Are Rainbows Always in the Sky?

I spotted this rainbow while riding in the car. We had a little precipitation at the time.

I observed this rainbow on my counter next to the fish aquarium,
Same colors? What do you think made this rainbow? Look around and see if you can find some rainbows in your world!

Another Animal for the Lab!

In the last post,  I explained how difficult it was last year to find reptiles and amphibians for the lab due to the drought. Last year I did not find a toad till Spring! So imagine my joy when I found a big toad this week in one ot the Ivys(Plant) I have on my patio. The funny part is I was bringing the Ivy to school! He was obviously trying to get a free ride!I quickly caught him and put him in his new home (terrerrium) !

This is the plant I found the toad hiding in!
I am really glad it was a toad and not a snake!

Here is our new friend for the lab.



Here is his new home in the terrarium. He is in there, but camouflaged.Can you find him? If you can't, scroll down and see the hint.















Look right under the green plant. His nose is next to the rock . 

A New Lizard for the Lab Terrariums!

I have been watching two lizards that have made their habitat on my patio all summer. One an adult  and the other is more of a baby.  I was so glad to see them because last summer I could not find any of these lizards, I expect due to the drought. Therefore we had no lizards in the lab for the 1st part of the year. So today I decided I needed to catch the big lizard when I saw it and set up its special home in the lab.
I saw it climbing on the brick and quickly put my hand on it. It wiggled and turned to bite me and I found my hand was on its tail portion. I really did not want it to release its tail so I grabbed its head portion with the other hand and it retained its tail.It was not happy. I brought it to the terrarium with its mouth open wide to get me.As I looked closer it had a small drop of  blood on its tail. I guess it was ready to release its tail when I moved my hand away. I released  the lizard in his terrerium where it had everything it needed to live. I looked in several hours later and realized it had dropped its tail. I too it out and took pictures for you. See pictures and captions below.


Here is the lizard, notice the end of its tail is gone. This is the lizard's adaptation for protection.Most lizards will be able to run away while you are holding the tail.



Here the lizard is trying hard to bite me and make me drop him!
He does have a row of tiny teeth but they do not hurt.




















The lizard grabbed on to my finger and refused to let go!
I put my hand in his terrerrium and let him dangle. I thought he would let go but it took at least a minute before he finally gave me my finger back! He is a fiesty !
(right)The lizards tail


Look for this great lizard in the lab in his new home!



Dinosaurs in Houston?

Well not quite but you can now go on a prehistoric safari at the Houston Museum of Natural Science! The museum's paleontology hall (the length of a football field ) is listed as one of the most dynamic paleo halls in the world with this new exhibit.
The exhibit in the hall cost 85,000,000.(85 million dollars!) thats a lot of dinosaur bones!

Mr. Hattrup visited the museum this summer and sent pictures of some of the exhibits.

Perhaps your family can make a visit befiore school starts Check the website-most Thursdays 3-6pm are free!

Fun! Make Squirmy Jello Worms!

I haven't actually tried this but looks like great fun! (See picture below)

Found through Brisbane Kids.

Let me know if you try it!

Ingredients:
2 packs (3 oz) Raspberry jello
1 pkg unflavored gelatin (for extra firmness)
3/4 cup whipping cream
3 cups boiling water
15 drops green food coloring
...

100 flexible straws (or enough to fill your container)
Tall container (1 quart or 1 liter carton of milk)

Directions::
Combine gelatin in bowl and add boiling water.
Let it cool to lukewarm and then add the whipping cream and 15 drops green food coloring.
Gather your straws (don’t forget to flex them out) and put them in the container. It’s important that the straws have a tight fit so the jello stays in the straws. For this reason, a 1 liter carton may be better; you will probably get longer worms since there is a tighter fit. If you have a bigger container, a rubber band around the straws is helpful. Or you could just add more straws to fill the container.
Add the gelatin mixture to the straw-filled container and let it set until firm.
There are multiple ways you can remove the worms from the straws. You can roll a rolling pin over the straws and squeeze them out or you can hold the straws over warm water. The worms will slip right out,

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Dog Sledding in Alaska

Ms. Petrie shared her experiences in Alaska at a dog training camp, As you can see in the pictures, this environment is very different than ours!(The following pictures and captions are from Ms. Petrie.)

We flew in a helicopter to a summer training camp for sled dogs. This glacier was snow covered and they told us that the ice and snow was more than a mile deep. It seemed very cold to us, we wore gloves, hats, boots and coats. It was about 45 degrees. It was funny because some of the trainers were wearing shorts and short sleeved shirts. They of course were working very hard taking care of the dogs and their camp so they were producing a lot of heat. It was considered very warm weather for the dogs who have skin and fur to protect them from the cold. The dogs were very friendly animals who were used to people touching them. My husband and I helped remove their harnesses and their booties. It took us much longer than the trainers but the dogs waited patiently, standing still for us.

We were told that they wear the booties to protect their feet. Without the booties snow and ice can get packed into their feet causing injuries to their feet and sometimes affecting their gait.

Glaciers and the Results of their Erosion



This is a glacier valley we saw in Colorado. Thousands of years ago , a glacier slowly(over thoudands of years) crept down this mountain, eroding away rock and dirt as it moved. The result is the valley between mountains today.

In my trip to Colorado and to the top of the Rocky Mountains, I was pleased to see the valley made by a glacier. I have also included pictures and comments by Ms. Petrie. She took a trip to Alaska this summer and observed a glacier close up. In the next post I will share more of her experiences in Alaska .

These Picture were taken by Ms. Petrie in Alaska.in Glacier Bay  Here is what she learned and observed while there, The glaciers are named and this one is called Margerie. While we were there a large piece of ice broke off the glacier and fell into the water. That's called calving and you hear a loud sound like an explosion before you see the ice fall. There was ice floating all around our boat. It's hard to tell the scale in the picture but the width of the glacier was about a mile.

One amazing thing to me was the blue color of the ice. This happens when the ice is deep and dense. It absorbs all colors other than blue but transmits the blue colors.

Learn more about the wonders of glaciers on this great website:
http://www.onegeology.org/extra/kids/earthprocesses/glaciers.html

Migrate, Hibernate or Tolerate the Long Winters of the Tundra

In the last post, I took you to the top of the mountain, to the Tundra and explained exactly what that ecosystem involves. Like all ecosystems, plants and animals have to work together for survival in this environment. I explained a little about the plants in the Tundra but today I want to share what I learned about the animals., Surprisingly there are no bears up this high in the mountains! Reason?
Not much food there! They stay down in the treeline,-the forests where there are more plants and animals since they are omnivores. There are a few animals adapted for this high elevation though.

(top)This is the hardy ptarmigan and  is adapted to withstand the cold winters. It is covered with insulating layers of feathers. They molt twice a year, changing their color to blend with the changing color of their habitat as seasons change. They conserve energy by moving slowly and seldom flying,

(Above)This is the long tailed weasel of the tundra.As you can see it molts twice a year and also changes its color to camouflage with the seasons. In the winter its heavy white coat provides warmth as well as providing camouflage as it hunts for food,

Not all animals choose to stay in the Tundra for the winter though, Some will choose to migrate down the mountain to warmer forests. The Elk is one such animal. We saw these animals everywhere at lower elevations.(Below left)

(Below)Some animals do choose to stay and hibernate. This is a marmot and he stays put and is not active. for the long winters. Marmots sleep snug in their burrows for seven to eight months, their body temperature dropping to below 40 degrees to conserve energy.

Like all ecosystems, plants and animals have to have adaptations to survive in their habitat.Think about the animals in your habitat, what do they have to help them survive? What adaptations do you have?

A Trip to the Tundra!

As we drove up the mountain, the mountain side was all green trees.

As we left the town of Estes Park Colorado ( elevation of 7500 ft above sea level ) and traveled up the scenic Trail Ridge Drive the scenery on the  mountains began to change . We actually were traveling to a new ecosystem called the tundra.A tundra is usually thought of as snow and ice but not always.The tundra ecosystem is the part of our earth high above the tree line (where the climate and thin air make tree growth impossible). This happens in a climate that does not stay warmer than 50 degrees for over a month. In the summer it was definitely cooler at this elevation but was not snowing. Animals that live up here are specially adapted for the harsh climate and lack of food.In the next post I will tell you about the wildlife that can live in the tundra.

As we climbed to the top of the mountain, you can see where the treeline ends. We are going above it-to the Tundra!

(See below, right )As we reached the top of the mountain and into the tundra, notice there are no more trees. We are now above the treeline. We were now at an elevation of 12,000 ft. above sea level.
In the tundra , there was just  low grass(never had to be mowed like ours)  and some small shrubs.

The plants here have adaptations. Plants like this one have very little growth above ground but can have a  very long tap root (up to 6 foot long)that provides a stable anchor,stores food and searches out water. 

A Visit to a New Place!

I just recently visited Colorado. The terrain and climate is very different there. Why? One reason is the elevation. Elevation is how far the land is above sea level. In Houston, we are very close to sea level, only about 25 foot above sea level. But in Colorado, the elevation is much higher. I flew in to Denver, known as the "mile high city". Can you guess why it's called that? If you guessed because of its elevation, you are right! It is exactly one mile high, that's 5280 feet above sea level. From Denver we traveled even higher into the mountains.As we traveled by car up the mountain the air got thinner with less oxygen and cooler. The sites were beautiful and the roads were steep and winding.
At the highest point we were 12,784 feet above sea level. In the next few blogs I will share what we observed when we got to the top of the mountain!

Food Chain in Action!

Look closely at the top of the brick to the left. What do you see? Now look at the center brick, top. What do you see?



I was out for a walk when I snapped this picture. Did you find the snake and the lizard? I did not stick around to see what happened but I can guess at who the consumer was in this food chain!
Notice how well they both camouflage also!


Be observant in your world and see what you can find this summer!

Magic or Science?

We all know Magic is really just good and tricky science! Well here is a trick you can play on your friends or family and only requires a few eggs and some adult help with boiling the eggs.
Can you tell which eggs are raw or cooked?Your friends will be amazed that you can!
Follow the link below to get the procedure and some other fun egg-citing experiements.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/activities/funscience/spinning-eggsperiment/


Be sure and get an adult to join in the fun with these experiments!

Ms. Donahoe Travels to a New Environment

If you remember, an environment is the world around you. What kind of environment do you live in?
Most of us live in the city or suburbs right outside the city. We have lots of cement, buildings, streets and a few woods and parks.
Ms. Donahoe has been traveling this summer and sent me some pictures of the different things she observed in these new environments.

Does this look like Houston? No, we do not have mountains here. She is in California, in the desert and mountains!

This is where she camped, Notice its not too green, that's because she is in the desert! Not much rain fall here!

What is this in the desert? You guessed it! It's a lot of cacti! What adaptations does it have to help it live in this dry, hot habitat?

This is a surprise though!A salt water lake in the desert? It is the Salton Sea in California. Ms. Donahoe said to look this one up, it's very interesting!

This is a picture of the way the ground looks in the desert. This makes me thankful for all the rain last week!

I wonder what animals might live in this harsh environment?

As you travel this summer, even if it's just to grandmas, look at the environment around you and see if it changes!

Thanks Ms. Donahoe for sharing your observations!

Be a CSI Scientist!

You can be a detective!

Did you know Crime Scene Investigators have to be great at Science? They have to be super observant! One way to solve a crime is with fingerprints. They can do this because everyone has their very own fingerprints that are different from everyone else's. If you do not believe me, try this experiment and see if your fingerprints are different from your friends and family members.

Problem: Are my fingerprints different than my mom's fingerprints?

Hypothesis: I think.....

Materials: sharpened pencil, white paper or make a data table , invisible scotch tape , (handlens is helpful but not required)

Procedure:
1. Take a pencil and color a about an inch square with your pencil. Color hard so it is solid covered and real dark..

2. Take your index finger and stick it in the graphite (thats what the pencil lead is made of ) square you colored.Push down hard so the whole tip of your finger is covered in graphite

3. Stick a piece of tape to the "dirty part" of your finger.

4. Take the piece of tape off and stick the piece of tape on a piece of white paper or use the data chart. You should be able to see your fingerprint.

5. Repeat steps 1-4 with your thumb and pinky.

6.  Now let your mom or friend repeat the steps with  her fingers.

7. Compare the results.


Data Table

Conclusion : I learned ...


Things to think about:
Were all your fingerprints alike?
Does it matter which hand you used?
Did the data table help?
Why did we do more than one finger?

Do you have toe prints?
How can fingerprints help solve a crime?

Ms. Brown Shares What She Observes!

Mrs. Lucadou,

I’ve enjoyed reading about your science adventures on your blog. I’ve seen some pretty cool species this summer, and I thought some of our students might like to see some pictures.

I saw this spider in Decatur, Texas at my friend’s house. It was outside on their patio. At first I thought it was a fake spider, but then it started to move! I was not a big fan of this fellow. He may look small in this photo, but you can tell that he is almost the size of the brick. I’m glad I don’t see spiders like this at my house. My friend said that it is not a poisonous spider, but I still didn’t want to get too close!

We also saw this nest of baby birds in Decatur. The mama bird had built the nest on the patio, on top of a stereo speaker, but she wouldn’t come feed the babies with all of us loud people sitting close to it. My friend carefully took the nest down, and we moved it to a nice new location in a nearby tree. The baby birds were so cute! I hope the mama found them and continued to take care of them!

 

This is just a box turtle that I found at my house. My daughters enjoyed watching him for a while, but he mostly hid in his shell when they were nearby. He eventually wandered off to find a nice place to settle in.

Look at this cool insect! It is a locust, and it is in the same family as a grasshopper. This guy was way bigger than any grasshopper I’ve ever seen. He was about 2 inches long. We saw him at Bear Creek Park, which is close to where I live.

I’ve been enjoying the sights of summer, except maybe with that big spider! I hope your summer is going well too!

Mrs. Brown

When It Rains It Pours!

The Houston area received a lot of precipitation (in the form of rain) this past week!
These are pictures and comments from Ms. Bullock
No, this isn't a lake...it is an athletic field used for soccer and other sports. With all the recent rains, Spring Creek has flooded the area...including this field.

There have been some small surprises popping up after the recent rains...mushrooms! The mushrooms pop up in damp areas. They are a fungus that need moisture to grow. Why are there always groups of mushrooms? When the cap, or top, of the mushroom opens like an umbrella it drops tiny spores that grow into new mushrooms. The mushrooms often form a circle. In the past, people thought that the circle of mushrooms were left by faries and were called "fairy rings". Have the fairies visited your neighborhood recently?

Bird's Nest? Where's the Tree?

Birds build their nests in a tree right? Well I found this bird nest very high on the side of a building at CVS! Why do you think the small sparrow chose this spot instead of a tree? I feel sorry for the baby bird that has to learn how to fly out of this nest,. (No soft soil to soften the fall) Did you know that so many birds choose signs like this one to build their nest in, that sign companies have began putting spikes in their signs to discourage birds from building, Poor birds, we cut down their trees to build stores and houses and now take away their signs! As you are out this summer, see if you see nests in unusual places.

When I was young my mom and I would put pieces of colored yarn out for the birds. We enjoyed seeing the birds sometimes take the yarn and fly away. Occasionally we would see our yarn in a nest nearby. Most birds build nest in the early spring.

Birds are quite ingenious in building their nests.What they use to build depends on where they live. They will use anything available. such as twigs, plastic, paper, string,  shells, rocks, and leaves.

They use their beak to transfer all the materials to the nest, perhaps making hundreds of trips, They then use their beak to weave the materials together and sometimes use mud, saliva and even spider webs to stick it together, They are quite the builder.

Most birds do not actually live in the nest but it does provide a safe shelter for the eggs and babies until they are ready to leave. You may have seen a mother bird guarding her nest from a nearby tree.

She will get very vocal and may swoop down in an attempt to scare you away.

Fun Activity

Perhaps you would like to get a sense of what it feels like to build a nest.  Collect things around your house such as string, plant pieces, pieces of plastic, twigs etc. Try to weave them together and use clay, playdoh or even mud to stick it all together.  Imagine a bird with only his beak doing this!

Here is a website if you would like to learn more about the wonder of birds!

http://www.audubonmagazine.org/features0803/truenature-webexclusives.html

Good time to read my favorite book too!
Are You My Mother? by P.D..Eastman

Don't have it? Go to the Library and check it out! There is lots of great bird books there too!

Observe your world! Read about your world ! Get smarter!

Make Your Own Rollercoaster

Did you know roller coasters are all about Science? Its called force and motion. Today I am going to tell you how to do one of my favorite experiments. You might think its not really an experiment because its so much fun. But remember, an experiment is just finding out an answer by changing things in an organized manner.
First you will need to collect your Materials. In the picture you will see a big grey tube (pipe covers) . This is found at the hardware store such as Home Depot in the plumbing department.

Mine cost $1.18. You just need one but I always buy 2 just in case I need it.
Other materials include scissors, tape and a marble.
Now for your Procedure
1. Cut the cylinder shaped hose in half (see picture)
This is easiest if a helper holds it out straight and holds it open while you cut.
2. Now you should have 2 long pieces. You can use tape to tape them together or just use one for your experiment.

 Materials                                                                Cut right down the middle of the cylinder

3. Place your marble on the middle indention and let it go. (see picture)

Now comes the experiment part:
How can you make it go? Without pushing it will it go? If you hold one end up higher, will it go? What force makes it go? How can you make it go faster? Can you make it curve? Can you put a hill in it? How do you get enough force to make the marble go up the hill?
Now for the big challenge! Can you make it go through a loop ?
What happens if you try two marbles?

Think about the forces each time you change. What have you learned?

Isn't Science fun?