Robots to the Rescue

Body Language...Coding...Robotics...Sumo Wrestling...So Much Fun!!

I. am. a. robot.

This month at SciGirls, we watched the episode "Robots to the Rescue."

Afterwards the girls were introduced to their experiment for the day.  The challenge was to cover their faces, and try to convey different emotions using body language, just as robots do (without facial expressions).  The SciGirls got into groups, brainstormed different emotions, and then took turns trying to stump their team members while acting out the emotions.  They found that expressing happiness, joy, and annoyance were pretty easy, while expressing other emotions such as embarrassed were difficult.  

Lunch time!

After lunch, Engineering 4 Kids came and gave each pair their own lap top and Lego robot.  The wonderful teachers taught the girls how to code the robots, and then gave them the challenge to create a sumo-bot, and knock their competitor out of the ring.  It was so much fun!  The girls competed in a friendly competition, sometimes redesigning their robots to improve their performance, and coming back to compete again.  I'm pretty sure almost all the girls wanted to take their cool robots home!  

It was a blast.  I loved this class because I felt that my own SciGirl was exposed to something that she wouldn't have otherwise been exposed to.  Now she knows that she has an interest in robotics and coding, that didn't interest her before.  How cool!!

Next month we'll meet up again and learn about how the make eco-conscious decisions in our day to day lives. 

Butterfly Diaries

Our first SciGirls class for the 2015-16 school year is in the books, and I'd call it a BIG success.  The girls had a great time, learned a lot, did a lot of collaborative thinking, and made new friends!

Since it was our first class of the year, we did things a little bit differently than normal.  We started out with a little get-to-know-you activity.  Fortunately, the weather was gorgeous, and we were able to do that outside!

After that, we watched the SciGirls episode: Butterfly Diaries.

Once the video was over, we got into our fun experiment!  The girls were given the challenge to build a butterfly glider.  They were given three pieces of card stock.  Two had preprinted gliders (from here) printed on them, and one was blank.  The girls had the option to either build the glider according to directions, or to create their own design.  They had tape, scissors, glue, pennies, and paperclips.  A few of them asked if they could find items in nature to use in their designs, which added a cool dimension to some of their creations!  It was really interesting to see the gliders.  No two were alike.  They measured their flights, several of the groups redesigned and tested again. There was a lot of collaborating happening.  It was fantastic!!  At the end of the project, the groups presented their findings.

Then, lunchtime happened:

For the second half of class, we had a guest speaker come in from The Monarch Project.  She gave a really great talk about the amazing life cycle of the monarch as it related to their journey to and from Mexico each year.  It's really miraculous!  She brought in monarch eggs, caterpillars, chrysalis, and live monarchs.  In the end, the girls got to name, tag, and send off nine monarchs.  The monarchs they released are now somewhere between here and Mexico :)

Next month, the girls will delve into the world of robotics.  It's going to be FUN!

Farewell, SciGirls 2014-15!

Today was our last day of SciGirls 2014-15!  It was so much fun.  The girls built solar ovens out of pizza boxes, cooked lunch, and made scrapbooks.

It was amazing to watch the girls grow, learn, and collaborate together, form new friendships, and deepen existing friendships.  I'm so sad to see the class come to an end!  Here's what we did today:

Registration for 2015-16 is now open!!

Forest, Wetland, and Prairie

We had our eye on the forecast for a week before this class!  It seemed to change two times per day.  But, we lucked out!  It was a beautiful day to learn about the forest, wetland, and prairie at the Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden.

We started out with a tour of the garden.  Some of the girls heard a turkey (but didn't see it!), saw honey suckles, ferns, yarrow, etc.  The yellow lady slippers were in bloom, too.  Beautiful!

After class, we all walked down to the Theodore Wirth beach for lunch and playtime.  After burning off some energy, we started in on the big project of the day, making a self contained eco-system to take home.

They filled their quart jars with water and pebbles, and then we walked over to a pond to scavenge for snails, pond sludge, and duck weed.  The girls had a lot of fun with this part!  Then, we walked back to the park, put a shrimp and horn wort plant into the jar.

Voila!  The eco system can be closed up, never to be opened up again.  Apparently, some have been known to last for months and months!

The 2015-16 Lineup Is Here!

Welcome to year two of SciGirls MN!

SciGirls MN is a collaboration science program based on the local TV series SciGirls.  This is a drop off program designed to expose young ladies to STEM opportunities, build lasting friendships, and gain confidence in the field of science.

Each class will run from 10 AM-2 PM on the 2nd Wednesday of the month, except for the September class, which will be held on the 3rd Wednesday.  

Here’s what we have planned for 2015-16:

September 16 Monarch Mania: The girls will get to know each other this month as they experiment with flight, and learn all about monarch butterflies from a local expert.  They’ll  learn how to help the plight of the monarch, and do a butterfly release.  

October 14 Robots to the Rescue:  This month, the girls will learn about robot body language by using sounds, digital displays, and gestures.  They’ll get to operate lego robotics as they complete really cool challenges.

November 11 Going Green: The girls will see firsthand the difference between incandescent and CFL bulbs, by conducting experiments to test energy output.  They’ll understand the importance of making eco-friendly choices in their day to day lives. For the second half of class, science meets art!  ArtScraps will come in and the girls will make jewelry out of recycled objects.

December 9 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever:  It’s time for our annual Christmas event!  We’ll meet up at Stepping Stone Theater to watch the production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  After the play, our girls will participate in a workshop to find out how the science of makeup and design plays a part in the production of their plays.  Each girl will bring a $10 gift to exchange.  

January 13 Super Sleuths:  Who dunnit?!  Today the girls will help solve “The Case of the Missing Diamonds,” by using forensic science.  They’ll work together to solve the case using real crime scene analysis.  We’ll have a special visitor from a scientist in the field!

February 10 Work It Out: How often do you pay attention to your breathing?  This month the girls will find out what it’s like for children that have asthma.  They’ll create an experiment to test and monitor their lung function.  Afterwards, they’ll get their bodies moving and exercise those lungs, when a teacher from The Dance Lab comes to teach the girls a choreographed dance!  Be sure to wear a leotard or comfy clothes to this class!  There will be a short performance after class.

March 9 Aquabots:  This month the girls will learn all about neutral buoyancy, and will create an experiment to demonstrate it.  This event is so much fun, they won’t want it to end!  But alas, all good things must come to an end.  After their experiment, they’ll get to test what they learned in class, at a waterpark!  Parents and siblings are welcome to attend the second half of class today.  Sign yourselves up on the registration form.

April 13 Multitasking Mania:  How does multitasking affect our ability to concentrate?  The girls will find out when they collaborate together to try to break their teammates concentration!  This month, we’ll do our annual service project, too.  The girls will work together to make 150 sandwiches that’ll get handed out to homeless people in our community.  

May 11 Zoo Engineers:  This month we’ll meet up at the Minnesota Zoo, and will learn about, and try our hands at engineering animal exhibits!  After our special STEM class and lunch, we’ll wander the zoo and complete a scavenger hunt.  Before we say good-bye for the summer, the girls will receive a scrapbook kit so they can create their own book of memories at home!

**NEW** Two additional workshops have been added!

May 25 - Monarch Ecology: The girls will meet up at a location in Bloomington to plant nectar plants on the prairie, learn about milkweed impostors, and cull the culprits. It'll be a 2 hour workshop, where the girls will get their hands dirty, and really contribute to saving our local monarch population.

Week of June 8th - Monarch Monitoring: For this special workshop, the SciGirls will work alongside scientists, searching for and counting monarch eggs and caterpillars. The data they collect will be documented and used in scientific research! The girls will be provided with everything they will need to raise a monarch, from egg to butterfly, at home.

Total Cost for This Class is $190

**To register, email me at leslie@stphr.com , and I'll email you a registration form***

FAQ's

What will a normal day look like?

All non-field trip classes will begin by viewing the SciGirls episode that corresponds to the activity we're doing that day.  Afterwards, the girls will break into groups, receive a challenge, and work together to complete their task.  When they're done, the groups will present their findings to each other.  Then, they will have lunch, and free time to chat, giggle, and play.  During the second half of class, they'll explore the month's topic as it's used in the field, with demonstrations, mentor visits, games, and fun!

Can I stay and watch the class?

No, this is a drop off class.  You may choose to come for the second half of the March class (a water park!).  Indicate that you'll be joining us in March, on the order form.  Don't worry, we'll take lots of pictures!

Can my son join this group?

No. Although SciGirls as a whole welcomes everyone, this particular group is an all-girl group.  

My daughter is only 6, but she's brilliant.  Can she join?

No, this group is specifically for girls between the ages of 9-13.

SciGirls is produced for PBS by tpt National Productions and is made possible by the National Science Foundation. Additional support by L’Oreal USA’s For Girls in Science program, Northrup Grumman Foundation, and PPG Industries Foundation. SciGirls ®/© 2013 Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. All rights reserved. SciGirls, the characters and related indicia are trademarks / service marks of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc. Used with permission. pbskids.org/scigirls 

Robots to the Rescue

"Let's do a little collaborative thinking."

I overhead one of our SciGirls say that today.  I love that the girls worked so well together to complete their challenge!

Today the girls watched a SciGirls episode (Aquabots), about a few SciGirls that built an underwater robot to video water quality.  

After watching the video, they received their challenge: to design a robot arm that could lift and set down, a plastic cup from 12 inches away.  It was cool to see the girls work together.  Each team had a pretty different idea.  Most of the groups encountered challenges that they had to overcome (redesign), others had ideas that would have come to fruition with more time, and others had complex designs that would have required additional materials.  

After they completed the challenge and had lunch, we walked a few blocks to the Apple Store!

The fabulous genius that led our group was so great!  She took the girls on a tour of the store, and even took them to the back end of the store, where they got to see the storage room, the genius lab, and breakroom.  The best part was in the last half of class, when the girls got to made a video, use video editing software, and put their video onto a bracelet USB drive to take home!

It was another fantastic SciGirls class!

Only two SciGirls classes left!  Oh my goodness, this year went by fast.  It'll be warm out by the next class, so we'll finally get to take it outside to learn about ecosystems.