General Science: Going on Safari

This week the kids went on a different kind of safari. No big-game here, but instead hunted for microorganisms in a sample of pond water taken from Robert and Karen Clements' pond (thanks once again for your annual donation of pond scum!).

To get a sense of what we were looking for, we started off by watching a few short video clips of different microorganisms. Then the kids prepared their slides, making sure to get a sample of pond water that was nice and goopy. After hunting around a bit, the kids turned up some interesting single-celled organisms and even a water flea. What's cool about this little guy is that being transparent means you can WATCH its heart beat!

Biology: Water...more than meets the eye

This week the kids hunted for microorganisms in a sample of pond water taken from Robert and Karen Clements' pond (thanks once again for your annual donation of pond scum!).

To get a sense of what we were looking for, we started off by watching a few short video clips of different microorganisms. Then the kids prepared their slides, making sure to get a sample of pond water that was nice and goopy. After hunting around a bit, the kids turned up some interesting single-celled organisms and even a water flea. What's cool about this little guy is that being transparent means you can WATCH its heart beat!

General Science: Pond water: More than meets the eye

This week the kids hunted for microorganisms in a sample of pond water taken from Robert and Karen Clements' pond (thanks once again for your annual donation of pond scum!).

To get a sense of what we were looking for, we started off by watching a few short video clips of different microorganisms. Then the kids prepared their slides, making sure to get a sample of pond water that was nice and goopy. After hunting around a bit, the kids turned up some interesting single-celled organisms and even a worm or two. Believe me when I tell you, these 2 mm guys are pretty alarming swimming around eating algae magnified 100x!

Biology: 10,000 Microns under the Sea

This week the kids hunted for microorganisms in a sample of pond water taken from Robert and Karen Clements' pond (thanks once again for your annual donation of pond scum!).

The kids turned up some interesting single-celled organisms and even a worm or two. Believe me when I tell you, these 2 mm guys are pretty alarming swimming around eating algae magnified 100x!

The kids used what they learned last week to estimate the sizes of the different organisms.