Insects in Amber

August 24, 2009

Tami O'Connor, Educational Innovationsby: Tami O’Connor

What is Amber?

Millions of years ago large forests in some parts of the world began to seep globs of sticky, aromatic resin down the sides of the trees. Unlike sap, resin is produced to protect the tree from disease and injury and is extruded through the bark of the tree during rapid periods of growth.

As it continued to ooze, this resin would trap such things as insects, seeds, leaves and other light debris. As geologic time progressed, these forests were buried under sediment and the resin hardened and formed the soft, warm, golden gem we know today as amber. Most of the amber in the world ranges from 30 to 90 million years old and is found in sedimentary clay, shale and sandstones associated with layers of lignite. Read the rest of this entry »

4 Comments | Earth Science, Elementary level, Middle School level | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor

Shark Teeth

August 19, 2009

Laurie Neilsenby Laurie Neilsen

In honor of The Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, here are some common questions asked about shark teeth, and some meaty facts to sink your teeth into.

Q. Why are some shark teeth black and others are tan?

A. The color of a fossil shark tooth is dependent upon the sediment in which it settled. As minerals slowly replace the calcium in the tooth, it changes to the color of the minerals. Color does not necessarily indicate age in a shark tooth fossil. It usually indicates the region from which the tooth was collected. Our fossilized shark teeth are collected from Morocco.

Fossilized Shark Teeth

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1 Comment | Biology, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor

Compressed Air as a Force in Rocket Balloons

July 31, 2009

Norm Barstow, Educational Innovationsby: Norman Barstow

When the National Research Council produced the National Science Standards in 1995, they did so without including sets of lesson plans nor did they design them as part of a standard curriculum package. They were written to be used as goals for our students’ achievement in science.

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2 Comments | Elementary level, energy, experiments, Middle School level, Physics | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor

Make Slime, Gak, and Oobleck | Gross Science

July 24, 2009

Tami O'Connor, Educational Innovationsby: Tami O’Connor

Let’s face it, kids of every age love gooey substances! The school year is never complete until you and your students make slime. Depending upon your grade level, the topic you’re teaching, your classroom budget, and the time you have available, there are a number of options open to you.

One of my favorite “recipes” is the ever popular Elmer’s Glue Gak. Aside from the fact that it’s easy to make, it’s rare that you wouldn’t have most of the essential ingredients at your fingertips.

To make Gak:

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10 Comments | Chemistry, Elementary level, experiments, Middle School level | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor

UV Flashlight Scavenger Hunt

June 25, 2009

Laurie NeilsenBy: Laurie Neilsen

When many people think of UV lights or black lights, they think of posters in college dorm rooms, or spooky Halloween displays. Ultraviolet light, however, is an important subject of scientific study. Occupying the segment of the electromagnetic wavelength spectrum between 10 nm and 400 nm, Ultraviolet light is invisible to the human eye. UV lights are often referred to as “black” lights because of this.

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1 Comment | Biology, Earth Science, Elementary level, High School level, Middle School level | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Tami O'Connor

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