December 30

A Light in the Dark

Winter months are associated with darkness, but we illuminate our spaces with candles, fireplaces, and festive lights. Light shows are especially enchanting!

On a recent trip to Frederick Maryland, I visited Sailing Through the Winter Solstice Light Show. The canal in Carroll Creek Park was lined with individually decorated sailboats. The display runs from November through March to raise money for local non-profit organizations. A sampling of these imaginative boats follows:

Fire In Ice is held the first weekend in February. “Downtown Frederick is transformed with hundreds of ice sculptures and lots of winter-themed family fun.”

What a great time of the year to study lights and electricity. Try some of these engaging activities!

Light Lab

Light Mixing

Simple Circuits

Squishy Circuits

Squishy Circuits Part 2

Squishy Circuits Part 3

Category: Holiday, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 20

Bracket Fungi

The woodlands are quieter now and the browns of the season fill the landscape. I have to look harder for signs of life, but among the leaf litter, bracket fungi add a pop of color.



Also known as shelf fungi or polypore, these fruiting bodies grow in bracket-shaped or circular conks on trees or fallen logs. Unlike mushrooms, they are hard and inedible. Watch for them as you hike.

Watch full screen here.

Category: Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 11

A Special Holiday Gift Guide

I am an ambassador for Run Wild My Child, an organization dedicated to getting kids outside and promoting outdoor education. A quarterly printed magazine, “the only printed magazine on the market for outdoorsy moms raising passionate, adventurous, nature-loving kids,” would make a fun family gift.

Check out their Holiday Gift Guide. I have used many of the suggested items in my classroom and at home. Gift categories include essential gear, classic and new outdoor toys, backyard fun, stocking stuffers, tech and gadgets, experience gifts, books, subscription ideas, as well as suggestions for your little chef, scientist, artist, angler, and gardener. Wow!

Category: Art, Engineering, Holiday, Math, Reading, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 9

Seasonal Engineering

Looking for some fun engineering ideas for your young engineers? These projects can be implemented in the classroom or at home. Check out additional STEM activities from FeelGood Teaching here.

Make a zipline for Santa, a snowman, or a character of your choice.
Holiday Ziplines and here

Use catapults to throw snowballs at a castle.
Catapults

Construct a jingle bell maze with Legos.
Lego Mazes

Build ice structures.
Ice Structures

Make boats to save the Gingerbread Boy.
Boats

Category: Art, Engineering, Holiday, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 5

Horseshoe Crabs

My family participated in the Turtle Trot on Thanksgiving morning in Hilton Head, and as we walked, we noticed a horseshoe crab on the beach. Did you know that horseshoe crabs aren’t crabs or even crustaceans? They are classified as arthropods and more closely related to arachnids, like spiders and ticks. Read more here. The more I learn, the more I want to know about this amazing creature!

More Facts

  • Only four species of horseshoe crabs exist.
  • A horseshoe crab has blue blood that is used to test for bacterial contamination and endotoxins. Blood is harvested from the crabs, and then the animals are released. There is controversy over this process. (More information in the videos below.)
  • The carapace is horseshoe shaped. Young horseshoe crabs molt frequently until they reach maturity at age ten.
  • The tail, used for locomotion, is not a stinger.
  • Horseshoe crabs have ten eyes (both compound and simple) and five pairs of legs. Chelicerae, small appendages, help move food into its mouth which is located between its legs.
  • They are oviparous and therefore hatch from eggs. Large swarms of horseshoe crabs appear on Eastern North America shorelines each spring to spawn. Delaware Bay especially sees large numbers. Migratory shorebirds feed on the eggs.

Watch full screen here.

Watch this Ted ED full screen here.

Another great addition for your science library:

Horseshoe Crabs and Shorebirds: The Story of a Food Web

Category: Reading, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
December 2

What’s in Your Pocket?

Do your students or children collect natural objects on hikes in the woods, along the shore, or in your backyard? They are nature’s treasures! I recently discovered the children’s book, What’s in Your Pocket?, by Heather Montgomery. Be sure to add it to your science library!

What's in Your Pocket? – Charlesbridge

From Amazon: “When you find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket? Meet nine scientists who, as kids, explored the great outdoors and collected “treasures”: seedpods, fossils, worms, and more. Observing, sorting, and classifying their finds taught these kids scientific skills–and sometimes led to groundbreaking discoveries. The book includes Heather’s tips for responsible collecting.”

Listen to a review of the book in the following video full screen here.

When you return from your hike, observe the items you collected. Ask questions. What do you notice? What do you wonder? Then sort (texture, size, color), compare and look for patterns in your specimens.

Check out what I found on my last hike. I always choose items I discover on the ground.

 

Category: Math, Reading, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 18

A New Species

Always fun to find an animal I’ve never seen before, and this is my newest discovery – the nymph or immature stage of Eastern Boxelder Bugs.

They are not considered dangerous to people or pets. I caught them sunning themselves on a warm fall day. Soon, they will look for a place to overwinter, hopefully not in someone’s home.

These true bugs will vacate their hibernation locations to feed and lay eggs on maple or ash trees come spring. Once again, you may discover clusters of boxelder bugs. True bugs have mouth sucking parts with which they use to suck fluids from plants.

Watch full screen here.

Related Posts

True Bugs

Stink Bugs (Another true bug)

Learn more about insect bodies in the following engaging picture books:

Hardcover How to Build an Insect Book

Build-A-Bug (Board Book) - Picture 1 of 1

Try this insect building game.

Category: Art, Reading, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 13

Swans

As we strolled around Hyde Park, we watch the graceful swans in this picturesque setting, a respite from the busy London streets.


Although signs instructed visitors to not feed the birds, this woman obviously fed them regularly. All the birds gathered around her waiting for their turns. It reminded of a scene from Mary Poppins.

Go here to view full screen.

Go here to view full screen.

Related Posts 

Ducklings

Geese

Feathers

Category: Reading, Science, Social Studies | LEAVE A COMMENT
November 11

The Shard and Engineering

The Shard is a pyramid-shaped 72 story London skyscraper. Retail spaces, offices, the Shangri-La hotel, apartments, and restaurants were incorporated in the mixed-use design. There is also an observation deck on the 72nd floor. Construction began in 2009 and was completed in 2012. The Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom and the seventh-tallest building in Europe.

Go to the Shard’s website here. Go to the viewing gallery here.

Watch full screen here.

Watch Dreaming UP full screen here.

Related Posts

Towers (Three Little Pigs Connection)

More Towers

Chicago’s Towers

Marshmallow and Toothpick Structures

Ice Structures

Testing Column Strength

Blanket Forts
Watch full screen here.

The Importance of Block Building

Hardcover When I Build With Blocks Book

Category: Art, Engineering, Math, Reading, Science | LEAVE A COMMENT