It might come as a surprise to many of you but I have never been very good at science. Now, mind you, I did have to take education classes in college to prepare me to integrate science through literacy but that was about it. This is something that I have had to overcome in recent years since my ten year-old loves anything that is science-related. I've found that activities where we are able to engage in hands-on science activities are not only a lot of fun but also the best way to learn difficult concepts. Recently, I was introduced to an exciting app that does exactly that! Galxyz’s Blue Apprentice supports children in identifying science concepts in a way that increases their confidence academically and allows them to make real-world connections. As an educator, I was impressed by the fact that this is accomplished through role playing where kids have the opportunity to actively use their critical thinking skills. … [Read more...]
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Science Project Idea: Cloud Experiment
Those of you who follow me on social media know that, last month, I helped my twelve year-old son with his Science project for school. Although I am an educator, Science has never been my strongest subject and I struggled to find a project idea that I could help him with while enjoying ourselves at the same time. We eventually settled on analyzing food dyes in a variety of popular candies. Next year, when my younger son enters fifth grade, I will have to help both of my boys with their Science projects and I know that it is going to be a lot of work. As a result, I have already begun to experiment with some fun ideas that I have found online and I'm hoping to choose some of them next spring when it's time for my boys to submit their finished projects to their school's yearly Science Fair. This experiment is to teach kids how rain happens. Clouds form when water droplets from the earth evaporate into the air. They are … [Read more...]
Support STEM Programs In Schools! #YoungScientist @3M @TheMoms #Ad
Recently, I visited one of my teacher colleagues who teaches math at our middle school. It was fun to work out math problems with my students and to see them become excited when they got the correct answers. While most of the kids were engaged, I have noticed that some students struggle in math and often become disinterested in it. Math is extremely important to science as well as other aspects of life so I would love to be able to ignite their passion once again for working with numbers. After all, I know that you must have a strong math foundation to excel in any of the STEM fields. The Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge is the nation’s premier science competition for grades 5-8. Through the program, young inventors have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work closely with a 3M Scientist Mentor, compete for $25,000, and earn the title of “America's Top Young Scientist.” … [Read more...]
Our First Science Fair Project! #Education #STEM
I've never been very good at Science. As a matter of fact, I had to take the Biology Regents in high school a few times before I finally passed it. As a result, I have been dreading some of the science projects that I knew my son would have to complete now that he is in middle school. This week, he had to submit his first science fair project and we spent a lot of time choosing just the right activity that we could do here at home. We finally settled on creating a simulation of the Rock Cycle using crayons. It might sound like this is an easy project but, in all actuality, it is quite detailed and aimed at simulating how Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic rocks are created in nature. I actually learned a lot myself about this process as I assisted my son through all of the steps. Since Sedimentary rocks are compacted and cemented together from sediments, we used crayon shavings that we pressed together in aluminum foil to create them. We then went on to … [Read more...]
Get Your Kids Excited About Science With @Netflix #NetflixKids #StreamTeam #Ad
*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Netflix. As a member of the Netflix Stream Team, I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. I never fully appreciated how much work parents put into helping their kids with homework and projects until I, myself became a mother. Prior to that, as an educator, I would dole out assignments and never even consider how much work parents would have to put into making sure that their children completed each task. Now that I am a mother of school-aged children, I have spent my share of evenings doing homework that was supposed to be for my boys but that I ended up feeling like it was homework for me. This was especially true when I had to help my son build an Iroquois Longhouse situated in fall foliage. As you can see from the photos below, it was a lot of work for my son and for me! When it comes to helping them with science projects, I enjoy the hands-on aspect of it but I'm not that strong in that subject … [Read more...]
