4^th Grade and Up

You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Soap!

Without soap, it would be difficult to keep ourselves and our surroundings clean and healthy. Germs would spread more easily from person to person. Deadly bacteria would lurk in our kitchens and toilets.

This book explains the history and the science of soap, and how it has revolutionized our lives.

What I found the most interesting was what humans used to do to clean themselves and their clothes before soap came along. Some were interesting, others where disgusting.

The description on what is in soap and how it is made went over my head. Many long scientific words are used. Basically, soap is able to lift the dirt off your skin better than water alone can. Just like what was said in the Magic School Bus episode, The Magic School Bus Meets Molly Cule, “You need water and soap to lift the dirt away.”

On a related note, check out this video about a nonprofit organization that collects used bars of soap from more than 4,000 hotels, recycles them into fresh soap and delivers them to people in need around the world.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tod_rzgMn6g

After reading about how important soap is to health, I believe this is an amazing charity organization.

You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Clean Water!

We could not live without water. Almost 2/3 of our body weight is water. We rely on it to keep ourselves clean, to keep our bodies nourished, and to get rid of waste. But water can also carry deadly germs and poisons.

One of the greatest challenges for scientists and governments today is to make sure that everyone has access to the clean, safe water that they need.

Similar to One Well: The Story of Water on Earthbut with a lot more scientific detail.

Scientists have found ways to turn dirty water into clean water, but it’s a difficult and expensive process. Maybe we’ll have easier way to clean water in the future but it’s better to avoid polluting and wasting water in the first place. Conservation starts at home; try taking 5-minute showers instead of 10 and not leaving the hose running when you wash your car.

You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Bees!

What would happen if there were no bees in this world? It would be a disaster! Without bees, we would, of course, have no honey. But we’d also lose a lot of other foods and useful products.

Read about how bees pollinate plants to help produce many of the materials we regularly use and buy and learn more about their vital role in the animal food chain!

After reading this book, I learned that bees are one of the most important and fascinating animals on the planet. Without bees, flowers and many of the fruits and vegetables we eat would die out, like in the DreamWorks movie Bee Movie. They create a food that if kept sealed doesn’t spoil and is still edible thousands of years later. Bees are hardworking, organized, and extremely intelligent. We can learn a lot from them.

You have to be careful because even a dead bee can sting you. I know this for a fact because when I was a kid a dead bee stung me when I was playing in the pool. Luckily, I’m not allergic to bee stings like my mom. Still hurt though.

This book reminded me of an episode of The Magic School Bus, The Magic School Bus in a Beehive.

To find more titles and learn more about the series, click on the ‘You Wouldn’t Want to Be…’ website link below:

https://www.youwouldntwantto.be

This weeks’ Weird but True Fact about Soap, Water and Dreams

Ivory brand soap – that floats in water – was invented by accident in 1878. Extra air got into the batch, causing the soap to float.

Some rats can survive without water longer than camels.

Bees once made blue and green honey after picking up colorful waste from an M&M’s factory.