Posts Tagged ‘planets’

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Help Discover a New Planet & More!

September 10th, 2012

Hi! It’s Tuesday, September 4, 2012 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website: Zooniverse

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

A Maryland ClickScholar suggested this website that “is home to the internet’s largest, most popular and most successful citizen science projects” developed by the Citizen Science Alliance. The CSA works with scientists and researchers around the world on projects that use the efforts and ability of citizen volunteers. Parents and kids can have a great time together engaging in real science projects!

When you get to the site, you’ll see an image menu of the current projects and some retired ones. Click on any image and a new screen opens with a brief description. Click on “Take Part” to get a detailed explanation of the project and what volunteers do. Once you understand the scope of the project, you can sign up to participate (free). Some of the current projects include:

SPACE – View images of space from the Hubble Telescope, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the STEREO spacecraft, the Kepler spacecraft, and the Spitzer Space Telescope to help researchers with these projects:

  • How Do Galaxies Form?
  • Explore the Surface of the Moon
  • Study Explosions on the Sun
  • Find Planets Around Stars
  • How Do Stars Form?

CLIMATE – Help scientists recover worldwide weather observations using Royal Navy ship logs.

HUMANITIES – Help scholars study the lives of ancient Greeks.

NATURE – Help marine researchers understand how whales communicate.

Some of the projects include “Resources for Teachers” with interactive lesson plans, teachers’ notes, presentations, events and exhibitions. They are designed for classroom students but can be tweaked for use at home.

You can also participate in “Experiments in Laboratory” that currently include: helping researchers review data about NASA Astronauts and Engineers living on an underwater base for 10 days; searching for life on another planet; and helping researchers describe music collections from various time periods.

Don’t miss the opportunity to explore the “Retired Projects” too!

This is a terrific way to engage the whole family in science explorations. Bookmark it to return often.

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Free Solar System Science Fact Sheets!

September 10th, 2012

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, August 28, 2012, and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:

8 Planets

Age Range: 9 and up (approximately, with parental supervision)

I stumbled across this UK-based website by accident, and am so glad I did!  It’s currently an ad-free site with free scientific fact sheets containing, “Everything You Ever Wanted To know About Our Solar System.”

When you get to the site you’ll see a scrolling screen that displays cartoon animations of the 8 planets in our Solar System along with an interesting fact about each one. Use the horizontal menu at the top of the page to explore the more content-rich information and fact sheets (that contain terrific photographs) archived under the headings:

  • The Sun
  • The Planets
  • The Moon
  • Dwarf Planets
  • Other Bodies(Asteroids, Meteors, Oort Clouds, etc.)
  • Astronomy(Astronomy, Galaxy, Gravity, etc.)
  • Space Exploration (Space Travel, Alien Life, etc.)

You can explore this information online, or print out the fact sheets to use offline. The facts are great conversation starters and may springboard your kids to want to learn much more.

Interestingly, I couldn’t find any information on this UK-based website that explains who sponsors the site. I didn’t find any notations or references for the source of the information either – even though it looks to be current and accurate. Therefore, as always, parents should preview the site and supervise all Internet use.

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Explore the “Space Place” for Kids!

June 5th, 2012

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, June 5, 2012 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
NASA’s Space Place

Age Range: 6-12 (elementary grades)

NASA sponsors this non-commercial website to show kids that science, technology, and learning about space are fun and within their grasp. It offers free projects and activities that lead kids step-by-step through challenging subjects such as the electromagnetic spectrum, orbits, gravitational waves, tidal forces, binary and hexadecimal notation, and more. As the website explains, these topics are “treated simply and concisely, with everyday analogies and metaphors, concrete examples, and compelling illustrations.”
 
When you get to the site you’ll see the Space Place logo and below it a menu of activities that includes:

*Explore – Learn about planets, lasers, weather satellites, orbits, gravity, and more through interactive animations, demonstrations, and videos.

*Do – Build a bubble-powered rocket, make moon cookies, make a relief map, build a physics machine, and whip up some El Nino pudding! You’ll find instructions and illustrations for these hands-on projects.

*Play – Play interactive games that teach as they entertain. Go on a virtual mission to Jupiter, explore the solar system, compare the sizes of planets, do space-themed crossword puzzles, word searches, and more.

This is a terrific way to engage kids in learning about science through technology. 

 

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Exogeology Rocks!

October 25th, 2011

Hi! It’s Tuesday, October 25, 2011 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Exogeology Rocks!

The Bentley Family was recently interviewed about unschooling on the “Today Show.” The segment included information about Zoe Bentley’s passion for Exogeology. Zoe, a teenager, created this terrific website with information on exogeology that combines the sciences of geology and astronomy in the study of planets, asteroids, moons, etc.

When you get to the site, you’ll see information about “Zoe’s Geo Party,” a trivia game she invented that involves weekly video clues that are posted on the site. Scroll down the page to see the archive of past clues and games.

You can also click on links to watch the Bentley Family’s segment on the “Today Show” and visit their blog to get their reaction to the piece.

To begin learning about Exogeology, use the menu under the headline “Things To Do” on the right side of the homepage that includes a definition of Exogeology, information on how to use the site. You can also learn more about Zoe. You’ll also find:

*Exogeology Rocks: Episodes/Meet Real Exogeologists – Watch Zoe’s on-camera interviews with exogeologists who explain what their work entails.

*How To Become An Exogeologist – Get information on what it takes to have a career in exogeology.  Kids will find suggested activities and links to further information about:

  • NASA
  • Rock collecting
  • Dig-sites
  • Stargazing
  • Visiting geologic formations

*Games & Puzzles – Enjoy playing crossword puzzles, word searches, and jigsaw puzzles themed around geology, astronomy, and exogeology.

You’ll also find a photo gallery, a great list of resources to explore, and more!

This is an incredible demonstration of where interest-initiated learning and unschooling can lead, and may inspire your homeschooler or unschooler to explore their passions with the same gusto.

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Free K-12 Science Lessons, Activities, Videos & More!

September 27th, 2011

Hi!  It’s Tuesday, September 27, 2011 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Science For Kids

Age Range: 5 – 18 (with parental supervision)

Your kids will enjoy the free science activities, lessons, videos, projects, experiments, cool facts, quizzes, and games available at this terrific website! They’ll learn about animals, biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, weather, space science and more.
 
When you arrive at the site, you will see an introduction and the highlighted facts and features of the site. You can use the horizontal navigation bar at the top of the page to explore the following topics.
 
*Experiments – Perform cool chemistry experiments and more with materials you’ll find around the house. Float an egg, melt some chocolate, make a vinegar volcano, breed bacteria, make invisible ink, germinate seeds, or make fake snot (ewwww!).

*Games – Try these challenging interactive games that test your tech skills while teaching the science behind activities that involve magnets, electricity, forces, light, sounds, gases, etc.

*Facts – “Did you know that the ears of a cricket are located on its front legs?” Get the facts and enjoy fun trivia about animals, planets, the human body, and other fascinating topics.

*Quizzes – Test your knowledge about elementary science through quizzes with questions ranging from easy to hard. Enjoy printable science word searches and puzzle worksheets too!

*Projects – Learn about the “scientific method” while you try the science projects offered in every field of science for students in grades K-12. Grow salt crystals, make a kaleidoscope or a simple microscope, learn about forensics and
much, much more!

*Lessons – Get fun and educational science activities for students and lesson plans for teachers from elementary to high school level including resources, ideas, and activities.

*Images – Use this archive of illustrations, photos, and diagrams to create a science report or project.

*Videos – Watch incredible video clips of animal behavior, cellular behavior, chemical reactions, and more. See “How-To” videos on everything from making a lemon battery to surviving a bear attack. You’ll find videos on engineering, video game technology, dinosaurs, robots and more!

*Topics – Get a wide range of teaching resources and ideas on over 30 science topics.

This is an ad-supported website and the ads are randomly generated. Parents, as always, should preview and supervise use.

There are an amazing number of things to do and learn on this site – bookmark it to return often.

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Earth & Space Science Interactives!

June 14th, 2011
Hi!  It’s Tuesday, June 14, 2011 and time for Science at ClickSchooling!
Recommended Website:
Windows To The Universe
Age Range: 9 and up (Approximately, with parental guidance. Younger children may enjoy aspects of this site.)
The National Earth Science Teachers Association sponsors this website that offers comprehensive, multi-media information to encourage learning Earth and Space science as well as a range of other related sciences for beginners, intermediate, and advanced students.
When you get to the website you’ll see a sliding panel featuring several of the science presentations in the archives. You can click on any one to jump right in, or take some time to explore the menu and see what’s available including:
  • Sun — Explore the closest star to Earth including sunspots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections.
  • Solar System — Discover planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, comets, the heliosphere, and interstellar space.
  • Space — Study stars, galaxies, and other mysterious objects in our Universe.
  • Sciences — Learn how Earth and Space sciences are interconnected with geology, physics, chemistry, and biology.
  • Culture — Browse a collection of myths, folk tales, and stories about the Earth and sky. Check out artwork, poetry, books, and movies that portray the natural world.
  • People — Access biographies of scientists who made science history!
  • Games — Enjoy scientifically themed crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, word searches, and concentration. Play interactives about the carbon cycle, planets, space, and more! Enjoy coloring pages and paper activities.
  • Space Weather — Learn about radiation, fluctuating magnetic fields, solar wind and the complex ways they interact with Earth’s magnetic field, including disruption of cell phone communication.
  • Multimedia — Get links to all sorts of pictures, animations, videos, podcasts, and interactive multimedia that are on the “Windows to the Universe” website.
  • Postcards — Read collections of virtual postcards from scientists doing field research around the world with sharks, penguins, ice, rocks, the atmosphere, and the ocean.
  • Citizen Science — Find out about science projects where the public can get involved in scientific research and data collection.
You’ll also find news, research information, and tips for teachers.
Note: This ad-supported site is free, however, you can purchase a membership to access the site ad-free, along with some other interactive features.

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