Catch the Science Bug - Programs Pre K-K


	Investigating Animal Adaptations Grades 1-2 Demonstrations and hands-on activities allow students to investigate adaptations of polar bears that enable survival in extreme environmental conditions. A hands-on experiment, group activity, and a critter design contest all help to review the material taught. (Classroom)

	The Water Cycle Starring Water as a Liquid, Solid, and Gas Grades 1-3 Learn about the properties of solids, liquids and gases and apply these concepts to how water cycles through our atmosphere. This program also takes a look at how water changes between the three states and how this relates to our weather. (Classroom or Group)

	Cats: Big and Small Grades 1-3 This presentation focuses on the lives of tigers, loins, and cheetahs and the challenges these cats face. Three classroom activities make this presentation lively and engaging including a game of Cat Jeopardy and Find Your Land. (Classroom)

	Talking Trash Grades 1-4 Is our garbage destine for a landfill? Is a landfill the best solution or can trash be good for something? How much trash do you produce in a day? Is litter more than just an eyesore? This program is a great start to realizing the impact trash has on our environment and how technology is changing our view of waste. (Classroom or Group)

	Basic Oceanography Grades 1-4 Learn about different types of coastlines. Compare and contrast three different types of coastlines and learn by acting out the structure of the sea floor. Examine threats to our oceans. Three activity tables let you clean up an oil spill, examine shells, and trace water drainage info oceans. (Classroom)

	Thirst Quenching Grades 1-5 See how water moves through the ground and flows into reservoirs and wells via an aquifer model! Learn the basics about hydrology, pollution prevention, and conservation. You will be shocked to learn about water consumption in our world- it takes a lot of water to do and make a lot of things! Then see a short video clip of where our wastewater goes! (Classroom or Group)

	Making Sense of Your Senses! Grades 1-5 Test your senses in a variety of different ways! This program has students take part in many activities that help them use and explore their senses. See a short video clip from our PBS series of how a vet uses her senses to diagnose the health of her patients. (Classroom)

	Spying on Spotted Salamanders Grades 1-8 Learn what a vernal pool is and why it is such an important environment to the spotted salamander. Students will compare vernal pools to ponds learning among other things how the hydrology of the two environments is different plus possible threats to both areas. If you wish your group to make clay salamanders, a fee for the clay is added on to the program cost. (Classroom or Group)

	What Floats Your Boat? Grades 2-4 This program is great at helping students acquire an understanding of the law of floatation otherwise known as Archimedes' principal. See a short video clip of how a 597 ton dinner cruise ship stays afloat. Demonstrations and then a classroom aluminum foil boat competition help to build an understanding of this concept. (Classroom)

	The Weather: Featuring the Water Cycle and Air Pressure Grades 2-4 This program features two aspects of our weather: the water cycle and air pressure. Students gain a true understanding of the science concepts that determine our weather. Students will learn how the water cycle operates on a molecular level and what air pressure is and how it influences the weather. (Classroom or Group)

	Science Smorgasbord Grades 2-8 A visual program with entertaining experiments on water, air, and electricity. The program starts with a lesson on drinking water taught using quiz games and a model. The concept of air pressure is then demonstrated using experiments. In the end, it is a shocking good time provide by the use of a Van de Graaff generator. This program has been a crowd pleaser at many libraries and Blue and Gold banquets! (Classroom or Group)

	Go Green! Grades 2-8 How can we do things in our daily lives to make less of an impact of the earth? This program focus is on things that people can start doing today to impact the quality of the environment in a positive way. Reduce, reuse, and recycle are looked at in detail. Learn how the simplest of choices can do a world of good by playing the Footprint Jeopardy Game. (Classroom or Group)

	Widening the View of Watersheds Grades 3-5 What is a watershed? How do actions in a watershed affect water quality? Two models are used to show what a watershed is and how water enters a watershed. Learn how to define a watershed on a map like a scientist. Students will perform a hands-on activity to model how different land use activities affects water quality. (Classroom)

	Figuring out Fingerprints Grades 3-8 Learn a bit about fingerprints and then try your hand at collecting a readable set of your own prints. Use fingerprint charts and magnifiers to identify the type of fingerprints you have. Lift prints like a detective and try to solve a mini mystery. (Classroom)

	Engineering Enigmas Grades 3-8 First students learn about how a team of electrical engineers works together to make chips for computers, TVs, and cameras. The classroom teacher has the choice of two different engineering projects for their class either (1) Improving the Table Skimmer or (2) Paper Tower Competition. Both projects give students hands-on experience in the Design Process. (Classroom)

	Be an Earth Detective Grades 3-8 Learn a skill used by scientists to map the earth's interior. Students receive their own model of the earth, collect data, record data, and analyzed data to show the layering of the subsurface. Great for those classes studying rocks or the environment. This activity also helps to build career awareness. (Classroom)

	Making Electrifying Connections Grades 4-8 Renewable or non-renewable energy sources are introduced. Next students role-play policy makers to decide the best use of electricity because their town is facing the threat of rolling black-outs. The program ends with a Van de Graaf generator– a shocking good time. (Classroom)

	Engineering Science Bug Putty Grades 4-8 Students create their own formula for a home-made type of putty called Science Bug Putty. Students decide upon the amounts and types of ingredients, mixing procedure and test their creations. All putties are reviewed by the class to determine what formula worked best. (Classroom)

	Protecting our Land and Water Resources Grades 4-8 Empty space and water are seen in our lives everyday. How often do we think about the importance to these two resources to our society? Issues such as land and water preservation, biodiversity, endangered animals, and urban sprawl will be explored through a multi-media presentation that involves the audience. (Classroom or Group)

	Energy! Energy! Energy! Grades 4-8 Potential or kinetic? Nuclear? Chemical? Mechanical? Electrical? Learn the different forms of energy and where they come from. Investigate the relationship between potential and kinetic energy in a hands-on experiment using ramps and balls. Then students divide into teams to play the Energy Challenge Game and try to identify the energy conversions. (Classroom)

	Be an Environmental Scientist Grades 6-8 Get a feel for what it is like to be an environmental scientist and learn some basic hydrologic principles. Students then received three different data sets and analyze to locate contamination. Activities include determining groundwater flow direction, contaminate contouring, and mapping subsurface contamination. This program helps to build career and environmental awareness. (Classroom)

	Clean-Up an Oil Spill Grades 6-8 This is a two hour program that challenges students to design the clean-up of a hypothetical oil spill. Students will first learn about equipment used during clean-up. Then they select the equipment that they will use, calculate the amount of time required and the number of workers needed to complete the work, and plan the execution of the clean-up. Students will work in teams and present their designs at the end of the session. This program integrates math and science concepts. (Classroom)

	Presentations for Career Days Kim focuses this presentation on the challenges of studying science and how to overcome them, what to expect when majoring in science in college, and how not to let obstacles discourage you from pursuing your dream of being a scientist. Presentation time can be crafted to fit your time requirement and can include introductions to other careers in the sciences as well through use of video clips from our science series on PBS Rhode Island.

	Interactive Table Presentations Need activities at your function? We offer interactive activity tables on drinking water, electricity, predicting the weather, nature quizzes, finger printing, animal tract identification, green shopping, and Footprint Jeopardy. We can also provide educational science workshops for Career Days based on programs we currently offer or on requested topics.