June 26

Bufo Toad

Fourth grade studied ecosystems this year and we learned about food webs.  When one population in a food web changes, all the populations in the food web can be affected. This giant Bufo toad was introduced to Florida to help control insect populations and is replacing the native Southern toad.  It is an invasive species. If you travel to Florida with your dogs, please read about the Bufo toad on the link below.  Its secretions are highly toxic to dogs and cats.

 

Click here to learn more about the Bufo Toad.

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June 24

Science in the News


“The aurora borealis, or Northern Lights, are caused by collisions of gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with charged particles released from the Sun. The colors  vary depending on which particles are most prevalent in the atmosphere – it’s usually green or occasionally a pinky-red, both of which are caused by oxygen.

The aurora captured by Astronaut Scott Kelly from the International Space Station is a lot more red than you’d typically expect though, and its color is caused by high-altitude oxygen and excited nitrogen.

Red auroras are also more common when there are solar storms, and yesterday Nasa reported that the Sun had emitted a mid-level solar flare – essentially a powerful burst of radiation.”  Breaking News

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June 23

Lab Frogs

I brought our lab frogs home for the summer.  I  heard them croak for the first time when our air conditioning was out.  They liked living in 87 degrees! They are nocturnal and it has been interesting to watch them at night.  Jabba and Luke Skywalker are the best of friends.

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June 23

New Materials

I am always looking for new science materials when I am out and about. I will use the plant maze in second grade and the balancing game during energy and motion units.

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June 20

Launch Party!

Uno, Zip, and Percy were brought to their new home on the KR pond today. Look how much they have grown in just five weeks! It appears we may have one pekin and two silver appleyard ducks.

launch4

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June 17

A Friendly Visitor


This box turtle visited my garden today.  These turtles usually have a home range with a diameter of 750 feet (230 m) or less in which they normally stay, so I might see him again.

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