Science at SMLI: Robotics

While the parents enjoyed a peaceful fall day, the kids made robots last week at SMLI. You know my little geeky boy loved that! He calls his bot Project Lunar Scorpio.





But maybe even more than robots, he loved acquiring two new lizards, given to him by a homeschooled friend.

Meet Galileo and Leonardo:

Galileo dropped her tail, but she has the more confident temperment. She is curious and extremely active.



Leonardo has an intact tail, but is shy and unsure. She hides the moment she sees us coming. She likes to burrow under the driftwood in her enclosure. When she doesn't know we are there, she is very active, too.



Both are doing well in their new home, and enjoying the steady supply of pin crickets. I think they may also be nibbling at the blackberries I gave them....

Shark and Fish Dissections at SMLI

First, the shark:

• No swim bladder
  
• Big, oily, fatty liver, 2 lobes
  
• Cartilage, not bone
  
• Gill slits
  
• Advanced brain with grooves and large thick optic nerves
  
• Large eyes
  

Then, the fish:

• Swim bladder
  
• Bones
  
• Operculum: shield for gills
  

Last Science Sessions at SMLI till Fall

We had our last few science classes till fall. The kids studied butterflies one week, went seining in the Long Island Sound the next (catching mostly shrimp and Atlantic Silversides) and dissected squid at their last class.

Some photos:

Massive Catch-Up Post: Science, Theater, Field Trips, Fun

Kev and I got android phones recently, and of course, I had to find some educational apps. Our favorite is a night sky object finder called "Space Junk" which allows you to point the phone at something overhead and have it identified for you. Kevin immediately looked for games. Mikro is a fan of the moon lander game:



We've had 2 more weeks of science classes at SMLI. Both involved species surveying at the beach. The kids looked for live horseshoe crabs and Asian Shore Crabs (an invasive species) and recorded data about their numbers, size, sex and whether or not they had barnacles on them. Mikro has sharp vision, and the second he spotted a horseshoe crab swimming, he was out in the Long Island Sound up to his knees, grabbing it up. He has no fear, and never got pinched. "Mooooooom, I'm a biologist!" Maybe by the time he goes to grad school he'll learn to roll up his pants before wading in...

























And after science class, there is always playing in the woods...



We've had some amazing field trips! On Mother's Day, we went to the American Museum of Natural History and saw Luna's Sea, a show featuring dance and sea creature puppets. Mikro and I both loved it!













After the performance, the kids were invited to make their own jellyfish puppet:



Mikro continues to draw dragons at every opportunity:



And he glazed his pottery pieces and was thrilled to see them after they were fired. Here is his cobra:



I'd show you what I made, but it'll have to be another time, as I forgot to take pictures of any of it...

We've also been on two trips to plays with our homeschool group in the last 2 weeks. We saw South of the Border: Latin American Folktales and Up and Away: The Life of Dr. Mae Jemison, both by Urban Stages. Both were wonderful, but Dr. Jemison's story ranks as one of the top 5 children's theater experiences we have had. It was moving and inspiring. The young actress who stars in this one-woman show is phenomenal. Dr. Jemison is the first African American woman to go into space. She's a scientist and medical doctor, as well as an astronaut, and she never gave up her dreams, no matter how many times she was told they were impossible. What an awesome role model! I'm reading her autobiographical book, Find Where the Wind Goes.

We also raised a painted lady caterpillar and watched (her?) turn into a beautiful butterfly. Mikro named her Aurora, and released her in our garden. She had a nice meal of rose nectar, then flew away free.







And we watched the parade of ships into NY Harbor for Fleet Week. But that needs to be another post... waaaay to many photos...