This Bitter Be Good

Another great SciGirls meeting in the books!

This week, the girls tested the glucosinolate levels in various veggies (orange pepper, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower), by using PTC (phenylthiocarbamide) paper, a blindfold, and a taste test.  The girls had very interesting results!

The challenge:  Determine whether tasting the bitter compound PTC influences which vegetables a person likes.  They brainstormed ideas, did their taste tests, and documented their results on a chart.

After the SciGirls challenge, they had lunch, and got to enjoy a brief "recess" outside.  We're finally getting some warm weather!  It's hard to stay cooped up inside.

For the second half of the day, we had a special guest from Mad Science MN!  She led the girls in a few cool chemistry experiments.  They had an explosive good time!

Click here to watch the video from today (Science Cooks)

Next week the girls will tamper with robotics by building a robot arm that can actually lift things!  They'll finish up with a field trip to the Apple Store for a cool workshop.  We can't wait!

Digging Archaeology

For this session of SciGirls, the girls got to see what happens when science meets history!

We met up at the Science Museum of Minnesota for a class.  It was super fun!  The girls made observations about replicas of actual artifacts from the vault at the museum.





They learned about and experimented with remote sensing technology used by actual archaeologists, such as taking a magnetic survey, and using a ground penetrating radar to search for hidden artifacts.

Because this class was at the museum, we weren't able to watch the corresponding video, Digging Archaeology, but the girls were able to watch it at home beforehand.

After class, the girls had a couple hours to roam the museum with their friends and families.  They did fun things like watch a show about optical illusions, check out the cell lab, watched the Expedition Earth movie, I think I couple girls even sneaked a slushy from the Chomp Cafe.

It was a lot of fun!

Next month, the girls will find out why some people like different foods, and why some people don't. They'll also learn about chemistry from a special guest!

No Slip Grip

Each month, SciGirls gets better and better!  This month was no exception.  Here's what we did:

We started out by watching the No Slip Grip episode of SciGirls.

The girls brainstormed different ways they've seen the effects of friction.  Then, they looked at five different friction stations (carpet, table top, yoga mat, corduroy, and rug).  They made predictions about which would have the most/least friction when their weighted shoe box slid across.  They collected their data (three samples at each station, and calculated averages), analyzed their data, and shared with the class.

Of course, they had to test their knowledge of friction in the "real world" by hitting the ice at the Wells Fargo Winter Skate!  They thought it was pretty cool to skate at the very skating rink that was in the SciGirls episode they watched earlier.

As you can see, fun was had by all!  

Next month the girls will see what happens when science meets history.  We can't wait!

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.