by Mollie Napier | Jul 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
Our campers this week got to build things that go. Each day, we concentrated on a different type of vehicle. We built cars, boats, planes, and rockets out of recycled materials. The campers developed their own ideas from design to implementation. On the final day of... 
by Mollie Napier | Jul 21, 2021 | Uncategorized
We had a smaller group for our CSI camp, so we did a few things we haven’t done with the larger groups. We separated the DNA from some strawberries and designed some double-helix structures while discussing the matching proteins in DNA. Also on the biology... 
by Mollie Napier | Jun 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
We are both excited and sad to see this school year draw to an end. It has been an amazing journey working with all our students here. We’ve reminded you of Zoom times, even when you didn’t want to go, and helped with homework. We’ve watched... by Mollie Napier | Jun 1, 2021 | Uncategorized
If you haven’t seen them yet, check out the photos of clouds on Mars taken by Curiosity. Clouds are a rare occurrence on Mars as the atmosphere is very thin. Most clouds form near the equator at the coldest time of the Martian year, but NASA noticed clouds... 
by Mollie Napier | May 31, 2021 | Uncategorized
This week we finally got to dissect the organs, which many of the students had been looking forward to. We started with the kidney, as it was the simplest of the organs. We discussed how the kidney helps to clean things out of the blood, and how people who don’t... by Mollie Napier | May 26, 2021 | Uncategorized
As sea levels rise, salt water is poisoning trees. These dead trees release carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. These “tree farts” are a more recently recognized source of these fumes, so emissions from... by Mollie Napier | May 25, 2021 | Uncategorized
We have been playing Dungeons and Dragons here at Vacaville’s Imagine That every Wednesday. We started with two separate groups, K-2nd graders and 3rd graders and up. This allowed them to get used to the game without distracting each other. Once they got a... by Mollie Napier | May 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
Most cat owners, and even people who just view cats on the internet, know that cats love boxes. You open up a suitcase or leave out a cardboard box, and sooner or later, your cat will appear in the box. Animal behavior scientists have found that cats even sit in the... by Mollie Napier | May 16, 2021 | Uncategorized
This week was exciting for many of our students. They had been requesting some dissection activities and this week we delivered. If any of you are interested in trying some dissections on your own, Home Science Tools offers several preserved specimens. Keep an eye out... by Mollie Napier | May 11, 2021 | Uncategorized
Early on in the school year, our students learned about some of the fastest animals on Earth, including the mantis shrimp. This tiny crustacean packs quite the punch, able to reach speeds of 110 kilometers per hour. Scientists recently took their first peek inside to...