Archive for the ‘science’ category

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Kids Do Ecology!

January 31st, 2012

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, January 31, 2012 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Kids Do Ecology

Age Range: 8-12 (approximately with parental supervision)

The National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis in Santa Barbara, California offers this multi-media website for kids to teach them the science of ecology.

When you get to the site, you’ll see a menu of choices that includes:

*Learn About Ecology – Get an introduction to the study of ecology, learn about endangered species, find out about careers in ecology, and enjoy interviews with ecologists.

*Data Science – Discover the scientific method! Learn to analyze data and present results. Design your own ecology experiment.

*World Biomes – Learn about the 5 major biomes including aquatic, desert, forest, grassland, and tundra. Discover the flora and fauna that thrive in each.

*Marine Mammals – Meet Blue, Grey, and Humpback whales, a variety of dolphins, and sea otters!

Each section contains clickable links to information, videos, sound, and fun facts.  You can also check out some classroom science projects and an assortment of links to other science websites.

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Birds, Bats, & Wildlife!

January 24th, 2012

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, January 24, 2012 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
50Birds.com

Age Range: All (There’s something for everyone here with parental supervision.)

This commercial website offers an amazing archive of free resources, information, and activities about birds, bats, and endangered or extinct wildlife.  There is a great deal of content mixed together with products for sale such as bird and bat feeders, t-shirts, and other items.

When you get to the site you’ll see an icon menu that features FREE, printable wildlife coloring pages, printable plans for building a birdhouse, and a drop-down menu featuring a wide variety of birds such as:

  • Eastern Bluebird
  • Black-capped Chickadee
  • Mourning Dove
  • Peregrine Falcon
  • Red-tailed Hawk
  • Starling
  • Woodpecker
  • Chimney Swift
  • Beewick’s Wren
  • And many more!

Click on any one and a new page opens with information about the bird, an illustration, its scientific classification, a habitat map, and free printable plans for building a nesting box that suits that particular bird.

To see what else is available at this site for free, place your cursor over the items on the horizontal menu (with gray lettering) at the top of the home page that includes:

*Birds – You’ll find the same information you accessed from the home page along with information on bird migratory law. Plus, you can access “The National Bat Museum” with terrific info on bat species, an online gallery of bat illustrations, and links to free resources such as plans for building bat boxes.

*Houses & Feeders – Get free woodworking plans for building bird houses and bat houses, and plans for building bird feeders as well.

*Bird Gallery – Learn about birds of the world, endangered species, extinct birds, and print out some bird artwork.

*Wildlife Galleries – Print out free calendar pages featuring birds and other wildlife. Learn about endangered and extinct animals, cats, turtles, alligators, and more. You’ll even find links to other educational websites for kids. (Parents, as always, should preview the sites and supervise all Internet use.)

 

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Winter Solstice Science

December 20th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, December 20, 2012 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
SciJinks: What’s a Solstice

Age Range: 8-13 (about grades 3-8, with parental supervision)

The Winter Solstice will soon be here (for those in the Northern Hemisphere of planet Earth). It marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year.  The winter solstice is celebrated by various cultures and religions worldwide.  But what exactly is a solstice?

At this NASA-sponsored website, scientists provide an easy-to-understand explanation of the solstice complete with illustrations and photographs.  This presentation includes information about:

  • The Equator
  • Earth’s Axis of Rotation
  • Arctic Circle
  • Tropic of Cancer
  • Tropic of Capricorn
  • Antarctic Circle
  • Spring and Autumnal Equinox

When you’re through exploring the solstice page, use the menu to access mini-lessons and games that teach about:

  • Weather
  • Hurricanes
  • Clouds, Water, and Ice
  • Tides and Oceans
  • Atmosphere
  • Satellites and Technology
  • And More!

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Geminid Meteor Shower Tonight!

December 13th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, December 13, 2011 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
SpaceWeather.com

Age Range: All (with parental supervision)

I couldn’t resist reminding you that the annual Geminid meteor shower is tonight! According to this website, Earth is passing through a stream of debris from asteroid 3200 Phaethon, source of this annual meteor shower. Forecasters expect meteor rates to reach 20 to 40 per hour when the shower peaks in bright moonlight. The moonlight may interfere slightly with your ability to see the display – but check it out anyway because chances are good you’ll see a shooting star!

The best time to look, no matter where you live, is from 10 pm local time on Tuesday, December 13th, until sunrise on Wednesday, December 14th. Bundle up, grab a cup of warm cocoa, and head outside to watch this heavenly event with your family.

If this piques your interest, you’ll find more in-depth information about meteors by reading the FAQs at the American Meteor Society website.

Younger children can check out the Meteoroid Facts for Kids website, or the Kids Pages at the European Space Agency website.

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Super-Sized Lunar Eclipse & Much More!

December 6th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, December 6, 2011 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
NASA Science News

My favorite science e-newsletter for homeschoolers is NASA’s Science News. It keeps you posted on the latest and greatest scientific discoveries and events in space. It’s free to subscribe, and you’ll get links to stories that you can read online that often include an audio narration or a video to watch on NASA’s YouTube channel.  For example, here are a couple of recent alerts:

*Super-Sized Lunar On Saturday morning, Dec. 10th, sky watchers in the western United States and Canada will witness a total lunar eclipse swollen to super-sized proportions by the Moon illusion. The action begins at 4:44 AM (Pacific Standard Time). You can read the full story by clicking on the link above, or watch a video version.

*Kepler Confirms First Planet in Habitable Zone of Sun-like Star. In a significant milestone on the road to finding Earth’s “twin” elsewhere in the galaxy, NASA’s Kepler mission has confirmed its first planet in the habitable zone of a distant sun-like star. Read the full story.

From these pages you can explore the wide variety of services and information NASA provides to students and the general public including:

*NASA’s Citizen Science – Find out how you can help NASA conduct their research from your own backyard. 

*NASA’S The Space Place – A great place for kids to explore the solar system.

*NASA’s Mission: Science - Engaging science and educational resources for teens, including a timeline of the Physical Sciences.

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Rocks That Glow!

November 29th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, November 29, 2011, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Superfluorescence

Age Range: All (with parental supervision)

This fantastic website showcases rocks that naturally glow in many different vibrant colors under invisible UV radiation along with interesting information about rocks and minerals. The rocks have been beautifully photographed by an avid rockhound named Herb Yates. (If you aren’t already a rockhound, this may inspire you!)

The site features interactive photos – you can sit back and watch as the rocks fade and intensify, or you can switch the UV on and off yourself to see what happens.

When you get to the site, use the menu across the top of the landing page that includes:

*Fluorescent Minerals – Get basic information about minerals that glow (fluoresce) or temporarily change color (tenebresce) when illuminated by invisible UV light – and where they can be found.

*Interactive Photos of Amazing Rocks Found in:

  • Franklin & Sterling Hill, NJ
  • Illimaussaq, Greenland
  • Other Locales

*About This Site – If you click on the photo of the group of people at the bottom of the page, you can read the photographer’s journal from his rockhunting expedition to Greenland. Near the photo, don’t miss “Minershop.“ There, you can find even more photos and information by mousing around a bit.

*Links – If you have the time, it is well worth your while to explore the other websites listed here that include museums and mineral societies. You will find a wealth of further information and many fantastic photos, even a slideshow or two, and information about geological expeditions open to the public.

If you made it down this far in the review, here’s your reward: CLICK HERE for the site’s main photo gallery. (Just the rocks, ma’am.) Click on any rock to see its corresponding (larger interactive photo, together with the names of the various minerals that comprise it, what color each mineral glows, and where the rock itself was found.

 

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