I recently had the opportunity to attend a free workshop about creating YouTube videos, thanks to the Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre’s ILLUMINATION programme.  I originally shared 8 poems from The Science Rhymes Book on YouTube in 2011.  But when YouTube merged with Google, I somehow lost access to this account.  At the first of four workshop sessions, Aaron from Pierson Media kindly took the time to reconnect me with my YouTube account.  Duly motivated, I decided to recite The Garden Within for this workshop project. Why The Garden Within?  Because in 2019, I discove ..read more

CREATURA written by Bec Crew published by Australian Geographic Imagine an animal that will “mess you up if you so much look at it the wrong way”, and has “some truly bizarre behaviours” or “strange little fingers”.  Bec’s imaginative and often humorous descriptions make reading about the quirky creatures in this book a delight. Creatura is a collection of Mammals, Fish (and other sea creatures), Invertebrates, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians who call Australia home.  Some you’ve already heard of, but others will be rewardingly new discoveries.   Each Creatura star originally fea ..read more

  Hunting for Hydrogen by Sukarma Thareja & Celia Berrell Chandrayaan-three, August twenty-three in the year of twenty-twenty-three sent news to the world from the lunar cold, successfully landing at Moon’s South Pole. Vikram’s the lander and Pragyan’s its rover, fitted with lasers and chemical sensors. With fourteen day’s work then fourteen day’s sleep … these robots might dream of electric sheep! Dr Sukarma Thareja says:  With its Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Pragyan has found elements of Aluminium, Calcium, Chr ..read more

Sciences with Essences by Russell Fernando Project Manager, De La Salle College, Malvern Victoria Endless streams of galaxies ought to bounce. Do distant stars shine like some cosmic ounce where exo-planets echo, gather, mount, appearing too many times for us to count? To know them all, while yet too many to learn, we search for ones with Earth-likeness to earn. They say we’re bound to want and wonder more, explore where no man’s ever been before. Are perfect life-forms living here unknown, clueless to how outnumbered they have grown? Should bright-lit future-dreams be what we chase, as thou ..read more

Science Rhymes is accepting submissions for our BRIGHT IDEAS poetry contest with National Science Week 2023.  Using AI, such as ChatGPT, is allowed on the understanding that such poems are attributed to the person & AI neural network used.  Below, is a justification and guide for using AI written by ChatGPT, a Q & A segment, followed by A Science Rhyme by John & ChatGPT. ORIGINS OF THE FUTURE crayon drawing by Sharon Davson ChatGPT’s ability to write rhymes about science, nature, and the environment presents a unique and engaging way to explore these topics. By usi ..read more

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 T ..read more

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, th ..read more

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 n ..read more

Handle Me With Care  by Sukarma Thareja & Celia Berrell Sea-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 Berrell This desert is dotted with dark green glass that came from an alien … spac ..read more

The lovely people at Twinkl, where teachers create and share inspiring resources for students, 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 yo ..read more