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Listen to the InstaScience nature study: Every year around this time we head outdoors for a special treat - the monarch butterfly! I love butterflies, but the monarch is among my absolute favorites. This orange and black beauty is known as the “King of Butterflies.” Monarchs go through the same four stages in their life cycle as other butterflies, meaning that they begin as eggs, hatch … [Read more...]
Search Results for: a week with
Rain {InstaScience}
We have had a lot of rain so far this fall! Which is great for filling up the aquifers, but not so great for the colors of our leaves as I shared in last week’s InstaScience on fall leaves. Rain forms when warm, moist air rises and condenses to form a cloud of water vapor, the micro-droplets collect together to form bigger droplets which fall to the ground because of gravity. In other words, … [Read more...]
Bull Thistle {InstaScience}
Bull Thistle is one of those "weeds" that almost all of us are familiar with! Its characteristic purple flowers are easy to spot as they adorn the top of the stem. Plus, its spiky stem acts like a sentinel on the border of vacant fields and along trails. This weed definitely prefers wide, open, sunny areas! But did you know that the flowering stems you see are actually the second year … [Read more...]
Cicada Emergence {InstaScience}
Every once in awhile you walk out the door and find something amazing. That was the case when Paige found this adult cicada emerging right on the frame of their front door! Cicadas, like butterflies, undergo complete metamorphosis. The nymphs spend at least a year or two underground feeding on sap from tree roots. They emerge in July, find a safe place, and spend the next hour or so … [Read more...]
The Great Lego Balloon Car Race
Every summer we like to add a bit of science every week. We take some extra time on a walk to observe nature. We check out at least one science-related book each week from the library. And take to test out different ideas and projects that caught our eyes throughout the year, but we didn't have time to do. So far, we have found a chrysalis and a black racer snake. We have read tons of Let's … [Read more...]
I want to teach science, but textbooks put me to sleep!
So, you want to teach science at home. You jumped over the hurdles of doing dissections and experiments in your house. But when you think back to the textbooks you read, a yawn unwittingly escapes from your mouth. A phrase quietly ushers from your lips, “I want to teach science, but textbooks put me to sleep.” I have good news – you don’t have to use textbooks to teach science to your … [Read more...]