Ask Scotland – now you can find out anything you want to know about Scotland by asking questions that will researched and answered by Scottish Librarians.
Celebrating non-fiction
Safe search engines for kids
Bookzone blog reviews forNational Non Fiction Day 2010
A History of the World in One Hundred Objects:miniature books.
Fun with Words - the wordplay website.
Horrible Histories -History with the ‘orrible bits left in.
Factbites – it’s what you get when you cross a search engine with an encyclopedia.
Flipside: because fact is stranger than fiction.
Enjoy Tim Hunkin’s Rudiments of Wisdom
ARKive - images of life on earth
Really interesting questions from Why Eating Bogeys is Good for You by Mitchell Symons.
Q: Kangaroos keep their babies in their pouches, so what happens to all the baby’s poo? A: According to zoologist Linda Vine, ‘Kangaroos use thei front feet to open up their pouches so that they can stick their heads in and lick their pouches clean.’
Q: Is it true that elephants have good memories? A: Yes, because relative to other animals they have big brains, although not as big as ours.
Q: If you cut a worm in half, does it become two worms? A: You do get two moving parts but they are still the same worm. The front of the garden worm can regenerate a new tail, but the tail can’t find a new head, and so the tail dies. However, the flatworm, found near water, can be cut ino two or even three parts and each bit will grow a new head and/or tail.
Q: Do dock leaves really lessen the pain of nettle stings? A: There is scientific evdence that dock leaves have a therapeutic effect. Nettle stings conatin histamines, whch cause swelling, while the juice of dock leaves contains antihistamines, which reduce it. To get the full benefit, you should crush the dock leaf to release its juice.
Q: Why is eating bogies good for you? A: Hah! you will just have to read the book to find out.
The library subscribes to BBC Focus science magazine. Click on the magazine cover to go to it online.
