My favorite citizen science project is the Great Backyard Bird Count. Every year on Presidents Day weekend, you spend at least 15 minutes in one place and keep track of how many birds you see. You can head down to the reservoir to look for Bald Eagles or just look out your window. The numbers you report at www.birdcount.org are used to see where birds are and how many there are, and how their numbers change over time. Will this year be very “birdy”? Let’s find out.
Our student scientists have been busy in the lab, and several grades have started on new topics. Kindergarteners used pushes and pulls to get toy cars up and down ramps. First graders are learning that animals, like plants, have structures that help them survive. They compared different tools to see which worked best at getting different objects that represented seeds, worms, fish, etc. Then they used what they learned about the best tool to figure out which bird actually eats those foods in real life. Second graders modeled how volcanoes form by pushing “lava” (modeling clay) through “craters” (holes in cardboard.) Third graders are using different kinds of magnets, and noticing that opposite poles attract. Fourth graders are using Morse code to send messages over a distance using light or sound energy. Fifth graders have started astronomy, and can tell you high high they could jump on the moon. Sixth graders finished their chemistry unit with reactions that give off or absorb heat. On to the second half of the school year!