Category: STEM

supplemental stem

8/19/2020

aluminum penny boats

This weeks supplemental STEM project here at museum is one that is easy to recreate at home and with a little imagination has the opportunity to take us anywhere. Even out to the stormy seas! This project is pretty simple and only requires a couple of materials to get started. You will need...

Aluminum foil
Pennies (between 100-150, if you don't have pennies you can use rice, cereal, etc. these materials just are not reusable. Whatever you use try to make them as close in weight as much as possible.)
A bucket half way full with water
For a more advance experiment you will also need a bouncy ball as well as a yard stick.

Your challenge is to see how many pennies (or penny substitutes) your boat can hold before it sinks to the bottom of the bucket.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS...

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Kinetic Walking Horse

7/31/2020

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Creatures in my yard pt. 2

4/24/2020

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There are a lot of ways you can help the creatures (and plants!) in your own backyard. Don't have a backyard? Don't worry, you can do a number of the activities on a stoop or balcony too! Below you find a list of resources to guide you in creating your own insect havens as well as some tips to helping out our endangered monarch butterfly and bee friends.

what can you do to help your backyard friends?

Make a monarch butterfly waystation
leave water outside:
- Saucers in your gardens for garden friendly insects
- Dishes on the sidewalk for urban friends and creatures (It can be hard for some animals like rabbits to find water in the city)
- Old pie or cake pans with marbles and a bit of sugar water are great rest stops for bees and butterflies to land and drink
Plant nectar and pollen producing plants
- Bees love lavender and Salvia
- Some great nectar plants in WNY are Blue Star Aster, Goldenrod, and Black Eyed Susans
Make an insectary - a small garden just for garden defending and helping insects. It can be it's own garden, or a few plants mixed among your garden (or pots!)
- Aster, Mustard, and Verbena are some of the families they love
Plant Milkweed (the only plant monarchs lay eggs on)
Build a bat house: Bats are also great pollinators, and as well as defenders!

water cycle in a bag

4/22/2020

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Happy Earth Day Everyone! I hope you were able to join us today as we made a water cycle, but if not don't worry! Here is all the information (and a bit more) that we discussed and the directions on how to make your water cycle in a bag at home. First, let's review some key vocabulary first.

Water cycle vocabulary

Evaporation: The process of turning from liquid into vapor.

Steam

Condensation: The conversion of a vapor or gas to a liquid.

Clouds

Precipitation: A deposit on the earth of hail, mist, rain, sleet, or snow

Falling forms of water

Collection: The act of collecting (Collecting: To bring together in one place)

Oceans, Ponds, Rivers, Puddle

(Definitions by www.merriam-webster.com)

making your own water cycle in a bag

You will need:

Perminate Maker
A plastic bag (one with a lock seal)
1 Tablespoon Water
Tape (packing tape works best)
Optional: Food color for water

Lay your bag down flat
Draw your own water cycle, use the image above as a guide!
Allow your maker dry
Carefully add your water to the bag
Seal the bag, careful to trap as little as you can.
Tape your bag to a sunny window!
Observe! What your bag over several days to see the various changes and states of water.