At Home with NW Kid Chaser - NW Kid Chaser

Star Gazing 2014...

7/7/2014

The Oregon heat is here!

When the temperature hits 90'+, you'll find my boys and I spending the late afternoon down in our 'cool' basement. It's a private retreat (filled with Legos and books), where we can hide until the day's heat passes.

When evening comes, we venture out again. And... sometimes after dark, we move to the backyard deck to soak up just a bit more of cooler air.

When that does happen - I bring my phone. Not to call, text, or chat... but to help us identify all the stars, constellations, and planets above us. It's the Google Sky Map App and it brings the summer fun of star gazing into the digital age. Hooray!

Sidewalk Science...

7/24/2013

When a pair of young sisters from the neighborhood knocked on the door to invite us to "Science Experiments on the sidewalk at 7pm", we immediately accepted. Gathered in the grass, we were treated to two fabulously fun projects:

#1: Mentos and Soda Pop

Step 1: Cover the pop bottle opening with a piece of stiff paper.

Step 2: Create a cylinder from paper and line-up a package of Mentos for launching.

Step 3: Quickly remove the stiff paper covering so that the Mentos slide into the soda pop.

Step 4: Step back and watch the magic of science!

Step 5: Compare different types of pop - diet, regular, clear, and ???

#2: Elephant Toothpaste Foam

Step #1: Fill a container with half a cup of 20-volume hydrogen peroxide liquid (20-volume is a 6% solution, which can be found at a beauty supply store or hair salon).

Step #2: Mix in 1 Tablespoon of liquid dish washing soap.

Step #3: Add in a few drops of food coloring.

Step #4: In a separate container, mix 1 Tablespoon (one packet) of dry yeast with 3 Tablespoons of warm water.

Step #5: Pour yeast & water mixture into the main container with the prepared solution.

Step #6: Step back and enjoy the show!

Nature's Fury...

7/16/2013

Our Lego Robotics Team continues to learn about Nature's Fury!

Our current study of severe weather brought the crew
over to our house for a 'Storm Chaser' viewing party.

1) Before our gathering, I asked each team member to work through an online learning component. Click on the edcanvas icon to view the program.

2) Next, we made tornadoes of our own! This may seem like a quick, fun trick with soda-pop bottles... but when you combine this activity with the integration of tornado vocab and probing questions - it leads to incredibly interesting discussion!

3) After moving indoors, we skimmed a few new books to learn about storm chasers and their dangerous work. After sharing what we learned, we talked about the pros and cons of these undertakings. Would you want to ride along? What scientific data can they gain that will help us prepare, stay safe and rebuild after a tornado?

4) Finally, we watched Episode 1 of Storm Chasers from Discovery Channel, followed by a quick clip from Mythbusters!

The Sweet Taste of Science...

11/29/2012

Thank you to future teachers Krista and Joanie
for this sweet science experiment!
Halloween candy has so many marvelous uses.

Step #1: Choose two or three different kinds of chocolate treats. These represent the different kinds of rocks found on earth (sedimentary rock, igneous rock or older metamorphic rock).

Step#2: Unwrap the candy (rocks) and place in a microwave safe container Note how different each candy bar looks although they are made from much the same elements.

Step #3: Heat the chocolates - checking frequently. This represents the heat that comes from magma within the earth.

Step#4: Smash the chocolates. This represents pressure from "tectonic processes such as continental collisions".

Step #5: Pour the chocolate on to wax paper and let the new mixture cool. After just a brief wait, you'll see how the rocks (chocolates) have melded together to create a new form. These new rocks are called metamorphic rock because of the changes they have undergone.

Step#6: Break open the rocks to see the newly formed layers. And yes... enjoy!

When I asked my boys to think about how these chocolates were like and not-like metamorphic rocks - this is what they had to say:

And always one with a flair for the dramatic, my 10 year old sums up this science lesson for us all:

Eggcellent..

2/22/2012

     My family recently enjoyed the Sizzlin Science Festival here in Salem, organized by A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village. One of the events was the annual 'Egg Drop'. Engineers of all ages were invited to construct a contraption that would save an egg from the damaging effects of a fall from the Marion Street Bridge.

    This activity is perfect for home as well...
Step #1: Give each child/adult an egg, free rein of the recycling bin, and a whole lot of masking tape.
Step #2: Find a high place to release your creations.
Step #3: Begin your countdown.

    As the Discovery Village drop took place over bark dust, we brought our designs home to test on the hard concrete of our driveway. My youngest son and I formed Team Tough and followed two different strategies. We used fabric in both designs and focused on layers of "cushion."

Team Tough Designs:

My youngest took the lead on this design. First, he surrounded his egg with fabric within 2 styrofoam trays.

Next, he wrapped the trays with tape; again and again and again,

Last, the secured trays were places in a cereal box and then wrapped in large packaging pillows. More tape was added.

I came up this design: filled with fabric scraps and wrapped in twine.

My older son and my husband made up Team Crusher. "I think you've misunderstood this activity's objective." I cautioned them.

Team Crushers' creations:

My oldest son, followed his brother's design but swapped a parachute for the outside padding.

My husband decided to try his luck with just two materials: balloons and tape.

Here at home, we launched
our designs from the upstairs window.... and had varied results.

Youth designs were 100% successful:

Hooray!!!!

Not a scratch!

Adults designs were clearly not:

Eeewwww!

Oh my, that's just messy!

Busy Builder Boys...

12/28/2011

The latest and greatest:

Lego Robotics
Power Saw

Remote
Control Car

Robot Revolution...

12/12/2011

        This past summer, I told you we were forming a LEGO Robotics Team. Well.. we were and we did and the results... were fabulous!

      Our team was made up of seven great kids (both boys and girls) ranging in age from 3rd grade to 6th grade. The team met weekly (September - December) to complete a research project, to build and program a robot to tackle the First Lego League 2011 Food Factor Robot Challenge, and to work together as a team to improve collaboration skills. Typing this now, it all sounds so nice and civilized -- but the reality actually involved a lot more noise, commotion, and chaos in my basement that I had anticipated.

     Now having survived a Lego Robotic season, I offer these words of warning to anyone considering coaching a Lego Robotics Team in the future: Coaching a team will cause you to learn more about robots and middle school boys than you've ever wanted to know. That said... I admit the combination is worth the chaos. When our team earned the tournament high score - the boys jumped up and down and squealed just like the eight year old girls (maybe even louder). It was incredibly satisfying to see the kids enjoy such a unique opportunity.

    Now with the season over, my boy is teetering on the edge of STEM student and mad scientist. He's broken down our team robot and reconfigured it to make the 'Alpha Rex.

Each day he programs this robot to attempt something new and I find that I too have been bitten by the robotic-bug because I keep making requests:

"Can he give me a high-five?"
            "I want to see him dance."
                        "Use that light sensor-thingy."
                                "What else can you make him say?"

The programming software that comes with the robot set is a little beyond me, but my nine year old keeps trying new configurations of loops, sensors, movement, and switches -- and he continues to have success. The first of tonight's programs aimed to have the robot walk forward until it "sensed" my son's hand waving. Then the robot was to move its arm and continue walking until it received a high-five. At that point, the robot would say "Good Job" and show a skull and crossbones on it's small reader screen.

Tomorrow night, I'm told he wants to make a voice controlled car, a catapult that fires on command, or a robot that looks and acts like a crocodile. I'll keep you posted on the results.

Halloween Candy Science...

11/2/2011

During this post Halloween season,
our sweet Grammy told us about this groovy website.

My brave boys sacrificed some of their candy
for the good of science. Here are the results:

Lego Lovers....

8/11/2011

It’s LEGO Central around here as usual.

This summer my nine year-old has been using the Lego robotic set, passed to him by his older cousin, to make this fine creation:

We’re also in the first stages of creating a LEGO robotics team – and would love words of advice from anyone who has experience with the FIRST LEGO League.

This Sunday ABC is airing the 'i.am first: Science is Rock and Roll' special to highlight the importance of science education. Although I'm not a fan of 'My Robot is Better Than Your Robot' (the phrase seems to lack the Gracious Professionalism I hope to see in youth), I do appreciate willi.i.am's observation that although very few students grow up to play in the NBA every school has a gym. I'd like to see our student scholars embraced and encouraged just as our high school athletes are currently.

Spring is here...

3/19/2010

It's the oldest science experiment in the book...
but this time of year just begs for it.
Here's our kitchen window sill ---
We've outfitted each of the three, empty peanut butter
jars with one cup of water and three drops of food coloring. Add a daffodil or two (the white variety work best)
and watch the magic each day.

Easy as pie - and darn pretty too!