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?

Another Trip to the Vet!

Ms. Lee- Garcia also recently took her pets to a Veterinarian for Exotic animals. What are her exotic animals? Many of you already know, because she had Harriet in the classroom. Your right it's hamsters.! So I asked Ms. Lee- Garcia to share information about her hamsters and why they had to go to the Dr.
Here is her reply and pictures!

Harriet and Hermione in their cages waiting to see the Veterinarian.

Dr. Chen is looking at Hermione's eyes.

Dr Chen holds them by their scuffs because it puts them in a trance for safer handling.

Reply from Ms. Lee- Garcia

They are Robovoroski Hamsters, a type of dwarf hamster. I bought them both for my classroom in January of 2011, so we think they were born in December 2010. Unlike Syrian hamsters, which cannot be housed together because they are so territorial they will fight until one dies, Robos typically are happier when living with siblings, so I bought the pair, and they lived in my classroom. In March of 2011, however, they decided they did not want to live together any longer, and each one got its own 20-gallon aquiarium. Harriet, the larger and less afraid hamster, got to stay at school, where she was our class pet during the rest of fourth and all of fifth grade. Hermione, her smaller, shyer sister, got to live at home with me. They had to go to the vet to get a certificate that says what species they are (Phodopus Robovoroskii) and that they are healthy, since California has very strict laws in place in order to protect its ecosystems and agriculture industries. (Chinese dwarf hamsters are prohibited, for example.) Dr. Chen, the vet that saw them yesterday, says that they are healthy and ready to travel! She did find out that Hermione has an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) but she says she'll be OK, and that Harriet is very overweight and has to go on a diet of grass pellets, her least favorite food! No more sunflower seeds or corn for her! In the wild, Robos live in Mongolia and Russia, in very cold deserts. They dig long tunneling burrows, with different chambers for all of their activities, like sleeping, hoarding seeds, and going to the bathroom. They are normally very social and live in large groups in the wild.

Thanks Ms. Lee- Garcia for sharing. We will miss you and Harriet as you move to California.

Wow! Thats' a Cool Pet!

Last Monday, while enjoying the Reading Express at school, Ms. Gillingham stopped by. She was on the way to the veterinarian with her pet bearded dragon! She let me take a picture of it for you and shared some information about her unusual pet. I thought you would find it as interesting as I did.





"Bones"
Ms. Gillingham's Pet





This is Bones, she is about 9 years old! She likes to eat kale, corn and crickets. So that makes her an an omnivore, right? Ms. Gillingham said she will eat carrots and other greens but her natural habitat is the desert so her body is not adapted to eat vegetables like lettuce with high water content. They are not good for her. Ms. Gillingham keeps her in a very large terrarium with sand and climbing structures. She does not look very cuddly but actually likes to be held and petted. Ms. Gillingham was taking her to the veterinarian because she had an abscess and the Dr. will give her a shot to help make her better. She goes to a special Veterinarian for exotic animals. This is a Dr. for different kinds of pets including reptiles and birds.I guess all animals can get sick and need a Dr. sometimes, even snakes and turtles!
Would you like to grow up and become a veterinarian ? Would you like to have a bearded dragon?

I'm not sure my little dog would get along with Bones too good! But she is a very interesting pet and I would really enjoy having one! Let me know your thoughts!

Happy 4th of July

Happy Birthday to the United States of America!
I know this isn't really Science but its important to know what we are celebrating today.

Just in case you do not remember, here is a glimpse of what happened over 200 years ago.

In the 1760s and 1770s Great Britain wanted the colonists ( those were people that lived in America) to follow their rules and pay higher taxes. Britain could do this because we were under their rule. The people that lived in the America colonies did not want Britain to be able to tell them what to do and wanted their freedom from Britain's rule. They wanted to be an independent country. This is why American fought Great Britain in the American Revolution .

Our independence (freedom from the control of others) was won in this war and America became a free country. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of a long document that told how America would become a separate country. The Congress officially adopted the Declaration of Independence (declaring Independence from Great Britain ) on July 4, 1776.
That is why we call July 4th our country's birthday. It is when American became a country, separated from the ties to Great Britain.
Remember today as you celebrate to be thankful to all who fought for our freedom as you celebrate the Indepedence Day of America!

Katie Lynn Visits the Reading Express

Yesterday, Katie Lynn and I visited the Reading Express. We listened to a story about the 4th Of July with a few of our Eiland friends. Ms. Champion-Lewis was there with her son JJ.We constructed a cool firework art project and picked out some great books. Maybe next Monday we will see you there!