What’s cooler than a geodesic tent? Igloos! (They have the same basic overall shape). Also cool: learning that the straight lines of their family tent’s triangles and an igloo’s square-ish blocks of snow are arranged to make surfaces that are rounded. What’s hot? Climbing sand dunes in summer. Mallory’s seven-year-old twin sister, Melody, enjoys the heat. Mallory? Not so much.
Mallory and his Dad head back down the dune while his Mom and sister 
continue their upward trek. In the shade of a small bush, Mallory discovers more than cooler sand as he settles into a little trench that his dog Rufus helped to dig. When Mallory and his father visit the local Indiana Dunes police station to turn in their find, they learn why some dunes are called “living.”
We’re in the process of updating our topic reference tables. Please see Book 1: Whoosh for an example.
| CHAPTER | SUBJECTS/TOPICS | RESOURCE LINKS |
| Helpful Hints | Erosion; Sand movement; Sand dunes; Mt. Baldy (Earth) | Indiana Dunes |
| Chapter 1 A Tent Shaped Like an Igloo |
Buckyballs (Chemistry); Igloos; Geodesic domes; Buckminster Fuller; Scientists (Math, Technology); Weight; Eating Habits; Exercise (Health); Software development (Work) | Buckminster Fuller |
| Chapter 2 Camping in the Sand |
Eyesight, Impact of sun (Biology); Dune erosion: Human impact; Sand dunes: Shifting sands; Seasons: Day length (Earth); Cars: Fuel cells, Gasoline (Technology); Eye protection; Adequate water; Exercise (Health) | |
| Chapter 3 A Generations-Old Secret Uncovered |
Water’s cooling effect (Physics); Sand dunes: Living dunes; Wind (Earth); Counting, Adding, Multiplying (Math); Local government (Social); Great Depression (History); Muscle aches (Health); Privacy issues (Life Skills); Reporting found items (Values) | Great Depression Wind and Weather |
| Chapter 4 How Do Sand Dunes Happen? |
Glaciers; Dune formation; Wind (Earth); Sharing reward (Values) | Glaciers |
| Chapter 5 Spongy Ground and Bug-Eating Plants |
Bacteria; Insect-eating plants; Sphagnum moss; Quaking bogs; Food chain (Biology); Acidic conditions (Chemistry); Water table; Quaking bogs (Earth): Rabies awareness (Health); Not keeping wild animals as pets (Values) | Rabies information |
| Chapter 6 Blowouts and Tree Graveyards |
Blowouts; Tree graveyards; Marshes (Earth); Sherlock Holmes (Language); Map-reading (Life Skills) | |
| Chapter 7 Learning about the Dunes (and even more about Human Nature) |
Habitats: Preservation and restoration; Sand dunes: Singing and squeaking sands (Earth); Types of responses to rudeness (Social, Values) | |
| Chapter 8 Aches and Pains |
Building sand castles: wet vs. dry sand (Engineering); Drawing techniques (Arts); Muscle aches (Health) | Wet Sand Is Sticky Delayed Muscle Soreness |
| Chapter 9 A Rock is NOT a Stone |
Removal of natural objects (Social); Value of writing poetry (Language, Arts); Healthy eating habits; Sleep, Regular bedtime (Health); Cost saving, healthier eating, exercise from knowing how to cook and vegetable gardening (Life Skills) | |
| Next Adventure | Mississippi Palisades (Earth); Local government: performing social service (Social) |