Notes from Janice’s Desk I am absolutely WACKY over WIKIS. As to being a wizard, that is only in my dreams, but I am having fun and learning more every day. So what is a wiki? It’s a website that allows invited users to add new material and to edit material on the site. There […]
Saguaro Cactus
Notes from Janice’s Desk One attraction in Arizona that I always visit are the saguaro cactus. These giant plants are found only in the Sonoran Desert of extreme southeastern California, southern Arizona and adjoining northwestern Mexico. In the Saguaro National Park near Tucson, there are so many cacti that it looks like a forest. But […]
Bonding
Notes from Janice’s Desk A friend, Laura Sherman, teaches kids to play chess. I am adding a link at the bottom of this page to an article she wrote about how chess can bond families. The word bonding made me relate the types of bonding between chemicals to emotional bonding between people. Some chemical bonds […]
Air Pressure
Notes from Janice’s Desk This morning I noticed that a sealed gallon-size plastic water bottle was partially crushed. Further investigation revealed that the floor around the bottle was wet. It was obvious that the water had leaked out. But if the bottle has a hole in it, why didn’t all of the water leak out? […]
Altitude Sickness
Notes from Janice’s Desk August already?? Wow! It is almost time for the official football season to start. While I like football OK, my husband is an avid fan. Like most, we support our state college and professional teams. I don’t have to watch a game to know who is winning. That is always very […]
Inertia: Newton’s First Law of Motion
Notes from Janice’s Desk Many think the combination of Physics and Fun is an oxymoron. No doubt there are some complex math problems in advanced physics studies, but elementary physics is easy. YES!! I said Physics is EASY!! Now I guess you want me to support this statement with an easy physics example—No problem. Let’s […]
Archaeology: 5th Episode
Episode 5: Fort James, South Dakota (August 5) The archaeologists of TIME TEAM AMERICA ride to the rescue of a Wild West time capsule. In 1865, a unit of cavalry soldiers thought they had volunteered to fight in the Civil War. Instead, they found themselves sent west to defend pioneer settlers against angry Sioux Indians […]
Measuring Tools
Notes from Janice’s Desk Most of my books use measuring tools that you have at home. I am not minimizing the importance of learning to use science equipment. My thought is that by mastering measuring skills using familiar instruments, kids will be more successful in using science instruments. I am happy and honored that kids […]
Recycle
Click to Look Insid Notes from Janice’s Desk When I was a kid people naturally recycled. I don’t remember garbage being a big problem because we didn’t throw many things away. We didn’t need a food disposal because any left over food wasn’t much and it was given to the dog. Clothes were handed down […]
Archaeology
TIME TEAM AMERICA Prepared an Archaeology Series, which aired on TV in the summer of 2009. The photo shown was taken at Range Creek, UT This is one of the few truly pristine archeological sites. This is because until recently, the area was privately owned. The state of Utah purchased the area and has limited […]