The Wondershop

Stargazing onthe White House Lawn

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

The White House South Lawn was lined with telescopes and science exhibits featuring moon rocks, mars rocks, meteorites and more for Astronomy Night earlier this month. The President and First Lady invited local middle school students to star-gaze and welcomed space heroes Buzz Aldrin and Sally Ride, as well as two remarkable science students, Caroline Moore and Lucas Bolyard to come share some of their wisdom. Caroline was just 14 years old when she became the youngest person ever to discover a supernova and Lucas, a high school sophomore, discovered an extremely rare kind of star called a pulsar.

Read more here. You can also watch the live chat with Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, here and the President's full remarks here.

Bubble Science: Make Your Own Bubble Solution

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:37:00 +0000

Who doesn’t like a good bubble? Who knew that a bit of air trapped in film of soapy water could be so much fun? Most people have fond memories of summers filled with bubbles. However, most people don’t know that science behind the spherical shape and swirling colors that make up bubbles. Keep reading and discover how to make your own super bubble solution.

Here’s What You Need

2 tablespoons of dish soap
1 tablespoon of Glycerin
Bubble wand
1 cup of distilled water
Cup or bowl

About the Ingredients...

Water – All good bubble solutions contains water. However, it is important that you use good quality water (e.g. distilled water).

Dish Soap – You don’t need great soap to make your bubbles. In fact, you want to avoid anti-bacterial soap or soap with a lot of additives. Old fashioned Dawn works very well.

Glycerin – You can buy glycerin at your local drug store. You may have to ask the pharmacist for it. It may be a bit expensive, but glycerin is very important to the bubble solution. It gives your bubbles extra strength! NOTE: If you cannot find glycerin, you can substitute Karo syrup.

Here’s What You Do
Mix the dish soap, glycerin and water in the cup or bowl. Dip your bubble wand in the solution and blow a bubble!

Here are some things to try with your bubble solution:

Can you catch a bubble?
Can you blow a really big bubble?
Can you touch a bubble with your finger?
Can you bounce a bubble off your hand or your clothes?

The Science Behind The Bubbles
You probably didn’t realize it, but water is pretty sticky. It sticks to other things (e.g. the window, the side of a cup, and you) and it sticks to itself. When molecules of water stick to other things, it is called adhesion. When molecules of water stick to each other, it is called cohesion. If you look at a drop of water very closely, you might notice that it is round. The cohesion of the water molecules creates surface tension and gives the drop its round shape.

The surface tension of water is very strong. Some bugs can actually walk on water because water’s surface tension is so strong. Unfortunately, it is too strong for bubbles. That’s why you add detergent to the bubble solution. It actually reduces the surface tension of water. It also slows down the evaporation process, so your bubbles last longer.

When you dip your bubble wand in the bubble solution, the soapy water sticks to the wand. The water molecules also stick together forming the thin, colorful film of bubble solution. When you blow into the film, a bubble forms. The bubble encloses the most amount of air with the least amount of bubble solution. As a result, bubbles are always round!

Exploring Color: Sharpie Shirts

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 22:52:00 +0000

Everybody loves color! It makes our world incredibly beautiful. Color is what makes rainbows, flowers, and paintings so interesting. Did you know that there is a lot of science in the colors you see around you? In this activity, you will explore the science behind color and create some beautiful artwork along the way.

Here’s What You Need

White T-shirt
Sharpie® Permanent Markers (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple)
Rubber Band
Large Plastic Cup
Dropper Bottle or Medicine Dropper
70% Rubbing Alcohol

Here’s What You Do
Locate the area on your shirt that you want to decorate and place the opening of the cup directly under that section. Secure the t-shirt to the cup by stretching the rubber band over the t-shirt and around the opening of the cup.

Using the Sharpie, create a circular pattern of about six dots (about the size of a quarter) in the center of the stretched out fabric. Using another marker, draw dots in the spaces between the first dots. If you like, you can add a third marker to draw some additional dots. In the picture below, my son, David, has decided to get a bit creative with his design. He has include some lines and squiggles as well.

Slowly squeeze about 20 drops of rubbing alcohol into the center of the circle of dots. Watch as the rubbing alcohol is absorbed into the fabric. What happens? The ink spreads in a circular pattern expanding outward from the center.

Of course, you can draw things other than dots on your t-shirt. Try drawing a small square with each side being a different color, or use primary colors (red, blue, yellow) to draw a geometric shape, and accent it with dots of secondary colors (orange, green, purple). You may want to experiment with shapes like half circles and polygons. You are limited only by your imagination. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind: Keep your patterns small and centered in the design area. Use small drops of rubbing alcohol. Drip the alcohol slowly in the center of the design. This gives the color an opportunity to spread outward from the center.

Allow the developed design to dry for 3 to 5 minutes before moving on to a new area of the shirt. After you finish decorating your shirt, heat set the colors by placing the shirt in the dryer for approximately 15 minutes. You may also want to rinse the shirt in a solution of vinegar and water as a means of setting the colors.

SAFETY NOTE: Rubbing alcohol is very flammable and must be kept away from any open flames or heat. This experiment must be conducted in a well-ventilated area, preferably outdoors or in a room with open windows.

The Science Behind The Colors
In addition to color mixing, this activity also involves the science behind solubility and molecules. Generally, we think of the ink in Sharpie markers as permanent. This means that Sharpie ink will not wash off with water. This is because the molecules in Sharpie ink are insoluble in water. In other words, the molecules don’t mix well with water. However, Sharpie ink is soluble in rubbing alcohol. This means that Sharpie ink will mix with alcohol. In this activity, we use this important piece of information to create very unique designs on a t-shirt. As the alcohol, also known as the solvent, soaks into the t-shirt it carries the molecules of colored ink with it. Since the alcohol spreads outward from the point where it is dropped, it creates a beautiful circular pattern on the shirt.

Wondershop Fast Fact
The Sharpie marker was introduced in 1964. Since then, it has been expanded into a wide product line and multiple colors. As of 2002, 200 million Sharpies had been sold worldwide.

Note: I was first introduced to this activity by Steve Spangler. Steve gives credit to Bob Becker, a chemistry teacher in Kirkwood, Missouri.

For Valentine's Day...How About Some Fizzy Bath Salts Science

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:16:00 +0000

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so I thought I would introduce a great science activity that also makes a great gift. With just a few ingredients and a little science, you and your children can create some great smelling, fizzy bath salts. Forget Bath & Body Works. You don't need Bed, Bath & Beyond. You've got science!

Here's What You Need...

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup corn starch
3/4 cup citric acid (found at many health food shops)
1 cup Epsom Salt
1 cup fine Sea Salt
Lavender essential oil (you can use another scent if you like)
Food coloring
Large mixing bowl

Here’s What You Do
Combine the epsom salt, sea salt, and citric acid in a large mixing bowl. Add a few drops of essential oil and food coloring. If you want a stronger smell or a darker color, you may want to add more. Once the ingredients are mixed and dry, add corn starch and baking soda. It is very important that wait until the first mixture is dry before adding the corn starch and baking soda. Store your mixture in an air tight container. When you are ready for a bath, sprinkle some of the mixture in a tub full of warm water and let the your worries fizz, fizz, fizzzzzzzzzz away!

The Science Behind the Fizz
Why do the bath salts fizz? Well, it has everything to do with two of the ingredients used in the bath salt mixture: citric acid and baking soda (also known as sodium bicarbonate). Whenever you mix citric acid and baking soda together in water something very special happens. The two things mix together and create new things. Chemists call it a chemical change. In this case, citric acid and baking soda are changed into sodium citrate and carbon dioxide gas. As the carbon dioxide gas is formed, it creates lots and lots of little bubbles...or fizz. This same principle is used to make the well known fizz created by Alka Seltzer when you add it water. You may remember that we use the Alka Seltzer fizz to power miniture rockets (check out the Alka Seltzer rockets activity here).

You might be wondering why we added all the other ingredients (like the corn starch, epsom salt, and sea salt) to the mix. All of these other ingredients help to make you skin feel nice after the bath!

Wondershop Fast Fact: The History of Citric Acid
Citric acid was first isolated from lemon juice by a Swedish chemist, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, in 1784. You find it in all kinds of things. Next time you drink a fruity drink, check the list of ingredients. You will probably find citric acid there. It is also used in candy to make it taste fruity.

Is There Any Science To Groundhog Day

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:50:00 +0000

That’s right! It’s February 2nd…Groundhog Day! If you are not familiar with this particular observance, this is how the whole thing works. Early in the morning on Februay 2nd, people gather around the burrow of a Marmota monax; a large rodent also known as the whistle pig, eastern marmot, southern marmot, monk, woodchuck, or groundhog. It is believed that if the groundhog sees his shadow when he climbs out of the burrow, there will be six more weeks of cold, wintery weather. On the other hand, if he doesn’t wee his shadow, the warmth of spring will arrive soon. Here’s an additional little nugget to impress your friends with today: Groundhog Day is a cross-quarter day. That means it fall halfway between the Winter Solstice and Vernal Equinox.

There are a number of cities that host their own Groundhog Day celebrations…complete with their own groundhogs. Here are some of the results from this year:

Jimmy the Groundhog (Sun Prairie, Wisconsin): Six more weeks of winter
Punxsutawney Phil (Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania): Six more weeks of winter
Wiarton Willie (Wiarton, Ontario): Six more weeks of winter
General Beauregard Lee (Lilburn, Georgia): Early Spring
Queen Charlotte (Charlotte, North Carolina): Early Spring
Pee Wee (Mile Square Farm, Vermont): Six more weeks of winter
Dunkirk Dave (Dunkirk, New York): Early Spring

I know what you are asking. Is there any science behind this whole Groundhog Day thing? I did a bit of research and this is what I found out.

Historically, people have observed animal behavior for clues to changes in the weather. For example, geese flying south is a sign of the coming of fall. The reappearance of hibernating or inactive animals is a sign of winter’s end. When German settlers came to Pennsylvania in the 1700s, they selected the groundhog as their seasonal forecaster.

There may also be a meteorological explanation for groundhog day. It is thought that the observance may have roots in a weather phenomenon described in the Scottish poem below:

If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be two winters in the year.

The idea behind this poem can be found in cultures around the world. In the poem, Candlemas Day refers to February 2nd…Groundhog Day. Farmers in ancient Europe noticed that bright, clear winter days are often very cold. We now know that this is caused by high pressure systems. Areas of high pressure pull cold air down from the north. They also sweep away any clouds that might have provided insulation. Consequently, a bright winter day (one on which a groundhog may see a shadow) may be an indication of more cold days to come.

Of course, none of this is sound evidence that groundhog can actually predict the coming of spring. Instead, groundhogs day can be seen as a celebration of the role of scientific observation and prediction in our world. Every day, we make observations about the world around us, attempt to make meaning of those observations, and create predictions about the way things will happen in the future. Groundhog Day is wonderful example of this. Over the course of time, we have combined our observations of animal behavior and weather to create a system for predicting spring. Does it work? Well, that is a question I will leave to you and your children to explore.

Other great sites to check out on Groundhog Day:

I Can't Believe It's Butter: The Science of Homemade Butter

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 12:02:00 +0000

Have you ever looked at the ingredients on a carton of butter? You might be amazed to find that salted butter is made from only cream and salt. That’s right! Nothing else! In fact, you can make your own butter if you have the right ingredients and a bit science.

Here is what you need…

½ cup heavy whipping cream
Marble or large bead
A small plastic container with a lid
Bread
Plastic spoon or knife
Plastic cup or bowl
Salt, honey, garlic salt (optional)

Here is what you do…
Put the heavy whipping cream and the marble into the plastic container and put on the lid. Make sure the lid is on very tight because there is going to be a whole lot of shaking going on.

Begin to shake the container…vigorously. If you want a little music for shaking your butter, you might try Jump In the Line (Shake, Senora) by Harry Belafonte or maybe a little Twist And Shout by The Beatles. I don't know what it is about music, but it just seems to make everything more fun.

As you shake, you should be able to hear the marble rattling around inside. Open the container from time to time and observe what is happening to the cream. It should be getting thicker. After you shake for a while, you might notice that you have something very close to whipped cream in the container. Keep shaking. Really, really shake it! After about 10 or 15 minutes of shaking, you should stop hearing the marble. Open the container. Your cream should be separated into two parts: a thin liquid (buttermilk) and a yellow solid (butter)! Pour the buttermilk into the cup or bowl. You won’t need it. You may want to save it to bake with.

At this point, you have sweet cream butter (great on a biscuit). If you want salted butter, you can add a bit of salt. You can also add honey (honey butter), garlic salt (garlic butter), cinnamon sugar (cinnamon sugar butter), or whatever other tasty ingredient you have around the kitchen. Be creative! Now all that’s left is to grab your knife or spoon, spread your creation on some bread, and taste it. Who knew science was so delicious?!

The Science Behind The Butter...
First, we need to know a bit about milk. Most people know that nearly all of the milk that we drink comes from cows. However, most people don’t know that milk is actually made up water and tiny globs of fat surrounded by a membrane. It’s kind of like tiny balloons filled with fat floating around in water. If you let fresh milk (i.e. milk right from the cow) sit around for a while, the globs of fat float to the top and form cream. The milk we get from the grocery store doesn’t do this because it has been homogenized. That means the globs of fat have been made small enough so that they are mixed evenly in the milk and will not rise to the top. Scientists call this stable suspension of solids in a liquid a colloid.

When you made your butter, you use a marble to break the membrane surrounding the globs of fat. You basically busted the fat balloon. Soon, the cream becomes filled with tiny globs of fat. These tiny globs begin to bump into each other, stick together, and form larger and larger globs of fat. After a while, you get one nice, large glob of fat. Butter!

You might notice that your butter is not as yellow as the butter that you get in the grocery store. Why is that? There are two reasons. First, some butter manufacturers add yellow coloring to their butter. The bigger reason, however, is related to the diet of the cow. Cows that eat a lot of grass produce milk that is high in a chemical called carotene. Carotene is responsible for the orange-yellow color of carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, apricots, pumpkins, and…you guessed it…BUTTER!

Fun With Discrepant Events: Pressure & States of Matter

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 13:05:00 +0000

Here is another great discrepant event (read more about discrepant events here)! This one explores some of the science behind air pressure and different states of matter. It is demonstrated by two elementary school teacher, Gerald Johnson. Enjoy.

Fun With Discrepant Events: Air Pressure

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 04:48:00 +0000

Another great discrepant event (read more about discrepant events here)! This one explores some of the science behind air pressure. It is demonstrated by two elementary school teachers, Dina and Lauren. Enjoy.

Please Pass the Cranberry Sauce: The Science of Gels

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:24:00 +0000

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. In honor of the holiday, I have decided to include a quick post on the science behind one of the staples of any Thanksgiving feast...cranberry sauce! Making homemade cranberry sauce is a lot of fun and a great way to experiment with the creation of gels. What exactly is a gel? A gel can be thought of as a liquid that acts like a solid. The gel that you are probably most familiar with is Jell-O. The jelly you put on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is also a type of gel. Cranberries and other fruits can be used to make gels and jellies because they contain a gummy substance called pectin. By boiling cranberries in water, we can extract the pectin from them and create a delicious gel known as cranberry sauce! Now that you understand the science, here is a recipe for making the sauce.

Here is what you need:

12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup water

Here is what you do:
Wash cranberries and pat dry. In a 2-quart saucepan combine sugar, water. If you like you can add a orange rind and juice. Cook, stirring over medium heat, until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries to sugar syrup, bring to a boil, and cook until cranberry skins start to break or pop, about 1 minute. Remove cranberries from the heat and pour into a 3-cup bowl or storage jars with lids to cool. Sauce can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 10 days, or placed in airtight jars in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Leave 1/2-inch space between sauce and jar lid.)

Did you know:
Research has ranked the cranberry as number one in antioxidants. A comparison of some of the most common fruits found that the little red berry — in its pure form — contained the highest quantity of disease-fighting phenols, a type of antioxidant that is believed to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Name The Next Mars Rover

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Are you looking for a unique way to explore the mysteries of the universe with your children? How about your very own Mars rover? OK...so you won't actually own the rover, but you can claim that you named it. Right now, NASA is looking for a name for the its next Mars rover. In fact, NASA, in cooperation with Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures' movie WALL-E from Pixar Animation Studios, has organized a contest to find the perfect name! From November 18, 2008 to January 25, 2009, US students (5 - 18 years old) can submit essays explaining why their suggested name for the car-sized Mars Science Laboratory rover should be chosen. Nine finalist names will be selected, 3 from each grade range: k-3, 4-7, 8-12. In March 2009, the public will have an opportunity to rank nine finalist names via the Internet as additional input for judges to consider during the selection process. NASA will announce the winning rover name in April 2009.

What about the prizes? This is a contest, so there must be some prizes. Well, Disney will provide prizes to students submitting winning essays, including a trip to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., where the rover is under construction. If you name is chosen, you will have the opportunity to place your John Hancock on the actually spacecraft. How's that for a place in history?!

The Mars Science Laboratory rover, scheduled for launch in 2009, will be larger and more capable than any craft previously sent to Mars. Even more important, it will check whether the environment on Mars has ever been capable supporting microbial life. The rover will search for minerals that formed in the presence of water and look for several chemical building blocks of life.

So, how about it? Do you have the right stuff...or at least the right name? January 25th is right around the corner. Put that marvelous brain of yours to work and find the right name for the next Mars Rover!

For more information about the contest, click here.

Fun With Discrepant Events - The Sink-Float Egg

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Here is another great discepant event demonstration (read more about discrepant events here). It's a classic...the incredible floating/sinking egg. This video is brought to you by two elementary teachers, Hanah & Kacey. Once again...let us know if you use the activity with your students. We would love to hear about your experiences!

Ever Lasting Burger Experiment

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:46:00 +0000

Have you ever been cleaning your car and found a McDonald's french fry buried in the seats or just hanging out under the brake pedal. If so, you (like me) have probably wondered...why does it look so fresh? I've always wanted to put together a little experiment to see just how long it would take for a McDonald's french fry to decompose. Well, it looks like Karen Hanrahan had the same idea. However, instead of one of those tasty Mickey D's french fries, she opted to experiment with a McDonald's hamburger. The picture above is the result...a McDonald's hamburger purchased in 1996. I know that you can do the math, but I just have to point it out...1996 was 12 years ago!

Now, I like a bite of fast food as much as the next person, but this has got me really rethinking my choices in cuisine. Read more about the 1996 McDonald's Burger on Karen's blog, Best of Mother Earth. A little bit of science can be very, very enlightening.

Fun With Discrepant Events - The Magic Bottle

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:40:00 +0000

The discrepant event is something that surprises or startles the observer. In a science lesson, it is often used in the beginning of a lesson to engage your students and prepare them for a deeper investigation. You've probably experienced discrepant events before. If you have ever been to a magic show or watched a really great special effect, you've probably wondered...how did they do that?! That's how discrepant events work. They leave you wondering about what happened. Believe it or not...your students already have a lot of ideas about the way the world and science works. Experiences that do not fit into your students ideas cause them to rethink those ideas in an attempt to make sense of things. Educational psychologist call this cognitive disequilibrium. In an effort to understand what is going on, students often search for a suitable explanation for the discrepant event. In other words, discrepant events can be used as a valuable tool for inspiring students to explore different topics in science!

Some of my students recently recorded some very easy, but effective discrepant events. With their permission, I am sharing them with you. This first one comes from Aaron and offers a great introduction to air pressure. If you try it with y0ur students, please let us know how it goes. Here at The Wondershop, we always love to hear from teachers.

Celebrate Geography Awareness Week (November 16-22, 2008)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Next week is Geography Awareness Week! The celebration, launched in 1987 by presidential proclamation, is held the third week of each November and promotes the importance of geography education in the United States (click here for more background on Geography Awareness Week). Today's world seems much smaller than it did 20 years ago. The internet and other forms of mass media connect people who live thousands of miles from each other. Many people find themselves traveling around the world for work, to visit family, or just to see someplace new. My son had a passport before he was a year old. I didn't get one until I was in my twenties. The world is becoming interconnected, and geography Awareness Week is about helping to prepare our children for participation in this global community!

The Geography Awareness Week website outlines activities and ideas to explore with your children over the course of the week:

Monday - Human Geography/Cultures
Human geography features people and their activities on Earth. It explores where people live and how they got there. Human geography also examines how people interact with and shape natural environments to create unique places in distinct spaces.

Human geography includes many facets of our lives here on Earth—culture (religion, language, ethnicity), conflict, population dynamics, movement of people and goods, natural resources, land-use, economic and political systems, globalization, and international development.

Tuesday - Physical Geography/Environments
Physical geography includes the patterns and processes of Earth's natural features. Physical geography studies how environmental phenomena—climate, landscapes, soils, oceans, environmental hazards, and the distribution of plants, animals, and natural resources—change over space and time.

Wednesday - Geotechnology
Geospatial technology involves the use of tools, like global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), to organize, analyze, and display information that is "georeferenced" or linked to specific locations.

If you've ever used Google Earth to look at your house, then you've had experience with geospatial technology. You might also have used a hand-held or car-mounted GPS device to help find your way, or seen a remotely sensed image taken by a weather satellite. Geospatial technologies help us visualize and navigate our space on Earth.

Thursday - Global Hotspots
Global hotspots are places where conflict or change—in environments, cultures, politics, climate, or population—have created new pressures and uncertainties in today's world. Geography can help us understand these challenges and why they occur. With this knowledge, we can work to reduce or solve them.

Friday - Careers
Geography is something you can study, like math, science or history, but it's also a set of skills you can use in many different careers. From doctors to shipping experts, teachers to traffic consultants, a wide range of professionals all use geography in their jobs.

The website also offers a lot of great information for parents, teachers, and children to explore. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to introduce your children to the world. Celebrate Geography Awareness Week!

Going Green At School

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:14:00 +0000

When I was in school (decades ago), a green school was simply a school with green walls. Well, times have changed...somewhat. In today's world, green schools are planting gardens and green spaces, installing solar panels, conserving water, using eco-friendly cleaning products, and educating students about critical environmental issues. Many school districts are considering the ecological impact of schools before they build them. As a result, the construction of many schools follows strict environmental guidelines. We are definitley moving in the right direction. The movement, unfortunately, is slow.

Many schools understand the pressing need to go green. However, most teachers and principals are focused on the task of raising test scores. Going green usually slips to the bottom of the priority list. As more and more schools decide to adopt green strategies, there is evidence that the benefits of a green school go beyond the issues related to global warming. As Jill Tucker writes an article in the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Ultimately, all this provides a healthier learning environment, which in
turn improves student learning, educators have found. As an added bonus,
energy costs go down and the Earth is better off."

Schools consume a lot of resources. Just think about all of the paper that flows into and out of a school. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, waste from schools and other institutions accounts for approximately 35 to 45 percent of all municipal solid waste. On average, up to 80 percent of a school’s waste stream can be recovered, and about half of that is paper. In terms of energy use, K-12 schools account for approximately 7 percent of all energy used by commercial buildings. That's about $6 billion every year!

So what can you do? Sometimes small changes can have big effects! Think about what you can do in your home, classroom, school, or community to move us all closer to an ecologically friendly world. For example, eighth grade science teacher, Kenny Luna, has been working with his student to combat global warming. Their idea: Give every child in America (PreK-12), just ONE Compact Fluorescent(CFL) bulb to plug in at home. According to Mr. Luna, "This will help fight global warming by reducing carbon emissions from power plants, save the U.S. AT LEAST $2.3 BILLION in electricity costs, and help put America on the path to environmental sustainability." You can read more about the project at thebrightidea.blogspot.com. You can also find a link to Mr. Luna's latest project, The Great Copy Machine Epidemic (aimed at reducing global warming by reducing copy machine use). Both of these projects has had a lasting and far-reaching influence on our world. Like Mr. Luna, I am sure that you and your children have some great ideas about how we can Green-up our communities. Here are some tips to get you started:

Encourage your students to bring Waste Free Lunches: By packing waste-free lunches, your students can greatly reduce the amount of trash being tossed in the cafeteria trash cans. Instead of a paper bag, encourage students to bring lunch in a lunch box or reusable bag. Swap out the napkins for a washcloth to wipe their face and hands with. Finally, avoid the prepackaged foods and try packing fresh fruits and homemade foods such as sandwiches. Go to Waste Free Lunches (www.wastefreelunches.org) for more information on how to Go Green at lunch!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: The 3R's! When it comes to school...it's all about paper, paper, and more paper. Before using the copy machine, ask yourself, "Do I really need a copy of this?" Consider using both sides of paper before throwing it away. In fact, some teachers keep scrap paper boxes in their classrooms where students can place a paper that has a clean side to write on. Finally, instead of throwing away papers that cannot be used again, recycle.

Green Fundraisers: As a kid, I sold everything from chocolate bars to gift wrap to heat-and-eat pizza...door to door...as a part of a school fundraiser. Some environmentally conscious parents and schools have decided to look for greener solutions to fundraising. Instead of cookie dought, their children are selling fair trade chocolate and coffee, energy-saving product, and recycled greeting cards. If you would like more information about these and other fundraising ideas, check out Greenraising.com, GreenBenefits, or this article at Co-op America on Green School Fundraisers. Just think how good you will feel when you invite your co-workers to support your children's school by buying some fair trade crafts!

Shut It Off: Encourage your students to turn off the lights and unused electronics whenever they leave a room to help save energy. Finally, your students can help conserve water by making sure that the faucets are not dripping or left on in the bathroom, and that the toilets do not continue to run longer than they should.

Just a couple of ideas of the brilliant ideas teachers, parents, and students have come up with to help their schools and communities become greener. If you have ideas or resources, please don't hesitate to share them. Here at The Wondershop, we believe that good science is shared!

More Resources

Center for Ecoliteracy: www.ecoliteracy.org
EarthDay Network - Green Schools: www.earthday.net/greenschools
Go Green Initiative: www.gogreeninitiative.org
The Green Schools Initiative: www.greenschools.net
The Healthy Schools Network: www.healthyschools.org

National Evironmental Education Week: www.eeweek.org

Obama vs. McCain...On Science

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:28:00 +0000

The date for the US election is quickly approaching. On Tuesday, November 4, 2008, many of us will head to the polls to select the next president of the United States. The decision we make will depend heavily on the candidates' positions on the important issues. As a science educator, I am very interested in the candidates' ideas regarding both science and education. I've been doing a bit of research and I have found some really interesting and informative websites floating in cyberspace. I thought I would take a moment and share them with you. After all, it is important that we all take part in the election process. However, it is even more important that we take part in the process as informed citizens.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has a website devoted to the candidates' positions on science issues. You can find it here.

The website, ScienceDebate2008, represents the work of 38,000 scientists and citizens interested in issues related to science. The project collected 3,400 science-related questions for the presidential candidates to answer. Working with various scientific organizations, project founders narrowed the submissions down to 14 questions about health, research, the environment, and science education.

The writers of Popular Science Magazine review and analyze the candidates' answers to ScienceDebate2008 questions. The page, PoliticalScience, summarizes the major differences between the candidates' positions (if there are any) and allows readers to weigh in on the debate.

Nature has an entire section of its website devoted to the 2008 election and issues related to science. The section outlines the candidates positions on global warming, energy, evolution, science education and other important issues. There are also news articles and editorials related to the role of science in the upcoming election.

The Daily Green has published Green Elections Issues 101 on its website. The page list The Daily Green's seven key green issues facing our world. The site outlines each issue and provides a brief explanation of each candidate's position.

Pumpkin Science

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:10:00 +0000

Art by shirt.woot derby contestant, noisdois

Did you know...

In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.
Pumpkin chunking is a competitive activity in which teams build various mechanical devices designed to throw a pumpkin as far as possible.
The largest pumpkin ever grown was 1,689 pounds. It was grown by Joe Jutras of North Scituate, Rhode Island and weighed at the Topsfield Fair GPC weigh-off in Topsfield, MA on September 29, 2007.

Yes...the simple pumpkin. For most of the year, this simple fruit is largely ignored. However, every October, the unassuming pumpkin makes its way into the limelight! It takes its rightful place on porches, tables, and windowsills. Some might say that Halloween is the holiday of the pumpkin! Whatever your opinion, I am sure you agree...the pumpkin is a fantastic part of any Halloween celebration. More important, the pumpkin offers many opportunities to explore science with your children. Below are a couple of my favorite activities.

Estimating Pumpkin Seeds
It is rumored that if you multiply the number of fruiting sections in a field pumpkin (C. pepo variety) by 16 it is the number of seeds in the pumpkin, give or take 10 or so. Guessing the number of seeds in the pumpkin is a great activity to explore with your children.

Planting Pumpkin Seeds
After collecting and counting the pumpkin seeds, there are plenty of things to do with them. For example, you can grow pumpkin plants! eHow has a nice set of instructions for growing pumpkins. You can find them here.

Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Many children have carved pumpkins. In the carving process, the seeds of the pumpkin are scooped out and discarded. Such a waste! Just think what your children will say when you explain to them that the seeds of the pumpkin can be roasted and eaten! You can find instructions for roasting pumpkin seeds here.

Glowing Pumpkins
Martha Stewart has created a great pumpkin craft project that incorporates some great science. She call them Glow-in-the-Dark Funkins and they are pretty simple to make. You can find the instructions for the project here.

Self Carving Pumpkins
Of course, if you want to really do something special with your pumpkins, you can visit Steve Spangler Science for his demonstration of the self carving pumpkin. You probably won't have the materials needed for to do the demonstation yourself, but you may want to show your kids what is possible with a pumpkin and a little science! Check out the self-carving pumpkin here. You may also want to read about some of of Steve's other favorite Halloween experiements here.

Escape From Berkeley...By Any Non-Petroleum Means Necessary

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:47:00 +0000

Escape From Berkeley (By Any Non-Petroleum Means Necessary) is an alternative-fueled road rally that starts October 10th and ends October 13th. Part engineering problem, part artistic opportunity, the rally challenges contestants to start their “engines” on something other than petroleum based fuel. The rally begins in Berkeley, California, and finishes in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Sahara. Contestants are required to use any fuel other than petroleum, and using only those fuels scavenged “for free” along the way. Fuel cannot be purchased. Judges will present awards for both artistic and technical achievements. Hanging somewhat in the balance, are bragging rights for saving the world. That, and a grand prize of $5,000.

Here are a some of the contenders:

Team Name: The Green Team

Team Name: The Blue Flame Club

Team Name: Neverwas Haul Crew

Team Name: Tom Kimmel

Team Name: Two Cats

Go Green For Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Halloween is right around the corner. Teachers, parents, and children are all preparing for an evening filled with thrills, chills, and lots of lots of candy. Like many of you, I love Halloween! Of course, many of us don't think about the ecological consequenses of the holiday. For example, what happens to the millions of plastic candy wrappers, decorations, and costumes after Halloween? According to The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 4.6 million tons of plastic bags and wrappers are disposed of each year (only 8% of which is recycled). A lot of these wrappers and bags are the result of successful trick-or-treaters around the country! Add in garbage from Halloween parties and the energy used by the talking skeletons and other decorations and it can make for very scary eco-nightmare. Of course, there are some things that you and your children can do to help. Duke Energy offers the following suggestions for putting a little green in your scream.

Make your own costumes. Don't buy ready-made costumes from a store. Make your own using old clothes and things around the house. It is great way to recycle and you can save money. You might also benefit from a little more "quality time" with family members planning and making costumes.

Send your little munchkins out with reusable candy bags. Children trick-or-treating should carry reusable canvas tote bags or even old pillow-cases instead of plastic throw-aways that will end up in a landfill.

Walk. Don’t drive your kids around for trick-or-treat. Stay in your local neighborhood and walk. You can save on gas, reduce carbon emissions, get some exercise, and maybe even meet some nice people.

Give away eco-friendly treats. A growing variety of organic candies is available at local health food stores or organic groceries. Also, consider searching out goodies made and sold by local vendors. This can help to avoid “food miles” that add to energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Give non-candy trick-or-treat items. Consider giving non-candy items, such as organic juice boxes or apple sauce snack packs. Packages of dried fruits, such as raisins or cherries, is another option. You may get a few long faces from disappointed trick-or-treaters, but it may help to promote a healthier lifestyle.

Recycle and reuse. If you are holding a Halloween monster bash, make sure and use reusable plates and utensils instead of disposable ones that may end up in a land fill. Also, purchase candy and other goodies in bulk to limit the amount of packaging.

Don’t buy plastic decorations. Purchase pumpkins at a local farm market and carve them up to use as jack-o-lanterns for your front porch. Old bed-sheets can be made into great ghosts to hang from the front porch.

Experiments in Water Filtration

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 02:18:00 +0000

Most of the earth consists of water. In fact, there is much more water than there is land (70% of the earth's surface is covered in water). However, less than 1% of the water supply on earth can be used as drinking water. Of course, all of this water is not clean. According to non-profit organization, Charity: Water, one in six people on the planet (approximately 1.1 billion people) don't have access to safe, clean drinking water.

If you understand this, then you also understand why water treatment is so important. Water treatment makes it possible for us to use and reuse the small amount of fresh water we have available to us. However, most children don't think about where the water goes after it flows down the drain of the sink or toilet. Yes...you might guess that the process is not exactly pretty. In fact, parts of it are down-right disgusting. Of course, once children understand the time and energy that goes into cleaning water, they are more likely to value the clean water that flows freely from the tap.

The Water Treatment Process
The following is adapted from www.greeleygov.com

The picture below outlines the typical method for treating water (image from www.greeleygov.com). When the water first comes into the plant it is typically screened to remove sticks, trash or other large pieces of contaminants.

Coagulation: Alum and other chemicals are stirred into the water to form tiny sticky particles, called floc, that attract dirt particles.

Sedimentation: The water is no longer stirred and is allowed to settle. The heavy particles (floc) settle to the bottom and clear water moves off the top to the filtration chamber.

Filtration: Water passes through filters that help remove even smaller particles. Our filters consist of gravel, sand, garnet and charcoal. Each layer filters out a smaller and smaller particle. The charcoal not only acts as a filter but neutralizes taste and odor.

Disinfection: After filtration, the water moves into a disinfection chamber where it is mixed with chlorine. A small amount of chlorine is added to kill any bacteria or microorganisms that may be in the water. It is at this step that a small amount of fluoride is added for dental health.

Storage: Water is placed in a closed tank or reservoir where it flows through pipes to homes and businesses in the community.

Activity: Treating Water With Your Children

Here's What You'll Need

1 bag of play sand
1 container of activated carbon (available at your local pet store)
1 bag of small aquarium gravel (available at your local pet store or hardware store)
1 bag of large aquarium gravel (available at your local pet store or hardware store)
Coffee filters (1 for each child or group)
Large, clear plastic cups (3 for each child or group)
Small plastic cups or bowls
Alum (available in the spice section of your local grocery store)
Spoons (1 for each child or group)
Dirty water (Make it yourself...the dirtier the better)
Small nail
Measuring cups

Preparation

Create a dirty water mixture in a 2-liter bottle (for a larger group of children, you may need a couple of bottles). You might add oil, soil, vinegar, sand, plant material, food coloring, chocolate syrup, pepper, etc. Be creative. Shake well.
Using the nail, create small holes (6-8 holes) in the bottom of some of the clear cups. Each student or group of students will need one cup with holes in the bottom. The holes should be large enough for water to drip slowly from the bottom of the cup.

Activity

Give each student or student group a clear plastic cup of dirty water.
Coagulation Phase: Add 1 teaspoon of alum to each cup of dirty water and stir. As you stir the alum into the dirty water, clumps of material (floc) should start to form in the cup.
Sedimentation Phase: Remove the spoon from the dirty water and allow the mixture to sit. The clumps of materials and solids should begin to collect at the bottom of the cup.
Building the Filter: While you are waiting for the solids to settle out of the mixture, begin to build your water filter. Give each student or group of students a coffee filter and small cup of each of the following materials: sand, small gravel, large gravel, and activated carbon. Have the children consider what each material might remove from the dirty water and in what order they should layer the materials. Using their ideas, the children should layer the materials in the clear plastic cup with the holes in the bottom.
Filtering Phase: Hold your water filter over the clear plastic cup. Pour the dirty water through the filter. What does the filtered water look like?
Take the filter apart and look at the different layers. Can you tell what each material removed from the water?
There is no disinfection phase for this activity. Of course, you can always add a little bleach to the water after you have filtered it. Just don't drink it.

Don't Miss Free Museum Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Looking for a little economic relief and a nice way to spend to a Saturday afternoon. Well, I think I have just what you have been looking for. On September 27, Smithsonian magazine will sponsor its fourth annual Museum Day. Across the nation, you and a friend will be able to visit participating local museums free of charge.

You will find your museum day, admission card in the September issue of Smithsonian magazine. You can also print out a museum pass at the magazine's website (www.smithsonian.com/museumday). The card admits two people to any one museum. Only one admission card is allowed per household, and it must be surrendered at the door.

This is a nationwide event! Check the Smithsonian Web site for links to the various museums in your area. Of course, I suggest checking out one of your local science center or museum, but I'm probably a bit biased.

XPrize "What's Your Crazy Green Idea" Video Contest

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:46:00 +0000

Do you have the next great world changing green idea? Well, grab your video camera and put together an entry for the "What's Your Crazy Green Idea" Video Contest. You never know...you might walk away with $25,000!

The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational non-profit that designs and administers
competitions with prizes of $10 million or more, is launching a $25,000 video
contest on YouTube sponsored by Prize Capital, LLC (www.youtube.com/xprize). The $25,000 will be awarded for the best video proposing a new, world-changing
X PRIZE in the field of Energy and the Environment.
Contestants need to submit a 2-minute video via www.youtube.com/xprize. Entrants will be narrowed down to 3 finalists by the X PRIZE Foundation. Once the 3 finalists
are identified, XPRIZE.org users will vote to determine the winner. The winner will be announced on XPRIZE.org in December 2008. The winning video must answer the following three questions:
What is the specific prize idea?

What is the Grand Challenge or world-wide problem that you are trying to solve?

How will this prize benefit humanity?

I am sure that you have some great ideas about improving our world. Here is your chance to share them. Don't miss out! Read more about this wonderful opportunity here.

September 18 is World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:13:00 +0000

Here in Georgia, we are still suffering from a serious drought. Needless to say, water is on my mind. As my mother used to say, "you don't miss your water until your well runs dry." Truly, water is one of those things that many of us take for granted. Unfortunately, many people around the world lack access to clean water.

According to non-profit organization Charity: Water, one in six people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's approximately 1.1 billion people!

Each year, on September 18th, people across the world observe World Water Monitoring Day (WWMD). Initially held on October 18 (the anniversary of the 1972 U.S. Clean Water Act), WWMD is an "international education and outreach program that builds public awareness and involvement in protecting water resources around the world by engaging citizens to conduct basic monitoring of their local water bodies."

WWMD offers you and your children a fantastic opportunity to become involved in a valuable, global science project. On the WWMD website (www.worldwatermonitoringday.org), you can order water testing kits. Using the kit, you and your children can test the temperature, acidity (pH), clarity (turbidity) and dissolved oxygen (DO) of local bodies of water. After collecting your results, you can share them with others people around the world through the WWMD web site!

WWMD is an opportunity for you to make science real and relevant to the lives of your children. Furthermore, it gives them the opporuntiy to participate in a project that extends beyond the walls of their school and the borders of their communities. If you and your children decide to participate in the project, please let us know. We would love to hear your story.

If you want to help provide clean, safe water to people around the world, go to Lifewater International, Millennium Water Alliance (MWA), or Charity: Water.

For more upcoming events and important dates,
check out the Science Stuff Calendar.

7 Days Without Plastic

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Plastic. We all live with it, but can you live without it. Well, web personality, Zadi Diaz, is going to try. Starting tomorrow, August 14th, she is going to attempt to go seven full days without using any new plastic. Each day she will post a videoblog update at epicfu.com/7days/, so you can follow the experiment. If you want to take a more hands on approach, you can join Zadi on her adventure (read more about this on her website). If you do decide to take the challenge, make sure you let us here at the Wondershop know. We would love to follow you too.

Facts about plastic:

Recycling a single plastic bottle can conserve enough energy to light a 60W bulb for up to 6 hours.
A plastic cup can take 50 - 80 years to decompose.
An average 323 plastic bags are taken into our homes every year and it takes 500 years to decay when sent to landfill.
Americans generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste a year but recycle only 1 or 2 % of it.
Nearly every piece of plastic ever made still exists today.

Plant A Sunflower & Help The Bees!

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Williams) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Most of us don't really consider how interconnected life is. Take the bee, for example. Most people don't think of bees as a particularly important part of our world. In fact, many of us probably consider the bee to be a nuisance...an insect to be avoided. If anything, we thank the bee for providing the world with honey. Of course, bee keepers and farmers know that bees are far more valuable to our world.

Consider this: it is estimated that appoximately one-third of the U.S. food supply - including a variety of fruits, vegetables and even almonds - depends on pollination from bees. Like ice cream? Did you know that about 40% of Haagen-Dazs' 60 flavors - such as strawberry, toasted pecan and banana split rely on the bee. Without bees, much of the food that we enjoy would very nearly disappear from the our local grocery store.

That being said, you may understand why beekeepers, farmers, scientists became very concerned when entire colonies or hives of bees began disappearing in late 2004. Beekeepers from around the world reported waking up to empty hives. The bees...gone! The phenomenon has come to be know as Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD. Some researchers estimate that CCD accounted for the lost of 30% of the United States' managed bee colonies in 2007 and has wiped out more than half since first appearing in 2004.

So why are the bees disappearing? That, my friends, is the million dollar question. Researchers and agricultural experts are puzzled. Theories range from global warming to new diseases to the varroa mite, which feeds on honeybees.

In July 2007, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its CCD Action Plan. The plan outlines a strategy for addressing CCD. The four main components of the plan are:

survey and data collection;
analysis of samples;
hypothesis-driven research; and,
mitigation and preventative action.

Want to get involved in helping to understand CCD. Well, Gretchen LeBuhn, an associate professor at San Francisco State University, has launched The Great Sunflower Project. It's a community science project which has a goal to look at the health of local bees and how one of their main activities, pollination, is being affected. The project is sending packets of sunflower seeds to people around the country. You plant the seeds in your garden (home, community, or school) and collect data on how many bees visit the flowers. That's a very simplified explanation of the project. You can get more information at the site. This is what I like about the project: It allows you and your children to learn a great deal about science (not to mention mathematics, social studies, language arts, etc) while participating in the creation of knowledge that is valuable to our world. Isn't that the goal of education?

Other Resources:
American Beekeepers Federation
National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) Article: Bee's Needs
USDA: Agricultural Research Service Video on CCD