Category Archives: STEM

Eating Bugs for the Planet

After some unexpected delays, Skye Blackburn-Land: eating bugs for the planet is here!

Skye always wanted to be an entomologist. Her unusual childhood pets included ‘Fluffy’ the tarantula and ‘Woodstock’ a giant burrowing roach that blows kisses and has starred in video clips.

She followed her dream and studied bug science as well as food science. Now, as Australia’s first farmer of edible insects, and a future foods pioneer, Skye and her trailblazing team, teach people that insects are an eco-friendly, and delicious, food alternative.

Most of all, Skye loves inspiring the next generation to follow their passion to achieve their career dreams.

The Aussie STEM Stars series celebrates Australia’s leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. To celebrate the new release, Skye’s online shop, Circle Harvest, is offering a book and edible bugs bundle. I’ve tried all the delicious products in the pack except one …

Lock-down Activities

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Dear Lockdowners, many authors have free activities, book-trailers, and fun information on their websites, along with teaching notes and downloadables. Earlier this year the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators WA (SCBWI) compiled a resources page that will keep you busy for hours.

Author, Nadia King‘s lovely Pippa likes to dress up as the flying doctor.

There are activity links on my website for all ages; turn a button on a page into a monster, or rocket or eye of a shark. Draw patterns on snail shells, or make snail cutouts into pop stick puppets. Find out about WW1 nurses and Spanish Influenza, or wartime animal mascots, here or at the Australian War Memorial. Write a postcard home from the war or listen to two podcasts about lighthouse girl, Fay’s life. Check out the great links on this Aussie STEM Stars site. Dress up your dog with seven different names, and send me a photo 😉 Explore anthropomorphism on my Animals Who Talk website or draw someone with a marsupial in their bra!

And there’s more … Earlier this year, the team from CBCA WA created library holiday presentations, and for a limited time, they will all be online. There are eight sessions by WA creatives for different age groups. Here’s mine and here are the short introductions to all eight. I hope you enjoy them and fingers crossed for a short lockdown…

STEM Stars Website

STEM, National Science Week and the Web of Life

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When I was little I loved jigsaws. I was good at Maths until Year 5. Then we moved overseas and I missed a few important things, like short division. When we returned I was in high school. My new teacher was a brilliant mathematician but couldn’t fathom my inability to get things the first time (I’d been put in the top maths class). It wasn’t until long after leaving school that I learned there was an actual purpose to memorising algebraic formula, things like sine and cosine were used in the real world!

Biology was way more interesting to me. Who remembers The Web of Life textbook? I loved that book. It was a brick and I carried it one and a half kilometres to and from school for years. The Web of Life was full of interesting charts and images that related to the world around me. I loved the title too.

Image: http://www.amandacurtin.com

Last week was National Science Week and each morning I’d hoped to receive the first ten copies of my new book, Munjed Al Muderis – from refugee to surgical inventor. Today they arrived at last. They look great and so for me, the fun of National Science Week continues …

Munjed’s story is part of the Aussie STEM Stars series, celebrating Australian experts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. His work has made Australia a world-leader in osseointegration. Unlike me, Munjed excels in both biology and algebra! Being part of the Aussie STEM Stars series has helped me reassess the importance of STEM subjects (even maths). I’ve loved reading about Georgia Fear Ware‘s fascinating work with reptiles and cane toads as well as learning more about amazing Fiona Wood. I hope readers of all ages will enjoy this terrific new series.