Spring into Action

Spring has sprung, and that means daylight outshines and outlasts moonlight. So put some spring into your step, and enjoy these springtime Internet activities.

CONNECT:

• Try out some of these family-friendly spring activities from England: http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/spring
• It’s time to get movin’, especially for the birds. Track spring migration at http://www.learner.org/jnorth/
• What is the reason for the seasons? Watch this video to see why: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlCLX27NqMg
• Why do animals have more babies in the spring? Find out the reason for this another spring happenings at http://www.topmarks.co.uk/spring/BabyAnimals.aspx?age=ks2.
• Read how baby animals resemble their parents at http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/learn-about-baby-animals

CREATE:

• Different cultures celebrate spring in unique ways. Experience Hina Matsuri, Dolls’ Festival, by making  Japanese paper doll; follow the directions at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Hina-Matsuri-Dolls.  You can read more about the festival at http://www.japan-talk.com/jt/new/hina-matsuri
• Join the chorus of spring songs at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DobrRgD5aOU
• Here are lots of spring crafts to make: http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/15-spring-activities-for-kids.html
• Create life! – by gardening. Here are some ways to engage children in digging up fun in the garden: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/952457/spring-gardening-ideas-for-young-kids

CARE:

• Brighten up someone’s day by making a spring craft for them. There are lots of ideas at http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/04/15-spring-activities-for-kids.html
• Share a spring story with family and friends; reading aloud can be a welcome activity for a bedridden person. You can start with this list of top children’s books for celebrating spring: http://www.amightygirl.com/mighty-girl-picks/top-books-for-celebrating-spring
• Do you have extra time during spring break? Why not share with others? Here are some simple service projects that chase away boredom and help others: http://penniesoftime.com/acts-of-kindness-and-simple-service-projects-for-spring-break/
• Spring into actoin by building a community nature trail; follow these steps: http://www.walterreeves.com/how-to-archive/how-to-build-a-school-nature-trail/

CAREERS:

What jobs get really busy in the spring? They say, “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Not true, if you ask a meteorologists (weather scientists). Spring has the most varied weather of the four seasons. And the season also impacts veterinarians (animal doctors) and farmers, to name a few. What other jobs spring to mind this season?

http://www.weather.gov/careers

https://aavmc.org/Students-Applicants-and-Advisors/Careers-in-Veterinary-Medicine.aspx

http://www.agday.org/education/careers.php

https://www.ffa.org/home

Beam Me Up, Scotty!

Dr. Spock may have died, but there may be extraterrestrials, creatures from outer space, aliens, space beings, little green men. Humans have wondered about life beyond earth for millenia. It’s time to hunt for alien worlds!

CONNECT:

• Start at Project Family ASTRO for fun activities: http://www.astrosociety.org/education/k12-educators/about-family-astro/
• What’s fact and fiction about extraterrestrial life? Test your knowledge at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/system/interactable/6/index.html
• Trace the history of extra-terrestrial quests at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/system/interactable/2/timeline.html
• Do you like atlases: collections of maps? http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/newworldsatlas is an atlas of over a thousand new worlds.
• See how infrared reveals the universe at http://coolcosmos.ipac.caltech.edu/infrared_universe
• There are some strange alien-looking creatures here on earth; find them at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/system/interactable/3/index.html

CREATE:

• Wake up, space traveler! You've entered your target solar system. Time to begin your mission: Find and photograph the planet known as Jupiter and see if a habitable planet exists in this sector. Start your mission at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/worlds/life/
• Are there other planets with life? The Exoplanet Data Explorer is an interactive table and plotter for exploring and displaying data. Explore this database at http://exoplanets.org/
• Plan an interstellar trip using http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/system/interactable/5/index.html
• Search for alien life at http://www.alienearths.org/online/searchforlife/index.php
• Create your own planet at http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/system/interactable/1/index.html

CARE:

• Help scientists by classifying data from http://www.planethunters.org/ to discover new worlds.
• Become a member of an astronomy club, or follow them online at  http://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/index.cfm  Bring the universe to you!
• Volunteer to help with Project FIRST, which promotes sports of the mind (which could like to explore alien worlds): http://www.usfirst.org/
• Support the search for life in the universe; become at SETIStar: http://www.seti.org/seti-educators

CAREERS:

What’s it like to have a career hunting for new worlds?

• Follow this scientist’s blog: http://planetquest.jpl.nasa.gov/ave/33.
• Read about these SETI scientists: http://www.seti.org/seti-institute/about-seti/scientists
• You might  even become a UFOlogist: http://www.cufos.org/you_want_to_be_a_ufologist.pdf