Homeschooler Savvy

NASA teaching your kids science

The Educational Materials section of NASA's Web site offers classroom activities, educator guides, posters and other types of resources that are available for use in the classroom. Materials are listed by type, grade level and subject. The following items are now available for downloading.

 

Rockets Educators Guide -- Grades K-12

Few classroom topics generate as much excitement as rockets. The scientific, technological, engineering and mathematical foundations of rocketry provide exciting classroom opportunities for authentic hands-on, minds-on experimentation. The activities and lesson plans contained in this educator guide emphasize hands-on science, prediction, data collection and interpretation, teamwork, and problem solving. The guide also contains background information about the history of rockets and basic rocket science. The rocket activities in this guide support national curriculum standards for science, mathematics and technology.

The Rockets Educator Guide is available as a complete guide or can be downloaded in easy-to-use individual lesson plans.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Rockets.html

 

Spacesuits Bookmark -- All Grades

Mark your place and learn about spacesuits. This downloadable bookmark has the Web address for the educational spacesuit site.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Spacesuits_Bookmark.html

 

Space Faring: The Radiation Challenge Unit -- Grades 6-12

Space radiation can be an obstacle to exploration. In this teaching unit, students learn about the types of radiation, the types of damage to DNA caused by radiation and how to prevent exposure. The lesson plans in these units of study are hands-on investigations that encourage the use of science, mathematics, engineering, technology, problem solving and inquiry skills. The activities provide a general framework that can be modified based on student needs and classroom resources.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Space_Faring_Radiation.html

 

Meteorology: An Educator’s Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning -- Grades 5-9

Supplement your existing curricula with this guide. Many of the activities build upon each other. They use the inquiry from the previous activity to assist in the activity that follows. Thus, this publication enhances the understanding of meteorology by beginning with basic and essential parameters of weather and then moving through mind-engaging interactions with complex meteorological systems. Students will build and use weather instruments; then they will build a weather station. Students will collect weather information and combine it with existing information about cloud systems. They can then apply their knowledge to predict weather systems.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Meteorology_Guide.html

Ceres and Pluto: Dwarf Planets as a New Way of Thinking about an Old Solar System Teacher Guide -- Grades 5-8

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union defined the terms “planet” and “dwarf planet.” The IAU's decision created an opportunity for students to understand the solar system better by considering the definitions of planet, dwarf planet and asteroid. New discoveries in the solar system require a change in the language used to discuss it. This activity uses direct vocabulary instruction to help students learn these new definitions.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/topnav/materials/listbytype/Ceres_and_Pluto_Dwarf_Planets.html

 

 

Happy Educating!!

Secrets of the Pharaohs...History comes alive

We are studying Ancient Egypt at the moment (using The Story of the World as posted about earlier).  Needless to say we had to have the obligatory trip to the library to immerse ourselves in Ancient Egypt.  A number of the references indicated videos and dvd's on Egypt.  We have just watched the PBS special "Secrets of the Pharaohs" and I highly recommend it.  It is split up into about 15 half hour mini series, or you can do as we did, and just watch it in two sittings.

The added bonus?  They have a website with lots of cool links.  A timeline that matches what you have watched, complete with pictures, dates and maps....perfect for the kids to construct their own timeline.  This is a great way to reinforce the dates and sequence of events that occured in this civilisation.  They also have a place where you can explore King Tut's tomb, explore a 3d version of Khufu's tomb and a site on how mummies are made.

Got an older child interested in scientific research on these archeological finds?  They also have a link on the mass spectrometry, taking DNA from mummies and deciphering ancient diseases...did King Tut not eat all his veges, or was he murdered by a blow to his head?

This is a very painless way to have history come alive, trust us! 

Aussie Kim and Louisiana Sue

Over 16? Design your own dream trip to NASA at Florida or Houston!

If you have a budding aerospace engineer, or are just wanting a trip to see NASA at Houston or Florida, then get your little homeschoolers writing for this contest.  What's in it for you as the ever encouraging home schooling mum or dad......the "educator/sponsor" gets to go as well.  I can see those little umbrellas now...

"Your NASA Dream Experience" Contest

"Your NASA Dream Experience" is a nationwide contest as seen in Seventeen Magazine. A team of two students (ages 16-20) and an educator/sponsor will earn the chance to spend three days at either Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, or Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This opportunity will include job shadowing and behind the scenes experiences during the spring of 2009.

The deadline for entries for the contest is Dec. 15, 2008.

For more information about the contest, visit http://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/education/seventeen.html.

Teaching Mitosis

If you are teaching the little darlings biology and have reached mitosis, check out this site: cellsalive.com. Really, it's great for teaching cells in general, but I love the animated demonstration of the stages of mitosis.

I think you'll find it helpful.

Sue

NASA educating your child...

I've been involved in a couple of NASA competitions before, and they are very well run, educate your child in a very integrated way (sort of an unschooling way), and overall I recommend this (the Fall 2008 Cassini Scientist for a Day Contest) as a worth your time mini science project..... 

Want some more FREE educators stuff from NASA?  Feast your eyes here.

 

Fall 2008 Cassini Scientist for a Day Contest

The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest challenges students to become NASA scientists studying Saturn. Participants are challenged to examine three target images taken by Cassini and choose the one that they think will yield the best scientific results. This choice must then be explained in a 500-word essay.

The contest is open to all students in the United States from grades 5-12, working alone or in groups of up to four students. The essays will be divided into three groups: grades 5-6, 7-8 and 9-12. All submissions must be students' original work. Each student can submit only one entry.

Deadline for submission is Oct. 30, 2008. For more information, visit here. If you have questions about this contest, please e-mail your inquiries to [email protected].

Large Hadron Collider (LHC) - an incredible research project!

After 13 years, the $5 billion dollars worth of circular tunnel near the Swiss-French border has officially begun operation.  I find the information on this project (called the LHC) mind blowing.  If it is challenging for you to explain to your kids what is going on (or to understand it yourself) try this wonderful BBC site: What is the Large Hadron Collider? Watch the video - it is very well done.  Learn about the search for anti-matter and the Higgs-Boston particle (the theoretical explantion for the origin of mass in the universe).  Enjoy yourself, I'm off to ponder the physics of the critical mass needed to eject children from their beds so we can start school sometime before noon....

Aussie Kim

Baby Mockingbird pretenting to be made of stone

I walked all the way around this little fellow, and he remained motionless.  Quite amazing.

There is a game called Predator - Prey you can play with kids.  One child is the predator, and the rest are the prey.  The predator goes out of the room while the kids hide (in full sight) by assuming frozen positions.  The predator walks around and sees if he can spot any movement.  Whenever he does, that person is caught, eaten and then becomes the predator.  This goes on until there is no more prey left. 

 To add some interest - let the kids act as specific animals.  You can also explain to them that this is the best defense if they ever happen to be in the woods and meet a bear......

Photo from the front

Photo from the side

Photo from behind

Back round to the front again - he still hasn't moved!

I wonder how close we can get............

Closer?

Closer?

OK, I zoomed in, but at this point Melvin the Mockingbird decided to run...the camouflage works just as well as his freeze position!

Where? Right there...........

I outlined him so you could see better..................

Happy birdwatching!

Aussie Kim

Poison Ivy Identification (or, We're off to Summer Camp)

Poison Ivy is endemic in the Mississippi Delta.  It's just here and in your face (or on your legs, hands....), most of the year.  As a community service, here are some photos from the many poison ivy plants emerging or leafing back out within a 2 minute walk of our house. 

Here is THE rule:  Leaves of 3 let it be, Leaves of 5 let it thrive

Here are some other rules: 

Leaves of 3 let it be, leaves of 4, give me more

Leaves of 3 let it be, leaves of 5, you can jive

OR, more to the point :  Leaves of 3, You'd better flee!!!!

Not everyone is allergic to poison ivy, some people have not been exposed to it, and others just never developed allergies to it.  I never really knew what poison ivy was (growing up in Australia where it does not exist), except for THE famous camp song by Spike Jones (Hello Mother, Hello Father) .....

Hello Mother, Hello Father lyrics

Spike Jones

Hello muddah, hello faddah, Here I am at Camp Granada. Camp is very entertaining, And they say we'll have some fun if it stops raining!   I went hiking with Joe Spivey, He developed poison ivy. You remember Lennard Skinard, He got tomain poisoning last night after dinner!       All the counselors hate the waiters, And the lake has alligators! And the head coach wants no sissies, So he reads to us from something called 'Ulysses'.   No, I don't want this should scare ya, But my bunkmate has malaria! You remember Jeffrey Hardy, They're about to organize a searching party! Take me home, oh muddah, faddah. Take me home, I hate Granada. Don't leave me out in the forest, Where I might get eaten by a bear!     Take me home, I promise I will not make noise, Or mess the house with other boys, Oh please don't make me stay; I've been here one whole day!     Dearest faddah, darling muddah, How's my precious little bruddah? Let me come home if you miss me; I would even let Aunt Bertha hug and kiss me!     Wait a minute; it stopped hailing. Guys are swimming, guys are sailing. Playing baseball, gee that's bettah. Muddah, faddah, kindly disregard this letter! When we get into poison ivy by accident, suspect we may have been near poison ivy, or breakout in a rash, we take a shower with Tecnu Skin Cleanser 32 Ounce. This adheres to the poison when you lather it on your skin and poison and all goes down the drain with it when you wash it off.  It's also not a bad idea to squirt some in the washing machine with your contaminated clothing.  You can get it in small quantities from some of the drug stores, or walmart, but for some reason the bottles seem really small.  Way too small for Mississippi anyhow - I get the bulk size online. Often, poison ivy is transfered all over your body by scratching the first spot where you got some, getting the poison on your fingers and then scratching somewhere else.  Another way to get poison ivy is from patting your pets after they have been rolling in the stuff (usually doesn't affect them!).  Happy Camping! Aussie Kim

The Brainless Guinea Fowl

I love the guinea fowl.  This is mainly because they look like they have a face which was made of plasticine  by a kid and then melted in the sun.  Plasticine for those who do not know is a type of clay normally for kids which never hardens.  It has a magnetic attraction to carpets and the space between pillows on couches.  It sticks to shoes.

 

Their feathers look like they are little old ladies in great hoop skirts, with their petticoats just showing.

They walk around in big groups (like teenagers?) with non stop talking, and every now and then a big drama happens, and the discussion of the event becomes deafening.  Big dramas include people, dogs, cats, snakes, insects, cattle, sheep, other bird life and anything which wasn't there 5 minutes before. 

What's even more amazing is their co-ordinated movement, and how panic spreads so quickly through the flock...

 

 

"Oh wait, that looks like an American tourist...." (Co-ordinated look right)

"Like, wow, look at what they're wearing." 

"It's totally rad." 

"Wow, look at that white fluffy cloud."

"Is that a Gap shirt?" 

"Did that leaf move?"

"That shirt is the bomb diggity"

"Wait, I think I saw that leaf move"

"I like that cap, it's just perfect." 

"What is that they're holding?"

"Is that food?"

"Food, did someone say food?"

"Food, everyone, Susan said she saw food."

"I saw it first"

"I'm off wheat at the moment - it's my blood type diet"

"Wait, I'm sure that leaf moved"

"Which direction was the food?"

"If you squint your eyes, I swear that cloud looks identical to Elvis."

Co-ordinated look up

"Oh, they're comming closer."

"Why is that boy comming closer?"

"Wait, that leaf really did move."

"Look out, here comes the 8 year old boy"

"Hold on, that's not a leaf, it's a rock."

"AAAAHHHHHH here comes the boy, he's going to kill us...."

"Holy, Fried Chicken, I'm getting out of here."

More co-ordinated panic.....................

"AAAHHHHHH The boy is comming, lets run left........."

"AAAAHHHHHHH  no, lets go right..........."

"Circles, cirles, we must run in circles to escape."

Meanwhile, the Galahs sit and watch entranced at the shenanigans.

Aussie Kim

Science fiction happening now - The Phoenix Lands on Mars Sunday

Write the date in your calendar, and plan to put the TV or radio on at 6pm Central US time May 25th (Sunday), to watch the landing of the Phoenix on Mars. 

What happens if they find water?  Mars starts to look quite peachy as a get away destination from Earth!

Mars is a cold desert planet with no liquid water on its surface. But in the Martian arctic, water ice lurks just below ground level. Discoveries made by the Mars Odyssey Orbiter in 2002 show large amounts of subsurface water ice in the northern arctic plain. The Phoenix lander targets this circumpolar region using a robotic arm to dig through the protective top soil layer to the water ice below and ultimately, to bring both soil and water ice to the lander platform for sophisticated scientific analysis.
The spacecraft must perform a series of challenging transformations and activities during the seven minutes after it enters the atmosphere to slow it from 12,000 mph to 5 mph and a soft touchdown.  For a detailed schedule and landing timeline, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix

This map shows the estimated lower limit of the water content of the upper meter of Martian soil. The estimates are derived from the hydrogen abundance measured by the neutron spectrometer component of the gamma ray spectrometer suite on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. This photo is from the NASA website which explains this in detail.

Phoenix will be the first mission to return data from either polar region providing an important contribution to the overall Mars science strategy "Follow the Water" and will be instrumental in achieving the four science goals of NASA's long-term Mars Exploration Program.

--Determine whether Life ever arose on Mars
--Characterize the Climate of Mars
--Characterize the Geology of Mars
--Prepare for Human Exploration

The Phoenix Mission has two bold objectives to support these goals, which are to (1) study the history of water in the Martian arctic and (2) search for evidence of a habitable zone and assess the biological potential of the ice-soil boundary.

I can see it now, Vacation Rental Homes By Owners on Mars, Earth view positions available now!

Aussie Kim