Project-Based

ELECTRIFYING: Another busy day around MPA. There were classes in the morning, where the kids worked on posters to help raise ecological awareness.

We worked on a couple of rebuild/refurbish projects in the early afternoon. By late afternoon, we moved on to electronics. Specifically, we cracked open a ScienceWiz "Energy" kit.

The kids read up on different types of energy, including kinetic and potential energy. They also read about chemical, electrical and nuclear energy. Then it was time to combine some different forms of energy to create a moving propeller! 

After they got it running, we asked them what would happen to the propeller if they switched the wires to different ends of the battery. ... They found out it reversed direction.

ON ALERT: Seeing the Northern Lights is a bucket list item for me and a good number of people I know.

I missed a SPECTACULAR Aurora Borealis show visible here in Seattle during the early morning hours of Mother's Day (despite the fact I was up and awake, grrr!). Maybe this weekend will be a different story ohpleaseohpleaseohplease!

Right now, forecasters give between a 67- and 75-percent chance of a geomagnetic storm occurring, according to SpaceWeather.com. The storm watch begins on Friday, June 3 at dark, and continues through Saturday night. 

Scott Sistek of KOMO news has a great article about the potential event online here: http://komonews.com/weather/scotts-weather-blog/northern-lights-might-be-visible-around-western-washington-again-this-weekend. And the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an update about it, as well:  http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/news/update-g2-moderate-watch-effect-4-and-5-june-utc-day

Speaking of the sun, here's a cool video from the Science Channel (courtesy of NASA research, of course), regarding the sound (yes, sound!) the sun makes. Data in the video is from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. The video speeds up 40 days of recording into a few seconds. 

http://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/how-the-universe-works/videos/this-is-what-the-sun-sounds-like/