Tis the season for pond studies! When you are lucky enough to catch some amazing creatures to look at, measuring them and comparing them can be a challenge if they wiggle or swim. Put small wiggly animals in a clear container (with water if necessary) and either slide a piece of graph paper underneath or draw a grid on the bottom of the container. Then kids can count the squares as the animal swims by.
If you are comparing animals from a book then try measuring their reported length out on the lawn by either spraying paint marks, using chalk on the driveway, or even a rope. then kids can lay down and measure them with their body length.
Anyone else have some great ideas that measure up?
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Downtime Outdoors
I was reading my friend Raelee's parenting ezine (http://www.noblemother.com/) and was reminded how important it is for the kids to get outside and enjoy some unstructured, relaxed play. It is often so hot here in NC that even though the kids want to go out, it just seems to muggy to be very active. Here are some ideas that work at our home to keep the kids happy and me too!
1. Hunt for fairies and elves. Kids need little prompting to practice their tracking and imagination skills. Insect bites on a leaf can equal fairie writings, holes in trunks turn into hideaways, and cedar berries are certainly fairy eggs.
2. Gone to the mines! The gravel driveway, garden rocks, and stones under the patio table often turn into "the mines" at our house. My daughter, Alanna will spend ages collecting interesting rocks from the mines, the very best ones are sent to the queen. My son likes to sort them and turn them into roads.
3. Cloud watching. Get comfy and find shapes in the clouds...or leaves, or tree bark,etc.
What unstructured play do your kids enjoy outdoors?
1. Hunt for fairies and elves. Kids need little prompting to practice their tracking and imagination skills. Insect bites on a leaf can equal fairie writings, holes in trunks turn into hideaways, and cedar berries are certainly fairy eggs.
2. Gone to the mines! The gravel driveway, garden rocks, and stones under the patio table often turn into "the mines" at our house. My daughter, Alanna will spend ages collecting interesting rocks from the mines, the very best ones are sent to the queen. My son likes to sort them and turn them into roads.
3. Cloud watching. Get comfy and find shapes in the clouds...or leaves, or tree bark,etc.
What unstructured play do your kids enjoy outdoors?
Sunday, August 23, 2009
The Fruits and Bugs of Summer
One great thing about the end of summer is the sheer amount of bugs. I don't like getting bit by mosquitos anymore than anyone else, but this is the best time of year for finding exoskeletons and other specimens. Our favorite find this year was the body of a Luna Moth, mostly intact and still beautiful. Luna moths are an endangered species so that made this an especially interesting find for my daughter and led to great conversations about how endangered animals and plants can be right in our backyard. Luna Moths are also interesting because they only live for a week as adults and so do not have mouths or any other way to eat.
We also found an exoskeleton that was so perfect, the eye coverings were still intact. It looked like the insect had just unzippered it's coat in the back and stepped out. Of course, the problem with all these treasures is that they end up in the house. I am pretty relaxed about what finds its way into our humble abode but even I do not look forward to finding dead bugs on the counters! Glass or expensive specimen trays for a first grader are just not appropriate. So, we have come up with a fair solution for our closet sized nature museum. The clear plastic containers that fruit is sold in at the grocery store make excellent, safe homes for insect specimens. I'm sure the containers on salad bars would work as well but I do prefer the shallower containers when I can find them. Here's how we put it together:
1. Put some poly-fil stuffing of foam in the container to fill extra space.
2. Wrap a soft fabric such as flannel or felt over the stuffing to keep the specimen from sliding around. Solid colors work best for visibility. We actually use a cut-up, old baby blanket for this.
3. Place insect on top of fabric and close lid, make sure the specimen is held gently in place by the lid. No pins are necessary. The fruit containers are particulary good at staying closed but if you feel you won't need to reopen your container often you can put a little clear tape on the sides.
Voila! Instant, stackable storage for all your critter finds. You can also view the specimens with a magnifier right through the sides of the container, this will increase how long the specimens last! I will post some pictures of our little summer "harvest" asap.
We also found an exoskeleton that was so perfect, the eye coverings were still intact. It looked like the insect had just unzippered it's coat in the back and stepped out. Of course, the problem with all these treasures is that they end up in the house. I am pretty relaxed about what finds its way into our humble abode but even I do not look forward to finding dead bugs on the counters! Glass or expensive specimen trays for a first grader are just not appropriate. So, we have come up with a fair solution for our closet sized nature museum. The clear plastic containers that fruit is sold in at the grocery store make excellent, safe homes for insect specimens. I'm sure the containers on salad bars would work as well but I do prefer the shallower containers when I can find them. Here's how we put it together:
1. Put some poly-fil stuffing of foam in the container to fill extra space.
2. Wrap a soft fabric such as flannel or felt over the stuffing to keep the specimen from sliding around. Solid colors work best for visibility. We actually use a cut-up, old baby blanket for this.
3. Place insect on top of fabric and close lid, make sure the specimen is held gently in place by the lid. No pins are necessary. The fruit containers are particulary good at staying closed but if you feel you won't need to reopen your container often you can put a little clear tape on the sides.
Voila! Instant, stackable storage for all your critter finds. You can also view the specimens with a magnifier right through the sides of the container, this will increase how long the specimens last! I will post some pictures of our little summer "harvest" asap.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Real Science
"Am I a scientist?" my daughter asks for the umpteenth time. I always say, "Of course." If she is busy digging up the yard looking for fossils, I will tell her she is a paleontologist. If she is watching bugs then she is an entomologist and so on. Sometimes, she tells me about fellow students who have expressed their disbelief that she is a scientist and so I launch into a lecture about how science is not just a job but is a way of thinking. Many discoveries have been made by people that were not being paid to be scientists. I think this lecture has become as familiar and as comforting to her as a favorite bedtime story.
I have to admit to being a bit disturbed at how many times my daughter has reported the doubts of her peer group. This means that by kindergarten, children have already received the message that what they do is not significant. Somehow, their observations are not "real". Edward O. Wilson began studying insects when he was seven. His observations of ant behavior are what led him to be a leading Biologist. I have to wonder what would have happened to the study of Animal Behavior if society had made it clear to a young E. O. Wilson that he was NOT a scientist. Famous naturalist John Muir was mostly employed on ranches and sheep farms. He kept very thorough journals about his explorations that have been indispensable to the study of Ecology. Thank goodness he didn't wait to do science until he was a scientist!
Actually, I am not even sure that we grown-ups have even portrayed scientists as real people to kids. Once, a student was shocked when he saw what a colleague of mine was wearing under her labcoat. "You're not a real scientist!" he exclaimed, "You have clothes on under your labcoat!" When my colleague asked the child if scientists were suposed to be naked under their labcoats, he laughed and said, "Of course not!" But really, what are the other options? I suppose that he never really considered that the labcoats come off!
So what is science? Science is asking questions and then using observations and experiments to find the answers. When my son first discovered the shiny handle on the potty and then flushed it again and again, that was science. When I was going to have my first baby, I knew almost nothing about cloth diapers. So, I ordered samples of various styles and then got out my measuring cups and paper towels and started pouring the water. My husband thought I had gone crazy when he came home from work and saw me measuring wet spots on papertowels at a diaper filled table. When I told that story to some other moms at playgroup, I noticed another mom's stunned look. I thought she shared my husband's opinion but then she said, "Why didn't I think of that?" I don't know, maybe somebody told her she wasn't a scientist. I can not say that anyone ever paid me for my absorbency data. But I can say that years later when I used those same notes to pick out diapers for my son, we did not have a single overnight diaper leak. And that my friends, is real science.
So, get out and do some real science! There are a couple of great projects going on that rely on citizen data. Project BudBurst is tracking the affects of climate change on plants and needs people to report their observations on everything from falling leaves to blooming flowers. Project Feederwatch uses citizen observations at the birdfeeder to keep tabs on our feathered friends. Project Feederwatch does have a $15 fee but sends a great pack of education materials that includes an identification chart and report forms. You can find both websites by a keyword search. These are both great opportunities to add some excitement to math and reading activities, as well as making your favorite kids feel proud of being real scientists. Labcoats are optional!
I have to admit to being a bit disturbed at how many times my daughter has reported the doubts of her peer group. This means that by kindergarten, children have already received the message that what they do is not significant. Somehow, their observations are not "real". Edward O. Wilson began studying insects when he was seven. His observations of ant behavior are what led him to be a leading Biologist. I have to wonder what would have happened to the study of Animal Behavior if society had made it clear to a young E. O. Wilson that he was NOT a scientist. Famous naturalist John Muir was mostly employed on ranches and sheep farms. He kept very thorough journals about his explorations that have been indispensable to the study of Ecology. Thank goodness he didn't wait to do science until he was a scientist!
Actually, I am not even sure that we grown-ups have even portrayed scientists as real people to kids. Once, a student was shocked when he saw what a colleague of mine was wearing under her labcoat. "You're not a real scientist!" he exclaimed, "You have clothes on under your labcoat!" When my colleague asked the child if scientists were suposed to be naked under their labcoats, he laughed and said, "Of course not!" But really, what are the other options? I suppose that he never really considered that the labcoats come off!
So what is science? Science is asking questions and then using observations and experiments to find the answers. When my son first discovered the shiny handle on the potty and then flushed it again and again, that was science. When I was going to have my first baby, I knew almost nothing about cloth diapers. So, I ordered samples of various styles and then got out my measuring cups and paper towels and started pouring the water. My husband thought I had gone crazy when he came home from work and saw me measuring wet spots on papertowels at a diaper filled table. When I told that story to some other moms at playgroup, I noticed another mom's stunned look. I thought she shared my husband's opinion but then she said, "Why didn't I think of that?" I don't know, maybe somebody told her she wasn't a scientist. I can not say that anyone ever paid me for my absorbency data. But I can say that years later when I used those same notes to pick out diapers for my son, we did not have a single overnight diaper leak. And that my friends, is real science.
So, get out and do some real science! There are a couple of great projects going on that rely on citizen data. Project BudBurst is tracking the affects of climate change on plants and needs people to report their observations on everything from falling leaves to blooming flowers. Project Feederwatch uses citizen observations at the birdfeeder to keep tabs on our feathered friends. Project Feederwatch does have a $15 fee but sends a great pack of education materials that includes an identification chart and report forms. You can find both websites by a keyword search. These are both great opportunities to add some excitement to math and reading activities, as well as making your favorite kids feel proud of being real scientists. Labcoats are optional!
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