How cool is your class if one of the activities is making a roller coaster model?
Throughout the course of my class on "Science Teaching in Informal Settings", we did a number of really cool hands on activities like leaves collecting, documenting lichens, nature hike, science museum visit, animal observations in a zoo and aquarium, behind the scenes tour of an aquarium, science center, museum and zoo, polar bear enclosure designing, interpretative label writing, flat bird, reptile and amphibian sighting and spider web hunting (where gigantic mosquitoes tried to eat us alive!). We even listened in (more like eaves dropped) on conversations of museum/zoo/aquarium visitors and kept track of visitor engagement on specific exhibits!
But for our last day in class, we were in for a treat! We were given several foam insulation tubes (cut crosswise), masking tape, paper tubes, a marble (which served as the passenger) and 30 minutes to brainstorm and execute our extreme roller coaster design. Some of the other groups came up with really cool ones that actually worked! I took snapshots of some of the roller coasters. Ours is not here because it miserably failed! We were too ambitious...(shame!)
We were allowed to use anything inside the classroom including the walls, chairs, tables. You can see that groups used whatever was available around including our course binders and a travel coffee mug!
This is the winning group's design entitled "Anaconda". It was super cool!
Roller coaster model-making is one activity teachers can do to teach concepts of physics. In fact, theme parks can be also be an educational field trip site since various rides illustrate physics concepts!!!
I have learned so many ways of teaching science concepts from this class. But I think what stands out in all of these is the fact that in almost everything and anywhere, you can find opportunities to teach science. And these ordinary things and places (like the school's backyard, your kitchen or the parking lot) drive the idea that science is everywhere, not just in our classrooms and in our books, but a part of our daily lives!
With my summer class over, time to start packing for my move to DC next week!
I did mine on the Florida Museum of Natural History's North Florida Waterways and wildlife. I called it Survivor Florida: Outwit Adapt Evolve ahehehe. And I even made a logo for it! 