CSI: Fingerprint Patterns

Discipline: Anatomy; Forensic Science
Age Range: 5+ (with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 10-15 minutes
What you need: Paper, pencil, clear tape, magnifying glass (optional)

Instructions: Fingerprints are a great way to tell people apart because everyone’s fingerprints are unique. This means that no two people in the world have the same set of fingerprints! Even though no two people’s fingerprints are exactly alike, there are three main fingerprint patterns. Which type of fingerprint pattern do you have? Follow these steps to find out!

1. Use your pencil to scribble a dark spot on your paper. Keep scribbling until you have a lot of dark pencil markings in one spot.

2. Rub your fingertip over the pencil markings. This will coat your fingerprint in a thin layer of gray material from the pencil.

3. Press a piece of clear tape onto your fingertip. Rub the tape so the print transfers evenly.

4. Remove the tape and stick it onto a blank area of your paper.

5. Look closely at your fingerprint on the tape (using your magnifying glass if you have one). Which pattern does it look most like?

Source: http://handlines.blogspot.com/2005/09/do-you-have-unusual-fingerprints.html

Learn Height and Fathom

Discipline: Mathematics and Measurement; Proportion
Age Range: 5+ (with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
What you need: Measuring tape, a pencil and paper to write down your findings (If you don’t have one, you can use a string and a ruler or other alternatives described below.)

Instructions: A fathom is a measurement from fingertip to fingertip for a person when standing straight up, with both arms spread out to the side. For many people, their height (from the bottom of the foot to the top of the head) and their fathom are the same! Follow these steps below to see how your height and fathom compare.

1. Take off your shoes and ask a family member or friend to measure your height while standing up straight. If you don’t have someone to help, just lay on the floor with your feet flat against a wall. Mark where the top of your head is with a small object such as a coin or a pencil. Write down your height on a piece of paper.

2. Hold your arms out straight to your sides. Ask a family member or friend to measure your fathom (from the ends of your fingertips on one hand to the other). If you don’t have someone to help, lay down with your arms spread wide, brushing the fingertips on one hand up against the wall. Use a small object to mark the ends of your fingertips (on your hand not touching the wall). Write down your measurement for fathom.

3. Are your height and fathom the same or different? Either result is normal! If they are different, subtract the smaller number from the larger one to find the difference! Write down your answer.

As we grow, our body measurements and ratios change. Adults are more likely to have matching and height and fathom measurements because they are finished growing. Try measuring an adult in your house and see how their results compare to yours!

Why Do Pennies Lose Their Shine?

Discipline: Chemistry
Age Range: 5+ (with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
What you need: Dull pennies, vinegar, table salt, bowl, spoon, and water

Instructions: Have you ever wondered why pennies lose their shine and start to look dull and dirty? This happens because pennies are made up of copper. When copper touches oxygen, it begins a chemical reaction called oxidation, which makes pennies look dull. There’s another simple chemical reaction that can make dull pennies look shiny and new again! Just follow these steps to try it at home:

1. Ask an adult to help you mix one teaspoon of salt into ¼ cup of vinegar.

2. Place a dull penny in the mixture. Count slowly as you stir the penny around in the vinegar mixture.

3. Watch as the penny becomes shiny right before your eyes! How many seconds did it take for the penny to look shiny and new?

4. Remove the penny from the vinegar mixture and rinse with water.

5. Watch your penny sparkle!

This works because vinegar is an acid, which is a type of liquid that can be used to break down other materials (such as the copper oxide formed on your penny from oxidation). Try using another acid, like lemon juice or hot sauce, and see if it has the same result!

Sources:
https://sciencebob.com/clean-pennies-with-vinegar/
https://www.thinglink.com/scene/436209526438363138

Reflections

Discipline: Physical Science, Light Refraction
Age Range: 5+
Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes
What you need: A mirror and a spoon

Find a mirror in your house. What does your

reflection look like? Draw a picture of your reflection in the box below (or on a piece of paper).

Now, find a spoon. What do you think your reflection will look like when you look into the inside of the spoon? Observe your reflection and draw a picture on a piece of paper).

Flip your spoon around so the curved side is facing outward. What do you think your reflection will look like when you look into the spoon like this? Observe your reflection and draw a picture on a piece of paper.

Reflections can be described as light that doesn’t enter a medium, but are sent back out from the surface of the medium. Here are three basic types of mirrors that create different types of reflections:

Flat or Plane: This type of surface is the same as your mirror. It has a flat surface and causes an image to be flipped from left to right when reflected.

Concave: This type of surface is like the inside of your curved spoon. It has an inward rounded surface and causes an image to flip upside down. It also can cause the image to be magnified.

Convex: This type of surface is like the outside of your curved spoon, It has an outward rounded surface, causes an image to be magnified, and is not flipped.

Wind Cars

Discipline: Engineering, Physical Science
Age Range: 7-12
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
What you need: Notecards or paper, four-to-five straws, four lifesavers, one meter of tape

Note: Supplies can be substituted or exchanged for materials you have at home. For example, notecards can be swapped for cardboard, straws can be swapped for pencils, and lifesavers can be swapped for anything that is round or moves!

Instructions:

1. You will use the materials you have been given (or gathered) to create a car that is powered by the wind (your breath).

2. Your only rule is that your wheels must move!

3. Once your car is complete place it on the floor or on a tabletop, blow a gust of wind, and see how it flies! (Additional tests: see how many breaths it takes to move across the floor, or measure the distance your car traveled in one breath.

4. Once you test your car, try to improve it! What worked well the first time? What can you improve? Design another car and repeat steps 1-3!

Resources: https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_sailcars_activity1                     http://www.lynnmiskell.com/puff-car/

Other design option.

Other design option.

Making Observations, A Sensory Scavenger Hunt

Discipline: Scientific Skill Practice
Age Range: All ages
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
What you need: An area outdoors or indoors students can explore objects around them. Also, download our Sensory Scavenger Hunt Guide at the bottom of this article.

This activity focuses on making observations. Ask: “Do you know what it means to make an observation?”

Making an observation is a way to learn and notice more about the world around us.

Ask: “Can you think of anyone or anything who makes observations?”

That’s right! Scientists, doctors, teachers, detectives, your parents, artists, animals, and even you make observations every day.

You can use all five of your senses to make observations: your sense of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Today when making observations outside, don’t use your sense of taste.

Now, let’s practice! Go outside (or stay indoors if don’t have access to the outdoors at this time). Find an object in nature that you and your scientist would like to observe.

Take a close look at your object. What do you notice using your sense of sight? Try describing the size, color, shape, etc.

Now, feel your object. What do you feel? Does it feel smooth? Rough? Cold? Bumpy?

Next, give your object a sniff! What does it smell like?

Last, try our sense of hearing. Your object may not make a sound on its own, but can you make any sounds with it? Try tapping it, crumbling it, or scratching it!

 Now that you’ve practiced making some observations, see what else there is to observe around you. You can use the chart on the next page to complete the Sensory Scavenger Hunt with your scientist by finding some more interesting objects in nature!

Helpful Hints: Adults, if you are doing this activity with your child(ren, ask them the questions and have a discussion before moving on to the next item on the student guide.

New words: Observation, making an observation means to learn and notice more about the world around us using our five senses.

Make a Paperclip Float

Discipline: Physics, Life Science
Age Range: 5+ (with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes
What you need: a container of water, a small square of tissue paper or newspaper, a paperclip, and a pencil

What happens when you drop a paperclip into a bowl of water? Does it sink or float? Normally it sinks, but you can use science to make it float on the surface! Try this: cut out a small square of tissue paper and place it on the surface of a container of water. Place the paperclip on top of the tissue paper. Now, VERY gently and patiently, use the eraser end of a pencil to push the corners of the tissue paper down into the water. Slowly work your way closer and closer to the paperclip without touching it. Once most of the tissue paper is under the water, use the pencil’s eraser to gently push it all the way under the water. The paperclip should remain floating on the surface! It might take a little practice – don’t give up!

This works because of something called surface tension. The molecules in water are attracted to one another, kind of like tiny magnets. This creates a “film” or “skin” on the surface of the water which can be strong enough to hold up a paperclip. Surface tension also helps some insects, such as water striders, to move across the surface of the water!

Sources:
https://sciencebob.com/make-a-paperclip-float/
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Water-Striders

Now is your moment to join me in supporting Sierra Nevada Journeys and the campaign to purchase Grizzly Creek Ranch

My name is Matson Sewell, and I’m a co-trustee and grants manager for the Arata Brothers Trust.

I’m so glad to have the chance to talk about why the Trust has made a commitment to the capital campaign to purchase the Grizzly Creek Ranch. We first learned of Sierra Nevada Journeys through our sister, Elfrena Foord, a much-appreciated philanthropist in Sacramento. Elfrena was moderating the Social Venture Partners Fast Pitch program. After we heard Eaton’s pitch, my brother, Mark Sewell, the senior trustee at Arata Brothers leaned over to me and said, “That’s the nonprofit I want us to check out this year.” I agreed and lined up a visit to the Grizzly Creek Ranch.

Mark had been speaking for many months about a strong desire for us to do some grant awarding that invested in a lasting legacy for the Arata Brothers Trust. We are proud of the programming that over $15 million has funded in Sacramento education programs, informed by the practical insights from my niece, our third trustee, Lisa Malvini, a Sacramento elementary school teacher. But I understood what Mark meant about a lasting legacy for future generations. When I returned from the camp visit I contacted Mark and said, “I think I’ve found our legacy.”

We grew up in Reno, visited Sacramento each summer to see our grandfather and his two brothers, whose grocery business formed the Arata Brothers Trust after they died. We also spent August of every summer at our grandfather’s cabin in the woods off of Highway 50. My brothers attended Mohawk Boys camp when they were a little older which used to be just a few miles from the Grizzly Creek Ranch. We thrived in the Sierra natural environment, treasured the memories of those experiences and wanted to preserve the Sierras as well as expose the next generations to a landscape they will love and want to cherish and preserve as well.

At this time of tremendous competition for funding dollars, especially in support of STEM and workforce readiness, Sierra Nevada Journeys stands out as an especially effective, scalable, and impact-driven organization. By their purchase of the Grizzly Creek Ranch, they can take their training of next-generation environmental scientists and land stewards to a new level.

Both the physical landscape as well as the mission and vision of Sierra Nevada Journeys checks off every box for us to provide substantial financial support to something that will serve future generations. The physical layout is extraordinary with its full accessibility and multiple natural habitats for hands-on natural science education. The processes and systems in place are exceptional — I came out of decades in patient safety in healthcare and wish the medical centers I’d worked in could claim this organization’s level of exquisite attention to regulatory compliance and safety detail as well as their open welcome to everyone.

There is one additional factor in our commitment, and that is to honor the memory of our brother, Andy, who we lost in the surprise snowstorm of October 2004. He went for an end-of-season mountain bike ride off of Highway 50 near our grandfather’s cabin. A dozen small groups were stranded for three days by this surprise blizzard, including the two visitors from Japan who froze on the face of El Capitan. All the others were rescued except our brother. Eighteen months after he went missing, a Sierra Search and Rescue training exercise repelled down a cliff face near where his bike and backpack were found. A recovered vertebrae confirmed the DNA match.  The next summer Mark, Elfrena and I hiked to the location at Scout peak and noticed the wild, electric blue and yellow threads of shiny cloth woven into the bird and squirrel nests in the trees. We smiled imagining these came from Andy’s first layer of the Lycra leggings and shirt he must have worn that day. It helped to recognize that he became woven into and a part of the landscape he loved more than any place on earth. It helps, even more, to honor his memory with supporting the purchase of this property for future generations to love this area as much as we have.

Sierra Nevada Journeys has exceptional programming but that can’t be secured if it could be disrupted by a change in landlords. They need to own the property to secure the future of their work. This property will be sold. I have a sense of urgency about the situation because imagining this remarkable landscape being purchased and re-purposed to any other use, such as… a golf club and resort would be an unbearable loss to the science and environmental education of young people in our region. And this gorgeous land will go that route if we don’t preserve it for its best and highest use. It’s up to us.

Come and visit the Grizzly Creek Ranch — I think you will never forget it.

2019 Q.A.R.E. Awards Recipients

Honoring Excellence at Sierra Nevada Journeys

On Nov. 10, we celebrated our fifth annual Q.A.R.E. (Quality. Accountability. Respect. Unique Experiences.) awards honoring team members that exemplify our four core values. With more than 80 employees at Sierra Nevada Journeys, it is a great honor to recognize the following four employees for their outstanding contributions.

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Pictured: Mickie Tang and Eaton Dunkelberger

Quality: Mickie Tang, Part-Time Educator, Sacramento Classrooms Unleashed
Mickie has been with us for three years as an educator in Sacramento where she advocates for high-quality teaching and learning. She continually seeks improvement in her own teaching abilities and proactively improves program content. As a leader on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Mickie brings a thoughtful, critical perspective on inclusion and equity that has positively impacted Sierra Nevada Journeys.

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Pictured: Hilda Valencia and Eaton Dunkelberger

Accountability: Hilda Valencia, Cook, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Hilda has been with our team for two years and started as a dishwasher; she quickly took on more responsibilities and became a cook preparing nutritional meals for hundreds of campers each week. Hilda always is the first to arrive and leads by example. She is hardworking, dedicated and committed to quality food service for our guests.

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Pictured: Lauren Rangel-Fridman and Eaton Dunkelberger

Respect: Lauren Rangel-Friedman, Residential Outdoor Science Instructor, Grizzly Creek Ranch
Lauren joined the team in February 2019, as one of 14 ROSIs at Grizzly Creek Ranch and quickly proved to be a valuable team member by fine-tuning class lessons to meet the unique needs of each incoming group of students. They made a bracelet for every participant as a take-home reminder of the community agreement that each student commits to at the beginning of camp. Additionally, Lauren created new activities for students to further grow Sierra Nevada Journeys’ programs.

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Pictured: Mackenzie Kohler and Eaton Dunkelberger

Experiences: Mackenzie Kohler, Part-Time Educator, Reno Classrooms Unleashed
Mackenzie started with Sierra Nevada Journeys as a summer camp counselor and worked her way up to part-time educator. She proactively assists her colleagues and volunteers to pitch in whenever needed. Mackenzie regularly observes other programs and instructors to continually grow her teaching skills. She takes initiative to plan training and educator meetings, which spark collaboration among her colleagues.

Here’s what we strive to achieve each and every day through our core values:

1. We are committed to outstanding quality (Q)

   1. We strive to improve through rigorous evaluations of our actions

   2. We flexibly embrace change that makes our programs and operations better

   3. We celebrate actions that demonstrate our commitment to excellence

2. We are accountable (A)

   1. We do what we say we'll do for each other and for our stakeholders

   2. At all levels of our team, we set, commit to, and reach specific goals

3. We respect each other and ourselves (R)

   1. We foster a respectful work environment by using supportive actions and words to positively impact our teammates and ensuring our co-workers do the same

   2. We work to understand the goals and challenges of our team, participants, and donors, and integrate these considerations into our actions

   3. We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and skills adds value to our organization

4. We provide unforgettable experiences (E)

   1. We keep participants' safety, education and experience at the forefront of our actions

   2. We recognize the uniqueness of our experience for our participants, and show up each day ready to deliver

Help support a one-of-a-kind camp for environmental science and workforce development

RENO, Nev. — Oct. 1, 2019 — We are delivering an innovative environmental science and workforce development camp for Grant Union High School’s GEO Academy’s students to explore career opportunities. This one-of-a-kind camp will directly connect eleventh graders with water and forestry industry representatives at a three-day camp in November. It will expose students to future careers where they’ll learn about internships and career pathways. Our partners are eager to hire for a variety of roles that support earning certificates to four-year degrees.

Please help us raise $10,000 to reach our goal to send 50 students to the science and workforce development camp at Sierra Nevada Journeys’ Grizzly Creek Ranch.

For many of these students, the chance to aspire to a science-based or successful career can be difficult because 100 percent of the students taking part in the GEO Academy are considered low-income students — based on their eligibility for the Free or Reduced school lunch program. They need help and support if they are to be productive citizens of their community and go beyond the limitations of their environment.

To learn more or donate to the GEO Academy workforce development camp visit sierranevadajourneys.org/geo-academy.