Create a reusable shopping bag!

The museum has been giving away Reusable Bags, as our member giveaways, for a few years now...which everyone loves! I just found a contest though Kroger to design your very own bag. If your bag gets the most votes, then it becomes the design for Kroger's reusable bag and you win $1000.00 dollar Kroger card! Whoop Whoop, that is music to anyones ear now-a-days!

Here is my design, vote for it! If you create a bag, let me know and I will vote for yours! Good luck and let mother earth serve as your artistic inspiration!

-Kristen!

great science resource website for kids!

Yesterday I was reading a book about wetlands for possible inclusion in our new SIAS wetlands kit. It was a really good book, and on the last page there was a website - facthound.com. I checked it out, and it was a really neat idea!

When you go there, you can type in anything you're interested in learning about, from wetlands to animals to ghosts, and they'll give you three age-appropriate book recommendations! The site is very parent and child friendly, and doesn't have any annoying pop-ups or inappropriate material.

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Plant natives this year!

Spring is the time when everyone is weeding, digging and planting to make their yards and gardens beautiful...but how many native plants do you have in your garden? There are many benefits to planting natives; more wildlife, low maintenance, fewer invasive species (of plants and insects) and they are just as beautiful and desirable as all of the exotic plants!

NC State has a great website explaining why going native is the right choice for your garden and what plants are best for your area and lifestyle! They even have a helpful video to watch!  

The book "Bringing Nature Home", is a great example of why planting natives really does improve an ecosystem.  Any doubt that one has about all of the benefits of planting natives will quickly be earsed after reading this book.  

Every person who plants natives is truly helping the environment! Just think, if a whole neighborhood planted the right plants in the proper areas, they can help connect small blocks of habitat and allow animals to more easily move across an urbanized region. Now that's something to be proud of!!!

Citizen Science: YoS!

I know you have waited a few weeks for this, so here it is- February's topic for the 2009 Year of Science is....Evolution.  Now, the word "evolution" is pretty scary to many people and institutions.  Many people, for many reasons, choose not to use this word-they might use a word like adaptation or progression.

So, whatever one chooses to acknowledge it as, it is what it is...a small change, in an organism,  over time that eventually becomes part of the makeup of that organism.  There are many ways in which we can teach this topic; we can have an open engaged discussion about it, we can do activities, we can visit museum and places that might have exhibits about evolution or you can encourage the students to do a book report or project on their idea of evolution, but whatever you do...make sure it is age appropriate.  There is nothing worse than to be stuck in a "over your head" science topic, it makes the whole experience tough.

There is one scientist that goes hand in hand with the study of evolution, and that's Charles Darwin.  There are great resources out there, you just have to find the best one that fits your style of teaching or learning!  Next month's YoS topic is: Physics and Technology! 

Ask your questions about evolution to biologist PZ Myers over at Science Buzz. 

Citizen Science: Groundhog Day!

Happy Groundhog Day!  Today has me wondering...(thought cloud)... When did Groundhog Day come around and why the groundhog?  

We will start with the second part of my thought...why the groundhog?  Well - groundhogs, also known as woodchucks and marmots, are naturally shy animals.  So, the weather lore is that their so shy that IF they see their shadow it will frighten them and they will retreat to their burrow to hide.   

This is a picture of our woodchuck Wendy!  You can come visit her anytime in Carolina Wildlife! 

This is a great time to stop and talk about why the groundhog is 'hiding' in the first place! 

Groundhogs are among the large amount of mammals that hibernate during the winter months, and they are usually starting to come out of their hibernation around the week of February 2nd. So, if they see their shadow they will retreat to their burrow and continue their hibernation for another 6 weeks until spring.  There are plenty of parent/teacher crafts or other activities that can be done with children to help make the day fun! 

And to answer the first part of my question: When did Groundhog Day first come into play?  The earliest American reference came in 1841, when a store keeper recorded the day in his diary.  

"Last Tuesday, the 2nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy he remains out, as the weather is to be moderate."

And the tradition was born!  Does your family have any traditions + activities that you would like to share?  Leave them in the comment section for everyone to read!

  

Cool Tools: Another great resource!

As I have been working on our Science in a Shoebox kits, I have come across a few great websites full of science activities, recommended books, games and much more! The latest one is from the makers of The Magic School Bus, Scholastic.
This site is great! They have a different, easy, at home science experiment each week. They also give you opportunities to learn more about that topic! So, if you have a need for a great science activity...you should check it out!