Near the end of our 2007 DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge, I received a generous donation from a reader who asked if I could write a poem about narcolepsy.
I’m a little late in paying up, but better late than never. Here it is:
Category Archives: Kids and science
Two more ScienceBloggers mount DonorsChoose challenges!
See, I told you more ScienceBlogs bloggers would jump into the fray for our DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge 2008.
Challenges have been mounted by:
A Blog Around the Clock (challenge here)
The Quantum Pontiff (challenge here)
Watch the ScienceBlogs leaderboard to see if they catch up.
In other news, the motherboard would seem to indicate that the tech blogs, mommy blogs, topical/local blogs, and BlogHer are currently leaving us in their dust. I wonder if fans of science will remedy that …
DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge 2008: fund classroom proposals, help kids.
It’s October, which means ScienceBlogs bloggers are, once again, participating in the DonorsChoose Blogger Challenge. The idea behind the drive is simple: we’re appealing to you, our readers, to help public school teachers across the U.S. fund proposals for classroom supplies, activities, and field trips. As I wrote at the start of our very first drive in 2006:
After school experiment: make your own indicator.
Yesterday, we had an urge to do some experimentation and I had a red cabbage that had overstayed its welcome in the refrigerator crisper drawer.
So of course, we made cabbage-water indicator.
Friday Sprog Blogging: more science fair brainstorming.
We continue discussions with the elder Free-Ride offspring about potential projects for the spring science fair.
Elder offspring: Maybe I could do an experiment with Mentos and soda.
Dr. Free-Ride: You mean that one where you use Mentos to create a fountain of soda?
Dr. Free-Ride’s better half: That’s not an experiment. It’s a cliché.
Dr. Free-Ride: Like sticking battery-leads into a dill pickle.
Dr. Free-Ride’s better half: But less illuminating.
Sprog art: dreaming of a rat.
The elder Free-Ride offspring drew this lovely rat in a thought-bubble. The critter who is dreaming of an encounter with this rat is revealed below.
Friday Sprog Blogging: science fair brainstorming.
As I mentioned yesterday, the elder Free-Ride offspring will be participating in the school science fair this year. Last night at the dinner table, the Free-Ride family started brainstorming project ideas.
Elder offspring: I was thinking about seeing how well plants grow in different kinds of water.
Dr. Free-Ride: That might be interesting.
Elder offspring: I could use tap water, water from the Brita, mineral water, …
Younger offspring: Soda.
Dr. Free-Ride: OK, you might find something out from that comparison. But I’m not buying bottled water from the garden — not even in a deep drought.
Younger offspring: Why not?
Elder offspring: It’s expensive.
The science fair conundrum.
The elder Free-Ride offspring, having entered fourth grade this year, will be participating in the school science fair in the spring. The elder Free-Ride offspring is very enthusiastic about the whole science fair thing.
Meanwhile, I’m having a very hard time.
Seeking advice from stargazers.
Reader hp asks:
Do you (or your commenters) know what to look out for in a small-child-friendly telescope? My daughter (now aged 4.5) has been space-obsessed for over a year now, and I’d like to encourage her but am nervous of spending a lot of money on the wrong thing.
For those of you who look at the night sky with kids (or who once looked at the night sky while kids), what are your suggestions? What are the crucial features of a decent ‘scope, and which of the bells and whistles are things you can live without (and without paying for)? How important do you think it is for a kid to be able to mess with the adjustments herself (and what kind of ‘scopes would make it easier for a kid to make the adjustments herself)?
(It’s worth noting that, in a post on measuring devices for kids, Natalie mentioned she had heard an astronomer recommend binoculars as a good place for kids to start in terms of star-gazing instrumentation. So if you have good binocular recommendations for 4- to 6-year-olds, lay those on us, too. )
Thanks in advance for your input!
Friday Sprog Blogging: spider silk.
Last night as we sat down to eat, a spider scuttled out from under Dr. Free-Ride’s better half’s napkin.
Younger offspring: Spider! Where’d it go? Where’d it go?
Dr. Free-Ride: I think it’s hiding under that serving plate.
Younger offspring: I don’t want a spider in our food!
Elder offspring: The food’s on top on the plate. The spider’s underneath.