Young Scientists
Programs
Our exciting programs are tailored to inspire young minds through interactive learning experiences. We offer a variety of scientific topics that connect with students across different age groups.
EARTH-SPACE SYSTEMS
1.6 EARTH, SUN The earth's rotation and revolution and how causes changes with seasons will be explored. Activities will also involve temperature,light and precipitation and the effects on living things.
1.7 WEATHER AND SEASONS will be investigated as students will do activities to see how light and temperature change living things over time.
2.6, 2.7 WEATHER Students will gain an understanding of the basic types of weather, storms and phenomena and identify proper weather instruments and terminology. The effects of weather changes on living things and preparation for storms will be explored. Why animals hibernate and migrate will be connected.
3.6 SOIL: The students will discover the different particles and layers of the soil and the effects of weathering and erosion. How the soil is useful to living things is explored
3.7 WATER Investigations and activities center around the many reservoirs of the Earth and the Water Cycle. Water cycle bags will be made for long term observation.
2.7. and 2.8: WEATHERING AND EROSION During this center based workshop, the children will investigate how weathering and erosion change land surfaces, how plants can reduce erosion and the impact humans have on the process of weathering and erosion.
4.4 WEATHER The students will become meteorologists as they discover the purpose and importance of weather instruments and weather phenomena as well as gain a better understanding of cloud meanings.
EARTH PATTERNS A CYCLES
4.5and 4.6 PLANETS and CYCLES: Students will explore our vast solar system and do activities to help learn the planets, their order both in size and from the sun. The importance of the relationships between the Earth, moon and sun and the cycles (rotation, revolution,tides,water,plant and animal cycles) will be a focus.
4.7 OCEANS: Geological, physical and ecological characteristics are discovered as the class participates in activities that will aid their understanding of the ocean floor, tides (SOL 4.6), currents and the ocean’s inhabitants
5.8 ROCK CYCLE: Students will identify rock types and the basic structure of the earth, different phenomena that change its surface as well as rock types and rock history.
RESOURCES
1.8 NATURAL RESOURCES: The children will explore the different resources and how they are limited and the care they need. Activities include how to reduce, reuse and recycle.
3.8 RESOURCES Students will explore how human activity affects the quality of air,water and habitats and use hands-on activities to explore this concept
4.8 WATERSHEDS AND VIRGINIA’S NATURAL RESOURCES: The students will gain experience through activities as to why watersheds, animals, rocks and soil are important natural resources to Virginia. Children will learn about animals and why their adaptations are important to resources.
5.9 ENERGY: Renewable, non-renewable, natural and man-made resources are investigated as the children participate in activities utilizing the different energies Understanding that natural events and human influences affect the survival of species will be explored. Activities will include conservation and showing how technology can aid in harnessing energy.
LIVING SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES
1.4 and 2.8 PLANTS: Plant parts and characteristics of plants will be explored in this workshop. Each student will plant seeds to see the importance of light, air and water to plants. (Second grade - plant products are identified and classified)
1.5, and 2.7 ANIMAL NEEDS: Body coverings and other physical characteristics, as well as animal needs will be explored. Plant and human needs will also be experienced. Children will learn to classify animals into groups based on characteristics.
2.4 LIFE CYCLES: The life cycles of animals, plants and people will be investigated and fossils observed. The students do activities that show how animals change over time as well as use vocabulary to mark these changes. We’ll show animals that molt, grow and go through metamorphosis and observe models of animals that resemble their parent.
2.5 and 2.7 HABITATS Students will understand that objects are either living or nonliving and understand the needs of living things. A habitat will be constructed with understanding of weather/season changes on the habitat. (Weathering and Erosion is a separate workshop.
4.2 PLANT Plant structure and use of energy will be explored as a need for photosynthesis. The importance of this for both plants and animals will be investigated.
Students will use both real flowers and seeds in their investigations
MEASUREMENT
For each of the following measurement programs, each child will have something to keep, review and experience different measuring tools and their uses, and do hands-on activities related to the Standards.
1.1 Students will have fun graphing their observations and data and investigate length, mass and volume.
2.1 Investigations will be conducted using length, volume, mass, and temperature using Standard English as well as metric units.
3.1 Exploration with volume, length, mass, temperature and time to the nearest unit occurs in each workshop.
4.1 Appropriate instruments will be selected to measure volume, distance, mass and temperature.
5.1 Students will decide what the appropriate measurement tool should be as well as make estimations
FORCE, MOTION ENERGY
1.2 MOTION: Students will investigate and explore how objects can move in a straight, circular or back and forth motion. Some things can push or pull and can even vibrate. Fast paced with many hands-on activities.
2.2 FORCE,MOTION,MAGNETS: Concepts include magnetism, iron, poles, attract and repel, gravity and forces in our everyday life. Group activities and centers will pique curiosity with gravity and effects forces have on our everyday life.
3.2 FORCE,MOTION,SIMPLE MACHINES: The students will work in small groups to explore forces on objects and construct simple machines. Activities will show practical uses of machines, how they make work easier and explain what a compound machine is.
5.2 ENERGY CHANGES and CAUSES Students will investigate that energy can take on many different forms, but cannot be created or destroyed by conducting experiments. Changes with sound, light, thermal,radiant, mechanical, and electrical will be explored.
5.3 FORCE FRICTION and MOTION: Fast paced workshop with over a half dozen activities that will revolve around the interaction of moving objects. Friction and kinetic energy as well as concepts or Newton’s laws are explored
5.4 ELECTRICITY: Basics of electricity are investigated
as students explore conductors and insulators,
current and static electricity. Hands-on exploration includes circuits and electromagnets.
5.5 , 5.6 SOUND AND LIGHT ENERGY Hypotheses will be investigated with the use of solids, liquids and gases with regard to sound and light. Understanding frequency, waves, vibration, compression and uses of sound are explored. Students will understand the differences between refraction and reflection as well as see how light can be opaque, transparent or translucent.
MATTER
1.3 Children will investigate physical properties of objects. They will explore what happens when the size of objects are changed. Light passing through objects will be investigated through the scientific method.
2.3 Students will investigate basic properties of solids, liquids and gasses. Activities will involve changes in phases of matter with the addition of energy.
3.3 Physical properties of matter will be investigated. How matter mixes with water and the temperature of the water for dissolving will be explored.
5.7 Understanding that matter is made of atoms and what that implies will be part of activities that explore how energy changes phases of matter, that matter can be made of mixtures, understanding the mass of an object and that there are physical characteristics to each part of matter.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Grades 2-5 The students will conduct activities in small groups to test their understanding of scientific reasoning and logic