House Warming

Today was our fourth SciGirls meeting!  It's fun to see the relationships between the girls develop and mature.

The girls started out the meeting by watching the SciGirls episode, Insulation Station.  After watching the video, they were given the challenge to build a house out of cardboard, saran wrap, and duct tape that traps the heat from the "sun" (or, in our case, the lamp).  The girls worked for over an hour building their designs.  Each group created a different type of house.  Here are some of their creations:

The top two groups were able to raise the temperature of their houses 9-10 degrees in one minute!

After they completed their challenge and had lunch, they got to work on our annual service project.  They put together 24 bags to be donated to girls staying at a homeless shelter.  Each girl brought in several items to put in the bags (cards, nail polish, socks, stuffed animals, colored pencils, etc).  They finished up just in time to clean up and go home.

Here are a few additional pictures from today:

We're looking forward to next month, where the girls will learn about 

physics, friction, and ice skating!

Social Science - The Science of Etiquette

The science of etiquette?  Yes, we know we're stretching it a little bit here ;)

This meeting veered off the SciGirls path, as we kicked off the holiday season with a fancy lunch and etiquette class at the Town and Country Club.

The girls learned such important things as:

• Wait to sit until your host gives the signal
• Use the outside utensils first when you have more than one set of forks
• And so SO much more.  

Here are a few pictures from their day:

Upon completion of the class, the girls received a "polished student" certificate from Ms. Miller, and a special holiday gift from us.

Next month the girls will learn about the power of the sun and importance of design in architecture, and will also do a special service project to lift the spirits of some girls living in difficult situations.  

Heart To Heart

Could SciGirls be any more fun?!  Everyone had a blast today at our second meeting of the year.

 Class started promptly at 10, with a viewing of SciGirls episode "Horsing Around."  They followed the girls as they visited an equine center and a horse stable (A local one - Windy Ridge!).  They experimented with the horses to determine which horse would be the best to compete in a contest.  The girls worked together to create an experiment to test gait and length of stride.

Since we were on the subject of moving and testing bodies, we learned a little bit about the human heart.  The girls tested their resting heart rates, recorded their data, and then used their supplies to make a stethoscope.  Each group was given duct tape, plastic tubing, and a water bottle.  The challenge:  Design and create a stethoscope.  It was interesting to watch the girls collaborate together to create their real, working designs!

Once that was done, the girls received another challenge.  The challenge was to  create, implement, record, and present experiments using hula hoops, jump ropes, or their own bodies.  One group brought their heart rates up and timed how long it took to get back to their resting heart rates.  Another calculated the difference between their resting heart rates and active rates.  No two experiments were the same!  They did a great job with their research and data collection.  

After lunch, we introduced two student scientists from the U of M!

Rich and Kaitlyn from the U of M brought a life sized Operation Game to class!  It was so cool!  The girls got to try their hand at "operating" on the fellow. Rich explained what each of the medical devices were used for, as the girls pulled them out.  They got to see so many cool things!  Kaitlyn showed the girls a few more medical devices, and let the girls try their had at picking up candy using a device used for biopsies.  Pretty cool!  

Here are a few additional pictures from our day:

Housekeeping:

I've heard from a few moms, that their girls have been wearing their SciGirls shirts morning, noon, and night.   Here's a link to purchase additional tee shirts if their shirts become worn out. :) 

High Tech Fashion

What a great group of SciGirls we have!  Today was our first "official" meeting.

We started the meeting by watching the SciGirls episode, High Tech Fashion (watch it here).  In the episode, the girls learned a bit about soft circuits, LED lights, and most importantly, what it meant when their project didn't turn out exactly as planned, and how they resolved their issues.  Great lessons!

After the video, the girls learned how to make a circuit, then used a snap to break their circuit.  This is something they needed to know for the BIG PROJECT.

What's the big project, you say?

They received the challenge to create a fashion accessory using a battery, LED lights, and conductive thread.  It took a  lot of planning and testing!  Most of the girls took their projects home to work on later.  Click here for a detailed description of the project.

Before the end of class, the girls played Brain Stem, a fun science based trivia game.

Take it another step!

At home, the girls can create a user account at www.pbskids.org/scigirls, upload information about what they're doing in class, watch videos, play games, and connect with other SciGirls.  This is a safe site monitored by PBS, where they can earn points and get prizes.  Good times!  

We're looking forward to next month, where we'll build a medical device and get a visit from a scientist from the University of Minnesota!