Poison ivy, oak, and sumac are three common and closely related plants that cause skin rashes. A child who spends a great deal of time in the woods and fields should know what these plants look like...
Putting atoms to work
What makes the electricity for your home? It comes from buildings called power plants. In most places, power plants use energy from coal, oil, or gas to make electricity. But some power plants use a...
How do you make a push?
Opening doors, playing baseball, running a race, practicing for a school play---you really keep moving. How does your body keep going? What makes you move? You keep moving in almost the same way a...
First lessons
Ketwago and his family live in the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa. They belong to a group of people known as Bushmen. Most Bushmen do not raise animals or plants for food. Instead, the men and...
Animals of the sea
Billions of tiny plants and animals drift in huge groups in the sea. These creatures are so small that most of them can be seen only with a microscope. The sea is filled with many different kinds...
Books to Read
If you enjoy learning about plants, you'll find many interesting books about them. The books listed here are only a sampling. Your school or public library will have more. Ages 5 to 8 Between...
What you can do to help
> planting trees You can help save the green kingdom by planting new plants where they are needed. These children are planting healthy young trees on the grounds of their school. collecting...
The most dangerous enemies
mine or national park? > From open-pit mines such as the one in the top picture, we get a useful and important metal---copper. But this kind of mine destroys both land and plants. The bottom...
The enemy in the air
Imagine a world that is plain, even ugly ---a world without beauty. Imagine a world in which most of the trees are dead. Many other plants are small and twisted. Leaves and flowers are spotted with...
Insect enemies
Suppose you could make yourself as tiny as an insect. Then, suppose you sat on a leaf in a garden and were very still. You would probably hear a munching, crunching noise all around you. For, all...