Do you know that the astronauts on the International Space Station are going to be playing with LEGOs? Actually, they are experimenting with them to see what effect microgravity has on simple machines, and LEGO will have lesson plans to go along with the various projects.
Check it out here: LEGOspace
Showing posts with label simple machines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label simple machines. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Science Fun at NY Hall of Science
Awhile back, I got discounted combination tickets to New York Hall of Science from Groupon, which included museum admission, Rocket Park Mini-Golf, and the Science Playground. We finally got out there on Friday, and Mikro had a blast.
First we played mini golf. The course has a space theme, and relates the physics of spaceflight to the hole. Some of the concepts featured are escape velocity, geosynchronous orbit, docking maneuvers, space junk, etc. This was Mikro's first time playing mini golf, and he was a bit frustrated. By the end of our 9 hole round, he had a little better understanding of how to swing the club, and how to choose a line for his shot. But he needs work on the physical coordination of it all... It *is* a challenging course, though. I really had fun with it. It was odd switching between demonstrating a left handed swing and actually playing right handed (I am a switched over lefty).
After golf, we were pretty overheated, so we stopped in the cafe for a drink, then headed to the special exhibit on the Amazon. We loved it, especially the fresh water rays and the twig catfish. The flood cycle exhibit was very interesting and really clicked for Mikro. He wasn't as amazed by the piranhas as I thought he would be, but he really liked the catfish biodiversity exhibit and puzzle.
Next, we attended the demonstration on Living in Space. We learned about microgravity, puffy face syndrome, bone loss in a microgravity environment, astronaut food, and astronaut potty training, which the kids got to try, in a modified way...
Then we were off to the Science Playground, where we played with things like sound, a 3 dimensional spider web, an Archimedes screw, a whirlpool column, a water wheel, and inclined planes (slides!)
When I have some extra cash, we will be getting a membership.
First we played mini golf. The course has a space theme, and relates the physics of spaceflight to the hole. Some of the concepts featured are escape velocity, geosynchronous orbit, docking maneuvers, space junk, etc. This was Mikro's first time playing mini golf, and he was a bit frustrated. By the end of our 9 hole round, he had a little better understanding of how to swing the club, and how to choose a line for his shot. But he needs work on the physical coordination of it all... It *is* a challenging course, though. I really had fun with it. It was odd switching between demonstrating a left handed swing and actually playing right handed (I am a switched over lefty).
After golf, we were pretty overheated, so we stopped in the cafe for a drink, then headed to the special exhibit on the Amazon. We loved it, especially the fresh water rays and the twig catfish. The flood cycle exhibit was very interesting and really clicked for Mikro. He wasn't as amazed by the piranhas as I thought he would be, but he really liked the catfish biodiversity exhibit and puzzle.
Next, we attended the demonstration on Living in Space. We learned about microgravity, puffy face syndrome, bone loss in a microgravity environment, astronaut food, and astronaut potty training, which the kids got to try, in a modified way...
Then we were off to the Science Playground, where we played with things like sound, a 3 dimensional spider web, an Archimedes screw, a whirlpool column, a water wheel, and inclined planes (slides!)
When I have some extra cash, we will be getting a membership.
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