Holograms and Lasers at ETHOS Science Center

We love going to the Sneak Peek Science nights at ETHOS Science Center in Elkhart! It is usually the third Thursday of the month in the evening. We arrived right after a bus pulled up and they shared a couple of the passes with us. The cost is a dollar per person. In March the theme was holograms and lasers. Many of the rooms had extra special activities to explore the theme. In addition, all the regular displays are up. While we have been there many times, we still like going back and interacting with the displays. The first room we visited had holograms that we needed to use flashlights to see. Others were displayed on the wall and around the room to see floating images and special tricks.

ETHOS Science Center: The Senses

We checked out the ETHOS Science Center Sneak Peek Science this last week! It was all about THE SENSES! I recently took my son to a Elkhart County Parks program on My Five Senses and often experience nature and life with all our senses. The children were given a brochure with the activities to use as a checklist. The checklist really gave my children purpose in the activities and helped keep their focus on the "special" activities of the night, though there are always the regular exhibits that are enticing.

We started out in the sound room. This involved using a tuning fork and suspending a ping pong ball against the fork after striking it. Playing with the tuning fork was fun in its own right, but "seeing" the sound vibrations through the movement of the ping pong ball was pretty neat! We also experimented with a homemade harp.

 

ETHOS Science Sneak Peek: Space

We checked out ETHOS Science Sneak Peek: Space in Elkhart again this week! ETHOS Science Center has hosted a themed science activity night monthly for the last several months. We've enjoyed the ones we were able to attend: WATER and Summer Science Camps. I also really liked the Astronomy lesson I went to on the Science2Go Bus. If your child goes to school in the area, I highly suggest encouraging your school to schedule the bus for a trip!

ETHOS Science Sneak Peek: WATER

Last week, we stopped by the ETHOS Science Center's Sneak Peak Science about Water. It is usually the third Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30 and is on a different topic each month. We went to one in April as a preview of the Summer Camps (which look great, by the way! More are starting in August). The Sneak Peek nights cost $1/person, which is VERY reasonable when I think about all the supplies and activities we did. I know how to set up and do these activities with the kids; however, it's nice to show up and it's all planned out for investigations. Also, I would probably spend more money gathering all the supplies to set this up at home. They also do the set up and clean up for us!

We started the evening in the H2O Olympics room. Supplies and directions were set out for 5 different water related activities. The children had record sheets to write down predictions, results, hypotheses, etc. as part of their explorations. They made boats with soap slivers to help "propel" them. They put drops of water on pennies--it's amazing how many will fit! When they finished all five, they received an Olympic medal!

The helpers (volunteers and leadership of the center) knew how to ask great thought provoking questions. The children also floated paperclips on top of water and looked at how water travels in varying paper towels. A few words like adhesion, surface tension, and more were tossed around in the discussions.

In another room, they looked at water displacement, sinking, floating, and more. They made clay boats and filled them with plastic teddy bears as weights. They also recorded what objects sank or floated. 

They made foil boats and used paper clips as weights. They also looked at surface tension again as they put pepper on top of the water (floats) until they put a soapy finger in the water (breaks the surface tension). I've done many of these explorations with science clubs in the past. 

They also had a pool set up in the back with underwater robots to try! The kids enjoyed trying to figure out how to make the robot move the way they wanted it to move. Inside, they liked exploring the typical displays they have out on a regular basis at the Science Center.

In another room, they had a fun video going on about the properties of water, as well as many water exploration bottles. 

The cartesian divers were a hit! They also liked the use of technology with the iPad Mini .

 

They really liked these discovery bottles. We have a few at home, but they don't spend as much dedicated time exploring them. With the directions right there, we could discuss why they worked as they did, related vocabulary, extended ideas, and probe deeper with questioning. We might have to make up a few more!

We also played the water cycle game. I like how they have it set up with beads on a string attached to the card (though the beads stay better on pipe cleaners often). I heard my kids looking at these later in the week asking, "How did you get from glacier to plant?" and tracing their way back through the complexities of the water cycle once again. We've done similar activities recently and they're understanding the varied concepts of where our water originates. 

They also liked the animals. For most children, looking at living things is fascinating! (Okay, adults, too!)

 

Dead animals are fascinating as well! When we got there, the kids found a dead bird out in the rocks--nature study! Of course, we had to look at the beak and feet, the feathers, and more and do a little up close bird study. Are my kids the only ones that do that? At soccer practice this week, they brought me a dead bird (most likely a blue jay fledgeling). I thought only cats and dogs brought back presents like this!

It was a fun evening! We're looking forward to more as the schedule permits! They have a contest right now for pictures from the Sneak Peek events. The winner gets free passes to the Science Spectacular in October! That looks like a great night! Unfortunately, I think my hubby and I already have other plans, but maybe we can get the grandparents to take the kids. You might enjoy it too!

H2O Festival!

On Saturday, Woodlawn Nature Center hosted a WATER festival! There were several activities and stations centered around H2O, which is such a valuable commodity in our lives. There were pictures of how we use water to find in the woods. As I talked to different children and families, we talked about the many, many ways we use water in our everyday lives. We started thinking about basics, such as brushing our teeth and drinking water, but we also use water for cooking, bathing, flushing toilets, watering the garden, recreation, swimming, kayaking, and more! I am always amazed that we live so close to 20% of the world's available fresh water--it is nearby in the Great Lakes. Having lived in Nevada, the town was quite dry that only had 10 trees in the whole town. I look out here and find 30 plus trees in any direction. 

ETHOS Science 2 Go:Astronomy

This last week, we had an opportunity to visit the ETHOS Science 2 Go Bus as part of the Junior Indiana Master Naturalists. What a great bus/classroom/exploration! The bus in and of itself is a whole fascinating topic. I especially liked figuring out how they stored, organized, and prepared everything for a seamless learning experience, but that's the teacher geek in me. ;-)

Wellfield Botanic Garden Spring Market

Saturday, I made my way with the youngest boy in the backpack carrier to Wellfield Botanic Gardens for the Spring Marketplace. The new visitors' center is now open, but I didn't take the time to peek inside. I've seen pictures on Facebook, though. It looks like it will be a good gathering and multipurpose site.

I needed to feed the baby when I arrived, so stopped by the Seminars tent. The presenter was talking about taking care of rhododendrons. It sounds like these are a little finicky, yet quite beautiful! I was carrying the baby around in a hiking backpack and I would say someone mentioned him/it at just about every booth I visited! They know how to reach a mother, right?

Later, I started walking through all the booths scattered throughout the blooms of the gardens. So many gorgeous wares for sale! Many are options sold by local crafters and artists! Unfortunately, I can't find my cards for the first two places. :-( And I liked them both!

These pottery pieces had many natural elements.

These bonsai trees are a true artwork, requiring skill and patience! The pots were gorgeous as well. All were done by Michiana Bonsai Study, a local club.

The walk along this path smelled divine. Flowers were in full bloom! It was great weather for the day and a beautiful backdrop for all these great businesses.

Loved this little stream running through the gardens. In my ideal world, we'd be able to splash around in it a bit, but I do understand this is a GARDEN. :-)

Elkhart County Parks had a display for the Elkhart County Historical Museum and park services. I saw a donation box for the Ox Bow Tower, too. I stopped in the Elkhart County Parks office to pay for upcoming classes and made a small donation this last week. If many people give a little, there is a matching grant that will pay the other half of the costs.

Elkhart Local Food Alliance and Rise Up Farms had free seeds and explained some initiatives they are working on. I snagged sunflower seeds. Where should we plant these? :-)

Seed to Feed was nearby and works on joint projects from time to time. What a neat concept! They are also working on teaching people how to garden on their own. Here is an article that explains what they are doing. They have fed so many with local foods from their efforts! They have several gardens in Elkhart and Goshen that are growing food for area food pantries.

This handmade goat's milk soap is from Sturgis. I bought a bag of ends and pieces for a $1. Cindy's Whimsies gave me a little extra when I mentioned I had four boys! :-) She had a poison ivy relief bar that contained jewelweed, a natural remedy for poison ivy. The two are often found growing together. I love watching the jewelweed POP! It's always surprising, even when I know to expect it. 

These unique flowers from upcycled dishes would be cute in a yard. There were so many neat options for Mother's Day and Father's Day gifts! Stems-by Design

I talked to Ruth from Indiana Native Plants and Wildflower Society (INPAWS) for a bit. I have learned so much from their Facebook group. They have a membership available for a small fee. I NEED to send the paperwork in I filled out quite some time ago. :-) I love their encouragement for native plants!

The Public Works department of Elkhart City was there with samples of the different products that people can pick up near the Elkhart Environmental Center.

The Elkhart Dahlia Society had a good presence as well. I don't know much about these beautiful flowers, but did take my two youngest over to Bonneyville Mill just a few days after I had the baby. I was getting a little stir crazy and needed a little nature fix. We loved looking at the colorful dahlias to the left of the mill. The gentleman on the right is one of the volunteers responsible for keeping this bright spot beautiful!

The ETHOS Science 2 Go bus was there as well. We love seeing them out and about. There are always neat activities related to science and good information.

I liked looking at the insects and creepy crawlies outside the bus!

Yes, I'm a science geek at heart! I was always the teacher at the school with the after school science club and very hands-on science projects in the classroom. It's great ETHOS helps provide materials to make this more approachable for teachers in Elkhart and Fairfield Community Schools.

Elkhart Environmental Center had a display about the Center and recycling.

One way to recycle is through vermicomposting! We have a worm bin in our kitchen. We feed them our kitchen scraps, like breads and fruits and veggies. They make us good natural fertilizers for our garden boxes. As we talked about vermicomposting to a woman looking at the display, she thought it sounded to hard. It really isn't, but there is a bit of a learning curve. However, there is also a new company in Elkhart that produces worm castings for plant improvement. Positive Organic Living is providing this great option for our gardens! They also happened to be at the event, so I hope she checked them out after our chat. I did! I look forward to trying their product and am glad there are options available.

I talked to Big Brothers Big Sisters, too. I hadn't realized that there can be Big Families, too. We have an extra seat in the van and having another child with us isn't very difficult. We'll have to look into the options more.

Since it was Lemonade Day, I had to get a little lemonade. It hit the spot!

The Elkhart Art League had activities to connect the gardens with art. They offer art classes, summer camps, and more!

Beautiful flowers and colors!

Dutch Maid Bakery of Goshen really took the theme of the event to heart as they had tulip cookies and other cookies with an edible picture of flowers on the front--these were really neat and would add an elegant and whimsical touch to many special occasions.

Unfortunately, my phone/camera ran out of power about this point, yet there was so much more to see!

Other places included: 

Ray of Light -- Exercise, massages, holistic health, etc.

Create-A-Landscape -- Beautiful bird feeders and cement benches. The benches can be personalized and are neat!

Confluence of Willows -- Lovely willow baskets and copper sculptures

Benedict's Nursery -- I couldn't find a website, but did find this blog post about them. They had cute small plants and fairy garden items. 

John Mishler: Kinetic Sculpture -- Great pieces of art! Love how these move. I've seen pieces here and there and have heard of what he is doing. 

Stone Ridge Landscaping -- Looked nice!

Dogwood Hills Tree Farm -- Trees

BI Bowshers Ironworks -- nice scupltures!

Premiere Aquascapes -- Nice water features. Loved these. 

Country Comfort -- more fairy things and lots of plants

Varns & Hoover Hardware -- lots of birdhouses and other items. Plus, Monica works there!

Possibility Place -- Native plants! I was excited to see them here! I had just been on their website the night before. Snagged a couple fruit producing items. 

Ten Thousand Villages -- I always enjoy their things!

Elkhart Art League -- great classes!

Did I miss anything? There was also food by several local vendors and some music as well. It was funny that someone mentioned the baby in the backpack at just about every booth. :-) I love carrying him around that way!

One thing I noticed is that many of these smaller businesses did not have much of a web presence. I have a friend that is helping small women owned business have more of a digital imprint. Support Local can help in cases like this. I know having a digital presence (for nature in my case) is one reason I started this blog.