Science Rhymes
Fun and facts packed in poems for children
Celia’s Bookshelf
“YES” is a magical word that leads into the intriguing world of ALL AGES OF GEEK. Follow the link below to travel through internet time and space to find TREASURE – in the form of poems, poetry writing tips and Science Rhymes experiences that could ultimately transform you into ONE OF US! It’s a detailed journey, courtesy of AAOG publicist and writer Ryder Sterling’s clever questions. I hope you are tempted to dive in … and geek out HERE!
Fact and fantasy frequently held fairy-like hands in a quest to educate the privileged children of Victorian times (1837- 1901). Books such as The Fairy-Tales of Science: A book for youth by John Cargill Brough (1858) aimed to enchant as well as educate their young readers.
Microscopes popularised the idea of miniature fairies to guide children through wonderlands of insects, microbiology and chemistry. For example, The Fairy Land of Science by Arabella Buckley (1878) and The Fairy Land of Chemistry: Explorations in the World of Atoms by Lucy Rider Meyer (1887). Even The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley (1886) alluded to concepts relating to evolution.
This poem celebrates Victorian fairies and fairies on top of Christmas Trees everywhere as ambassadors of science. We are all being politely reminded to take care by washing our hands to keep out germs and viruses – particularly during this festive season – by those fantastical fairies!
Victorian Fairies by Celia Berrell
The Fairy Queen of Britain
was Victoria, who hit on
having Christmas tree sensations
for the festive celebrations.Doting Dads bought girls and boys
expensive scientific toys
like microscopes, revealing scenes
that taught of hazards and hygiene.Fairies shrank to tiny size
like Tinkerbells and butterflies
and showed kids new technologies
through books with science mysteries.Detergent, soap took Fairy’s name
for health and hygiene’s serious game.
That fairy on the Christmas tree
worked magic scientifically!
After three false starts, NASA’s Moon rocket called Artemis 1, finally launched on Wednesday 16th November 2022. We are celebrating with a poem of course!
Gifts of Gratitude Afloat by Celia Berrell
Where would we find
a collection like this?
Afloat on the sea
or on Artemis?Some Girl Scout badges,
a Dead Sea pebble,
tree seeds & Snoopy,
a Greek Goddess model,
two astronaut toys,
a piece of old rocket,
some artwork and poems
in USB lockets,
a comic from Peanuts,
a stuffed Shaun the Sheep,
a small pinch of moon dust
to scatter or keep.With good-luck mementos
on Artemis One,
this Moon Rocket launch
is finally done!
Its first launch date in August was cancelled due to lightning strikes and a fuel leak. September saw more technical troubles. Then in October, the giant rocket was trundled back inside its hanger as Hurricane Ian raged near the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida USA.
It has a busy schedule which you can view on this artemis-i-map.
Artemis 2 will be next, taking astronauts beyond the Moon. Artemis 3 will be the first mission to land people on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 … over fifty years ago!
Hunting dragons among pages of gracefully flowing algae reminded me of being timelessly engaged with a puzzle challenge to find fairies craftily hidden in a picture when I was a child. Only the Way of the Weedy Seadragon introduces us to a fascinating creature that really exists!
It’s not just a delightful picture book: it’s a science book, explaining the physiology, behaviour and charm of Phyllopteryx taeniolatus (that’s its Latin name) through a perfect combination of engaging facts and exquisite illustrations.
After reading the Way of the Weedy Seadragon, I’m proud to know they are native to the southern coasts of Australia. (In fact they’re one of Victoria’s State Emblems!) I found learning and viewing them in this enchanting and accurate portrayal was empowering – as well as provoking a sense of awe and care for these dainty fish.
When I asked Fraser Coast Libraries if I could borrow this recent CSIRO children’s publication, they kindly purchased a copy, so local residents can enjoy it too. Author Anne Morgan and illustrator Lois Bury have created a winning partnership here.
Fairies may fly in our imagination, but dragons really snort and dance in our seas. I hope you will check them out!
at Hervey Bay Library
We have fourteen poems in celebration of National Science Week 2022 – GLASS: more than meets the eye. Congratulations to all the poets who kindly participated, sharing their words of intrigue, history, science and beauty. Please enjoy!
Glass
by Rylee (Gunnedah South Public School)Glass can easily smash
Glass can break in a dashPeople use glass for mugs
But it’s not for pugs or bugsIt is used to make lots of jars
And there’s actually glass on Mars!
Corners that meet the eye
by MichaelaGlass
in the four corners
that meet the eye.Rooms
filled with the
reflection of yourself
show who you really are.Formed
with tiny pieces of sand with
the minerals changing its
colour in every corner.Cracks
consume the many faces
like thunder and
lightning striking them.
And everything in its pathslowly builds it up again
but not as strong and
solid as before. These
are the faces, the many
faces that meet the eye.
Mirror: more than meets the eye
by KseniaFrom one angle of the mirror,
a young girl is studying.
From another,
an adult is partying.Only one thing can affect our decisions,
one thing becomes a guide.Our Mind.
Where we store dreams, hopes,
things we want no one to know.Yet, it has
more secrets of its own.More…
than we will ever know.
Glasswork Skin
by Jasmine (St Thomas Moore College, Sunnybank, QLD)I am a stained glass terrarium.
From the outside looking in
my organs float,
structured with nature’s perfection
which is to say
exquisitely organised.The glass itself is
streaked with human touch:
fingerprinted with ridges
fogged-up with breath
feverishly wiped
and repeated.This body of mine is fragile
beautiful, in theory
vulnerable, in reality
every scratch is disillusion,
making me undeniably
still life.
Cloak and Dagger
by Cheryl PolonskiGlass manufacture goes back a long way.
The skill was a secret, they kept it that way.
It appears that the knack from the Middle East came,
but when it reached Venice things weren’t quite the same.1200 AD saw the Syrian men,
come under the rule of the Council of Ten.
The Venice Republic security arm,
made sure that the craftsmen would come to no harm.When furnaces failed and caused fires uncontrolled,
they’d move to an island the craftsmen were told.
Because all the knowledge was fiercely protected,
what happened there next was still not unexpected.The glassmakers stayed under threats to their lives.
This involved all their family including their wives.
They never could leave but were somewhat rewarded,
with several benefits being afforded.The glassblowers’ daughters could marry nobility,
bestowing upon them a sense of tranquillity
Producing the best of all glass on display,
the fame of Murano exists to this day.
The Art of Glass
by Sophia HealdgroveThe sandy mineral silica
makes stained glass for the basilica.Melted with other elements
its colours and hues are brightly intense.Hot glowing balls of fiery glass
Used in making scientist’s Erlenmeyer flasks.Beautiful bowls, moulded and curved
a delight on which food can be served.For hundreds of years, glass artisans toiled
As the glass in their furnaces boiledThey created such delicate works of wonder.
But recently trade began to go under.The German city of Hamelin
has one glasshouse where many had been.Machines taking over from made by man
will never achieve what humans can.The craft of glass-making is precious and rare.
Hand-made, beautiful, intricate glassware.So let us conserve this beautiful art.
Please trust that I give these words from the heart.
Obsidian spear head
Humble Beginnings
by Cheryl PolonskiA natural glass was once found on the land
near the mouths of volcanoes which melted the sand.
Those obsidian pieces were sharper you see,
than anything else in 4,000 BC.Our stone-age ancestors then used them for spears.
The benefits recognised down through the years.
For surgeries stainless steel scalpels are made,
but some still prefer an obsidian blade.The earliest use was for jewellery and beads,
but soon ‘twas discovered, glass filled other needs.
By focussing through a shard, rays of the sun,
the lighting of fires was easily done.When open wounds threatened life, it was thought wise
to make use of this method and thus cauterise.
The heat focussed through the glass stopped the blood seep.
Experimentation then took quite a leap.So from humble beginnings there was such a race
for this startling discov’ry to find its true place.
In just about every conceivable science,
there is upon glass a specific reliance.
Curious Sand
by Toni NewellOn a stormy night
If lightning strikes sand
Glass can be formed
On the beach unplanned.
Making glass commercially
Comes in many shapes
Can be a glass or a vase
Even a bowl of grapes.
Just add a few minerals
To make it coloured glass
Formed into a different shape
Sand of a different class.
Mystic Glass
by Toni NewellWalking on the beach
Beneath our feet is sand
However those little grains
Can become a glass in hand.
Sand, lime and soda ash
Using extreme heat
Can form many objects
From which we drink and eat.
It can take a million years
For glass to decompose
That’s why we should recycle
And save our planet woes.
Prince Rupert’s Drop
by Myra KingThere is a strange phenomenon,
that many may not know,
it’s a drop of glass, a rounded shape,
from firing’s heating glow.Prince Rupert’s Drop a splendid name
in royal connotation
has a strength that’s way beyond
most imagination.It can’t be wrecked or smashed by hand
in any way or form
but a fragile state belies its fate
way outside the norm.Rupert’s Drop’s Achilles’ heel
is its tail long and thin
and if this is snapped the tension’s broke
from just beneath its skin.A million pieces shatter
to burst the lovely drop
it all happens in an instant
in one explosive pop!
Glassical Music
by Sukarma TharejaFine glassy goblets for dinner wine
when gently tapped, will tinkle and chime.
If rubbed with damp fingers around their rim,
like an upside-down bell, they start to ring.Their shape and their size dictate how each hums.
Large empty glasses might groan like a drum.
Pour in some liquid to make their pitch higher.
Together they’ll sound like an eerie choir!
GLASS for the CLASS
by Stefan NicholsonYou are tough and often stand guard within a frame,
Like as a window, or fronting a picture,
Or focussing our gaze, when our eyes are not the same.
And I often see through you, unless disguised by your coating,
Put on to dull your amorphous transparent mixture,
Of soda, silica, limestone and ‘fancier’ bits, you often say when gloating.And it’s obsidian to say that you can’t be naturally found,
A universal secret without human intervention.
And your boast about rapid cooling makes my blood boil,
For when you were made, you were just too hot to handle,
Making parched lungs wait, for when you were of malleable intention,
Else creating such strange objects, as if made by a mischievous vandal.Yet, I am overwhelmed by the stresses that you quietly hide
Within your new shape or moulded design,
Made whilst gooey like molten plastic, where no animal can abide.
Which makes for great fun when a glass animal is ‘born’
And you see its wonders in detail and colours and lines
Made by us humans, as we’ve been doing from time’s early dawn.As an art, you are an object of delight in many ways,
Mimicking nature, abstract designs and useful objects to name a few.
Modern buildings tease out new conceptual uses for your display,
Fish swim within your bounds and plants bathe in wind-less sunshine.
You protect and make for easy cleaning – to let us enjoy a safer view
From the sky, on the water, where we can watch the world as we dine.Broken items can be accidental and there is none more dangerous than glass,
With your warped sharp edges and shards that can stick you like a pin.
But no blame to you, as QA have given you a ‘pass’.
And your character can now be changed, by material science at its best,
To make you stronger, withstand heat and shock, and be made ultra-thin
But I wish that people knew you better, not as a product, but as our guest.
Handle Me With Care
by Sukarma Thareja & Celia BerrellSea-shore sand and potash, soda,
made my common sturdy solid.
Crafted since Egyptian times,
my structure is non-crystalline.My recipes of compound chemicals
make me practical and beautiful.
Sometimes heat-resistant, durable,
always totally recyclable.Many of my forms are brittle.
Shattered shards of glassy needles
hurt and harm. They stab and tear.
So handle me with care. Beware!
Aliens in the Atacama Desert
by Celia BerrellThis desert is dotted
with dark green glass
that came from an alien …
space rock blast!Punching through air
so incredibly fast,
pressure, heat, friction
became so vast
the silica sand
on the desert below
melted to glass
as that comet explodes.These alien minerals
scattered the scene,
which seems to have made
those glassy shards green.
The lovely Saime Jung at Twinkl, where teachers create and share inspiring resources for students, has compiled a list of 15 favourite poetry blogs, which includes Science Rhymes! She also asked “Why do you think that learning poetry is so cool?” Poetry has so many styles, forms and facets. Some sends our imagination into different situations, feelings and places. One person may connect with a poem in a way that makes them laugh or gasp, whereas others might find the same words deeply emotional.
What’s your answer this question?
We might say rhymes help us remember; poems create crazy ideas or that verses can be shared over and over again. What do you reckon to this suggestion for World Poetry Day?
Imagining a TARDIS by Celia Berrell
(Time And Relative Dimension In Space)What a wonderful toy
is the TARDIS!
It’s Doctor Who’s
little blue box.It’s bigger inside.
So much stuff it can hide,
from a skate-park to
clean pairs of socks.Owning
a magical TARDIS,
do you think it’s a
secret we’d keep?Or would that depend
on inviting some friends …
and whether
we’d need any sleep?With a
stay-or-go-anywhere TARDIS,
there are infinite things
we could do.It has so much appeal,
for a toy that’s not real …
let’s imagine instead
that it’s true!
This poem was inspired by an article called The Physics of the Doctor Who TARDIS box and was first published in Australian Children’s Poetry.
Do you live somewhere that’s really cold in winter? Dr James R Carter is Professor Emeritus, Geography-Geology Department, Illinois State University. He studies beautiful ice formations in USA. In 2017, he gave us permission to share some of his rare photos to accompany a poem about Ice Flowers, written by primary school student Evie – which was also shared on the Australian Children’s Poetry website.
We are delighted to learn that Dr Jim Carter has now written his own poem, inspired by Dr Seuss! If you have any fantastic photos of ice flowers of this nature, you can contact Dr Carter at Illinois State University by email at jrcarter@ilstu.edu.
Ice Poetry by Jim Carter
Oh, it’s mighty cold today.
Why did the Lord make it this way?Hmmmm, the ground crunches when I walk by
So I bend down to find out why.Look at those needles shining so bright
Clear ice, glistening in the light.
But my nose reminds me what I must do
Dress right for a cold sky so blue.Properly attired, I set out to see
What other forms of ice there may be.Are those white flowers at the base of a little tree?
No, it’s ice on the stems of plants quite tall.
They had white flowers last fall.Wow, that ice presents a lovely face
And it’s only one of many in this place.
A wavy ball of ice nestled in brown.
Camera out, I kneel on the ground.How have I missed such ice for years?
As I marvel my eyes produce tears.Perhaps from their beauty
… but probably from the cold.Oh, there’s ice on what was a puddle.
In layers of perhaps two or three
With leaves underneath and some lying free.Another presentation of ice seldom seen
Gosh, nature is neat, even when it’s not green!
The above picture is a working drawing for a painting by Sharon Davson and it is a catalyst to some amazing things.
Sharon started the full-sized oil painting back in 1985, but stopped about half-way through. Inspired by this drawing, I wrote the Science Rhyme Mother of Invention which is displayed on the Environmental Poetry page, here on the Science Rhymes website.
In 2013 Mother of Invention was published in the Canadian school textbook NELSON ENGLISH 10 (see image below).
Fast forward to 2021 and that planned oil painting is still very – unfinished! Along with another unfinished artwork by Davson. The record sale of these two unfinished paintings is setting a new precedence within the art world.
As author, I will be honoured to recite Mother of Invention at an event being held at Parliament House Brisbane on Tuesday 18th May at 10.30am to celebrate this event. Does this mean the painting will never be finished?
Davson’s image for Origins of the Future was inspired by William Blake’s God-like painting The Ancient Of Days. I imagined a Stone Age man, forging his partnership with science and technology through insatiable curiosity. Neoteny in humans refers to our juvenile traits that endure into adulthood. They include things such as our unstoppable curiosity, desire to play and experiment, plus our incredible adaptability.
Writing the poem Mother of Invention, inspired by Davson’s Origins of the Future, was how my Science Rhymes journey began.
Are we losing 1 percent of the world’s insect population each year? This suspected insect apocalypse is complicated. We don’t have a simple answer, but suspect that pesticides, habitat loss and climate change are involved.
Many insects don’t have a good rap. Have you got an aversion to creepy crawlies? Unless they are majestic moths, fairy-like dragonflies or beautiful butterflies, we often wish them away. Mosquitoes carrying malaria accidentally kill hundreds of thousands of people each year. But mosquitoes are also important pollinators as well as food for other creatures. And without pollinating insects, flowering plants and crops can’t flourish and whole ecosystems suffer. And that includes us.
It might sound lazy, but simply cutting the grass less often can help boost local insect numbers, increase biodiversity and even reduce pests. So there are plenty of little things we can do to help boost their numbers. Being sympathetic and connected rather than alienated by their insect oddities can be an important step too.
How we think and feel about insects begins when we are young. So having a children’s poetry anthology dedicated to the beauty, fun and fascination of these six-legged creatures is rather special.
The Bee is not Afraid of Me: A Book of Insect Poems published by The Emma Press, includes two Science Rhymes. Ask a katydid (p12) and True bugs are suckers (p15). Pyrophorus Noctilucus by Kate O’Neill (p34) delights as it informs us about the talents of this click beetle. And Yoga for insects by Myles McLeod has plenty of word-play giggles while naming various parts of insect biology. Poems are interspersed with snippets of apt facts making this book engaging, enriching and enjoyable.
I was delighted to receive these lovely words (and link) from one of the book’s editors, primary science educator Fran Long:
“I wanted to write and thank you for your fabulous contribution to, ‘The Bee is not Afraid of Me’. It is exciting to see my initial idea for the book become reality.
I must admit I didn’t know about the katydid prior to reading your lovely poem. However, the other day a friend sent me a link to some wonderful footage (1 min 44 secs in)!
This species of katydid looks like a snow pea!
Your poem on true bugs is fantastic for addressing misconceptions about bugs and hugely informative.”
The phrase, The Bee is not Afraid of Me, began as the first line of a nature poem by Emily Dickinson (published in 1924). Now, it is the proud name of an innovative insect anthology being launched on Friday 6th March in UK.
Many cultures have known for centuries that the best way to avoid catching disease or pestilence is through distancing ourselves from such threats. Below are two poems on this topic. The first is about something many of us have needed to do recently. But the second safety strategy has definitely fallen out of fashion.
The word QUARANTINE means strict isolation to stop the spread of disease. It originated in Italy in the 1300’s.
Forty Days in Italian by Celia Berrell
Venice, in the Middle Ages
feared infection from the boats
that visited its harboured stages,
ordering sailors to “stay afloat!”For forty days they had to anchor.
NOT set foot on Venice land,
to make sure none were sick and rank
or had bubonic plague at hand.Quaranta giorni (Kwa-rant-a jee-or-nee)
Quaranta giorni (Kwa-rant-a jee-or-nee)
is “Forty Days” in Italian.
That’s where the word for isolation
known as QUARANTINE began.
Some instances of social distancing made certain items of clothing trendy! Voluminous crinoline skirts prevented suitors from getting too close; elaborate broad-brimmed hats stopped others breathing down your neck and the wearing of elegant gloves shielded hands from germs. They have all served as kinds of fashionable personal protective equipment (PPE) in the past.
One famous outfit, associated with plague doctors in the 17th and 18th Century, included a funny-looking long-beaked mask. The foot-long beak could hold perfumes or herbs to keep nasty smells at bay. Looking rather macabre, this mask has been a popular item for fancy-dress events. Can you see our recent use of masks taking a trendy turn too?
Hats and headgear have many purposes. From keeping our heads protected to indicators of social status. But the wearing of indoor bonnets such as the humble mob cap in schools has definitely fallen out of fashion. However mother-of-four, Leonie McDonald, laments this because of head lice!
Bonnets and Headlice by Leonie McDonald
Bring back bonnets I say
For children at school every day
It used to be part of our kids’ daily wear
To confine their own nits to their hair.To get infected with a case of lice
Is as we know not very nice
The only known cure was the old kerosene
Or before that indeed a full shave it would seem.So to counter this dreaded social plague
Bonnets became quite the fashionable rage
For to get your head shaved every time kids got nits
Would annoy any female to horrible bits.With chemical treatments we get so blasé
To have nits abound has become quite blasé
Well enough I now shriek with my duty of four
To afford all this nit stuff is making me poor.Not to mention of course what all of us know
Repeated toxicity can make your health low
So spare me I beg you from pecuniary divestments
In chemists rewarding financial investments.Give me a break and check your kids’ hair
And if they have nits then you keep them there
Don’t send them to school with their hair wild and free
If you must send them in, put on bonnets for me.
Perhaps wearing a hoodie could help instead?
Celia Berrell
PO Box 830
Hervey Bay QLD 4655