Churchill Science

Click to explore!

Click on the image to explore National Geographic’s interactive map of Antarctica!

As we move into our Antarctica unit, we have started brainstorming what we know or think we know about the continent already. Here’s what 205 had to say!

What would you pack?
o 8 bottles of water
o Lots of food
o Tons of clothes – slacks, sweaters, sweatshirts
o Really thick jacket
o Really warm shoes
o Snowboots
o Wetsuits
o Goggles
o Sunglasses
o Gloves
o Sunblock
o Ski mask
o Ice skates

What would you NOT pack?
o Pets
o DS
o Money
o Tank top, shorts, warm weather clothing

What would you see?
o Penguins
o Polar bears
o Sea water
o Lots of fish
o Seals
o Walruses
o Snow
o Whales
o ICE

What would you NOT see?
o Starbucks
o Supermarkets
o Empire State Building, Chysler Building
o Big buildings
o Dogs
o Cats
o People in bikinis
o Surfboard
o People diving into the ocean
o Cars
o Grass
o Smartboards
o Schools

Questions
Are there snow forts?
Are there ice sharks?
Do people make snowmen?
How do people get their food?
Do people go ice skating?
How did the snow get there if it doesn’t snow often?

Here’s a video showing how scientists rescued sea turtles who were affected by the very cold temperatures in Florida last week.

Question for all of you: Why can’t turtles raise their own body temperature?

Why are some species of turtles easier to catch than others? This video shows how scientists solved the mystery!

We loved this slideshow about the Great Barrier Reef. The talking is a little too fast, but the pictures are great!

Click here to load the pictures!

Explore the Great Barrier Reef with a great interactive from National Geographic! Click on the pictures to get started.

Click to dive!

Click the picture to play!

Click here to visit

OK, OK, technically Santa’s flight isn’t a science topic. BUT – I have a serious science question about this. Kids from 203, 205 or 206 were just talking in class recently about how some parts of the world are getting sunlight while other parts are having nighttime. We talked about how if you want to call someone in Australia and you’re in New York, you have to be careful because you could be calling them in the middle of the night, even if it’s daytime where YOU are.

So…

Which direction is Santa traveling on this map? Who had nighttime already? And here’s one to think about – how fast would Santa need to be going to actually visit all of these places in one night?

Here’s the slideshow I’ve been showing to 203, 205 and 206. It’s all about my trip to the Great Barrier Reef to study sea turtles.

Click the picture to explore!

Click the picture to explore a model of how the Earth orbits the Sun. This graphic has one BIG (big, big) problem with it. What do you think that is?

Click the picture to try it!

Here’s another model showing the same concept… and it has the same problem!

Think you know? Post a comment!

Think you have an answer? Post it as a comment!

On Friday 203 got into a discussion about what sand is made out of… We looked at some samples VERY close up using a cool website called the Virtual Sand Collection. Click on the photo from Queensland, Australia to see an example:

Click here to see sand from Australia close up!

If you’d like to look at sand from other places around the world, click the map:

Click the red dots on the map to see sand from around the world!

In many places, you aren’t allowed to take sand or anything else from the beach. This is because if EVERYONE who visited took sand, shells, corals, and sea glass, there wouldn’t be anything left! Using the Virtual Sand Collection is a great way to see sand up close without stealing any to bring home!