For the third year in a row, HTHT of WNC provided its “Hands-on science for a high tech world” workshop for early childhood educators from around Western North Carolina.
This year 48 teachers, and early childhood directors participated. The hour and half workshop flew by, and everyone had a great time. More importantly, wonderful science process skills were shared and conveyed to teachers.
Teachers were able to ask questions and share feedback. Teachers learned amazing ways to teach kids science in a fun manner using safe, common, everyday materials. You can see for yourself just how much fun these educators were having with High Touch High Tech.
Just another example that science is fun for kids of all ages, even those that are kids at heart!
Students and teachers create a circle by holding hands in order to act as a conduit to pass current from a small battery to illuminate a light bulb
Last week, High Touch High Tech of Oakland County, Michigan gave the students in Birmingham Schools a FUN option for their mid-winter break. While some kids left town for a vacation, the ones that didn’t enjoyed a hands-on science “stay-cation.” Students from all over the Birmingham School district gathered at Berkshire Middle School for High Touch High Tech’s “Science Made Fun” camps. The Kindergarten – 5th grade students became scientists for the week, exploring the solar system, electricity, the laws of motion, dinosaurs and even chemistry!
During Shockme Day, students get to use their hands to direct the flow of electricity in a Plasma Ball.
“Science Made Fun” camps give students the opportunity to experience interactive, fun and exciting science first hand. The kids were so excited about High Touch High Tech’s week long camp that on Monday, despite the heavy snow storm, more than 90% of scheduled students found a way to make it to school!
Tuesday had full attendance. It was Shockmee Day as students experimented with static electricity and electric currents. Wednesday was Pushing and Pulling Day, as students experimented with the three laws of motion and how to lift objects with little effort. Thursday was Going Crazy for Dinos as students learned about fossils and bones and facts from the past. Friday was Mix Me Up Day as students made chemical reactions explode — some with shocking results.
HTHT Scientists work with students on an experiment using a battery to ring a bell on Shockme Science Day
If you live in the Oakland County area & want to have your own High Touch High Tech program or summer camp – check out their website & contact info below:
Love has a lot to do with chemistry, so if you’re looking to connect Valentine’s Day with chemistry, you’ve come to the right place.
Take a look at these FUN and simple experiments that relate to Valentine’s Day.
Crystal Heart Decoration:
This crystal heart only takes a couple of hours to grow & makes a pretty Valentine’s Day decoration!
Materials Needed:
Borax
Water
Pipecleaner
Directions:
Shape the pipecleaner like a heart. It’s fine to have a ‘stem’ at the bottom of the heart, since this will give you a way to suspend the heart in the crystal growing solution. You can always clip it later with scissors or wire cutters.
Prepare the crystal growing solution by stirring borax into boiling hot water until it stops dissolving. You can tell you have enough borax if a little powder starts to accumulate in the bottom of the container.
Add food coloring, if desired. Alternatively, if you want a colored heart you can simply use colored pipecleaners.
Place your heart shape into a container. It’s best if the heart doesn’t touch the sides or bottom of the container, which you can achieve by hanging the heart from a pencil or butter knife. However, you’ll get decent results just setting the heart into the container.
Pour the borax crystal solution into the container, being certain all of the heart is covered. Try to avoid getting any undissolved solid into this container.
Allow the crystals to grow on the heart for several hours or overnight. When you are satisfied with the crystals on the heart, remove it from the crystal solution and allow it to dry. You can hang the heart as a decoration. The crystal heart may be stored wrapped in tissue paper.
Make Colored Flowers:
It’s easy to make your own colored flowers for Valentine’s Day, especially carnations and daisies, but there are a couple of tricks that help ensure great results. Here’s how you do it.
Materials Needed:
Fresh Flowers, preferably white – don’t use wilted flowers since they might not be able to absorb water well. Good choices include daisies and carnations.
Food coloring
Warm water
Directions:
Trim the stems of your flowers so they aren’t excessively long.
Make a slanted cut at the base of the stem under water. The cut is slanted so that the stem won’t sit flat on the bottom of the container. A flat cut can prevent the flower from taking in water. Make the cut underwater to prevent air bubbles from forming in the tiny tubes at base of the stem, which would prevent water/color from being drawn up.
Add food coloring to a glass. You’re looking at about 20-30 drops of food coloring per half cup of warm water. Warm water will be taken more readily than cold water.
Set the damp stem of the flower in the colored water. The petals should become colored after a few hours. It may take as long as 24 hours, however, depending on the flower.
You can set the colored flowers in plain water or flower preservative, but they will continue to drink water, changing the pattern of the color over time.
Getting Fancy
You can slit the stem up the middle and put each side in a different color to get bi-colored flowers. What do you think you will get if you put half of the stem in blue dye and half in yellow dye? What do you think will happen if you take a colored flower and put its stem in dye of a different color?
How It Works
A few different processes are involved in plant ‘drinking’ or transpiration. As water evaporates from flowers and leaves, the attractive force between water molecules called cohesion pulls more water along. Water is pulled up through tiny tubes (xylem) that run up a plant’s stem. Although gravity might want to pull the water back down toward the ground, water sticks to itself and these tubes. This capillary action keeps water in the xylem in much the same way as water stays in a straw when you suck water through it, except evaporation and biochemical reactions provide the initial upward pull.
Lakeside Elementary’s fifth-grade students became scientists and shared hands-on experiences of concepts established by Sir Isaac Newton through participating in a PTO-sponsored workshop of “Newton in the Nutshell.”
Cranium Crystal & Rockin’ Ruth Ann, scientists from the Dallas location, used enthusiasm to ignite fifth graders’ minds as they perfromed various experiments to test Newton’s three laws of motion.
You can find out the details of their awesome hands-on experience by reading the latest article in the Plano Star-Courier or just click the link below
Fifth Graders at Estes Elementary School had a great hands on science experience while learning about life Down Deep in our oceans. The students used Slinky’s to see sound waves, shortening fat to feel how blubber insulates and listened to soothing whale songs. Dinosaur Dan really made a splash with the kids at Estes Elementary…literally!!!
The following pictures are from our High Touch High Tech Science Made Fun workshop at the Western Regional Early Childhood Education Conference. Over 50 participants spent two hours learning innovative hands-on science techniques for teaching preschool children.
