text:
"Never mind" says Grandpa. Follow what happens next as the evil oil baron uncle refuses to help out and the family learn to harness the power of the wind.
This book is a fabulous springboard for discussions about finite and renewable resources as well as the importance of not giving up even when times are very tough.
You can grab a copy here (I have no affiliation) The Windy Farm.
If you've read the book and would like to do a related activity, you can have a go at making these simple pin wheel windmills. Although they won't generate any electricity, there are lots of other talking points for young engineers such as, "how does the wind move the blades?" and "why do we need to make space between the windmill and the pole?".
Gather your supplies:
1. Paper square
2. Pen
3. Long pin
4. Masking tape
5. Paper straw
Here's your simple step by step guide to making a pin wheel:
Step 1: Take a square of paper and mark lines from corner to corner to make an X. Make a small dot on one side of each line as shown above.
Step 2: Draw a 2cm square around the centre
Step 3: Cut from each corner to the outside of the small square
Step 4: Take each of the corners with the dot on them and bring them to the centre. Push a pin through the middle to hold them there.
Step 5: Wrap a piece of masking tape around the pin at the back of the windmill
Step 6: Push the pin through the straw and wrap tape around the end to stop it slipping through.
Your windmill is all done!]]>
"I work with the ocean because it's vast and unknown and filled with really different, wonderful creatures" Dr Sharon Hook
Growing up Sharon Hook was a kid who was always outside. She absolutely loved animals, and still does. As she got older, she knew that she wanted a job that would help to "save the world" and make a real difference.
Sharon was inspired by Rachel Carson, a marine biologist and ecologist, who wrote a book called "A silent spring" about the impacts of DDT (a powerful and environmentally disastrous insecticide) on birds. Rachel Carson is widely credited with having started the environmental movement and was from the same city as Sharon, Pittsburgh, USA.
Pittsburgh was a steel town and had experienced high levels of pollution in the past. Sharon grew up very interested in pollution and water quality as a result.
In high school Sharon studied and loved advanced biology, she planned to be a doctor. What she didn't realise was that there were a wealth of other fascinating STEM roles that would help her to achieve her dreams.
It took some time for her to "put the pieces together", as she says, but once she was at university Sharon learned about research roles and has been doing that ever since. Sharon has a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Smith College (MA, USA) and a Ph.D. in Coastal Oceanography from Stony Brook University (NY, USA).
Sharon says:
"I work with pollution with the idea of helping people and improving the environment (and ideally, doing both at the same time). I work with the ocean because it's vast and unknown and filled with really different, wonderful creatures".
One of her proudest achievements was leading a group of people to measure environmental impact from oil spills which transformed Australia's oil spill response policies.
Sharon's choice of career has given her the chance to travel and to meet people from all over the world which has been incredible. But if she had to change anything she said that she would ask for help more often:
"I haven't asked for help often enough - and I've learned that people like being asked for help occasionally - it makes them feel like you value their input"
Today Sharon is a research scientist at CSIRO and loves it because there is always a new challenge or a new idea to be working on. Her aim is to work towards clean environment capable of supporting everyone on earth!
Collecting sediment (the "muck" that mangroves live in) for some of the our experiments, Sharon got stuck, and had to lay on my belly to get out.
Sharon's advice to anyone who is interested in a career in STEM is:
"Learn as much as you can about as many different things as possible - most of us are really cross disciplinary these days. And learn to write effectively - being able to clearly and efficiently communicate your ideas will give you a huge advantage".
Growing up in Borneo, Malaysia, Charis fondly remembers her family trips to the rainforest reserves and walks observing the wildlife including bats and monkeys. Ballet and piano were activities Charis pursued for more than 10 years. She was inspired by many people in her life including; her piano teacher, a wildlife conservationist, a doctor and a dedicated school teacher. All these people, key in the shaping of Charis's STEM career, were incredibly passionate about their work. Charis's wanted to have this passion in her own work.
Illness and its impact on life shaped some distinct memories from a very young age. Charis as well as other children she knew experienced infectious diseases like malaria, dengue and hand foot and mouth disease – diseases we barely hear about in developed countries! These experiences helped to shape Charis's commitment to forging a healthier future.
But how would she make a healthier future? She had a fear of blood and needles, and thought that meant she wouldn't make a good doctor. She began studying Science in University, not completely sure of what she wanted to do after school. At this point, Charis was only 17, and had taken an 8-hour flight to move to Australia all by herself.
In her first year of university, Charis was lucky enough to work with Dr Carolyn Behm who she felt connected to because of their common Malaysian ties. Most importantly, this opportunity opened up a whole new world of science research she had never known existed. They worked on a small project studying worms. Together, they made parts of worms glow green so they could look at their inner workings and this made her eager to do more research.
Charis's interest in "making a healthier future" led her to the field of immunology. She wanted to impact many diseases across the globe that affected first to third world countries. The immune system is at the heart of so many diseases, so it was the perfect field for her to follow her passion. Every creature, from the simplest sponges to complex humans are hard-wired with an immune system. It elegantly orchestrates a complex defence response to invading entities like viruses and bacteria. Charis was fascinated by the millions of different cells that act together in the immune system and how it can sometimes go wrong. She has had a chance to be involved in projects that study the immune systems in relation to diabetes, infections and most recently blood cancers.
Currently, Charis works with a multidisciplinary of team clinicians (doctors), biological scientists and bioinformaticians with a common goal to try and match blood cancers to the best treatments. Charis understands the weaknesses of the current "one size fits all" approach to cancer treatment and that what may work for one patient, may completely fail another. The team is working towards an exciting era of "personalised medicine". This will see a shift in their capacity to tailor more accurate drug combinations for each patient. To achieve this, Charis's team gets a small tube of blood from patients and look for clues that tell them why the cancer cells keep growing and do not die. They try to work out what the best drugs are to kill the cancer cells. This huge movement is only in its early days but with the cooperation of many teams working around the world, will hopefully soon become the reality of cancer treatment.
An experience in her career that particularly stands out for when she decided to move to the USA and worked at Stanford University. Just like every person and job is unique, each place to work has a unique culture and holds the possibility of meeting lifelong friends. This already amazing experience was made even better through her exploration of Silicon Valley that was in close proximity to the university. Silicon Valley is home to companies including Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft and Tesla all of which have drastically changed the world in some shape or form in the last 10 years. These companies introduced us to the phenomena of social media, e-mails, Google maps and electric cars, many of which we use on a daily basis. This was a place Charis saw her passion grow. Passion is contagious and she felt amazed at living in a place where people invested in discovering and inventing new ideas. Simply buying a coffee or taking the bus to work was made enjoyable as Charis could overhear conversations of people discovering the ways they wanted to make a difference. Charis puts a lot of faith in the brilliant minds and talents of people working in STEM and believes through their cooperation, they make big differences in the way we do things. She was able to master a unique technology that allows us to study millions of cells from patients, and reveal where they have been and who they have been talking to. She has now brought the knowledge back to Melbourne and is using it better match blood cancers to its treatment.
Charis's aim for the future is to make the world a healthier place for her 1.5 year old daughter and her generation. Charis dreams big and works even harder to reach those goals. She hopes that her influence will be beyond the lab bench, instead, making an international change. Charis knows her journey is just beginning and she feels excited that so many people share her desire to make a healthy change. To young people interested in a career in STEM, Charis begs you to explore things that excite you "use Google, ask your parents and people around you, reach out to experts on Twitter. Foster your passion".]]>
Following on from our recycling sorting activity the other week, I thought that it could be good to go through an exercise where the kids could get an idea of what happens to the materials after they are taken away.
This activity similarly uses the processes used in a recycling mill to create new, functional paper. Recycling paper helps save landfill space from which greenhouse gases are released. Recycling paper also means less natural resources such as trees need to be used to create new paper products.
For younger kids, reading a book like this one can help create context for the activity.
By doing this activity at home, you are both helping reduce pollution and making a unique artwork that can be used for an array of purposes. Scrapbooking? A trendy birthday card? The canvas of a new art work? The possibilities are endless!
*It will take at least 12 to 24 hours to dry depending on how thick and wet the paper is.
* The paper you will be making will be much thicker and rougher than the recycled paper made at a mill. Paper mills have several machines to make the paper smooth and flat.
TIP: The first time we did this, we mainly used newspaper and white scrap paper. Next time we will try including coloured papers and maybe even dried flowers to give the end product some flair!
If all of this looks a little overwhelming then you could grab everything you need in a simple kit like this one here.
Recycling used paper usually involves mixing it with water and chemicals to begin the process of breaking it down. The paper and liquid mix is then shredded and heated, which breaks it down further into strands of cellulose, a type of organic plant material; this mixture forms a thick liquid called pulp. It is strained through sieves or screens, which remove any glue or plastic material that are still in the mixture. Next the mix is cleaned, de-inked, bleached, and mixed with water. Then it can be made into new recycled paper.
The United States EPA has found that recycling causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution than making virgin paper.
**The links to Amazon or Book Depository in this post are associate links. Purchases of qualifying products earn me a percentage of the sale but do not increase the price for you**
The Surface Tension Introduction Experiment encourages independent decision making and a basic level of comparative analysis through an exploration of the unique properties of water.
*Even more fun can be had when experimenting with other liquids in the pantry! Try dropping some honey, dish soap or milk onto the wax paper. Do they bind together like the water or separate like the oil? Why/why not?
This experiment is displaying properties of surface tension in water and we can contrast these with the less dense quality of oil. Surface tension prevents the water molecules from spreading out like the oil does. Water molecules attract each other and tend to stick together, causing the water drop to remain in a dome shape even when poked with the tooth pick. The oil on the other hand, has molecules that don't attract and stick together and is therefore why the liquid spreads on the wax paper.
The surface of the water drop appears to have a skin-like layer on it called surface tension. It is the way the molecules cling together that causes the water to retain the dome shape on the wax paper.
Experimenting with various liquids will show that the surface tension of each liquid is different. More drops of water can be added until the surface tension is not strong enough to counter the gravitational pull on the water. Even the size of the drops of liquid will differ between liquids.
When Dr Phoebe Meagher was little she loved everything that was "The Wild". Her passions were animals, being in nature and the ocean.
Growing up Phoebe was inspired by her grandmother who was an avid camper and collector of natural things. Together they would go camping in the Australian outback and spend time exploring the bush.
When she wasn't out in nature, young Phoebe could be found engrossed in the pictures and articles in Australian Geographic. She was fascinated with the scientists who were featured and the work that they were doing. These were the inspirations that Phoebe carried from childhood into her adult life and her career.
The books in the series "Little People - Big Dreams" are terrific for inspiring children to pursue interesting occupations and to change the world.
Although Phoebe loved wildlife, it wasn't until after she had finished her university degree that she realised that she could make a career that incorporated them. While she had always known that she wanted to work with animals, she hadn't realised the range of possibilities that were open to her within a STEM career.
So although Phoebe tried a range of jobs she found herself always drawn back to her love of animals and biology. It was these that took her on the path to becoming the Conservation Biologist and Research and Pathology Coordinator at Taronga Zoo!
These days Phoebe's job is all about protecting and learning as much as she can about wildlife. She does it by working with individual animals that come into the hospital at the zoo and developing forensic tools to fight global threats to species' survival.
Each animal that comes into the hospital provides a new learning opportunity. Often a single animal can provide information to many researchers, advancing scientific knowledge across several fields. Phoebe talks about the way that a single marine turtle found stranded can provide information to other scientists on the impacts of marine pollution, population genetics, food web interactions and that is just for starters. It's pretty exciting stuff for any conservationist and animal lover.
There aren't too many people who can say that they've been diving with sharks and tracked pangolins (pangolins are the only mammals covered in scales!) in the jungle but for Phoebe those things are all in a day's work.
When she was sponsored by and made the cover story for Australian Geographic in 2018, she was incredibly proud to be featured in the very magazine that was her childhood inspiration. And as if things weren't already exciting enough for her, she was then asked to present her research to the visiting Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan during their tour Down Under.
Despite all of incredible achievements and amazing experiences, Phoebe still has way more that she wants to do in her career. She is deeply committed to keep fighting against illegal wildlife trade and wants to see the forensic tools developed with her team being used by border forces in Australia and overseas to keep wildlife in the wild. She also wants to keep using science to communicate outside of the scientific and wildlife protection communities about what she is learning through her research.
Phoebe's advice to young people who are interested in a STEM Career is that there are endless opportunities "follow what you love doing and don't be surprised if the path to your dream job is not straight, it often zig-zags for a reason so just go with it!".
And what of the inspirational grandmother of her childhood? At 95 she still joins in research trips with the museum and continues to inspire her granddaughter.
With thanks to Science & Technology Australia who run the "Superstars of STEM" program for connecting me with Dr Meagher and also thanks to Dr Phoebe Meagher for her time in answering my questions.
**The links to Amazon or Book Depository in this post are associate links. Purchases of qualifying products earn me a percentage of the sale but do not increase the price for you**]]>
This safe and simple experiment puts the typically discarded wrappings of Easter eggs to scientific use. Having this task ready to go takes the pressure off entertaining the kids these holidays. This experiment demonstrates properties of aluminium and teaches the importance and creativity involved in recycling in new ways.
When you put your marble cocoon on a slope, the marble rolls down the tube until it collides with the sealed end. Because the marble is much heavier than the top of the foil it flips over and the marble can take off again.
The movement of the cocoon illustrates Newton's first law of motion. – An object at rest will stay at rest unless a force acts on it. A moving object will keep moving in the same direction, and at the same speed, unless a force acts on it. This idea is called inertia.
This science is made possible by the two surprisingly recent innovations of 'alfoil' and marbles. Aluminium foil is quite widely overlooked in terms of remarkability due to its everyday accessibility.
Aluminium foil is actually a violently reactive metal. It is even used to propel fireworks into the night sky. Powdered aluminium extremely explosive and was actually NASA's fuel of choice for space shuttle solid booster rockets.
This activity is fun, engaging and involves active investigation. It's also a beneficial introduction to recycling that can prompt important conversations about waste and climate change.
Gather your supplies
Book suggestions
If you aren't an expert on recycling, here are some good points that you might want to know.
Recycling is the process of converting waste into new, useful products. Recycling helps to reduce landfill which is where huge holes are dug in the ground in order to bury rubbish. It also helps in reducing air and water pollution.
Paper is taken to a recycling plant and separated into types and grades. The paper is then washed with soapy water to remove inks, plastic film, staples and glue before adding new materials to the recycled to make new paper products including cardboard and office paper.
Glass is taken to a glass treatment plant and is sorted by colour and washed to remove any impurities. The glass is then crushed and melted, then moulded into new products such as bottles and jars. Glass doesn't degrade as part of the recycling process and therefore can be recycled endlessly
Aluminium like soft drink cans are cleaned. They are then melted and turned into molten aluminium (a liquid). The liquid is put into moulds to make large blocks called ingots. Each ingot contains about 1.6 million drinks cans. The ingots are rolled out, to give the aluminium greater flexibility and strength. The flattened sheets are made into products such as cans, chocolate wrapping and foil trays.
Plastics are cleaned and then ground down or shredded into smaller pieces. Water is used to separate the different grades of plastic. Different grades of plastic have different buoyancies and separate when floated in water. Once the plastics are separated they are ground into smaller pieces which are formed into pellets. The pellets can then be transported, heated and re-moulded into new plastic products.
*Companies that use recycled aluminum save up to 95% energy during production of aluminum products when compared to companies that source raw materials.
Return and earn scheme https://returnandearn.org.au/ involving collecting the eligible bottles and handing them into a return centre to receive 10 cents back. The tangible reward of money can serve as the incentive for kids not solely eager on the idea of recycling.
Worm farms
This one involves a little more commitment and isn't exactly recycling but can be lots of fun and involves definitely makes use of things that would otherwise go to landfill. Don't have a pet but are always hounded to get one? See if your children can handle looking after their worm farm first.
Here's a link to simple instructions for constructing a DIY worm farm.
Don't feel up to the full commitment of a worm farm or don't have the space? You could try these mini ones and watch what they do as they are doing it.
Adidas and Parley recycled ocean plastic shoes
The 11 million shoes made of recycled plastic shoes that Adidas made in was a project founded by the activist designer Cyrill Gutsch. The 2018 goal was to produce 5 million of the shoes. It is Gutsch's belief that creativity catalyzes change faster than awareness alone and I couldn't agree more. In terms of incorporating fashion, Gutsch says "fashion has the power to create trends which make you do things that often make zero sense". He wants these shoes to be symbols of change. Startlingly, 92% of ocean waste is made up of single use plastics.
Recycled glass road bases
The City of Canterbury Bankstown is leading the way in investigating the possibility of using recycled glass in road bases. The Kelso Waste Facility is home to the investigation after the council was awarded a $179 000 grant. If trials are successful, could become a solution for stockpiled waste glass which is sometimes diverted to landfill. It is estimated more than five million tonnes of recycled material is used in road base in NSW each year.
Once you have done this activity, you might want to take the next step and doin our paper recycling activity!
**The links to Amazon or Book Depository in this post are associate links. Purchases of qualifying products earn me a percentage of the sale but do not increase the price for you**]]>
It has to be said that in Australia we are less preoccupied with melting ice than in countries such as Canada where it causes serious issues for people every winter by making road slippery and dangerous.
Even still ice as the solid form of water is a pretty interesting substance to explore. So let's get started with this fun experiment to see if you can speed up the process of ice melting!
You could use animals like these to freeze inside the ice and pretend to rescue them like we did.
The ice-cube in the salt should melt the fastest followed by the one in sugar if you have used that. The last to melt should be the ordinary ice.
The reason is that both salt and sugar reduce the melting point of ice (this is called "freezing point depression). It means that instead of melting at 0°C the ice melts at less than 0°C.
How does it work? It is the contact between the ice and the molecules in the salt and sugar that cause the freezing point depression. The more molecules there are in a substance, the lower the melting point of the ice.
The reason that the salt helps the ice to melt faster than the sugar is that the molecules in salt are smaller than those in sugar, this means that where there are equal amounts of salt and sugar, there are more molecules in the salt!
Younger kids will be encouraged to learn and to put their own spin on things if you let them play. Instead of presenting this as a straight out science experiment, give it some context by creating a scene.
We made a scene from the North Pole by using water based paints on a couple of pieces of laminated boards and then using a Duplo Eskimo and a polar bear frozen in the ice. We pretended that we had to rescue them!
You could also freeze a tray of ice and pretend it was a road and that you need to melt the ice to make it safe for cars to drive on!
Does it make a difference if the salt and sugar are in the ice-cubes when they freeze?
Boil some water and pour ½ a cup into a mug. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in the water, stir until there is no residue at the bottom,
Pour the salt water into an ice-cube tray and then fill the remaining spaces with fresh water (add a touch of food colour to the fresh water so that you know which is which).
Once the water has frozen, remove one salt water cube and one fresh water cube and place them on identical surfaces. Observe the cubes every 10 minutes or so. The salt water cube should melt first.
If you liked this experiment, you should try our other ice and salt experiment here.
Ethan is really interested in food chains at the moment thanks to a great book that we have been reading. It's called "Staying Alive - the story of a food chain". If you can get your hands on it, I highly recommend it but it isn't on Amazon or Book Depository right now.
Because plants are at the start of any food chain and there was a great description about how they absorb nutrients from the soil, I thought that we might take a look together at how that happens.
This simple experiment is a really easy way to demonstrate to kids the way that water (and the nutrients that are mixed with it) travels through plants from roots to leaves and flowers.
Although you can't get "Staying Alive" right now, "The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds" is a terrific option for following the life-cycle of plants.
Most plants get their water via the ground. Plants therefore need a system to get the water from the ground and distribute it to the various parts above the ground that require the water. Plants do this using capillary action (for another simple experiment on capillary action head to our walking rainbows).
Once you have set the experiment up, ask your child what they think is going to happen to the flower/s and see if they can give you a reason for their thinking.
If you have done the walking rainbows experiment, it would be interesting to see if they make any link between the two. If you haven't done it, you might want to do that one next.
Hint – the first changes do not happen for several hours. When I did this activity with my kids, we set it up just before bed time so that they did not lose interest before they got the first signs of change.
|Day 1
|Day 2
|Day 3
Pre-school to early school years
Explain that the flower stems draw up water and deliver the water to all of the parts of the plant that need it, including the leaves and petals.
Water evaporates from the flowers and then more water travels through the stem to take its place. In nature, if there is not enough water in the soil to replace water that evaporates, the plants become dry and wilt and will eventually die.
Years 2 to 3
If you haven't already done the walking rainbows experiment, start with a discussion about gravity and ask the child or children if water normally travels up out of a glass or jar if you put something like a straw in it. Most kids will answer "no". You could talk about the reason for that, which is that in normal circumstances gravity is keeping the water in place in the absence of any forces acting against it.
Now you can introduce the concept of capillary action. Capillary action occurs where a liquid such as water travels upwards in very narrow tubes (the narrower the more effective) and will defy gravity!
If you have done the walking rainbows, then this is an opportunity to ask if they know how the water can travel through the stems against gravity. Relate the discussion back to the way that the water travelled through the paper towels and see if your child can transfer their learning.
Years 4 to 6
For years 4 to 6, you can start with the same discussion as for years 2 and 3. If the children are interested then you can provide a further explanation about the way that capillary action works.
The water drawn up into leaves and petals of a plant undergoes a process called transpiration, which is when it evaporates. In this experiment the dye that travelled in the water doesn't evaporate, and stays around to colour the flower.
The loss of water generates low water pressure in the leaves and petals, causing more coloured water to be pulled through the stem.
The water travels because of capillary action. Capillary action occurs when water travels up through a thin tube. It travels against gravity because of a combination of the forces that keep the elements that make the water connected (cohesion) and the connection of the water to the sides of the tube (adhesion) and the surface tension of the water. The combination of these forces allows the water to travel up. The thinner the tube, the stronger the force.
If you and your kids love rainbow experiments check out our walking rainbow, coloured flower and our Skittles rainbow experiments!
If you would like to do even more experiments with your kids but don't have time to keep grabbing supplies, you'll love our Chemistry-in-Action kit. It's made for busy parents who still want to have quality time with their kids.
I hope that school holidays have been good to you and that you've managed to get a rest in between the chaos of kids, Christmas, New Year and everything else that goes with the summer school holidays.
Whether you're champing at the bit to get the kids back to school or could do with not having to think about it, the reality is that there are a few things that you should be thinking about doing in order to make the transition back to school and those first few weeks as successful as possible.
I know how hard it can be to get your head around everything that needs to get done so I've created a comprehensive guide and checklist to help you get everything done!
1. Start to wind bedtime back towards normal
If your kids have been staying up more than an hour beyond their normal bedtime, it may take them more than a week to get back into a good sleep routine. Leave yourself plenty of time to make sure that the first day back doesn't start with a battle about getting up.
2. Compile a list for each child of everything you need for back to school
Do a separate list for each child as they may have slightly different requirements. Include things like an itemised list of required stationery, school shoes, socks, lunch boxes, drink bottles, library bags, etc. Remember that extra-curricular activities go back at the same time as school.
3. Audit the house
Gather together everything that you already have from the list and check it off the list. This will save you from buying things that you already have but will also save you from a last-minute panic when you discover you don't have things that you thought you did.
5. De-junk the bedrooms
Consider combining your audit with a de-junk. Christmas and the school holidays have probably seen a rise in the general junk around the house. As well as that, your kids will need fewer casual clothes once school goes back. Now could be a good time to throw out clothes that have become a bit worn out and you won't be using again next year. Having a tidy room with space for everything will help kids to focus on their homework and also give them a nice space to relax in of an evening.
5. Shop for the remaining items on the list
Leaving it until the last week of the school holidays can mean that particular items, especially ones like school shoes, have sold out.
6. Think about last year
How did the last school year go for you? What were your biggest challenges or struggles? Are there things that you could do to reduce those? Can you enlist some help? Outsource certain jobs (think cleaning, using a babysitter for drop off or pick up some days).
1. Nail the bedtime routine
If you didn't start earlier then now is definitely the time to get things back on track in terms of bed times with your kids.
2. Do a lunch plan
If your kids are old enough, get them to do it. Knowing in advance what you need to buy and pack in lunch boxes is so much less stressful than winging it.
Stuck for ideas? Head over to https://kidgredients.com.au. Famous for her popular lunchbox recipes, Kylie from Kidgredients transforms fruits and veggies into kid-friendly treats to be packed and enjoyed in little (and big) lunchboxes alike.
If you are after some inspiration without the prep Lunchbox Pals https://lunchboxpals.com.au takes the stress of shopping for healthy snacks away by delivering them to your door every month.
3. Do a dinner plan and cook ahead
A 2 – 4 week rotation of meals is ideal. When I just couldn't face dinner planning, I worked with Mary-Ann Apleche www.maryannalpeche.com. Mary-Anne is a holistic nutrition coach. I got help meal planning for my very fussy family. It's been a game changer for us already.
Once you have planned lunches and dinners, consider what meals and snacks could be capable of being cooked ahead and frozen.
4. Create a weekly routine or rhythm
Make a Monday to Friday timetable for everyone. Put everyone's weekly commitments on it including before and after school care days, out of school activities such as sports or music, days where additional items are required at school such as instruments for band or special sports equipment. With this as your framework, schedule time to do things like homework on a weekly basis.
My other suggestion in this category is a morning and/or evening run sheet. By posting a list of things that need to be done on a daily basis such as breakfast, teeth, pack bag, etc, you can set the expectation that there should be no chilling out until all of the things on the list are done.
5. Check the school calendar
Many schools now have online calendars. Check the school website to see if there are dates for things like swimming and athletics carnivals already available and update your personal diary.
1. Pack bags
Get your kids in the habit of packing their own bags. You can help them remember what is required with this fabulous "bag tag checklist" from Paperish Printables https://paperishblog.com. There are 13 different icons that you can cut out and use to create a customised list of what your child needs to have in their bag each day. Best of all, they don't even need to be able to read in order to follow the list!
2. Get uniforms ready including hats
Avoid the last minute scramble and make sure everything is ready and ironed. For some reason there is always a mad search for the hat on day 1 after the holidays in our house.
3. Prep lunches
Even if you don't make lunches until the morning, consider whether you can do parts the night before. Cutting carrot sticks and leaving them in a bowl of water overnight or chopping fruit and putting a small amount of lemon juice on to stop them going brown can be a real life-saver.
Another great idea is to add a little note in their lunch boxes. It reminds them that you are thinking of them and can give them a happy surprise when they open it up. For a great set of lunchbox printables go to Big School Kids at https://bigschoolkids.com.au and get some great tips to support your children throughout the year while you are there.
4. Have a lovely family meal
A calm family meal at the table gives you the opportunity to discuss what kids are most looking forward to about going back to school and also give them a forum to air any worries or concerns that they might be feeling. It is also a good jumping off point for a nice early night.
5. Get a good night's rest
It goes without saying really that a good night of sleep before school goes back will mean that everyone is brighter and happier the next day!
1. Get straight into a routine
As soon as your kids start to get homework it is really important to get them into the routine that you hopefully discussed and set out back in the week before school started. If you have done this but found that your plan isn't working out for you then tweak the routine in accordance with the realities of your lives but don't abandon it or you will find it really hard to get things back under control.
2. Say "hi" to the teacher
Even if you don't usually do drop off or pick up as a parent, try to set aside one morning or afternoon where you can do a stop off before or after school to introduce yourself and indicate that you are open to hearing from them if they have any concerns or suggestions for you and your child throughout the year. This will really help to open lines of communication and give the teacher confidence to contact you early if any issues arise at school.
3. Get help if you need it
If you find that your child is not settling into school there can be a number of academic or social reasons that underlie what you are observing. If you can't work it out on your own, start first with the teacher who may have some insights and then go from there.
For kids who are struggling with the social side of school, an external therapist can sometimes be a good option. Consider having a chat with someone like Consider having a chat with someone like Jessie from Thrive: children, parents and families www.thrivewithjessiewhite.com.au. Jessie can provide strategies for both parents and kids to survive the often difficult journey through the school years.
If you would like all of this in a handy printable document just click here.]]>
Despite these encouraging examples of women who are doing brilliant work in their chosen STEM fields, the statistics indicate that girls generally are choosing to opt out of science and maths in their senior years of high school.
The question is - why are girls opting out of STEM education?
A 2016 report by the (Australian) Office of the Chief Scientist, found that only 16 per cent of the 2.3 million STEM-qualified Australians were female, with engineering showing the largest gender gap.
There is certainly hope, though. On Australia Day this year Professor Michelle Yvonne Simmons of the University of NSW was named the Australian of the Year for her ground breaking work in quantum physics.
There are also plenty of examples in Australia of women who are doing outstanding work in their chosen STEM fields such as the Superstars of STEM at Science and Technology Australia. These are 30 women who are doing remarkable things in their areas of expertise.
Despite these encouraging examples of women who are doing brilliant work in their chosen STEM fields, the statistics indicate that girls generally are choosing to opt out of science and maths in their senior years of high school.
The question is - why are girls opting out of STEM education?
A comprehensive OCED study of 510,000 15-year-olds from 65 countries around the world reveals that gender differences in education begin much earlier than previously thought. The researchers found that despite working harder at school and spending more time on homework, young women display much higher anxiety and lack of confidence when it comes to solving mathematical and science-based problems.
It also found that "girls tend to be consistently more anxious towards mathematics than boys" and they "underperform considerably" when it comes to scientific thinking and interactive problem solving.
The study showed that the expectations of parents, teachers and employers played a large role in girls' performance in math and science, with parents much more likely to expect their sons to work in STEM fields even when they perform the same way as daughters at school.
So, what if anything can we do as parents to address potential underperformance by girls in STEM?
The first and possibly the simplest thing that we can do is to ensure that we are holding our daughters to the same standards and expectations that we would our sons when it comes to science and mathematics. Part of that is the way we talk to our daughters about science and maths, our attitudes have a big impact on theirs.
Before I had children, I used to happily tell people that I was innumerate, that is, numbers and I do not get along well and I used to avoid them like the plague as I had no interest in improving my skills. Then one day, a mentor said to me "would you tell me that you were illiterate with as little concern as you tell me that you can't do numbers?". That brought me up short. The answer was absolutely "no". I am proud of my language skills and use them extensively on a daily basis.
My mentor told me that by saying that I was bad at numbers in order to avoid being given them, I was creating an impression that I was not as competent as others at similar levels of seniority. The truth is, that I feared numbers and sometimes felt bored with them but in reality I was at least as competent as most of my colleagues who were mainly men. I quickly changed my language and started to do more things that required me to examine, use and understand numbers. The more I did, the less scary and boring the whole thing became for me. I realised that I had been in a self-fulfilling cycle and once it was broken, I understood that the power had always been mine, it was the will that was lacking.
My point is, don't let your daughters say: "I'm no good at science" or "it just doesn't make sense to me", when confronted with phrases like those, help them to articulate what specifically doesn't make sense or when they say that they are no good ask them what in particular they are thinking about. By helping them to see that they are not "bad at science or maths" but that they have particular problems that they can overcome with persistence they will learn valuable life skills and will not be overshadowed by the boys in years to come.
If you are not confident with math or science yourself, don't worry. Make sure that you don't emphasise your own insecurity with the topics because kids pick up on that pretty easily. Teachers are usually more than willing to help if you contact them when your child has hit a road block. By starting these skills in early school years, your kids will naturally begin to problem solve for themselves as they approach high school.
The other thing that you can do is to emphasise the part that women and girls play in the science world. One way to do this is by reading to them. There are no end of fabulous books both fiction and non-fiction that girls from as young as 3-years-old will enjoy listening to. To help you on your way, we have listed some of the books you might like to try by age group below.
Little People, Big Dreams - Women in Science
The stories of three inspiring women who were ahead of their time are included in this boxed set.
Women in Science - 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
A really incredible collection of 50 profiles and illustrated portraits of women in STEM from the ancient to the modern world. Includes figures, such as biologist Rachel Carson and primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers, such as Dr. Patricia Bath, the first African-American woman to receive a medical patent, and Barbara McClintock, a Nobel Prize-winning cytogeneticist.
Great for kids aged 6 to 10-years-old
In Australia, the rising cost of housing, tertiary education and other costs of living, cause many parents to worry about the best options for setting their children up to succeed in life.
Being one of those parents is what lead me on the journey to establish Curious Kids' Science.
Lily started school in 2016 and my Ethan will commence in 2020. Some might say that I have been a little neurotic in my recent obsession to determine the skills that they will need and the educational outcomes that will be most likely to set them up as successful adults.
Time will tell.
In the meantime, I'm here to share with you what I have found so far.
In 2014 the Office of the Chief Scientist of Australia (OCS) (no, until recently, I didn't know there was such a thing either!) indicated that 75 per cent of Australia's fastest growing jobs required STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) skills: http://www.chiefscientist.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/STEM_AustraliasFuture_Sept2014_Web.pdf.
Unfortunately, despite having made this finding, the original report does not actually set out what those skills really are. I assume that the jobs referred to have certain subject-specific knowledge requirements. But the paper made me wonder what the other, more generic, STEM skills might be important too.
Thankfully, in 2015, the OCS followed up with an investigation into what attributes employers were looking for in their employees who were engaged in STEM activities.
The top 5 skills that employers across a broad range of industries wanted in their STEM employees were:
When I looked at this list of skills what struck me most is that not a single one of them can be tested through a standardised assessment such as NAPLAN. I have to say that, at least at Lily's school, I do see all of these skills being fostered as part of her education but I am conscious that the more support she get
The question is, what can we do to help our children to develop these skills outside of the formal education setting?
Based on my reading and research, here are the three things I will be doing with my kids to support them in developing the skills that will help them to get to the places they want to go in life.
I have spent a lot of time introducing science topics for us to work with. This has been a very important part of encouraging Lily and Ethan's interest in STEM and I intend to continue. Children need a knowledge base before they can build on it.
Increasingly though, I'm guided by their interests. I give them the power to conduct experiments the way that they want to do them.
By allowing them to manage their investigations, they need to take responsibility for thinking through the design of experiments (critical thinking) and will also have to analyse the results (ability to learn on the job).
I know a lot of people will think that experiment design is beyond the grasp of most 5 year olds but that's not true. Once children are familiar with scientific methods, you will be surprised by what they can achieve.
When Lily was 5, she asked for 3 pieces of dry pasta, 3 cups and sugar and salt. She put water in each cup, then added sugar to one and salt to another. She placed a piece of pasta in each. Over the next few days she felt the pieces of pasta and compared whether any one had become softer than the others and whether they were getting bigger.
She eventually decided that they were all about as soft as each other. On day 3 and she noticed that the salt had dissolved but not the sugar.
It isn't rocket science but I think it is pretty great start. It certainly demonstrated critical thinking skills and the idea of experiment design. I loved that she built in a control with just plain water. I hope that her interest in exploring will lead to problem solving skills as she tries to understand why some of her ideas and experiments fail while others succeed.
This brings me to my next action.
As parents we often watch our children try to do something. As we watch them, we know for certain that what they are trying to achieve is not going to work out. For me it is instinctive to try to take charge and show my kids the "right" way to achieve their goals.
An example of this happened today. We were going to paint a milk carton and turn it into a bird feeder. There are two types of paint in our craft box, poster paints that are thin and water based and acrylic paints which provide much better coverage.
Lily chose colours from each type of paint. I REALLY wanted to explain to her that the poster paints would not cover the writing on the carton. I knew that it would save time and frustration for both of us. But, with my new commitment in mind, I let her go ahead.
As she was painting she commented that one of the paints wasn't "working" properly. I got her to show me the paint and the problem and then we looked at the bottles and tubes. At that point, I explained the difference between water based and acrylic paints. I got her to go through and sort the paints so that she put away the ones that wouldn't work. Our paints are a hodge podge of different brands and so this meant that she had to search different tubes and pots for the information that she needed.
I'm pretty sure that if I had tried to explain before Lily started painting, she would just have been frustrated with me and would have been unwilling to listen to my explanation. This way, she is more likely to remember that the different paints have different properties in the future.
By allowing her to fail, I have showed Lily that failure can actually lead to learning and I have provided her with the opportunity to problem solve with me.
I am lucky that Lily genuinely interested in my job and Ethan loves to listen about my day.
By day, I do not work in a STEM related field, but like most people I need interpersonal skills to do my job well. We already regularly discuss my work over dinner but I am going to start to talk more about the way that I work with others and not just about the tasks that I am working on.
I want my kids to understand that how I go about getting my work done, is critical to the quality of my output.
My job involves carefully weighing up information that often conflicts with other information that is available. I have to decide which information I think is more reliable and I need to be able to explain why I think that.
Sometimes I have too little information to decide on a matter that is really important. In those cases, I sometimes engage in creative problem solving or I discuss the issue with colleagues to get a different perspective. It is important that my kids know that I don't have all of the answers. It means that they should never feel ashamed that they don't know either.
I would love to hear what you do to help your kids to develop the skills you want them to have! Please let me know in the comments section.
If your are interested in more discussions about helping your kids to be the best they can be, have a look at my post on Teaching Kids to Fail Well.
The magic pepper and soap experiment explores cause and effect, buoyancy, surface tension and physical reactions through super simple activity.
P.S - The optional step of adding the food colouring to the water and watching it disperse was just as exciting for Ethan who is 4 as the actual experiment!
Water has surface tension. That is the layer of water molecules that sit between the air and the water below behaves like a thin elastic barrier.
Surface tension exists because each water molecule is pulled by the other water molecules around it, but water molecules at the surface do not have molecules above them so there is no upward pull. The difference in force pulls the water molecules at the surface closer together than those inside the liquid and this produces surface tension.
Detergent molecules have one end water attracting (hydrophilic) and one water repellent (hydrophobic) end. This dual nature allows detergent to attract both water and oil, which gives it its ability to clean dishes. These properties are also effective at reducing the surface tension of water by pushing apart water molecules with the hydrophobic end of the detergent molecule.
When the detergent touches the water, the surface tension is reduced, this causes some of the pepper to sink to the bottom of the plate. The water repelling molecules of the detergent push water away towards the edges of the plate. The pepper moves to the edge with the water that it has been floating on. The process that you have seen is an example of a physical reaction taking place.]]>
This post is a week late, but life has been busy. Anyway, this topic is such an important one that I've decided it's better late than never.
The UN has designated 11 February of every year as the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.
As a career science has a significant gender imbalance with women representing around 22% of the scientific workforce globally in 2019.
The theme for this year is "Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth". I'll come back to this a little later in the post but first, I think that there is an important question to be asked and answered:
A lot of people take for granted that women and men have the same level of intellect and therefore should be evenly represented in professional fields. This is certainly a good starting point, but the importance of gender equality in the sciences (and other STEM fields) goes beyond the notion of gender equality. In fact, the lack of female representation in scientific research and development leads to outcomes that are skewed in favour of males.
Consider the fact that women are more likely to die from heart attacks than men. There are a variety of reasons but major factors include - misdiagnosis and poor follow up care. Women are routinely not being given the correct medication and procedures that are prescribed for both genders where a major heart attack has occurred. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that fewer than 20% of cardiologists in Australia and the USA are female.
A less serious but equally telling example is a recent development by Fitbit (a wearable fitness tracking device and app). Their recently developed menstrual tracking feature on their watches consisted of a 10-day cycle limit. Sure, MOST women menstruate for less than 10 days a month. But that isn't always the case.
The head of diversity and inclusion at the Institute of Engineering and Technology, Jo Foster spoke on this to the BBC: "I don't know how many women were involved in designing this, but it links back to the fact that we need more women involved in the design process."
The 1959 invention of the seatbelt would have been improved with input from women, who at the time were usually the primary carers for children.
My final example of a STEM endeavour that would have would have been immeasurably improved by the inclusion of women in the design process was the creation of the seatbelt.
When it was developed in 1959 only men were involved in the design process. Seatbelts were made for men, by men and tested on – you guessed it – men!
The design was poorly suited for women (who typically had smaller frames and were shorter than men) and children. There were a significant number of deaths that were very likely preventable if only there has been women involved in the initial process.
How will be able to solve today's issues when the gender gap in these key workplaces remains so wide?
Take the prevailing issue of climate change as well as the development of new technology as examples; they will continue to be fought and produced with a predominantly male perspective and this is a real threat to progress.
No one understands the needs of women better than other women.
Directly relating to this year's theme: Women and girls' roles in 'Green Growth', is the issue that women are most profoundly affected by concerns caused by climate change. An article from the United Nations states that:
"Women commonly face higher risks and greater burdens from the impacts of climate change in situations of poverty, and the majority of the world's poor are women."
Women, particularly those in poorer nations, are at the centre of communities. They are the ones capable of influencing and changing household practices that affect climate change and are also aware of impacts of climate change on their communities.
Solutions to concerns relating to climate change can be accelerated by increasing the proportion of women working in STEM and applying their expertise with a perspective that differs from that of their male colleagues.
Veena Sahajwalla is an extraordinary example of a woman who has made incredible progress in green developments.
An inventor and Professor of Materials Science at UNSW, Ms Sahajwalla has developed a technology called 'Green steel'. It involves recycling old tyres to manufacture steel. The project thus far, has reused over two million tyres! This huge sustainability success in light of the fact that tyres are considered an "end of life" product and have previously not been able to be recycled. These 2 million tyres would have gone to landfill but for the development of green steel.
Ms Sahajwalla's success should stand as a reminder of the vitality of women in STEM that needs to be celebrated and further encouraged to ensure the best possible outcomes for everyone on the planet.
Old Tyres have previously been destined for landfill as the materials could not be recycled.
The even better news is that Veena Sahajwalla's commitment to science and technology is only increasing. Sahajwalla has since developed the world's first e-waste micro factory where end of life products are repurposed to avoid adding to landfill.
The first step to increase the number of women like Sahajwalla excelling in STEM fields is to consciously avoid the idea that mathematics and science are exclusive to men. Let's teach our kids that science is for everyone so that someday soon, the gender gap won't be so wide and our girls feel although they have every opportunity our boys do.
With many thanks to year 12 student Elizabeth Chapman who co-wrote this post with me.]]>
This sweet experiment helps kids to explore super saturated solutions, crystal formation and evaporation. Plus you get to make a tasty science treat!
The skewer provides a surface for the crystals to grow on. By wetting the skewer and then attaching some sugar to it you create tiny seed crystals. The seed crystals provide starting points for larger crystals to attach to.
Two different processes are at work while the larger rock crystals form. When the water was boiled and the sugar was added until no more could be absorbed a supersaturated solution was created.
A supersaturated solution is unstable, that is, it is it will not stay the same as conditions (such as the temperature of the solution change)—it contains more solute (that is the dissolved sugar) than can stay in a liquid form—so the sugar will come out of solution, forming what's called a precipitate. This process is called precipitation (it is also what happens when clouds condense and the water escapes causing rain).
The other process is called evaporation—as time passes, the water will evaporate slowly from the solution and turn into water vapour. As the water evaporates, the solution becomes more saturated and sugar molecules will continue to come out of the solution and collect on the seed crystals on the string. The rock candy crystals grow molecule by molecule.
If your child loves experiments then why not grab them one of our Chemistry-in-Action kits for endless experiments and fun.]]>
This experiment is simple, super easy to do and uses items you very likely already have at home. It is a fantastic way to visualise light refraction and understand that what we see is not always what is actually in front of us!
This optical illusion can be explained by light refraction. When light passes through a material such as water it refracts (bends). When the light hits the water it refracts inwards. This point at where this light meets is called the focal point. The light rays cross over beyond the focal point. This means the light originally on the left is now on the right and vice versa which causes the arrow to appear like it's pointing in the opposite direction to what it really is.
If you have science loving kids, don't forget to check out the Chemistry-in-Action kit. It comes with everything you need to explore chemistry safely at home.
As a bonus, the glass and water created the conditions for separating white light into its component colours making a rainbow!
Almost every child I know loves ice-cream and for that matter most adults too. Lily and I are home alone together for several days these school holidays and it has been hot, hot, hot outside.
When I came across this quick and easy ice cream experiment and I thought it would be a great way to incorporate a love of ice cream with a love for science AND cool down.
So, grab your materials and explore the states of matter as well as freezing point of water in this yummy science experiment!
Note: It's best to do this with 2 or 3 kids as they can share the shaking which gets very tiring. We actually put our bag on the trampoline for a while and made it bounce around which worked quite well except that the outer bag did break.
Water can be in 3 states. Solid, liquid and gas. When water reaches 0ºC it goes from a liquid to a solid. This is because 0ºC is water's freezing point. The cold temperature slows down the movement of the water molecules the point where they become so close together they form a solid. When salt (sodium chloride) is added to water it lowers it's freezing point. The salt gets between the water molecules and stops them from being able to turn solid. The ice that is still solid is a lower temperature than it was before adding the salt. This super cold temperature surrounding the cream mixture helps it to reach it's freezing point as well which is why is begins to firm up, hence the term ice cream.]]>
Free printable
When I created the Rainbows & Light science kit I also worked with an incredible artist Paula Kuka from Common Wild to create a beautiful piece of art that illustrates how rainbows are made.
The illustration is available in the shop as a beautiful A2 poster because there is no reason that science should not be fun and beautiful as well as fascinating.
The poster has been so popular, that I have decided to release it as a printable colouring sheet for your kids to enjoy and learn from. So, without further ado, please feel free to download your colouring page here.
And if your child loves everything colours and light then have a look at our fabulous Rainbows & Light kit!]]>
So if you want to impress your kids with items you are likely to already to have around the house, read on!
When the hot water is tipped out of the bottle it leaves the bottle's walls warm. This heats the air inside the bottle which causes it to expand. When the bottle is tipped over onto the plate this air becomes trapped. As the air cools it takes up less space. This causes the water to travel into the bottle to take up the vacant space. This happens because the vacuum created by the shrinking air particles has more force than the gravity that was keeping the water in the plate.
You can use this experiment to look at forces and the nature of gasses (in this case the space occupied by hot air versus cold air).
If you have a science loving child then check out our Chemistry-in-Action kit with everything they need for hours and days of experimenting fun.
If you enjoyed doing this experiment, you may also like these other free experiments.
Tornado in a bottle
Lava lamp
Paper helicopter
It was therefore a shock to me when I read that a 2016 study, published in the journal Science found that by the age of 6, girls are more likely to guess that a "really really smart" adult who was described to them was male not female.
Boys were also more likely to think that the person described was male https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/well/family/why-young-girls-dont-think-they-are-smart-enough.html
This research was confronting for me on two levels. There is the obvious concern that girls do not think that they are likely to grow into really really smart women. Then there is the fact that boys also believe this.
It is important that both boys and girls are taught that women are just as capable as men, both in study and in the workforce, if women are to achieve equality in pay and status. While we and our daughters continue to come up against unconscious bias from both genders we have no real hope of attaining this outcome.
There is an argument that, because much of the bias faced by girls is unconscious, it is almost impossible to fight. Girls are subjected to unfavourable (often unconscious) bias about their abilities in school, sport, by family and in many of their other extra-curricular activities.
I think that there is good reason to fight the battle wherever we see bias at work against our daughters and while it is both difficult and tiring, I think it is possible.
I also think that we can make a huge difference by recognising our own biases and working to combat them.
I will give you a personal example.
Not long ago, I read an article by an author who lamented that when she visited schools to talk about her books and her writing, it was often only girls who were brought to attend her talks.
The author said that while her main character was a girl, she believed that the stories were interesting in their own right, and that by excluding boys from her talks, teachers were reinforcing the idea that some books were just for girls.
I nodded as I read, thinking how terrible this was until I took the time to reflect.
Was I likely to borrow the Princess in Black books from the library to read to my Ethan?
Lily used to love these books. The main character uses martial arts to defeat monsters and the story lines are simple but not condescending. There are a lot of reasons that Ethan might enjoy them but I know that without making a positive and conscious effort, I'm unlikely to pick these stories up to read to to him.
Now that I am aware of this tendency, I am actively seeking out books where the main characters are strong girls and reading them to him. He honestly doesn't care whether main characters are male or female and Rosie Revere Engineer is one of his favourite books!
It is critical that Ethan is exposed on every level - in literature, on television, at day care, at home and in as many other situations as possible - to the fact that girls are just as capable of being leaders and successful people as boys. Where that message is missing and where there is an imbalance in the number of females to males who are portrayed as being capable of achieving greatness, that is the crack where gender bias will silently creep in.
Your response to all of this might be "okay, great topic, but what has it got to do with science?"
The answer is that girls have lower participation rates in science in high school and tertiary studies than boys do. Science is perceived as a field for "really smart people" and therefore girls tend to self-exclude from these subjects.
Those who do participate in science disciplines are surrounded by groups of males, including their teachers, who are likely to hold the belief that the really smart and talented people in the room are men.
There is some great work being done to combat these biases in the sciences. There are groups such as Women in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math and medicine) and the Superstars of STEM which is a program that recruits 30 women who are leaders in their chosen field of science to be ambassadors with Science and Technology Australia each year to help promote the role of women in STEM.
Unfortunately there is still a lot of work to be done to fix perceptions about women in science. But I am setting out to really recognise my own unconscious acts of bias and to address those as my #1 priority.
One of the best ways to support all children to feel capable and confident is to get them involved in learning that feels fun and exciting. That is exactly how we have designed our Chemistry-in-Action kit which is suitable for kids aged 4 to 10-years-old.
Chemistry-in-Action kit by Curious Kids Science
If you are interested in getting hold of some STEM related picture books with talented female characters, here are a few that I would certainly recommend:
**The links to Amazon in this post are associate links. Purchases of qualifying products earn me a percentage of the sale but do not increase the price for you**
We tried this experiment with ordinary Coke and the results were underwhelming. When I looked into it, this is a consistent theme for others who have also done this experiment.
The reaction relies on the amount of carbon dioxide that is contained in the drink, so I can only conclude that there is less carbon dioxide contained in ordinary Coke or that the sugar has some sort of impact on the separation of the carbon dioxide from the liquid. Either way, if you are looking for a bigger effect, go with the diet drink. I actually used the generic brand from Coles after our first attempt with Diet Coke and that also gave me a significantly better result. The photo above is our actual experiment (nicely cut out from its less pretty background).
I always assumed that this experiment involved a chemical reaction. It turns out that I was completely wrong. Nucleation is a physical reaction that occurs when gas is attracted away from a liquid and connects with another surface, in this case the mentos.
The bottle of Diet Coke contains a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2) which is what makes a fizzy drink fizzy. If you drop something into a bottle of fizzy drink, you will see small bubbles of CO2 clinging to the surface of the item that you have dropped in. This happens at the small dimples and ridges on the surface of an object which are called nucleation sites. Nucleation sites help the CO2 gas that is trapped to separate from the liquid. The mentos have thousands of tiny dimples in the surface which means there is thousands of nucleation sites for the gas to attach itself to. As the mentos sink to the bottom of the bottle they help free the CO2 more rapidly from the liquid than under normal circumstances. The reaction creates pressure which forces the liquid in the bottle up at the same time as the large quantity of gas that is trying to escape.
If you enjoyed this experiment, you'll love our magic milk experiment which is another example of a physical reaction.
1. Cut out one of the templates on the print out.
2. Cut along the red lines on the template as shown below.
3. Fold the tabs as shown.
4. Attach a paperclip to the column that forms at the bottom of the helicopter.
5. The helicopter should look like this.
Download the template]]>
I have seen this experiment on Pinterest lots of times but have never attempted it before. I was put off by the need to use an ingredient that came from a chemist, which meant that I had to remember to get it outside of a normal grocery run. Also a lot of the recipes are American which means that the measurements aren't metric and it all just seemed a bit too hard.
If that is you too, then now is the time to give this a go, the peroxide is easily available in Australian chemists, and despite my concern, they knew what I was talking about when I asked for it. Also having done it with Ethan and Lily, I can assure you that it is safe even if they stick their fingers in it, which both of my kids did – but make sure that they wash their hands quickly as it can't be great for the skin and you don't want peroxide on their clothes or any fabric in the house.
We had a lot of fun doing this experiment. Because of the overflow, we did in in the garden on an old plank of wood so that the mess wouldn't matter.
Ethan was mesmerized and wanted me to do it again but sadly I had only bought a very small bottle of hydrogen peroxide so we will have to save this one to do again another day.
*You need to get the hydrogen peroxide from the chemist or a hairdressing supplies store like Hair Warehous as the ones they have at the supermarket are not strong enough. You find the peroxide on the shelves with the general hair dying kits. I had to ask someone to give me a hand to locate it at my local chemist and they were happy to help.
The dry yeast contains an enzyme called catalase. Catalase is found in our liver and is used to break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. This is the decomposition part of the reaction. The foam produced is lots of tiny bubbles filled with the oxygen from the reaction. The detergent helps to exaggerate the size and number of the bubbles in the reaction.
During the reaction the bottle becomes warm, indicating that this particular reaction is exothermic.
If you like exploring chemical reactions with your kids, try these other experiments:
Magic milk, fizzy bath bombs, naked eggs, lava lamps and invisible ink]]>
Nearly one third of the plastic packaging we use escapes collection systems, which means that it ends up clogging our city streets and polluting our natural environment. Every year, up to 13 million tons of plastic leak into our oceans, where it smothers coral reefs and threatens vulnerable marine wildlife. The plastic that ends up in the oceans can circle the Earth four times in a single year, and it can persist for up to 1,000 years before it fully disintegrates.
You would be surprised at the difference that you can make as an individual or a family. The biggest issue for plastic pollution being single use plastic items ranging from plastic shopping bags to plastic straws. The problem can sometimes feel overwhelming, but don't let that stop you – Pick just one thing to do this World Environment Day. Small actions can make a big difference if everyone does something.
Here's 5 ideas to get you thinking about what you can do on World Environment Day and every day to reduce the impact of plastic pollution.
Quitting single use plastics altogether is probably not a practical goal for the majority of us but committing to reducing them is something we can all do.
Why not have a family meeting to talk with your family about what you can realistically do. First make a list together of all of the single use plastic items that you might use on a daily or weekly basis. Then as a family decide on how you are going to do away with one or two of those items.
Our list looked something like this (but much longer):
It actually went on, but you get the idea. We wanted to aim big so we've agreed that if we forget our carry bags we will turn the car around and go home to get them. My husband and I have both bought reusable take-away cups and if we don't have them then we only buy coffee to have at the café or go without until we get home. Finally, we keep water bottles in the car. We generally use the water over the weekend and then we refill the bottles on Sunday and put them back into the car ready for the week to come.
Those changes have made a huge difference to our plastic consumption. We are going to keep working on the reduction, but we are being realistic about what we can stick to for now as the changes require a pretty big shift in mind set and behaviour
Choose an area such as your local park or do a walk around some local streets. Do a survey of the number and types of plastic items that you find. Make a tally sheet to keep a record.
Doing this exercise with your children will help to raise their awareness of the extent of plastic pollution in their local environment and will help to reinforce the reasons that you are trying to reduce plastic waste in your home.
You could also take notice in your own home. Again using a tally sheet, you could mark down items before they go into the bin. This could help you to decide how to prioritise the items that you want to reduce your use of.
If you are really keen, you could go out as a family or even organise a clean-up hour with a group of friends. Grab some gloves and bags or buckets and head out to clean up a particular area. You don't need to wait for a special day such as World Environment Day to do this. Just choose a date and time that suits you and head out to do some good in your part of the world.
If setting aside a specific time is too much then think about other things that could work for you. Lily and I have decided that when we walk home from school together on Fridays we will have a bag with us and pick up all of the rubbish that we see on the 500m walk between school and our home. Sadly, there is quite a bit in this very short stretch.
Cleaning local areas makes them so much nicer for everyone to use!
If you can see an opportunity in your local area to reduce plastic consumption or pollution, why not petition your local council or member of State Parliament to support your idea. Examples include putting bubblers in popular walking spots to reduce the number of people buying water in plastic bottles or asking the council to place recycling bins at the local park.
Get a few people together and have a brainstorming session to see what you can come up with. You'll be amazed at how many ideas you can generate in a short space of time.
The more you know about an issue, the easier it is to explain the problem to others and to gather support. A great starting place to learn more about the very serious issues that we are facing as the result of plastic pollution is at the World Environment Day website
Remember, doing even one thing can make a huge difference. We'd love to hear what you choose to do, so please make a comment below, tag us on social media or send us an email – it would be great to hear from you!]]>
It is my pleasure to introduce Mikala Grossё of Inspired Office. I recently did a survey of mothers with children aged between 4 and 8 years of age. I asked those women what the biggest barrier was to playing with and enjoying their children. I got over 160 responses and overwhelmingly the answer was "lack of time".
Because I am all about playing with kids and supporting parents who want to help their kids learn and grow, I looked around for an expert, someone who could really help us all to get a bit of time back in their day.
As you'll read from her description, Mikala certainly fits that bill. So, without further ado, it's over to her!
Parenting is a wonderful adventure – full of fun times, hard times, heart in your mouth times… But in our modern society successfully combining work and parenting can be difficult, stressful, frustrating and just downright exhausting!
The good news is – finding quality family time is not impossible, in fact with just a few small changes to your home life routine you can create more quality time with your family, and for yourself.
I am a working mother. I have two children, a partner, pets, a house and a car. I work two jobs, run my own business and homeschool my 10-year-old part-time, on the side. Before I had my kids, in fact up to my 39th week of pregnancy, I worked 10-hour days, 6 days a week in federal politics with all the travel and sleepless nights that entails. Busy and I are old friends. I have spent the past 13 years looking for healthy ways to balance my life so I can continue to obtain the stimulation and creativity I need from my work while still being there for my children. It is not easy, but it is doable, even as a single parent (which I was for a while).
Want to know how I manage it? Here are my 5 hacks to finding more family time ….
The problem: In this always connected world it is so easy to bring your work home with you. You can access your email in the palm of your hand from anywhere in the world! But digital connectedness also leaches into our private lives in a big way with the internet and social media. We have all seen the videos and photos of parents looking into their devices whilst their kids play in the background, heck we have all been that parent. And you know what, that is OK to a point, because we all need downtime and time to unwind, but we also need time to disconnect from the outside world and reconnect with those inside our homes.
The solution: Plug your modem into a digital timer. Our internet automatically switches on at 7am and off at 7pm Sunday to Thursday, on Friday and Saturday nights it stays on until 8pm. As an added bonus on weekends and during school holidays it also turns itself off for a period between 11am and 2pm each day. This is our way of ensuring that as a family we have dedicated space for creativity and engaging with each other. We often spend this time getting out and doing things together, reading, playing board games, drawing or trying out different hobbies. It is important for us as adults to unplug to allow our brains time to unwind and process the day but it is also important to teach our children ways in which they can create their own healthy balance between the digital and real worlds as they grow older.
Hands up all those that hate housework!!! It is not a fun job, but it is something that needs to be done – and you know what they say - "many hands make light work!"
Ok, so maybe if your children are a bit younger many hands may make more work, but you know what, cleaning the house together can actually be a fantastic opportunity for quality time. Quality time doesn't have to be long, elaborate or expensive, quality time is time spent together doing things, anything.
Now think of the positives of embracing cleaning day as a family. Involving your children in the housework teaches them life skills, teamwork, responsibility, and the ever important value of contributing to your family – and let's face it, it can be fun – the odd pillow fight never hurt anyone!
I have to admit that our cleaning time is strategically planned, to reduce complaints and increase compliance, after all I have a teenager in the mix. It occurs on Sunday morning, during 'internet off time', any complaints and they are provided with the option of waiting for the internet to turn back on to do their part – works like a charm! Give it go - what have you got to lose?
While I do this, and find it fabulous, at the same time I find this one painful. I hate, hate, HATE spending time on my Sunday afternoon planning the meals for the week, writing up the shopping list and then going to the supermarket. There are many, many, many things I would rather do with my time. But every week I make myself put on my big girl pants and do it, because in the end it is always worth it.
Here's why:
Eating dinner at the table as a family every night of the week can be really difficult, especially when factoring in early mealtimes for younger children, bath time, after school activities, work functions, P&C meetings, the list goes on! We have lowered the bar and only eat dinner together at the table one night during the week. Wednesday is our midweek dinner table night and to sweeten the deal it is also our family games night. After we have all eaten and helped clean up the kitchen and table we break out the board games. We all love it – it provides an opportunity to connect, talk about the day and plan the coming weekend without the burden of expectation that comes with trying to do it all the time. We find that our kids love the routine and look forward to it, so much so that family games night often pops up by special request on other nights too!
Now granted, this is something that only those blessed with working from home or flexible work hours can do, but in my opinion if you can, then you should. I currently spend an hour each day doing school drop off and pick up between my daughter's high school and my son's primary school. I could put each of them on a bus, but honestly, I love this time. It gives me dedicated one-on-one time with each of them to really talk about things that are going on in their lives. My son has just stated back at mainstream school part-time after being exclusively homeschooled for the past 12 months while he developed the skills to deal with an anxiety condition. He still deals with anxiety daily but the car ride gives us time to talk about his worries for that day and discuss strategies he can use to overcome them. My daughter uses the alone time she and I get on the way home from school to offload about her day and teenage frustrations. It is amazing how much your kids will open up when you give them the space and freedom from eye contact.As an added bonus, I use the alone time I get in the car driving from drop off and to pick up to listen to podcasts and develop ideas!
Sit down and think about which family hacks will work for your busy life; create your own too.
Write them down as a family, and then stick to them. Not only do you make life easier for yourself by establishing a weekly routine, you will all enjoy spending quality moments together amid the busy working and school week. Growing your business or career is important for so many reasons, but remember as your children grow up, developing a true connection to each other is its own reward.
You can find out more about Mikala and her business by visiting her web site or following her on social media:
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/InspiredOffice/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/inspiredoffice/
Web www.inspiredoffice.com.au
One way to see density is to look at 2 liquids with different densities and the way that they interact. There are lots of different ways to do this, and I have several on this blog. I read about this particular experiment on ABC Science and thought I would share it. I have simplified the explanation here so that it is a little easier to explain than the original post! Best of all, this experiment is super safe so it can be done with children of all ages.
The night before you want to do this experiment:
Conducting the experiment
The water in the glass without salt will take on the colour of the ice-cube as it melts. The water in the ice-cube is the same density as the plain water and the two mix evenly as the ice-cube melts.
The glass with the salt will look quite different. As the ice-cube melts some of the colour will fall and tint the salt water but, the plain water in the ice-cube is less dense than the salt water and it will therefore collect at the top of the glass.
Cold water is more dense than warm water and by chilling the glasses of water, you increase their density, this increases the effect of the plain water collecting at the top of the glass of salt water.
If you had fun with this experiment you might also enjoy:
Skittles Rainbow
Skittles Density Tower
Lava Lamps
The "A" stands for Art.
Some people feel art is a discipline that is removed from more technical subjects but there are great advantages to using art as a means of incorporating STEM into your day!
Everyone learns more when they are engaged and interested in what they are doing. By setting challenges for your kids that combine a need for creativity with design thinking, you can encourage them to develop their STEM skills without them really even noticing.
With this in mind, I've created a crafty STEAM challenge for you and your kids.
There are often kids of different ages in families so I have divided this challenge into three levels of difficulty. This way your kids can all work on the same type of project together but take it on at a level that suits them.
Your challenge, if you choose to accept it is: Making Model Robots!
You'll need some basic materials to complete this challenge. Below is a list of suggestions but really you can use anything at all that you have around the house and that could be repurposed for a crafty project.
Ask the child if they would like to make a robot.
Show them the available materials and have a chat about what the robot might look like and what they might like it to be able to do.
Give the child the markers and some paper and ask them to draw or design their robot. Get them to talk you through what they have drawn. This is the design element. It doesn't matter whether the drawing looks at all like a robot. The idea is to get the kids thinking and talking so that they become used to planning what they are doing.
Next sit with them and let them select the materials they want. Let them create their robot and only offer suggestions or help if they ask for them. Try to support them in solving any problems that they are having by asking questions like "is there something else that you could use that might work better?" or "Could you try using that part a different way".
Whatever happens this should be fun for the kids, so if they are frustrated or not enjoying themselves, feel free to jump in and give a helping hand.
Follow the instructions in the basic challenge but for kids who have experience in designing and making things, add an element of complexity to the challenge by giving them an outcome that they need to achieve. Some ideas include:
I hope that these suggestions have got you thinking about some crafty fun that you can have together with your family. I'd love to hear your thoughts and see what your kids do with this challenge so please feel free to drop us a line in the comments section below!
I love colour, somehow it just makes my whole day feel better when I have bright things going on around me. That means that this experiment has the added benefit of making me cheerful at the same time as letting the kids explore science!
This is definitely one of the easier experiments that we do at our place. But easy does not equal boring. Everyone in our family from Ethan who is three to my father who is a lot older than that, enjoys watching the effect of this experiment. It's almost hypnotising. I do also think that the fact that my kids usually sneak a couple of Skittles to eat as we do this experiment aids the frequency with which it's requested!
Anyhow enough with the introductions, let's jump into this colourful experiment.
If your kids are fans of colour like mine and love all things science AND all things colour, then this fabulous book, set as a detective story, explores how real rainbows are made.
The colour coating on the outside of the Skittles is soluble in water. When the water touches the coating, it dissolves making a solution. If the water touches each of the Skittles at the same time, the solution created by each Skittle has the same density as the solution next to it. This means that the solutions don't mix but travel in parallel, moving into the water that is less dense towards the middle of the plate.
Once all of the water is the same density the colours tend to mix eventually.
If you are keen to extend this activity a bit, you could try the following variations:
If you and your kids had fun with this experiment you might enjoy these others from our blog:
A Skittles density tower
Colourful walking water
Magic rainbow milk
**The links to Amazon or Book Depository in this post are associate links. Purchases of qualifying products earn me a percentage of the sale but do not increase the price for you**
The truth is that sharks very rarely kill humans and it is believed that when they do attack, it is because they have mistaken them for a sea creature such as a seal.
Meanwhile, certain shark species have become endangered because of degradation of their habitats through over fishing and through deliberate hunting. Unlike whales, sharks don't engender the level of affection really required for a vocal call to halt their decline. But, as with any animal, sharks have their place within the ocean and are a necessary part of the overall ocean eco-system.
How to Survive as a Shark is clever and funny and it helps adults and children to understand that sharks are just another animal fighting for survival in this world. The illustrations are beautiful, I love the colours and the humour contained in them but more importantly so do Ethan and Lily.
Ethan is 3½ and Lily is 7 but they both enjoy this book. It prompts some great discussion about predators and survival for animals in the wild and also lead into a discussion about conservation and pollution (we often get off track when reading).
What I love about this book is that it is narrated by an older shark who is ostensibly teaching baby sharks about the dangers that they face once they have been born. It makes the book feel much less like a dry non-fiction book than an adventure story but it is every bit as educational.
Reading this book with children will help them to understand the life cycles of sharks from an egg right through to death, which can occur in a number of ways, including being eaten by a hungry sibling or larger shark!
I would definitely recommend adding this book to the shelves of young children as part of a non-fiction collection about the world around them.
If you and your family enjoy reading together then you may also like our other reviews:
The girl who thought in pictures
Rosie Revere Engineer
Zoey and Sassafrass
Fabulous books about maths]]>


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Allergies Health Center
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Sometimes, allergic reactions can be as mild as sneezing. People often refer to nasal irrigation, maybe with neti pots, to deal with the problem.Read More
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Different allergies can make emotional, behavioral and mental symptoms such as panic attacks, depression, compulsive behavior, psychotic episodes.Read More
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It is not enough if you are fighting allergies with medicine alone. You should minimize allergens in the house and in the work environment.Read More
Live With ItFirst Aid: How to Treat Allergic Reaction
With some dangerous reaction, knowing some first aid tips can help you to save your life and people around you.Read More
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Annoying allergies which can appear anytime might make it tough to get through the work day. Sneezing and red, itchy eyes can cause you to lose focus.Read More
Live With ItHow to Avoid Allergies in Your Job
Annoying allergies might make it tough to get through the work day. There is some basic knowledge to reduce and even avoid them that you should know.Read More
Live With ItWeekly Menu for Spring Allergy Season
It is quite annoying when it comes to spring and you have to face with your allergy problems. This is a weekly menu for spring allergy season for you.Read More
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Sometimes, you have a wonderful meal and the next day does not turn out to be fine.You need an elimination diet to figure what is wrong.Read More
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If you are a dog lover and you have worst allergies, it won't be easy for you.Therefore, you should wonder which breeds is best for you.Read More
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Then, the inevitable happens. Furthermore, there is no fixed cure for allergy due to its individuality.Read More

subset: commoncrawl


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Recent Posts
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Tag Archives: Golf and the Environment
Golf and the Environment Can go Hand in Hand
By Tips For Recycling | Published: July 14, 2012
Golf is not known for being a socially responsible sport. There's the legacy of elitist clubs, racist policies and, oh yeah, it uses up a ton of natural resources. But there are ways to be more environmentally conscious about the game. Here's one golfer who shows how golf and the environment can go hand in […]
Posted in Recycling News | Also tagged Audubon International, Golf Channel Big Break, Green America, Green Golfer | Leave a comment


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On the 5th of December 2011 a medical team embarked on a sailing boat to visit five small Greek islands, provide medical assistance, and establish telemedicine systems. The mission was successfully accomplished.
The boat was equipped with medical and dental apparatuses such as ultrasound scanners and bone densiometer.
The destinations were:
- Sikinos (200 inhabitants)
- Irakleia (151 inhabitants)
- Schinousa (206 inhabitants)
- Amorgos (1200 inhabitants)
- Donousa (163 inhabitants)
A large part of the population of these islands were exmanined, This was particularly important for people whose transportation would be difficult and painful.
Many of the inhabitants we visited in their homes live in places that are not accessible by car. In many cases we had to walk long distances uphill to reach them.
These people, if needed to be transported, would have to ride a donkey to reach an automobile and from there to be transported to the boat.
In spite of the inconvenience of their transport to central health services, such a transport often causes significant financial burden to them and their families, as they have to be travelling for several days and to pay for their stay in a hotel.
The examinations performed included ultrasounds, triplex, bone densiometry (for osteoporosis), spirometry, dental work, ECG and blood tests.
We happened to encounter two emergency ophthalmologic cases which were totally managed via telemedicine. Otherwise both of these two cases had to be transferred to the island of Naxos.
Telemedicine was successfully used in one pediatric and a few dermatologic cases.
The residents of these islands expressed their gratitude for IRITEL's visit. They are looking forward to our next visit and mainly for the operation of our 24-hour telemedicine programme.


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Carole King will receive a special honour from the organisers of the Grammy Awards next year when she will be named MusiCares Person of the Year at an event held two nights before the main Grammys ceremony in January.
King, 71, was honoured with a Grammy for lifetime achievement this year.
Previous recipients of the MusiCares Person of the Year title include Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Barbra Streisand and Neil Young.
The award will honour King's career as a writer and performer, which spans nearly six decades, as well as her charitable and philanthropic work. The four-times Grammy winner was the first female solo artist to sell more than 10 million copies of a single album with Tapestry, which stayed in the US music charts for six years after its 1971 release.
The award will be given out at a fundraiser in Los Angeles on 24 January.
Hits such as I Feel the Earth Move and (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman also saw her become a member of the Rock and Roll and Songwriters' Halls of Fame in 1987.
A musical of King's life, charting her rise from Brooklyn to fame and fortune is due to open on Broadway early next year called Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.


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Ingrid Niehans
Ingrid Niehans
Miss Beloit 1995
Ingrid Niehans lived and worked in the Beloit area for several years after her graduation from Lawrence College and winning the title of Miss Beloit. She was relocated by her company to North Carolina in 2000 and was busy with work and studies, earning her MSA from Wake Forest in 2003. Ingrid has traveled to Costa Rica, England and France. In 2005 she spent a year in China teaching English to university students. After traveling extensively through Asia, she returned to North Carolina where she continues to be active in her church and community