"Mama, I'm playing science!" ~J on a random car ride the other day.
How my heart just melted. "Playing" in my mind implies "fun," which has been my goal of Nerdy Baby(/Science). Science is important, science is approachable at any age (without much cost), and most of all, science is FUN!
Please take time to vote, one last time for Nerdy Science on Pepsi Refresh. Voting ends tonight (August 31) at 9p PST.
Text 107753 to 73774.
Oh, and email me/comment if you have any idea how to start up a company/non-profit. I'm looking for mentors/brains to pick.
Everyday science for families with young children.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Only two more voting days left!!
Please take the time to vote today and tomorrow. We are down to the wire and have been holding steady at #15 thanks to all of your votes!
**You might have to click the link again once you sign in, in order to vote for my project**
Vote by Text: 107753 to 73774.
Also...
Please use your power votes (codes on specially marked Pepsi products). I'll be happy to use your unused codes too...just send them my way and I'll do the dirty work.
****Feel free to help out other projects! ****
Please use your extra daily votes to support our Partners:
Atwater Classrooms (text 107863 to 73774).
Tech'ing Morganton Day School Classrooms (text 107954 to 73774)
And very nice supporters, who are giving us lots of votes and encouragements, so please support them with your votes however you can:
Inclusion Project (co-founded by Clay Aiken) (text 108169 to 73774).
Squeeze - Feed, Teach, Nourish (text 107827 to 73774).
Recycling Robot (text 108147 to 73774).
**** Don't forget to use comments, so they know we are supporting them!!! ****
I will also be asking you to support some projects who "paid it forward" and voted for us this month and are competing next month, so stay tuned.
I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement! This Refresh Grant has been a blessing in so many ways. I'm looking forward to telling you next month (when "official" results are announced) that we won!
Don't forget to follow Nerdy Science on Facebook to stay in touch with how the program is getting up and running: NerdyScience
**You might have to click the link again once you sign in, in order to vote for my project**
Vote by Text: 107753 to 73774.
Also...
Please use your power votes (codes on specially marked Pepsi products). I'll be happy to use your unused codes too...just send them my way and I'll do the dirty work.
****Feel free to help out other projects! ****
Please use your extra daily votes to support our Partners:
Atwater Classrooms (text 107863 to 73774).
Tech'ing Morganton Day School Classrooms (text 107954 to 73774)
And very nice supporters, who are giving us lots of votes and encouragements, so please support them with your votes however you can:
Inclusion Project (co-founded by Clay Aiken) (text 108169 to 73774).
Squeeze - Feed, Teach, Nourish (text 107827 to 73774).
Recycling Robot (text 108147 to 73774).
**** Don't forget to use comments, so they know we are supporting them!!! ****
I will also be asking you to support some projects who "paid it forward" and voted for us this month and are competing next month, so stay tuned.
I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support and encouragement! This Refresh Grant has been a blessing in so many ways. I'm looking forward to telling you next month (when "official" results are announced) that we won!
Don't forget to follow Nerdy Science on Facebook to stay in touch with how the program is getting up and running: NerdyScience
Friday, August 26, 2011
Fantasy Friday: Science Fairs
No fancy paint drawings this week, just some verbose program description.
My desire is to bring fun science to kids with multiple visits to the classroom (1/week, 1/mo, or some other determined interval). I would do my lessons and let them experience science through making hypotheses (even if they are wrong) and experimenting. Then we'd discuss why their experiment ended up the way it did with each lesson (and maybe give them a "key science word" to use in everyday conversation because that's what cool nerdy people do).
After the multi-week program, we'd hold an open house, or "science fair." My goal is not to put more work on the parents (truth be told, my mom did a majority of my science fair brunt work - and this is a very young age group), but to have a space where kids can showcase what scientific concepts they have learned to their parents. I'd make the science fair displays with concepts and potential hypotheses and hopefully engage scientific discussions within the families. The kids would demonstrate how the science works (hopefully with gigantic "I did it" smiles).
The lessons would be tailored to the school/classroom's desire, or they can pull from yet-to-be determined themes I'll have prepared.
----
Obligatory vote tag:
Please, don't forget to vote online:
**You might have to click the link again once you sign in, in order to vote for my project**
Vote by Text: 107753 to 73774.
Also...
Please use your power votes (codes on specially marked Pepsi products). I got two 50 "power votes" lately with my soda addiction. I'll be happy to use your unused codes too...just send them my way and I'll do the dirty work.
And Follow us on Facebook: NerdyScience
****I'll be giving suggestions for your other votes here. Feel free to help out others! ****
Please use your extra daily votes to support our Partners:
Atwater Classrooms (text 107863 to 73774).
Tech'ing Morganton Day School Classrooms (text 107954 to 73774)
And very nice supporters, who are giving us lots of votes and encouragements, so please support them with your votes however you can:
Inclusion Project (co-founded by Clay Aiken) (text 108169 to 73774).
Squeeze - Feed, Teach, Nourish (text 107827 to 73774).
Recycling Robot (text 108147 to 73774).
**** Don't forget to use comments, so they know we are supporting them!!! ****
P.S. I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support!
My desire is to bring fun science to kids with multiple visits to the classroom (1/week, 1/mo, or some other determined interval). I would do my lessons and let them experience science through making hypotheses (even if they are wrong) and experimenting. Then we'd discuss why their experiment ended up the way it did with each lesson (and maybe give them a "key science word" to use in everyday conversation because that's what cool nerdy people do).
After the multi-week program, we'd hold an open house, or "science fair." My goal is not to put more work on the parents (truth be told, my mom did a majority of my science fair brunt work - and this is a very young age group), but to have a space where kids can showcase what scientific concepts they have learned to their parents. I'd make the science fair displays with concepts and potential hypotheses and hopefully engage scientific discussions within the families. The kids would demonstrate how the science works (hopefully with gigantic "I did it" smiles).
The lessons would be tailored to the school/classroom's desire, or they can pull from yet-to-be determined themes I'll have prepared.
----
Obligatory vote tag:
Please, don't forget to vote online:
**You might have to click the link again once you sign in, in order to vote for my project**
Vote by Text: 107753 to 73774.
Also...
Please use your power votes (codes on specially marked Pepsi products). I got two 50 "power votes" lately with my soda addiction. I'll be happy to use your unused codes too...just send them my way and I'll do the dirty work.
And Follow us on Facebook: NerdyScience
****I'll be giving suggestions for your other votes here. Feel free to help out others! ****
Please use your extra daily votes to support our Partners:
Atwater Classrooms (text 107863 to 73774).
Tech'ing Morganton Day School Classrooms (text 107954 to 73774)
And very nice supporters, who are giving us lots of votes and encouragements, so please support them with your votes however you can:
Inclusion Project (co-founded by Clay Aiken) (text 108169 to 73774).
Squeeze - Feed, Teach, Nourish (text 107827 to 73774).
Recycling Robot (text 108147 to 73774).
**** Don't forget to use comments, so they know we are supporting them!!! ****
P.S. I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support!
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Nerdy Husband
So, the story goes that my husband has wanted to build a 3-D printer for a while now. I haven't said no, but I never said, "Yes." Well, until he told me that we could create our own cookie/fondant cutters. Sign me up!
So you ask what else can you make with a 3-D printer (besides expensive cookie cutters)?
---
Pepsi Refresh voting information deleted 9/25/12
P.S. I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support!
 |
| The printer making begins |
 |
| Serious engineering in progress |
 |
| John's 3-D printer...he already wants a better one |
So you ask what else can you make with a 3-D printer (besides expensive cookie cutters)?
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| Safety buckles |
 |
| Do nothing machine |
 |
| Droid bot |
 |
| Duplos |
 |
| Nut and bolt |
 |
| Rattlebacks |
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| Snowmen cookie cutters (since they don't exist) |
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Pepsi Refresh voting information deleted 9/25/12
P.S. I love you guys. Thanks for all of your support!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Sailboats with Toddlers
Believe it or not, I had twelve 18-27 month olds attention for 10 minutes! Science is fun!
I decided that we should just jump into hands-on science.
I had a big box full of fun, relatively non-chokeable things to throw in the water (some that they wouldn't typically get to play with in water). We had some unsharpened pencils, giant bouncy balls, some foam balls, some other random balls (balls+toddlers = win), pieces of paper, sponges, rubberband bracelets (think "Livestrong"), large rocks, cotton balls, straws, etc. Without much organization, the kids came to me one at a time for an object to test in the water. My favorite part was their eagerness to experiment.
After all of the objects had been plopped in the water, we talked briefly about things that float and thinks that sink. I had the kids fish the objects out and put them away in my cubby box that I brought. This took a few more minutes of their attention.
Then I pulled out the sailboats!! I chopped off the ends of toothpicks and taped a piece of index card onto the remaining toothpick. In order to get the flat toothpick in the sponge, I made a hole with a pointy toothpick, then inserted the dull one, with a dab of hot glue - as during my test run, the first thing J did was disassemble my prototype and try to stick the toothpick up his nose. These worked really well if you are one-on-one. Twelve two year olds + one me still passing out the boats = chaos. A few of the boats survived long enough to have some races. The toddlers liked blowing on the race boats like they blow out a candle. I think some of the teachers had more fun than the kids ;-).
Tips:
*Squeeze out excess water so the sponges float better.
*Use more waterproof tape (I used Scotch tape) when attaching the sail to the mast.
*Maybe conduct this experiment with 3 kids, not the flock of toddlers I had (though it was fun).
I don't have pics from the event since photo release forms weren't collected, except for this photo (since it's of J). 10 minutes of science lesson = 15 minutes of water play afterward. Good thing it was a hot day! **
**Hot = 80s for us...my Vegas roots are shaking their heads in shame.
Anyways, for the pre-schoolers, I created these fun Sink/Float graphics in Word. I thought I'd share.
Happy Sailing!!
---
Edited 6/30/13 to remove Pepsi Refresh Voting tag. Voting has long since ended.
I decided that we should just jump into hands-on science.
I had a big box full of fun, relatively non-chokeable things to throw in the water (some that they wouldn't typically get to play with in water). We had some unsharpened pencils, giant bouncy balls, some foam balls, some other random balls (balls+toddlers = win), pieces of paper, sponges, rubberband bracelets (think "Livestrong"), large rocks, cotton balls, straws, etc. Without much organization, the kids came to me one at a time for an object to test in the water. My favorite part was their eagerness to experiment.
After all of the objects had been plopped in the water, we talked briefly about things that float and thinks that sink. I had the kids fish the objects out and put them away in my cubby box that I brought. This took a few more minutes of their attention.
Then I pulled out the sailboats!! I chopped off the ends of toothpicks and taped a piece of index card onto the remaining toothpick. In order to get the flat toothpick in the sponge, I made a hole with a pointy toothpick, then inserted the dull one, with a dab of hot glue - as during my test run, the first thing J did was disassemble my prototype and try to stick the toothpick up his nose. These worked really well if you are one-on-one. Twelve two year olds + one me still passing out the boats = chaos. A few of the boats survived long enough to have some races. The toddlers liked blowing on the race boats like they blow out a candle. I think some of the teachers had more fun than the kids ;-).
 |
| My fleet of sailboats |
*Squeeze out excess water so the sponges float better.
*Use more waterproof tape (I used Scotch tape) when attaching the sail to the mast.
*Maybe conduct this experiment with 3 kids, not the flock of toddlers I had (though it was fun).
I don't have pics from the event since photo release forms weren't collected, except for this photo (since it's of J). 10 minutes of science lesson = 15 minutes of water play afterward. Good thing it was a hot day! **
**Hot = 80s for us...my Vegas roots are shaking their heads in shame.
Anyways, for the pre-schoolers, I created these fun Sink/Float graphics in Word. I thought I'd share.
Happy Sailing!!
---
Edited 6/30/13 to remove Pepsi Refresh Voting tag. Voting has long since ended.
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