World Science Festival

Last year my mom went to The World Science Festival but I was pregnant and trying to not be put on bedrest so I didn't go. This year though we are definately going!

There are a lot of really interesting events this year like:

The Unbearable Lightness of Memory: 

It’s the thought of your childhood home. It’s that comforting aroma you can still smell ten years later. It’s the way you define yourself. It’s your memory. Where is memory stored? How do we recall? Why do we forget? We’ll shine a light on these and many other questions about memory from a molecular, psychological, and emotional perspective. Discover how your long-term memories can be naturally twisted, tweaked, and changed. Understand how memories of the past can also help us peer into the future. And explore the bumpy road even a youthful mind sometimes travels when experiencing déjà vu, succumbing to suggestibility, or having a “senior” moment. 

The Mind After Midnight: Where Do You Go When You Sleep: 

We spend a third of our lives asleep. Every organism on Earth—from rats to dolphins to fruit flies to microorganisms—relies on sleep for its survival, yet science is still wrestling with a fundamental question: Why does sleep exist? During Shakespeare and Cervantes’ time, sleep was likened to death, with body and mind falling into a deep stillness before resurrecting each new day. In reality, sleep is a flurry of action. Trillions of neurons light up. The endocrine system kicks into overdrive. The bloodstream is flooded with a potent cocktail of critically vital hormones. Such vibrant activity begs the question: Where do we go when we go to sleep? Based on new sleep research, there are tantalizing signposts. Join us in exploring this slumbering journey. We’ll delve into the one-eyed, half-brained sleep of some animals; eavesdrop on dreams to understand their cognitive significance; and investigate extreme and bizarre sleeping behaviors like “sleep sex” and “sleep violence.” 

Man Made Minds: Living With Thinking Machines:  

In recent years, machines have grown increasingly capable of listening, communicating, and learning—transforming the way they collaborate with us, and significantly impacting our economy, health, and daily routines.  Who, or what, are these thinking machines? As we teach them to become more sophisticated, how will they complement our lives?  What will separate their ways of thinking from ours? And what happens when these machines understand data, concepts, and behaviors too big or impenetrable for humans to grasp? Join us in a discussion that will have you thinking twice about artificial intelligence.

Some of the events are free and some of them you need a ticket for. Check out the website to see all 11 events.

We are going to the Youth & Family Street Fair on Sunday June 5th. It's free and I know my little scientist would love it.

The Washington Square Park area will be transformed into a science wonderland when the World Science Festival Youth and Family Street Fair returns to New York City on Sunday, June 5, 2011.  This year’s extravaganza will feature a non-stop program of interactive exhibits, experiments, games, and shows designed to entertain and inspire.  Join us for a full day of free family fun!  Performances and exhibits will include Dancing Mad Scientist Jeffrey Vinokur; Franklin Institute’s Traveling Scientists; Central Park Zoo’s Wild Life Theater; Characters from the Jim Henson Company’s Dinosaur Train and Sid the Science Kid television shows; American Museum of Natural History’s Moveable Museum—Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries; Lynn Brunelle’s Pop Bottle Science and Camp Out Experiments; The Science of Ping Pong; New York City/ New Jersey FIRST Robotics; What Lies Beneath: Science of Underwater Exploration; The Smell Lab: Test your smell IQ; The CSI Experience; and much more.

I hope to see you there!

Rag Rug

We have beautiful wood floors in our Living Room/ PlayRoom/ Dinning Room. However, if we drop anything on the floor or if Liam and Bill are wrestling to loudly it is very loud downstairs. We can't afford a lovely wool rug, and I don't want to put down a plastic VOC leaching rug so I decided to make a rag rug. I don't really have any rags, except for Bill's black T-shirts (which really wouldn't match our room). So I went out and bought 6 yards of 36" wide unbleached muslin.

Liam was really excited by how long it was so we made a circle for him to march around :)

Ella watched while I cut the muslin in half so I have 2 sets of 3 yards by 36".

Then I cut it in half again so I have 4 sets of 3 yards by 18"

Then I cut it in half so I have 8 sets of 3 yards by 9"

Liam practiced balance beam walking when I folded it in 3.

Finally I cut it in 3, so I have 24 strips of 3 yards my 3".

Now I'm ready to start braiding.

First, I take 3 strips and tie a knot at one end.

Then I do a standard 3 strand braid.

When I get to the end of the 3 yards. I have to splice another 3 yards onto the end of my rope.

First, I cut a hole in the end of each of the strands on my rope.

Then, I cut a hole in the end of each of the new strands.

Then I push the new strand throught the hole in the old strand.

Then I loop the new strand around and push it through the hole in it'self.

Then I pull it tight.

I do this three times and I'm ready to keep braiding!

I haven't figured out yet how to keep the ends from poking out where they are spliced.

So, I finished the 6 yards then I bought another 5 yards and added it on using the same method. I have tons of rope!

Originally I had planned for Liam and I to do this project together. At first he helped then he got bored. Maybe if he was a little older and/or more focused he would be more help. Still, I think it's good for him to watch me make something. Although he'd rather use the rope to go mountain climbing than make it into a rug :D

When I start sewing it into a rug I'll write another post.

Good Luck!

Geology at Garvie's Point

I joined a homeschooling group and Bill, Ella, Liam and I went to our first homeschooling event. It was a geology class at Garvie's Point Museum. I was super excited to go. I haven't spent much time teaching Liam about rocks. Our Earth science studies have been mostly about the water cycle and volcanoes.

Anyway, the lecture was a little over Liam's head, but I tried to make it interesting for him. I found it really informative. He talked about how minerals are formed, how to test their hardness, and how some of them are used.

It didn't help that the room was covered in dinosaur posters and paleontologist tools that Liam was fascinated with.

The classroom was pretty awesome.

Liam's favorite part was the experiment (isn't that everyone's favorite part of a science class). We were given 3 boxes with 5 minerals in each box.

Liam loved looking at them with a magnifying glass. We were to write down their color, their luminosity (how shiny they are), their streak (scratch them against a ceramic tile), their hardness (try to scratch them with your nail, try to scratch them with a penny, try to scratch glass with them) Liam loved scratching the glass with quartz, their break line (the lecturer broke a piece of calcite into parallelogram like piece by hitting it with a piece of iron. He let Liam hold it and carry it around to show everyone), and any other special properties (Liam loved holding the flakes of mica up to the light to see how the light shines through it).

After the class was over we got to see some minerals that glow under a black light.

 

Then we went upstairs to the museum where we learned a little more about minerals.

And then we learned about Native Americans.

Even Baby Ella got to learn about Native American babies. "Look they were carried around just like me!"

They have a wigwam in the center of the museum that all the kids loved to play in.

I found the museum really interesting.I'd love to go back when it's warmer. I bought two books about Native North Americans for Liam. One about all the different tribes in North America and one about Native North American tales.

Afterwards, we went hiking in the snow, in front of the museum.

and followed animal tracks. We found bunny tracks that led to a tree with moss around it, and then dog tracks.

 

It was a really fun and educational day!

Waldorf School and Finger Knitting

Bill and I went to the open house at the Waldorf School in Garden City today. It was pretty amazing. They only had wooden, wool, silk or cotton toys NO PLASTIC. They serve organic vegetarian food. They go out for recess twice a day n matter what the weather. The learn French and German starting in Kindergarten than Spanish later. They all learn how to play flute and violin. They learn t knit, do wood working and beeswax and clay molding. The classrooms are beautiful. The teacher and class stay they same from 1st grade to 8th grade. They believe in no media no TV, computers, video games. We really liked it. But it comes with a pretty hefty price tag $10,000 for Kindergarten, $17,000 for 1st grade and it gradually increases to $20,000 for 12th grade.They do have financial aid but its probably not like 90%. Bill thinks I can d it all at home. 

Anyway, when we were going through the school one of the coolest things was the knitting which they start in Kindergarten with finger knitting. I didn't know what finger knitting was so I looked it up. I found a youtube video about it.

It's suprisingly easy. So I tried it with Liam.

He really liked it at first. But towards the end of the 15 - 20 minutes it took to make this bracelet, Liam (the knitting astronaut) was bored. Still I'm really surprised he was able to sit still that long and do it. I'm really proud of him :)