It’s Tuesday, February 25, 2020, and time for and I would like to ask you to check out the Recommended Website: for Science. If you have used these resources in the past let me know what you think of them and why.
Age Range: 8-18 (Grades 3-12, with parental supervision) This website provides fascinating videos from David Britton showing the detailed life events of the cecropia moth.
When you get to the site, you’ll see the five videos:
- Cecropia Caterpillar Sheds to 5th Instar
- Cecropia Eating Old Exuvia Skin
- Cecropia Cocoon Spinning Activity
- Cecropia Prepupa to Pupa Eclose
- Emergent Beauty
The movies are from 6 to 15 minutes long and have amazing time-lapse photography.
Note: There are many links to information on butterflies and moths. Be advised that we did not click on the links. We only reviewed the videos on this page. As always, parents should preview the site to determine suitability of content.
Recommended Website: Earthquakes for Kids
Age Range: 5-18 (Grades 1-12, with parental supervision) Today’s site, sponsored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), offers a multi-media exploration of earthquake history, animations, project ideas and a lot more.
When you get to the site simply use the icon menu to explore:
- Science of Earthquakes – Learn why the earth shakes and how quakes are recorded.
- Earthquake Animations – Watch terrific video animations of Amplification, A Thrust Fault, Foreshocks, and much more!
- Science Fair Project Ideas
- Become An Earthquake Scientist – Learn what it takes to be a Geophysicist.
- Cool Earthquake Facts – Learn fascinating trivia and tidbits about earthquakes.
- Today in Earthquake History – See a map depicting where earthquakes have occurred. You can also choose a different day.
And more
Recommended Website:The Great Backyard Bird Count
Age Range: All (All grades, children with parental supervision) Mark your calendars and get ready to participate in “The Great Backyard Bird Count” scheduled for February 14-17, 2020. This annual event, sponsored by the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society, is your opportunity to join a citizen-science project (for kids, teens, and adults) that helps scientists collect data and investigate far-reaching questions about bird populations. It only takes as little as 15 minutes on one day. You simply count the birds you see in your backyard and turn in the results. It’s free, fun, and easy – and it helps the scientists to help the birds. To learn how to participate go to The Great Backyard Birdcount website. Use the menu to register, learn about birds, and view the bird photo gallery. Now, if this sparks your family’s interest in birds, you are sure to enjoy this website: WhatBird.com. Use a tool that helps you to identify a bird by what it looks like. You simply enter its attributes such as habitat, size, color, body shape, bill shape, etc., to drill down results, choosing as many options as you can along the way. |
Recommended Website: Serendip – Biology
Age Range: 11-18 (Grades 6-12, with parental supervision) This website that offers FREE hands-on activities for teaching biology to middle school and high school students. These activities were designed by a graduate student of the Biology Department at the University of Pennsylvania who notes, “The expression ‘hands-on, minds-on’ summarizes the philosophy we have incorporated in these activities — namely, that students will learn best if they are actively engaged and if their activities are closely linked to understanding important biological concepts.” When you get to the site you’ll see an introduction followed by the lessons with Student Handouts and Teacher Preparation Notes available in either PDF or Word formats. (You can also access the activities by clicking on the “Table of Contents” menu on the right side of the screen.) The activities cover a broad range of biological topics and are presented in one *possible* effective sequence for learning biology. Here is a sample of activity titles: Is Yeast Alive? Introduction to Osmosis Photosynthesis Investigation Mitosis, Meiosis and Fertilization Dragon Genetics DNA Moldy Jell-O Regulation of Human Heart Rate. How do we Sense the Flavors of Food?And so much more!As noted at the website, most of the activities can be carried out with minimum equipment and expense for supplies. Sources for the equipment and supplies you’ll need are provided in the printable “Teacher Preparation Notes.” |
| Thank you, |
| Glenda, Charlie and David Cates |
