Snapping Turtle PSA May 24, 2012
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An important message about keeping snapping turtles and you out of harms way!
Jamie Jaffe Honored at NSSSA Banquet! April 23, 2012
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On Wednesday, April 11th, fifth grade teacher, Jamie Jaffe of the Fox Hill School was honored by the North Shore Science Supervisors Association (NSSSA) with the “Exemplary Science Teaching Award” during its end of year banquet at the Danversport Yacht Club. The Burlington Science Center is a member of the NSSSA and nominated Mrs. Jaffe for her outstanding hard work and attention to the sciences as a classroom teacher. We are so proud of Mrs. Jaffe! The Science Center appreciates her passion for teaching and her dedication to the students of Burlington Public Schools! It is our goal to nominate and honor more of the amazing teachers from all the Burlington schools in future years.
Congratulations again to Mrs. Jamie Jaffe!
Tortoise lays eggs! March 20, 2012
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The Science Center has a male and female red-footed tortoise, both which are used for educational programs throughout the Burlington Public Schools.
Shebly (female on left) and Fireball (male on right)
The female tortoise named “Shelby” laid eggs in her outdoor closure at Burlington High School. We were lucky to catch the amazing event.
She had been exhibiting reproductive behaviors for several weeks. First, Selby started digging her hole.
Then, she laid 4 plum sized white eggs. Red-footed tortoises can lay 1-12 eggs (2-4 are most common).
Check out the video below as we filmed one of the eggs as it dropped out from beneath the tortoise!
Shelby then buried her eggs with the soil she had excavated to make the hole. She used her flat feet to gently pat the dirt to cover them up.
Ms. P dug out the eggs and brought them inside so they would not get cold. The tortoises eggs are in an incubator at the Science Center. We will check them in 2 weeks using a machine called a “candler” to check if they are fertile.
It can take 3-4 months of incubation before they hatch.
Click here to learn more about Red-footed tortoises.
New Science Center Animal March 5, 2012
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We would like to introduce you to our new American Kestrel, named Halley. She was named after the famous comet!
Halley was kept illegally as pet and confiscated by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. She was then taken to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah for care and veterinary treatment.
Haley and Ms. Pavlicek
She will be used in some of our educational programs throughout the year, covering such topics as the characteristics of birds, animal behavior, habitats, and ecosystems.
She has quite the personality and we are thrilled to have her as part of our center.
Kestrel are a protected species and populations are in decline in Massachusetts. Find out how you can help by clicking here.
To learn more about American kestrels click here.
Instant Snow! Holiday Greetings from the Burlington Science Center December 20, 2011
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Miss Pavlicek, Mr. Musselman, and Mrs. Welch would like to wish you and your family a merry holiday break! We will see you in 2012 with even more great science experiments and activities.
Enjoy the “Instant Snow” activity delivered to all elementary level students last week. Teachers can send each student home with the materials to perform the experiment or complete the activity as a class at school! Feel free to include Mr. Musselman in your classroom to share this demonstration via YouTube as well!
The Winter Solstice December 14, 2011
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There is plenty to celebrate the week before holiday break, but among the many religious traditions don’t forget to take pause on December 22nd to celebrate a very special day in Earth’s orbit with your students or children, the winter solstice!
The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year for the northern hemisphere (top half) and marks the start of what we consider winter. For residents of Burlington, the sun will shine for only 9 hours and 5 minutes. Amazingly the day is even shorter the further north you travel, with anyone unfortunate enough to be above the Arctic Circle receiving no sunlight whatsoever!
The length of our day is affected not by our distance from the sun but the tilt of Earth’s axis. The axis is an imaginary line running from Earth’s north pole to its south pole that spins or rotates around. Unlike a top that spins standing straight up, Earth rotates slightly sideways at a 23.5 degree angle. This is roughly the angle one might make to form a peace sign with their index and middle finger.
During the Winter Solstice the earth’s north pole is pointed away from the sun, causing the northern hemisphere to receive fewer sunlight hours and less solar energy from the sun. Meanwhile, the south pole and southern hemisphere of the Earth is pointed directly toward the sun and receives their longest day of the year! For southern hemisphere residents, December 22nd is the summer solstice!
Because Earth points in one direction over the course of an entire orbit (revolution), we in Burlington point away from the sun in the winter months, but point toward the sun during the summer months.
Besides sharing some of the information above with your students or children, consider taking time during the final day or two of the 2011 school calendar to do one or more of these fun solstice activities.
Make a Sundial Class Activity - Produced by the Science Center and specifically designed for Burlington residents, this is a science activity where each student creates and uses their own sundial to tell time using the sun. Students will recognize how their shadows change in length and location over the course of a day. The link connects to a student worksheet and sundial template. Appropriate for grades 3-5. Some cutting is required. Grades K-2 may adapt for younger grades by having kids trace their shadows at different times of the day and answer similar questions posted on the student worksheet.
Computer Simulations and Animations:
Earth in Motion: Seasons – Follow Max around the world and learn about how the tilt of Earth and one’s location on Earth influences the seasons (and how Max should best plan his trip!) via Teacher’s Domain.
Seasons Interactive Animation – Best used as a class demonstration on an interactive whiteboard. Allows students to mark and predict where Earth will be in its orbit around the sun during each month. Courtesy of Freezeray.
There Goes the Sun – For more information on the historical perspective of the Winter Solstice and how ancient civilizations commemorated the day, check out this New York Times OpEd piece written by Richard Cohen. Note: most of the material here is not suited for elementary students but is a curious peek into human past traditions!
Update 12/20: Third grade, Francis Wyman teacher, Letitia Zani also recommends that teachers read “Dear Rebecca, Winter is Here” by Jean Craighead George. It is a favorite that Mrs. Zani reads every year with her students!
The “2011 Name the Alligator Contest” winner is…. December 6, 2011
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The Burlington Science Center would like to congratulate Orion Golden from Pine Glen School. He is the winner of the Science Center’s 2011 “Name the Alligator Contest.”
Orion Golden, Aurora the American Alligator and Ms. Lane's second grade Pine Glen class
Orion decided to name the American Alligator “Aurora,” after his older sister. Coincidentally, in 2009 Aurora Golden had also won the Science Center’s ”Name the Alligator Contest” by choosing her brother’s name, Orion.
Thank you to all the second graders who participated in the contest.
To learn more about American Alligators, check out the link here.
Rocket Day 2011 November 21, 2011
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Despite the wild weather Burlington experienced in October, our “Rocket Day” programs, sponsored once again by the Air Force Communication and Electronics Association were spectacular sights to see!
At every school students experienced an impressive showing of the forces of flight from Ms. Pavlicek and Mr. Musselman. A newly polished Rocket Car was on display to demonstarte Newton’s third law of motion. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction!
The assistance of Amanda Gustafson, Chip Grueter, Kristina Deer, and Kim Matthews was indispensable to the experience of our students as they assisted us with the safe firing of over three hundred rockets over the course of four Rocket Days. In addition, the RC plane demonstrations performed by Amanda and Chip were an incredible thrill, leaving all the Memorial students “ooh-ing and ahh-ing” at the impressive display of acrobatics performed by their aircrafts.
A number of our fourth grade teachers and parents took some great photos of the event. Check out their blog pages listed at the bottom for great photos. Also special thanks to Mrs. Weinberg for the wonderful animoto slideshow she made embedded below!
Thanks again to the Air Force Communication and Electronics Association for their generous support.
Related Links:
Miss Hayes’ Classroom Blog
Mrs. Visocchi’s “Peanuts Gang” Blog
Massachusetts Outdoor Expo September 13, 2011
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The Science Center Fall Newsletter is Ready to Read! September 1, 2011
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