Update: Paul Elementary School Science Fair

Here is the link to the newspaper article about the event...I loved how the Superintendent and School board members came to judge.  That has given me an idea!!

http://minicassiavoice.com/community/paul-elementary-students-participate-in-science-fair/

What a fun day in Paul!  I judged at least 100 great projects, and I saw some great ideas.  The kids did a good job of including all the important parts of a project, but most importantly, they were creative and excited to tell me about their experience.  Hard to pick a favorite, but there were some original projects about magnets, seeds, and even ammunition.  I liked how one student took the basic Diet Coke and Mentos experiment and decided to test the temperature of the soda to see which bottle shoots higher.  Warm, by the way, which disproved his hypothesis.  One girl wanted to know what liquids rust a penny, and learned the difference between rusting and corrosion.  So good job to all the 4th and 5th graders at Paul Elementary.  Now go submit your project THIS WEEKEND to the virtual science fair at Parenting.com.  Deadline is March 11, and the grand prize is $5000~Good luck!

Craters of the Moon Lecture March 13

I have loved my visits to Craters.  What a great place to learn about Geology and Anthropology.  This lecture is being hosted in Gooding at the CSI Outreach Center there.  It should be very interesting!

BSU hosts Nobel Laureate to present Climate Science Lecture

Since I am just home from Boise, I will try to include more events and resources from the Treasure Valley in my posts.  This lecture is tomorrow night, and I am sure it will be very interesting.  Also on that BSU event page are a few more lectures and events. 
http://news.boisestate.edu/update/2012/01/24/distinguished-lecture-series-presents-nobel-prizer-winning-scientist-susan-solomon/

More from IdEEA and Discovery Center

I had a great time with a few old friends, and many new friends at the Conference.  We are so lucky to live in this beautiful state full of natural resources and dedicated and passionate teachers.  I have new favorite websites, like Journey North and lifeoutdoors.org.  I have new friends at MOSS and Timberline HS...Hi Dick!  I appreciated the theme of Green STEM: Natural Partners.  And after the conference ended, I visited the Discovery Center of Idaho.  So fun!  I am very excited that thanks to the Target grant, our 4th graders get to visit there in May as part of their Boise trip.

IdEEA Field Trip to Birds of Prey

What a great day in Boise!  I have really enjoyed the Idaho Environmental Education Association Conference.  This afternoon I finally made it to the World Center for Birds of Prey, and I am really impressed with their facility.  I asked about their Family Day a few weeks ago, and they said it was crazy!  Like 1200 people visited!  How cool is that!

Dr. Seuss Day tomorrow, March 2

This has been a fun week to celebrate science in my life!  Tomorrow, many schools will recognize the impact of Dr. Seuss on children's literacy through a variety of activities.  After school, you can take your kids to see The Lorax, a classic tale with environmental lessons.  (see PSA post)

For me, it is the perfect excuse to make oobleck with my kids and anyone else who brings me a box of cornstarch.  We have a school-wide reading night, and last year we made a big mess at my station, because kids love oobleck!  (Of course, you have to read Bartholomew and the Oobleck first...a book about weather.)  After that activity, we talk about microorgansims, and I use the book, Horton Hears a Who, to teach them that we haven't always known about things too small to see.

Oobleck is not an exact recipe, but all you need is cornstarch and water.  I have attached a link that discusses the chemistry of this non-newtonian liquid.  I always add green food coloring to simulate the gloppy oobleck that falls from the sky in Dr. Seuss' book.  The best part is that it cleans up with water, or dries out and turns back into powder cornstarch. 

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryhowtoguide/ht/oobleck.htm

The Lorax - Discover the Forest PSA