Mike and Chelsea Ashcraft run a weekly afterschool program, Children’s Choice Child Care, for kindergarteners through second graders in Cedar Grove, New Mexico. They bring science into the lives of young children in a science enrichment program. Children aren’t their only students, the Ashcrafts also hold workshops and seminars for teachers.
Each week, the Ashcrafts teach a science lesson complete with themed snacks, music and literacy to complement that day’s experiment. After the class, they borrow the assistance of their 10-year-old daughter to blog about what happened.
A recent class on polymers offered zoo crackers and gummy alligators for snack, Alligator Hedgehog by Pete Seeger for music and Zack’s Alligator by Shirley Mozelle for a literature connection. The science portion involved growing Giant Alligators (made from polymers), gardening with super-absorbing polymers and several other experiments.
The students are also encouraged to participate in discussions, ask questions, follow directions and express ideas.
The Ashcrafts go beyond making science fun and make learning fun. For more on their program and activities, visit their Ashcraft Afterschool blog or watch the video above.
With strong parent support and amazing teachers to encourage a love for science, Roxborough Elementary is celebrating the largest participation in their Science fair this year.
Science fair can be a daunting event for both students and their parents. But participating in science fair doesn’t have to be scary. All it takes is a question to get started. It can be a simple question like “Which diaper absorbs the most liquid?” or “Which gum flavor lasts the longest?” After you ask a question, run a series of tests to answer your question. Sometimes, you won’t find a clear answer.
Roxborough Elementary takes advantage of the scientists in their community from Lockheed Martin. Community members are invited to help judge science fair projects. They don’t let their participants struggle on their own. They give each participant a packet of information on how to
When you think of scientists, you think of the greats, like Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, Benjamin Franklin, Galileo Galilei and Nikola Tesla. But what about the women scientists? Our world would be lacking without their contributions to science and research.
A little while ago on our Twitter feed, @spanglerscience, we asked if anyone could name 10 women scientists. Only one follower took the challenge and completed it. I thought it would make a good blog post to list some of the top female scientists and what they have contributed to the field of science and technology. In researching this I learned a lot and I hope you will too. I’m an overachiever, so I’ve listed 20 in no particular order.
Marie Curie – born in Warsaw, Poland on November 7, 1867, she was a pioneer in radioactivity. Curie created a theory of radioactivity and discovered two elements, polonium and radium. She developed techniques for isolating radioactive isotopes. She was also the first person to be honored with two Nobel Prizes, one in physics and one in chemistry.
Step aside Mr. Wizard. Move over Science Guy. Take a seat Mr. Spangler. There’s a new scientist in town. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Science Kiddo!
My team @SpanglerScience on Twitter recently tweeted with Christian’s mom right before he performed his first online video experiment. They posted Christian as Science Kiddo making a Lava Lamp with a test tube, water, oil and food coloring. There’s nothing better than getting your hands dirty and doing science at the kitchen table. We love what you are doing science superhero, so keep up the good work.
