Education Library Blog

Blog written by Rachael Huegerich 
February 10, 2024

Anyone can be a scientist, and the garden is a fantastic place for it!

One way to get started is by joining a community science (sometimes called citizen science) project, where lots of people help collect and analyze data from where they live. After all, some questions are way too big for one scientist to ask on their own. One fun British Columbia project (now Canada-wide) is Butterflies in My Backyard (BIMBY), from the David Suzuki Foundation, which involves taking photos of butterflies you find near home. Projects like these allow folks to learn together and, in this case, support butterfly conservation.

Check out related materials for children and teachers at the seed library display at the Education Library. You can find the seed library just past the reference desk—or learn more about UBC Library’s seed lending libraries here. Feel free to “borrow” some seeds, or some of the books on display now.

Here are a few books with community science activities inside.

Citizen scientists: be a part of scientific discovery from your own backyard
Written by Loree Griffin Burns; photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz

QL51 .B87 2012

Anyone can get involved in gathering data for ongoing, actual scientific studies such as the Audubon Bird Count and FrogWatch USA. Just get out into a field, urban park, or your own backyard.

You can put your nose to a monarch pupa or listen for raucous frog calls. You can tally woodpeckers or sweep the grass for ladybugs. This book, full of engaging photos and useful tips, will show you how.

Chasing bats and tracking rats: urban ecology, community science, and how we share our cities

Written by Cylita Guy; illustrations by Cornelia Li

QH541.5.C6 G89 2021

What can city bees tell us about climate change?

How are we changing coyote behavior?

And what the heck is a science bike?

Featuring the work of a diverse group of eleven scientists–herself included!–Dr. Cylita Guy shows how studying urban wildlife can help us make cities around the world healthier for all of their inhabitants.

Bird’s-eye view: keeping wild birds in flight

By Ann Eriksson

QL676.5 .E75 2020

Birds contribute to the health of the planet and provide pleasure for millions of people, but wild birds are in trouble.

Bird’s-Eye View looks at why wild birds are important, why they need help and what young people all over the world are doing and can do to give wild birds a boost.

Our world out of balance: understanding climate change and what we can do
Written by Andrea Minoglio; illustrated by Laura Fanelli; translated by Emma Mandley

QC903.15 .M55 2021

This accessible guide for children details how humans have thrown the planet off-balance and ways we can work to create a healthier world. Encouraging and easily digestible, this illustrated nonfiction guide introduces children ages eight to twelve to the important topic of climate change with tips on “How You Can Help” and citizen scientist activities.

Blog written by Rachael Huegerich 

January 27, 2024

There is a lot going on in the soil of your garden. Learn about worms and other creatures under the dirt, or delve deeper into the compost process, at the seed library display at the Education Library. You can find the seed library just past the reference desk—or learn more about UBC Library’s seed lending libraries here. Feel free to “borrow” some seeds, or some of the books on display now. Here are a few:

Compost stew: an A to Z recipe for the Earth

Written by Mary McKenna Siddals;
illustrated by Ashley Wolff

PZ8.3.S5715 Co 2014

A rhyming text explains from A to Z, which common items around the house can be turned into the dark, crumbly stuff we call ‘ompost stew’.

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How to say hello to a worm: a first guide to outside

By Kari Percival

SB457 .P46 2022

Say “hello” to worms, dirt, peas, and more in this gentle how-to guide for connecting with nature.

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My Baba’s garden

Written by Jordan Scott;
illustrated by Sydney Smith

PZ7.1.S336845 My 2023

A story about the special relationship between a child and his grandmother and the time they spend looking for worms for the garden.

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The worm

By Élise Gravel

QL386.6 .G7213 2014

The second in a series of humorous books about disgusting creatures, The Worm is a look at the earthworm. It covers such topics as the worm’s habitats (sometimes they live inside other animals), its anatomy (its muscle tube is slimy and gross), and its illustrious history (worms have been on earth for 120 million years).

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Up in the garden and down in the dirt

Written by Kate Messner;
with art by Christopher Silas Neal

SB457 .M47 2015

Up in the garden, the world is full of green–leaves and sprouts, growing vegetables, ripening fruit. But down in the dirt there is a busy world of earthworms digging, snakes hunting, skunks burrowing, and all the other animals that make a garden their home.

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Bug science: 20 projects and experiments about arthropods: insects, arachnids, algae, worms, and other small creatures

By Karen Romano Young

QL434.15 .Y68 2009

Part of the National Geographic Kids Science Fair Winners Series, this book features several cool workshops, including two on compost heaps and worms.

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The school garden curriculum : an integrated K-8 guide for discovering science, ecology, and whole-systems thinking

By Kaci Rae Christopher

GE77 .C57 2019

The School Garden Curriculum provides an integrated K-8 framework and over 200 weekly lessons that weave science, permaculture, and environmental education into place-based, immersive learning.

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Carl and the meaning of life

By Deborah Freedman

PZ7.F87276 Cr 2019

When a field mouse asks Carl the earthworm why he tunnels through the dirt, Carl doesn’t have an answer, so he sets off to find out.