Events Calendar November 14 Monday Full Moon - Supermoon/Full Beaver Moon November 13- 16 Low Afternoon Tide November 29 Tuesday New Moon Low Tide This month presents some wonderful opportunities for exploring the abundant life that occurs in the intertidal region at the beach. The tide will be particularly low in the afternoons of Sunday November 13 through Wednesday November 16. As you may notice this months low tides occur around the time of the full moon. To learn more about why this occurs listen to "What's Behind the Waves and Tides podcast" on your way to the beach with the kids. Consider going Sunday around 2:40 pm for a -0.8, Monday at 3:30 for a -1.1, Tuesday at 4:20 for a -1.2 or Wednesday around 5:30 for a -1.1. Often the low tide occurs too late or too early in the day to make visiting practical or the low tide is not significant enough to be interesting. Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity. The Night Sky this Month The full super moon on Monday November 14 promises to be especially lovely. According to Seasky.org, “This full moon was known by early Native American tribes as the Full Beaver Moon because this was the time of year to set the beaver traps before the swamps and rivers froze. It has also been known as the Frosty Moon and the Hunter's Moon. This is also the second of three supermoons for 2016. The Moon will be at its closest approach to the Earth and may look slightly larger and brighter than usual." The new moon falls on tuesday november 29. This time of month is a great time to explore the constellations especially as it will be dark in plenty of time to view the sky before bedtime. Apps such as SkyView make identifying the planets and contellations easy for even the most novice viewer. Try this at home Here are three fun science experiments involving your Thanskgiving leftovers that will give your kids something to do while the grown ups are recovering from food coma. The directions for all three are found at: http://fromabcstoacts.com/2013/11/3-family-friendly-thanksgiving-science-experiments.html 1. Cranberry Chemistry - explore color changing chemical reactions using cranberry juice (or the leftover water from boiling your cranberries), lemon juice, and baking soda. 2. Bendy Bones- turn your leftover turkey bones into rubbery bones by soaking them in vinegar. 3. Regrowing food from scraps- As you prepare your thanksgiving meal save carrot tops, green onion roots, and other root vegetable tops to regrow into new plants. In the News Here's an environmentally friendly way to solve your rodent problems - eat them! New evidence indicates that people in ancient scotland ate rodents. http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/10/rodents-may-have-been-menu-ancient-scotland Encouraging Science at Home
Listening to science podcasts at home or in the car ride to or from school can be an enjoyable way to engage children in science. Here are two science podcasts created with kids in mind. TUMBLE science podcasts for kids Brains On Science Podcast ages 6-12
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Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |