Wiley Wednesday
Teaching and Learning
Keeping Sharp During Spring Break
Easy At-Home STEM Projects
1. Make magnetic slime - Magnetic slime is really fun to play with on its own. It stretches and squishes. If you hold it up, it oozes down to the floor in a long strand! Adding the element of magnet play makes it even more awesome.
2. Homemade Catapults - you’ll help your children get excited about engineering by building a homemade catapult with jumbo popsicle sticks and rubber-bands. You can even incorporate some science in as well by hypothesizing which objects will fling farther and then following through with the experiment.
3. Crystal Names - Whether your child is 3 or 13, they’re sure to get excited about seeing their name shimmer and sparkle in the sunlight.
4. Rainbow in a Jar - With just a few common household ingredients like dish soap and honey, little scientists can actually pour a rainbow in a jar. There’s no need for any leprechaun magic – just 100% kid-friendly science.
5. Egg Drop Challenge - The egg drop project is such a fun way to incorporate critical thinking and problem solving into a fun science activity for kids, and it’s great for a wide variety of ages.
6. Curious About Bubbles - With household objects like drinking straws, rubber bands and pipe cleaners, have your kids design and create their very own bubble wands. In the process, they’ll learn which materials are best-suited for the job.
7. Link to many more STEM activities!
Family Activities within The Triangle
There are so many things to do and learn within our community. No need to visit elsewhere when The Triangle has so much to offer. Why not take a staycation instead. Here is a list of fun-filled places to visit.
1. Visit the State Farmer's Market and enjoy fresh flowers, plants, produce and specialty items from North Carolina farmers in the 30,000-square-foot farmers building or browse market shops in the 15,600-square-foot Market Shoppes building. Dine at one of three restaurants: Market Grill, the State Farmers Market Restaurant or N.C. Seafood. 1201 Agriculture St., Raleigh, NC, 919.733.7417
2. Join the Wake County Library which has story times and puppet shows for preschoolers to writing and LEGO workshops for elementary school-aged kids, public libraries offer a variety of free programs for families.
3. Visit Sarah P. Duke Gardens and experience 55 acres of gardens in what has been called "the crown jewel of Duke University." Enjoy five miles of allées, walks and pathways through the gardens. Kids will enjoy walking across the "zig-zag bridge" and playing on the grass beside the large garden pond. Try out the organic food garden. 420 Anderson St., Durham, NC, 919.684.3698
4. Take a look at the RDU Observation Park. Watch planes land and take off from Raleigh-Durham International Airport's 10,000-foot runway. Listen to piped-in pilot-tower communications from the nearby Air Traffic Control Center, check out the play area, and take a picnic or dine at Crosswinds Café in the General Aviation Terminal. 2400 W. Terminal Blvd., Morrisville, NC, 919.840.2123
5. Play at Greystone Recreation Center designed for ages 5-12, this free indoor playground with a climbing structure and 8-foot traverse rock-climbing wall makes for a great rainy day destination. The center's rubber surface ensures safe landings. 7713-55 Lead Mine Road, Raleigh, NC, 919.996.4848
6. Visit the City of Raleigh Museum (COR) featuring exhibits that change periodically and focus on the history of the city, the museum is housed in the 1874 Briggs Building, which retains many of its original features, including the tin ceiling in the museum gallery. Free admission; a recommended donation of $5 for adults can be placed in the donation box in the gift shop. 220 Fayetteville St., Ste. 100, Raleigh, NC, 919.996.2220
7. Visit Historic Oak View County Park. This antebellum farmstead features an 1855 Greek Revival house, detached kitchen, cotton gin house, livestock barn, carriage house, pecan grove and herb garden. Enjoy picnic facilities and stop in the Farm History Center, where kids learn through play in the interactive “Farmer’s Corner.” Goats live together happily at Oak View, entertaining countless visitors with their silly humor! 4028 Carya Dr., Raleigh, NC, 919.250.1013
8. Stroll the JC Raulston Arboretum, a nationally acclaimed garden with one of the largest and most diverse collections of landscape plants adapted for landscape use in the Southeast. Plants especially adapted to Piedmont North Carolina conditions are collected and evaluated in an effort to find superior plants for use in southern landscapes. 4415 Beryl Road, Raleigh, NC,
919.515.3132
9. Take a sweet trip to the Videri Chocolate Factory. Discover the factory by taking a walk through the viewing area. The self-guided factory tour is set up museum-style with viewing windows that offer a peek into the chocolate production world. They make chocolate Monday - Friday from 10am - 3pm. At any point, they may be roasting cocoa beans, cooking caramel, loading the chocolate grinder, or manufacturing chocolate bars. Informational signs explain the chocolate making process from farm to factory. 327 W. Davie Street -Sweet 100, Raleigh, NC 919.755.5053
New Releases
The Good Egg
Meet the good egg. He’s a verrrrrry good egg indeed.
But trying to be so good is hard when everyone else is plain ol’ rotten.
As the other eggs in the dozen behave badly, the good egg starts to crack from all the pressure of feeling like he has to be perfect.
So, he decides enough is enough! It’s time for him to make a change…
I Survived the Battle of D-Day, 1944 (I Survived Series #18)
A Is for Awesome!: 23 Iconic Women Who Changed the World
Mira's Curly Hair
The Day I was Erased
Maxwell is constantly in trouble at school and at home, especially when he is wound up from hearing his parents argue. After hurting his best friend, he is banned from attending the school’s Centenary Ball.
Not wanting to miss out, Maxwell sneaks in but ends up in enormous trouble after switching off the electricity! He seeks solace with Reg, his trusted neighbour, but a strange turn of events transports Maxwell to a world where nobody, not even his parents or sister, recognise him. It’s as if he never existed.
Big Nate Payback Time
Look out, Big Nate fans—it’s payback time!