauts. [use two fingers to pretend to bounce on the Moon]  We can make neat designs on the walls with a flashlight. Isn’t a flashlight fun to play with?  When you turn on a flashlight, fast photons come rushing out of the flashlight really fast! [pretend or actually hold a flashlight] Faster than you can even imagine! And when you turn it off...what happens?  The fast photons stop coming out. It is just the way nature works.  When these fast photons shine on rain drops, right after a rain storm, we may see a beautiful rainbow.  It is neat to see all the colors of a rainbow.  Maybe tonight you will dream about rainbows and fast photons?

Bottom of the World

Exploring can be fun!  Exploring is about seeing new things you have never seen before.  Learning about new things.  Going places we have never been before. It was fun hiking in the woods last summer and seeing that really neat plant that had little round burrs which stuck to our clothes! [pretend to stick burrs on pajamas] It acted just like Velcro!  Mommy was really excited when we brought some home to show her.  Exploring can be really fun.  Many years ago there was a place on our planet earth that nobody had ever seen!  Nobody had ever been to this place! It is called the South Pole. Penguins lived near the South Pole. [waddle like a penguin] But people did not live at the South Pole. You know why? It was very far away and very cold! [brrrr, tuck child in with blanket]  It was much colder than winter time around here. A famous explorer, named Robert Scott, decided it was time see the South Pole for the first time.  He brought dogs. [arff, arff] He brought along horses. [neigh]  He brought sleds for the snow,  and a big ship to sail the ocean.  It was tough, very tough, but Robert Scott and his friends were determined and strong. They hiked and hiked.  They walked through freezing blizzards! [put hands up, look for child in blizzard]  They finally made it to the South Pole!  Do you know what they saw there?  They saw someone else’s abandoned tent! [look astonished] They were very sad and disappointed about not making it to the South Pole first. [put a sad face on] Sometimes we don’t get to be first, but what is important is that we tried our best and worked hard.  We can be proud of working hard. [put a smile on face] Good-bye for now.  Tomorrow is another exciting day to explore.

Swimming with Fish

Have you ever had a chance to touch a fish?  Fish feel really slippery, and most have a special skin made of scales.  The body of a fish is shaped just right to help them move fast underwater.  They wiggle their bodies back and forth to swim through the water. [put hands together, pretend they are swimming] This fish is looking for some fish food. Maybe there is some fish food under the blanket. [swim hands under the blanket] Some fish like to swim at the bottom of lakes and rivers.  Some fish like the shallow water.  Do you know what fish are doing when they open and close their mouths like this (pretend to be a goldfish).  They are breathing!  They breath a special way with water. Can we breath with water?  No, we need air.  Do you think it would be fun to go swimming with the fish?  If we were going to swim with the fish we will need some special tools and equipment.  Let's put on a mask to protect our eyes underwater. [pretend to wear a mask] Would you like to try on my mask? [cup hands around child’s eyes]  Lets put on giant shoes called fins to help us swim fast. [pretend to put fins on child] We will also need a big tank of air so that we can breathe while underwater. [cup hands over mouth and breath heavily] Are you ready to go into the water?  Splash... [swim around] Do you see any big fish?  Wow, this water is really clear.  I think there is a fish wanting to nibble on your toes. [tickle toes] Time to go to the surface and dry off.  What a fun dive! [pretend to dry child] With all this swimming, I bet you are tired.  We will sleep well tonight.

The author during a scuba trip down the Rainbow River in Florida.

Rocketing Through Space

A few years ago a large rocket ship sat quietly on a launch pad.  It was nighttime and the air was cool. [tuck child’s blanket] Everything was ready for launch.  The countdown was on... [have child count] 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, blastoff!  The rocket engines ignited into flames.  The ground shook from the loud engines. [shake bed gently] Faster and faster the rocket ship moved into the sky. [raise hand into the sky] Do you know where this rocket ship was going?  It was on its way to a planet called Saturn.  This planet is far away from our planet earth.  The Cassini space ship is moving fast through space.  It approaches the planet Venus and swings around the planet fast. [fly around child’s head with hand]  It makes a big loop and swings around Venus again, even faster. [swing by head] This time the space ship swings around earth - where we live - and heads toward deep space moving very fast!  After a long time, Cassini approaches the big planet Jupiter and swings around it going even faster! [loop around child’s head] Next stop...the great ringed planet called Saturn.  The machines on board this spaceship were “sleeping” (or turned off) for most of the journey. [pretend to sleep] The machine slept for a long time.  Suddenly, the switch was turned on and the machine “woke-up.” [make beeping noises and come to life] Saturn is directly ahead!  Oooo...it’s a pretty planet.  It is time to fire the rocket engines to slow down. [rocket sound and gently shake] Part of the rocket ship, called a probe, heads toward a moon of Saturn to land on it. [use hand as probe, fingers are landing legs] As it gets close to the moon, a parachute opens and the probe slows down.  It is taking pictures of the moon on the way down.  It lands on the moon! [land on blanket or floor] What do you think this moon looks like?  Nobody knows for sure until we look at the pictures.  Isn’t it exciting to explore outer space!

[Cassini arrived at Saturn in July of 2004.  It launched the Huygen's probe in January of 2005.]

Picture of Titan's surface taken by the Huygen's Probe. 
(Image credits: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

The Time of Einstein

Have you ever heard about Albert Einstein?  He was a very famous person. Almost everybody around the world knows of him. [swing arms in big circle]  He had white hair that seemed to stand straight up. [pull your hair up] Do you think he ever combed it?  He spoke with a unique voice - because he grew up in another country far away from here. [pretend to be Einstein, speak with Danish or German accent] Hello [child’s name], my name is Albert Einstein.  I hear that you’ve been very busy playing with [child’s favorite - rocket ships, trains, etc.] .  What do you like the most about [trains, etc.]?  Pretending is fun. I am really glad you enjoy [flying an airplane or riding in a rocket ship]!  Do you know why Albert Einstein is famous?  Do you think he invented peanut butter?  No [shake head], but I’m certainly glad someone did. [shake head]  Do you think he invented TV's?  No [shake head], but it is really neat that we can watch movies on the TV. [shake head] Albert Einstein was famous for thinking hard.  He was famous for thinking about many things in a new and better way.  Do you see my watch (or clock on the wall)? It tells us what time it is. Einstein thought a lot about time, in ways that were very strange...but true.  He also thought a lot about gravity.  Gravity is what pulls us to the ground. [put head gently on child] Yikes, gravity is pulling me down.  Some people believe that Albert Einstein was the most famous person in the last 100 years, which is a very long time!  Do you think Albert Einstein did a lot of playing and pretending when he was your age?  I am sure he did.  I bet he also needed a good night's sleep so that he was rested and ready for another day.  I will see you again soon--good night!

Lightning and Thunder

It can be very loud when a thunderstorm is happening outside.  Should we be afraid of thunderstorms?  No, storms are just part of nature.  As long as we stay inside during a storm, we will be very safe. [tuck child in] Do you know what makes that loud BOOM called thunder?  The lightning makes that sound.  If you see a flash of light from lightning, start counting...1, 2, 3, [count up each second]... When you hear the thunder, stop counting.  A smaller number means the lightning is close, a larger number means the lightning is far away.  I think lightning is exciting.  It is just a big giant spark of electricity!  Would you like to make a little “baby” spark of electricity?   Listen carefully, you will hear a little snap...[run comb or balloon through your hair with right hand, place it near the child, have it spark onto adults left hand].  We are making teeny, tiny lightning!  Lightning is made of electricity and electricity is very important.  Electricity makes the bedroom’s light bulb bright.  Electricity is on...it is off...it is on...it is off. [flip light switch] Electricity is used in the TV, in the refrigerator, in the car, in the radio.  It is even used to bake cookies! [hmmmm, pretend to eat cookies]  Would you like a cookie? [pretend to give one] It is really nice to have electricity.  It helps us out in many ways.  Maybe tomorrow we can use electricity to pull an empty pop can around? [rub balloon in hair and place near empty soda can on flat surface]  Did you know that an electrician is a person who knows exactly how electricity works?  Maybe you can be an electrician when you get as old as Mommy and Daddy.  Have a good night sleep tonight.  Love you.

The Eagle of Wabasha is perched high up in the tree over looking the Mississippi river. [pretend to be an eagle, make bird sounds, and jerk head side-to-side]  This eagle is looking for some fish to eat.  Did you know eagles like to eat fish?   They are very good at catching them.  This eagle spots a fish down by the river and takes off into the air!  Flying gracefully over the river, [flap both hands over bed] the eagle swoops down to grab a fish. [gently grab nose or finger, then let go] Why it isn’t a fish...it is [child’s name] finger.  Oh, eagles don’t eat fingers!  So the eagle flies back up into the tree to look for more fish.  The Eagle is a fascinating and beautiful bird.  What looks like feet are really claws - called talons.  These claws help the eagle swoop down and grab fish out of the water. [pretend hands are claws and swoop down on blanket]  You can usually spot an eagle flying by looking for the white head and tail with a dark body.  Eagles have eyes that can see much further than we can see. [move close with eyes wide open] These powerful eyes can see food, such as fish, really far away.  Do you think eagles have hair like you and me? No, they have feathers.  Feathers help them fly and stay warm.  We will have to look for eagle feathers next time we go walking in the woods!  Eagles even have feathers on the top of their heads. [touch child’s hair] These feathers are white and make them look bald.  Next time we go to Wabasha to watch the eagles, we’ll have to also get some hot chocolate...would you like to do that?  Are you going to dream about eagles tonight?  I hope it is a good dream.

Firefighting

Have you ever sat around a campfire during the summer?  It was fun watching the fire and eating marshmallows. [mmm] The fire was quite hot!  We were very careful not to get  close to the campfire.  If you get too close to a fire it can hurt you very badly. [hot, hot, hot] So we always avoid fire and keep far away from a campfire or fireplace.  Many years ago, I (the author) was part of a group of people that helped put out fires that got too big! [stretch arms up] I was a firefighter.  Late one night, I heard the fire siren.  I drove to the fire station quickly because I knew someone needed my help to put out a dangerous fire! [drive car] I put special clothing on to keep me safe near a fire.  Part of this clothing was a fire helmet with a shield and an oxygen mask to help me breathe where there is lots of smoke. [put hands over face]  With my special breathing mask, I looked very unusual but there was no need to worry.  Firefighters are very nice people and are there to help.  We drove the fire trucks quickly to a house that was on fire! [make a siren noise]  Do you know how we put out the fire? We had large hoses [show diameter with hands, about 4 inches] and a huge amount of water that came squirting out of these hoses.  Putting lots of water on the fire turns it off and makes it safe. [pretend to be squirting water] The fire was soon put out and everybody was OK.  Luckily, no one got hurt.  Maybe we could have a fire drill tomorrow.  We can pretend that the smoke detector on our ceiling is making a really loud noise because of a fire.  We will get everybody together, keep low to the ground, and leave the house quickly. [let fingers be people leaving the house] We’ll do this tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.

Click on picture.

Scissors and tape assembly instructions.

Kid’s Stuff and Education, Nice list of sites for parents and kids
http://www.ils.unc.edu/nclibs/davidson/kidstuff.htm

About the Author

Dr. Alan Scott with his children, Rachel and Austin, who have inspired him to write this book.