|
 |
 |
||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
01. PLANET SCIENCE END OF TERM REPORT CARD
First of all, we hand the microphone to Mike Tomlinson, the Director of Planet Science. He says: "On 31 July, Planet Science, the extension of the Science Year initiative, came to an end. Many thousands of teachers, pupils and members of the public have benefitted from its innovative and exciting projects and resources throughout the last two years. So, while the actual initiative may have finished, its work will continue through a legacy programme, with a range of new projects being rolled out from the next academic year. The legacy programme is focused on improving science learning environments, increasing the engagement of under-represented groups in science and highlighting the diverse range of career opportunities that exist. Projects include: * a series of Outreach projects, following the success of eight pilot projects earlier in the year; * a tailored lab-design software package that enables teachers to experiment with designs to suit different teaching and learning styles, will be issued free to all maintained schools in England; * the expansion of a website containing information on school science communicators. The website will make it easy for schools to chose science performers and speakers, to access reviews from other schools and to benefit from helpful advice; * the commissioning of a study to research the impact of science role models on young people's views and actions; * over 3 million copies of the 'At Home with Science' booklet for parents will be distributed next term to support science study and science homework at KS2/3; Your participation in Science Year and Planet Science has contributed to their success and we hope that you will continue your involvement through the legacy programme. Our award-winning website and newsletter will continue to grow and develop, so the best way to keep informed is to keep logging on here for all the latest news and developments."  |
|||||
|
|||||
| 02. NEW PARENTS SURVIVAL PACK And... the very latest development we need to tell you about is our new online School Survival Pack for parents. This is a new section on the Planet Science website which explains all about the National Curriculum and how it works, why science is such an important subject for children to learn, how the subject is taught throughout a child's education, what "Key Stages" are, what "SATs" and "performance tables" are, and perhaps most importantly, what you can do to help your child's learning, and how to keep up with their science homework!! (You can also download the 'Science at Home' booklet we mentioned in a previous newsletter, for extra homework-busting ideas and information.) Check it all out here |
|||||
|
|||||
| 03. ACTIVITY OF THE WEEK: MAKE YOUR OWN SUNDIAL Sundial-making can be a complex mathematical feat - or you can make an easy version that even little kids can construct and have fun with (with a bit of help with the drawing pins). The following are instructions for an easy-peasy sundial, but we've also found some weblinks with instructions for the more intricate types - see below. What you'll need: • A paper plate • A plastic straw • A sharpened pencil • Crayons • A ruler • Blu-tak or other sticky stuff! • Mapping pins (or other long-stemmed type pins) NB: you need to make the sundial on a sunny day, before noon. What to do: • Lay the paper plate flat on a soft surface, such as grass or not-so-pale carpet. • Use the sharpened pencil to poke a hole through the middle in the centre of the plate. • Write the number 12 on the edge of the plate with a crayon. NB write on what would normally be the 'underside' of the plate - this will be the face of your sundial. • Use the ruler to draw a line from this central hole to the number 12. • At noon, take the plate and the straw outside into the sun. Put the plate on the ground and poke the straw through the hole. Slant the straw towards the line you've drew earlier. Then carefully turn the plate so that the shadow of the straw falls along the line to the number 12. Make sure it's secure by wedging some blu-tak round about it on the other side of the plate. • Fasten the plate to the ground with your mapping pins. • At 1pm, check the position of the shadow along the edge of the plate and write the No 1 on that spot. Continue to do the same thing each hour, predicting the position and then checking and marking the actual position and time on the edge of the plate. • At the end of the day, you will have created a sundial. • On the next sunny afternoon that occurs, you will be able to tell the time by watching where the shadow falls on your clock (so long as it doesn't rain overnight that is!) Once you've perfected the paper-plate version, you may want to move on to more hi-tech models. We like the print-offable version you can find here Or you could have a look at these other two sundial sites: YOU CAN MAKE A SUNDIAL UNIQUE GIFT IDEAS |
|||||
|
|||||
| 04. MOUSES AT THE READY: 'THE WAVE MACHINE' Bet you didn't know what all's going on in your microwave oven?! Well, the Microwave Association do, and they've put together a 56-page booklet, called 'The Wave Machine'. It's full of microwave recipes but also information on the history of these devices, how they work and how to use them to their fullest advantage. Want one? We have nine copies to give away and all you need to do is send an email to: anne@planet-science.com with the words DINNER'S READY - PING! in the subject field, and a note of your name and address. The draw will take place next Friday at 10am. |
|||||
|
|||||
| 05. SCIENCE THIS WEEK Beginning this week, and taking the place of the Science Behind the News, we have 'Science This Week'. Each week our friends at Science Line will be having a rummage in their capacious drawers to find you an item of lesser-known science that links in with the coming week in some ingenious way. This week, the birthday of Sir Alexander Fleming is the peg for a fascinating foray into his (highly scientific) interest in ... SNOT. Check it out |
|||||
| |||||
| 06. RECOMMENDED WEBSITES OF THE WEEK This week, an online Periodic Table that not only allows you to look up the chemical properties of each element, but also supplies pictures and cartoons to bring the whole thing to life... It's called WEB ELEMENTS and you can find the school/student version at: http://www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/index.html . And the 'professional' version is at: http://www.webelement.com. Secondly TOYS IN SPACE. Forget 'infinity and beyond', NASA really have taken toys on multi-million dollar space missions... Not just so that they can play with them either. In fact they experiment with these toys to see what happens to force and motion in a gravity-free environment, and ultimately the idea is to inspire children to become engineers, astronauts or physicists; the space explorers of the future. There are lots of lesson plans to go with the information - and lots more about this on the web if you tap in "toys in space" to a search engine. Here's the link Check out back issues of this web version of the UK's Inventors World. With legal advice aand iring stories of inventors, young and old! |
|||||
|
|||||
| 07. LUCKY WINNERS Thanks for all the hundreds of emails we've received this week in response to our various giveaways and competitions. Sorry we've not been able to reply to any individually - there just hasn't been time what with packing up the office etc, but we did read every one and all winners have been notified, and all nice comments about Planet Science have been forwarded round the team. The winners of the 5 pairs of tickets for the 3D film, 'T-Rex, Return to the Cretaceous' are: Catherine Callaghan from London; Mike Booth from Basingstoke; Ogo Adegboye from London; Mary Crosby from Nottingham and Stephen Groves from Broom in Bedfordshire. The winners of the book chairs are: Peter Myers of Poole, and Catriona Robinson of Malvern. The winners of the 'Surf Science' books are: Michelle Blacker of Southampton and Andy Moor of Forthampton in Gloucestershire. And finally... the winners of the very long-running Length Quiz are: Rich Amos of Wolverhampton and Maela Le Nen Davey of Kernow in Cornwall. Hope you all enjoy your spoils! |
|||||
|
|||||
| 08. JOKE OF THE WEEK Good old Phil White. He says: 'I went to the doctor and said I was at home and all these books fell on me - he said "you've only got yourshelf to blame!"' AND: Did you hear about the science teacher who drowned in a bowl of museli? He was pulled under by the currents. AND: If all the grass in my garden pointed north would that make it a magnetic field? AND: I went to a fancy dress party dressed up as sodium chloride, when I got there someone poured some sulphuric acid over me - I didn't know how to react! That's all for this week, but please send all contributions for future newsletters - including JOKES - to Anne McNaught on anne@planet-science.com. And remember the advice of the late great Bob Hope, who died on Sunday at the age of 100 years and 2 months: 'My secret for staying young is: good food, plenty of rest, and a makeup man with a spray gun.' Have a great week! |
|||||
|
|||||
 |
|||||
