What's happening in UE Science
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Are you a bud psychic?
This week we had a fun activity in science class, and it occurred to me that it
woul
d make a terrific family
activity at
home as well.
But before we get into it, first a little context:April is a big month of change for plants (and for me, since it's my birthday month!). Here in southern New England, ou
r plants begin the hard work of putting leaves and flowers in places where all winter there were only branches and buds. As I've written about before, the buds themselves have been around all winter, exposed to the harshest snow storms and coldest nights. It's a miracle they don't all break off, and in you ...
Posted Apr 1, 2011 11:57 AM by Jeff Klein
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Maple Tapping
[Update: Don't miss out on a great video about our maple experience here] [Update 2: Three pints of our maple syrup will be auctioned off at the big Inly auction on May 6th. Be there!] Welcome back to Inly after what was hopefully a restful
Spring Vacation. While many of you
were spread across the country (some of you even venturing to other
continents!), time continued to march along here in Massachusetts. The first crocuses have bloomed on
Inly’s grounds, and at 7:21 PM on March 20th, Spring officially
began.
Prior to all this, your Inly Upper Elementary Scientists
were busy on their land doing what New Englanders do in February: tapping maple
trees. There were ...
Posted Apr 1, 2011 12:16 PM by Jeff Klein
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Close encounters of the bird kind
For seasoned New Englanders, February is the magical time when trees offer up golden maple syrup and ask nothing in return. Why does this happen? The slowly warming days create a pressure gradient in the tree that forces liquid from the roots up toward the buds. Trees, like humans, need sugar to sustain them (the difference is that they make it themselves). Getting ready for the long winter meant that these trees made a lot of extra sugar and stored it in the trunk. As the water from the roots creeps up the tree, taking all that sugar with it, we clever humans put a hollow metal tube in the trunk and take some of the sweet sap. The tree ...
Posted Feb 14, 2011 4:42 AM by Jeff Klein
Phase Of The MoonThe gadget spec URL could not be found
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Picture of the week
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Bud Break
 Springtime in April means that the long slumber of the plants around us is ending. Branches that looked like little more than a stump are suddenly beginning to swell with life, as the buds break open and reveal leaves or flowers. This is an exciting few weeks for our green friends and you should take the time to examine some of the branches around you closely to see this process unfold. |
Posted Apr 1, 2011 11:31 AM by Jeff Klein
Weekly Sit Spot Assignment
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Signs of Spring
It's probably been a while since last you ventured out to your sit spot. All the more reason to head out now! It's time to get reacquainted with the nature you've gotten to know pretty well. Look at the plants and trees around you and search for buds. Who's closest to blooming? Are there any flowers coming up or -- gasp-- blooming already? Describe all the little signs you see that let you know it is spring, not autumn, even though the temperature and day length might feel similar.
Posted Apr 1, 2011 12:00 PM by Jeff Klein
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Looking for life
Anyone who's done winter hiking can tell you that not everything is dead in winter. Not even insects. Snow fleas will fill in every footprint of your hike in February, making the white snow almost dark with little hopping colembola. Your assignment this week is to either look for those little hopping snow fleas, or look for signs of life in your own sit spot. Are there plants that are thriving beneath the snow? Does the grass have any new growth under there? Take a look, and write about what you find. While you're at it, make a drawing.
Posted Feb 6, 2011 8:25 AM by Jeff Klein
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