Create Your Own Journal, Step-by-Step Instructions

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Discipline: Social Emotional Learning
Age Range: 9-12 (all ages with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 20-30 minutes
What you need: Scissors, rectangular tissue box or any other cardboard box, printer paper, stapler OR needle and thread, sharpie, glue or tape (optional), plus any fun decorations (optional)

Journals are used by many people to pull thoughts, feelings, and ideas out of their heads and on to paper! These ideas can be expressed through words, drawings, pictures, and many other creative ways. Here is one way of constructing your very own journal, with limited resources, to use how you would like!

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Instructions:

1. Cut out the bottom of the tissue box so you have a rectangular piece of cardboard.

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2. Fold the cardboard rectangle in half. You’ve created the cover of your new journal!

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3. Fold one piece of printer paper in half (hamburger style), and then in half again (hamburger style). This should create a small booklet of four pages.

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4. Use this folding method for at least four pieces of paper, then stack the booklets of paper together as shown. When stacking, be sure that the sides that open are with each other and closed sides are together as well.

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5. Place the stacked booklets inside the cardboard “cover”. Align the open-sided pages up with the top edge of the cover. The closed sides of the pages should poke out from the bottom of your cover.

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6. Use scissors to cut off the edge of the pages that poke out the bottom of your cover. All of your pages should be able to open left to right, just like a book. Your journal is almost complete!

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7. Using a stapler, staple your journal together along the folded edge of the cardboard. Keep the stapler as close as possible to the fold so that you can maximize the size of your page. (Don’t have a stapler? No problem; you’ll find instructions in a second blog post for using a needle and thread.)

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8. Your personal journal is done! Use whatever materials you’d like to decorate the cover — stickers, glitter, drawings, paint, etc.

Part 2, Create Your Own Journal, Needle and Thread Binding

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Discipline: Social, Emotional, Learning
Age Range: 9-12 (all ages with adult supervision)
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
What you need: Completed journal from Part 1, Create Your Own Journal, plus needle and thread

Journals are used by many people to pull thoughts, feelings, and ideas out of their heads and on to paper! Here’s Part 2 of creating your own journal and now to bind it using a needle and thread if you don’t happen to have a stapler.

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Instructions (alternative to stapling the spine of your journal):

1. Thread a sharp needle on about 12 inches of thread. Tie off the end of the thread with several knots.
2. Open your booklet to the centerfold of all pages. With a sharpie, mark a dot on both sides of the booklet along the fold, about an inch away from the edges of the booklet. (This dot is where your needle and thread will be going through.)

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3. Now, insert your needle through one of the sharpie marks (in through the pages, out through the cover side), so that the knotted end of the thread is on the inside of the booklet.

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4. Next, poke the needle through the back of the booklet (in through the cover, out through the side of the pages), so the needle and thread come back through the second sharpie mark.

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5. Repeat this pattern several times so that you have a thick band of thread along the spine of the booklet.
6. Tie the thread off with several knots near the opposite sharpie hole from the original knot. Tie the knots just as you did with the starting knot.

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Your journal is now complete!

Weathering Scavenger Hunt

Discipline: Earth Science
Age Range: 10-14
Estimated Time: 20 minutes
What you need: Download the Weathering Scavenger Hunt activity sheet and you’ll need an area outdoors with rocks

Instructions:
Have you ever wondered what causes rocks to break?

In science, we have a special word for when rocks get broken down by nature. It is called weathering. Weathering is the natural process of breaking down rocks and minerals into tiny pieces of sediment.

Did you know that there can be other ways that weathering can break down rocks? They are called Freeze-thaw, water, and vegetation.

Can you guess how these three things break down rocks?

Freeze-thaw making rocks crack

Freeze-thaw is when water freezes and pushes against the rock as it expands making the rock crack. You might have seen something like this happen if you ever left a soda pop in the freezer. What happened to the can?

Water breaks down rocks, so they are round and smooth. Have you ever felt a smooth river rock? The force of sediment and the water hitting the rocks over long periods of time makes this happen.

Water breaking down rocks

Vegetation is a special word meaning plants. Can you think of a word that sounds similar to vegetation? Vegetable!  Vegetation can break down rocks in two ways. One way is then plants grow and push against the rocks causing them to crack. Have you ever noticed that tree roots can creak driveways? Pretty strong, right! Plants can also produce a chemical that breaks down the rocks too.

Vegetation pushing against rocks to make them crack

Now that you know the three different ways weathering can break down rocks go outside and see if you can find:
1. One rock weathered by freeze-thaw.
2. One rock weathered by water.
3. One rock weathered by vegetation.

Helpful Hints: More than one type of weathering can break down a rock. You might see rocks that look like both water and vegetation have broken them down. 

New Words:
Weathering: The breaking down of rocks and minerals into sediment.
Freeze-thaw: When water freezes and pushes against the rock making it crack.
Vegetation: Plant life.

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Photo sources:
Freeze-thaw
Water
Vegetation

Floating Fingers

Discipline: Team Building
Age Range: 7-12
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
What you need: At least two people; the more people you have will make the activity more challenging and fun! A lightweight, rigid object such as a ruler, pencil, hula-hoop, board game box or CD

Instructions:
This is a simple team-building activity that can be modified with a number of household objects. The goal is to collectively lower an object to the ground. Each participant will stand and place their pointer finger out, palms down. The object will be placed on top of all the fingers. Everyone must keep their finger in contact with the object at all times. As a team, carefully lower the object all the way to the ground. If any fingers come off the object or the object falls, restart from the top. If you master this activity with one object, try it with another. See what objects are easier or harder than others. Try it with different numbers of people; the more people, the more challenging the activity will be.

Debrief Questions: Once you have completed the activity, discuss how it went.

1. Why was it hard to lower the object?

2. How did you communicate during this activity?

3. What changes did you need to make to be more successful?

The Science of Snow Melt

Discipline: Physical Science
Age Range: 8-12
Estimated Time: 10 minutes for set-up, then the time needed for the snow to melt
What you need: Snow, a see-through container such as a glass or jar, ruler and salt

Instructions:

1. Fill the container up with snow

2. Bring it inside

3. Place the ruler straight up inside the container, press it down all the way to the bottom.

Observations: (Charts for all experiments are provided as a downloadable PDF below.)

1. Make note of the type of snow you collected. Is it powdery, icy, wet, dry, etc.?

2. Measure and record the height of the snow in your container.

3. Make a prediction about how long you think it will take the snow in the container to completely melt.

4. Measure and record the height of snow in 10-15 minute increments. (More time slots can be added to the chart if needed.)

Experiment Variations:

[Experiment 2] Collect multiple containers of snow (same amount), and place them in various locations (kitchen, outside, fridge, etc.), measure the snow height as you did in the first experiment.

[Experiment 3] Collect various types of snow (if possible) and compare melting times between the varieties by measuring the snow height the same way you did in the first experiment.

[Experiment 4] Collect two containers of the same type and amount of snow, sprinkle table salt into one container and leave the other plain - compare the melting time of the two containers of snow using the same method as the first experiment.

Snow Science:

1. Physical state
   Snow melting into water is a physical change
   Physical changes are reversible - water could be frozen back into ice or snow
   Water exists in all three phases - ice as a solid, water as a liquid, and water vapor as a gas

2. Volume/Density
   Density is the weight of an item compared to the space it takes up
   Snow amount and water amount have the same weight
   Snow takes up much more space in the jar than water
   Snow is less dense than water

3. Melting
   Snow begins to melt when brought inside
   Various temperatures (variation 2) affect melting differently
   The warmer a space is, the faster melting will occur
   The colder a space is, the slower melting will occur

Night Vision and a Pirate's Tale on the High Seas

Discipline: Animal Biology, Literacy/Folklore
Age Range: All ages, but you need at least two people — one person reading the story and the other person participating in the activity.
Estimated Time: 15 minutes
What you need: A flashlight or lamp; a dark room or an outside area at night

Instructions:
Place a hand over one eye like an eye patch. Turn the flashlight (or lamp) on and place it on the ground 5 feet in front of you. Making sure zero light is getting through to your covered eye, look at the items around you that the light is shining on or to the side of the light with your free eye for the duration of the night vision story — all while keeping one eye covered. At the end of the story, turn off the light, remove your hand and look around you.

Story:
Long ago, there was a group of pirates known as The Eye Patch Hunters, who were notorious for taking treasure and goods from enemy ships at night without being seen. Every pirate on the ship had both eyes except for one pirate named Patches. At night when Patches would sleep, he switched his patch over to his good eye and used it as a sleeping mask, blocking out all lingering light. One night, he heard a noise and he quickly switched his patch away from his good eye, ran onto the deck and peered into the black water. He saw a giant whale swimming right next to the ship. When his fellow pirates accompanied him on the deck, they were unable to see the whale because their eyes had not adjusted to the low light conditions like Patches’ eye. As quickly as the whale appeared, it dove back down into the depths of the sea. Patches felt bad that his fellow crew members did not get to see this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He wondered how he was able to see the whale when no one else could.

Over time, his good eye had adapted to total darkness as he slept with an eye patch giving him the ability to see better at night. On the other hand, his bunkmates had lantern light and moonlight seeping through their eyelids. Patches observed his fellow pirates and noticed that he was the only one wearing an eye patch.

One day, he decided to use his night vision to his advantage and he came up with the idea to start stealing from other ships at night. He cut leather eye patches out and gave them to each of his crew members. Every pirate started wearing eye patches; day by day each of their eyes adapted to total darkness. Now the pirates had the upper hand at night.

The pirates painted their ship black and wore all black clothing for camouflage. The ship was a pirate legend because a dense screen of fog always hid it even on the brightest and clearest of days. The Eye Patch Hunters would lurk in the shadows as they waited for a cargo ship to exit the port. They would follow the ship until nightfall. During the day, the pirate crew had eye patches on, allowing their covered eyes to adjust to total darkness while their free eye allowed them to see. Once the sun had set, the pirates would hoist the mainsail and speed toward their prey. The Eye Patch Hunter pirates threw lines with grappling hooks onto their enemy’s ship. The metal thuds from the hooks woke the enemy crew that was guarding the treasure, and in their sleepy stupor, complete chaos broke out because the pirates would send gunpowder flares into the sky. The bright light blinded the confused the crew, which gave The Eye Patch pirates the perfect opportunity to sneak on board unseen. Even when the flares died out, the other crew was unable to see in the darkness because their eyes had not adjusted. The Eye Patch Hunters sprang into action and switched their eye patches over to their other eye allowing them to easily find the goods and treasure. Before the enemy crew’s eyes adjusted, the pirates had already sailed away.

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Key Questions

1. What is night vision?

2. Which animals have advanced night vision?

3. Why do these animals use night vision?

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The Science of Biological Features and Night Vision

• Certain animals, such as cats, have a mirror-like layer behind the retina called a tapetum lucidum — a shining layer that reflects visible light back through the retina. Have you ever seen an image of a deer or a cat with glowing green eyes? That glow is coming from the tapetum lucidum reflecting light.

• There are photoreceptor features in eyeballs called rods and cones that serve different functions that allow humans and animals to see; however, some animals such as owls have adapted excellent vision in low light conditions by producing more rods than humans produce.

• Rods sense dim and scattered light and do not produce color, and cones sense bright and focused light and do produce color.

• Rhodopsin is a protein pigment in rods that is sensitive to light and increases vision in low light conditions. Animals such as owls have high amounts of rhodopsin in their rods.

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Vocabulary

• Tapetum Lucidum: the shining layer that reflects light back through the retina

• Photoreceptor: a structure in a living organism, especially a sensory cell or sense organ, that responds to light falling on it

• Rods: Photoreceptors that sense dim or scattered light

• Cones: Photoreceptors that sense bright or focused light

• Rhodopsin: Protein pigment in rods that is sensitive to light

Aluminum Foil Boat Challenge

Discipline: Physical Science
Age Range: 5-12
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
What you need: Aluminum foil (sheets should be approximately 10 in x 10 in), weights (can use marbles, pennies, glass gems, rocks, etc.), and a bucket or sink filled with water

Instructions:

1. Use one sheet of aluminum foil to create a boat that can hold as much weight as possible.

2. You may not use anything to build your boat other than your one sheet of aluminum foil.

3. Once your boat is complete, put it in a bucket or sink filled with water and see how much weight it can hold. Continue adding weight until your boat starts to take on water or sink. You can count how weights your boat can hold, or put it on a scale to weigh how it could hold before your boat sank or took on water.

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

https://science4superheroes.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_2228.jpg

Mealtime Conversation Starters

Discipline: Social Emotional Learning
Age Range: All ages
Endorsed by grandparents
Estimated Time: Duration of meal
What you need: At least one person to talk to (could even be over the phone!)

Instructions: Meal questions are a great way to start a conversation around the table and connect with the people you are eating with. All you have to do is find what day it is on the calendar and read the question that corresponds with it to whoever you are having your meal with. Discuss your answers and have a fun conversation about something you may have never thought about before! You can also follow the link to spin the wheel to choose a random question. Download the calendars from the link below.

Click here to go to a wheel of meal questions for more options.

Hole in One Challenge

Discipline: Engineering
Age Range: 7+
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
What you need: Index cards and scissors

Instructions:

1. Use the scissors to cut an opening in an index large enough to fit your head through.  In order for it be considered right, the cut index card needs to have two closed ends.

2. Once you succeed at the first challenge, the second challenge is to cut an opening large to fit an entire family member from head to toe.

3. Keep in mind there is more than one right answer.

Hint: If this one stumps you, here’s a YouTube video on one way to accomplish this challenge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71bzxv0032s

How Are Birds' Feathers Waterproofed?

Discipline: Life Science
Age Range: 5+
Estimated Time: 5-10 minutes
What you need: Bird feathers activity sheet which can be downloaded from the link below (or a piece of paper), a crayon, water

Instructions:

https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8034/8019846243_ee307523f5_z.jpg

1. Put a droplet of water on the first feather on your Bird Feather Activity Page (or if you don’t have the activity page, draw the outline of a bird feather on a piece of paper and put a droplet of water on your paper). Observe what happens to the water.

2. Color the second feather on your Bird Feather Activity Page with crayon. Make sure to color it in completely. If you don’t have the Bird Feather Activity Page, draw a second bird feather on your piece of paper and color it in with your crayon.

3. Put a droplet of water on your second feather and observe what happens.

4. Did the same thing happen with the water on the two different feathers? What was different? Why do you think that happened?

Have you ever stood outside in the rain wearing a sweatshirt? You may have noticed that your sweatshirt absorbed water and quickly became very wet and heavy! Why don’t ducks get soaked with water when they spend so much time in the water? The reason is that ducks have a special gland at the base of their tail called the uropygial gland. This gland produces oil which the ducks then spread all over their body. Have you ever seen a duck that looks like it is biting at its feathers? That is called preening, and that is how the duck spreads the oil. The oil repels the water and allows ducks to stay dry. In our experiment, the wax represented the oil on the duck feathers. You may have noticed that when you put water on the feather without crayon it was able to absorb into the paper. What happened when you put water on the feather with the crayon? That’s right, the water stayed on top of the feather and did not absorb! Can you think of any other birds that might have a uropygial gland?