Amy M. O'Quinn's Blog

SourceJohn Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed, was born on September 26, 1774 in Massachusetts. This pioneering nurseryman traveled around planting apple trees in many of the northeastern American states.Johnny Appleseed became an American legend, and we all picture him walking barefoot, whistling and singing “The Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord—for giving me the things I need, the sun, and the rain, and the apple seed…” We imagine him carrying a sack of apple seeds and a B...

Today is the official release day for my book, Nikola Tesla for Kids: His Life, Ideas, and Inventions, with 21 Activities. Woohoo! And it's almost Nikola Tesla's birthday. He was born on the stroke of midnight between July 9 and 10, 1856, although he normally celebrated his birthday on the 10th. Let's see...that would make him 163 years old tonight! Wow! I think even Mr. Tesla would be amazed at all the technological advances we enjoy in this modern age. It's quite mind-boggling when you stop...

I’m from the South, and we Southerners love colloquial expressions. They’re fun, and they often put important life-changing maxims into humorous (and memorable) bite-sized statements. And one of my favorites is: It’s time to fish or cut bait!To be honest, this expression has been my mantra more than once in my writing career. It simply means to stop hesitating and move forward instead of giving up and settling for the status quo.Make a DecisionWho wants to cut the bait instead of being the fi...

Some people are just born with a finely-tuned ‘what-iffer’—and this valuable faculty can churn out some wonderful story generators and ideas for writers. So, is your ‘what-iffer’ in good working order? When you hear of or read about a current news story, do you automatically wonder what would happen if. . .? When you inadvertently overhear an interesting tidbit of conversation as you are out and about, do you find yourself thinking it would make a great line in a book, especially if. . .? Whe...

Nuclear Science Week(NSW) is a national and international, broadly observed week-long celebration to focus local, regional, national and international interest on all aspects of nuclear science. NSW takes place each year on the third week of October, and each day of NSW provides for learning about the contributions, innovations and opportunities that can be found by exploring nuclear science.During the week, educators, students, employers and the community participate in a national recognitio...

(Source)Do you like the unusual?Why not do a little bit ofscience exploration after dark and shake up the HOW and WHERE for learning? Check out the following books for a start and read some of the descriptions and/orfun facts and ideas I've included below each.*This post contains affiliate links.Discover Nature at Sundownby Elizabeth P. LawlorThere are all kinds of enjoyable learning opportunities just waiting in the shadows, and everyone will have fun—all while experiencing the nocturnal sid...

(Source)One of my favorite childhood memories is chasing lightning bugs (or fireflies) through the dusky evening woods as the bioluminescent greenish lights from their tiny abdomens flashed on and off. It was magical! In fact, catching the little critters and cupping them in my hands, or temporarily placing a few in a jar for observation, was as much a rite of summer as eating popsicles or building sandcastles!But who knew that this species from theLampyridaefamily also aided soldiers in the...

This post contains an affiliate link.Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift's"Chocolate Pilot"Written by: Michael O. TunnellPublished by: Charlesbridge (2010)Grades: 4-7Ages: 9-12The dramatic conclusion to World War II in the European theater is well-documented, and most people know how the Allies stopped Hitler and the Nazi party and defeated Germany. But lesser known are the facts about what happened to that nation and its people in the years immediately following the war’s end.In a...

Listen! Do you hear the frog chorus?The Spring Peepers continue to herald the arrival of spring. Their lively trill is always music to my ears after the colder winter months, and it's something I look forward to every year.Spring Peepers (Pseudacris crucifer) are small, nocturnal 'chorus' frogs that live in the eastern United States and Canada. Obviously, they are called Spring Peepers because they begin peeping, singing, and chirping when the weather becomes warmer. In fact, they are usually...

Did you know that the U.S. Army once had an experimental 'Camel Corps' right here in America? And one of the key players in pushing the idea forward to reality was none other than the future Confederate president, Jefferson Davis.At the time of the implementation of the Camel Corps experiment (1855) however, Davis held the office of U.S. Secretary of War, under President Franklin Pierce. Davis worked tirelessly to convince both the president and Senate to agree to the project and purchase cam...