Science Firsthand

Did you know that our department offers monthly activities to promote youth and adults learning about science together? Well let me reintroduce you to the Science Firsthand project I work on. Every month we host an opportunity for mentors and their protegés (hey Seniors check out me using one of your words of the day) to experience hands on science activities and try to answer the science questions they might have. In the fall one of our big meetings took us to Forest Park where we investigated the small pond area. We found all sorts of insects and even caught three giant grasshoppers! It was a lot of fun learning new things about an area right in the Science Center's own "backyard". This past weekend matches investigated wind by making kites, symmetry and patterns by making "snowflakes" , and physics while building their own rollercoasters right in the Teen Room. The fun thing about Science Firsthand is that even if we have a particular science topic for the meeting we might not stay there. Everyone gets to try their hand and whatever area might interest them most. In February we're going to explore Chemistry...or maybe we won't. » Jessica's blog | login to post comments | read more

Science Firsthand added a new site this past semester. We started working at Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club-Sportsman's Park Unit in October. HHBGC and the SLSC have been partners in youth education for some time, however this was a first for the Science Firsthand project. We started with what was going to be a 6 week starter program and ended up working with a 21st Century group almost all semester. We did a range of investigations, including paper chromotography, helicopters, rollercoasters, and shrinky dinks. YES teens assisted as mentors in the project on a few occasions. One of the favorites though was a series of challenges around electric circuits. The students were challenged to light a christmas tree light bulb using just a battery. They also then tried using a paperclip to light the bulb without touching anything but the paperclip. Do you think you could do it? 

Hello all! We had our monthly meeting for March on Saturday March 15th. Attendance wasn't what we were hoping for but for those that did come it was a fun time investigation pin ball machines! We started with a peg board, built a ramp and added traps and tunnels for our balls to travel through using various household materials. One of the groups wondered if there was another way to get the ball to travel without putting it down the ramp. They were able to create a spring loaded launcher using a spring, a machine washer, and a hose pipe. Check out our participants blogs here. Check back again for pictures of our machines. Our next group meeting is the  third Saturday of April, April 19th.

Brought back by popular demand was Cake Chemistry, an activity where participants investigate chemical reactions between ingredients in everyday food we eat, specifically cake. Participants first tested baking soda and various ingredients including lemon juice, water, vinegar, milk, and eggs.  Which ones do you think resulted in the most visible reactions? After they tested the ingredients they used what they learned to create their own cake receipes. As you can see, we need some more time in the kitchen! Go to Firsthand Learning, Inc. to see the other activities we did and blogs the students made about their investigations!

And be sure to visit here to see more Science Firshand photos.

   

The staff working on Science Firsthand are pretty excited about some of our new developments. We've got another site on board, Northside Community Center, who hosts an after school program at Peabody Elementry where seven groups are working on investigations. The students in the STARS program decided that they wanted to investigate their questions around water, rockets, construction, electricity, cranes, the earth, and entomology. Science Center staff will be assisting the adult mentors in the program with developing student's questions. We'll be making a site visit on Tuesday March 25, so look out for pictures after that! Welcome aboard STARS!

So we had our first meeting back for the fall semester Saturday September 29th. Mei Ling and I are both really excited to have a new staff member, Laura, working with us on this project. We're planning on using the nice weather to our advantage as long as we can. Last week we went outside to Science Corner and looked at what we could find in an environment in a circle. The youth and their mentors found ants, grass, flowers, beans, and other plants and animals in and around the beds that the Yes 2 Tech group have been working so hard to maintain. The field journals this meeting looked great with all the flower petals, seeds, and fruits attached. Look for the group's blog on the Firsthand Learning,Inc. website (www.firsthandlearning.org)! Pictures will be uploaded by Laura soon so be watching!

March's meeting was held Saturday the 31st in a full house at the Taylor building! We investigated sound using string telephones, water, and light. Participants were able to discuss as a group their findings and questions with Bill Rogers, Peter Dow, and David Hartney the Firsthand Learning,Inc.  team from New York! We're looking forward to our April meeting on Saturday the 21st! It will be held at Art Hill in Forest Park from 12:30-3:00. We'll be holding our Young Investigators Conference where the St. Louis Chinese Language School pairs will be showcasing their kite building investigations and Discovering Options pairs will demonstrate some of their favorite investigations. See you there!