Hopefully Not Goodbye...

Thank you all, for your insight, discussions, ideas, and the experiences we had in our short little class.  During these three weeks, I've seen you all more than I've seen my own child (at least awake), what with work and class time.  I've learned so much from being in this class and from such awesome instruction from Dr. Kat.  Seriously, thank you for that lesson on the lunar phases!  I will never forget it, and I will always work that in to whichever grade I teach! 

On that note, I will leave you with a little poem that I wrote about my job as a zookeeper...  I hope you enjoy it!

Confessions of a Zookeeper

By Jennifer Coleman-Bonham

Copyright 2013

I do not like the monkeys at the zoo.

They will fling fruit and poo at you,

And they will conspire with their little monkey friends

When it is dark outside and you have to get them in.

They may look adorable and incredibly sweet

But they will gnash at you with their nails and teeth.

You may think, “Oh precious monkeys, this cannot be true!”

I used to think that as well, but boy, let me tell you…

I would rather scoop live mealworms for yummy tortoise snacks.

If I have to clean the python’s cage, I assure you, I’m relaxed.

Let the cliquish alpaca spit at me while I’m supplying their oats.

A few times, I’ve been butted by the cantankerous billy goat.

I would rather scoop sheep pellets while dripping with sweat

And saying, “Watch your step there, sir.  Those aren’t Raisinets.”

Let me empty and scrub out the anteater’s tub.

Let my leg be a toy for a feisty leopard cub.

After I dodge the wrath of a bad-tempered kinkajou,

Let the nosy toucans give me a Donald Trump hairdo.

Bring on the unprovoked hatred from the hawk.

Let me be slooooooowly attacked by a two-toed sloth.

I would rather do all of this, every single day…

Just please, don’t send me to the monkeys today.

P.S. Don’t even get me started on swans…

 

 

*Photo credit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8498000/8498058.stm

 

 

Your Favorite Teachers Knew Their Stuff.

There was a part in our reading assignment tonight that really struck me.  In Chapter 8 of Ready, Set, Science! the author made the point that successful teachers know their content really well.  We all have our pet subjects, and of those subjects, we have our pet concentrations.  My pet concentration happens to be biology.  However, I am also really interested in Earth science.  I'm not as good at chemistry and physics as I'd like to be, but I am going to push myself to REALLY learn that content so that I can be a great teacher.

One of my favorite teachers growing up was my 8th grade science teacher, Boyd Sykes.  He was an amazing teacher for many reasons, one being that he really listened to and supported his students in their endeavors.  He was enthusiastic about his craft, and it fizzled down even to the most rebellious of students.  He managed to captivate us when he spoke about several subjects but none more so than his pet project:  honeybees.

We had bees in our class.  He had rigged a pipe that came through the outer wall of the building and into the classroom.  He had this lovely glass window hive, and the queen was always marked with a dot so that we could see her and follow what she was doing.  We got to see her lay eggs and see the workers feeding the larvae, we got to see the "trash dump" where the workers would take the refuse out of the hive -- "taking out the trash," so to speak.  We learned SO much about bees in this class, and he would even bring us fresh honey from his own hives, right on the comb! 

He influenced me so very much -- not only because he encouraged me to pursue a career in science, but because he REALLY knew his stuff.  I learned everything I ever wanted to know about the water cycle, recycling (I started a recycling program a year later at my high school), and bees, not to mention everything else he taught.  His was really the first serious science instruction that I had experienced, and it was always hands-on and relevant. 

I wish that I could tell him how much of an influence he had in my life.  Mr. Sykes passed away two years after I had the good fortune of being part of his class.  But I will never forget him, and I, along with MANY others of his students, still tell the wonderful stories of his instruction and what he meant to us.  So, this post is dedicated to him and all the other amazing teachers who give their all just to make us smarter, more well-rounded individuals.  If you've had some great teachers, tell them, "Thank you."

*Photo credit: http://www.genehanson.com/bees.htm

There Are Plenty of Meteor Showers in the Sky...

So you thought the Camelopardalid was the one, and it just didn't work out.  Well, the good news is that, like people on the earth, there are still plenty of meteor showers to be seen in the sky.  Whether or not there are still plenty of fish in the sea is a topic for another discussion on a different day.

One that's coming up is the Perseid meteor shower, which will peak on the 12th of August.  We'll have a gibbous moon, so the viewing might be obscured by moonlight, but they usually yield about 100 meteors per hour, give or take a few.  You may want to give them a try at the beginning of August, when you don't have to fight with the moon to see them.  You won't see as many, but you might have a better chance at seeing good ones.  I didn't catch the meteor shower last year because if my brain remembers correctly, there was too much cloud cover to see anything.  But two years prior, they were really good!  Here's a shot of the Perseids:

One that seems to be hit-and-miss is the Leonid meteor shower, which will peak on the night of the 16th/morning of the 17th of November.  Usually, we only see about 10-20 per hour, but it seems that this year they are expecting about 30-300 meteors per hour.  We'll have a waning crescent moon, so unless there is cloud cover (or unless you have too much light pollution), then viewing conditions should be great.  Just load up on the hot chocolate and get some Hot Hands!

The last potentially good one this year will be the Geminid shower, which peaks on the 13/14th of December and can yield over 120 per hour.  Talk about cold!  But if you're brave enough, these meteor showers are slow and bright.  So by the time you manage to twist your frozen neck around to look at the one to your side, you'll probably still manage to get a good look before it fizzles out.

Here's a pretty picture for ya:

And remember -- colds are caused by viruses, so you probably won't die if you stay outside looking at stars in the freezing cold night.  Good luck!

These were only the higher-yielding showers.  There are several others that you can check out, as well.  I've seen meteors with the Draconids, Orionids, and Taurids before as well, and they are still to come this year.  Earthsky has a great guide with dates and descriptions of all the meteor showers:

http://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/earthskys-meteor-shower-guide

Also, Meteorwatch has a table for a quick reference to keep track of future meteor showers.  Bookmark it for later!

http://www.meteorwatch.org/meteor-info/meteor-showers-2014/


 

Outdoor Classroom Ideas

 

It's no secret that I prefer to be outside.  So far, as a substitute teacher, the most challenging days have been ones that the children couldn't go outside.  Sometimes, this was due to scheduling of recess.  Sometimes, if the kids have P.E. class that day, they don't allow a break for recess.  Other times, if it was raining or too cold, the children couldn't go outside, and recess had to be indoors.  Sixth graders got no outdoor time at all. 

I think this is one of the main reasons that we should start outdoor projects like gardens and outdoor classrooms.  It is so important for children and adolescents to have time outdoors (when the weather isn't inclement).  Time for play and relaxation is essential for a child's social, emotional, and academic development and should be allowed.  But if it's not, an outdoor class can provide some of the same benefits as outdoor play, such as being in nature and having fresh air and sunshine.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for an outdoor classroom.  I just did a search on Bing and got these pictures:

 These are the outdoor options with roofs.  While I think that having a roof over the outdoor class sort of lessens the point of being outdoors, I think that if you really want one, these are some good examples.  Benefits of this would be the ability to hold class if it's drizzling outside or if sunburn is a major concern.

 And while this is obviously a residential garden and patio, I really like the clear roof in this picture.  It would still protect children while letting sunlight in:

 

 

 And one day, I really hope that indoor classrooms can look a bit more like these:

 

 Also, one thing that would be really amazing to do is to certify your outdoor classroom area as a wildlife habitat.  You can do this through the National Wildlife Foundation:

http://www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Schoolyard-Habitats.aspx

I hope that these give you some good ideas for starting an outdoor classroom project.  To raise money, you could do a class or school fundraiser or apply for a grant.  Get those kids outside!!

What's in Miracle-Gro?

In class, we had a question about plant food.  I knew that plants don't need soil to make their own food (all they need is water and sunlight), but I do know that Miracle-Gro makes plants grow bigger and faster than they would otherwise.  So, what's in this stuff?  I thought it might be hormones, but I was wrong!  It's mostly nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, with trace amounts of other elements such as iron and copper. 

How do these elements make the plants grow?  Nitrogen helps the process of photosynthesis because it is an essential part of chlorophyll.  Too little of it, and the leaves will turn yellow.  Too much of it, and the plant can experience nitrogen burn and may die.  The trick is to find the happy medium. 

http://www.house-garden.us/articles/the-role-of-nitrogen-in-plants/


Phosphorous helps the plants to convert nutrients in order to grow, and potassium helps plants fight off disease and retain water during a drought.  You can find information about the roles of phosphorous and potassium in plants here:

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/phosphorus-plant-growth.htm

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/plants-potassium.htm

But there is a problem with using Miracle-Gro.  Too much of it can cause plants to become sick and die.  Also, there is the problem of fertilizer runoff.  Since it helps the production of photosynthesis, if it runs off into a water source, it can cause algal blooms in which algae growth experiences a huge increase.  The increased algae in the water requires more oxygen, which depletes the level of breathable oxygen for fish.  This can cause huge populations of fish to die.

What's the answer?  If you just HAVE to use commercial fertilizer, limit the use to whenever your plants aren't thriving and actually need a nutrient boost.  But compost pretty much solves all of these problems.  So, make a compost pile in your backyard, and use it!  Throw banana peels in for potassium, and you've got the perfect solution.  It's better for the soil, the plants, and the environment, as a whole.

These petunias are a good example:  The one on the right was grown in compost, while the one on the left was grown with Miracle-Gro.  In this case, the compost was even better!

Photo was taken here:  http://qualitygreenspecialists.com/index.php?p=1_16_Premium-blend-Compost

You can teach about plants and nutrients with a simple experiment in your class.  You could do this with outside plants or indoor potted ones.  Just make sure they are the same species and have the same access to sunlight and water.  Make one the control (no fertilizer and use only potting soil and water), put commercial fertilizer on one, and on the last, use organic compost, and record the growth and health of each plant over a period of two months.  During the lessons, discuss the process of photosynthesis, and allow the students to predict which plant will do the best and why. 

 And don't forget to put earthworms in your compost pile or bin!

Camelopardalid Meteor....Storm? Shower?

 

 

*Photo taken from this website: http://www.meteorwatch.org/meteor-info/meteor-showers-2014/

Yeeeeaaaah, not quite.  Maybe a drizzle.  I was SUPER excited for this amazing possibility of seeing over 200 meteors per hour (one website even had experts predicting up to 1000).  The discovery that Earth would come into contact with the dust trail of Comet 209P/Linear was made a couple of years ago.  Since the comet's discovery, it was proven to be a poor dust producer.  But scientists had no way of knowing how active it was back in the 1800s, which is when the dust would have been produced for this meteor shower.  So, if it was producing lots of dust back then, the meteor shower would have been really spectacular.   Here's a great site that really explains just about everything you ever wanted to know about this:

http://www.space.com/25982-rare-meteor-shower-camelopardalid-comet-unknowns.html

So I tried REALLY hard to get a group of people to drive out somewhere with me and find some dark skies to watch them, hoping for the "spectacular dust" scenario.  Apparently, NO ONE wanted to be AWESOME with me, and they had better things to do, like sleeping.  I even asked if I could crash the lawns of friends who lived away from the city, even if they didn't want to stay up and watch.  No dice. So, since I didn't have a dark place to go that I knew would be available, I caffeined-up, threw on a jacket, and took a camping chair outside to my backyard in Nashville.  At least the action would be in the north, where I had the clearest view and the darkest sky (our light pollution here is ridiculous). 

And so I sat and watched.  Almost all night.  Around 11:30, I started to see a couple of bright streaks here and there, and I started thinking that maybe there was something to this.  About an hour later, I was seeing what could either have been a LOT of really faint streaks or just my eyes playing tricks on me.  At this point, I started getting a little grumpy about the fact that I was trying to watch these with Nashville's light pollution.  I also got a little too excited over what turned out to be fireflies closer to the horizon.  At about 2:00, the clouds rolled in from the west and blocked the view, so I went back inside and kept checking the sky every now and then to see if it had cleared up.

By 3 a.m., even with the caffeine, I was so tired that I had to throw in the towel.  I didn't make it to sunrise to see Venus and the crescent moon rising, like I had hoped.

So that's my historic meteor shower story.  I checked this morning to see if other people around the U.S. had any luck, and their stories are pretty much the same, even with darker and clearer skies.  But I figure that, hey, I'm young.  There's always the next one!  Here's a picture taken by some lucky person who actually caught one on camera:

I got it here:  http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1136640

Winter and the Sun? They're closer than you might think.

When this discussion came up in class, I was shocked at how little I knew about the relationship between the proximity of the sun and the seasons on Earth.  I knew about axial tilt and the reason for summer and winter, but I didn't realize that Earth is closer to the sun in the northern hemisphere's winter.  I always knew that Earth has a very slightly elliptical orbit, but I never knew that it was enough to make much of a difference. 

This website explains everything fairly well:

http://www.space.com/3304-earth-closest-sun-dead-winter.html

Earth is closest to the sun in early January and farthest from the sun in early July.  For those people living in the southern hemisphere, it is true that Earth is closer to the sun in summer.  But for those of us here in the United States, or anywhere in the northern hemisphere, we're experiencing winter at that time. 

Picture was taken from: http://www.ngawhetu.com/Resources/TheRhythmicSky/index11.html

One way that you could teach this so that kids can remember and understand is to take them outside, where there is plenty of room, and replicate this picture with the students.  Have one student standing in the middle with a big yellow ball (the sun), and have another student hold a globe (Earth).  "Earth" will move around in a circular orbit around the sun.  Have other students hold representations of the seasons (a big snowflake for winter, a red maple leaf for fall, etc.).  Ask "Earth" to move a little closer to "The Sun" when he or she gets to "Winter."  It may not be as exact as the picture, but it gets them moving, and they may remember it better if they're acting it out.

This is a picture of the analemma, which is the pattern of the position of the noontime sun over the course of a year.  The highest point is during the summer solstice and the lowest point is during the winter solstice.  The figure-eight pattern is due to Earth's elliptical orbit.

I'm sure that some people knew this, but I sure didn't.  It just goes to show that there are a LOT of things that I still don't know, and there's always room to learn!