CELEBRATE EARTH DAY by Watching Young Eagles in the Nest

Bald Eagles, Fraser Point, Santa Cruz Island, CA. 

Today is Earth Day when we celebrate the Earth and the natural world. What better way to get a close look at nature than to watch a family of bald eagles at their nest. I am watching (on my computer) a nest in California on Fraser Point on Santa Cruz Island. A video cam of the nest gives a 24/7 live feed of the activity at the nest--beginning from the time the parents laid their first egg in February and eventually (sometime early this summer) to the day when the young eaglets fledge.

Illustration by Caroline Arnold, A BALD EAGLE'S WORLD

I began watching eagle nest cams on my computer when I was doing research for my book A BALD EAGLE'S WORLD (PictureWindow Books, 2010.) By watching the birds' behavior I learned valuable information for my text and the close-up views were crucial for my art. Now, every year during the spring when eagles are nesting, I tune into the nest cams on my computer and check in to see how the eagles are doing. 

The Fraser Point video cam is just one of a number of eagle nests around the nation that you can watch on your computer. Search for "bald eagle nest cam" to find one near you. 

Watch Jackie and Shadow and their two chicks in their nest at Big Bear in California on YouTube.

Note: Prints of my illustrations for A Bald Eagle's World are available at my Etsy Site.

VISIT TO THE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF BERGEN, Bergen, Norway

In the library of the International School of Bergen with Jules Crossley-Nilsen and teacher. We are holding books that I donated to the library.

While my husband Art attended his meetings at a scientific conference in Bergen, Norway, I took a taxi to the International School of Bergen in Sandlihuagen, a suburb of the city, for a tour of the school. I enjoyed the opportunity to visit several of the classrooms and meet the children and teachers. (Classes are taught in English.)  I went into first, second, and third grade classes and the children tried to guess how many books I had written. They were amazed to learn that it is 170! One student asked me if I was famous. I told him that my books are in libraries all over the US and in many parts of the world. So, I can say that my books are famous. I was thrilled to discover that one of the teachers has a copy of my very first book--Five Nests! It was published in 1980. It was part of her mother’s collection of books from when she was a school librarian in India.

I thank Jules Crossley-Nilsen, the librarian and Community Ambassador at ISB for arranging my visit and coordinating my tour of the school. I donated several of my books to the library and Jules told me that she plans to order more. They are a good fit for Earth Day and other parts of the curriculum. I know that this is a busy time of year at the school and I appreciate that I was able to visit. I hope there will be a chance for me to come back some time in the future or possibly to arrange an author visit by Zoom.

 

CELEBRATE THE EARTH: AUTHOR VISIT AT ECOLE BILINGUE, Berkeley, CA

Ecole Bilingue School Garden, Berkeley, CA

A week ago on Tuesday I had a terrific visit with the kindergarten, first, and second graders at Ecole Bilingue in Berkeley, California. This was my second visit this year—the first was in March when I presented my book, KEEPER OF THE LIGHT, to the upper grades, a good fit for studies of California history, and in particular, women’s history.

The main focus of my presentation this time was my book PLANTING A GARDEN IN ROOM 6, timed to coordinate with Earth Month and Earth Day. Ecole Bilingue has long had an extensive school garden, including a pair of chickens, who wander freely among the planting boxes. At night and on rainy days they go into a coop where they have nest boxes.

One of the school chickens.

Learning about the plants in the garden and how they grow is part of the school curriculum. The garden also is home to a tortoise. 

Tortoise in the school garden.

Ecole Bilingue is a bilingual school where children learn in both French and English. (I don’t speak French so my presentation was in English.) I have a special connection to EB because my granddaughter Paige was a student there from pre-school through middle school. It is always a pleasure to visit EB and see many of her former teachers and meet the new staff as well. I especially thank Emily Kaltenbach, the English Program coordinator for arranging my visit and making sure that everything ran smoothly. 

Ecole Bilingue, Berkeley, CA.

CELEBRATE THE EARTH at the April SCBWI Reading List with BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6

BUTTERFLIES IN ROOM 6 is one of the books featured on the SCBWI reading list for the month of April. Hurray! The April theme is "Celebrate the Earth". What better way to celebrate the Earth than by watching caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies!

You can find my book by looking in the nonfiction section of the reading list. 

CELEBRATE EARTH DAY WITH BUTTERFLIES

Painted Lady Butterflies

Earth Day 2021 is Thursday, April 22nd. What better way to celebrate than with the miraculous transformation of tiny caterpillars into beautiful butterflies! 

As I do every spring, I ordered a cup of painted lady caterpillars online. (I get mine from Insect Lore, but there are other sites that offer caterpillars as well.) My caterpillars arrived three weeks ago. Every day they grew bigger and bigger and after about ten days became chrysalises and began their metamorphosis. About a week later, the butterflies began to emerge. Now in my butterfly habitat I have nine beautiful painted ladies! I will enjoy them for a few days and then release them in my garden.

Painted Lady Caterpillars

Painted Lady Chrysalises

Follow a kindergarten class as they raise painted lady butterflies in my book Butterflies in Room 6.

CELEBRATE THE EARTH with A WARMER WORLD on the SCBWI Recommended Reading List

Look for my book A WARMER WORLD on the SCBWI recommended reading list for April in the section for nonfiction books. (The list is alphabetical, so go to the end.)

Celebrate the Earth

This month, SCBWI celebrates the most precious resource we have: Earth. On this list, you will find books that create awareness of the environment, celebrate the plants and animals and bodies of water around us, and promote clean living and a healthy, sustainable habitat for both people and wildlife. So grab a book and celebrate our World.

 

 

A WARMER WORLD

Author:Caroline Arnold

Book Description:From polar bears to butterflies, how climate change impacts wildlife. As the world grows warmer animals everywhere have had to adapt--or face extinction.

Publication Date:2012

Publisher:Charlesbridge Publishing

 

 

CELEBRATING EARTH WEEK, Author Visit at Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA

Author Visit at Pilgrim School, Los Angeles, CA

Last week I visited Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, California, and presented to two enthusiastic groups of children--grades K through 2, and grades 3 through 5. I was pleased with their response to my program and good questions. With both groups I shared my new book Butterflies in Room 6, and showed them my cup of caterpillars. Many of the children recalled raising butterflies from caterpillars at school when they were in earlier grades.

Kathie Shorkey, Science Teacher, with butterfly art projects

My visit was initiated by science teacher Kathie Shorkey as part of her Earth Week celebration at the school. She showed me an art project she did with the first graders. Using found objects–ranging from sticks, to buttons, to pop-tabs from drink cans–they formed the shape of a butterfly on photo paper and then exposed the paper to the sun. The paper was then developed and the shape of the butterfly was revealed against a background of blue.

With Carole Koneff, Elementary School Librarian

I thank Kathie and Elementary School Librarian Carole Koneff for inviting me to Pilgrim and making all the arrangements for my presentation and for the book sale. Carole gets the prize for the most creative author introductions. She does them for all visiting authors and this is the second one she has done for me. I love the way she has included so many of my books--and made the lines rhyme!

CAROLINE ARNOLD--PILGRIM SCHOOL 4/25/19

By Carole Koneff

160 books or more have been researched and written down.

She's traveled far and wide and is often out of town.

Dinosaurs, Global Warming, Butterflies, Chicks,

Rain Forest, Easter Island, Things in Room 6,

Taj Mahal, Desert, Eagle, Warmer World,

Many facts and figures have gradually unfurled.

Skeletal, octopus, shockers, hot, cold,

Words from many titles of books that she has sold.

Wombat, Penguin, Zebra, Kangaroo,

Just a few of the animals she's written about for you.

She's retold a famous folk tale and has a story about worms,

A book about the sniffles that surely features germs.

It's her second trip to Pilgrim and we are glad she's back

To refresh our smarts on nonfiction and keep our brains on track.

Thank you Carole!  I also thank the Upper School Librarian Kris Williams for her help with my visit. I had a nice lunch with Carole and Kris before my talks. I had a great day at Pilgrim and enjoyed it very much!

Celebrate Earth Day!

Next Monday, April 22nd, is Earth Day!  Celebrate by doing something to help our planet.  Here's a repeat of my post on A Warmer World.  Check out the blog for other news about what people are doing to help prevent global warming.







Here are some ideas for ways you can celebrate.

1. Get your hands dirty!
Volunteering is a great way to contribute on Earth Day and meet new friends in the process. Find out about volunteering opportunities in your community, by checking out the Earth Day Network.
2. Donate to the Canopy Project.
Planting a tree is one of the easiest and most effective ways to improve the environment ­and your quality of life. If you don’t have the opportunity to plant trees in your community, you can simply donate to the Canopy Project. For every $1 you contribute, they’ll plant a tree.
3. Pay the “earth-friendly” way!
Save natural resources by enrolling in online bills and statements. You’ll avoid paper, stamps, envelopes, and the fossil fuels used to transport the mail, which are all contributors to our damaged environment.
4. Creative commuting.
Every gallon of gasoline your car burns emits about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide. Leave your car at home for the day, and try car pooling, mass transit, biking and walking to school or work if possible. Even just one day a week is significant!
5. Become a year-round Earth ambassador.
Share your personal “green initiatives” with family and friends! When you inspire others to celebrate Earth Day and make environmentally conscious decisions year-around, you have truly made a difference.