Science Matters

How Many PIeces if Pasta in the Jar

2012-02-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Originally posted on February 1, 2010

Provide each group of students with two jars - one filled with tiny pasta and a second that's empty, as well as a variety of measuring tools: balances, rulers, graduated cylinders, etc. The group is to use the allotted time to determine the number of pieces of pasta in the jar.

I have used this at the beginning of the year and when forming new lab groups - a chance for the team to work together to find a solution. A good opportunity to observe students and their ways of thinking.

Summer Science Camp: How-To Guide Part III

2012-02-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

During the past two days, you considered several factors in preparation for planning your science camp and making an official proposal.

Once your proposal is in place and approved, there's more work to do. You've decided on a length of time to meet for each day of camp, but now you need to structure that time to best suit you and your campers.

HOW TO USE YOUR TIME
As mentioned previously, we opted for a 2 hour camp. We broke each camp session into 3 activities - two 30 minute activities, one 45 minute activity, and one 15 minute snack. You could do two 45 minute activities and one 30 minute one. You could do four 30 minute activities. The possibilities are endless. Consider the activities you want to present and the amount of time you anticipate each one taking. You'll no doubt have to adjust the schedule as you go along, but it's good to have a plan to begin with.

It's helpful to organize your activities so that the very messy ones are followed by less messy ones. In fact, the best follow-up to a messy activity is to get the kids outside for a game. Your co-leader or student volunteer can remain in the room to finish any clean-up or get ready for the next activity while the kids are out of the way.

You'll probably want to do your most preparation-intense activity first thing in the camp session, so you can do all your set up before student arrive, instead of trying to do it while students are working on other activities.

Also, make sure you think about the structure of the overall week. I never planned activities that had to be completed outside for the last day of camp - if it rains on that final day, you won't have a chance to reschedule the activity. For example - the rocket launch was usually scheduled for Thursday (with Friday available as a rain date). That meant that rocket construction needed to be completed by Wednesday.

Summer Science Camp: How-to Guide Part II

2012-02-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had you start thinking about planning your summer science camp. Here are a few more points to consider when making your science camp proposal.

ACTIVITIES:
While you may not have all the details ironed out, you'll need to have a basic idea of what the kids will be doing to include in the proposal.

Our administration required that we NOT include any activity that would be done in the classroom as part of the science curriculum. The camp was supposed to be an extra-curricular activity, which supplemented the science instruction, not a chance for students to "get ahead" of their classmates.

You'll want to clear the activity list with the administration, especially if you're doing things like rocketry and other things which may be cause for concern.

COST:
Determining the cost is always tricky and the amount you can charge is going to vary greatly from one place to another. It's worth doing some research to find what other camps/programs in the area are charging, to give you a starting point.

Begin by adding up the costs associated with the activities you selected and divide them amongst the number of children you anticipate attending.

Then you'll need to decide how much to charge for your teaching services. One way to approach this is to consider the going rate for babysitting in your location. NO, I am not saying that you are simply providing a baby-sitting service, but it will give you some idea of what parents are willing to pay per hour to have their children taken care of.

Will you have any additional help that you'll need to pay? I always had one of my 7th or 8th grade students come to help for the week. It was largely a volunteer position, but we always paid them a little something at the end. It wasn't anything we budgeted for, just an appreciation of our thanks - and you will be truly thankful for that person by the end of the week.

You may also need to consider insurance costs - that's something you'll need to speak with your administration about. In our situation, the home & school association (PTA-type group) took care of the insurance for the summer programs, but collected 10% of the program's fees to help cover the cost.

Hopefully when you add those numbers together, you'll come to reasonable cost per student. If the number seems too high, you may need to cut out some of the more expensive activities. Or you may need to insist on a minimal enrollment number (to cut down the cost per student on some of the activities).

You need to decide what you're willing to do. Yes, running a camp is the chance to earn some extra money, but you won't make anything if no one is willing/able to pay the fee. And, you're going to have to work to earn that money. I think it's best to look at is as something you want to do because it will be fun for you, and the income as a bonus. And if it's not going to be fun for you, you should probably find something else to do for the summer.

Tomorrow we'll spend some time thinking about how to schedule your time, once your proposal has been approved.

Summer Science Camp: How-To Guide

2012-02-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Last summer, I shared a number of acitivites that my friend/colleague/co-teacher and I used when running our summer science camps.

In addition to the activities we used, I want to share a bit of our planning process with you and guide you through some decisions you'll need to make if you decide to run your own camp.

And while summer seems so very far away, now is the time to start planning your camp, if you hope to run one this summer.
Depending upon the dynamics of your school and your relationship with your administration, you'll know the best way to approach the situation. We had spoken informally with the administration, so we knew there was interest and support, before we put together our "official" program proposal.

We put together and submitted our proposals in January/February, so it's time to get going now
Things to consider before preparing your proposal:

AGE:
We invited students entering grades 2 - 5. We taught in a small school, so we felt we needed a several-grade range to gather enough students. In a larger population, you could narrow that range.

DATE:
You'll need to consider your population. In some places, large numbers of students go to camp for several weeks. Other places you want to make sure to avoid county fair time.

Sometimes you can take what seems like an obstacle and make it work for you. The phys. ed. teacher at our school always ran a sports camp for a week right after school got out and it was hugely popular. The first year we ran our camp, we made sure to pick a date that didn't conflict with his camp. But the second year, we decided to try to piggy-back off his success - his camp ran in the morning and we ran ours in the afternoon. We allowed time for a lunch break between the two and got permission for the kids to eat lunch at the school as long as they were with us. We had quite a few students who participated in both programs that week.

In the end, you'll have to pick something that works for you - there will be people who can't attend no matter which week you pick.

TIME:
We decided to run our camp for 2 hours each day, which was plenty for our age group. And we went for the afternoon - the first year it was just what we decided, the second year it was because of the aforementioned sports camp. Again, keep in mind your population. If swimming lessons are held in the afternoon locally, plan for the morning.

I'll have additional factors for you to consider in your planning tomorrow.

Real-Life

2012-02-06T11:53:00.000-08:00

As you've probably noticed, real-life has gotten in the way of blog-life lately.

So, I've been devising a plan to keep this blog at least somewhat active until I can strike a new balance between real-life and blog-life.

First, for the rest of this week, I'm going to share a series of posts on summer science camps - sort of a how-to guide to help you set up your own. I've had these in draft form for a long time and meant to get them posted weeks ago, but it didn't happen. But, I'm going to get them up this week.

Then, I'm going to re-post some of my old posts from two years ago. There are a LOT more readers now than there were then, and I suspect that not everyone has had time to read their way through the archives. And even the people who have been reading since the beginning may enjoy being reminded of some of those early ideas that may have since slipped their mind.

As I have opportunities to photograph and write-up new activities and highlight new resources, I will certainly do so.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy some regular content once again, even if it's not "new".

Photosynthesis: The Big Green Mixing Bowl

2012-02-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Originally posted on February 3, 2010

A demonstration to magnify the process of photosynthesis.

You’ll need:
A large green mixing bowl
A flashlight
2 zip-top bags
1 labeled “O2”
1 labeled “CO2”
Sugar
Water (in a cup)
Large spoon

Before class begins, inflate each of the bags (blow them up and quickly seal them). Place the bag of O2 and the sugar inside the green mixing bowl. Don’t let the students see the inside of the bowl.

For the demonstration:
Photosynthesis takes place in the chloroplasts, represented by the large green bowl. Ask for volunteers to name the “ingredients” needed for photosynthesis: CO2 and water. As the reactants are named, add each to the mixing bowl (I pour the water in and empty the contents of the CO2 bag into the bowl). Photosynthesis also requires the presence of light, so shine the flashlight into the bowl while you give it a stir. Ask for volunteers to name the products made during photosynthesis: O2 and sugar. As each of the products are named, pull them out of the mixing bowl.

Science Book Take-and-Replace Swap

2012-01-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm gathering a list of people interested in a Take-and-Replace book* swap.

Here's how it'll work:

I'm going to pack up a box with science books I no longer need or use. Some of them are duplicates of books I have, some of them are books I've never found use for despite teaching the topic covered in the book , some of them have just found their way into my collection for unknown reasons.

Some of the objects I'm considering including in the box. No final decisions have been made - and I won't share the final cut with anyone. That way it'll be a surprise for the first recipient.

I'll send the box to the first person on the list. That person can remove as many books from the box as they wish to keep. But, each book they remove from the box must be replaced with a science book that they no longer need in their collection.

The books can be used (I expect they would be) and worn, but they should still be usable. When choosing your replacement items, please make sure your items are in a condition that you would be willing to receive. Please do not include photo copies.

The box will be repacked and sent to the next person on the list, and will continue on until it makes its way back to me at the end of the swap.

The cost of participating will be the cost of mailing a medium-sized Priority Mail flat-rate box - $10.95 if you go to the post office, $10.50 if you purchase your postage online.

We'll go with the Priority Mail option, because it will keep the cost the same for everyone and it will keep the box moving faster than the other options.

If you find one or two books that are helpful to you, you should come out ahead!

Participation is open to as many people as are interested - if the list of interested people starts to get too long, I'll start additional boxes so you're not waiting several months to get your turn!

If you're interested in participating, send me an email in the next week, and we'll get the box(es) going as soon as possible!

*Swap objects are not limited to books (though I suspect most of them will be books). Other appropriate objects include science DVDs, small games, etc. Remember the objects all need to fit in the box, along with the other objects that remain.

Picture Book Science: More Resources

2012-01-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you enjoy the idea of incorporating children's literature with your science lessons, I'd like to draw your attention to a couple more resources: Picture-Perfect Science Lessons and More Picture Perfect Science Lessons, both written by Karen Ansberry and published by the National Science Teachers Association.

These books provide complete lessons based on children's picture books, including ready-to-copy handouts for students.

I would say the lessons are largely geared to elementary aged students, though things can be adjusted up or down to meet other groups' needs.

They're really nice books, but seem to be a bit pricier than some, at least at the sources I've checked. With a little bit of work you may be able to get them through your library, if you want to check them out before making the investment. My local library system didn't possess either book, but they maintain an affiliation with some of the state universities, at least one of which did have the books in their collection. It took a little more time and effort (on my librarian's part) than a regular book request, but with my librarian's help, I was able to get my hands on the books without laying out any money. It's certainly worth striking up a conversation with your local librarian and seeing if it's a possibility for you.

Coral Reefs: Build a Coral Reef

2012-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Most of the books featured in the Picture Book Science series have been works of fiction. Coral Reefs differs in that it's a non-fiction picture book.

It's a beautifully illustrated book, filled with easy-to-understand facts about the formation of coral reefs and the habitats they create.

Have your students work together to create a coral reef in your classroom.

Each student is given a balloon to cover in newspaper strips coated in paper mache. You can use your favorite paper mache recipe, watered down white glue or liquid starch.

I skimped on the newspaper strips, but your students will cover their balloons more thoroughly.

While the balloons are still wet, stack them together.

When the paper mache has dried, pop the balloons.

Remember, yours will look much better because the students will have been more thorough with the newspaper, and it will be a larger structure.

The balloons represent the living organisms and hardened newspaper represents that hardened shells of the organisms. When the organisms die (i.e. the balloon is popped), the shells remain.

This model is great at showing how fragile coral reefs are. And it provides a neat prop for your further study of coral reefs and the animals that inhabit them.

The Empty Lot: What Can you Find in a Square Meter

2012-01-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

The Empty Lot tells the story of man who thinks he's selling an empty lot, but he comes to learn that the lot is far from empty - instead it's home to a great many living things.

Have your students head outside on a nice day. Mark off one-square-meter squares, using string or yarn. These will be your students "lots". The lots can be on a variety of terrain - grassy areas, parking lots, etc.

Before students explore their lots, have them guess how many different living things they'll find evidence of in their lot.

Have students carefully examine their lot to see how many different living things they can find (or evidence of living things). They can carefully move leaves and grass aside, but shouldn't pull anything out of the ground. And, they should try to replace anything they move to the best of their ability. Students may also wish to use magnifying glasses to make closer observations.

Student should keep a list of the things they find - naming the ones for which they know the names and providing careful illustrations for the ones in which they don't know names. Upon returning to the classroom, students can use their observations and reference books to identify the unknown objects.

Were your students surprised by the number of living things they found? How did the different terrains vary in their living components? What impact do human habitats have on other creatures' habitats?

By the way, The Empty Lot is illustrated by Jim Arnosky, who has written (and illustrated) a plethora of picture books about nature. He's well worth checking out if you're looking for some books to accompany any studies of animals or plants.

Little Blue and Little Yellow: Color Mixing

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

Leo Lionni's Little Blue and Little Yellow makes an excellent addition to your study of colors and color mixing.

Try it with one of these two activities that provide a mess-free hands-on way to mix colors. If using these activities in conjunction with the story, you'll want to use the appropriate colors. Or, you could have other colors and have your students write and illustrate their own versions of the story, using the colors they chose.

Play-Doh Version
Start with two colors of Play Doh . Use a small amount of each color.

Knead the two colors together....

You'll see the colors swirl together at first, and then combine to form a new color:

Here it is next to a sample of the original colors, so you can see what happened.

You could have a lot of fun creating a Play Doh color wheel, or varying the amount of each color you used to create a whole range of shades.

Colored-Water Version

Using the same technique used when learning to use a pipette, students can investigate mixing colors in a very simple, non-messy way.

Provide students with a pipette, wax paper, paper towel and 3 small cups - one with blue water, one with red water and one with yellow water. Food coloring can be used to color the water (a small amount will go a long way), but food coloring does have the potential to stain, should the water spill. Another option is to use the True Color Tablets available from Steve Spangler Science, which do not stain.

Students use the pipette to place drops of colored water on the wax paper. They can then drag the different colored drops together and watch the colors mix.

Challenge your students to make the entire color wheel. Or see how many different shades of green they can create by mixing varying amounts of blue and yellow water. Most importantly, allow them time to explore on their own to see what they can learn.

Wild About Books: Insect Haiku

2012-01-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

If you aren't familiar with Wild About Books, you should be - it's a fun read and a favorite in our house. But, beyond that, you can incorporate it into your study of insects.

After the animals have learned to love to read books, they begin to write their own. And, the insects begin writing haikus (and the scorpion gives each a stinging review). Four of these haikus are included in the story. Share them with your students and then have them try writing their own haiku that includes some facts they've learned about insects.

Maybe they could even write their finished poem on a piece of paper cut into the shape of their chosen insect for a cute display.

In case you've forgotten, a haiku has three non-rhyming lines. The first contains 5 syllables, the second 7 syllables, and the third 5 syllables.

2011-12-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the abrupt departure earlier this week...

I had plans for a few more Picture Book Science posts, but when the stomach flu took out the whole family earlier this week, all but the most important chores were side-lined.

I am planning to take the next week off to enjoy the holidays and family. I'll be back in early January with the rest of the Picture Book Science posts as well as other new ideas to share with you.

In the meantime, if you're looking for some new ideas to take back to your class in the new year or some projects to tackle with your own children during their vacation time, check out the archives!

Merry Christmas to those of you celebrating and best wishes for the New Year!

Bartholomew and the Oobleck: Concocting Oobleck

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000-08:00

The title slime in Bartholomew and the Oobleck is a mysterious potion that at times acts like a solid and at other times acts like a liquid. Can your students decide which state of matter Oobleck should be classified as?

Have each student make his/her own Oobleck:
--Mix 3 spoonfuls of cornstarch with 2 spoonfuls of water.

Next comes play time...
Students stick their hands in the Oobleck to see what it feels like and how it behaves. They should try each of these tests as well, recording their results after each one:
--Poke it quickly
--Poke it slowly
--Stir it fast
--Stir it slowly
--Pour it
--Roll it into a ball
--Set objects on it

Any other tests the students come up with should be encourages as well, as long as they don't put students or property at risk (or create too large a mess).

Now students need to decide if the Oobleck is a solid or a liquid. Make them defend their decision in a written statement. Perhaps you'll even get a debate going between students.

You've actually created a suspension that acts as both a solid and a liquid.

**Do NOT try to get rid of your Oobleck by putting it down the drain - just put it in the trash. Or better yet, allow the water the evaporate and put the dried cornstarch in a plastic bag for your next batch of Oobleck.

Diary of a...: Writing Prompt

2011-12-19T00:00:00.000-08:00

Doreen Cronin's Diary of a Worm, Spider and Fly are silly tales about each of the respective animals.

While the stories are far-fetched enough to garner lots of giggle, they are based on real attributes of each of the animals.

If you're looking to have your students do something a bit more creative than the traditional report after researching an animal, consider having them follow Cronin's model and write a "Diary of a _____".

Purple, Green and Yellow: Marker Solubility

2011-12-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch

Brigid is a little girl in want of colouring markers, her mom isn't so sure. Eventually Brigid convinces her mom to buy her some washable markers. After a successful run with those, Brigid convinces her mom to buy her some scented markers. And eventually, Brigid convinces her mom to buy her some super-indellible-never-come-off-till-you're-dead-and-maybe-even-later colouring markers.

Brigid quickly learns about water soluble and water insoluble and your students can too. In fact, your students can do Brigid one better and learn what makes those super-indellible-never-come-off-till-you're-dead-and-maybe-even-later colouring markers come off.

Place a paper towel over a short length of PVC pipe (or a small plastic container).

Hold it in place with a rubber band.

Students begin by using a water-soluble marker to make a circle on a paper towel.

They then use a dropper to place drops of water in the center of the circle and observe.

Repeat this process using a permanent marker and water.

Finally, complete the process one more time using permanent marker and drops of rubbing alcohol.

If time and budgets allow, students can create the Pinwheel t-shirts using the same process on shirts instead of paper towels.

Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out!: Turtle Hurdles

2011-12-15T00:00:00.000-08:00

Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! follows one sea turtle from egg to egg-laying mother, through challenge after challenge, some man-made, some the natural order of things.

This story and activity could be used in any number of units: the ocean, animals, predator/prey relationships, human impact on nature, etc.

Begin the lesson by reading the story aloud to the students. While they're listening, have them write down challenges the turtles face as well as the good things that happen that aid the turtle's survival. Or maybe you'll want to read the story twice - the first time just for listening, the second time for taking notes. As a class, you can brainstorm additional items to add to each list, if you desire.

Next, each student will make a cootie catcher. If you or your students are familiar with making these, I've included directions at the bottom of the lesson.

Label the inside of your cootie catcher as shown:

Now, pick 8 items from your lists - 4 from the list of challenges, 4 from the list of "good things".

Open the flaps of your cootie catcher and write one item under each letter. The order in which you write them can be completely random.

You'll also need to make a simple mat (one for the class) - use the following picture as a guide - and get a die.

Now you're ready to play.

To being with, everyone needs to stand up - everyone is a thriving baby turtle.

The teacher, or other designated party, rolls the die onto the mat. Each student manipulates his/her cootie catcher the number of times indicated by the die. Then the students read the message under the letter that corresponds to the letter the die landed on.

Students whose message is a challenge or threat to the turtle sit down - they haven't survived. Students who receive a message of a "good thing" remain standing.

The students who remain standing play another round in the same manner. Try to play 5 rounds, or see how many rounds it takes for all students to be sitting.

Baby sea turtles face a lot of challenges in making it to adulthood, as do many other animals. Hopefully this fun game helps your students understand just how few babies survive to adulthood and encourages them to think about the impact of their actions on other species.

To Make a Cootie Catcher

Begin with a square piece of paper. (I cut 8.5x11" paper into a square).

Fold the square in half along the diagonal.

Unfold. Fold in half along the other diagonal.

Unfold. You'll have a square piece of paper, with the fold lines making an X across it.

Pick one corner of the square, and fold it, so the point is at the center of the X.

Fold in each of the additional corners of the square.

Turn your newly formed square over.

Repeat the previous step, folding each point into the center of the square

Label the sections, as directed above.

Fold the cootie catcher in half, to make a rectangle.

Place both your thumbs and index fingers under each flap to work the cootie catcher.

*****

This activity is adapted from "Turtle Hurdles," published in Picture-Perfect Science Lessons by the National Science Teachers Association.

Snowflake Bentley: Sparkly Snowflakes

2011-12-14T00:00:00.000-08:00

While both the book and activity have been featured on the Science Matters blog previously (here and here, respectively), it's been awhile and it's such a great pairing that it bears being part of this month's Picture Book Science.

Snowflake Bentley is a beautiful non-fiction picture book outlining the life of Wilson Bentley, the first man to photograph individual snowflakes.

The highlights of Bentley's life are written as a child-friendly story. Greater detail is provided in the margins of each page.

This is a fun, artsy-craftsy project in which students can learn about solubility, super-saturated solutions and crystal shapes.

Make a super-saturated solution of Borax and water:
--Fill a jar with hot water (boiling is best).
--Add Borax, a little at a time, until no more will dissolve (you'll know you're there because instead of dissolving the Borax will settle to the bottom)

Use pipe cleaners and thread to make a snowflake.

Attach a piece of thread to the snowflake.

Place the snowflake in the Borax solution and leave for several hours or overnight.

In the morning, you'll have a beautiful, sparkling snowflake, covered with large crystals.

If you'd rather not make snowflake shapes, you can shape the pipe cleaner into stars or other shapes. You could also just place a straight pipe cleaner into the solution.

The pipe cleaner works well because all the fuzz on it gives the crystals nice places to attach, and thus works much better than just a string. (Which may explain why all my attempts at making rock candy as a kid were met with utter failure (and a sticky mess)).

Safety Note: The Borax and the finished snowflake should come nowhere near the mouth.

It's Pumpkin Time!/The Apple Pie Tree: Seed Germination

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

It's Pumpkin Time! follows the growth of a pumpkin - from seed to large, orange orb.

The Apple Pie Tree follows the growth of an apple tree through a season - from a bare-branched tree to one loaded with heavy fruit.

Either one, or both, make a nice accompaniment to the seed germination activity we've done before.

This time, use seeds straight from an apple or pumpkin. That can provide an added lesson for students - we regularly refer to that part of apples (and other fruit) as the seed, but there are students (young and old) out there who don't truly understand that those seeds will sprout and grow into a new plant.

Following the same procedure as before...

Fold a paper towel in quarters.

Wet the towel and wring out as much water as possible.

Slide the towel into a zip-top bag.

Place the seeds in a row, about an inch from the bottom of the bag.

Push the air out of the bag and seal the top.

Put the bag in a safe location (you can even hang it) and observe.

After completing this activity, you and your students might want to see what other seeds, taken directly from food you eat, you can get to germinate. Be forewarned - seeds that have been cooked in some way won't germinate, and some seeds need to go through extra steps before they'll germinate, like tomatoes, but you should find quite a few that you can get to grow.

Tsunami!: Tsunami Demonstration

2011-12-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

Tsunami! is the story of

If you're feeling ambitious, you can make a very cool tsunami demonstrator following the directions found here.

If you're not up for such a task, you can make simpler models using 2 liter soda bottles. While this simpler model probably doesn't have the same impact as the fancier versions, it does have the added bonus of allowing students to take part in its construction and manipulation.

Fill the 2 liter bottle with about 2 inches of gravel. (I used sand because I had it on hand, but gravel works MUCH better).

Then pour about 250 ml of water (about 1 cup) into the bottle. Cap it tightly.

Gently lower the bottle to its side, so the gravel forms a slope at the end of the bottle (you'll see that the sand doesn't work so well at this point, in the picture below). The gravel slope represents the sea floor and then the beach. The water represents the ocean.

Use the palm of your hand to smack the bottle cap (i.e. the end of the bottle opposite the gravel slope), to generate a wave.

Observe the wave formation and the way it crashes upon the gravel. Also note the way the water sloshes around on the gravel following its initial crash - the danger of a tsunami extends beyond the initial landfall.

Natural Things Quiz Winner!!

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Jerry B., winner of the Exploring Nature subscription! I'll be sending your contact information to Sheri and she'll be in touch with your subscription information.

Thanks to everyone who entered the quiz. Make sure you stop by Exploring Nature - even if choose not to purchase a subscription, there's lots of free material available!

Natural Things Quiz Answers

2011-12-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who participated in both the Natural Things Swap and the follow-up quiz. I hope you've all enjoyed it as much as I have.

I'm planning another one for next fall, so watch for more information around the beginning of September. And keep your eyes open for possible items to swap!

1. Goldenrod

This is a golden rod gall - that bulge (the gall) was once the home for a goldenrod gall larva. It was nourished and protected by the plant stem until it was time to emerge and finish metamorphosis.

I wasn't familiar with these before the swap, and am anxious to check out the goldenrod fields next fall to see if I can find more!

2. Soybean seed and seed pod

3. Magnolia Seed Pod

4. Flint

5. Slate

6. Lichens

7. Mesquite seed pods

8. Skate egg sac

I'll be back shortly to announce the winner of the Exploring Nature subscription!

Tops & Bottoms: What Parts of Plants Do We Eat?

2011-12-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Tops & Bottoms is a cute story of a bear and a hare. Bear is lazy and finds hare's offer to share the harvest of his garden with him a good deal. When deciding how to split the harvest, hare asks bear if he prefers "tops or bottoms". Bear chooses the tops, and is quite dismayed when hare's half of the harvest yields carrots, radishes, and beets while his half is a pile green stems and leaves. The silliness continues for two more harvest seasons. Will bear get some food out of this deal by the end?

It's a fun story that points out the different parts of plants that we eat. Challenge your students to plan a meal that includes the following plant parts:

Root
Stem
Leaf
Flower
Fruit
Seed

Or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can assign each student to bring in one item and you can have a lunchtime plant salad bar, in which students have to build and eat a salad that contains all of the plant parts.

Here are some items that could be used for each of the plant parts.

Roots

beet

carrot

radish

Stems

celery
potato (tubers are considered a modified stem, not a root)
onions (bulbs are considered a modified stem, not a root)

paper plates and napkins (for serving)

Leaves

lettuce

spinach

Flower

artichoke heart
broccoli (this could also count in the stem category)

edible flowers

Seeds

sunflower seeds

lima beans

corn

soybean (edamame)

peas

Fruit (these are broken down by different classifications of fruit, as might be discussed with older students, with younger students you'd just stick with "fruit")

pepo - cucumber, pumpkin, melon

drupe - peach, olive, cherry

berry - tomato, grape
pome - apple, pear

Others (if you're interested)

ferns - fiddleheads

gymnosperms - pine nuts

sprouts - bean sprouts, alfalfa sprouts

grasses - rice, wheat, oats

Zack's Alligator: Measurement and Graphing Exercises

2011-12-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

Zack's Alligator is the story of a boy who is given a tiny alligator on a key chain, with the instructions to water her every day. When given water, Zack's alligator grows and grows and they're off on all sorts of adventures.

You can have your own adventures in science with a growing alligator. (Of course you can use another other "Growing" animal, the alligator just complements the book nicely).

Before you place the alligator in any water, take some measurements. The number and type of measurements you take will depend upon the age of your students. Some possibilities:

Length (nose to tail)
Width - across the head
Width - from toe to toe
Thickness
Mass
Volume
Density (not a measurement, but could be calculated if you have mass and volume data)

I did this with a very young student, for whom measurements are meaningless, so we traced around the alligator. (FYI, I used the back side of a sheet of freezer paper - I could get a nice long sheet of paper, and it's plasticated, which was important since future tracings would be made when the alligator was wet).

After measuring, the alligator can be placed in a large tub of water (you want to make sure it has room to grow).

Each day, for about a week, take each of the measurements.

At the end of the week, you'll have a collection of data.

Our data was a picture, showing the alligator's growth:

If you have numerical data, you can create graphs that illustrate the rate of growth. You can then analyze whether the alligator grew faster in one dimension than another or if they all grow at the same pace.

The Lorax: Over-Harvesting

2011-12-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

The last time I mentioned The Lorax it was as a story to share for Earth Day. I included some follow-up questions to get your students thinking about both the story and the world around them.

If you're looking for an activity to use with the book, consider the over-harvesting challenge (first posted on March 30, 2010).

Set up this activity to help students understand that sometimes humans take more natural resources than nature can produce.

Put students in groups of 2 or 3. You'll need 152 pretzel sticks for each group. The pretzel sticks represent trees/lumber

Within each group, you'll need someone to be the protector of the trees - he or she will 'plant' more trees each round. You'll also need someone to be the lumberjack, who 'cuts down' trees each round. If you have a third member of the group, he or she can record the data each round; if there are only two group memebrs, they can both record as the scenario plays out.

Begin with a 'forest' (pile) of 120 trees. Additionally, the protector will have a supply of 32 more trees

During each round, the following will happen...
- The protectors will 'plant' 4 trees from their source.
- The lumberjacks will double the number of trees they are 'cutting down' each round, starting with 1.
- The recorder records how many trees are left at the end of the round.

After explaining the scenario, but before beginning the actual process, ask students to guess how many rounds it will take before there are no natural resources left.

What can we do to protect our natural resources from over-harvesting?
********************************************
Here's a table you can set up to help your students record their data:

Natural Resources + Trees Added - Trees Consumed = Trees remaining

The first two rows of data should look like this:

120 + 4 - 1 = 123
123 + 4 - 2 = 125

You could also use Goldfish crackers for the activity - replace the lumberjacks with fishermen and you're all set!

Goldilocks & the Three Bears:

2011-12-05T00:01:00.000-08:00

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a well-known fairy tale and provides a great opening for scientific inquiry.

Whatever version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears you prefer, you'll come to the spot when Goldilocks goes to eat the porridge. She finds that Papa's porridge, in the largest bowl, is too hot; Mama's porridge, in the middle-sized bowl, is too cold; and the Baby's porridge, in the smallest bowl, is just right.

Does this part of the story make sense, scientifically? Would the largest vessel keep something the hottest? What about the smallest vessel keeping it warmer than the medium-sized one?

It's easy to test it out for yourself!

You'll need 3 jars/bottles/beakers, each a different size. If I were at school, I would use three different sized beakers. Because I'm working from home, I used three different sizes of Mason jars: a quart jar, a pint jar, and a half-pint jar. You'll also need a thermometer. I used a candy thermometer, because that's what I had at home.

Fill each of the jars with hot water. However hot you can get it to come out of the tap is fine, it's not necessary to heat it further.

Take a temperature reading right away, so you know your starting point.

For younger students:
Set a timer for 15 minutes and when it sounds, take a temperature reading for each jar. If you wish, you take an additional reading after another 15 minutes.

For older students:
Have the students, working in lab groups, take and record the temperature of each jar of water at regular intervals (1, 2 or 3 minutes). These students can then graph their data, which will show the rate at which heat is lost from each vessel.

I started with water that was 125 degrees Fahrenheit. After 15 minutes, I had the following data:
Papa (Quart jar): 115 degrees
Mama (Pint jar): 109 degrees
Baby (Half-pint jar): 100 degrees

After completing the activity, graphing and drawing conclusions, students can re-write the tale, incorporating what they learned from the lab.

Take the Natural Things Quiz Now!

2011-12-02T00:01:00.000-08:00

Earlier this fall, I hosted a Natural Things Swap. It was loads of fun and I'm looking forward to another one in the future.

In an effort to share some of the fun with everyone, I've taken photos of some of the objects exchanged and created a quiz in which you try to identify the objects.

Every person who attempts the quiz (and yes, swappers are allowed to enter), is entered to win the prize (more on that in a second). Each object you correctly identify will earn you an additional prize entry. There are 8 objects to identify, so if you can identify them all correctly, your name will be in the prize drawing 9 times.

The quiz will be open for one week. Next Friday I will reveal the identity of the objects, so make sure you check back in then.

THE PRIZE
Sheri, from Exploring Nature, has generously offered the winner an individual subscription to Exploring Nature Educational Resource.

Exploringnature.org is an award winning educational website containing more than 5,000 pages of illustrated life science resources with detailed and age appropriate content including animals, plants, biomes, ecology, biology, anatomy, genetics and the human genome, weather, classification, food webs, life cycles - just to name a few. The site also features movies, interactive games, worksheets, quiz collections, science activities, and teacher aids with new content is added weekly. Exploringnature.org was developed by published author and science educator Sheri Amsel and is an American Library Association (ALA) pick for their Great Websites for Kids list.

With your subscription, you'll have complete access to thousands of printable pages - for coloring, for labeling, posters, flashcards, etc.

Remember, simply trying the quiz (even if you're making a complete guess with every question), gets you entered to win the Exploring Nature subscription!

Click here to take the quiz!

December: Picture Book Science

2011-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Beginning next week, and for the rest of December (I think....), I'm going to focus on Picture Book Science.

You'll find science lessons paired with good quality picture books. Reading aloud from a picture book is a great way to get students' attention - even, or maybe especially, older students who rarely have anyone read to them anymore. Begin a lesson with a book and continue from there. Or use a book to bring a lesson to conclusion.

Some lessons have been previously featured on this blog, but the book pairing is new. Other lessons are completely new!

I hope you'll enjoy it!

In the meantime, here are a few favorite science-y picture books for which I don't have lessons (at least not yet).

Spectacular Science: A Book of Poems

Science Verse

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

And, make sure you come back tomorrow to take the Natural Things Quiz and be entered for a chance to win the grand prize!

Body Systems: Cardiovascular System: Components of Blood

2011-11-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a fun way to review the parts that make up blood.

Plasma

Makes up 55% of your blood. It's a thick liquid that carries that transports food and waste.

Fill a clear glass/jar/beaker 55% full with corn syrup.

Red Blood Cells

Make up 44% of your blood (by volume). These cells carry oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout your body.

Add candy red hots to the corn syrup, until the container is nearly full.

White Blood Cells
These cells are significantly larger than red blood cells, and there are far, far fewer of them in your blood. These cells clean-up old blood cells and fight the germs that enter your body.

Add a few mini-marshmallows or white jelly beans to your concoction.

Platelets

These are tiny fragments of cells (some books will just refer to them as cells) are responsible for forming clots when you are cut.

Shake some non-pareils into your blood model.

You now have a cup of "blood". You'll notice that much of it is liquid, but there's lots of solid in it as well. You'll also notice lots of red blood cells with the occasional white blood cell popping up. You have to look really hard to see the platelets - both because of their small size and because of their small numbers.

Oceans: Increasing Pressure with Depth

2011-11-29T00:01:00.000-08:00

Students don't always understand that the deeper you go under water, the greater the pressure. This immense pressure is one of the reasons why so much of the ocean floor is still unexplored.

Try out this demonstration to help your students visualize the pressure increasing as they travel deeper.

Begin with an empty carton from a half-gallon of milk or OJ. (A bottle would work too, but it's much more difficult to make the holes).

You'll also need some masking tape, a large tub in which to collect water and a poking device - I found a skewer worked well for me.

Lay the carton on its side on the table and make a hole near the bottom of the carton.

Make a second hole 1 - 2" above the first hole and a third hole 1 - 2" above the second hole.

Run a strip of masking tape down the carton, covering all three holes.

Fill the carton with water and set it on the table, with a tub to catch the water when it spills out of the holes.

When you're ready, remove the tape and observe the water flowing out of each hole.

The water coming out of the bottom hole is under the greatest pressure (it has the most water/weight on top of it) and it is pushed out of the carton with much greater force - look how far it shoots out.

The water coming out of the top hole is under little pressure (there's not much pushing on it), so it sort of dribbles out.

Dissecting a Diaper

2011-11-28T00:01:00.000-08:00

Mystified by the amount of water a single diaper can hold?

If you've got a few extra diapers laying around after last week's experiment, consider dissecting one and to learn what's inside.

You'll need a diaper, a pair of scissors, and a zip-top bag. You may also find it convenient to work over a black piece of paper.

Begin by cutting a slit in the diaper.

Pull the "stuffing" out of the diaper and place it in the bag.

At this point, you may feel some small granules, and notice white powder gathering on your piece of black paper. These are sodium polyacrylate crystals - the magical component of disposable diapers.

You can gather additional crystals by sealing the bag and shaking it for a minute or two.

While shaking, the crystals should separate from the cotton and settle at the bottom for the bag.

Once you've isolated the crystals, you can experiment with them (though you won't have very many from a single diaper). See how much water they absorb. Or try one of the water-absorbing crystal tricks mentioned here.

Again, it could be interesting to compare the crystals found in different brands of diapers - are they all the same size, do they come in the same quantity?

A good scientific exploration to learn more about the world around us, and also an introduction to polymer chemistry!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T00:01:00.000-08:00

Many heartfelt thanks to each and every person who takes the time to read the ideas I share. And many additional thanks to those of you who take a few extra moments to add a comment or otherwise provide feedback.

Readership has been growing, making it very exciting to keep on blogging, even when I'm feeling challenged to come up with ideas to write about. Thank you for spurring me on and keeping this little "hobby" going.

I hope each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with good people and good food!

Proceed!

2011-11-23T10:20:00.000-08:00

Okay, the practice quiz has been fixed (I think!) - it's now a multiple choice quiz instead of fill-in-the-blank, which will not only make it easier, but should make the programming work appropriately.

Thanks to the early testers who let me know there was a problem. I'm so glad I went ahead with the practice version!

Here's the link to go to the fixed quiz.

Practice up! - But not yet!!

2011-11-23T07:32:00.000-08:00

Sorry - there's a problem with the practice quiz that I need to try to fix. I have to run out at the moment, but will get to it as soon as I can. Will let you know when it's back up and running.

Practice up!

2011-11-23T00:01:00.000-08:00

I'm finalizing the Natural Things quiz for sometime next week.

Did I mention, there's a prize involved? It's a good one!

In the meantime, I've made a simple little practice quiz - practice for me in making the quiz and gathering the data and practice for you to use the quiz format.

If you have a minute (literally, you should only need a minute), hop on over and take the quiz - it makes no difference if you answer the questions correctly or not!

Click here to take the practice quiz now!

Atmosphere: Play Doh model

2011-11-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Begin with 5 (or 4, if you take your photographs without going back and looking at your own directions... sheesh) equal sized balls of Play Doh. Color is unimportant in this model.

Place one ball on a piece of wax paper, this is the troposphere.

Place a heavy book on top of the Play Doh.

Place another ball of Play Doh on top of the book, this is the stratosphere.

Place another heavy book on top of the Play Doh.

Continue alternating balls of Play Doh and heavy books until you've accounted for the 5 layers of the atmosphere.

Then unstack the books. You'll find that as you move closer to the Earth (the bottom of the stack), the layers become thinner.

Scientific Method: How Much Water Can a Diaper Hold?

2011-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

A different, and very intriguing question to try to answer using the scientific method.

For a basic investigation, you only need a diaper, water* and graduated cylinder (or measuring cup). Just for fun, you could add a drop of yellow food coloring to your water supply... it might completely gross you out, but middle school boys will be completely sold on it!

Open the diaper and pour 100 ml of water onto it.

Hold the diaper by the ends and gently rock it back and forth until the water is absorbed.

Continue to add water, in 100 ml increments until the water is no longer absorbed.

To take the experiment one step further, you can compare the absorbency of different brands of diapers. Make sure you use the same size diaper for each brand. After gathering your results, you could even determine the diaper cost per mL of water held! Do the more expensive diapers hold more water? Remember, for the most accurate results, you should test several diapers of each brand.

*I've always seen this basic experiment done with plain water. But, if you'd like to simulate urine, mix 9 grams of salt into a liter of water and use that solution. I've read that the diaper will perform differently with this solution than with straight water. That sounds like an experiment worth trying!

Atoms: Is it full?

2011-11-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Fill a large, clear container with rocks/pebbles/marbles. Ask your students, "Is it full?" They will answer, "Yes," as no more pebbles can fit in.

Now pour sand in over the pebbles until the container can hold no more sand. Ask your students, "Is it full?"

Finally pour water in over the sand and pebbles until the container can hold no more water. Ask your students, "Is it full?"

At this point, you'll get some students convinced that it is full, but others will now be skeptical, based on what you've showed them so far.

Ask those students, "What else would fit in this glass?" You're working toward the idea of atoms being tiny particles, so small (some of them) that they could squeeze in between the molecules of water. Once students have an idea of how small atoms are (sort of, it's awfully hard to truly understand how minuscule they are), you can proceed with your study of atoms.

Body Systems: Digestive System: Peristalsis

2011-11-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Although gravity aids in the swallowing of food, it doesn't work alone. Our body actively pushes each food bolus through the digestive system, a process called peristalsis.

Here's another hands-on model to help your students get a feel for peristalsis.

The esophagus is made from a leg from a pair of tights or pantyhose.*

Cut the toe off in order to create a tube.

The food bolus is represented by a large plastic egg.

Place the egg in one end of the tube. Hold the 'esophagus' vertically so students can see that the food will not just fall through the esophagus - it's going to need a little help..

You can return the set-up to the table and have students determine the best way to move the food through the tube.

They will quickly realize that the egg moves best when the tights/pantyhose above it are squeezed.

This is comparable to the muscles in the esophagus constricting and pushing the food throughout the digestive system.

Of course, we usually consume more than one bolus of food, so you can provide your students with a whole basket of eggs they need to get through the digestive system. Create several set-ups and have teams of students race!

*Remember the plastic eggs that pantyhose used to come in, back in the day? Those were the eggs I saw used in this activity originally. I don't believe you can find those any more (at least without purging your grandmother's house), so I used a large-sized plastic Easter egg. It works well, though its smaller than the original prop, and as such, you might want to use a child-sized pair of tights to make your esophagus.

Plate Tectonics: The Break Up of Pangea Flipbook

2011-11-15T00:01:00.000-08:00

Have your students watch Pangea break up, while making a flip book.

Professor Braile (Purdue University) has done the hard work - you simply need to copy the maps onto cardstock (for the best results) for your students. They color and assemble the maps in the proper order.

Salt Water Painting

2011-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

Make a batch of super saturated salt water*.

Fill a shallow pan with the salt water. Cut pieces of paper smaller than the pan, any shape you like.

Drip food coloring onto the water and swirl with a toothpick.

I'm not sure why the red dye looks so metallic in the photos...

Quickly place a sheet of paper on top of the coloring. When the paper is wet, pick it up and lay flat to dry.

The salt water is much denser than the food coloring, so the coloring floats on the surface, at least long enough to complete this project. Given time, the food coloring will disperse in the salt water.

*Fill a jar part way with hot water. Add some salt and stir. Keep adding salt and stirring until no more salt dissolves (you see the salt sinking to the bottom). Let it sit for a few hours. Then pour off the clear water - the super-saturated salt water solution.

Refraction: Where’s the Test Tube?

2011-11-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting nearly two years to share this with you, because I was hoping to find the appropriate lab-ware to borrow so I could photograph this VERY cool demonstration. But, it hasn't happened yet and doesn't look like it will in the near future, so I've decided to share it with you, without any photographs. I hope you'll try it. If you do, maybe you'll take some pictures and be interested in sharing them!

Pyrex has the same index of refraction as corn oil. As such, this demonstration will only work with corn oil, not with any other kind of oil.

Put some CORN oil in a beaker.

Place an empty test tube in the corn oil - it will appear bent due to refraction. Then, begin to fill the test tube with corn oil - the test tube will disappear! This could also be done with a small beaker.

If you have a mature audience, try this trick… place a broken test tube (be VERY careful, Pyrex is SHARP) into the beaker of oil (which already contains the hidden test tube), telling the students that it’s a restorative potion. Then pull out the whole, hidden test tube!

Cells: Semipermeable Membranes

2011-11-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

You don't have to get very far into your study of cells before your students are presented with the term "semi-permeable," used to describe cell membranes. Just as easily as you can define it for your students, you can show them!

Before class mix together 1/2 cup of sand (or salt) and 1/2 cup of marbles (or dried beans, pebbles, or other objects larger than the holes in a colander). Place the mixture in a beaker or glass jar.

When you get to semi-permeable membranes during class, show the students your mixture. Then pour the mixture through a colander (make sure you have a bowl or pan underneath!).

The beans stay in the colander while the salt/sand passes right through. Just like a cell membrane, particles that are small enough to pass through the holes do so and particles larger than the holes stay put.

Weathering: By Falling Water

2011-11-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

One of the ways in which rocks are weathered (broken down into smaller pieces) is by falling water.

Place a bar of soap on a sponge. Set the sponge in a sink under a faucet.

Use the faucet as usual for a day, letting the water hit the soap and observe the soap at the end of the day. Or you could let the faucet drip on the soap for the duration of the class period.

The falling water knocks particles of soap free. Similarly, rocks at the bottom of waterfalls (or in other locations where water falls over them) are weathered by the falling water over time. Of course, this process takes a very long time since rocks are lots harder than soap!

Air Pressure: Egg into a Flask

2011-11-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is another classic!

In preparation for this demonstration, you'll need to hard boil some eggs. When cool, peel them.

You'll need a flask or bottle (Snapple bottles are a good size) with an opening that's smaller than the egg (the egg should be able to sit on top of the opening. You may wish to grease the opening a little to help the process, but it usually isn't necessary.

To perform the demonstration:

Light a small piece of paper on fire with a match or lighter. Drop the paper into the flask/bottle. Quickly place the egg on the opening. Watch.

The fire will extinguish when all the oxygen has been consumed. And the egg will slowly work its way into the bottle/flask.

Since the oxygen has been consumed, there is less air in the flask, so the air pressure outside of the flask pushes the egg in.

(At this point, you're probably looking for an additional picture. My camera went on hiatus, so there is no picture, but I can tell you that my egg was too large for the bottle I had on hand, so even if I had a picture, it wouldn't look terribly different from the one above.)

There are ways to use air pressure to get the egg out, but I can never get them to work. Instead, I break up the egg with a knife and dump it out. Not as dramatic, but it works! If you're interested in trying it for yourself, do a Google search and you'll find numerous sites with directions.

You'll probably want to try this demonstration once before performing, to check that your bottle/flask opening and egg are a good size match. (See above). Of course, eggs are all slightly different sizes, so there's no guarantee that you won't get the egg stuck in the neck of the flask, but it should give you a good idea!

Natural Things Swap Update

2011-11-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Swap boxes are getting packed up to head out to their recipients early next week. (If you're not familiar with the Natural Things Swap, you can read more about it here).

Thanks to everyone who participated - each and every person who said they wanted to play along made me so happy!

If you missed out on this year's swap, you'll have a chance to play along virtually in the coming weeks - there will even be prizes!

Keep watching for more information!

Moles: Challenge!

2011-11-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

After discussing what a mole is (6.02x10^23 things), challenge students to bring in a mole of something.

Some examples to get you started...

A mole is...
...58 g of salt
...18 g of water

This is a good activity to do for Mole Day (celebrated October 23 - sorry to be late in sharing, you'll have to save it for next year!).

I would leave this as an extra credit opportunity for my students, as it's really beyond some of them. But, if you work with older or higher level students, go ahead and make them all do it!

Plants: Does it Matter Which Direction you Plant a Seed?

2011-11-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

Take the basic procedure used for observing seed germination one step further.

Prepare two bags. This time, across the bottom of each bag, mark 4 arrows, one up, one down, one to the left and one to the right.

Place a bean above each arrow, so that the concave part of the seed is pointing in the direction of the arrow.

Hang the bag on the refrigerator (or on another vertical surface) and leave the other on a flat surface and observe.

Observe what happens with the seeds in the different bags.

Seeds rely on gravity to help them grow the "appropriate" way. When the bag is hanging vertically, the seeds will orient their roots so they all go down. Because the roots can't go "down" while the bag is laying flat, the roots in that bag will grow in whatever direction they can.

Erosion: A Flowing River

2011-11-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a good one to do outside, if you can swing it. If not, it can be done inside, you'll just need to work harder to contain the water.

Materials:

--Paper cup

--Drinking straw
--Clay
-- Cookie sheet
--Loose soil or sand
--Jug filled with water (or other water source)

Prep Work:

Poke a hole in the side of the paper cup, near the bottom.

Cut the straw in half and place one half in the hole.

Seal the hole, around the straw, with the clay.

For the Demonstration:

Lay the cookie sheet upside down on the ground and raise one end about 2 inches, using scrap wood, a brick, a pile of soil, whatever's convenient.

Cover the cookie sheet with a thin layer of soil or sand. Place the cup at the raised end of the cookie sheet.

Hold your finger over the straw as you fill the cup with water. Remove your finger and watch the way path of the water.

Raise the end of the cookie sheet to about 6 inches, recover the sheet with soil and repeat.

What differences did the slope make in the erosion?

Cover the cookie sheet with a layer of soil again. This time, place a small rock in the soil in front of the straw.

Fill the cup and watch what happens to the water as it encounters the rock. You can place additional rocks along the way to change the direction of the river.

Candy Cell Models

2011-10-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

One week of candy wasn't quite enough, so here's one more! Happy Halloween!

A good friend did this with her 5th grade students following Halloween one year, and it was a great success.

The students were studying cells and they were placed in groups and instructed to make a cell model using different types of candy. The students rationalized what would work best for each organelle and each contributed some candy from their own stash to create the finished product.

The students enjoyed their work and their parents were quite happy to have the candy put to use other than eating!

And, this activity could be adapted to whatever you happe to be studying right around Halloween. Students could use candy to make models of body parts/systems, atoms, viruses, bacteria, etc.

Jello Brain Update!

2011-10-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Remember the free Jell-o brain molds I told you about?

Well, they arrived a couple of weeks ago.

For size comparison - that's a 5 year old head it's next too (albeit a rather large 5 year old head....)

I haven't put mine to use yet (have to remember to get more Jell-o at the grocery store...), but my friend Susan got hers and tried it...

Photo from Susan at Learning ALL the Time

Fun stuff!

If you're interested, you have through Monday (October 31) to get a free mold (only pay $2.95 shipping and handling). After Halloween, it's regularly priced - $2 + Shipping.

If you'd like one, head to the Kraft Corner Store! You'll have a head start on next Hallween, and some interactive Central Nervous System lessons in the meantime!

Website: Candy Experiments

2011-10-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

I've shared a number of candy-based learning opportunities this week, but I wanted to draw your attention to a website dedicated to this topic alone.
You can find additional experiments at Candy Experiments, as well as some you've seen here (what can I say, great minds think alike!).

In addition to several new experiment ideas, Loralee also has made instructional printables available would be great for setting up lab stations or party stations (and I LOVE the idea of handing them out along with the Halloween candy) and tips for running a successful candy experiment party.

Have fun exploring, and then playing!

Denisty: Candy Density

2011-10-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is really just another way to get your students to practice measuring and calculating density. But, it involves the use of candy, so it's more interesting than your run-of-the-mill density calculation.

The original version of this activity uses Whoppers, Lemon Heads and jelly beans. You could certainly modify that to use whatever you have available and/or is on sale. However, you will want to make sure you have a variety of densities present in your candy selection. The Whoppers are nice, because they will float.

You'll want students to use 3 pieces of each candy, so they can average their data. (This could be done in groups, to save time and candy usage).

First have students find the mass of each piece of candy. Then they'll find the volume via water displacement. Because the Whopper floats, they'll need to use the tip of a pencil to push it down, so it's just below the water surface. Finally, they can calculate the density.

If you wish to take it a step further....
After calculating the density of individual pieces of candy, have them calculate the density of all three pieces at the same time. The mass and the volume will each be lager than they were for the individual pieces, but the density will remain the same (assuming all measurements and calculations are made accurately). It's a good opportunity to remind students that density is an intensive property, not dependent upon the amount present. And, by making it a hands-on reminder, your students are more likely to remember it!

Density: Sink or Float: Candy Edition

2011-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Same idea as the original Sink or Float activity, but it uses candy instead. Again, it's good for the preschool and early elementary set. (I've got a candy density activity for older students coming tomorrow).

Gather an assortment of candies.

Hypothesize which candies will sink and which will float. Divide the candy into appropriate piles.

Then test! You may want to test the candy first with the wrapper on and then with it off - why do some candies float when they're in the wrapper, but sink when they're unwrapped?

After seeing which candies float and which sink, you may want to slice or break some of them open to look at the inside. See if there are any clues to help you figure out what some float!

How Much Does Taste Depend Upon Smell?

2011-10-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Ever noticed that food doesn't seem to have as much flavor when you have a stuffed-up nose?

A large part of your taste sensations come from smell, so when you can't smell very well, your sense of taste declines as well. I've used Dum-Dum lollipops for this experiment, since they come in a multitude of flavors and we always seem to have a large number of them around the house after Halloween!

Have students work in pairs to do this experiment.

One student, the taster, closes her eyes and uses one hand to plug her nose. The other student, the assistant, will then unwrap a randomly chosen lollipop. He then hands it to the taster, who puts it in her mouth, while keeping her eyes closed and nose plugged. The taster tries to identify the flavor of the lollipop. The assistant records the taster's hypothesis.

After making an initial hypothesis, the taster is then allowed to unplug her nose. She tries again to identify the flavor of the lollipop. Again, the hypothesis is recorded by the assistant.

And finally, the taster can open her eyes to view the lollipop, and make any final changes to her flavor guess.

At that point, the flavor of the lollipop can be revealed and the two students can switch positions.

Of course, you don't have to use lollipops - any candy that comes in multiple flavors will work. An experiment was put together as a follow-up to a Newton's Apple episode, in which jelly beans are used. Check out the experiment, the explanation, and make sure you read the "Try This" suggestions at the end - I think I want to try the potato and apple experiment!

Candy Week!

2011-10-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

For better or for worse, Halloween is synonymous with candy.

From past experience, I can say that your students' parents will be more than happy to have their kids sacrifice some of their trick-or-treating loot in the name of science and education! And, November 1 is a good time to find candy on sale, if you're in need of more.

So, this week I'm going to share some experiments, activities, and demonstrations that use candy in one way or another to help your students learn and understand scientific principles.

The mind reels that I could possibly have more candy-based learning to share; but, I do! What can I say, there's nothing quite like candy to get and hold you students' attention!

Before I bring on the new stuff, here's a round-up of science activities starring candy previously featured on the Science Matters blog:

Gummy Bear Lab

Graphing: Candy Data

Candy Bar Faults

Density: A Sweet Demonstration

The Jelly Bean Problem

Tasty Atomic Models

Digestive System: Kinesthetic Model

How Many Licks Part I and Part II

Body Systems: Skeletal System: Skeleton Race

2011-10-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Assembling a skeleton relay races are regularly used as Halloween party games, but adding a few extra requirements can turn it into a great review lesson.

Ideally you'd use pieces from snap-together skeletons, but if you don't have those on hand, find an appropriate skeleton to print. Searching "printable skeleton" will give you a plethora of options, many of which are in pieces that need to be assembled. Pick one that has appropriate detail for your age group and prepare the pieces.

Divide the class into teams. The smaller the teams, the more practice each student will get, but it will require more skeletons.

Each team will need a bowl of skeleton pieces, placed on the front table/teacher's desk. Each team will work at a separate table/desk. At that desk they'll need a piece of paper on which to assemble their skeleton and a glue stick.

The first person for each team approaches their bowl of bones and chooses one. The student studies the bone and has to correctly name the bone before he/she can take it back to the team for assembly. Once the bone has been brought back to the table, another team member can go retrieve a bone.

If a student cannot correctly identify the bone they have chosen, it is returned the bowl and the student returns to the team. The team has to wait out a 15 second penalty before sending the next team member forward.

Once all the bones have been collected, the students glue the skeleton together. First team with a correctly assembled skeleton wins!

Body Systems: Skeletal System: Bone Model

2011-10-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

I was inspired by the edible bone models I've come across, to create a non-edible bone model I could keep in the classroom for use year after year, and pull out at a moment's notice. The supplies are readily available at hardware stores and craft stores. I hope you find it useful.

You'll need:
~10" foam pipe insulation
~10" 1 1/2" PVC pipe
Model Magic clay
red yarn
fabric pieces

Begin with the length of foam pipe insulation to use as the spongy bone. Split the insulation open to reveal the hollow tube in the center, perfect for holding the bone marrow.

Roll the clay into a snake that fits the center of the pipe insulation. While you're rolling the clay, embed a length of red yarn in the clay to represent a blood vessel traveling through the marrow.

Slide the completed spongy bone and marrow into the length of PVC pipe. This is the compact bone.

Use the fabric to create a tube into which the PVC pipe can slide. This is the membrane covering the bone.

I added a few pieces of Velcro, to attach the blood vessels.

And finally, wrap the outside of the fabric with additional lengths of red yarn - more blood vessels. (I should add some blue yarn as well....)

I'm really quite pleased with my model. It can be taken apart and put back together again and again and I think it will be quite useful in the classroom.

Because you usually have to buy 10' lengths of PVC that you have to cut yourself, some of you might be turned off by this project. I've got extra materials from making my own, as well as easy access to additional supplies, and a willingness to make up some additional models. If you're interested in purchasing a pre-made model (or several), send me an email and we can discuss the details.

Body Systems: Skeletal System: Edible Bone Model

2011-10-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you know what your bones are made up of? They contain two types of bone tissue: compact bone and spongy bone, bone marrow, and a thin covering. Blood vessels continuously carry blood to and from the bones.

If you'd like to make it easier for your students to remember the components of bones as well as their properties, consider having them make an edible model of a bone.

Pretend that the red yarn is Twizzlers Pull & Peel strings. I forgot to get them at the grocery store, but had everything else and didn't want to hold things up, so I substituted.

To make your bone model, you'll need:
tortilla
lady fingers
sugar wafers
strawberry jam
Twizzlers Pull & Peel

Place the tortilla on a plate.

Open the lady fingers and place them along the center of the tortilla.

Spread the lady fingers with the jam.

Lay the licorice down the middle of the lady fingers.

Sandwich the lady fingers together. Place the sugar wafers along the sides of the lady fingers.

Wrap the whole thing in the tortilla.

Wrap another piece of licorice around the tortilla.

Your model is complete! But, before you eat it, make sure you note what each part represents:

Licorice strings are blood vessels.
Strawberry jam is the bone marrow.
Lady fingers are the spongy bone.
Sugar wafers are the compact bone.
The tortilla is the membrane covering the bone.

One version of this activity can be found here, but I first learned about it elsewhere. I have no idea what the original source is.

Body Systems: Skeletal System: Why You Need Calcium

2011-10-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

For this demonstration, you'll need a clean chicken bone* (a drumstick works best) and a large jar filled with vinegar. You'll also want some way to close the jar, either a lid or some plastic wrap.

Observe the bone, try to bend it (but don't actually do so, you want to keep it in one piece).

Place the bone in the vinegar and cover the jar.

Remove the bone from the vinegar every day for about a week. Observe and test for flexibility.

Over the course of the week, the bone will become more and more flexible, taking on a rubber-like feel by the end. The vinegar (acetic acid) breaks down the calcium deposits in the bone, allowing you the opportunity to observe the importance of calcium in maintaining bone strength.

**The next time you have chicken or turkey, you may want to clean the bones and stick them in a resealable bag in the freezer, so you have them when you need one.

Body Systems: Skeletal System: Pasta Skeleton

2011-10-17T00:02:00.000-07:00

Skeletons are a common sight around Halloween, and as such, I thought I'd spend a week sharing skeleton/skeletal system/bone activities and lessons you can do with your students. They're perfect for Halloween mini-lessons or any time your curriculum brings you to those topics.

First up, pasta skeletons!

The great variety of shapes of pasta in which pasta comes make it a fun (and inexpensive) medium with which to create.

Provide your students with an assortment of pasta shapes and black construction paper and let them create a skeleton, being sure to include the bones you've required them to learn.

Another possibility, have them create a more detailed model of one part of the body. While searching for something else, I found this document, which includes an activity in which students create a model of the bones in the hand using varying sizes of tube-shaped pasta.

Fun Products: Water-Absorbing Crystals

2011-10-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

In preparation for some Halloween fun, you might want to consider getting your hands on some water-absorbing crystals. They come in a variety of names and can be found in all sorts of locations. In short, you're looking for a small crystal that can absorb large quantities of water.

Sodium Polyacrylate is the polymer used in diapers to absorb large quantities of liquids. You can get it from Educational Innovations, among other sources. It's great for "disappearing" water magic tricks. You have a small amount of the powder in a cup. Pour in some water and a minute or so later, turn the cup upside down and nothing comes out. (For your performance, you'll want to use an opaque cup, but I wanted to let you "in" on the action).

Ghost Crystals (also available from Educational Innovations) are lots of fun. This are much larger crystals than the sodium polyacrylate. After you've enlarged your crystals, very carefully tie a thread around a single crystal. Fill a water bottle with water and submerge the crystal, on its leash, in the water. Leave the thread hanging over the side of the water bottle and screw on the cap. Tell your students you've brought your ghost pet to visit for Halloween day. They'll look and look, but all they'll see is a leash suspended in the middle of the water!

It's also fun to trick your student with some "chunky" water. A clear container filled with the enlarged crystals and a small amount of water will look just like a glass of water. Fill a pitcher with the polymers and offer to pour a student a glass of water - instead of a stream of water, chunks will come out of the pitcher.

Other places to find water-absorbing polymer crystals:
Steve Spangler's Water Jelly Crystals look to be of a similar size to the ghost crystals, if you prefer to shop there.

I've seen similar products (I'm not sure of their exact chemical make-up, but they function in the same way) at:
Toy stores (random locations within the store)
Garden centers (as an additive to retain moisture in soil)
Craft Stores (usually in the floral area)
Science supply catalogs

Lots of fun for Halloween or April Fool's Day, but also useful when studying polymer chemistry!

Update: Momentum in a Collision

2011-10-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last winter I shared my Momentum in a Collision activity with you, in which students used rulers to create ramps down which they rolled marbles of varying sizes to observe the transfer of momentum in action.

Since then, I've had a brainstorm of another, more qualitative way, to complete the activity.

If you know of any young train fans, see if you can get your hands on their wood train tracks, especially the rise-and-fall tracks.

The parallel grooves on the tracks allow you "run" two marbles at a time and compare the transfer of momentum as they crash into different sized marbles at the end of the hill.

Train tracks also give you the opportunity to create a nice long runway for the marbles to roll along until they run out of energy.

Microscopes: Elodea Lab

2011-10-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Elodea is an aquatic plant that can be found at most fish stores. It is great for looking at under the microscope because the leaves are so thin, only a couple of cell layers thick and light can pass through the leaf.

Place an elodea leaf on a clean slide. Place a drop of water on the leaf and then the cover slip. View under the microscope. You will note the regular, retangular shape of the plant cells, the cell wall, the chloroplasts, and the nucleus.

Flatten an Index Card

2011-10-10T00:01:00.000-07:00

Challenge your students (or family members or friends or anyone else you encounter) to find two ways to flatten an index card, without touching it.

To prepare, fold an index card in half and set it on the table to make a tent.

Your challengee will likely immediately blow on the top of the card to push the middle down.

The challenge comes in finding a second way to accomplish the task.

It's time to put your knowledge of Bernoulli and air pressure to work! By blowing under the card, you'll move those air molecules out of the way, allowing the air molecules on top of the card to push the card down.

Professional Development: Keystone Center

2011-10-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Keystone Center is a non-profit organization that works to solve environmental, energy and public health challenges by bringing together leaders and acting as mediators in the discussions.

In the interest of looking to the future and preparing future leaders, a large component of the work done by the Keystone Center is education. They are an organization interested in teaching students how to think, not what to think. They run a number of camps and programs for students and they believe in reaching large numbers of students by educating teachers.

I had the opportunity to attend the Balanced Equation workshop, which is a day-long program devoted to learning about water quality. The early part of the day was spent evaluating our prior knowledge and thoughts regarding water and the environment. From there ran a variety of simple tests to evaluate water quality and we attempted to build our own water filters using common items. The afternoon was spent trying out a number of water filtration devices currently used in country's/areas with poor water quality. There was certainly a lot to be learned over the course of one day.

Registration for the Balanced Equation workshop basically involved expressing interest and filling out a simple application.

The Keystone Center's signature professional development opportunity is the week-long Key Issues Institute, which is held in Silverthorne, Colorado. Like the other workshops provided by the Keystone Center, the Institute is provided to teachers free of charge (if you can get yourself there), but the application process is more competitive and you are by no means guaranteed a spot just because you're interested. I do hope to have the opportunity to attend at some point in the future!

Applications for the 2012 Key Issues Institute are available now, so you may want to head over and check things out. I'm sure dates for the upcoming one-or two-day workshops will be available soon.

The Ivory Soap "Explosion"

2011-10-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love it when I learn a new science trick. At this point, I've seen quite a few, and while there are always new-and-improved versions out there, it's not too common for me to come across something brand new. Which is one of the reasons I love this demonstration (and it's just SO cool). It's apparently a well-known demonstration, but I've missed it up 'til now. (And that's another reason why I make a point of sharing the "classic" science experiments that so many have already seen - everyone has to learn about them for the first time, some time).

On with the demonstration....

Begin with a bar of Ivory soap (or you may want to use a sliver of soap.... you'll see what I mean).

Make the appropriate observations of the soap.

Place the soap on a microwave-safe plate.

Make a hypothesis* about what will happen when the soap is heated in the microwave.

Now heat the soap in the microwave - set the time for 2 minutes, but keep an eye on it (you'll be doing that any way, trust me).

Observe the soap carefullly.

The soap will expand to a huge volume. If you use whole bar of soap, it will nearly fill the microwave! Great wow factor!

It deflated a little at this point, because my camera's batteries died at this point and I had to wait for them to recharge.

Why does this happen....

Remember when the Ivory floated because it had more air in it than the "other" soap? When the Ivory is heated, the soap softens and the air bubbles expand.

How can you use this in your science class?

A follow-up to the previously mentioned density experiment.
A discussion of gas laws (Charles Law, specifically) - when a gas is heated, its volume will increase.
A lesson on physical and chemical changes. Explosions are chemical changes by definition. This demonstration looks like explosion, but it's not. It's just a physical change.

*A funny story - I told my 5 year old that we were going to do a science experiment after dinner. He asked what we were going to do and all I would tell him is that we were using soap. Then I asked if he had any hypotheses about what would happen to the soap (knowing absolutely nothing about what we were going to do to it) and he said "It's going to explode." I think he was a little surprised at how close to right he was!

The Importance of Brushing Teeth - Part II

2011-10-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

Last week we examined the importance of brushing your teeth as a preventative measure to defend against the acid found in foods. This week we'll examine another way in which regular tooth brushing prevents problems - preventing tooth stains.

This experiment is run much the same way as last week's. You'll cover an egg with toothpaste, let it sit overnight and wash off the toothpaste the next day.

The egg is then placed in a cup of coffee (or strong tea). A second, untreated egg is placed in a second cup of coffee.

The eggs are then allowed to sit and are observed over the course of the next 24 hours - or even longer if you wish.

You will notice that the untreated egg develops darker stains and develops them more quickly than the treated egg.

You'll also notice that the treated egg does develop stains - the toothpaste does not completely prevent that from occurring, it just slows it.

Untreated

Treated with toothpaste

So, when you brush your teeth,, you're building up protection against future stains as well as removing older stains.

Sand Collection

2011-10-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

It's very simple to start a sand collection - every time you visit a beach or other sandy location, collect a small sample in a zip-top bag. Ask your students to do the same on their travels, as well as colleagues and family members. It won't take long and you'll have a variety of sand samples to compare and contrast.

You can keep your samples in clear plastic bags and use a magnifying glass to observe, or if you've got the resources, you could store the samples in magnifier boxes.

The diversity of the samples will provide a variety of discussion points. What is the sand made of? Why is the sand the color that it is? How large the grains of sand? Why?

For instance, the above sample was photographed (because one should never remove anything from a national park) at Acadia National Park. You immediately notice, with the naked eye, that the sand is very coarse. You'll notice that many of the pieces of sand look like crushed shells - for good reason, that's exactly what they are! You'll also notice lots of different colors in the sand.

I'm particularly fond of the blues, purples and greens. The blue and purple pieces are crushed mussel shells. The green "spikes" are bristles from a sea urchin.

Along the same lines, retired science teacher Charles Lindgren has created the Science of Sand website. He has solicited sand samples from across the country and world and photographed the sand at a 9X magnification.

His samples are organized by state and country, and you're welcome to use the images for a virtual sand lab. In fact, he's also included some lesson ideas.

He's also always looking for new samples, so if you live or travel near sand, consider collecting a sample for him.

And take a look at his site - the pictures are gorgeous, much better than mine!

Density: Ivory Soap vs. "Other" Soap

2011-10-03T00:01:00.000-07:00

Another simple demonstration involving density....

Show the students a bar of Ivory soap and a bar of any other brand of soap. Ask for predictions about what will happen when the bars are placed in a tub of water. Float or sink? Will the both do the same thing, or will they do different things?

Then put the bars in the water, using as much flair as you deem necessary.

The Ivory soap will float, but the other soap will sink.

Of course, now the work begins and it's time to hypothesize why the difference.

I'm sure your students will come up with all sorts of possibilities (the more the better), but the reality is that Ivory whips more air into their soap a they're making it. More air pockets = lower density.

You could have the students calculate the density of each of the bars. If you're using nice rectangular bars, the volume can be calculated using dimensional measurements. If you're using a funky shaped bar of soap, as this bar of Zest is, you'll need to use water displacement to get the volume.

Professional Development: Mickelson ExxonMobil Teacher Academy

2011-09-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

If you know a great 3rd - 5th grade math and science teacher, encourage them to apply for the Phil Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy for the summer of 2012. Or nominate them yourself!

While I have not had the honor of attending, I've heard wonderful things about it. The programming is done by the National Science Teachers Association (definitely a great organization) and Math Solutions (which I'm not familiar with, but it was founded by Marilyn Burns, who has some phenomenal ideas for teaching math, so I'm guessing it's a stand-out organization as well).

It's an all-expense paid (including travel) week at the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, NJ (an excellent facility), with lots of opportunities for learning and socializing with other like-minded teachers.

I believe there are generally a very large number of applicants for the 100 available spots, but there's not much to lose by trying (the application is short and pretty simple) and there's potentially a whole lot to gain!

P.S. Application deadline is October 31!

Light: Refraction: Flip an Arrow

2011-09-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is a great way to kick off your study of refraction and lenses.

Provide students with a cylinder of water (without lines, words, etc. on it - check your recycling bin for empty glass bottles) and an index card with an arrow printed on it.

Have the students observe the arrow, looking through the cylinder of water. What happens as the move the arrow away from the water?

How about when the move the arrow closer to the water.

The cylinder of water is acting as a lens. When the arrow is close to the lens, it is magnified, but pointing in the original direction. As the arrow is moved away from the lens, it flips.

Provide students with plenty of time to play with these simple objects, allowing them to make as many observations as possible. Some ideas to try out:

watching the arrow through the water while the rotate the paper
holding the arrow vertically instead of horizontally
observing other shapes or letters through the lens

Once students have gained some hands-on experience with this simple lens, head back to the desks to work on explaining what was witnessed with words and diagrams.

The Importance of Brushing Your Teeth - Part I

2011-09-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

We've previously looked at the importance of brushing teeth to remove stains that certain foods may leave on the teeth. This week and next we'll examine the importance of brushing teeth as a preventative measure.

The fluorine in toothpaste binds with calcium in your teeth to form calcium fluoride, which strengthens your teeth.

For this experiment, you'll want to make sure you use a fluoride toothpaste. You'll see it listed in the active ingredients as sodium fluoride.

To represent our teeth, you'll be using an egg, as the shell is made of calcium, as are our teeth.

Coat one egg with toothpaste - all over. Allow the egg to sit overnight with the toothpaste on it.

The next day, wash the toothpaste off the egg. Then place that egg in a cup/beaker of vinegar. Place a second, untreated egg in a second cup/beaker of vinegar.

The vinegar is an acid, as are many of the foods we consume, including, but not limited to fruit, tomatoes, and soda.

Observe the eggs over the course of the next 24 hours.

You will notice that the cup with the untreated egg develops a foamy white substance on the top of the vinegar in a fairly short amount of time. That foam is made of dissolved calcium - the shell is dissolving. The treated egg does not produce nearly so much.

After 24 hours you'll notice that the untreated egg has completely lost its shell - you're left with a squishy egg. The treated egg has a small amount of shell left. It's on the squishy side - the fluoride doesn't completely protect it. That's one of the reasons why you need to continue to brush your teeth - to constantly provide more fluoride and to help wash away the acid currently in the mouth. It's also important to note that even with regular brushing, eating a diet high in acidic foods will, over time, wear on your teeth. And lots of acidic foods without brushing your teeth is a recipe for ruining your teeth.

Water Cycle: The Incredible Journey

2011-09-27T00:01:00.000-07:00

This is adapted from the ProjectWET curriculum guide. I've seen this adaptation in several different locations, so I don't know whom to officially credit. Regardless, it's a great activity and I hope you and your students enjoy it!

If I ask you to describe the water cycle, what comes to mind?

I'll bet your picturing the image from your textbook: the clouds raining over the mountain, the water moving down the mountain into the ocean/lake, the water evaporating from the ocean/lake to form clouds. Maybe there's a tree in there somewhere, releasing water into the air as well. You know... this one....

That's the easiest way to explain the water cycle, right?

But, you're all smart people; you realize the water cycle is more than a simple circle. There are any number of different paths that water can take.

How do you get your students to understand that?

The ProjectWET folks created The Incredible Journey, in which students travel between 9 different stations: clouds, oceans, rivers, lakes, plants, animals, soil, glaciers and ground water.

Each station is set up with an identifying sign (it could just be a large sign with the word on it, it could be a painting representing that station, or it could a collage of pictures representing that area), a large die (see instructions below) and a tub of pony beads (one color per station).

The original version of the activity has students write down where they travel, but to make things more fun and memorable, the adaptation has students use the beads to create a keychain/bracelet to document their travels as a water drop.

Each student begins with a pipe cleaner (loop over one end so the beads don't slide off) at a station of their choosing.

The student picks up bead from that station and slides it onto the pipe cleaner.

The student then roles the die and travels to the station the die directed them to. At the new station, the student picks up a bead and adds it to the pipe cleaner and roles the die.

If the student roles a "Stay" he or she remains at the same station, picking up another bead representing that station and roles the die again. It is possible to remain at the same station for a number of roles, which would be represented by several of the same color beads in a row.

After the students have had the chance to visit ~24 stations, bring the group back together and talk about what happened. Use the strings of beads to question the students about where they began, where they went next, etc. Ask the students how they would have gotten from one place to another.

For instance, my journey began as a drop of water in an animal. From there I traveled to the ground. How would I have gone from being in an animal to the ground? Well, the animal probably urinated; other answers could include slobber/drool, sweat, etc.

How would I have gone from the clouds to the ocean? Rain (or another form of precipitation).

A nice way to close the activity is to have students write about their journey - a first-person narrative of their travels and how they moved from one location to another.

The Dice:

To make the dice:

Use square boxes to make the dice, label the sides (see below), and cover with packing tape (just to make them last longer).

Cover wooden blocks with masking tape and label the sides (see below).

For each station, label the sides as follows (make sure you mark your dice as to which station each belongs to):

SOIL:
Plant
River
Ground water
Clouds x2
Stay

PLANT:
Clouds x4
Stay x2

RIVER:
Lake
Ground Water
Ocean
Animal
Clouds
Stay

CLOUDS:
Soil
Glacier
Lake
Ocean x2
Stay

OCEAN:
Clouds x2
Stay x4

LAKE:
Ground Water
Animal
River
Clouds
Stay x2

ANIMAL:
Soil x2
Clouds x3
Stay

GROUND WATER:
River
Lake x2
Stay x3

GLACIER:
Ground Water
Clouds
River
Stay x3

Write It, Do It

2011-09-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Write It, Do It is a Science Olympiad event, but it can easily be adapted for use in your classroom.

The idea is to get kids to practice writing clear technical directions.

As a competition event, students work as a team - one member is the writer and the other is the do-er.

The writer is given an object made of Legos, K'nex, Tinker Toys, craft supplies, etc. The writer then has to write a set of instructions explaining how to build that object.

The do-er is then given those instructions, along with a set of the materials needed to construct the object.

The goal is to have a finished object that most closely resembles the original object.

Science Olympiad has a thorough list of rules that govern the event - no drawings, all abbreviations must be defined, etc. But, in your classroom, you can set your own rules. For me, the goal is to get the kids to write accurately and provide clear directions.

Start simple and work up to more complex objects throughout the year, as your students technical writing skills improve.

If you plan to do this activity throughout the year, seek out a variety of different materials with which to build - it will make things more interesting and challenging if it isn't always the same. Yard sales and thrift stores are great places to pick up building toys on the cheap - and you can sometimes find some older toys that your students don't know, adding to the challenge! Just make sure you have at least 2 of each part - one for the object, one for the building materials.

Conservation of Energy: Your Own Astroblaster

2011-09-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

You may have seen one of these toys around... A stick with 5 bouncy balls staked on top of one another. You drop it on the ground and the top ball goes flying sky-high.

You can do your own demonstration, on a larger scale with balls you probably have scattered around your house (or that you could borrow from the phys. ed. teacher).

I'm using a squishy mini-soccer ball stacked on a basketball. They're both a little flat, and only bounce up to about my waist when I drop them from chin height.

But, if I stack them on top of each other and drop them, the soccer ball goes flying off, reaching an altitude many times higher than when dropped by itself. The basketball doesn't bounce back much at all. Just a little, and then it rolls away.

The soccer ball went much higher than that - my camera timing skills aren't perfect!

This is a demonstration of conservation of energy and momentum. Nearly all of the energy the basketball had is transferred to the soccer ball - allowing the soccer ball to fly off with more energy than it started with and the basketball, left with almost nothing, just rolls away.

You can have lots of fun experimenting with different balls - golf balls, ping pong balls, super balls, playground balls, etc. What do you think would happen with 3 balls? Give it a try!

Eating without Teeth

2011-09-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

Gather several green leaves (look for ones that have fallen to the ground). Place them in a resealable bag and seal.

Hold the bag between you hands and rub the bag between your hands 25 times. Observe the leaves.

Now add several small rocks the bag.

Rub the bag together 25 more times. Observe the leaves.

You'll find that the leaves without rocks did not change much at all. However, the leaves in the bag with the rocks were crushed.

Rocks found near the rib bones of some dinosaur skeleton suggest that those dinosaurs swallowed rocks to aid in the digestion of food in dinosaurs who lacked grinding teeth. Modern chickens swallow gravel to grind food inside their gizzard.

Teaching the Constellation Stories

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

These are the props I used this summer, when doing constellation programs at some local libraries.

We did a quick review of what a constellation is and then I started to "quiz" them.

First, I showed them a picture of some stars and they had to decide what picture they might see in those stars.

Then I showed them those same stars with the "dots connected," and asked them again what picture they might imagine from that shape.

And finally, I showed them a picture that had the stars and lines drawn in.

At that point I shared some of the stories associated with each of the constellations. We incorporated as many different culture's variations on the myths and legends as I could find, which helped the children understand that the people making up the stories were using images and themes that were part of their everyday life.

We also discussed the great use of imagination in some of the constellations. It was a good reminder that we were talking about groups of people for whom this was a form of evening entertainment - there weren't televisions or computers or iPods available. There weren't even books readily available to some of these groups of people.

Here's another set:

Find the Center of Gravity

2011-09-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

This activity makes me happy because it reminds me of the one activity I distinctly remember from high school physics with Mr. Eide, master of the pun. We used large pieces of Styrofoam and a soldering iron (I think) to make the holes. This version is safe to do with young students and the materials are easier to come by.

Before hand...

You'll need to make a plumb line (or several).

Cut a length of string, about 12 inches. Tie a metal washer to the end (or a fishing sinker or anything else that's heavy and can easily be tied to the end of a string).

Tie the other end of the string around a pushpin.

The activity...

Cut one side of a manila folder into an irregular shape

Punch five holes (randomly spaced) at the edge of the shape.

Stick the pushpin (with the plumb line attached) through one of the holes and hang it on a bulletin board. The shape and the string should both swing freely.

When everything has stopped moving, use a pen to draw a line on the paper along the string.

Move the pushpin to another hole and repeat.

Continue until you've used each of the 5 holes.

Take the shape down. The five lines intersect in one point. If you place your finger under that point, the shape will balance perfectly. You've located the center of gravity for your shape!

And, if you move your finger, even a small amount, from that spot, the shape will tumble to one side or the other!

Professional Development: FREE Graduate Credits

2011-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read that correctly - graduate credits for FREE! I am so excited to share this program with you.

The American Meteorological Society offers three DataStreme courses:

DataStreme Atmosphere,

DataStreme Ocean

and DataStreme Earth's Climate System.

This is a nation-wide program for K-12 teachers. The courses are sponsored by AMS, NOAA, NASA and NWS. When accepted as a participant, your books and graduate credits are completely funded. The credits are granted by the College at Brockport SUNY.

The courses are largely conducted on-line using real-time data. You will need to travel to a class-site 3 or 4 times per course, to meet with the instructors and other students.

I'll be taking the Earth's Climate System course in the spring and will keep you posted on my progress. I don't have any first-hand experience with the courses yet, but here's my understanding of how things work:

First, you'll need to find your Local Implementation Team (LIT). To do so, visit the course page for the course you're interested in and look for a link that mentions finding your LIT - most of them are sorted by state. (The site also provides a contact for people for whom there is no LIT available - it looks to me like you might still be able to take advantage of the program).

Then, contact the LIT to learn when there are openings available. The courses are run in both the spring and fall.

Fill out and submit your application.

If you're having trouble navigating the sites or identifying your LIT, please send me a message and I'll be happy to try to help you. It's a phenomenal opportunity to earn graduate credits. I don't know if it's the same all over, but the one instructor I met (and thus learned of this program) is always eager to find more participants (I'm under the impression she's responsible for filling the classes), so please share the information with friends and colleagues.

And maybe I'll see some of my local readers in Albany next spring?!?!?!

Periodic Table: Sticker Atoms

2011-09-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Each year, aAfter my students had learned about atomic structure and were beginning their periodic table investigation, they each chose an element to research a bit. Every year I varied the product they produced a bit - variations on the element models and an element block (watch for more information on that one coming soon).

One year, in addition to making their block, I had them create a sticker picture of their element.

Each student was given a piece of black paper, blue dot stickers for protons, green dot stickers for neutrons, tiny smiley face stickers for electrons and a white colored pencil.

Making the picture was not particularly challenging - though some interesting questions did arise about electron orbitals for students who were doing transition metals.

The reason for making the picture wasn't in the interest of challenging the students, but instead to create a giant periodic table. I laminated each of the individual pictures and then assembled them using clear packing tape.

This periodic table does a nice job of showing the enlarging nuclei and increasing electron orbitals. And by taking part in making the table, the students were much more invested in the process and obtained greater understanding of how their element fit in the periodic table.

FYI:

I had three classes of students and each student had to choose a unique element. Each class was informed of the parameters during class time and element choosing "opened" at the end of the school day - so each student had equal opportunity to have the first choice.

In addition, I had a few students who helped make pictures for some of the elements that weren't chosen, so we had a more complete periodic table - at least for the first several periods.

Body Systems: Nervous System: FREE Brain Mold

2011-09-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Looking for a fun prop for your Central Nervous System lecture? Or a little Halloween fun?

Jell-O/Kraft Foods is giving away free brain molds (you pay $2.95 for shipping).

As previously mentioned, Education Innovations sells a brain mold with instructions for making a gelatin model the same size and mass as a human brain.

I don't know how the free mold compares in size - I doubt it has the accuracy of the Educational Innovations model, but it's free! It could certainly be useful for pointing out the parts of the brain in a basic anatomy lesson. And, assuming you can find a bike helmet in which it fits appropriately, you could use it for a lesson in bike safety and the importance of helmets. (Drop one gelatin brain without a helmet and another in a helmet and compare the damage).

I've ordered a free one and will do some experimenting with it once it arrives. I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, go here to get yours.

Which Way Does a River Flow?

2011-09-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Downhill, of course!

But, in every classroom there are students convinced that all rivers flow south. Blame it on wall maps that hang vertically and our knowledge of gravity. Blame it on the directionality of our largest river. Blame it on ignorance. But then do something to correct the misconception.

Each group will need:

-A sheet of freezer paper

-A pan or tub in which the paper fits
-Water-based markers: Blue, Brown, Purple, Black
-Spray Bottle filled with water

To begin, each group will create a unique landscape by crumpling up the piece of freezer paper. The paper is then opened part-way to reveal mountains, valleys, crevices, etc.

Place the paper in the pan, making sure all of the paper is contained in the pan.

Use the brown marker to mark the ridges and high points of the landscape.

Use the blue marker to mark the low spots, where the students think the water will collect.

Students then need to decide where they think the best place to build roads would be. They then draw in the roads using the black marker.

Each student should choose a site for a house and draw that in with the purple marker. They may also wish to draw in other municipal buildings.

Finally, add a compass rose to the upper right hand corner.

Now you're ready for it to rain....
Using the spray bottle, mist water all over the landscape and watch what happens to the water - where it flows, where it collects, etc.

How did the roads fare? How about the houses?

Did all the water flow in the same direction? Which way did it go?

Air Pressure and Bernoulli:Clanging Cans

2011-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

This demonstration is very similar to the balloons and the cardboard tubes.

There are two ways to try this one:

Version 1:
First, lay two empty soda cans on their sides a few inches apart, parallel to one another.

Blow between the cans and watch them roll together. It happens because you've pushed the air molecules that were between the cans out of the way, so the air pushing on the opposite sides of the cans is unbalanced and the roll together.

Version 2:
Set up a bunch of straight straws parallel to one another, about half an inch apart from one another.

Set the two cans upright on the straws, a few inches apart.

Blow between the cans and watch!

Professional Development: Project Learning Tree

2011-09-09T00:01:00.000-07:00

I think of Project Learning Tree (PLT) as the third member of the "Project" family, along with Project WILD and Project WET. It was the third "Project" that I learned of, but recently was informed that it was the first one to come into existence.

PLT's mission is to teach students how to think about the environment, not what to think. A wide range of topics are covered by the curriculum, including forests, wildlife, water, waste management, community planning and energy.

As with the other Project programs, PLT is available to teachers or other leaders for low or no cost. You'll need to contact your state's PLT coordinator to find when and where the program is scheduled.

And, also like the other Project programs, you'll receive a fabulous curriculum guide. That book alone would be worth any price of admission!

I'm also pleased to let you know that I am officially trained as a Project Learning Tree facilitator. If you live in my area and are interested in bringing Project Learning Tree to your faculty or other group, send an email my way and we'll get it scheduled.

Reminder: Sign Up Now for Natural Things Swap

2011-09-08T00:01:00.001-07:00

Just a quick reminder: you have through Friday night to sign up for the Natural Things Swap. A few of the objects you can expect to receive in your swap box:

Ohio flint
Shells
Slate
Magnolia seed pods
Skate egg sacs
Golden rod galls
Black walnuts

Add your object to the list and join the fun!

PS For those of you who have already signed up: an email with more details will be on its way Friday night or Saturday.

Inertia: The Non-Rolling Marble

2011-09-08T00:01:00.000-07:00

To prepare:

Glue a thin washer onto a piece of paper.

Set a marble in the washer. Quickly pull the paper out.

If you move quickly enough, the marble will remain where it was.

Researching Biomes & Ecosystems

2011-09-07T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Missouri Botanical Garden has a great website for researching the world's biomes and ecosystems.

When you visit the web page devoted to each biome/ecosystem, you will find lots of user-friendly information:

description of the biome
where the biome can be found
plants found in the biome
animals found in the biome

Clicking on an individual animal will provide you with lots of detailed information regarding the animal's size, diet, classification, and so on.

The Missouri Botanical Garden site is a great place to allow students to explore and research on their own as part of your biome/habitat study.

After students have collected their information, they could complete any number of projects or assignments with it.

Some ideas:

create a brochure to promote a visit to that biome
create a board game incorporating facts about their biome
give clues to other students to see if they can "Guess the Biome"
create a food chain/web that would exist in that biome