Learning anatomy first hand!

For the past few years I have suffered with something usually associated with babies; women after childbirth; and old, fat men. Being an old, fat man I do not always use good judgement. When you are told not to lift heavy things, bend with your legs, lose some weight, and go to the doctor regularly - then do it! Otherwise your belly button may some day become an "outie", or a character from the movie, "Total Recall". Over the last three years I slowly developed what is referred to as an umbilical hernia, a tear in the abdominal wall which results in an enlarged, and sometimes painful, belly button. Depending upon the severity you can sometimes coexist with the condition, especially if you lose a great deal of weight.
Babies and young children sometimes develop this condition and minor surgery takes care of it quickly.
But when you are older, over weight, don't lose enough weight to make an impact, and keep a very busy schedule - you might ignore the obvious, pretend it will go away, and eventually end up in surgery.
On July 1st I went in for out patient surgery. In this procedure the doctor made a small incision under my belly button and removed a hernia the size of a golf ball. a mesh circle was inserted and attached to the abdominal muscles so that they will eventually grow with the mesh to make my stomach muscles stronger than ever. When the hernia is removed your intestines are pushed back to where they belong, some of the layers of fat are cut off (because they swell with the tissue and don't always fit back in very well)and you are sewn back up. The procedure takes about an hour.
If you are healthy, fit and the hernia is small you have discomfort for about a week, go back to work and don't lift things for 3-4 weeks.
But if you are older, overweight and the mass is larger, then you have about two weeks of nasty pain and six weeks of recovery! I share this not to complain - but as an incentive for anyone reading that puts a diet off until tomorrow, puts off that trip to the doctor until next year, or ignores simple pains that persist. It really isn't worth it!
Google umbilical hernia for some great information and pictures. I knew very little about this until I had to have the procedure done. Enjoy your summer and get a check up!

Space Camp

I recently spent a week in Huntsville, Alabama as part of an international group of educators attending the US Space Camp. We were there courtesy of Honeywell Corporation. Each year Honeywell employees individually contribute to fund the Honeywell Educator Program. As Honeywell Educators we flew simulated shuttle missions, went to classes where we could bring back lessons on rocketry, problem solving, mathematics, and a multitude of other things. In addition we got to meet Hoot Gibson, shuttle astronaut; a senior member of NASA's Aries Rocket team; and Ed Buckbee, friend to the Mercury astronauts, author and co-founder of Space Camp. We experienced the moon's gravity, were twisted, turned and spun in a fantastic machine, and practiced water survival in a variety of neat things.
I have been interested in Space Camp for years and the opportunity to attend was a dream come true! Thanks so much to Honeywell for giving 220 educators this great opportunity. My group of teachers, Team Destiny, was composed of sixteen teachers from across the country, Canada, Australia and Switzerland.

Grant Writing

People that visit this site, or come and visit us at Camelot, are amazed at how we fund a garden, clubs, and our many special projects. I can't say enough about writing grants. During the summer and right after school starts I spend a couple of hours each week writing grants - I will try for anything! Never say never! This last year we received grants and awards totaling $3800. Most were small. We paid for garden supplies, model rocket kits, competition entries, team t-shirts, rain barrels, and an amazing assortment of neat new science "toys".
My advice to everyone is take the time to look for grant opportunities and pursue them. It sure has worked for us!

School Garden Competition

We just received word that our garden won second place in the Florida School Garden competition. We receive a "mousecar" (which is a Mickey Mouse Statue) and a check for $250 to be used in our garden. This is the second time we have competed. In 2005 we took first place. Congratulations to my wonderful Fifth Grade Garden Club for all of you hard work and dedication. The kids are responsible for all of this!

A Moldy Exploration

Here's a pretty neat lesson exploring mold - courtesy of elementary science teachers in Orange County Public Schools.

KEY QUESTION
What can we grow without water, warmth or sunlight?

BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Mold is a form of fungus that grows and reproduces very quickly. Mold produces tiny cells with hard coverings called spores. Spores float through the air and land on all kinds of things, including food. That is why bread already has spores on it when placed in a bag.
Molds have both good and bad uses. Some molds make foods taste and smell bad. However, many cheeses depend upon mold for their good taste. The green mold that forms on bread and oranges is used to make penicillin, an important antibiotic.

MATERIALS
small pieces of food such as bread without preservatives,
cheddar cheese, overripe vegetables or fruit
hand lens
resealable plastic bags
paper towels
water
soil or dust
tape and/or marker for labeling bags

TEACHING TIPS
Before beginning this experiment, make sure no students have allergy problems associated with molds. Be sure everyone washes their hands after touching the bags. When experiment is completed, throw the bags away unopened.

A FEW QUESTIONS TO ASK.
What is mold? Have you ever seen mold? Where did you see it? In what type of environment was the mold growing? In what kinds of environments can we test the growth of mold? (e.g., light, dark, moist, dry, etc.)

EXPLORE
1. Have each group collect pieces from a central distribution area. (Or prepare a paper plate with the food pieces for each group ahead of time. One member of the group can pick up the plate.) Have students inflate their seven plastic bags to make sure there are no holes in them. Groups should label each of their 4 bags with group names, the word CONTROL, and one type of food. The other 3 bags should each be labeled with their group name, the word VARIABLE, and the variable being tested.

2. Have students place each kind of food in a different bag. Make sure each group has at least four bags with bits of bread. One bag will be stored in a dark place and serve as a control. The other bags of bread will be used to explore variables of light, temperature, and moisture. Record results in student science notebooks.

3. Have students put a pinch of soil or dust in each bag. This provides spores for the production of molds. There should also be a dampened (not soaking wet) paper towel in each bag.

4. Have students leave a little bit of air in each bag so they don’t lay entirely flat, then zip bags closed.

5. Encourage students to be creative when thinking of places to store the VARIABLE bags of bread. Place one in a refrigerator or another cool place to see if temperature affects mold growth. Place one bag in a place that is sun. Add little or no water to the third variable bag to see if moisture affects mold growth.
6. After several days, mold should appear. Remind students: DO NOT OPEN BAGS. After using hand lenses to examine the mold through the bags, throw unopened bags away. WASH HANDS AFTER HANDLING!

NOW ASK STUDENTS THESE QUESTIONS.
How many different colors of molds do you see?
Do different colors and kinds of molds grow on different foods?
How many types of mold are in each bag?
Did all bags in the control group produce mold?
Did all bags in variable group produce mold?
How do the control bags compare with the bags in the variable groups?
What type of environment is best for growing mold?

RECORDING OBSERVATIONS
Have students record observations and draw each type of mold. Emphasize how important it is to make drawings as accurate as possible, in case someone else looks at them for information.
Invite opinions as to whether students think the mold they grew is harmful or helpful.

TAKING THE NEXT STEP.
Let students set up another investigation of molds. Have them pour some tomato soup into 3 clean baby food jars. In jar 1, have students sprinkle some breadcrumbs. In jar 2, let a student dip his or her finger into the soup. A small amount of dirt should be put into jar 3. Have students seal all containers with plastic wrap and tape securely. Jars should be placed in a warm dark area. Have students record observations after a week. Remind students NOT TO OPEN THE JARS!

ASSESSMENT
Have students research mold and list those that are beneficial and/or harmful to humans.

Summer Science Ideas

Those of us in Florida never quite get enough of the beach. As I am beginning to put together summer packets for my students I wanted to share some interesting science activities that families might consider for a beach vacation. Many of you might also be looking at an end of the year "beach party" and may find these activities helpful.

“Sand Castles” –
Using three different textures of sand, try to build the tallest sand castle. Limit construction to twenty minutes. At the conclusion of the activity what did you observe? What effect did the texture of the sand have on construction? Add water to the sand and repeat the activity. What role does water play in making the different sand samples more or less dense and pliable?

“Collecting Sand” –
Collect three different types of sand or soil. Observe what makes each the same or different. Weigh equal portions of each and compare the results. Observe the samples using a magnifier and describe what you observe.

“Making Sand” –
Collect materials which might be used to make sand. Include crushed shells and rocks. Place all of the materials in a large cloth sack and pound them with a hammer. Take the contents out and compare with various samples of sand.

“Sifting Sands” –
Construct 2’ by 2’ wire frames using wire of different weaves (from hardware cloth to screen). Use the frames as sieves and sift various sands. Is there a relationship between the sieve and the different sands? Will some sands not sift, while others pass through easily? The sieves can also be used for sorting small ocean animal skeletons, shells or other materials.

“What’s in the Water?” –Collect samples of water from various sources (bottle, pond, lake, rivers, puddles, ocean) and observe each through a microscope. How are the samples similar or different? Reflect upon the impact of pollutants.

The Great American Paper Airplane Challenge

Here is a neat rainy day activity!

Your Challenge:
Use a piece of paper to construct an airplane capable of traveling at least five meters and landing at a designated target.

Materials which may be used:
One sheet of 8” X 11” copy paper
8” X 11” wax paper
8” X 11” cellophane wrap
no more than 12 inches of scotch tape
scissors

Paper Houses

Here’ a fun problem solving activity based upon a well known fairy tale. Everyone knows the story of the Three Little Pigs. But very few people are aware of the fourth pig. He was so lazy that he didn’t use hay, or stick, or bricks to build a house – he used paper!
Challenge students to construct a structure for the fourth little pig using only a piece of copy paper and a pair of scissors. Your “wolf” will try to knock down the house by placing a heavy object (like a wooden block or book) upon the roof of the house trying to make it collapse.
Allow the students time to plan, test and construct the houses. Finally test the strength of each house and observe the results. Repeat the activity each day for a week, allowing students the opportunity to modify and improve the designs. Consider adding more weight each day as an additional challenge. At the end of the week you will have learned about problem solving, discovered the power of innovation and come to better appreciate a wonderful fairy tale.

A Great Weekend For Education

Three events took place this weekend at the University of Central Florida which were exciting for education. Six thousand teachers, administrators, school board members, parents, students and friends of education in Florida joined together to send the message to our legislature that there must be no more cuts to our schools. Across Florida citizens are joining to voice their outrage at proposed cuts to our children's future. I have spoken at a number of events and hope that our legislators listen to our voices.

The second wonderful event was the Central Florida Regional Middle School Science Olympiad. I had the opportunity to watch hundreds of excited middle school students from schools across Central Florida compete in problem solving situations testing individuals and teams in a variety of topic areas.

And finally I spoke at the "Expanding Your Horizons" Conference for middle school girls and their parents focusing on careers in science and engineering. While the girls participated in incredible activities designed to excite and kindle a love for math and science, parents participated in a full day of workshops and seminars to give them the tools to help their daughters achieve their goals. I was honored to speak to the parents, answer a few questions and honor their commitment to parenting. It was a wonderful day for education!

Elements of Flight

Recently we had a guest come and bring a different perspective to our study of flight. Mr. Moses Alicea is a gifted remote control airplane hobbyist who came and share his hobby with our third and fourth graders. You won't find a better way of helping students to understand flight than by watching students in awe as a remote controlled plane flies to almost 1000 feet, goes into a "hammerhead stall" and recover into an inverted pass over our field. Mr. Alicea uses electric engines powered by batteries created as a result of breakthroughs in cell phone and computer battery technology.
The best teaching takes place when students are excited and asking for more. Mr. Alicea is a great teacher and we look forward to the next time he pays us a visit!