I have two tales of teachers trying to teach, um, science (nuts, ran out of t words).

The first is about Joanne Manaster — you may remember her review of my book. She has set up a contest for kids to read science books and then create a short video based on the book. There are two levels: Kids Read Science aimed at ages 8-12, and Teens Read Science for ages 13-18.

This is a terrific idea! It’s a great way to get kids to read about science (and scientists!). She made a short video describing the project:

The deadline is 11 p.m. central time on September 22, 2010, so if you have a kid that age or know one, encourage them to participate — one of the prizes is a copy of my book!

The second tale is about Alan Leipzig, a middle school teacher in Florida. He contacted me a little while back to let me know he was trying to raise money to buy a class set of my book, Death from the Skies! Before I could even reply, he actually got all the money he needed, which is terrific! So now he’s looking to buy a second set so the students can bring the book home. If you’re interested in donating to him, he’s set up a link on Donor’s Choose, a terrific site that lets educators create donation pages for their individual projects. Remember: this is your chance to help kids read, learn about astronomy, and get the crap scared out of them. So give!