Dolphins on Finding Their Food:  

DolphIns keep warm because of a layer of Blubber, also called FaT, under The skIn.  In contrast, to stay warm, human beIngs have warm foods lIke gInger, blankeTs, Wood Fires, and each oTher!  InTeresTIngly, The Bones ThaT make up a DolphIn’s skeLeTon, are Filled wITh FaT and Oil, causIng TheIr bones To be boyoanT gIvIng Them an easIer Time To FLoaT.  That is so cool!   They move approxImaTely 10-15 km per hr Through The waTer. 

Range:  Eg. SpoTTed DolphIns  have A few hundred Miles / 400 km DIameTer of a Circular Range, TravelIng ~ 45 mIles / 70 km per day. (SpIlsbury; p. 9)

Their buoyant bones allow them to Stay Under waTer abouT 10 mInuTes aT a Time.  Then They surface To breaThe aIr Through TheIr blowhole, whIch has a muscular skInflap ThaT closes for when underwaTer (SpIlsbury; p.11).  Using EchoLocaTIon for finding Food, they eat SquId, KrIll, anchovIes, and mackeral, (small Fish mosTly).  It is InTeresTIng ThaT They eaT JellyFIsh wIThouT beIng harmed by Them – maybe only The small ones!  Because They have such good hearIng usIng echoLocaTIon, ThIs sense Is used more Than sIghT for FIndIng Food.  RIsso’s eaT mosTly squId.  Other River DolphIns eaT Clams, Crabs and Fish. (SpIlsbury; p. 12)  UsIng The nasal sacs found jusT behInd The BraIn, The dolphIn sends ouT sound waves called “EchoLocaTIon” ThaT surround and sIze up an objecT, fIgurIng ouT ITs generaL weIghT and sIze and shape, deTermInIng IF IT Is a Good Food Source.  (SpIlsbury; pp. 13, 14)  SpiLsbury, RIchard and LouIse; A SchooLoF DoLphIns; Illinois: 2004 HeInemann Library;  www. HeInemannLIbrary .com)  

Q – What is it that causes a Dolphin to have boyount bones?  That is, what elements cause their bones to be this way?  WHat other sea mammals have boyount bones?

]]> http://www.science-lessons.ca/dolphin-talk/feed/ 0 http://www.science-lessons.ca/shaken-butter/ http://www.science-lessons.ca/shaken-butter/#respond Wed, 09 Oct 2013 22:39:59 +0000 http://www.science-lessons.ca/blog/?p=1690 In chemistry, the term physical change implies that a substance is changing form, like when water freezes to form ice. The water has not changed its identity, only its appearance from a liquid to a solid. Physical processes like shaking, hitting or even chewing can help things change their form. For example, when we chew our food, chewing (a physical process) helps us to make food easier to swallow by making it into a liquid. In this activity students will use shaking (a physical process) to transform a liquid (heavy whipping cream) into a solid.

In this activity, students will observe how physical processes like shaking can cause things to change.  Materials:

Small glass jar with lid (baby food jars are the best)

Heavy whipping cream

Instructions: 1. Fill each jar about three-quarters of the way full.

2. Tightly seal each jar with its lid.

3. Shake the jar for 10-15 minutes or until the whipping cream has solidified.

 How It Works:  When the jar is shaken the particles are forced close together. A few particles clump together and soon, with all the shaking more and more particles clump together until most of are in a solid.

Discussion Questions to Ask:  What did we add into the jar?

• What did we do to change the heavy whipping cream?
• When was the whipping cream a liquid?
• When was the whipping cream a solid?

Did you know that cooking is a chemical and a physical process? Exploring other food processes like making cheese, baking bread, even making a cake are easy ways to introduce the concept of physical and chemical changes. Chemistry is not just only in the lab or taught during science class. It is important to help young students recognize chemistry concepts inside and outside of the classroom. For more information on how to teach young students about chemical and physical change, visit: http://acswebcontent.acs.org/scienceforkids/index.html#Reactions

For some of our Fun Learning Science games such as How to Become a Teenage Genius by playing Our Learning Brain, you can visit here:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/forceenergy.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weatherbingo4.html

http://www.literature-enrichment.com/

In this activity students will explore how crystals are made.

Materials:

Measuring cups (1/2 cup)
Tablespoons
Alum (spice can be found at grocery store)

Instructions:

1. Add ½ cup of hot water to 2 ½ tablespoons of alum.
2. Crystals will form within 30 minutes.
3. Want bigger crystals add more alum to the water.

How It Works:

When the alum and water mix, the alum begins to accumulate in clusters and as the warm water evaporates, it leaves the lumped crystals behind. The alum forms not just a solid, but a solid with a repeating pattern, making a crystal.

Discussion Questions to Ask:

• How did were the crystals made?
• What characteristics do the crystals have?

There are many places where crystals grow in nature, like ice crystals are often formed in the winter, in colder climates as the liquid molecules freeze. Also in caverns, there are stalagmites and stalactites that are crystals of calcium carbonate. When teaching concepts like crystals, young students may become bored as the formation of the crystal may take longer than one class period. To keep the students’ attention, incorporate crystals-related activities in other areas, i.e. math (counting or matching crystals), art, geography (where do crystals form in nature), even in physical education (students can pretend to be frozen crystals and play tag). It is best to start this activity and others that take more than one day on a Friday, that way when the students return on Monday the process is complete. For other science teaching tips related to crystals, visit: http://bit.ly/10l3FXy

And for other Fun Learning Science Games, we invite you to visit here:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/ocean.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/space.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html

 http://www.literature-enrichment.com/

After each Tier of your Experiment, record your results and present your findings to your Science Classroom Teacher and share with your Classmates.  First choose a critter to deal with who has been causing a bit of havoc on the land to your plants.  The critters we were dealing with were racoons and deer, but we didn’t want them to go completely away as they are so beautiful and cute!  There are 5 Stage Tiers to our experiment:  Science Experiment:  Warding off Racoons, Welcoming but only Sharing with Deer!

Tier 1:  Jars of Ammonia

Place small jars of strong smelling ammonia around the plum tree to ward off the racoons.  This seemed to reduce the number of visits to the Plum tree by the racoons, but did not stop from still making a huge mess, both of their pits and their scat, nor did this deter the canine visits.  There was also a scatter canine (dog) who left a mess too.

Tier 2:  Radio

Find a small transistor radio and place it in the area turned on.  The sound of people talking and singing seems to alert them to possible interruption and danger.  This again, helped a bit, yet, when it rained we had to find an umbrella for the radio, and also had to keep charging the batteries to keep it on all the time.  This deterred somewhat, the racoon, but not the canines.

Tier 3:  Predators – Bringing in the big guns

Determine the main predators of the critter you are dealing with, and spray the area or soak cottonballs and place near their general entrance. If you can find the synthetic scents of the predator in a local hardware store, spray the scent around the area in which you do not want the animal to eat.  For racoon, we think the key predator is the Coyote, and synthetic coyote pee ought to do the trick to scare them back to another route.  This apparently is not a favorite friend to canines (domestic dogs) either.  We are only beginning to run this part of the experiment.

Whereas we wish to reroute them, and not hurt them, this seems a pliable stage to our experiments.  And whereas also, we wish to welcome the deer, though not let them eat all of our fruits, vegetables and flowers, we are planting in 3 different areas.  This is slightly to the chagrin of our neighbours who want them to go away permanently, but we love them and believe them to be Beautiful Innocent Resident Deer who are vegetarian and who provide good “clean” “scat” for the compost for our vegetables.

Area A: By the plum tree, with synthetic predator spray

Area B. By the top of the walkway, with no predator spray

Tier 4 and Area C: By the bottom entrance, with only vegetable oil and egg mixture.  Apparently, deer so not like the mixture of Egg yolks, light spices, milk and vegetable oil.  Giving the perimeter once every 10 days to 2 weeks, this ought to deter their olfactory responses to finding other flowers and vegetables to eat.  We will see!

Tier 5: Bringing in Bear

We hope we would never come to this, and it is Synthetic Bear Pee Spray.  When we are hiking we like to have Bear spray to ward off Bears should they approach you – that is a different kind of spray altogether.  But if Bear approaches you and looks at you face to face, would you have the strength of will to dig through your hiking pouch and pull out the spray?  You bet!  But in this experiment, we are suggesting the opposite kind of Bear Spray that which wards the animals off whose predator is Bear.  Apparently Bear is the main predator of dogs, a predator of racoons, and rodents and this Spray ought to definitely make them retreat.

Olfactory Senses of Deer, Racoons, Coyotees and Bears

Deer – The two species of deer found mostly in North America are the white-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus and the mule deer Odocoileus hemionus. The most important sense in these – and in most animals – is olfaction – the sense of smell.  The preorbital gland of the deer is about an inch in length, Wikipedia says it is “not entirely clear whether the preorbital gland secretions of North American deer emit an odor that is significant in terms of chemical communication”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preorbital_gland#North_American_deer.

Most of the time, the glands remain in the closed position.  The preorbital gland is a pair of exocrine glands, trench-like slits of dark blue to black, nearly bare skin and are around the eye. Interestingly, they secrete pheromones and other chemical compunds onto twigs and branches as part of their communication system to other animals.  This is most interesting whereas some people do not consider animals to be “intelligent” in the way of having abilities to communicate with one another.

The moist nose of a deer, similar to that of a dog, allows the deer to pick up the faintest of odor particles that are then drawn into the olfactory organs. A deer can detect the odor of approaching danger several hundred yards away.  Their elongated noses are filled with an intricate system of millions of olfactory receptor sites (near 3 million as compared to only 5 million in human beings. Their keen sense of smell is very important for avoiding predators, identifying other deer, and identifying food sources. Their sense of smell is important for scent communication with other deer. Deer have seven glands that are used primarily for scent communication.

Racoon – They have a good sense of smell, this sometimes being used to locate food, for example when it is buried in snow. They are also known to use scent in intraspecific communication.   Raccoons have an excellent sense of touch, in that they smell with their paws and nose. “The forepaws are much more sensitive than the hind paws, with four times as many sensory receptors and a larger number of CNS cells responding to ventral forepaw stimulation.“

twycrosszoo.org/S/0MCarnivor/Procyonidae/Procyon/Procyon_lotor/10PlotorDetPhy.htm  Typically, they identify the food with their eyes (visually) or with their noses and hands (through olfaction), they then proceed to grasp the item with their forepaws. “After grasping the object the object is rolled between the palms”, and the little pads of the digits (the fingers). The food piece is then brought towards the mouth. Raccoons always fiddle with their food with their paws before eating it, giving it a feel and assessment before eating it.  wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/S/0MCarnivor/Procyonidae/Procyon/Procyon_lotor/11PlotorBehFeed.htm

Coyotee – Prairie Coyote Wolves are scientifically named Canas Latrans, which means “barking dogs”.  Like the deer, it is the coyote’s wet snout that keeps its olfactory response running.

Bear – One of the animals whose sense of smell is strongest of all animals is Bear.  www.buzzle.com/articles/animals-with-an-amazing-sense-of-smell.html.  Bears have thousands of small receptors opposed to their very large smeller (nose).  Better than all other animals in smell detection, Bear has 5 times the size an olfactory region in the brain as compared to human beings.

And for other Fun Learning Science Games, we invite you to visit here:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/ocean.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/space.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html

 http://www.literature-enrichment.com/

The following is a very cool animation video clip demonstrating the geometrics of the Schumann Resonance of Mother Earth:  http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Schumann_resonance_animation.ogv.  By way of transverse and longitudinal waves, Tesla researched ways to transmit wireless power and energy over long distances. He transmitted extremely low frequencies through the ground, and between the Earth’s surface and the Kennelly-Heaviside layer. By this path, he received patents on wireless transmitters that developed standing waves. Through his math experiments, he discovered that the resonant frequency of the Earth was approximately 8 Hertz.

In 1952–1954 Schumann and scientist H. L. König, attempted to measure the resonant frequencies. These researchers confirmed in mid-century, that the resonant frequency of the Earth’s cavity was indeed in this range and later named the Schumann resonance.  Since then, there has been an increasing interest in SRF in many fields of study.

For tracking weather patterns across the globe, observations of Schumann resonances document record keeping of lightning activity. The Earth’s climate and Her connection with lightning activity also show global temperature and water vapor in the upper troposphere. Scientists speculate that extraterrestrial lightning (i.e. lightning on other planets) is also observed by the Schumann resonance signatures. The Schumann resonance is also used in study of the lower ionosphere for exploration on celestial stars. Within our Solar System, there are five candidates for Schumann resonance detection besides the Earth: Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and its moon Titan.  The latest usage of observing Schumann patterns have been in predicting potential earthquakes.

According to metaphysician and scientist, Gregg Braden, the Schumann Resonance Frequency of Mother Earth has been steadily rising and will continue to until the end of 2012.  www.2012.com.au/SchumannResonance.html.

The SRF’s occur at several frequencies between 6 and 50 cycles per second; specifically 7.8, 14, 20, 26, 33, 39 and 45 Hertz, with a daily variation of about +/- 0.5 Hertz. As long as the properties of Earth’s electromagnetic cavity remains relatively the same, these frequencies remain the same.  Braden says that “time” appears to speed up as we approach what he calls Zero Point Phenomenon. For example, one 24 hour day seems not 24 hours, but rather about 16 hours or less.

Schumann Resonance is also known as The Heart Beat of Mother Earth.  It has been 7.8 cycles for thousands of years, but has been rising since 1980. Presently it is about 12 / 13 cycles. It stops at 13 cycles and is speculated to come to a complete stop on December 21, 2012, the end of what is known also, of the Mayan Calendar, and the mark of the beginning of a new cycle of consciousness on Mother Earth.

For fun Affordable Learning Games  Teaching Elementary Science in and outdoors of the classroom visit here:  http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weather3.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weatherbingo4.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/weather8.htm.http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/planetsbingo.html

• Their eyes may be blue, unlike albinos, and have white fur, meaning, they are leucistic;
• Some rare genetic conditions cause the calf to be born white, though turn brown within a year or two.
• If they are albino, they will be without pigment color throughout their lives, just like albinp people.
• Sometimes farmers have crossbred cattle with bison, and the cross-genetics of white cattle is what causes the white fur to result.

The National Bison Association estimates the occurrence of White Buffalo being born is one out of every 10 million births.

This white calf was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on The Heider Farm, and was  named Miracle, the first one born since 1933.  She lived to be 10 years old and during her life, had several calves.   http://whitebuffalomiracle.homestead.com/Miracle_and_Calves.html

http://whitebuffalomiracle.homestead.com/

http://whitebuffalomiracle2.homestead.com/

The Sacred Lakota People have within their family who is known as The White Buffalo Calf Woman or Pte Ska Win.  She is a Sacred Woman from Pure Spirit origin, who equals The Female Messiah / Shekinah.  In Lakota Spirituality, it is She who brought forth their Peoples’ Seven Sacred Rites.

This link is a photo of a Most Gorgeous Sculpture depicting The White Buffalo Calf Woman with Her Calf.  Sculpted by Artists Lee Leuning & Sherri Treeby, this piece was the winning sculpting in 2009 for the Avero organization:  http://www.avera.org/img/mckennan/sculpture/12-White-Buffalo-Calf-Woman-large.jpg.

Other Buffalo Facts:

Female African Buffalo, in particular, are notable for their apparent altruism. Female buffalo express a sort of shuffling behavior –  in which during resting time, the females stand up, shuffle around, and sit back down again. They then sit in the direction they think that they should move, and after an hour of further shuffling, the females move to travel in the direction they finally decide on. This decision is communal and not based on hierarchy or dominance.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_buffalo.  If hunted by a predator, The Buffalo Herd huddle close together to build their strategy, as like other species, they are stronger when joined together.  Calves remain protected in the middle of the adult members. If a buffalo is under duress, the others move to rescue the other.  If the call is from a calf member, then not only the Mother comes, but the entire herd. In one recorded instance, known as the Battle at Kruger, a calf successfully survived an attack by both lions and a crocodile, after the herd intervened.

Similar to domesticated cattle, Buffalo sing a 2–4 second low pitch call that is repeated at 3-6 second intervals.  This signals the herd to move. When it is time to change direction, herd leaders sing a sound like a creaking gate. When signaling others of a place to drink water, they have an extended maaa’ call, and the call is made by usually one to a few individuals, and is made up to 20 times a minute before and during the movement to the oasis.

Females begin having kids after about 5 years old, and their pregnancies last about 11.5 months. Newborns hide in greenery for the first few weeks, while the Mom nurses now and again, before the Calf joins the main herd. The Maternal bond between Mother and Calf lasts longer than in other species, though if a new Calf is born, the bonding with the first calf ends, and the Mother keeps all other offspring out of the way to protect the newborn – The White Buffalo, a Most Interesting Mammal.

For Our Fun Learning Game about other Mammals, you can visit here!

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/mammals.html.

http://www.explorelabrador.nf.ca/home/gallery.php

Warming Herbs to Cook With and/or Make Steeped Tea: Ginger, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper (Red), and Black Tea  – Grated Fresh Ginger – (powder if you’ve no access to fresh) is essential in cooking or tea for Keeping your Hara (Belly) and Bones warm.  Ginger is also a balancer for all other elements.  It is why sailors make homemade fresh ginger soda if on the water as it strengthens the stomach and keeps one’s balance strong, preventing any kind of nausea or seasickness. Cinnamon – is usually used with cooking in the a.m. but can be used anytime or even made with tea.  It is another blood, bone and body warmer.  When making oatmeal or other hot cereals. Cayenne Pepper (Red) – If you can handle a bit of hot spice, Red Cayenne Pepper, just a sprinkle is great raw over your plate of dinner or while cooking.  Cayenne is one of the spices that will draw heat from your body center out to the body’s extremities such as your nose, ears, hands and feet.  Vigorous exercise will also do this, if you don’t like cayenne pepper!  B3 is Niacin, though if used, only in minute amounts, especially at first, as it can cause the heart to palpitate….though, this vitamin can also, like cayenne pepper, draw heat into areas of the body where the blood has been stagnant or muscles have been dense and there is “stuck” energy or chi. http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/lifestyles/food_property_food_tcm.html.

Black Teas – In general, even though Green teas have caffeine, they are “cooling” when it comes to body elements, and not warming.  Black teas, especially Aged Fermented Black Teas like “Purh” Tea have warming effects to the body.  And if you strain with hot water a few times before drinking, much caffeine can be removed. http://www.davidstea.com/our-teas/pu-erh-tea. Here is a list of more “warming” foods: http://www.raw-foods-diet-center.com/warming-foods.html

Slowcooking – Slowcooking stews, soups, and casseroles, with covered oven dishes or pots, (we usuallyslowcook 4-12 hrs at 220 degrees – 24 hrs for chili) – with a Tblspoon of lemon juice or vinegar in the beginning, will draw out essential minerals such as blood-warming iron, from the Bones (if not vegetarian).  Otherwise, you are eating some minerals, but not all of them or the best and most essential of them).  The best for meats and fish are organic fresh wild game as they are devoid of pesticides and growth hormones (that are in general, strength, mineral and marrow stealers).  Always add grated or chopped ginger! http://slowcookertipsandrecipes.com/category/healthy-slow-cooker-recipes/

Several Types of Warming Wool! Thank you The Blessed Lambs and Sheep – Read The Labels! – We are amazed at the numbers of people who buy “winter” clothes and wonder why they are not still not warm.  LOOK and READ the tags on your clothing – both the ones you own and wear now, and the ones you buy in the future.  If any of the tags say “acrylic” or “polyester”, or other “non-natural material, in general, put them all into storage until spring or summer, as in the winter months, they are close to useless when it comes to staying warm. Instead, only wear clothes made of 100% Wool (Cashmere and Merino Wool are the is softest against the skin).  If the wool is not soft, you can soak the wool in baking soda and water and dry wrapped in towels.  The baking soda/water solution will soften the wool so it is not itchy against the skin.  If wool is too itchy for you, or if you have allergy to them, then find vests and other pieces that are wool inside of the padding. http://www.mymerino.com.  There is another reason to better use natural materials rather than non-naturals and it is because they are very much slower to burn, if there was ever a flame around to have to deal with.  This is especially important for night/sleep clothing, but all clothing in general.

First Layer and Thermal Underwear: Layers, Layers, Layers – When dressing for winter, the FIRST LAYER is MOST  IMPORTANT as it traps a layer of air to the body, which is thermalized as you add other layers, and remains warm through the day.  If you have a loose sweater on as your first layer, the air simply will not be “trapped” and the cold air somehow still finds its way in.  Thus, undershirt and pants are a must.  The first layer should be wool, or even silk as silk draws moisture away.  But cotton is a cool fabric and it will trap cool air.  This is okay, though  in general, this is what you do not want.  There are thermal / merino or silk undershirts you find these days.  The more Layers of Clothing, the more layers of air you have trapped for staying warm – but the first one MUST be snug to the skin! Flannel-Lined  Jeans and Pants – can be found at Eddie Bauer’s Clothing, LLBean, and other outdoor outfitter stores. http://www.llbean.com/llb/search?freeText=flannel+jeans&qs=3033060_pmd_googleca  Or, you can wear thermal underwear.  The best thermal underwear is made of soft Merino Wool (made to protect from –33 degree weather) and can be found at Capitol Iron or other outdoor outfitter stores. http://www.capitaliron.net/clothing.html  Make sure the material is wool and NOT acrylic or polyester.

Mittens and Gloves – should be lined with wool and best if also water proof.  Mittens generally keep fingers and hands warmer than gloves because they keep the fingers huddled together, but if you need finger access for dexterity, then make sure the lining is wool.  Acrylic will freeze your little phalanges (fingers). Hats – the same – wool or down is best and the snugger the better as the snugness traps warm air to your head like thermal undershirts.  This is particularly important as an exposed head can lose a lot of valuable body heat.  And it is important to especially have ears covered from wind as wind there drops one’s immune system to be susceptible then to catching colds. Creepers – are great for preventing iceslips, especially for the elderly.  These are metal braids that are easily stretched over the bottom of boots.  They give boots treads if your boots do not already have treads.  Outfitter stores often have these. http://winterwalking.com/html/icegrips.html

Lambskins are a Blessing! (If you are a vegan or vegetarian, you can always say Gratitude Prayers to Mother Earth for the life of the animal for helping you stay warm as She Loves All Creatures of the Earth – even us.  Lambskins  – sleeping on them, sitting on them or keeping them under your feet will greatly assist you in retaining your heat, especially those healing from injury or the elderly.  It is important NOT to wash them.  If you do, you must use very gentle soap.  It is better to just brush them with a wire brush and rub essential oils into them.  The Lanolin in the lambskin, or any animal for that matter,  is a key element to the retaining of heat of the body, and if you wash them with harsh soaps or too often, the lanolin will be stripped and they will not be as strong for retaining heat.  You can also rub beeswax into the underside to stop water from coming in.  This can especially be helpful if you are camping or living outdoors. http://www.lanolin.com/home.html   As much as some people do not want animals to be used for clothing, in the North, it has been essential for a very long time.  http://www.ecokids.ca/pub/eco_info/topics/first_nations_inuit/clothing.cfm

Animal Fur around the collars of Hoods, especially the long kind, is the only hood lining that will 100% protect the face from winter winds that cause frostbite.  We tested it!  Don’t chance frostbite in experimenting with this!  But be sure and Give Great Gratitude and Grace to Mother Earth and Her animals for the Blessing of protection from the elements.  We have tried many “non-fur” alternatives, and none of them protected us from frostbite like that the animal fur.  Thank you God and Mother Earth and these animals for Protecting us.  Down Feathers are another big positive for staying warm, but it must be kept dry or weather proofed, as when they are wet, they no  longer keep you warm, and will be very difficult to make it dry again. So make sure if your coat or vest is down feathered, or sleeping bag if outdoors, have a water protective coating.  Flannel Sheets for bed and/or Flannel Jammies are great!  And so are hot-water bottles at the feet under the sheets especially, before you go to bed.  Go to bed already warm! Warm up by taking jumping around, doing some jumping jacks, or dancing. If you wrap a frozen salmon in a sleeping bag, will it stay frozen? Yes, because your sleeping bag will insulate cold or heat, just like a Thermos.  Thus, you must be warm BEFORE you get into your bed.  In your emergency travel kit, especially if you have a car, you should have: Warm Buddies, Weather Proof Matches, and Warm Wool Blankets – Warm Buddies – are plastic hand-size packs you can reuse, with boiling water, and put them into your boots and mitts.  Canadian Tire and Home Hardware carries them. http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index.htm/Outdoor-Living/Sporting-Goods/All-Season/Hunting/Accessories/WARMERS-HAND-10PR-PK/_/N-2pqfZ67l/Ne-67n/Ntk-All_EN/R-I6579047?Ntt=hand+warmers  They are also good to keep in your emergency car kit, in case you are stuck in winter snow somewhere. The other kind of Warm Buddy is a close friend or a pet.  When people huddle together, they stay warmer!  Body warmth, increased by the number of people, increases exponentially.  Ever go into a cold room at an event, and as the numbers of people enter, the temperature goes up and up?  It is the collective warm blooded people huddled together that drives the temperature up. Plastic on Windows and Door Weather Stripping – With a hair dryer and plastic and tape, you can dramatically reduce heat loss and drafts from your home.  Best to do BEFORE winter comes, but never too late.  Large rolls of this can be bought at the Home Depot or Hardware store.  Much less costly than the packages you can buy.  Also, weather stripping in crevices of doorways and leaky windows also greatly reduces loss of heat. Not only do these tips keep you warm, but they also save you lots of heat, electricity and money – especially over the long run. http://www.homedepot.ca/catalog/weatherstripping/172015

Have a Great Winter – Stay Warm! Then, you can have Fun!  If you want to stay in on a cold winter day, you may want to play one of our Fun Learning Science Games! http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/brain.html

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/birds.html

1. Sea Turtles live in all the world’s oceans except the ____________.

2. Adult Turtles swim in shallow lagoons, feeding mostly on various species of ______________.

3. Clownfish are native to the warm waters of the ___________ and __________ Oceans.

4. _________ have two stomachs and therefore can hunt for larger animals than their mouth could otherwise handle.

5. Angelfish are ____________ animals, because they hide amongst the crevices of the reef by night.

6. Through the 19th century, the word “kelp” was closely associated with seaweeds that were fired to obtain __________ (primarily sodium carbonate).

7. Manatees use taste and smell, in addition to sight, sound, and touch, to_________.

8. Salmon eggs usually range from _____________ in color.

9. Clownfish are one of the few fish that are safe from sea ______________.

10. The ___________ is a marine mammal, the heaviest member of the weasel family.

11. When eating, the otter first uses ___________ to dislodge prey and to open shells.

12. Seahorses have an equine profile, meaning they look sort of like ________.

13. ____________ have vibrant rainbow colors and deep, sideway-flat bodies.

14. Before spawning, salmon may grow a hump and grow canine teeth like a dog, developing a_______, a curve in the jaws.

15. Like___________ , anemones have stinging cells.

16. When a shark is resting, it does not use its nostrils, but rather, its___________, tiny holes behind each eye.

17. A _________tail is paddle-shaped.

18. ________ are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae family.

19. _________ are pink and silver fish from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and the Great Lakes.

20. Although corals can catch small fish and animals, they obtain most of their nutrients from photosynthetic unicellular_______.

21. __________ typically have five “arms” which radiate from a central disk.

22. __________ are slow-moving and live in warm, shallow, coastal waters, surviving above 15°C.

23. ____    ________ are related closely to coral and jellyfish.

24. _________ have proven problem-solving skills, social complexity and curiosity.

25. Coral have______ ; each one being like a tiny upside-down jellyfish with a shell.

26. ____  _______ “bob” around in sheltered areas such as sea grass beds, coral reefs, or mangroves.

QUIZ ANSWERS:

1. Arctic Ocean

2. Seagrass

3. Indian and Pacific

4. Sea Stars

5. Diurnal

6. soda ash

7. communicate

8. orange to red

9. Anemonae

10. sea otter

11. rocks

12. horses

13. Angelfish

14. Kype

15. Spiracles

16. jellyfish

17. manatee

18. Kelp

19. Salmon

20. algae

21. Starfish

22. Manatees

23. Sea Anenomae

24. Sharks

25. Polyps

26. Seahorses

If you really want to give yourselves an elementary science Brain-Squeeze this summer, here is an Oceans Quiz from National Geographics: http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/ocean-extremes-quiz/

And Here is one from our classroom at Science-Lessons.ca: a 52-Card Playing Deck for Ocean Learning, includes 4 several games and completely downloadable for Print and Cut-out – Crazy Starfish! Go Snorkeling! Sea Cluster! and ?Hypothesy?: http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/ocean.html

1. Which Galaxy do we live in on Earth?

Milky Way Galaxy

2. Is our Sun considered to be a Star or a Planet?

A Star

3. When did a human being first set foot on the Moon?

1969

4. What planet is known for being Red even though its faux tv fiction inhabitants are considered to be Green?

Mars

5. What planet has the hottest temperatures of 500 degrees Celsius?  Is it red Mars?

Venus

6. What is the name of Nasa’s most popular telescope?

The Hubble

7. How old is our Solar System?

4.6 billion years old

8. How long does it take for Light from the Sun to reach our Earth?

8 minutes

9. A Solar Eclipse occurs when the “what” is between the Sun and the Earth?

The Moon

10. Comets are made of dust particles, rock particles and what?

Ice

11. The hazey glow and tail around Haley’s Comet are known as a what?

A Coma

12. The surface of Venus rages with active what?

Volcanoes

13. Scientists estimate that the extinction of dinosaurs on planet Earth was caused by what?

An Asteroid

14. How many planets does our Solar System have?

8

15. What in our Solar System used to be, but is no longer, considered to be a planet by Nasa?

Pluto

16. Who was the first human being first set foot on the Moon?

Neil Armstrong

17.  The Earth’s ocean tides are caused largely by the Moon’s pull of what?

Gravity

18. What races around Saturn at a rate of 800 km per hour?

Wind; Storm Wind

19. If you were on Jupiter, you would weight 2 and half times the weight than when you are on Earth because of the what?

Magnetic Field

20. What planet has the worst stormy weather of all the planets?

Neptune

Then try one of our Fun Games for Learning more about the Solar System:

http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/space.html

The 2010 Census of Marine Life, designed to catalog what lives in the ocean, where and to what extent, found strange new beasts such as a hairy white blind 6 inch long crustacean called the Yeti Crab, and discovering several species (once thought to be extinct). More scientifically known as Kiwa hirsute, its fuzzy, winter-white coat might look at home in the Himalaya, the yeti crab was found flittering around hydrothermal vents ~2.4 km under the South Pacific off Easter Island in March 2005.

It was found by a group organized by Robert Vrijenhoek of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute in Monterey, California; and Michel Segonzac of the Ifremer,;and a Census of Marine Life scientist. The animal has strongly reduced eyes that lack pigment, and therefore is thought to be blind. Although it is generally thought to be a carnivore, its food is likely bacteria.

Often referred to as the “furry lobster” outside the scientific literature, Kiwa hirsuta is actually a squat lobster, more closely related to crabs and hermit crabs than true lobsters. Kiwa is named after “the goddess of the shellfish in the Polynesian mythology,” and in Maori mythology, is a male guardian of the sea. Hirsuta means “hairy” in Latin. (Alsdon Best; The Maori – Volume 1. pp. 89–105; Cosmogeny and Athropogeny.)

For a wonderful list of the photos of the new species found during the 10 year Marine Census, visit National Geographic:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/10/photogalleries/101004-census-of-marine-life-mr-blobby-new-species-photos-science-pictures/

From Summary of the First Census of Marine Life 2010 (Complete) www.coml.org
In the late 1990s, leading marine scientists shared their concerns that humanity’s understanding of what lives in the oceans lagged far behind our desire and need to know. Some emphasized the question, “What kinds of life inhabit the oceans?” They pointed to opportunities to discover new kinds of life and to catalog and estimate the total diversity of life in the vast global ocean. Others asked, “What lives where?” They highlighted establishing addresses of marine life and drawing reliable maps of neighborhoods and travels. Still others asked, “How much of each lives?” and pointed to the human appetite for seafood. Everyone worried about changes in marine life and the need to improve management with sound knowledge.

In the year 2000, the scientists founding the Census of Marine Life converged on a strategy, a worldwide Census to assess and explain the diversity, distribution, and abundance of marine life. The founders organized the Census around three grand questions: What did live in the oceans? What does live in the oceans? What will live in the oceans? They designed a program to explore the limits to knowledge of marine life. They agreed to report in the year 2010. Delving in archives, setting out on more than 540 expeditions in all ocean realms, and partnering with other organizations and programs, the 2,700 scientists from more than 80 nations who have become the Census community have assembled, augmented, and organized what is known about life in the oceans. They have drawn baselines for measuring changes of marine life after natural changes and human actions. Equally important, the Census has systematically delineated for the first time the unknown ocean.

Many books, papers, Web sites, videos, films, maps, and databases now form and report the Census. The following summarizes its findings, describe its legacies, and tell how it worked.

The Census encountered an unanticipated riot of species, which are the currency of diversity. It upped the estimate of known marine species from about 230,000 to nearly 250,000. Among the millions of specimens collected in both familiar and seldom-explored waters, the Census found more than 6,000 potentially new species and completed formal descriptions of more than 1,200 of them. It found that rare species are common. With its collective digital archive grown to almost 30 million observations, the Census compiled the first regional and global comparisons of marine species diversity. It helped to create the first comprehensive list of the known marine species, already passing 190,000 in September 2010, and also helped to compose Web pages for more than 80,000 of them in the Encyclopedia of Life. Applying genetic analysis on an unprecedented scale to a dataset of 35,000 species from widely differing major groupings of marine life, the Census graphed the proximity and distance of relations among distinct species, painting a new picture of the genetic structure of marine diversity. With the genetic analysis often called barcoding, the Census sometimes shrank seeming diversity by revealing that organisms had been mistakenly called separate, but generally its analyses expanded the number of species—and especially the number of kinds of different microbes, including bacteria and archaea.

After all its work, the Census still could not reliably estimate the total number of species, the kinds of life, known and unknown, in the ocean. It could logically extrapolate to at least a million kinds of marine life that earn the rank of species and to tens or even hundreds of millions of kinds of microbes. Distribution
The Census found living creatures everywhere it looked, even where heat would melt lead, seawater froze to ice, and light and oxygen were lacking. It expanded known habitats and ranges in which life is known to exist. It found that in marine habitats, extreme is normal.

With sound, satellites, and electronics, some- times carried by marine life itself, the Census tracking of thousands of animals mapped migratory routes of scores of species and charted their meeting places and blue highways across the interconnected ocean. The tracking measured animals? surroundings as they swam and dove and revealed where they succeed and where they die. The Census found temperature zones favored by animals and saw the immigration into new conditions such as melting ice. Now anyone can see the distribution of a species by entering its name at iobis.org, a Web site that accesses the names and “addresses” of species compiled in the Census’s global marine life database.

For a short video on the ocean project, visit the Great News Network:http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/first_ocean_life_census_finds_6000_new_species1/

And for one of our very fun Science Ocean Card Decks, including 4 Interactive Learning Card games:
http://www.science-lessons.ca/games/ocean.html