The Magic Mirror: Reflections on Recycling

The Magic Mirror tells of another adventure in the lives of Sophia, Ariana, and Elyssa, the three young sisters who live on a tree farm in Oregon. As they go about their recycling chores, their friendly scientist neighbor, Mr. Gordon, helps them to learn that Mother Nature is the most important recycler of all. Natural and man-made processes eventually bring plants and animals back to the miracle molecule, carbon dioxide, so that new life can emerge.

Sometimes it takes a little magical reflection to see the wonders of nature. In this delightful story, three sisters discover how the cycles of life are made possible by the miracle molecule, carbon dioxide. An entertaining look into the scientific realities of life on earth for children of any age.

If you are part of a homeschool group, club, or classroom of any type (public, private, charter) and would like to receive free printed copies of this book (and/or others) for your students, please download this form and return to wheeler@co2coalition.org. 

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Other Cool Things

  • Life Loves Warmth

    Life Loves Warmth is a 21-minute video that highlights the critical role of warmth in fostering biodiversity and survival across Earth’s history. From the Devonian’s fish and forests to modern migrations of whales, birds, and manatees, life thrives in warm conditions while cold periods, like the Great Dying or modern winters, pose significant challenges. Humans, like other species, have adapted to seek warmth for survival.

    Watch this video

  • How the Energy Grid Works

    Join Ariana, Sophia, Emmit, and their friends as they explore the amazing Energy Grid – the invisible network that brings electricity to our homes, schools, and cities every single day!

    In this fun and easy-to-understand video, the kids discover:

    • How power plants, solar panels, wind turbines, and other sources work together to create electricity
    • What the “grid” really is and why it’s so important
    • How energy moves from where it’s made to where we use it
    • The role of different energy sources – including the benefits of reliable, affordable power for people and the planet
    • Fun facts about how energy connects to the natural world and the miracle molecule CO₂

    Watch this video

  • Scientific Method Video - NEW!

    This CO2 Learning Center video, “Scientific Method,” explains how the scientific method works using an everyday problem the children in the video face.

    The video breaks down the process into a series of steps to teach children how to practice critical thinking.

    Step 1:
    Ask a Question: Identifying a practical problem to solve. In the video, the children ask for the best route to ride their bikes to school.

    Step 2:
    Research & Observations: Looking into reasonable, possible answers.

    Step 3:
    Form a Hypothesis: Making an educated guess on what the best outcome will be.

    Step 4:
    Conduct an Experiment: Collecting complete and accurate information (data). The video explains why physically testing the routes with a stopwatch provides better variables (like traffic and hills) than just looking at a quick and easy map.

    Step 5:
    Draw Conclusions: Analyzing the results with an open mind. They discuss evaluating not just speed, but safety factors like traffic risks.

    Step 6:
    Share Results: Passing on the learned knowledge so others can benefit.

    Ultimately, the video emphasizes that the scientific method isn’t just for complex science topics—it’s a time-proven tool for critical thinking that can be applied to solve many everyday challenges.

    Watch this video