For some of us Spring has started to show signs of arrival, and for others, Spring will arrive soon.  (Yes, it really will!)
 
Each Spring I like to share this interview with a certified wildlife rehabber.  It’s important to have the right information at hand when we, or our children, find what appears to be an abandoned or injured animal. 
 
Here are some related links, too.  The first one has some good lesson plans for elementary, middle and high school students.
 
The Wildlife Habitat Council http://www.wildlifehc.org/managementtools/backyard-lessonplans.cfm
 
Spring Watch from Animal Planet

http://animal.discovery.com/tv/spring-watch/spring-watch.html 
 
Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary - A wildlife and farm animal rescue farm

http://www.animalsanctuary.org 

Thanks for visiting.  See you next week on The Front Porch!

 
Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Have you ever had one of those school projects that just seemed to grow and morph into something else...well, a really "cool" learning experience?

Our mini-pond/swamp habitat is one such project.



Honestly, this is a project we started with our Jr. FIRST Lego League team last August, and I never cleaned it up.  So, it sat on our patio all winter, and, now, it has become my daughter's pet project.  (It was our swamp to help the children remember how coal is formed.)

We have started tracking chemical and temperature information on a weekly basis. 

First, we used pond water testing strips to test the ph, nitrite, and nitrates. 



Here is a copy of the water testing worksheets we created and used, including an explanation of the tests and what the levels indicate.

Next, we have started logging the temperature – outside temp, temperature at the surface and temperature at the bottom.  The last time we measured, it was 56 degrees Fahrenheit outside, 66 degrees on the surface of the water and 62 degrees at the bottom. (A much larger temperature difference than I expected for such an enclosed area.)



We then made a slide of the pond water and looked at it under the microscope.

My daughter also drew a picture of what she observed and recorded the date and temperatures on the same page.



Lastly, she added to the habitat.  A cutting of ivy from a nearby pot was placed in the pond to see if it would take root.  And, a few rocks were added, as she wants to turn it into a (temporary) toad habitat if the water level goes down!

Although our house sits on a small lake/large pond, we've had fun creating our own mini-pond habitat.  So, if you only have a small space outside and want to study pond life, this is a fun alternative.

Tips for creating a mini-pond habitat:

·    You'll need an old aquarium and screen top.  Check Freecycle, yard sales or a
    Goodwill.  Note:  We did have a screen top on the habitat, but have decided to remove it
    – after all, real ponds don't have covers on them!  However, if you have young ones
    about, please do keep the cover on.  You might want to consider placing a heavy stone
    on top to keep little fingers out!
·    Fill the bottom with 2" of sand.  (If there is a drainage hole at the bottom, you'll want to
     plug it.)
·    Layer leaves, sticks, acorns, fern fronds (if you can find some), and other "yard" debris
     on top of the sand.
·    Cover with a layer of dirt.
·    Add a few inches of water.
·    Let sit for months!
·    I recommend starting this at the beginning of the warm months.  Unfortunately, our
    aquarium cracked over the cold winter months due to freezing and thawing.  However, a
    little duct tape will take care of the leaks!

Here's a good link with information on starting a pond "school" project.


Thank you for stopping by this week!

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Before I share some fun biology links, I want to share our gelatin cells from last week.

My children (9th and 1st grade) had a great time! 

Note: If we do this again, I'll make the square cell (square to represent a plant cell...would be fun to make several and stack them) thicker and cut it in half.  When the top of the square cell was scored with a knife and the candies put in, they kept popping out because of the slick gelatin!

==========================================================================

This past week, I continued to search for enrichment activities for my son's high school biology text, below are some links I'd like to share with you.

They are geared toward middle and high school students.  But, I did give my first grader some of the coloring sheets. 

• Animal cell coloring page
• Measuring lung capacity
• Detergents and enzymes
• Sponge coloring sheet
• Mammals order sheet
• Mammals order sheet #2
• Anthropod worksheet
• Anthropod coloring sheet
• Kaibab deer activity - this is a fun science activity to go with a 20th century US history unit!
• DNA coloring sheet
• Plant parts do different jobs - This is a fun spin on plant biology!
• Plant reproduction worksheet
• Elephant anatomy - Have a child that loves elephants, check this out!
• Snake anatomy

Thank you for visiting.  See you next week on the porch!

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They own Treasure Box Press.  Michelle is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures.  She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST Lego organization and coaches a Jr. FIRST Lego League team.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her hear toward home.

Yummmmm, mitochondria and golgi bodies never looked so good!


I’m a firm believer in less textbook and more hands-on when it comes to science for grades K through 8th.  When my son started his ninth grade science text this year, I did so kicking and screaming!  I knew it was the best course of action for him, given his college and career aspirations, but I was going to miss his regular concocting and mixing on the kitchen table.  Oh, and there was the semester we did Backyard Ballistics as our science!

I still look for hands-on activities to enhance his text and occasional labs.  This week's fun? We’re making cells out of glelatin and candy…what a great way to learn about mitchondria!

A number of recipes abound for gelatin cells, but this is what we mixed up in our kitchen lab. 

Needless to say, this is a terrific activity for all ages.  Even a buddying three year old scientist will enjoy poking a gum bull (nucleus) into the gelatin!

This week we made our moulds and gathered our candies. In addition, we completed a vocabulary sheet which included the terms below. We’ll begin assembling our cells later this week.

Gelatin Cells

1 small package lemon or light colored gelatin
1 small envelope Knox gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water

Pour two gelatin packets into a bowl.  Add 1 cup hot water. Stir thoroughly.  Stir in 1 cup of cold water.  Stir well.

We used two shapes for our moulds.  Spray the moulds with a non-stick cooking spray.  This will make removal easier.  First, we selected a square freezer container, so we could “stack” cells to look like plant cells. 

A plastic cup was also used to make a more rounded cell.

Note:  I recommend doubling this recipe so you can make 3-4 thicker cells.

Next, we gathered candies for different cell parts:
gum ball .for the. Nucleus
4 raisins  for  Vacuoles       
green m and m’s   or Skittles for  Golgi Bodies
             red m and m’s  or Skittles for  Endoplasmic Reticulum
             1 teaspoon of round cake sprinkles  for  Ribosomes
            4 .red Hot Tamales or white Good N Plenty  for. Mitochondria
           
 
Assembling the cell:

Remove the gelatin from the mould.  If your moulds are thick (you doubled the recipe),
Cut the mould in half horizontally.  If your moulds aren’t very thick, then your child will just insert the cell parts directly into this one piece.  Do not push candies directly into the gelatin, or it will crack and break.  Have them carefully make a slit in the gelatin with a spoon. Then, gently push the candy into the gelatin.


If you were able to cut the cell in half, your child can insert cell parts on both halves, then put the two halves back together.

Thanks for visiting.  See you next week on The Porch!

Michelle


Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Here's a fun activity to go with an earth science or volcano study (plus, what a yummy way to add some math to your science!)

Edible Lava

6 ounce can evaporated milk1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar  1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 tsp salt 11/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Grease a 28 x 8 x 2 inch pan.

Combine milk, sugar and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Simmer for 5 minutes, while stirring constantly.
Remove from heat. Add remaining ingredients.
Pour half of the mixture into each prepared pan.
Place one pan directly into the refrigerator.
Place the second pan on the counter to cool.

Check both pans in one hour.

 What do you notice about the consistency of each?
Why are they different?

Tjkslkfddk  fil (oops sticky fingers from the lava!) 

I meant, thank you for visiting the Front Porch!  See you next week.

Michelle

Science and art blend in many ways. Both disciplines involve experimenting.  Scientists use the scientific method to observe what will happen when variables are changed or kept the same.  An artist may experiment with different media, lighting, color, etc., to create a new work.

In addition, artists often obtain inspiration by observing nature or from the results of scientific exploration.  In 2001, an artist named Pamela Bannos and an  astrophysicist, Farhad Zadeh, jointly presented an exhibit called “Imaging and Imagining Space” at Northwestern University as part of a program sponsored by the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Both used images taken from optical, x-ray, and radio telescopes to create their art.  Dr. Zadeh ran the images through a computer to produce photographs.  Pamela Bannos created artistic photographs from the real photographs by using a projector, enlarger, glass, petroleum jelly, and spray paint. The images “painted” by Pamela Bannos appeared so realistic that an astronomer viewing the exhibit thought one of her paintings was a real photograph of the remnants of a super nova!  To view more information on this exhibit and some photographs from the exhibit, visit http://www.artic.edu/aic/students/sciarttech/2f1.html.  What a fun way to learn about the solar system!

Art and science come together in other ways.  Art experts also use scientific methods to authenticate paintings, determine the rate of deterioration, and identify the best ways to preserve a piece of art.

Tips for adding art to a science unit:

Study an artist who has a work (or multiple works) whose subject is related to the science topic.  For example, a study of plant life can be enhanced by studying Van Gogh and his famous still life “Sunflowers”.  After gathering flowers (perhaps flowers grown as part of the science unit), have your child paint their own still life.  Challenge them to copy the style of Van Gogh. 

Find an artist who utilizes a scientific concept or technology to create their art.  For example examine the art of Nam June Paik who uses technology to build robotic sculptures.

Examine the works of an artist whose style is directly related to the science topic you are studying.   For example, study the optical illusions of M. C. Escher as part of a study of the senses.

Read a biography of a famous artist.  Did they have any interesting quotes in their lives?  Study a quote from the artist. Ask your child what they think the quote means.  Paul Ganguin once said, “I shut my eyes in order to see.”  These types of activities add history, critical thinking, research and writing for a more in-depth unit study.

Thank you for visiting.  See you next week on The Front Porch.

Michelle


Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years and enjoy life in a tiny southern town.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Did you know that the Lego®  brick has an exact birth date and time?  On January 28, 1958 at 1:58 p.m. the first patent for Legos was filed. 

HAPPY  50th BIRTHDAY Legos!

There are many fun ways to incorporate Legos into homeschooling, and you don’t need to be “engineeringly” inclined.  The links below have some fun projects for varying ages.  The lessons from PEEK at Princeton also provide  excellent explanations.

Getting Started WIth Lego®  Lessons

Two comments I hear often about using Legos as part of a science unit......

1.  "I don't think we have the right pieces?"

and

2.  "I don't know even know what most of the pieces are that we have."

Before you use Legos as a teaching tool, make sure you and your students know are familiar with the pieces and their correct name.  This is the first thing I taught on our FIRST Lego team and in robotics workshops.  Check out this parts reference.

If you are in need of specific pieces that are shown in some of the lessons, ask a friend if you can borrow the pieces or check out Bricklink.com.  You'll be able to buy any Lego piece you'll need and at a great price.


Lego Resources and Lessons on the Web


If you missed one of the very first Experimental Zone entries on incorporating Legos into an invention unit, you can check it out HERE.  Plus, download the accompanying lesson.

Lego lesson plans.

Build a rubber band car

Fundamentals of Lego beams and gear lessons


Build a Lego abacus

Looney Lengths – An Introduction to Legos  Kindergarten

The Great Lego Pyramids  First Grade


2nd grade – Build a Lego Balance

3rd grade – Build a Lego Catapult

See you next week on the Porch!

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years and enjoy life in a tiny southern town.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

This week, our family started a unit on flight.  As we investigate various flying machines, we’ll read biographies and study relevant art history.

As requested by my daughter, we started with hot air balloons. I asked her if she knew how a hot air balloon works.  Since she is only 6, explanations here are kept to a minimum.



Outlined below is part of our hot air balloon lesson this week. 

1.   We started about by looking at photos of hot air balloons and learning the parts of a hot air balloon:
     This site has terrific photos and an easy explanation for younger children.
     Other pages on this site go into more detail with even more photos, for older children.
 

    We learned there are different configurations for the basket.
 

    As always, HowStuffWorks.com has a thorough explanation and photos.


    We completed the first page in this lesson.  Plus, looked up the following instruments found onboard
    hot air balloons      Altimeter, pyrometer, compass.  We took out our compass, and I taught my
    daughter how to read it.

2.    We then discussed why hot air is used to make a hot air balloon float.  We lit a candle and discussed what we observed:
        What is the flame doing to the air around it?  (making it hot)
        Can you see the hot air?  (My daughter mentioned he moving flame, but I asked her to look above
        and around the flame, can you see the air?  No)
        How do you think we could “see” the hot air moving around the flame?

3.    To “see” the hot air, we cut a piece of paper in a spiral shape, attached a thread to it and held it over the flame.  After about 20 seconds, the spiral began to spin because of the air movement around the flame.   As simple as this demonstration seems, it was new and fascinating to her. (Yes, I had to remind myself not to meddle and try to complicate activities to fit MY perceptions!)

 We then held the spiral in the freezer and discussed the lack of movement and discussed why there isn’t movement with the cold air?


My daughter completed page 2 of this lesson to help her understand air molecules and temperature. 

For older students, HowStuffWorks.com has a very detailed explanation.


4.    We started our paper maiche hot air balloon project.  We blew up a balloon and covered with strips of newsprint dipped in glue and water.  We’ll make the basket from a paper cup, attached to the balloon with chenille sticks. 

 Once the newsprint dries completely, I’ll have my daughter attach labels for the different parts of a hot air balloon to her model.  I feel projects like this satisfy her need to do art and fulfill my desire to help her internalize the “science” information.

5.    Our biography for this week was Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier.

     We enjoyed the book  :Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride" by Marjorie Priceman.


Thank you for visiting.  See you next week on The Porch.

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Whether you're studying snakes, bears, humans, bees, dogs, lions, zebras....well, you get the picture.....what they eat an become an interesting and hands-on part of your study.

This week I'd like to share some activities and information on food chains. 

THIS FILE contains some lesson and activity ideas and worksheets. 

Below is a photo of my daughter with her "food chain".  It's a great visual that can be hung from the ceiling (and help free up precious space on the "school table"!)

Again, the link to the lessons and activities is HERE.


Thanks for visiting!  See you next week.

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Science lessons don’t have to be complicated.

That’s what I have to keep telling myself.  In fact, this week I learned this important lesson.

 My daughter found a golf ball sitting on top of the surface of the lake that borders our yard.  The temperatures had been in the upper 20s at night and lower 40s during the day, so the water that is mostly shaded during the day, had some surface freezing.  And, it was enough to hold the weight of a golf ball.

 The ball was sitting about three feet out from the shore, and she wanted to retrieve it.  So, she grabbed a very lightweight branch from a willow tree.  That didn’t work, so she tried putting the heavier end of the stick out on the ice.  But, still the ball was too heavy for the stick.

So many great science lessons were found in that one little incident.

 
Now, back up two days in the week….you see…

 
In April of 2000, I bought a “Newton’s Law” science kit.  My son was 8, and we never opened it.  So, how many of you have bought  teaching resources with all these wonderful intentions, then never use them?  (My hand is in the air waving around right now.)

 This past week, my daughter unearthed this kit from the depths of a “toy chest” in our playroom.  She so desperately wanted to use everything in the kit and mix and discover things. 

 

As she marveled at the rock samples and discovered polar opposites using the two ring magnets, I started going through the little activity booklet and immediately thought, “Oh, this is too simple…surely she’ll be bored.”  What’s worse, I think I even said something to that effect out loud!

 

Eventually, I did find an activity that I thought would pique her curiosity and give her the opportunity to “mix things”, as she put it.

Basically, she was to drop several rock and mineral samples into water, cooking oil and dish soap.  I admit, I was still thinking, “Hmmm, I’ve got to think of some ways we can make this more advanced.  Surely, this will only keep her occupied for about 30 seconds.” 

An hour later, she was up to her elbows in vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and other liquids from the refrigerator.  I had also remembered the simple “Cleaning Pennies” activity I had done over 8 years ago with our son.  Again, an activity I thought would not interest her. 

Was I wrong…she had a great time!
 

She walked away with an understanding of chemical reaction and had added carbon dioxide to her vocabulary.  She discovered how pumice was formed and why it had holes.
 

Wow!  She had learned quite a bit.  And to think, I almost got in the way by trying to instill my opinions about the interest level of the activities.   

Although we may have done so many of the tried and true experiments either with our other children or ourselves as a kid, it’s important to remember that these activities, concepts and lessons are “new” to many of our children.  We need to remember to look at learning through their eyes.  If we start with some of these basic lessons, it helps our children become more comfortable with a topic, especially science.

Research has shown that there is a  dramatic drop in the level of interest in science for both boys and girls (more so in girls) as they move from middle school into high school.

 

After 10 years of homeschooling, I’m still learning that lessons don’t have to be 110% planned.   In fact, knowledge seems to be absorbed much more readily when our children take ownership and feel they have some control of the learning process.

 With this in mind, I’d like to provide a list of some science activities that helps us all get back to basics!

 Basic science supplies I like to keep on hand:

• Vinegar:  a nice big gallon jug!
• Baking soda
• Lemon juice
• Balloons 
• Magnifying glass
• Bubble solution
• Straws
• Pipettes or some disposable medicine droppers 
• Food coloring
• An old netted butterfly habitat.  (We love the Insect Lore butterfly kits.  The butterfly “habitat” that comes with the kit is great for keeping insects while we observe them for a bit.)
• Magnets – My children especially enjoy wand magnets.
• Packing popcorn 
• Thermometer
• Some clean, empty jars of different sizes
• Cooking oil
• Packets of drink mix (aka “Kool Aid”)
• Prism (spend the money for a glass prism...they are so much fun!)

Simple, but fun activities.  The emphasis is on discovery…even the simplest activity can help your child feel comfortable with science, raise their excitement level and them remember a new word…like carbon dioxide!

• Packing peanuts . 

          Drop food coloring onto them

         Put some in a deep glass bowl with some baking soda, add vinegar

         Let them float in water, then put them in the freezer.

• Bubble fun

       Pour some bubble solution onto a surface and use the straw to blow  bubbles. 

      Try a cold surface outside.

      Put some bubble solution into a bowl and color with food color. 

     What happens when a few drops of vinegar is added to the bubble  solution?  Keep adding

    vinegar until bubbles won’t form.

• Water and oil

    Pour some water into a jar, then, add oil.  Next, drop objects into the  mixture.  Guess which will

    float and which will sink before they go into  the jar.

    Drop food coloring into the jar.  Add some vinegar.

    Pour some of this into a paper cup and put in the freezer.

• Magnets

    Try using the magnets under water.

   Grab the telephone book.  Open it up and put the magnet on one side of  the page and a paper clip

  on the other.  Try with varying thicknesses of  paper.

• Friction

  Gather an assortment of “balls”. We’ve used the ball from a set of jacks,  a squishy mini soccer

  ball, a marble.  Make varying sized ramps using books and/or boards.  Roll on bare floor, roll on

 carpet.

 Try different types of blankets on the floor.

We even rolled them down the stairs just to see what they did.

• Color mixing

     My daughter and her friends BEG to do this activity when they are at our house!

    Gather packets of powdered “Kool Aid” mixes.  I allow for 2-3 packets of each color per child…this

    is popular in our house.

   Next, provide bowls of water (various sizes of bowls) and spoons.

   Let them mix! 

   If you want to take this further.  Provide a “lab sheet”… have circles drawn and then have your child

  color the circle to represent the color they first used  Then, color another circle for the color they

 added.

 Next, they color a circle for the resulting color.  We did this when my daughter used this as her PreK

science fair experiment.

• Ice cubes - This is another favorite!

Float cubes in the tub and measure the water temperature as cool and hot water is added. 

Measure the water temperature in various locations in the tub...near the spigot, closer to the ice cubes, beneath the ice cubes, etc.

Make varying sizes of ice cubes.  We have used the big tubs from margarine or potato salad to make

large cubes (the kids referred to them as "glaciers").   How long does it take for each "glacier" to melt.

Run warm water over the large cubes and try to wear a "hole" in the cube.

I hope you have been inspired to keep your science simple and not stress over needing to provide a detailed or extravagant lesson! Just provide some basics and let your children discover!

Thanks for stopping by.  See you next week on The Porch.

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years and enjoy life in a tiny southern town.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Happy New Year!

This week I'd like to share a 28 page unit on Ancient China for multiple ages.  If you haven't tried a more unit study approach to science and history, this is a good opportunity to mix the two subjects and toss in some hands-on activities, too!

The unit was developed for use with multiple ages (we used it specifically for a 13 and 5 year old). 


View and save a copy HERE.



Thanks for stopping by.  See you next week on The Porch.

Michelle

Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years and enjoy life in a tiny southern town.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

Magnets are so much fun...I even use our wand magnet (usually used to pick up those colorful magnet "discs") to pick up straight pins from my sewing area!


If you're looking for some fun science over the Christmas break, get magnetized with this mini-unit

A blessed Christmas to you and your family!

Michelle

The gift of animal adoption is ideal for the person who “doesn’t need a thing" this Christmas, family and friends who love animals, teachers (most adoption packets include terrific informational packets and lesson plans), and children (who may not need any more toys!).

Below are several adoption options.  A manatee or sea turtle adoption is a thoughtful gift for the person on your gift list who enjoys the ocean.  Birdwatchers will enjoy the adoption of a rescued bird of prey.

Another fun way to give this Christmas is to help out animals at a local science museum or petting zoo.  Our local science museum has a small zoo area and we found out what items they needed for the animals.  We bought baby blankets at the dollar store to give as Christmas gifts to the petting zoo animals.  Just reading through the list of items for each animal was an education!  We  discovered which animals enjoy having a variety of spices in their habitat, others need items to keep their beaks groomed, others enjoyed dried fruit, such as figs.  

 

• The San Diego Zoo Adopt-An-Animal program provides a wide variety of animals from which to choose.  http://www.sandiegozoo.org/adopt/animal.html   Check with zoos in your area or where the gift recipient lives.
  

• Save The Manatee Foundation:   Established in 1981 by Jimmy Buffett and, then Florida senator, Bob Graham to protect the manatees living mostly off the coast of Florida and South America.  Today, there are about 3000 west indian manatees living in the coastal waters of the United States.  They are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act.
  

Giving the gift of manatee adoption is fun, easy, and affordable. The first step in the adoption process is to browse the online gallery and select a manatee to adopt.  You will find yourself captivated as you view the photographs and read the brief biographical sketches of each animal.

It’s exciting to select a manatee who shares a name or personality trait with your gift recipient.  Betsy, one of the manatees listed under the Homosassa Springs link, is described as being “very friendly and curious and is quick to investigate anything new”.  Betsy would be a great adoption match for a curious friend or family member, or for someone on your gift list named Betsy or Elizabeth

The gift recipient will receive an impressive adoption packet with detailed information about manatees, photographs, newsletters and a calendar (if you adopt at the $35 level).  Then, throughout the year, they will receive Paddle Tales, a monthly newsletter and the quarterly Manatee Zone newsletter.

 Our family received a gift of a manatee adoption last year and have thoroughly enjoyed the newsletters updates and visiting “our” manatee online.  The information packet is impressive and packed full of information.

• Adopt a Raptor:    Raptor centers are located throughout the United States.  Their specific mission is to rescue and rehabilitate injured birds of prey. However, not all of the rescued raptors can be released back into the wild.  Therefore, in addition to rescuing and releasing, these centers also provide permanent housing for the injured animals who can no longer survive on their own.  These animals must be housed, fed and tended.

Adopting a bird of prey includes an information  packet on the specific bird, and often  an invitation to visit the animal in person at the center, free of charge.  Many raptor centers provide a one-on-one session with the adopted animal. (Obviously, with a handler from the center staff on hand.) 

 The gift packet that is sent to the recipient often includes a biographical sketch of the bird, including the circumstances under which they were rescued, a description and update on their injuries and a beautiful photo.   (Note: the specific contents of the gift packet will vary by raptor center.)  A list of raptors centers located in the United States is listed below.

• Sea Turtle Rescue:  Adopt a tracked sea turtle at http://www.seaturtle.org/tracking/adopt/  It’s fun to browse through the animals and select the type of sea turtle and location. 

Thanks for visiting.  See you next week.

Michelle

I'm not much of a cold weather fan, but in the southern United States, cold winter months bring clear, crisp night skies.  It's such a refreshing break from the hazy skies of summer.

There have been many nights that we've brought the folding chairs out onto the driveway and star gazed in winter coats and under blankets.

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the Three College Observatory in North Carolina.  What a treat! 

Not sure there's an observatory near you, check out this website!

And...enjoy these constellation activities....


Thank you for visiting!  See you next week.

Michelle

This past week our science co-op took apart small appliances...we were up to our elbows in wires, tools and simple machines!

This is a great activity for grades Kindergarten and up.

Here are some suggestions for a successful appliance dissection(!):

• Do not take apart televisions or computers.  Even when they are unplugged, they can pose a danger.
• Check yard sales and Goodwill for old appliances.  We used a food bag sealer, coffee maker, toaster oven and juicer.
  
• Check the screws on all of the appliances.  We had some "star" shaped screws which required a special bit on the cordless screwdriver.  You'll want to make sure each child will be able to take their appliance apart.
  
• Check the sizes of the screws and have several sizes of screwdrivers on hand. 
  
• Some of the metal edges might be sharp, have children wear lab gloves and lab goggles. 
• Allow for plenty of time.  The children will want to take apart everything.  Our group even took apart the timer bells...they were fascinated to see what made the bell "ding"!

Discussion Suggestions: 

• As the children take the appliance apart, help them determine how the machine does its job.  For example, we took apart a coffee maker and were able to follow the flow of the water through the heating element, into the coffee filter holder and into the coffee pot.
• Have the children look for simple machines within the appliance.
•  Also, be on the look out for these electrical components.  Even the youngest children in our group had fun trying to find one of these..

   http://www.reachoutmichigan.org/funexperiments/agesubject/lessons/handouts/elcomponents.html

 
Related Websites

 http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/stc/ccc/docs/3/repair.htm

 http://www.misd.net/IL/DL/FTFridays/Creating%20My%20Own%20Rube%20Goldberg%20Machine%20Lesson.pdf

Thank you for visiting.  See you next week!

Michelle
 
 
Michelle and her husband have been homeschooling for 10 years and enjoy life in a tiny southern town.  They are the owners of Treasure Box Press.  Michelle holds a Master's degree in Child Development and Family Studies. She serves as the Judge Advisor for the North Carolina FIRST (www.usfirst.org) Lego League and a judge for the www.FIRST.org World Festival.  She is the author of numerous Sam's Science Adventures, including "RIC: Robots in the Classroom", all available through www.TreasureBoxPress.com.  She spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry before turning her heart toward home.

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