Black Friday for great Science gifts!!

I just finished ordering from Tinker Crate.  I am excited to see if their kids' engineering boxes will work for cousin Christmas presents this year.  Their Black Friday deal for 60% off and free shipping is a great introductory offer.

http://tinker.kiwicrate.com/

ISU Science Methods Class at the Challenge Course

Well, class last night was awesome!  We spent three hours on the CSI Challenge Course covering important topics in Experiential Learning.  It was so great!!

Space Camp for Teachers! Scholarship Opportunity

Please...someone apply for this scholarship and go for me!!  This is a dream opportunity, but the scholarship guidelines are very specific and I do not qualify.  Darn!!  Good luck to you though!!

https://educators.honeywell.com/application

International Observe the Moon Night Sept 6

INTERNATIONAL OBSERVE THE MOON NIGHT!

 

For the fifth year in a row, visitors around the globe are invited to get close-up views of our nearest celestial neighbor.  This year’s International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN), on Saturday, September 6^th, will offer curious moon-gazers the opportunity to see the moon’s mountains, craters, and volcanic plains through telescopes at over 300 participating observatories and science centers world-wide.

 

CSI’s Centennial Observatory at the Herrett Center for Arts & Science will be open from 8:30 to 10:30 PM, offering views through the fully wheelchair-accessible 24” Norman Herrett Telescope, as well as smaller telescopes at a variety of magnifications.  Admission is free.

 

Weather forecasts are calling for clear skies with lows in the 50s Saturday night, so visitors are encouraged to dress warmly, as the observatory dome is not heated to preserve the best viewing conditions.

 

City of Rocks Star Party almost here!!

The Herrett Center and Magic Valley Astronomical Society will team up again for another ‘dark sky’ star party on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 22 and 23 at Castle Rocks State Park near Almo. The annual event lets people enjoy sky views that are not washed out by city light.

The seventh annual City of Rocks Star Party will start at 2 p.m. each day with solar viewing at the Smoky Mountain Campground at Castle Rocks State Park until 6 p.m. This park is located about one mile southwest of the town of Almo. Visitors are encouraged to camp overnight at the campground. State park fees apply but the event is free of charge and open to everyone. Nighttime sky viewing, at the Lodge site, will begin at 9 p.m. and run until midnight, weather permitting.

For more information about the event, please call the Herrett Center at 732-6655 or visit the website at www.csi.edu/herrett.

Lego Scientists!

We are a family that loves Legos.  We have plastic tubs full of all kinds of sets and sizes.  Our sons have their favorites still built on their shelves, even though they are 19, 17, and 13.  I use Brick Labs in my science outreach visits and camps.  We have been to Legoland twice in California, and when Don and I visited Denmark a few years ago, we contemplated getting to the original birthplace of Legos in Billund.  We even like the Lego Movie because Everything really is awesome and Will Ferrell is a favorite.

So it is fun to see their attempt to bring recognition to scientists that may actually be female.  Read the Scientific American article that makes some good points as we move forward.  Legos celebrate imagination, teamwork, and innovation.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/voices/2014/07/10/lego-reveals-female-scientist-minifigures/

Migrant Summer School Visit

I love the opportunities I have to spend time with students in the summer.   One of my favorite visits is with the kids at the Migrant Summer School program.  The teachers are so good with the kids, and the kids love to learn in an informal setting. 

This past week we talked about how to do science outside outside.  We played my favorite I Spy game where students hide a picture of an animal in plain sight, and I have to find it.  We talk about camouflage and survival adaptations.    Then we made paper helicopters and talked about how nature has invented the coolest things...like maple seed samaras!

We learned about animals in their neighborhoods and school yards.  I love using the animal and plant card sets, and soon those sets will be available to teachers to buy from the CSI bookstore.