Celebrating Science - A Family Science Project
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  Sample Newsletter Articles


The following newsletter articles were written as part of the Family Science project's efforts in communicating to parents that science activities can be accessible, fun, and informative. Additionally, the use of an inquiry-based approach was modeled in the suggested activities, helping families learning questioning strategies for exploring concepts at home and in their community. To help you get you started we have provided example newsletter articles organized by monthly themes.

Start of the School Year - Science Out of School
September - Science Out of School
October - Science Out of School
November - Science Out of School
December - Science Out of School
January - Science Out of School
February - Science Out of School
March - Science Out of School
April - Science Out of School
May - Science Out of School
June - Science Out of School


Start of the School Year - Science Out of School
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What's going on in science this year? Your children will be participating [or are participating] in________________School District's new science program. Over the summer the teachers engaged in weeklong courses to become familiar with science units that have been adopted by the district and to become better acquainted with inquiry-based science teaching and learning. The teachers who participated in this professional development will receive science units: materials and a series of science explorations to work through with their students.

What will my child be up to? We hope that your children will be learning how to do science by engaging in their own explorations — making observations, recording data, and asking their own questions. The topics for these explorations are: 5th grade — changes in state, models and design, and magnets and motors; 4th grade — circuits and pathways, ecosystems, and food chemistry; 3rd grade — rocks and minerals, plant growth and development, and sound; 2nd grade — soil, balancing and weighing, and liquids; 1st grade — weather, organisms, and balls and ramps; and kindergarten — wood, and balance and motion.

What should I do? Besides asking your children about what they are doing in science at school, we want to encourage you to participate in science explorations at home. You don't have to know lots of science yourself—just be open to the process, ask your own questions along with your children, and support their efforts to find answers.

Look in upcoming newsletters for science activities that you can do around your own neighborhood or that use common household materials. You can all of these skills at the upcoming Family Science Night this school year or share with classmates.

September - Science Out of School
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This is a great season for observing natural changes. Why not visit a local waterfront park specifically to look for wildlife? Some questions to explore while in the park are:

What types of plants and animals live here in this park?
What kinds of animals are visiting for a few days this season?
What changes can you see together? Perhaps you could make regular visits to this park to see which kinds of birds are there and what they're up to. Which of those will spend the winter in here? Predict which birds you will find every time you go to the park. If you make a list, you could check them off each time you see them. Which are passing through for some food before a long migration?


Suggested resources: Look for a local chapter of the Audubon Society. The Audubon Society holds different programs throughout the community. They can be a great resource to help with wildlife identifications, information and suggestions for more places to visit. You may also visit: The Great Backyard Birds Count: Citizen Science Guide for projects to do all year right from your backyard. (http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/get-involved/citizen-science-guide)

October - Science Out of School
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How many different kinds of trees are in your neighborhood? The whole family can take a walk around your block (or any block of your choice) to find out. Maybe you and your family will consider looking at the textures of bark, or at the overall shapes of the trees, or at the shapes of the leaves. At the same time, you can start a leaf collection. Collect a leaf or small twig from each tree that you encounter. Be sure to ask permission from your neighbors to take leaves from their trees.

Group the leaves into as many different categories as you can. Some examples are color, shape, and size. Can you think of other categories?
Dry your leaves in an old phone book. Mount them on stiff paper. Label them, and you'll have a collection you can enjoy. Share it at your school's and/or community science.
If you do find out how many kinds of trees are on your block, think of a way to map them. You could share your map with your classmates.


Safety: Remember to only walk around your block with a grown up. If you don't have sidewalks, remember to walk against the traffic, or choose a block that has sidewalks.

Suggested resources: Visit the website to learn all about trees and play educational games. (http://www.fs.fed.us/pnw/olympia/kids/terrific_trees.htm)

November - Science Out of School
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Pumpkins, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, yams and carrots... Before you eat this delicious harvest, why not try some dissections? Adult family members can slice these foods lengthwise and crosswise for everyone to see what is inside.

Can you tell from looking inside why the plant grows the part that we eat?
Many of you may be accustomed to toasting pumpkin seeds after cleaning out the squash. Save a few from the oven and try planting them instead. Save some from your other fruits as well. You could try apples, pears, grapefruits and watermelons to name a few.
Can seeds be taken straight from your fruit to grow new plants?
Does your family have ideas about the best way to get a seed to grow? Discuss ideas and try a few of them.


Suggested resource: Visit your local grocery store, nursery, and farmers market to learn more about how different types of foods are grown. This online resource shows how first graders observed and germinated seeds. (http://manila.pasadena.k12.ca.us/SanRafaelRm2/Seeds_1)

December - Science Out of School
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As the days grow shorter and colder, do you find that you are spending more time inside to keep warm and dry? What do animals do about this cold weather? For some clues, try this activity. Fill a bowl with water and ice cubes. Invent some "gloves" for your hand. A "glove" could be a plastic sandwich bag filled with a substance that you choose-like cotton balls, yarn or more plastic. (You may wish to put your hand in a second baggie if the filler you choose is messy, like shortening or butter.)

What kind of thing do you think will keep your hand warmest? Insert your hand into the bag, and, presto, you have a "glove". Test the water with your glove on. Is it cold? Is it comfortable?
How do you think animals keep warm during cold months? For more information about what keeps animals warm watch the animals that you see outside in the winter. Do they have anything in common that might protect them from the cold?
If you decide to record your discoveries, share your ideas at your school's and/or community's science event or publish them in the school and/or community newsletter.


Suggested resources: Visit a farm or your local city park to see what the animals are doing in the colder weather. No cold winters where you live or in need of other good sources of information? Try visiting your community library and check-out the following books: Hibernation by Paul Bennett, Animals in Winter by Susanne Riha, and National Geographic's Animals in Winter by Ronald Fisher.

January - Science Out of School
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Have you ever noticed that sometimes raindrops stick to windows and sometimes they slide down? Why do they act in different ways? For some clues, try bringing the rain inside with this activity. Tape a piece of waxed paper to a cookie sheet or a big book. Tilt the wax paper board to make a very gentle slope. Place a drop of water at the high end of the waxed paper. (A toothpick works well for making drops.)

Does it stick or slide? Keep adding drops to the first drop until the drop slides. How many drops can you add?
Try different slopes and see if that changes the way the drops act.
For more explorations, try different surfaces for sliding such as paper, plastic wrap or different liquids like vegetable oil, syrup or liquid soap.


Suggested resources: To learn more about what makes drops slide or stick, visit the Environmental Protection Agency kid friendly website to further explore the concept of surface tension. (http://www.epa.gov/nps/kids/TENSION.HTM)

February - Science Out of School
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Does the food you eat affect the health of your teeth? Tiny bits of the foods you eat sit on your teeth until you brush them. The bacteria that live on your teeth eat the sugar contained in the bits of food and give off an acid as waste. What does this acid do to your teeth? Try experimenting with eggshells as pretend teeth, since they are made of similar material.

Put pieces of eggshell in two cups.
In one cup, cover the pieces with water. In the other cup, cover the pieces with white vinegar. Vinegar is a mild acid like the waste from bacteria found in your mouth. Leave the cups until all the water and vinegar evaporates.
What is left in the cups? What does this suggest about eating sugar? What does it suggest about brushing your teeth?
For further explorations, put the eggshells in soda pop, apple juice, coffee or other liquids.


Suggested resources: February is dental health month. Visit The American Dental Hygienists' Association to play the After School Treats game and learn information about good dental health. (http://www.adha.org/kidstuff/games.htm)

March - Science Out of School
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March is "Endangered Species" month. The plants and animals closest to extinction are called "endangered." In many parts of the world, environmental changes caused by humans and nature have made it difficult for some living things to survive in their native environments.

How can we help plants and animals to survive?
What do they need to survive? Does your neighborhood provide those things? If not, can you provide them?
Are having different types of plants and animals important?


Here are some ideas for ways to explore this topic in or near your own home.

Walk around your block. Observe. Can you find any good habitats for plants and animals?
Plant a garden that attracts wildlife.
Build perches, feeders and nesting boxes for birds.
Keep motor oil and other pollutants out of the drains and sewers.
Keep yard waste out of wild spaces. Cuttings from your garden plants could otherwise take over a wild area.
Start a compost pile or worm bin to reduce what you throw away.
Look in the newspaper with your family to see what animals and plants make the news. How do decisions about these animals and plants affect us?


Suggested resources: Visit your local zoo and aquarium. Many offer special programs during the month of March specific to the topic of Endangered Animals around the world and in your community.

April - Science Out of School
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Spring is a great time to investigate the variety and complexity of flowers this spring.

Consider a scavenger hunt for:
  • Multiple flowers on one stalk and a single flower on one stalk
  • White flowers, red flowers, and green flowers
  • Flowers that smell sweet, flowers with no smell, and flowers with an unattractive smell
  • Flowers that lie on the ground and flowers that grow on a tree
  • Flowers with insects on it
  • Flowers with petals smaller than your smallest finger nail, flowers with three petals or more
What do your investigations tell you about flowers?
Why do you think that there are so many flowers blooming in the spring?
What else would you like to explore about flowers?

Adapted from the "Flower Hunt" activity found in Hands-On Nature edited by Jenepher Lingelbach.

Suggested resources: For more information on flowers, visit local floral and gardening stores, which can answer many questions. To virtually explore the environment and learn how to protect it try the games, pictures, stories and more, at the Environmental Protection Agency website for kids: Environmental Kids Club. (http://www.epa.gov/kids/about.htm)

May - Science Out of School
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May is often the start of playtime with outdoor water games: water balloons, slip & slides, and wading pools. Using your wading pool on the lawn is a great place to experiment with floating and sinking (and eliminate water mess indoors!) Try this easy experiment with simple items from your house -- foil and pennies. Provide each child with a 12" square piece of foil and a stack of pennies. Challenge the kids to make a "foil boat" that can hold the most pennies without sinking. Encourage the children to try different ideas:

Does size or shape make a difference in floating and sinking?
What shapes make the best boats?
Where did your boat take on water first?
Can you think of a way to strengthen your boat and keep it afloat longer?
You could also suggest ways to extend this investigation by asking: What other household materials might make a good boat?
Or have the children apply their ideas to real-world applications: What have you learned about boats? What things are similar in your boats and those you see at the waterfront?
Try conducting other float and sink experiments, such as comparing different common objects in your household, such as cork, wood, other types of metal, clay, Styrofoam, sponges and much more. The observations and questions raised by the children can be a great starting point for learning about density and how come things float and sink.


Safety: Be sure an adult is in attendance when children are near the water.
Suggested Resources: Visit the following web page for more easy to do science activities at home and check out their "It Floats!" activity. http://www.ed.gov/pubs/parents/Science/Home.html. The book, Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen, discusses a boat ride with a cow, donkey, sheep, pig, and mouse.

June - Science Out of School
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It's beach weather. Visit the shores of Puget Sound to investigate how the plants and animals interact with the water and rock materials there.

Take a walk along the shore. Is it pebbly, sandy or muddy?
What can you find living in the sand or mud or rocks?
What is flying? Swimming? Crawling? Burrowing?
Gently turn over a large rock and study who lives there. Remember to look on the bottom of the rock too. IMPORTANT: ALWAYS REPLACE THE ROCK AS IT WAS! The animals need the rock for protection.
Are there tide pools at the beach you visit? What lives in the tide pools? How is the tide pool water different from the Puget Sound water? How is it the same?


Further Exploration
Are there birds nesting nearby? Can you find their nest openings? Are the nests grouped together or spread apart? (Early and late in the day are best for watching birds.)
Do you find more plants and animals near the water or farther up the beach? Why do you think this is?
Consider comparing several beaches and color-code the shoreline according to the rock material you found there. For example, a pebbly shore might be purple, a sandy shore brown and a muddy shore black. Can you find any pattern? Do you find the same animals and plants living at all of these beaches? Why do you think that is?


Resources: Look at your local city parks and recreation website for park and beach locations. For a virtual tide pools quest visit Secrets of the Tide Pools at (ttp://library.thinkquest.org/J002608/Tidepool_home_page.html)

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