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Are you curious about what our education team has been up to this fall? Read on to learn more!
During Sea Squirts, budding engineers and inventors disassembled computers and practiced using tools. They also built marble runs and played with pendulums.
The Little Dippers continued exploring the natural environment, observing how shorter days contribute to dropping temperatures. Luckily, we had many beautiful sunny days to explore, along with our first snowfall.
Science & Snacks, our after-school program, focused on kelp. Students explored how kelp is an excellent food source as they feasted on seaweed snacks and made sushi and kelp salsa. They learned the various parts of a kelp, explored a kelp touch tank, and colored creatures commonly found in a kelp forest.
Science & Snacks, our after-school program, dove into the fascinating world of kelp. Students discovered why kelp is such a nutritious food source while feasting on seaweed snacks, making sushi, and preparing kelp salsa. They explored the anatomy of kelp, interacted with a kelp touch tank, and colored creatures commonly found in kelp forests. You can view their kelp mural in the Science Center atrium.
In partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, we hosted a Teaching Through Technology (T3) event for junior high students, focusing on 3D printing. Participants worked with the Native Village of Eyak Cultural Center to 3D scan cultural artifacts and explored the Eyak Virtual Experience, a virtual reality simulation. Some students even had the opportunity to pilot a drone, capturing aerial footage of the town.
Homework Club activities included making paper airplanes followed by a yeast and pasta “rocket engine,” baking soda rockets, and a ferromagnetism maze game.
Nature Yoga participants were seen lying on their backs and wiggling their legs! Why? Because barnacles feed with their feet. November’s session featured the barnacle and inspired participants to get rooted, breathe with the tides, and shake their legs.
Our November Tuesday Night Talk series can be viewed on our YouTube Channel by clicking on the Lecture Series playlist.
- David Rosenthal (local Artist): Science & Art - Painting at the End of the Ice Age
- Collin Bronson (Native Village of Eyak): Shepard Point Road & Oil Spill Response Facility & Port Terminal Construction Project
- Aaron Bowman (Audubon): Eight Months in SE Asia: In Search of Birds, Mountains, and Sanity
Our November Discovery Room program was filled with exploration:
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Kindergarteners discovered that the seasons occur in a pattern and learned the effects of the sun on each season.
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First graders witnessed sound waves in action as they learned about the traditional use of drums and constructed drums with the guidance of the Native Village of Eyak.
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Second graders learned four things plants need to grow. They used that knowledge when planting their lettuce seedlings in the hydroponic units.
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Third graders continued to learn about birds' life cycles. This month, they focused on nest construction. Students created bird nests with natural materials found outside.
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Fourth graders continued their climb up the food chain by talking about kelp (a primary producer) and invertebrates (primary and secondary consumers). We set up touch tanks containing kelp and invertebrates so students could explore their role in the food web.
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Fifth graders explored the interaction between the hydrosphere and cryosphere and learned about different forms of data presentation. Their favorite was presenting data through sonification. Students converted data about glaciers into musical notes and then modified the tempo, key, and instruments to make songs about glacier recession.
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Sixth graders tested their knowledge of water properties by discussing thermohaline circulation and how density plays a role in this natural process. They also learned about color in the deep sea and joined Dr. Rob Campbell for a bioluminescence cruise on our research boat, New Wave.
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