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The scientific fun never stops, even when it's sometimes below freezing cold outside! This winter, our Home School STEAM Group is diving into a hands-on exploration of biology while also creating their own stop motion animation videos. This combination of science and creative arts has engaged our learners in fun ways to apply what they've been learning. Our ongoing partnership with Private Picassos means young learners in our community have access to quality art exploration close to home! This winter, Sunday mornings engaged us in exploring color science, paleolithic cave paintings, entomology art and invertebrate creations! During Science Saturdays, we dove into a hands-on exploration of physics as we focused on how things fly, how liquids behave, and how force works. Young scientists created paper helicopters and gliders, we explored attract and repel experiments, and observed what happens when certain materials are placed in water. The scientific fun continues....
Fall has been a fun and busy time at the Kiddie Science Lab! As our gardening winds down, our inside works ramps up. Although we're still functioning on limited group size capacity, and not all our programs have returned, we've still impacted hundreds of lives through the various programs at the Lab. As we ease into winter, we look forward to presenting even more programs and events to the community. As the days grew cooler and shorter, our time in the gardens and with the chickens was limited. We still spent as much time outside as possible, learning about leaf anatomy, local ecology, and the basic needs of chickens. As our garden transitioned from its summer of abundant growth, we learned more about compost and the importance of returning nutrients back to the soil. We also embarked on an indoor hydroponics project that had us growing cucumbers! Program partner, Private Picassos, returns for more exploratory art during Kids & Clay! Sunday mornings, we socialize while learning clay building techniques and making unique creations. We've had a great time learning clay terms, using tools, and completing projects. STEM Kids NYC joins us this fall with an extension of Science Saturdays for our older scientists. It's been hands-on fun as we incorporate the Scientific Method through often messy explorations. Friday mornings continue to be for age 3 and under! We've enjoyed singing, dancing, playing, and creating art. Our young ones have enjoyed exploring age-appropriate Lab materials, saying hello to our turtle Spaghetti, and getting a little messy as we paint and create. Fall means we transition to physical science as our main exploration topic. Young scientists in all our programs explored different aspects of physical science, which implementing the Scientific Method. We enjoyed exploring chemistry, expanded our physics exploration, learned more about energy, explored color science, and learned more about the states of matter. It's been an amazing time learning and exploring together. We look forward to more hands-on fun at the Kiddie Science Lab this winter!
It's time for another story read-aloud by Ms. Carmen! More stories can be found HERE. This week, we explore How Do You Lift A Lion?
Mammals, invertebrates, reptiles, oh my! Young scientists age 5 to 11 are invited to join us on Saturday, December 16th at the Kiddie Science for up close and hands-on contact with a wide range of animal species. We learn about the classification of living things, their adaptations, and the current environmental challenges faced. Up to a dozen live animals visit the Lab, allowing young learners to conduct first-hand observations. This program meets from 10am to 12pm. Advanced registration is required and space is limited. Over the course of seven weeks, our young scientists explored Earth Science from the perspective of Brooklyn. Our goal was to connect with nature right here in our urban environment. We explored local ecology, which included the plants and birds in an area. We observed and identified local plants and animals and explored how these populations differ in other nearby locations, such as Queens. During our exploration, we spent quality time in the Lab's backyard. Originally, we expected to transition the garden over to fall planting. The unexpected warm weather meant we instead continued to care for the summer plants, which continued to produce fruits and flowers through mid-October. While working in the backyard, we were able to observe several local birds, and we met Mr. Penny the grasshopper. Our exploration and understanding of the natural world included the real life example of pollution. In particular, we explored water and noise pollution. Our young scientists were challenged to rescue plastic animals from an oil spill. Once they did this, they had to clean the animal and were then faced with another dilemma: how do you clean the water? With support and materials, our young scientists created a water filtration system that addressed this issue and brought about an enriching discussion on the importance of keeping the water we have clean. Living in an urban location means there's more noise. But just how much noise? We explored sound and how it is measured. Using a sound meter, we explored the decibels produced from different sounds. We then compared and contrasted the decibels in the Lab's backyard and the gated front area. Although we knew it was noisy outside, we were surprised just how much noise there was! We determined that the noise from idling trucks creates noise and air pollution. We look forward to seeing you at a future Science Saturdays workshop. The scientific fun continues!
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