Everyone at the Museum is talking about this totally amazing music video by the band OK Go! As you know, we’re big fans of Rube Goldberg machines.
Some of us think it can’t be real. Some of us say it must have taken months to get it right! Either way, it will make you want to watch it over and over again. What do you think?
Thanks, Paul, for bringing it to our attention!
The American Museum of Natural History has produced this short film, “The Known Universe”, that starts on Earth, zooms all the way out to the afterglow of the Big Bang, and back again. I think our tiny blue planet is the prettiest place in all the known universe. But I could be slightly biased.
And with that, we at the Austin Children’s Museum wish you a very Happy Holidays and a fantastic New Year. See you in 2010!
The Telegraph has released the winners of their Young Astronomy Photographers awards for 2009. These photos, taken by youth ages 11-15, are amazing! It makes me want to go out and photograph the night sky. See all the winners here.
Thanksgiving and the winter holidays are coming up, so everyone is in the giving mood! Maybe you would like to show someone why you’re thankful to know him or her. Or maybe you want to keep track of the things you are thankful for in a Thankfulness Box.
Either way, origami—the Japanese art of paper folding—is a great way to get crafty!
This box is called the masu box. A long time ago, people in Japan used to store their rice in wooden masu boxes. You don’t have to store rice in these paper boxes, but you can keep other keepsakes in it. I think these are great for holding candy, erasers, or buttons!
Here’s an idea: since Thanksgiving is coming up, why not start writing down on little slips of paper the things you are thankful for in life? Try coming up with one each day until Thanksgiving—it sounds like a lot, but there are a lot of things to be thankful for in this world!
After you write it down, fold it up and store it in your masu box. You can get your family to try this too! Then on Thanksgiving, sit down with your family and all of you can share what’s inside your Thankfulness Boxes.
Another thing you can do is think of someone who means a lot to you in life, such as a grandparent, teacher, or best friend. Write a note about why you are thankful to have this person in your life. Put it inside the origami box along with a momento, such as a photograph or friendship bracelet. Surprise that person with your giftbox!
I think the web site Paper Crane gives clear instructions and good illustrations on how to fold the masu box . Click here to see them.
The Netflix Origami website also shows you a cool way to recycle “junk paper” and make a masu box with a lid! It has a lot of helpful pictures that make it easy to follow as well. Check it out here!
To whom do you plan on giving your super neat giftbox? What are you thankful for this year?
Hi, I’m Jenny and I’m the guided tour intern here at ACM. It’s a big world out there! Did you know there are 195 countries in the world? Our exhibit En Mi Familia shows Carmen Lomas Garza’s Mexican American heritage. This exhibit has inspired me to write about a super cool country that my family came from: Egypt!
Egypt is known for its Great Pyramids. They’re really huge and I got to go inside one when I was 5 years old! A lot of people travel from all over the world to see the pyramids. That’s what makes tourism one of Egypt’s biggest industries.
Here are some other cool facts:
Here is my name in Hieroglyphics. Jenny—
Here’s a website where you can translate your name: Translate!
To find out more about Egypt and a lot of other awesome countries, check out National Geographic Kids
Water bottles seem harmless and easy to grab when you’re on the go. But did you know a lot of energy and fossil fuels were used to produce those water bottles? A lot of water bottles end up in landfills and pollute the earth.
The United States consumes more bottled water than any other country in the world! Ouch. You can start making a difference now and help create a cleaner, greener planet!
What you can do:
Here are some additional helpful links:National Geographic for Kids- “Drinking Water: Bottled or From the Tap?”
Drinktap.org – Kids Page (this is where I found out that one drop every second from a leaky faucet wastes 2,400 gallons of water in a year—that’s about 30 bathtubs!)
Water conservation games and activities for families
PBS Kids – Meet the Greens (this is a fun site about looking after the planet, plus it has cool episodes to watch and activities to try!)
Sawadee ka! (I’m saying “hello” in Thai!)
Today I’m going to show you how to make your own chopstick holders, great for decorating the dinner table or giving away as presents. I got the idea from this cool web site!
I didn’t have my chopsticks on me when I first made them, so I used pencils to show where the chopsticks would normally go.
First, take a regular-sized sheet of paper—already drawn on or left blank to decorate later—and fold it horizontally (also known as “hamburger style”). Cut down the crease so you now have two rectangles.
Take one of the rectangles and fold it in thirds so that one flap can easily fold on top of the other. Open it back up and fold the top two corners.
Next, fold the flaps back down again with the corners folded down so it looks like the photo below. If the flaps don’t stay down, you can use stickers or tape to keep the top flap down.
Now flip it over and fold the bottom up, securing it with tape. You can also use a sticker, like the green one in the picture.
Now you have your very own chopstick holders!
Don’t know how to use chopsticks? Here’s a short, instructional video I made with the help of my friend Emily at the Museum:
If you’re still having trouble, here’s a trick for all beginners:
Cut a small segment of a straw and bend it in half. Stick the two ends of the chopsticks in the openings and then tape around the straw enough so the straw stays bent, but you can still move the chopsticks up and down. If you’re having trouble moving the chopsticks up and down, try taping the straw at a bigger angle for more springiness.
Now you have your own practice chopsticks! What sorts of things can you pick up with your chopsticks? How will you decorate your chopstick holders?
The new Cyberchase exhibit opens this Saturday at the Museum! Are you ready to help the CyberSquad stop the villainous Hacker from causing trouble in the virtual universe?
There’s only one weapon that stops Hacker every time: MATH!
Get ready to put your thinking caps on and protect Cyberspace!
This exhibit is based on the PBS television show “Cyberchase.” To learn more about the characters, watch episodes, and play adventure games, visit Cyberchase online.
Nature is a very big part of Austin life. We have the Greenbelt, lots of hiking trails, and a lake in the middle of downtown. If you love all things nature and science, you should get to know Enzo. Austin kid scientist, Enzo, is an eight year old who knows a lot about nature and science. Click here to check out his website and to learn more about his ENZOology adventures.
Austin Children’s Museum’s Science-Palooza campers enjoyed the Austin outdoors, when they vistied the Austin Nature and Science Center. It is located on the western edge of Zilker Park and is filled with the wildlife, plants, and geology of Central Texas. The Austin Nature and Science Center is home to many animals including: owls, a red-tailed hawk, and a coyote. They even have a dino pit, where you can practice your Paleontology skills.
Today our Eco-Explorer campers visited The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems. The CMPBS specializes in life cycle planning and design. They use recycled materials in every part of their buildings. For example, the walls at CMPBS are made of straw and plaster! The insulation in the walls and ceilings of most of our homes is made of fiber glass, while the insulation at CMPBS is made of recycled blue jeans. That is a very inventive way to keep the inside air cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They have a table made from an old door and look at these lamp shades made out of cheese graters:
They also used recycled metal to make this cool bird sculpture.
Can you think of some items that could be recycled and used for a different purpose?
To learn more about The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, click here.
Jackson Pollock was a very important American painter. His unique paintings are in museums around the world, including New York City and London. Pollock used an interesting technique when painting. He would put his canvas on the floor and drip paint onto the canvas! Here is an example of his artwork:
You can make your own Jackson Pollock inspired painting!
There is also a Jackon Pollock iPhone Application, so you can channel your inner Pollock on-the-go!
After visiting the Louisiana lower 9th ward about a year after Hurricane Katrina, artist Paul Villinski wanted to help. He bought a trailer identical to the ones that were given to the residents of the Louisiana coast, and then decided to make a few changes… you see, the trailers had a few problems that made some residents sick.
Paul designed and succesfully built the Emergency Response Studio. Paul invented a new efficient solar powered trailer that can be taken and used in disaster areas. He wanted to help people and create art work in a response to the disaster. The trailer runs on 6 really heavy batteries and also has a micro wind turbine! Paul is an engineer AND an artist. He invented a trailer that can help people in disaster areas and it doesn’t harm the environment! Great job!
Before the Makeover
What can you invent?
The solar powered trailer
We love to sing and dance! Every Monday at Baby Bloomers, we move and groove to hip music. It’s a great opportunity for babies and parents to sing and dance to lots of fun songs. Come join the fun!
Here’s a glimpse into our fun sing and dance time!
Do you remember the songs: Kookaburra, Alice the Camel, Do your ears hang low, I’ve been working on the railroad, or Peanut Butter & Jelly?
First you take the peanuts
And you crunch ‘em,
You crunch ‘em
First you take the peanuts
And you crunch ‘em,
You crunch ‘em
For your peanut, peanut butter
And jelly
Peanut, peanut butter
And jelly….
I found an extensive library of these and other great nursery rhymes and other playground songs! Check it out!
We realize it’s not summertime just yet, but that’s no reason why we can’t enjoy America’s favorite dessert. Each year, the average American eats an average of 23 pints of ice cream. I am definitely one of those people! Wouldn’t you just love some ice cream with chocolate syrup, sprinkles, and whipped cream right about now? Mmmm!
Check out our previous post about ice cream. It gives you the recipe to make your own at home. Get creative and invent new flavors!
Steve Spangler explains the science behind making ice cream. Check it out!
Did you know: Sugar makes the dessert sweet, but it also serves another important purpose. In the freezer, plain cream turns into a solid that’s hard as a rock. Sugar helps keep the ice cream softer by lowering the mixture’s temperature.
Step up to the challenge! Take the carbon footprint quiz online to see how “earth friendly” you are. We challenged the museum staff to make and keep changes for two weeks. What steps will you take to reduce your carbon footprint?
We will check back with you in two weeks to see how you did!
Wow! Lauren, that sounds great!
“I’m going to become a vegetarian, ride my bike to work, dry my laundry on a clothesline, support local farmers, and eat organic foods.”
“Maybe I’ll even ride a plasma car to work!”
Marcela & Audrey chose to team up and challenge eachother! Way to go!
”We will use public transportation when we cannot walk and turn our computers off when we aren’t using them”
Audrey: “I will cut my showers short. 30 minutes might be too long.”
Marcela: ” I will turn off the water when I’m brushing my teeth.”
Great job Patty!
“I will ride the bus to work and school, and I will turn off my computer when I’m finished using it.”
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