Events Calendar Add these events to your google calendar at: http://charterscience.weebly.com/ May 6, 7, 8 Moon near Jupiter and Spica May 10 Full Flower Moon May 11- 13 Moon near Saturn and Antares May 21 Moon near Venus in pre-dawn sky May 25 New Moon Supermoon closest of year Science at Charter Our Charter Family Nature Exploration was quite fun. Thank you to Sharon Tollefson for leading our exploration - especially the epic game of coyote and fawn. I am missing a few field guides. If you might have ended up with one of my field guides by accident please leave it in Jil's room when you get a chance. Thank you. Since families have been enjoying our nature events I intend to plan another for the fall. The Night (and Day) Sky this Month As we move closer to summer, the sun rises earlier and sets later, making watching the night sky with children more difficult. If you do happen to be up while it is dark look for the planet Jupiter, which is the brightest object in the night sky this month, and the planet Venus, which is the brightest object in the predawn sky. There is much to learn from observing the daytime sky. This article describes what to look for in the daytime sky including the sun, moon, meteors, and some planets. http://earthsky.org/space/10-surprising-things-to-see-in-the-daytime-sky I enjoy using my free skyview app to observe the daytime sky so that I can "see" where the planets and stars are positioned in the sky even though it is too bright to actually see them (mostly). I have found that viewing their position several times throughout the day helps me understand the motion of the earth and its place amongst the celestial bodies. Many children and adults alike may not realize that the moon is visible during the daytime for much of the month. This month begins with a waxing crescent moon visible all day long (though it will be easiest to see as the sky gets dark and the moon sets in the western sky). The moon will appear later each day until around May 10th when the full moon rises around sunset. A few days later begin looking for the moon in the morning sky. Finally around May 26th the moon won't be visible during the day or night as it is a new moon, meaning that the dark side is facing us during the daytime. This month's new moon is also the closest the moon will be to the earth all year. This makes it a "supermoon" but since it is a new moon we won't be able to see it (you may remember this winter when the supermoon was during the full moon and made it appear larger than usual). This article by earthsky.org focuses on four ideas to help master the phases of the moon. http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/understandingmoonphases This five minute animated video also helps understand the phases of the moon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-pt_P8_7gM The phases of the moon are very predictable. The chart below lets you know approximately what time to look for the moon. Try this at home SCIENCE TELEVISION SHOWS Nothing beats getting out in nature. However, even the most motivated of us have days when having a little screen time can be relaxing. My son, Atticus (second grade), enjoys such classics as Bill Nye the Science Guy on Netflix but also has recently discovered new shows such as Odd Squad and SciGirls on PBS. Odd Squad features kid "agents" using math to investigate weird phenomena. It is a bit whacky, but fun and educational. SciGirls is an educational show that features real kids (not actors) exploring science. There are some episodes that feature the girls participating in citizen science. This would be a great model for those of you already thinking ahead to next year's science fair. PODCASTS You can also listen to some podcasts on the school commute. Here are some of the best podcasts about science for kids: BrainsOn podcasthttp://www.brainson.org/podcast/ Tumble podcast http://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com/ ScienceFriday podcasts and lessons for use by parents and teachers https://www.sciencefriday.com/educate/ SCIENCE EXPERIENCES Spring is a great time for observing nature. Consider entering your observations in "Nature's Notebook" a citizen science project for people of all ages. https://www.usanpn.org/natures_notebook In the News Noticing Mistakes Boosts Learning.
A newly published study shows that children who pay close attention to their mistakes learn more quickly. Those who have a growth mindset (believe they can do better through hard work) learn more than those with a fixed mindset (believe that they have a fixed amount of intelligence). https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/noticing-mistakes-boosts-learning
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Leise Thomason-BA Biology Brown University Categories |