Road Trip Science...

Driving home from a fun weekend vacation, the Science Kids were getting very squirmy in the backseat.  My solution...a quick hike and exploration of roadside geology!

Ages: All ages of Kid Scientists

Materials: The beauty of roadside geology is that you don't really need any materials.  If you're not sure what geology you're seeing, there is a great series of books called Roadside Geology and they are specific to your state.  The books list major roadways and detail the geologic formations visible from the road.

Procedure:
* We stopped at a viewpoint with a huge public art installation called Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies

* There is a parking lot at the view point, but the kids were squirmy, so we decided to hike to the top

* It was a great hike, but the roadside geology lesson started on the way back down the hill...

* The Columbia river gorge is full of columnar basalt and the trail we were hiking on was also covered with basalt.  The boys made observations on the difference kinds of rock and we observed the layers evident in the basalt columns on the hillside.  Vesicular basalt looks like it's full of pockets or like swiss-cheese.  This is because as an igneous rock (formed from lava) it cooled more quickly, trapping air in the lava.  The basalt with a smoother texture cooled more slowly, without trapping air.

* Connar noticed some gray patches in the soil along the path.  The Gorge was also covered with ash following the eruption of Mt St Helens in 1980.  It's still quite easy to find deposits of ash, which is exactly what Connar noticed.

A quick hike, a little exercise for their brains too, and we were back on the road...with new rock samples for our kitchen collection.

Where can you stop with your kids for a roadside geology exploration?

April Showers...

Guess what?  

The Science Mommy is hosting a challenge! 

The Challenge: Design and build a Rain Gauge that will collect and measure the amount of rain that falls in a day. Collect rainfall data from at least three different days and share your information in a chart or table.  

Contest Entry:  Email a photo of your Rain Gauge, and a sample of your data to the Science Mommy or leave a link to your investigation in the comments.  While your kid scientist does not need to be featured in the photo, the work does need to be the work of a Kid Scientist.  All eligible entries will be entered to win a copy of the book...

Water Dance by Thomas Locker

The challenge will run through the month of April with a random drawing on April 30.  Photos of rain gauges will be featured on The Science Mommy.

Volcanoes...

If you are following the experiment on Forcing Bulbs, stay tuned.  We will be publishing our results soon!


Did you know that on March 5,  a fissure opened on Kilauea's rift zone?  This fissure is still erupting lava...

Photo Credit:  Tim Orr, USGS, Science Daily

This recent volcanic activity inspired the Science Mommy to post a research investigation:

Ages: This one is for the Big Kid Scientists

Materials: Volcano resources - online or print.  This is a great opportunity to help your Kid Scientists learn to use a web browser to do a search, determine importance, and record their thoughts.  You can use this graphic organizer or something similar to help your Kid Scientist.

Procedure:

• Choose an investigative question that interests you, or write your own.
• Use the resources available to find information that will help you answer the question.
• Find a way to share what you have learned.  Remember to report your findings in your own words and keep track of the resources that have helped you.

Alternate Procedure for Little Kid Scientists:

• Find pictures of volcanoes - in magazines books, or online.
• Invite your Little Kid Scientist to explore the pictures...they can sort the pictures, they can ask as many questions as they can think of about the pictures, they can talk with you about what they notice & wonder, they can choose one volcano and do some guided research with you...

Investigative Questions:

• Where are the most active volcanoes in the world?
• What is the difference between an active volcano and a dormant volcano?
• How are volcanoes in different areas similar?  How are they different?
• What makes the volcanoes in Hawaii unique?
• How do geologists monitor volcanoes?  What data do they collect?  What do they do with the data?
• How are earthquakes and volcanoes related?

The Science Mommy would love to hear what you learn about volcanoes!  

Have fun with your research!

Phases of the Moon...

I love fall evenings and watching the moon.  Since it's dark a bit earlier, it's easier for Kid Scientists to observe changes in the Moon's appearance.  

Purpose:  Kid Scientists are usually curious about the Moon and why it looks different from one night to the next.  Kid Scientists (and adults too!) also carry many misconceptions about this phenomena.  The Science Mommy believes that building an understanding over time often helps Kid Scientists develop an accurate understanding rather than a misunderstanding.  That is why this exploration is all about Observation!

Ages:  This is aimed at Big Kid Scientists, but any interested Little Kid should be encouraged to make observations too.

Procedure:  

* Each Kid Scientist will need these observation notes.these observation notes

* Every night, at the same time, observe the moon that is visible.  

* Kid Scientists should draw a picture of what they see.  Older kids may want to use a circle template for accuracy.

* As patterns develop, ask Kid Scientists about what they are observing. "How does the Moon look different tonight than last night?"  "Is there anything that is the same?" "What do you think the Moon will look like tomorrow night?"  "How many days do you think it will take until we see a full moon?"  

For Parents: "Phases of the Moon are addressed in most elementary curricula.  Young children are naturally curious about the Moon.  However, it is important to recognize that elementary students' experiences with Moon phases should be observational, not explanatory.  At this level, an understanding of Moon-related phenomena involves observing, drawing, and recording the phases of the Moon at regular intervals and noting that there is a repeating pattern but not explaining what causes these changes."  From: Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Vol. 1, Paige Keeley et al.

Parents may need to boost their own understanding in order to ask (and answer) Kid Scientists questions.  Here's a website that I like, Phases of the Moon website.

Keyword post - please ignore

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