EVENTS CALENDARFebruary 6 Charter Family Tide Pool Exploration 3:30 Campus Point February 8 Star Party SBMNH 7-10 FREE Full Snow Moon February 8 and 9 King Tides share photos for the California King Tides Project February 23 Free Admission Day SBMNH February 14-17 Great Backyard Bird Count February 18 Predawn - Watch the moon pass in front of Mars February 24-27 Dusk - The Crescent moon nears the planet Venus March 5 Charter Science Festival 6-8 PM March 6 1:30 Charter Family Tide Pool Exploration CHARTER FAMILY TIDE POOL EXPLORATIONS: Charter families are invited to join me for a low tide exploration on Thursday February 6 at 3:30 pm (there will also be one on Friday March 6 at 1:30) at Campus Point/UCSB. I will have buckets and field guides for identifying tide pool creatures. I recommend wearing rain boots and a jacket. I will be there rain or shine. If you text or email me your plans to attend, I can be on the lookout for you. ([email protected] or 619-993-4339) This is not an official school sponsored event. You are responsible for keeping an eye on any children you bring - No part of their bodies should touch water unless you are watching them. Always face the incoming waves when observing tide pool creatures. Also please prepare them before you come for being gentle with all sea creatures. DIRECTIONS: Exit Highway 101 northbound at Highway 217. Follow it to the end where it enters the UCSB gate. Go around the big circle and turn on Lagoon Rd. At the end of Lagoon Rd (before the signs that don't allow you to drive further) there is a large parking lot on your left. Read the sign by the pay machine- a few of the stalls are for beach access from 7:30am-5pm on weekdays. CITIZEN SCIENCEThere are two opportunities for your children to participate in citizen science this month. If they enjoy the beach and taking pictures they can participate in the California King Tides Project by snapping pictures at the beach on Saturday February 8 at 8:18 AM or Sunday February 9 at 9:02 AM for a king (extreme high) tide of 6.5 ft. If your child enjoys observing and identifying birds they can participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count on February 14-17. "For at least 15 minutes on one or more days of the count, February 14-17, 2020, simply tally the numbers and kinds of birds you see. You can count from any location, anywhere in the world, for as long as you wish!" Don't worry if you don't know your birds. There is an online identification guide. "Scientists use information from the Great Backyard Bird Count, along with observations from other citizen-science projects, such as the Christmas Bird Count, Project FeederWatch, and eBird, to get the “big picture” about what is happening to bird populations." THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTHThe full moon on February 8 will cause extreme high (see king tide project above) and low tides (for several days before and after). The winter tends to have more extreme low tides because the earth is closer to the sun. Some good times for tide pooling include Thur Feb 06 at 2:18 PM -1.0 ft Fri Feb 07 2:54 PM PST −1.4 ft Sat Feb 08 3:31 PM PST −1.6 ft Sun Feb 09 4:08 PM PST −1.5 ft Mon Feb 10 4:46 PM PST −1.3 ft Tue Feb 11 5:23 PM PST −0.9 ft This month the moon makes some exciting pairings with the planets Mars and Venus. On February 18 if you don't mind getting up REALLY early you will get to see Mars disappear behind the moon at 3:37:08 AM and Reappear at 4:27:23 AM. Jupiter and Saturn will be lined up with Mars and will be visible that morning as well. But if early morning is not for you then enjoy the crescent moon paired up with the planet Venus at dusk on February 24-27. SCIENCE FESTIVALThe Santa Barbara Charter School Science Festival is Thursday March 5 from 6-8 PM. This fun family event gives students a chance to research an area of interest and then share their knowledge with others. You can find some great projects here: www.exploratorium.edu/snacks Below is a sample format for students' display boards. Please try to re-use display boards from year to year. My children have used the same display board for five years by storing it flat in the back of the closet and using painters tape or re-usable and re-positional sticky dots. It is also helpful to use a clip to hold the folds shut while transporting the board.
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EVENTS CALENDARJanuary All month - The Constellation Orion Is Easy to Find January 4-5 Earth Closest to the Sun January 9-13 Afternoon Low Tides 2020/01/09 Thu 3:15 PM -1.18 L 2020/01/10 Fri 3:53 PM -1.40 L 2020/01/11 Sat 4:34 PM -1.47 L 2020/01/12 Sun 5:15 PM -1.36 L 2020/01/13 Mon 5:57 PM -1.08 L January 10 Full Wolf Moon January 22-24 Afternoon Low Tides 2020/01/22 Wed 2:46 PM -1.16 L 2020/01/23 Thu 3:24 PM -1.20 L 2020/01/24 Fri 3:59 PM -1.11 L January 24 New Moon January 25 Audubon Winter Bird Count for Kids 9:00-12:00 Los Carneros Park January 26 - 29 Crescent Moon Near Venus
THE NIGHT SKY THIS MONTHThe winter months are a great time for kids to learn about the constellation Orion because it is visible during prime viewing time (before bed). Here are a few good articles for kids about Orion. www.universetoday.com/54997/astronomy-for-kids-orion-the-star-hunter/ https://www.ouruniverseforkids.com/orion-the-hunter/ kids.kiddle.co/Orion_(constellation) or here is a good video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lOxdDyJANA TRY THIS AT HOMEMake a constellation viewer. All you need is a flashlight, toilet paper roll, tape, cardboard and the free printable constellation cards found here: https://playgroundparkbench.com/printable-constellation-cards/ SCIENCE IN THE NEWSSaturn has 82 Moons!!!!
www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/saturn-now-reigns-solar-systems-moon-king |
Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |