Citizen Science: Wish upon a Star....

If you have any great wishes to make, tonight and tomorrow night are going to be the two best nights to view the Perseids Meteor Shower .

Each year in August stargazers get a chance to view meteors from the comet Swift-Tuttle that create 'shooting star' effects in earth's atmosphere.

A great article on Nasa's website about the meteor shower can be found here as well as the best times and locations in the sky to view it.

The meteor shower can be seen from July 17th 2009 to August 24th 2009, but peaks on August 12th.

Some superstitions say that wishing upon the first star you see will grant that wish, so make the first one a good one!

Happy Stargazing,
~Kristen

The Guest List: Making Paper

Papermaking is for everyone!

 

So, I am part of a group of moms who get together one night a month to craft and socialize.  During April, it was my turn to organize the activity.  But what to do?  I remembered loving the Science in a Suitcase Papermaking Kit from my years as a Kindergarten teacher, so I decided to give it a try again, but this time with adults.  It was a success!  I also made several batches of paper with my two little boys, ages 5 and 2, and they loved it as well.

 The procedure for making recycled paper is fairly simple:

1. Tear paper into small pieces.  (You can use copy paper, construction paper, paper towels, etc.)
2. Blend the paper pieces into a “slurry” with water and starch.
3. Add in decorative items (glitter, wildflower seeds, bits of thread, etc.) as desired.
4. Pour the “slurry” through a screened frame and press out the water.

The moms enjoyed experimenting with colors, textures, and shapes.  (Fresh rosemary was a beautiful addition.)  Tearing the paper (a great fine motor activity for young children) was a bit difficult for my 2-year-old, but the rest of the process was very kid-friendly.  My boys especially enjoyed watching the slurry change color as the papers mixed together in the blender.  (This is a good opportunity for a color wheel lesson, such as “What happens when we mix blue and red paper?”)  I found that making individual batches of paper (one full blender equaled one sheet of paper) worked best, because each person could then really customize the paper.  (The kit calls for making large batches of paper – several sheets of the same color- at a time.  This is ideal for large groups.)

 The Science in a Suitcase Kits are great because all of the materials and supplies are provided for you.  How easy is that?  The Papermaking Kit in particular lends itself to lots of experimentation and variation.  (I think next time we are going to use cookie cutters to shape the paper!)  This is a super home schooling, birthday party, or rainy day activity -- It’s the perfect mix of science and art.   

          -Heather Nottingham, Member of the Museum of Life and Science

Thanks Heather for being part of our Guest List and for being a member!  If you would like to rent this kit or another one, please contact me at kristenw@ncmls.org or 919.220.5429 X 356.

Cool Tools: Hey Kool Aid! Oh Yeah!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

I am a bit of a vintage TV commercial connoisseur and thought the old Kool Aid ads were hilarious. You'd see these children out playing sports or games in the hot sun. The one thing they know that can bring them relief is a nice, ice-cold pitcher of their favorite flavored drink mix. So they beckon for the giant mascot represented as said ice-cold pitcher and he breaks through a brick wall bringing the children something cool and fruity to drink. I have been calling for him myself when I am outside walking in Explore the Wild on hot summer days and he has yet to surface. Oh well...

So, I promised in this episode that I'd provide a food-based activity for you all to try. It is one I created for our Summer Science Camp, "Snack Science". One of the days, we focus on food that contains crystals. We examine sugar and salt crystals and look at the crystalline structure. We put a teaspoon of each in some bug boxes with a lid that acts as a magnifier. It is a great way for children to really get a good look at the individual crystals.

We also look at powdered drink mixes like Kool Aid and use it in activities from everything like chromatography to making a textured and scented modeling dough. Making dough is a great activity. Not only does it introduce science process skills like measuring, comparing and observation, but it also teaches children to follow directions in order to perform an experiment and create something they can use for fun sensory enrichment.

To make scented modeling dough, you'll need:


1 cup flour
1/2 cup of salt
2 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp unsweetened powdered drink mix
1tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup of water
food coloring to your liking

Put dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir together .
Add oil and water. Stir until dough is formed. Add food coloring to create hues.
Knead the dough on a floured surface until it is the same color and all of the drink mix crystals have dissolved.
Have fun playing with the dough, rolling it flat, making a ball and whatever else you try!
NOTE: Keep your play-dough in a plastic resealable bag to keep it fresh so it will last a long time.

Incorporate kitchen tools like crust crimpers, garlic presses, cookie cutters and rolling pins to create new shapes. Enjoy!

You can do some online research yourself or contact us for more ideas on how to incorporate Kool Aid in your hands-on activity. Check out this link about how you can use it to dye wool!

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy

Citizen Science: 2009 Year of Science (YoS)

YAY! YoS, finally a whole year dedicated to learning, teaching, communicating and discovering more about science!  I am very excited about 2009:)

To many teachers and parents science can be a little bit over whelming and understandably so...but if you break it down to the fundamentals, it is pretty easy to develop a child's curiosity and desire to investigate and learn more about science.  

The scienctists behind YoS have set out to make science easy and fun to communicate to one another. They have broken science down into 12 topics, one per month, then into grade groups, giving examples of activites, images, teacher resources and assesment tools...these folks have really covered their bases!  

January's topic is : Process and Nature of Science; Communicating Science.  The title sounds a bit long and once again over whelming....but use this flow chart to help you discuss science with your kids.  Start by asking them what they want to learn about (science related), read them stories about that topic and about the scientists involved.  Ask them questions to get their wheels spining, try to re-create the experiment or do an activity that goes along with their topic.  

You can rent a Science in a Suitcase kit that includes activities and materials already prepped and gathered, our Schoolyard Science kit  would be GREAT for understanding the nature of science & communicating science!!  If you would like to set up an appointment to come in and see the resource center, email me at kristenw@ncmls.org.  

I will be back to talk about Febuary's topic:  Evolution.  If you have any Evolution activities that you would like to share, please do so! 

The Never Fail Lid Remover

If you have ever tried to unscrew a tight metal lid on a jar, and you can't, you know what happens. Either someone else does it for you, or you tap it against the counter trying to loosen it up. Well, no more having to ask for help! If you just hold the lid of the jar under hot water for one minute, it should twist right off!

How is works: Most things expand as they get warmer. When the jar is heated up, the molecules inside it expand, causing lid to loosen. Since metal is a better conductor of heat than the glass jar, it heats up much faster , giving you the upper hand on removing that stubborn lid!

Let me know if you have any other tricks of your own!

Citizen Science: CFLS...The Return!

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

Kristen submitted a great post about the Lamp Corporation's green fundraising initiative utilizing sales of CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lights).

CFLs are efficient, save money and help reduce air and water pollution.

Many of us are starting to replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs. We have even started using them in the "Earth Moon, Sun" and 5th Grade "Weather" Science Kits we refurbish for Durham Public Schools! However, because these bulbs contain a small amount of mercury embedded in the glass tubing, it is important to make sure they are disposed of properly and safely.

Here are some sites that were recommended as part of a continued effort to educate Museum staff and volunteers as well as our members and folks in the community about sustainability.

This is a link to a list of 4 places in the area where you can recycle/dispose your light bulbs.

Home Depot announced that they were a nationwide recycling center for CFL bulbs sometime last month.


If you know of any other local sites that accept CFLs for safe disposal, please share them with us.

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy

Cool Tools: Steve Spangler anyone?

Doing research for our blog, I stumbled upon a man named Steve Spangler. He is an author, a teacher, a toy designer and someone who creates a mess where ever he goes! His crazy and laid-back personality allows him to make science experiments fun and messy!

He has been featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine and TIME Magazine where on-line readers voted him #18 in the Top 100 Most Influential people of 2006!


Check him out! Steve loves science, people and teaching. He might be characterized as a "mad scientist!" Let me know if anyone tries out any of his exciting experiments!

He also has some great Halloween science experiments and products!  Enjoy:)

Kit Tidbit: Finalizing Science in a Shoebox

We are almost done working on the prototypes for Science in a Shoebox! We have written, re-written and are on the final copy of each activity guide. To refresh your memory, we chose three Science in a Suitcase topics: Eco Explorers, Rocks and From Seed to Plant. We pulled some activities from the existing kit and also wrote a few new ones! Each Shoebox comes with enough materials for 5 people, books, non consumable supplies (hand lenses, trowels, specimens), a recommended literature list and a vocabulary page.

These kits allow you to explore different activities, connect what you learned with real life practices, learn more about the professions involved and share your new knowledge with others! We are getting ready to jump back into our schedule of Second Science Saturdays after the holidays, so we will let you know what our guests think!  If you would like to rent a Science In A Shoebox, email me at kristenw@ncmls.org.  

Citizen Science: "One Simple Change For A Brighter Future"

The company 'Lamp Corporation' is promoting a new energy efficient green fundraiser campaign titled "ONE SIMPLE CHANGE FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE." The fundraiser contains a 4 pack of 13 watt CFL light bulbs compared to your traditional 60 watt light bulbs. This fundraiser is for any school or charity that wants to do something good for itself, the community and the environment.

Check it out! And remember October 3rd is National Change a Light Day!

Cool Tools: Bird Feeder Activity!

We talked about posting activities for people to do at home, so here is the first one..pretty basic!

What you need: A bowl of Cheerios (plain)
Pipe-cleaner (one per feeder)
What to do: Thread Cheerios onto the pipe-cleaner, you should fill it up! Then, bend the pipe-cleaner into a circle and twist the tips together to secure the feeder. Now you have created a bird feeder in seconds! You can hang them on a tree or outside of a window to watch the action! Its quick, cheap and environmentally friendly!!! Don't forget to remove the pipe-cleaners from the tree when the birds are done.
Want to do more? An option for continuing this activity is to make lots of these feeders and hang them all over your yard, at many different heights! Observe and keep a log of the feeders!

• Write down everything you see
• The different species of birds at each feeder
  
• Are the same species of birds at every feeder or just that one because of its height?
• Can you see the birds beaks?
• Draw comparisons between all the birds
• Whose feeder still has the most Cheerios after one week, whose has the least?
• Which height is the most popular?

There are many more things you can do with this simple idea! Play around and let me know of any cool observations!!

P.S. Watch out for Squirrels! They LOVE Cheerios ;)

Kit Tidbit: Science In A SHOEBOX? A new edition at the SERC

As many of you know we have something called "Science In A Suitcase" (SIAS) kits here at the Museum; which can be rented by educators, parents, home schoolers, etc. They are one of the great resources in the SERC, but a new thought has popped up. What about creating a science kit that is very similar to our SIAS kits, but smaller...really small...something a parent can rent and complete in a weekend??? So- we let our minds wander a bit and then came back to the table with this new idea.

It will be smaller, have between 3 and 5 activities for each topic, still have the activity guides and the kits will have all the materials included (i.e. hand lenses, books, field guides...). And so Science In A SHOEBOX was born! We chose 3 kit topics from our SIAS kit list to start with: Rocks, Eco Explorers and From Seed to Plant. I have already started creating the prototype for the Rocks kit, now I have to create a little activity guide, gather ALL the materials for the kit, find a functional container for the kit and then show it off and see how it goes!

I am excited that we are going to be creating these mini-SIAS kits! They are going to be less expensive to rent then the SIAS kits and will hopefully be more functional for the average parent, babysitter or awesome parent whose child is having a birthday and has run out of ideas to keep the kids busy!!

So, right now I am at a stopping point with this little project. I am hopefully going to be able to take pictures soon and I will get them up so you will be able to see all of my works in progress!!

Now, I have some questions for you! Would you be interested in Science in a Shoebox? What kits or topics would you like to see us adapt for smaller groups? How many kids should Science in a Shoebox be set up for - is 5 kids enough, or should we provide enough materials for up to 8 kids? Let us know in the comments section!

Citizen Science: Light Up The Night

Hi everyone, Nancy here.

As the nights have been getting cooler, my family and I have been spending more time sitting outside together on our porch and I have noticed that we haven't seen as many fireflies or "lightning bugs" as my son calls them. We went out last night and took part in our usual ritual of catch and release but didn't end up finding very many. My son was perplexed as to why there weren't very many. My husband thought it had something to do with the temperature.

Megan (also of SERC fame) found a post about this initiative that the Boston Museum of Science is doing to track fireflies and learn more about why they seem to be disappearing. There is some great information on this site to help you get involved in this project. It is a great family science opportunity. Check it out!

Stay tuned and stay curious,
-Nancy