Do you prefer a real tree or a fake tree for Christmas? Or do you just go with a recycled newspaper tree instead?
To make this incredibly tall and thin unique tree, take eight pages out of the newspaper and tape them end to end. Roll them all up into a tube. Using very strong and sturdy scissors, make several cuts from the top of the tube to about halfway down. Now reach in and start pulling the paper upward. The tree will start to grow and grow and grow.
Grab the tinsel, the lights and a few ornaments and you’ve got yourself one unique Christmas tree for all to admire.
One of the benefits of traveling around the country with our Science Boot Camp Tour is getting to talk with teachers and learn from their insights. The Science Museum Oklahoma hosted a one-day workshop for area teachers and the response was great. I’ve invited participants to share some of their take-home ideas and ways they’re using the content from the workshop in their classroom (although it’s only been a few weeks).
I also heard two comments that I thought were interesting. One of the content areas we talk about in the workshop is the importance of recycling as it applies to soda bottles. A teacher commented that she hosted a group of foreign exchange students over the summer and was surprised to hear them comment about the size of our trashcans. Out of all of their experiences in the U.S. over the summer, they were amazed by the volume of trash Americans produce on a weekly basis. Enough said.
The second comment came from a pre-service teacher who shared this… “I was taught to use science as something the kids got to do at the end of the week… if
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Heather, who blogs at OhMy StinkinHeck, proudly tells the blogosphere about her daughter Emelie’s efforts to earn some extra credit in science (with a great recycling twist). Emelie needed only 2 more points to have a 100% in science, and she was determined to get those points. But was she content with something mediocre, worth ONLY two points? Not this young woman!
Emelie decided that her project would involve materials that were already around the house, and what she ended up with was a birdhouse that any environmentally conscious bird would be proud to call home.
Using plastic bottles and lids, bubble wrap, leftover paint and wafer board, and a few other “odds and ends,” Emelie built a birdhouse like no other.
We are ESPECIALLY proud of Emelie because she did this entire project herself. When a parent does any kind of project for a student, there is no deserved pride. Emelie did a wonderful job and she earned the praise she very naturally received.
Way to go, Emelie. And thank you, Heather, for sharing
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