Sarah's Science Scrapbook: 2008

Welcome to Sarah's Science Scrapbook!

This past Saturday, we had a great time at the Bug of the Month club where we learned all about the Milkweed Bug.

The milkweed bug is a True Bug or Hemiptera (an order of insects composed of around 80,000 species). We learned the defining characteristics of the Hemiptera order (their distinct mouthpart and wings). We were fortunate to find that many of our milkweed beetles were in the process of creating the next generation of Milkweed bugs.

"Do you know what it's called when they are mating in a hiding spot? It's called eloping."

__Sophie D-F

We also learned about their life cycle. Milkweed bugs undergo gradual metamorphosis or incomplete metamorphosis, a characteristic of the Hemiptera order. Their young, called nymphs (pictured below) closely resemble the adult, except for the absence of wings, which they develop in the final transformation.

We also had fun setting up their habitats and learning about their diet. They are seed eaters. In the wild, they eat milkweed seeds, but in captivity, they will eat cracked, unsalted sunflower seeds. We got to take home sunflower seeds and milkweed seeds so we can plant out own (also a great Monarch Butterfly attractant).

We also watched a great video about True Bugs with John Acorn, a Canadian Entomologist; and we shared our stories of our own insect sightings. We heard of all kinds of experiences with unusual bugs.

"I befriended a moth."

__Sophie D-F

"There's never ever going to be enough books about bugs."

__Emily S

Thanks for stopping by! Check back soon for updates from our year round programs.

Can't get enough of Sarah's Science? Check out our other year-round programs such as the Bug of the Month Club, Science Night, and Winter Camp.

For more information about This Land is Your Land summer day camp or other programs offered by Sarah's Science, or to enroll in sessions at San Ramon, Oakland, or Berkeley, please visit our web site or call our office at (510) 581-3739 or send us an email.

Welcome back to Sarah's Science Summer Scrapbook!

We just finished our last week of camp in Oakland and Berkeley where we studied the science behind an assortment of Sarah's favorite projects.

We started off the week with an Electric Pinball Game where we learned about electricity and motors. We then built a Spinning Bird that used air vibrations to generate noise.

For our next project, we grabbed our bowling shoes, and built our own Mini-Bowling Alleys. This project was an example of an inclined plane (a simple machine capable of doing work), and Newton's Laws of Motion.

We also had some visitors at camp, some of whom thought that the bowling alley would make a good home.

The week continued with our Rolling Lady Bug project. While the lady bugs did make colorful hats, they also demonstrated the transfer of kinetic energy to potential energy and back again.

Our Mechanical Waving Hand was an example of a camshaft capable of transferring circular motion to linear motion, and back again.

We blasted off the end of our projects with our Sky High Rocket Launcher, a baking soda and vinegar chemical reaction powered rocket. The older groups also got to work on the Advanced Project, an air powered rocket which shot off to impressive altitudes.

In addition to the fun science projects, we also went swimming one day, and built gnome homes and forts in the woods.

For campers 11+, we have a great Counselor in Training Program available. Please see here for more information.

On Friday, we had a blast with Freaky Friday Fun Time where we cooled off with our super soakers, did face painting and crazy hair, and sang a little bit of karaoke at our dance party.