Author: College of Engineering

The Community Outdoor Nature Programs are free events for families that focus on engaging parents and children in creative outdoor play and nature exploration. All families are welcome to attend the twice-monthly events held at the Nara Nature Center (Houghton) and the Maasto Hiihto Chalet (Hancock). Families will explore local trail systems and create take-home nature projects while learning about our local environment.

Take a snowshoe hike and weave a stick basket to collect items along the way. Programs will be held one Monday evening each month from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and one Saturday afternoon each month from 2 to 4 p.m.

During the winter, snowshoeing will be a part of all programs. Bring your own snowshoes if you have them. The Center will have snowshoes on hand. Dress warmly as the program will be mostly outdoors.

This month’s first program will be held on Monday, Jan. 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the Nara Nature Center.

Programs are led by the staff of the Western UP Center for Science, Math and Environmental Education and funded by the Michigan Association of Environmental Professionals. The Western UP Center, established in 2000, is a partnership of the Michigan Tech Center for Science and Environmental Outreach, the Copper Country ISD and the Gogebic-Ontonagon ISD, offering a wide variety of K-12 education programs to enhance the teaching and learning of science and mathematics. Find out more online or by calling the Center at 487-3341.

From Tech Today.

After-School Science classes begin Monday, Jan. 19, and run for six weeks. Two classes are available depending on grade level; all classes meet from 4:00–5:30 p.m. at the Great Lakes Research Center (GLRC). Cost is $75 per student, and they are open to all.

Register online: http://www.wupcenter.mtu.edu

To pay by credit card, call the Cashier’s Office at 7-2247. Your space is not reserved until payment is received.

If you have any questions, call 7-3341.

Note: the Houghton school bus will drop off students at the GLRC by 3:45 p.m.

Grades 1–3: Under Your Feet Rocks!

Kids love rocks! This class will develop children’s observation skills by having them examine the characteristics of different rocks. They will then investigate Earth science concepts, such as different landforms, what is the Earth made of and how do volcanoes work? They will compare the erosion of different materials, mine for chocolate chips, look at material reuse/recycling, compare the texture and other characteristics of different soils and go on a dinosaur dig.

Instructor: Marcy Erickson, BS Forest Resources and Applied Ecology and science teacher certification

Grades 4–6: Chemistry for Kids

Kids will experience the fun of chemistry without balancing equations or learning all of the periodic table elements. Instead, they’ll create chemical reactions, where gas is released, a new substance is formed or heat is produced. They’ll make observations about differences in density, make a red cabbage pH indicator to measure how acidic a substance is, investigate characteristics of liquids and solids and solve a mock crime using chromatography.

Instructor: Denise Landsberg, Tech graduate, BS Biological Sciences and environmental educator

From Tech Today.

Attention parents and grandparents:

After school science class gift certificates are available and make a great gift; they can even be mailed to you for December 24 delivery if you order by 5 p.m. on Monday, December 22.

To order, register your child online, call the Michigan Tech cashier at 487-2247 to pay by credit card, and send an email to Joan Chadde at jchadde@mtu.edu to request a gift certificate be mailed to your home address.

Classes are every Monday starting January 19 and run for six weeks. March 2 is reserved as a make-up day in the event of snow. Classes meet from 4:00 to 5:30 p.m. at the Great Lakes Research Center.

Grades 1–3 can sign up for Under Your Feet Rocks!, a class that will develop observation skills by having children examine the characteristics of different rocks, as well as learn about Earth science concepts and go on a dinosaur dig. Marcy Erickson, who earned her BS in Forest Resources and Applied Ecology and holds science teacher certification, is the instructor.

Grades 4–6 can sign up for Chemistry for Kids, a class introducing chemistry concepts without the intense math of the discipline. Chemical reaction, observation, and application are all covered, including solving a mock crime using chromatography. Denise Landsberg, a Tech graduate with a BS in Biological Sciences, is the instructor.

The cost is $75 per student. Call 7-3341 with any questions. Note: the Houghton school bus will drop students off at the GLRC by 3:45 p.m.

From Tech Today.