Stem Cell Basics: Introduction Laboratory studies of stem cells enable scientists to learn about the cells’ essential properties and what makes them different from specialized cell types. Scientists are already using stem cells in the laboratory to screen new drugs and to develop model systems to study normal growth and identify the causes of birth defects. Solar System with Button Planets My son thinks anything space-related is cool. I have to agree. We BOTH learned a lot and had a blast with this science craft. While shopping at our local craft store, I found this plastic canvas PVC circle in the needlework section. I knew right away what to do with it. Make a solar system model! Supplies: 9.5 inch plastic canvas needlework circle (cost = less than $2) Spray paint (blue or black) White paint pen 9 buttons Embroidery thread the same color as your spray paint Sticker paper (or paper and glue) Needle The day before we got started, I spray painted the needlework circle with black spray paint. I grabbed Seymour Simon’s Planets Around the Sun book and asked my son to tag along to the fabric store. At the store, I pulled out the book and showed my son the matrix. The following day, we read Going Around the Sun: Some Planetary Fun by Marianne Berkes and got started making our solar system model. To start, I gave my son a page of concentric circles I’d made and printed on cardstock.
Are We Having Fun Yet? Argentina is home to two amusement parks and one zoo where having fun means completely ignoring the voice in your head that says, “This is not normal.” I know this because I recently visited all three and returned home physically and mentally battered. Does a weekend spent ambling around a Christian “experience,” watching children pretend to run a government, and petting adult lions sound enticing to you? If so, Argentina is your wonderland—specifically the area in and around Buenos Aires, where these attractions can be found within an hour’s drive from one another. Entering Tierra Santa inspires the thought, “What would Jesus do if he paid $8 to enter a theme park that depicted the CliffsNotes version of his life via kitschy revues and fiberglass statues?” Before arriving at a suitable answer to this question, I was distracted by a line of women in flowing kaftans. I joined the eager throngs and witnessed what amounted to a Showbiz Pizza version of the Second Coming.
Blood! (Making a Model) It’s almost Halloween so a little gore is a good thing, right?! Plus, it’s been ages since my son and I have done any human body-related science activities. Within the last week or two, my son and I have had conversations about both scabs and white blood cells. This activity is the perfect complement to those discussions. We made a model of blood! Here’s what we used: 4 teaspoons of yellow jello powder 1/3 cup of boiling water ½ cup of cold water ½ cup plus 1 tbsp. of red Perler beads 50 tiny clear seed beads 1 white 9-millimeter pony bead Liquid measuring cups Clear glass bowl This activity came from the amazing book Squirt! It is chock full of astonishingly awesome facts about the blood in our bodies, explaining everything from scab science to blood types (O, A, B, or AB), bone marrow, leeches, how blood is pumped through the heart, and more. While there was a lot that was too advanced for my son, there was a lot that wasn’t. Romanek’s book taught us the “blood basics:” How to Make a Blood Model
Sea Creature Self-Portrait 150 Million Years in the Making Dr. Phil Wilby and his team were thrilled to find the famed Victorian dig site in Wiltshire that had been lost for nearly 170 years. But when they dug in and examined an ordinary-looking rock, they found something they never expected: a perfectly preserved, 150 million-year-old ink sac. (image via: GNN) The entire site was a treasure trove of the remarkably intact sea creatures. Normally only the hard parts of animals are fossilized, like bones and shells.
Iron for Breakfast - Sick Science! # 126