Daily Discovery: Water Week – Clean It Up!/ Descubrimiento en casa: Semana del agua- ¡Fíltrala!

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Experiments, Life Science, Poudre River Fest Daily Discovery

Post written by Heidi Fuhrman, Discovery Camp Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: Water Week – Clean It Up!

Water is important to life on Earth but how can we make it safe to use and can we re-use it? Learn about the importance of water and take on a challenge to create your own filtration system and clean up some polluted water!

Supplies:

  • Water
  • Plastic bottle, milk jug, or other clear container
  • Assortment of “filtration” materials:
    • Napkins
    • Paper towels
    • Coffee filters
    • Cotton balls
    • Clay
    • Sand
    • Gravel/small pebbles
  • Assortment of “pollution” materials:
    • Dirt
    • Small objects like paperclips
    • Food scraps like peels
    • Pieces of leaves/grass
    • Food coloring
    • Oil
    • Salt/other spices
  • Tape or rubber bands
  • Scissors

Importance of Water

How have you used water today? Stop and think about it! Make a list!

You probably thought of things like drinking or cooking or taking a shower, but did you think about things like brushing your teeth? Going swimming? Watering your yard? Giving your pets a drink? Flushing the toilet? Water is very important to our life on earth, we need it to survive! In fact, you can survive several weeks without food but only a few days without water! And we use a LOT of water each day. The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water each day. . .that’s 2-3 bathtubs full for just one person! How many people live in your house? How many bathtubs full of water are you using each day?

We use a lot of water each day, but there isn’t a lot of usable water in the world. Even though our planet is covered with water (over 70% of Earth is water!) only about 3% of the water on Earth is not salt water. . . and only about 1% of that 3% freshwater is usable (not locked up in glaciers, ice, the soil, or too polluted)! We have just a tiny amount of water to share with this whole globe, and as population and pollution increase that amount gets smaller and smaller! In dry or arid places (like here in Colorado and other parts of the American West) water is even more valuable!

Since water is so valuable it’s important to use every last drop! But water that flows in our rivers and streams isn’t usable for drinking, cooking, and cleaning right away. . .it contains pollutants and microorganisms that are harmful to humans. Is there a way to clean this water so it is safe to drink and use? We also waste a lot of
water down our sinks, drains, and toilets. . . is there a way to clean and re-use this water too?

There sure is a way to clean and re-use our water! Filtration is one of the best ways to start cleaning up our water so it’s safe to use. Filtration is the process of removing particles and pollutants from a liquid, and it’s how we start cleaning up our water (we also use safe chemicals and other to kill microorganisms an make the water potable which means “safe to drink”). While anyone can build a simple filtration system, Civil Engineers1 help design and build water treatment plants for our cities to help filter our water and make it safe for us to use. Today in our engineering challenge see if you can come up with a filtration system that can filter your polluted water! (Check out the worksheet at the end to help guide you!)

Note: The filtration methods used in this activity are a simple demonstration and the water should not be considered safe for drinking.

Engineering Challenge: Design A Water Filtration System!

Start by thinking about some sources of water pollution. If you turned on your faucet and no water came out, where would you find water near your house to use? What do those places look like? What could be polluting that water? Would you be okay drinking it?

Instructions:

  1. Thinking about the things that can pollute our water, mix up some polluted water of your own! Fill a jar or cup with some water and add pollutants! You could use bits of grass and leaves, dirt, oil, spices, small objects like paperclips, and food coloring. Ew! Gross!
  2. Gather your filtration supplies. You can use a variety of items, but we suggest a combination of napkins, coffee filters, paper towels, cotton balls, clay, sand, and gravel.
  3. Create your filtration system base. Cut the top off a plastic bottle, jug, or carton several inches below the top. A 2 liter soda bottle works best, but you can use a water bottle, juice jug, or even the top of a milk jug or carton. Place the top of your bottle inside the bottom or suspend over a pitcher or jar. Secure the two together with tape.
  4. Now we’re ready to start thinking like an Engineer and designing our filtration system! We’re going to use the Engineering Design Process to help us reach a solution today! (see steps on left). First, let’s think about what is the problem that we’re trying to solve? (Our water is polluted, and we need it clean!) Look at that polluted water you made:
    • What types of pollutants do we need to filter out?
    • Which of the filtration materials we have could help filter them out?
    • What are some possible solutions to our problem? How could you design your filtration system?
    Next, draw your idea for your design.
  5. Build your filtration system! Using the materials create layers in the top half of your filtration system base. At the end you’ll be pouring your polluted water into the top and watching it go through your filters to drip into the bottom. You want the water in the end to be as clean as possible! Think about:
    • Which materials can filter which size pollutants?
    • How can you order the layers to work the best?
    • Predict which layer will filter which pollutants.
  6. Once you’re done designing it’s time to test your filtration systems! Give your polluted water a mix and then pour it in the top! Watch the water move through your filtration
    system. Observe what the water looks like at the end.
    • Does the water look cleaner?
    • Are there any pollutants you weren’t able to filter out?
    • Are there pollutants you can’t see but are probably still there (e.g. oil)?
    • How could you remove the pollutants that you can’t see or couldn’t filter?
    • How would you feel about drinking this water? Do you think you’d get sick? What about microscopic pollutants and organisms?
    NOTE: The filtration methods used in this activity are simple demonstration and the water should not be considered safe for drinking.
  7. Take apart your filter and look at each of the different layers. Can you tell what each material filtered out? Did any of the materials surprise you by doing a better (or worse) job than you expected?

Level Up:

  1. Real engineers learn from their tests and try again to create an even better system! Empty the bottle, throw out your old filter materials, wipe out the bottle and try again! See if you can make the water even cleaner!
  2. Challenge someone! Make a big batch of polluted water and see who can filter it best!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

 

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: Semana del agua – ¡Fíltrala!

El agua es básica para sostener la vida, pero ¿cómo podemos hacerla más segura para nuestro uso? ¿Es posible reutilizarla? Aprende más sobre su importancia y además ¡crea tu propio prototipo de un sistema de filtración para purificar agua contaminada!

Artículos necesarios:

  • Un vaso con agua
  • Botella, galón de leche o cualquier otro recipiente transparente de plástico
  • Cinta adhesiva o bandas elásticas (ligas)
  • Tijeras
  • Variedad de materiales para filtrar el agua:
    • Servilletas
    • Toallas de papel
    • Filtros para café
    • Bolitas de algodón
    • Arcilla/barro
    • Arena
    • Grava o piedritas
  • Variedad de materiales para “contaminar el agua”:
    •  Tierra
    • Objetos pequeños como clips para papeles
    •  Desechos de comida como cáscaras
    • Hojas o hierba
    • Colorante vegetal
    • Aceite
    • Sal/otras especias

La importancia del agua

¿En qué formas has usado el agua durante el día de hoy? Haz una lista.

Probablemente escribiste algunas maneras típicas de usarla, como para bañarte o para tomarla. Pero también usamos el agua en maneras menos obvias, como por ejemplo, para lavarte los dientes, al nadar, al regar las plantas, al darles agua a tus mascotas, ¡y hasta descargando el inodoro! Este elemento es muy importante para nuestro planeta, y definitivamente la necesitamos para poder sobrevivir. Es cierto que los humanos podríamos subsistir muchas semanas sin comida, ¡pero solamente unos días sin agua! ¿Y cuánta usamos generalmente? La persona promedio en Estados Unidos usa aproximadamente 80-100 galones de agua ¡en un solo día! Lo que equivale a 2-3 bañeras o tinas llenas de agua por persona. ¿Cuántas personas viven en tu casa? ¿Cuántas bañeras de agua están usando cada día? ¡Vamos a averiguar!

Usamos bastante agua todos los días, pero ¿puedes creer que en el mundo hay muchas fuentes de agua que no se pueden utilizar? Aunque nuestro planeta está cubierto con agua (más del 70% de la Tierra está compuesto de ella) solamente 3% es agua dulce. . . y solo 1% es utilizable (o sea, no es salada, no está en glaciares, congelada, en la tierra, o contaminada), así que tenemos un suministro finito de agua para compartir con el globo entero. Mientras la población y la polución ascienden, la cantidad de agua disminuye. En lugares secos o áridos (como aquí en Colorado) ¡el agua es todavía más valiosa!

Como el agua es un recurso tan precioso, es importante aprovecharla bien. Cuando este elemento fluye en ríos y arroyos no se puede usar inmediatamente para tomar, cocinar o limpiar, porque contiene contaminantes y microbios que son dañinos para los humanos. ¿Conoces alguna manera de purificarla y hacerla segura para su consumo? Además, también gastamos mucha agua potable a través del fregadero, en los drenajes y en el inodoro. . . ¿Habrá alguna manera para purificar y reutilizar esta agua?

¡Afortunadamente, la respuesta es sí! La filtración es una de las mejores maneras para limpiar nuestra agua y hacerla segura para su uso, ya que es el proceso utilizado para remover partículas y contaminantes de un líquido, siendo este el paso básico para empezar a purificar el agua (también se usan químicos seguros para eliminar microorganismos, lo que hace que el agua sea potable, o segura para consumir.)

Mientras que cualquier persona puede construir un sistema de filtración básica, los ingenieros civiles diseñan y construyen plantas purificadoras de agua para nuestras ciudades.

El reto de esta actividad incluye el que te conviertas en un ingeniero al diseñar tu propio prototipo de sistema de filtración para purificar el agua de tu casa. (Puedes utilizar la guía de abajo para facilitar esta actividad).

Aviso: Los métodos de filtración usados en esta actividad son únicamente para propósitos de demonstración y el agua resultante no debería ser considerada segura para consumir.

Reto de ingeniería: Diseña un filtro purificador de agua

Inicia pensando en las diferentes maneras en que se contamina el agua. Si no hubiera agua en tu casa, ¿a dónde irías para encontrarla? ¿Cómo sería ese lugar? ¿Aceptarías tomarla?

Instrucciones:

  1. Vamos a hacer nuestra propia “agua contaminada.” A tu vaso con agua, agrégale unos “contaminantes.” Puedes usar hierba, hojas, tierra, aceite, especias, objetos pequeños, colorante para alimentos, etc. ¡Ahora sí quedó muy sucia!
  2. Reúne los artículos que vas a usar para filtrar tu agua contaminada. Puedes utilizar una variedad de cosas, pero sugerimos una combinación de servilletas, filtros para café, toallas de papel, bolitas de algodón, arcilla, arena, o piedritas.
  3. Crea la base para tu sistema de filtración. Usando las tijeras, corta 10-15 centímetros de la parte superior de algún recipiente transparente. Una botella de 2 litros sirve mejor, pero también podrías usar cualquier otra o hasta un galón de leche. Pon la parte cortada de tu botella bocabajo dentro de la otra parte, y pégalas con cinta adhesiva o únelas con una liga.
  4. ¡Estamos listos para pensar como un ingeniero y diseñar nuestro propio sistema de filtración! Vamos a usar el proceso del diseño de ingeniería (el gráfico a tu izquierda) para
    llegar a una solución. ¿Cuál es el problema que estamos tratando de resolver? El que nuestra agua está contaminada y necesitamos purificarla. Pensando en el agua contaminada que creaste, pregúntate lo siguiente:
    • ¿Cuáles contaminantes tenemos que filtrar?
    • ¿Cuáles de los materiales de filtración que tienes disponibles crees que puedan ser más eficientes para purificar el agua?
    • ¿Cuáles son algunas soluciones posibles, y cómo podrías diseñar tu sistema para mejor resolver el problema?
    Después, dibuja tu diseño.
  5. Construye tu propio prototipo de sistema de filtración. Pon los materiales (descritos en el paso #2) en forma de capas dentro de la base. Luego vierte el agua por encima de ellas y observa cómo se van filtrando los contaminantes. ¡El agua filtrada debe de aparecer lo más clara posible!
    • ¿Qué materiales pueden filtrar eficientemente contaminantes según su tamaño?
    • ¿En qué orden podrías reorganizar los materiales para que filtren mejor?
    • Predice las capas que podrían filtrar a ciertos contaminantes.
  6. Después de fabricar tu filtro purificador, ¡es hora de ponerlo a prueba! Mezcla tu agua contaminada otra vez para incorporar todos los ingredientes y viértela por encima de tu sistema. Observa al agua pasando a través de las capas y también al agua que sale al fondo.
    • ¿El agua filtrada parece más limpia?
    • ¿Hay algún contaminante que no se pudo filtrar?
    • ¿Crees que todavía hay contaminantes en el agua filtrada que no se pueden ver a simple vista, como por ejemplo, el aceite?
    • ¿Cómo podrías eliminar los contaminantes que todavía existen o no se ven en el agua filtrada?
    • ¿Cómo te sentirías si tuvieras que tomar esta agua? ¿Crees que te enfermarías?
    ¿Crees que quedan contaminantes y microbios microscópicos?
    Aviso: Recuerda que los métodos de filtración usados en esta actividad son únicamente para propósitos de demonstración y el agua resultante no debería ser considerada segura para consumir.
  7. Empieza a desarmar tu filtro y observa cada una de las capas. ¿Puedes decir cuál de ellas filtró cada material? ¿Cuál funcionó mejor (o peor) de lo que esperabas?

Al siguiente nivel:

  1. ¿Sabías que los ingenieros verdaderamente utilizan este tipo de pruebas mientras continúan investigando para mejorar los sistemas que están diseñando? Ahora, vacía tus recipientes, límpialos bien, ¡y prueba otra vez! ¿Puedes lograr que el agua sea aún más limpia?
  2. ¡Convierte este experimento en un juego divertido y educativo para todos! Reta a tus familiares para averiguar quién puede crear el prototipo de filtración más eficiente. Y ahora que ya sabes más sobre el agua, ¡a seguirla cuidado!

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

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Daily Discovery: Storytime in the Home – What’s This Tail Saying? Peacock Craft

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Ages 3-5, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Life Science

Post written by Lea Mikkelsen, Early Childhood Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: Storytime in the Home – What’s This Tail Saying? Peacock Craft

Follow along with FCMoD’s live stream Storytime in the Home: What’s this Tail Saying? Then create your very own beautiful peacock with a stunning tail of feathers.

Supplies:

  • 2 sheets of green construction paper
  • 1 sheet of blue construction paper
  • 1 small triangle of orange construction paper
  • Glue (glue stick and craft glue will be helpful)
  • Tape
  • Googly eyes or some black craft paper to cut out eyes
  • A small cardboard tube
  • Crayons
  • Optional: pencil, 1 blue pipe cleaner.

Instructions:

  1. Place all your supplies on a clear surface with plenty of room to create.
  2. Glue together the short ends of the two sheets of green construction paper making a longer piece of green paper and then decorate with crayons! Peacocks generally have green, blue, orange, teal, and yellow in their feathers. But you can be creative!
  3. Fold the entire long green paper accordion style (along the short end). Then tape the bottom together creating a point. It should look like a fan when you are done.
  4. Measure the size of the paper towel tube on the blue paper making sure the paper will wrap all the way around it. Use a pencil to trace it if that helps you. Then add a little bump around the middle top of the tube to make your peacocks head and cut the whole thing out.
  5. Wrap the tube in the blue paper and glue it down.
  6. Glue the small orange triangle beak and eyes onto your peacock’s head.
  7. Cut the optional pipe cleaner head feathers, curl them to create a feather shape, and then tape them to the inside of the cardboard tube.
  8. Glue the tube with the head facing out to the center of your accordion folded feathers.

BONUS: Here are some activities including a mix & match that relate to What’s This Tail Saying? Here are some coloring pages!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Buell Foundation. Their support helps make access to early childhood education at FCMoD possible for everyone in our community.

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Daily Discovery: Meet the Arthropods!/ Descubrimiento en casa: Conoce al animal- ¡los artrópodos!

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Life Science

Post written by Hannah Curtis, Education Assistant.

Daily Discovery: Meet the Arthropods!

Tarantulas, cockroaches, and millipedes, oh my! These “creepy” crawly animals are often characterized as gross, scary, or straight up “eww,” but they all have unique traits and play an important role in their wild ecosystems. Meet FCMoD’s arthropods and become an entomologist in your own backyard!

What are arthropods?

Arthropods are characterized as invertebrate animals, mean they don’t have a spine but they do have an exoskeleton. Their body is segmented by a head, thorax and abdomen. Insects, arachnids (spider species), myriapods (millipedes and centipedes) and crustaceans (crabs, lobsters, shrimp) are all part of the arthropod (Arthropoda) phylum.

At FCMoD we care for a variety of arthropods such as the Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, Whip Scorpion, Assassin Bugs, and many more! Check out some of their individual life histories!

Observations in the Backyard!

Whether it is in your backyard, neighborhood or at a Natural Area, animals can be observed just about anywhere! Entomologists are scientists who study all types of insects. They study and observe these animals in the wild to learn about their behaviors and identify their role within the ecosystem. You can be a backyard entomologist to observe similar animals as the museum’s arthropods and record what you discover!

Many arthropods are decomposers, which means they break down organic material, flesh of dead animals, poop, rotting leaves and other foliage. This process provides nutrients to the soil which is essential for plants to grow. Without this process, the organic material and waste would pile up and take longer to decompose.

Supplies:

  • Writing utensil
  • Paper
  • Computer and internet access (optional)

Instructions:

  1.  If you created an observational chart, write down your animal observations in the “explore your world” section. If not, create your own observational chart, using the provided guiding questions.
  2. Head out to your backyard or take a walk to explore some of the smallest animals that live near you. Check under rocks, in the grass and even in the trees.
  3. Check out this BBC Earth video:  and see how the Garden Orb Weave spider weaves their web.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

 

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: Conoce al animal – ¡los artrópodos!

Tarántulas, cucarachas, y milpiés, ¡ay, ay, ay! Estos animales tienen la reputación de dar miedo y de ser “repugnantes,” pero en realidad sus características únicas sirven un rol importante en el ecosistema. Conoce a los artrópodos del Museo del Descubrimiento de Fort Collins (FCMoD) y ¡sé un entomólogo en tu propio patio!

¿Qué son los artrópodos?

Los artrópodos son animales invertebrados, lo que significa que no tiene columna vertebral pero sí tienen un exoesqueleto. Su cuerpo está compuesto de una anatomía segmentada: una cabeza, un tórax y un abdomen. Los insectos, los arácnidos (especie de arañas), los miriápodos (milpiés, ciempiés), y los crustáceos (cangrejos,
langostas, camarones) son parte del filo artrópodo (Arthropoda).

En el museo, cuidamos a una variedad de artrópodos incluyendo a cucarachas gigantes de Madagascar, a escorpiones látigo o vinagrillos, a chinches asesinas ¡y muchos más! Conoce la historia de algunos de ellos.

Observaciones a tu alrededor

Estos tipos de animales se pueden observar en un patio, en un jardín, en un área natural o ¡en cualquier sitio! Los entomólogos son científicos que estudian una variedad de insectos, observándolos en su medio ambiente para aprender sobre sus comportamientos e identificar su rol en el ecosistema. Observa animales similares a los artrópodos del museo ¡y documenta lo que descubres!

Muchos artrópodos son descomponedores, lo que significa que ayudan a desintegrar materiales orgánicos como la carne de animales muertos, excrementos, hojas podridas y otro follaje. Este proceso provee nutrientes necesarios para la tierra y es vital para el crecimiento de las plantas. Sin estos animales, materiales y residuos orgánicos se acumularían en grandes cantidades y tomarían más tiempo para descomponerse.

Artículos necesarios:

  • Algo para escribir (lápiz, pluma, marcador, etc.)
  • Papel y/o cuaderno
  • Computadora y acceso al Internet (opcional)

Instrucciones:

  1. Crea una tabla de observaciones usando la guía de preguntas que puedes encontrar más abajo. Anótalas en un cuaderno, un diario o en hojas de papel.
  2. Da un paseo con tu familia por los alrededores o ve a tu patio para observar algunos de los artrópodos que viven cerca de ti. Encuéntrenlos bajo las piedras, en la hierba, o inclusive viviendo entre las ramas de los árboles.
  3. Si quieres aprender más sobre algunos artrópodos, haz clic en este enlace:  ¡Ahí puedes ver cómo la araña de seda dorada construye su telaraña!

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

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Daily Discovery: “If You Love Honey” Bee Headband Craft

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Ages 3-5, Animal Encounters, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Life Science

Post written by Lea Mikkelsen, Early Childhood Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: Storytime in the Home – If You Love Honey  Bee Headband Craft

Follow along with FCMoD’s live stream Storytime in the Home: If You Love Honey: Nature’s Connections. Then gather all your supplies to create this adorable honeybee headband. Buzz Buzz!

Supplies:

  • Yellow and Black craft paper
  • Pipe cleaners
  • Glue
  • Tape
  • Scissors
  • Yarn
  • Hole punch

Instructions:

  1. Place all your supplies on a clear surface with plenty of room to create.
  2. Cut a long strip of yellow craft paper.
  3. Cut a second strip of black craft paper and cut that into small bee stripes.
  4. Glue the black bee stripes to the yellow strip of craft paper leaving some yellow bits in between.
  5. Punch a hole in the ends of the strip and thread the yarn through to use as a tie.
  6. Curl one end of each pipe cleaner to make a small ball.
  7. Tape the pipe cleaners to the inside of the headband where you want each antenna to go.
  8. Tie your headband on and do a honeybee dance! BUZZZZZzzzz!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

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Daily Discovery: Agriculture in Action!

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Ages 6-8, Ages 9-12, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Experiments, Life Science

Post written by Hannah Curtis, Education Assistant.

Daily Discovery: Agriculture in Action!

Agriculture and farming have a long history in Fort Collins and all over the globe. Most of the time we only see the end product, the fruits and vegetables at the grocery store. With this activity, see what happens under the dirt through experimentation with the scientific method!

Follow along through Facebook and Instagram with museum educator Hannah as she demonstrates this experiment in her own home. Happy Farming!

Supplies:

General:

  • Water
  • Indoor space with sunlight
  • Sharpie or marker
  • Paper and pencil to record daily observations
  • Potting soil and planter (optional)

Growing Produce from seeds:

  • Seeds (dried beans, flower seeds, other fruit or vegetable seeds)
  • Baking tray or cutting board
  • Paper towels
  • Spray bottle (optional)
  • Ziploc bags

Re-Growing Produce from Kitchen Scraps:

  • Kitchen scraps (celery base, lettuce heart, green onion base, yellow onion top)
  • Small bowls or containers
  • Sharp kitchen knife and adult supervision

Instructions:

For ages 3-5:

  1. Review what plants and flowers need to grow and walk through the stages of plant growth.
  2. The Ziploc bag method can be easily monitored and observed, but we recommend setting up a method together that works best for your household. See procedures below.
  3. Ask your young scientist what they think will happen to the produce or seeds? Talk about different plants they have seen and discuss how they grow or where their favorite fruits and vegetables come from.
  4. Observe and talk about what is happening to your produce or seeds every day.

For ages 6 and up:

  1. Review what plants and flowers need to grow and walk through the stages of plant growth.
  2. Work through the scientific process before proceeding with the experiment. Decide on an experiment you want to test.
  3. Write down your answers for the scientific process and create your method for observation.
  4. Depending on your growing method, follow the procedures below.
  5. Record your observations every day in an observational chart, farming journal or a photo archive. As your produce grows you can look back on previous days, predict what will happen next and share with family and friends!
  6.  Follow along with Hannah as she tests her experiment in her home.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Fort Fund.

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Daily Discovery: What’s Up With Yeast?

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Ages 6-8, Ages 9-12, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Experiments, Life Science

Post written by Heidi Furhman, Discovery Camp Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: What’s Up With Yeast?

What is yeast? How does it work? Why is it important for making the breads and treats we all love? Learn about yeast through our video “What’s Up With Yeast” and conduct this experiment to observe yeast at work for yourself!

Supplies:

  • Clear Bottle (water bottles work well)
  • Warm water
  • Package of Yeast
  • Sugar
  • Balloon

What is Yeast?

Check out our video “What’s Up With Yeast?” to discover the connection between bread and balloons, and explore what yeast is, how it works in bread dough, and what kinds of yeast people have been using for hundreds of years.

As you watch, conduct this experiment along with our educator Heidi!

Instructions:

  1. Gather your supplies! You’ll need a clear bottle, a balloon, warm water, sugar, and a package of yeast.
  2. Stretch out your balloon. Try blowing it up a couple of times to loosen it up.
  3. Add one to two inches of warm water to a clear bottle. Make sure the water is warm to the touch but not hot! If your water is too hot you’ll kill the yeast. A good test is to hold your wrist under the running water. If you can’t stand it the water is too hot! Which purposes does the warm water serve to help the yeast thrive? (Moisture and warmth).
  4. Add the package of yeast to the bottle. It will work if you use less than the whole package just adjust the sugar in ratio. (Note: A smaller amount of yeast will take longer to blow up the balloon). Mix up the water and yeast.
  5. Add about 1 Tablespoon of sugar to the yeast and water mixture and stir it around (or about equal parts yeast and sugar). What purpose does the sugar serve to help the yeast thrive? (Food).
  6.  Stretch the balloon over the top of the opening and set in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes.
  7. Observe what happened? What do you notice about the yeast mixture? Does it look different than when you put it in? What about the balloon has it expanded? What does that tell you about the yeast? What is causing the balloon to expand (carbon dioxide released by the yeast is filling the balloon!)
  8. You can leave your experiment alone for several hours or days and keep observing! Does your balloon keep expanding? What about the yeast? What happens to it? At some point the yeast will consume all the food and stop releasing carbon dioxide. Your balloon will likely deflate.
  9. You can try the experiment again! Try adding more yeast and sugar or less yeast and sugar. How does that impact the time it takes for the balloon to inflate? Try using hot water or cold water. What happens then? Is your yeast able to grow? If yes, does it grow faster or slower? If no, why do you think your yeast was unable to grow? (Packaged yeast needs warm water to reactivate since it’s suspended in a forced hibernation state. Too cold, and your yeast will not be reactivated, too hot and you’ll kill it!

Sourdough Starters

You can try making your own sourdough starter at home to observe living yeast! Remember it can take some practice and a whole lot of patience to get it right, but just about anyone can do it! If it doesn’t work the first time try again!

You’ll need flour, water, and a glass jar to get started.

Try this to get you started or google “Sourdough Starter” for many amazing resources and recipes to get you started.

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

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Daily Discovery: Recycled Bird Feeder / Descubrimiento en casa: Reciclando – Comedero para pájaros

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Any Age, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Descubrimiento en casa, Discovery at Home, Español, Life Science

Post written by Lea Mikkelsen, Early Childhood Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: Recycled Bird Feeder

Are you enjoying watching the birds from your window at home? Take a look in your recycling and imagine what you can re-use to make a bird feeder. An oatmeal container? A plastic bottle? How about a milk carton? Let’s practice upcycling and turn that container into a beautiful bird feeder to hang in your yard!

Supplies:

  • A medium to large container from your recycling
  • Materials to decorate with. Try colored paper, stickers, bright colored or patterned tape, paint, tissue paper, leaves and  ticks, or other recycled materials.
  • A stick, dowel, or other similar item for the birds to perch on.
  • Scissors
  • String or a pipe cleaner
  • You might need tape or glue
  • Birdseed

Instructions:

  1. Place all your supplies on a clear surface with plenty of room to create.
  2. Brainstorm some ideas for what your birdfeeder could look like. Tip: try drawing your idea out on a piece of paper first.
  3. Ask an adult to help you cut a few doors into your container, a hole for the stick for the bird to sit on, and a place for the string to loop through to hang the feeder.
  4. Decorate your birdfeeder using your amazing creativity!
  5. Fill the birdfeeder with seed and hang it outside to watch from your window!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Image credit: saronti.com

Traducido por Károl de Rueda y Laura Vilaret-Tuma.

Descubrimiento en casa: Reciclando – Comedero para pájaros

¿Te gusta observar a los pajaritos cantar y volar desde la ventana de tu casa? En el contenedor de basura reciclable, podría haber objetos necesarios para construir un comedero especial para ellos. ¡Imagina todas las posibilidades! ¿Una botella de agua vacía? ¿O quizás un cartón de leche? Vamos a reciclar en una manera creativa y convertir lo que era basura ¡en un bello comedero para pájaros!

Artículos necesarios:

  • Un recipiente reciclable vacío, mediano o grande
  • Materiales para decorarlo. Por ejemplo, papel de colores, de construcción, cinta adhesiva colorida, pintura, hojas y ramitas secas, u otros materiales reciclados.
  • Una varita, palito u otra plataforma para que los pájaros puedan aterrizar
  • Tijeras
  • Hilo de estambre o algún tipo de cuerda para colgarlo
  • Pegamento
  • Semillas para aves

Instrucciones:

  1. . Reúne todos tus materiales.
  2. Imagina, crea y diseña tu comedero de pájaros. Consejo: dibuja y boceta tus ideas en un papel antes de empezar.
  3. Pídele a un adulto que te ayude a cortar unas aberturas en el contenedor, incluyendo un área para que los pájaros puedan entrar a comer, un orificio para el palito o cualquier otra plataforma, y un lugar para colgar el hilo de estambre.
  4. Decora tu comedero de pájaros. ¡Usa tu creatividad!
  5. Coloca algunas semillas dentro y cuélgalo en algún lugar donde lo puedas observar desde tu ventana. ¡Observa el festín!

¿Te gustaría descargar esta actividad? Haz clic aquí para obtener un archivo PDF.

Para encontrar actividades, ideas y mucho más descubrimiento en casa, ¡síguenos!

Image credit: earth911

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Daily Discovery: Storytime in the Home – The Prairie That Nature Built Black-Footed Ferret Puppet

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Ages 3-5, Animal Encounters, Crafts, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Life Science

Post written by Lea Mikkelsen, Early Childhood Coordinator.

Daily Discovery: Storytime in the Home – The Prairie That Nature Built Black-Footed Ferret Puppet

Follow along with FCMoD’s live stream Storytime in the Home: The Prairie That Nature Built. Then work together with an adult to make this Black-Footed Ferret puppet! Black-Footed Ferrets (BFFs) are an endangered species and an important part of the prairie ecosystem. You can learn more about them here!

Supplies:

  • A popsicle stick
  • Black or green beads
  • Glue
  • Craft paper (White, Black, Pink, Green)
  • Pencil
  • Scissors

Instructions:

  1. Place all your supplies on a clear surface with plenty of room to create.
  2. Ask an adult to help you find some pictures of BFFs on the internet for inspiration!
  3. Use a pencil to draw the shape of your BFFs head and ears on the white paper then cut it out. (This one is about 2 ½ inches from ear to ear and 1 ¾ inches from top of ears to chin.)
  4. Cut out a mask (an upside down U shape) and a nose (a rounded triangle shape with the point down) from the black paper and glue them down.
  5. Use the pink paper to cut out ears (half circles) and a small pointy mouth (a very small flat triangle) and glue them down.
  6. Use black or green beads for eyes. A BFF’s eyes appear green at nighttime.
  7. Glue your BFF to the popsicle stick.
  8. Cut out a round burrow for your BFF to live in! Make a small slit in the burrow to let your puppet pop in and out. Decorate your burrow with grass or other prairie features. Have fun!

BONUS: Here are some activities from Dawn Publishing that relate to The Prairie that Nature Built. Here is a coloring page! Build your own bird feeder!

Want to download these directions? Click here for a handy PDF!

Follow along with our Daily Discovery! Click here for all activities that you can do at home.

Educational opportunities like this are supported in part by Buell Foundation. Their support helps make access to early childhood education at FCMoD possible for everyone in our community.

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BFFs: Black-footed Ferrets or Best Friends Forever

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Animal Encounters, Any Age, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Exhibits, Life Science, News, Spotlight

Post written by Kim Fraser, Black Footed Ferret Program Coordinator.

BFFs: Black-footed Ferrets or Best Friends Forever

The Black-footed Ferret (BFF) (Mustela nigripes) is the only ferret native to North America and lives on the short grass prairie of the Great Plains. BFFs are members of the Mustelidae family which is often referred to as the weasel family, and includes mink, badger, marten, otter, weasel, fisher, wolverine, and domestic ferret. They are nocturnal, solitary, require large expanses of landscape, and spends their whole life on prairie dog colonies. In the prairie dog burrow systems they seek shelter from predators and weather, eat, sleep, and raise their young. Over 90% of their diet is prairie dog and they eat over 100 per year. BFFs are called fossorial predators, meaning they hunt underground. Their home range is in 12 Western states including Canada and Mexico. Considered one of the most endangered mammals in North America it has been federally protected for over 40 years.  The BFF Recovery Program is one of the most successful recovery programs with over 50 State, Federal, Tribal, NGOs and private landowner partners that all participate in recovery efforts.

Why should we protect black-footed ferrets?

In 1974 when the Endangered Species Act was enacted the Black-footed Ferret was in the top 10 species listed for protection. No one knew then how difficult or easy saving a species from extinction would be. Today, we know recovering an endangered species involves many partners, time, and effort. Since the ESA became law some species have had survival success and some have not. Many people have asked is it worth it?  Is preventing the extinction of an iconic species like the black-footed ferret worth the effort? The answer is yes, it is worth it, and here’s why. The BFF is an important member of the prairie ecosystem and their presence indicates a healthy habitat that supports many other species. Without black-footed ferret conservation efforts, prairie dogs and other associated species such as burrowing owls, swift fox, mountain plovers, ferruginous hawks, prairie rattlesnakes, and many others could easily succumb to current threats. So by conserving black-footed ferrets, we have to conserve prairie dog habitat and that saves an entire ecosystem and its inhabitants that call the short grass prairie home!

  

Why should people care and help save this species from extinction?

Maybe it’s because BFFs capture the imagination that there’s this rarely seen and secretive animal living on the short grass prairie underground. And even though it is one of the most endangered mammals, most Americans will never have the opportunity to see a live BFF.  It’s like a fairytale character of the prairie that represents the wild, and people are passionate about the wild and fascinated about the animals that live there.  When folks learn about BFFs they are amazed that something so cool lives right in their backyard- in America.  We all know about other species that are in trouble across the globe, like elephants, tigers, chimpanzees and rhinos. And it is good to care about what happens to all species on our planet because we are a global living place. Every day we hear about how these other species are doing and how we can help them and that’s important.  But here is an animal that makes its home right here, it belongs to us as Americans as one of our native species. We should care and protect BFFs so they will remain part of the wilds of North America.  One way to help save BFFs is by learning all you can about them.  Because by learning you will come to care about them, and when you care, you will want to help save them. So you see by caring and helping to save them from extinction you are being a BFF or Best Friend Forever not just to black-footed ferrets but to future generations so they too will have BFFs living wild and free on the prairie.

The museum is proud to have two black-footed ferrets on-site in partnership with the National Black-footed Ferret Conservation Center. You can see what our BFFs are up to while we’re closed via our Ferret Cam: fcmod.org/ferret-cam!

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Amazing Amphibians

Posted on by Kristin Rush in Animal Encounters, Any Age, Daily Discovery, Discovery at Home, Exhibits, Life Science

Post written by Willow Sedam, Live Animal Husbandry Team Member.

Amazing Amphibians

Did you know that amphibians were the first animals to live on land? Or that they swallow by blinking and pushing the backs of their eyes into their throat?

Today, we’re looking at the amazing world of amphibians!

What is an amphibian?

Toads, frogs, and salamanders are all amphibians. While amphibians are a wide and varied class of animals, they all have a few things in common.

Amphibians have slimy skin which they can breathe and drink through and has to be kept damp at all times. Amphibians lay squishy, shell-less eggs in water. And they all start out life as aquatic larvae, later metamorphosing (like a caterpillar turning into a butterfly) into their adult form, growing legs and shedding their tails!

Because water is so important to amphibians, they are often found around ponds, streams and marshes. But spending so much time in water means they can often be the first animals affected by a change in water quality. Amphibians can be the first warning that something is wrong with an environment, as they are very sensitive to pollutants, and a decline in amphibian populations can be a clue to scientists that something is wrong. But when amphibians are doing well, that means the environment around them is, too – which is why they are such important animals to learn about and protect!

At the museum, we have four species of amphibians on display, two of which are native to the US, and one that can be found right here in Colorado!

Fire-bellied toad

Despite being called toads, these Eurasian amphibians are technically frogs – you can tell by their long legs and preference for swimming.

These amphibians display two interesting types of coloration at once: camouflage, which blends them into their environment, and aposematism, which warns predators that they might be dangerous. Much like poison dart frogs, fire-bellied toads are brightly colored to warn predators that they are toxic. However, while poison dart frogs are bright all over, fire-bellied toads limit their bright warning coloration to their bellies. When a predator looks down on a frog, it sees only the green and black camouflage on its back, and might not notice it. But if the frog is threatened, it can rear up on its back and show off it’s bright belly that acts just like caution tape and says: stay away from me!

This behavior, called an unken reflex, actually gets its name from fire-bellied toads and the German name for their species, Unke.

Southern toad

Our southern toad is actually more of a southeastern toad, hailing from the warmer and wetter parts of the American east coast, from North Carolina to Mississippi. These amphibians are true toads – warty, with short legs ill-equipped for swimming and jumping but built perfectly to dig. They actually have claw-like spurs on their back legs that help them build burrows to stay safe and moist when the weather gets too hot, too cold, or too dry for them.

Like all amphibians, they lay their eggs in open water – about 3,000 of them per season! After only a couple of days, these eggs hatch into tadpoles, which undergo metamorphosis when they’re barely half an inch long!

Tiger salamander

These salamanders are a Colorado native and can be found in marshes and ponds right here in Fort Collins! But they’re not picky about where they live – they’re actually the most wide-spread salamander species in North America, ranging from Canada all the way to Mexico! Their name comes from the yellow and black splotches on their skin, which look a little bit like tiger stripes. Like tigers, they are also ferocious predators – even if they don’t look like it. When they emerge from their burrows to hunt, they look for anything they can eat – worms, spiders, and beetles, even frogs and smaller salamanders are all fair game!

Our salamanders at the museum get so excited during feeding time, that sometimes they’ll even try and bite their caretaker’s fingers! Unlike frogs, salamanders actually have teeth – lucky for the people feeding them, they aren’t very sharp.

White’s tree frog

These Australian frogs are very popular in the pet trade because of how calm they are around humans – even wild frogs will find their way into people’s sinks, laundry roo

rooms, and bathtubs, no matter if they’re occupied!

Unlike some frogs, White’s tree frogs do not have long sticky tongues that they use to catch prey. Their preferred method of hunting is close-range. Once they’re close enough to a bug or other tasty morsel, they lunge at it with their mouth open wide and scoop it up into their gob with their hands.

These frogs are also very unique for the way they protect their delicate amphibian skin. They secrete a goo from their skin that is antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal, allowing them to stay safe and free from disease even when they’re living in places that are mucky and full of germs. The virus-fighting ability they possess is so impressive, it’s even being studied for use in human medicine!

Amphibians are amazing animals, coming in so many different shapes and sizes. From legless, soil-dwelling caecilians to flying tree frogs, they all play an important part in our ecosystem!

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