HISTORY/SCIENCE AGES 9 & UP Law K ris t a n Lawso s n o n W hen Charles Darwin left England in 1831 aboard the HMSBeagle,he never expected his voyage would change the way humans viewed the world—the 22-year-old was looking for adventure!As the ship’s naturalist, he was hired on to collect specimens of animals, plants, and fossils from faraway lands and ship them back to England for study, and to write about what he observed. The two-year voyage turned into five, and by the time he returned home, he was a national D celebrity. Darwin and Evolution for Kidstraces the transformation of a privileged and somewhat scatter- a brained youth into the great thinker who proposed the revolutionary theory he called the Transmutation of r Species Through Natural Selection, what most people now call the Theory of Evolution. By encouraging readers w to define the differences between theories and beliefs, facts and opinions, Darwin and Evolution for Kidsdoes not shy i n away from a concept that continues to spark heated public debate more than a century after it was first proposed. a n d Darwin and Evolution E Kids v for o l his life and ideas u t i Darwin’s voyage and ideas are explored through engaging and fun o activities where children can: n n with 21 Activities Make their own fossilsusing clay, seashells, and plaster f n o Keep field notesas backyard naturalists r n K Investigate whether acquired traitsare passed along to future generations i n d Explore the various adaptive strategiesplants have s developed to distribute seeds n Observe how carnivorous plantstrap and $16.95 (CAN $25.95) devour their prey n Go on a botanical treasure hunt Distributed by Independent Publishers Group www.ipgbook.com Darwin and Evolution Kids for Darwin and Evolution Kids for his life and ideas with 21 Activities Kristan Lawson Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lawson, Kristan. Darwin and evolution for kids : his life and ideas, with 21 activities / by Kristan Lawson.— 1st ed. p. cm. Summary: A biography of the English naturalist who, after collecting plants and animals from around the world, postulated the theory of evolu- tion by natural selection. Includes related activi- ties. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-55652-502-8 1. Darwin, Charles, 1809–1882—Juvenile literature. 2. Naturalists—England—Biography—Juvenile lit- erature. 3. Evolution (Biology)—Study and teach- ing—Activity programs. [1. Darwin, Charles, 1809–1882. 2. Naturalists. 3. Scientists. 4. Evolu- tion (Biology)] I. Title. QH31.D2L39 2003 576.8'2'092—dc21 2003007473 Front cover photos: Blue-footed boobies, © Digital Vision/Wonderfile; Darwin portrait © North Wind Picture Archives Back cover photos: Cover and interior design: Laura Lindgren Design Activity illustrations: Laura D’Argo and Anneli Rufus ©2003 by Kristan Lawson All rights reserved First edition Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated 814 North Franklin Street Chicago, Illinois 60610 ISBN 1-55652-502-8 Printed in the United States of America 5 4 3 2 1 Note to Readers If you can’t wait to learn about evolution, a clear explanation of Darwin’s theory can be found in Chapter 6. Readers mostly interested in learning about evolution (instead of Darwin’s life story) are encouraged to skip ahead and read Chapter 6 first. More information about the development and growth of the theory can be found in the other chapters. Acknowledgments Thanks to Jerome Pohlen and Anneli Rufus for their help. Contents Time Line viii • Introduction xi M N M N 1 3 Before Darwin To Distant Lands 1 33 Taxonomy 4 Botanical Treasure Hunt 39 Tying the Knot 43 South American Comida 49 M N 2 Voyage Journal 57 A Comfortable Youth M N 4 13 The Search for Reasons Be a Backyard Naturalist 17 Acquired Characteristics 19 61 Making Shrewsbury Cakes 21 A Classical Education 30 Make Your Own Fossils 64 Traveling Plants 77 M N M N 5 8 A Turning Point in After Darwin Human Understanding 129 The Great “Monkey Trial” Debate 138 79 Future Evolution 140 Going Ape 86 Count the Generations 89 M N 6 Glossary 142 Resources 144 The Idea That Selected Bibliography and Further Reading 144 Changed the World Index 145 91 Make Your Own Geological Strata 93 Camouflage Egg Hunt 100 The Benefits of Beauty 106 M N 7 Reluctant Celebrity 109 Carnivorous Plants 110 Seed Strategies 114 Emotions Left and Right 123 Time Line 1654 1832 Bishop James Ussher calculates that the Earth was created Darwin explores the jungles of Brazil and the coast of on October 23, 4004 B.C. Argentina, collecting thousands of plants, animals, and fossils 1735 1835 Linnaeus devises the system for classifying all types of The Beaglevisits the Galapagos Islands animals that is still used to this day 1836 The Beaglearrives back in England after nearly five years at sea 1798 Thomas Malthus writes his Essay on the Principle of 1838 Population Darwin begins a secret notebook all about evolution, or “the transmutation of species,” as he called it 1809 Charles Darwin is born in Shrewsbury, England Darwin reads Malthus’s Essay on the Principle of Population 1825 and formulates the theory of natural selection Darwin is taken out of school due to poor performance, and sent to Edinburgh to study medicine 1839 Darwin marries his cousin, Emma Wedgwood 1827 Darwin quits medical school and transfers to Cambridge, Darwin’s first book, about his voyage on the Beagle,is published where he studies to become a clergyman 1831 1842 Darwin begins an around-the-world voyage on the HMS Beagle Darwin writes the first rough draft of his theory of evolution Darwin’s family moves to Down House, Kent aa vviiiiii