The Science of Valentine's Day

This is a week late, but I wanted to post just the same so you have these ideas.  I am a poor man's Steve Spangler, since he sells products and workshops for hundreds of dollars a pop.  But I do love his blog because he shares experiments...hoping you will go to his website to buy the materials.  Many of his experiments can be replicated with household materials, and that's what I do.

Last week, I helped with my 1st grader's Valentine's Party.  Of course, I did a science station.  Of course, I colored carnations for the kids.  And I do have some of these hand boilers...and I will buy the friction pens as soon as I find some.  I will have to make a call for liquid nitrogen!  :)  So thanks Steve...you really are bringing science to the masses.  Someday I hope to be able to afford one of your workshops!  The cruise one sounds fun!

The Science of Valentine’s Day – Love Potions, Love Meters and Hidden Messages

Great STEM images

As I think about the iSTEM theme of Integration meets Innovation, I realize that these STEM topics do not stand alone.  Since we focus on reading, writing, and math in the elementary grades, then we need to bring the S and the T and the E to that level as well.  Science connections come easily to me, but my friend made a good point the other day about Technology.  Since some classrooms don't have advanced tools for learning, she reminded me that even basic tools like rulers and balances can be considered technology.  We need to expand our definitions of STEM so that we don't feel restricted by what "new toys" we can afford for our classrooms.  Engineering seems daunting, but that is just applied math and science to solve problems, and kids do that all the time on the playground!  So here are 2 images that I have collected recently to remind me to connect the dots.

The link to this image is eeweek.org

You can download the PDF file of this graphic

Updated: Idaho iSTEM Institute Video and General Information

This year, Integration meets Innovation at 4 regional iSTEM Institutes.  CSI will be hosting the week-long conference in June this year, and registration opens soon...look on the State Dept of Ed website by March 1.  They expect the conferences to fill within a few days, so if you teach in any of the STEM fields, check the dates and plan on an amazing week with serious "swag" for teachers!!  My experience last year was one of my first posts on this blog, so check that for more information on what to expect.

I just got the list of classes that teachers can sign up for...so email me if you want to know!!!  Be ready to register on March 1...don't wait even a few days...because the conference will fill!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNYQiGqvB58

http://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/istem/teachers/events.htm

Scale of the Universe Viral Video by 9th grade twins

Well, I have to do my part to keep this video spreading.  The student probably watched the "cell size and scale" video on Learn.genetics.ut.edu that I always show my students and then got inspired to do this video!  Good job!

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/page/scale-universe-cary-michael-huang-california-high-school-15573968

Herrett Center Camp-In March 2-3

My kids had a great time last year at the Camp-In!  But fair warning....they get VERY little sleep.  Darcy keeps them moving with awesome activities!  My daughter took a greenhouse class with Treeman Dave, and Kenyon made bird crafts with Randy and Jan from the Biology Dept.  I helped Sarah in the microscope class.  My favorite was watching "Dr. Picklestein" from BSU.  Also, since I wasn't going to leave my kids that far from home...I camped at a hotel down the street!  It was a fun weekend for all of us. Sign up your kids soon...so they get into the workshops they want.

Students in third through fifth grades are urged to sign up soon for the Science Camp-In at the Herrett Center for Arts and Science the evening of Friday, March 2.

Event organizer and Herrett Center Education Coordinator Darcy Thornborrow has lined up hands-on workshops in chemistry, rocket science, archaeology, aquaculture, geology, astronomy, and more. Each session will be directed by scientists from the CSI faculty or an outside agency.

Students who sign up for the evening’s activities will list their top choices of workshops. The group will also see a show in the Faulkner Planetarium, view through telescopes in the Centennial Observatory, have snacks, get a Science Camp-In T-shirt, and then sleep overnight in the Herrett galleries, under constant adult supervision. Parents will pick up their children at 8 a.m. Saturday, March 3.

The event begins at 6 p.m. Friday, March 2. The registration fee is $40 per student and must be limited to the first 140 students who sign up. Participants are required to sign up before the registration deadline of Friday, Feb. 24. No registrations can be taken at the door the night of the event. For more information or to sign up, contact Thornborrow at 732-6664 or at dthornborrow@csi.edu.

Declo Science Fair Kick-Off

I had a fun time with the 4th and 5th grade classes yesterday.  Here are a few of the points we talked about:  the project guides and the display boards are free this year for all the students.  The teachers are passing those materials out to the students.  The teachers are in charge of grading the projects as class assignments.  The projects are due on April 9th and will be displayed at the Community Dinner on April 10th.  Check with your child's teacher about doing projects with a partner. 

Most importantly, have FUN with your project!  Choose a topic that interests you and check the websites that are in the packet or on this blog.  Start soon by choosing a topic this month, and starting your experiment by March.  Projects are not reports and are not models.  Students were reminded they had to test something...compare objects...do an experiment.  We are here to help so good luck and discover something new!

UPDATE: Giving a Shout out to Squishy Circuits on CNN

This is one of my favorite demonstrations, but I have a lot to learn about electrical circuits.  I have already posted about Squishy Circuits, but I will look for this story on CNN this Sunday.

Dale Dougherty, founder of Make: magazine (Where squishy circuit recipes were first published!) and Maker Faire will be profiled on CNN on Sunday. The preview video includes a bit of Dale and Sanjay Gupta making Squishy Circuits! http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/07/dale-dougherty-sneak-peak/?iref=allsearch

Dale Dougherty: Sneak Peek

whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com

Dale Dougherty has a simple idea: all of us are makers. We’re born makers. We don’t just live --- we make. Dale believes that America used to be a nation of makers. People were proud to tinker in their garages and basements and pass on the tradition of “making” to future generations.

Here is the full segment from CNN.
http://whatsnext.blogs.cnn.com/2012/02/10/how-to-make-more-makers/?hpt=hp_bn6