Kites and Clouds

Click on the Video AboveJanuary blew in with much gusto and force as our Science Lab students created their own kites and learned what types of weather to fly them in. Students learned about the types of clouds that contain electricity in order to know when NOT to fly their treasured creations.Nathan worked harder than ever before helping the children tie the bridle on their kites as well as helping to install the spar and the spine to each kite.Students were waiting and calling for him to help them. While ingesting Advil he told me never to do a kite lab again. Strange, I feel no pity for Nathan since mothers and teachers are subjected to this type of torture on a daily basis... Actually, it made me feel kind of good to watch him suffer!It's hard to get your work done with all that free advice and assistance from Buddy Bird.Sammy was a big help too.

As well as Hedgie.Students are encouraged to make their own kites at home. Here are the directions.

A Dog to Love

Please look at the pictures of these beautiful dogs and email me if this is something you may be interested in.
Hi,
The is Jessica Few and we have agreed to foster 2 rescue doggies for the Animal Care Center in Greenville. We need to find homes for them ASAP. They are awesome sweet dogs. One is a black lab- he is 10 months old and a big boy. He is active, but gentle and very sweet and good with kids and other dogs. The other is a 4 year old boxer/hound mix. She is the calmest, sweetest, quietest dog I've ever met. She is absolutely a doll. They both have slept in their crates at night and do fine with that, no barking. They are both wonderful with the girls and other dogs. If you can help us find homes for them by just getting the word out to anyone who may be interested I would soooo appreciate it. Charlie, the lab, would be a wonderful outside doggie who could also come in at times if desired, but would be great just to be outside, also. Molly, the boxer mix, really wants to be inside and obviously was an inside dog with her previous owner, an elderly man who passed away. (They are free to a good home...) Thanks!!! ~ Jessica

Help for Earthquake Children in Haiti

Our after school lab classes were already contributing to Haitian children before the quake hit. Parents, please see me if you would like to join me in adding to this monthly contribution in light of the recent devastation.

Haitian Children and Families Devastated by Massive Earthquake The catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday has resulted in unfathomable chaos and devastation for hundreds of thousands of children and families. Compassion sponsors and donors serve more than 65,000 children in Haiti. At least a third of them live in the areas that were hardest hit. I am asking you to please send a generous gift today to help all the precious Compassion-assisted children and their families affected by this crisis. We know that you help provide lifesaving assistance to mothers and caretakers and their babies in Haiti through Compassion's Child Survival Program (CSP). We know you must be very concerned. Be assured that we are working to locate the families who receive assistance from your CSP center and determine their specific situation as quickly as possible. We will be sharing a personal update on your Child Survival Program's condition with you as soon as we have that information. We are working rapidly to assess the situation and determine the full extent of damage: Sadly, we anticipate there will be many deaths. We anticipate thousands of children and families will have lost everything. We anticipate many of our church-based child development centers will have been destroyed. Without a doubt, the children we serve in Haiti are in shock and face immediate needs for food, water, medical care, shelter and counseling. We have teams prepared to respond, and we are deeply committed to helping each child. We need your donation today. Please reach out in the name of Jesus to bring relief, comfort, love and restoration to precious children and families whose lives have been devastated by this crisis. Thank you for caring, Dr. Wess Stafford President, USA P.S. If you would like to give by phone, please call us at (800) 336-7676. Check donations can be mailed to: Compassion International, Colorado Springs, CO 80997.

Science Rocks

December was a tough lab for me and my family. We hiked eight miles up hill both ways to the top of Charlie's Bunyan in the Smokey Mountains to collect rocks for students who attended the December Rock Lab.
Mitchell and Evan's Uncle, Game McGimsey, donated lots of items for us to use. Uncle Game is a Vulcanologist in Alaska. Students collected rocks from all three categories; sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Egg crates came in handy to store the loot!We looked at some rocks online with 3D glasses. I let students choose a rock from my personal collections. Then they had to identify it using rock books.



Every student received a Petosky Stone and began to polish it according to the directions.
Some students wanted to see their rocks up close under the microscope.Once again we borrowed a box from the US Polar Rock Repository. Students got to hold fossils from the South Pole. Of course there is always time for a few diversions like chasing a chinchilla under the table...

Gustav Holst "The Planets"

I have always loved the music of Gustav Holst "The Planets". It is only fitting to share the love with all of you as I begin to reminisce about our recent space lab. See if your children can identify the various planets that are depicted in the video below.

Here is a recap of some of our space lab hightlights. We used dry ice and soap to simulate the Jovian planets.Students had to name one of the four gas planets before my trusty lab assistantwould give them a bubble. If your child is not in this video never fear, there are more to come! Sometimes it is hard to take photos and teach at the same time...