Building community through shared learning experiences
Greetings! I am posting all the educational content on Safari Science’s new blogs. Find it here!
I will be using this blog for something – but not quite sure what at this time. Things will evolve naturally I am sure.
Enjoy the educational content about reptiles, science, nature, animals and more on Safari Science site!
Cute bunny colouring page. Click to download printable PDF
I run a day camp program in Oakville at Safari Science. Its so much fun for both me and the camp participants. I will be posting the programming here for you to use at home, with your school or with your own camp.
If your children attend any of my day camp programs in Oakville, this will also be a great resource for you.
Here are a few ways you can use my posted activities and lesson plans to enhance your child’s learning experience.
Teachers are so smart because when you have to teach something you magically learn and understand the subject better. So why not let your child be your teacher. After going to camp, you can use the lesson plans and activities posted here for your child to explain what they have learned to you.
Repetition makes people really smart. A quick review of the days activities are always a great way to reinforce what was learned during the day. Even a quick scan or overview will trigger memories of things learned and experiences experienced.
Sometimes when you ask your kids what they have done during the day, they may say, not much. In all fairness, you would probably do the same. That’s because as people, we are more focused on the here and now. When you review the day using my posted lessons, it brings what happened during the day to the here and now. So, by flipping though the activities and lesson plans here you will help stimulate a conversation about the day.
Here is a link to my Oakville day camp programs in case you want to register or check it out for inspiration for your own day camp.
Tonight at Safari Science as I was leading a family program about baby animals, one of the dad’s shared an awesome story about a family of baby bunnies living on his neighbours lawn. He even had a video to show the discovery.
What happened was before cutting the grass, his neighbour was checking for rocks when lo and behold, there was a family of baby bunnies hidden away in the grass. The momma bunny made a nest using grass and fur and hid the babies so well it was a miracle they were found.
To feed the babies, the mother would hop on over, lay on top of the nest as if though she was just resting. The babies would nurse and then she would hop away. Totally undercover! Watch the video to see how amazingly well the babies were hidden. The bunnies grew up super quick. The photo you see here is of very same bunnies that are in the video just a few weeks later. Enjoy!
Press play to listen
Colouring page of a lizard on a tree. Lizards are amazing creatures that come in all shapes and sizes. Some lizards can climb, other lizards can not. All lizards have bones in their bodies, but not all lizards have legs. Most lizards have ears, but not all. Chameleons are lizards without ears.
Kids science experiment, balloon meet fire! This science experiment needs adult supervision and eye protection. So, do you know a good way to blow out a candle? You could take a deep breath and blow them out, thats the traditional way. You could also blow up a balloon and let the balloon blow out the candle as the air rapidly escapes the balloon. What if you blow up the balloon, tie it up and then hold it over the candle flame? Well, that is is where this fun science experiment begins. What will happen? Will it blow out the candle? Lets raise the bar! Try it out with a ballon containing water. The answer is hidden below in case you want to discover what happens on your own.
Blow up a balloon with air and tie. Add water to another balloon and fill the rest with air. You only need about 2 inches of water at the bottom. (see diagram for approximate ratio) Put on your eye protection. (Sometimes wax may splatter) Light the candle and lower the first balloon with only air over the candle. What happened? Now get your rain coat and get the balloon with the water in it. Hold it over the flame so the flame touches the balloon and count to 10. It’s ok to count quickly.
The answers and explination are hidden below. Click the + box to find out.
Clics are awesome building toys. I use them at my camps all the time, the kids love them. The things they build absolutley blow my mind, from complete body armour to houses and vehicles and everything in between.
I believe that the that Clics are so well received because they are simple and uniform, plus you can build things big enough to wear. There are only a few different pieces, most of which are squares that you snap to other squares. There are also axels and wheels for making vehicles too.
I just started incorporating Clics at a few of the new Safari Science classes and workshops, so I made this video as a quick explanation on how to use Clics for Edventure Ed. Check it out if you are interested in knowing how Clics work.
This experiment is so much fun. The first time I tried it I showed it to everyone I could for weeks! Its so simple but the results are surprisingly surprising. Try it out on your own, then try to guess why what happens happens. Once you’ve tried it out, or if you just cant take the suspense, click the plus icon below the image to reveal the results & explanation.
Take it a step further and try it out with various sizes of bottles from a small water bottle to a giant water cooler jug. For best results make sure your bottles are nice and dry.
What do flies love? Poop perhaps? How about rotten meat? Flies love all of that stuff, and more. They love to land on it, eat it and lay their eggs near it. The gross part is how they share the gross things they land on with the rest of the world. Stop reading now if you get grossed out easily! [Read more...]
