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Help beat the heat by learning about deserts

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It has been so hot you may feel like you are living in a desert. Instead of fighting this trend, why not learn about it? The desert is one exotic environment to read about on these steamy days.

“Desert Food Chains” by Bobbie Kalman and Kelley MacAulay does a great job explaining not only what a food chain is, but also how all the animals of the desert fit in. You may never look at a fly the same way again.

To help your child see how a food chain works, draw a picture of several desert animals and a plant on index cards. Lay the cards out on the floor in a random pattern. Take long pieces of yarn and start by taping a piece to the plant. Go from the plant to an animal that eats plants, tape it, then go on to an animal that eats that animal. Go on with this until you get to the top of the food chain. The pattern may look more like a web than a chain.

A beautiful book about the desert is “Saguaro Moon: A Desert Journal” written and illustrated by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini. This is a personal journal about experiencing the Sonoran Desert and all the plants and animals there. The bright colors are delightful for young and old readers.

The author has been writing nature journals since she was 14. Why wait until your child is that old?

You and your child can start a nature journal just like the author of this book. Take a blank journal or spiral notebook with you on a nature walk. Draw the plants and animals you see and write down the details about location, time and any characteristics that interest you. At home, do some research in your library and on the Internet.

For a fun look at the desert, try “Magic School Bus Gets All Dried Up: A Book about Deserts.” Based on an episode of the television series which was based on the popular books by Joanna Cole and illustrated by Bruce Degan, this book will take you on a field trip to the desert to learn how the animals survive there.

You can create your own desert with a trip to the local nursery. Find a shallow, wide container with a hole for drainage. Put rocks in the bottom and sand on top. Plant a few small cactus plants, using gloves to handle the cactus. You can add a toy lizard or snake and even a small school bus to complete the effect.

You may not learn much about the desert when you read “Freckles: The Mystery of the Little White Dog in the Desert.” However, few are immune to this true story about a lost dog being found and loved and loving others. It was written by Paul M. Howey and illustrated by Judy Mehn Zabriskie.

This summer, curl up on the couch with your children, a desert book and a tall glass of lemonade.

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