Family STEM Connection
Late Fall/Early Winter Edition Vol. 1, Issue 2
Welcome to the Family STEM Connection, Boone Meadow’s quarterly newsletter about all things STEM!
Welcome back to the Family STEM Connection, Boone Meadow’s quarterly newsletter about all things STEM! It is our goal to help families become more connected to our school community and to help children transfer their classroom learning to the world outside school as well. We view parents as partners with us in student learning and success.
Read on to see what concepts we are exploring this quarter and how you can join us in our learning!
Physical Science & Engineering/Design
Physical Science & Engineering and Design- This quarter all of Boone Meadow will be studying either physical science or engineering. These topics will spill over into third quarter as well. Our classroom teachers will guide students through hands-on science investigations like building and testing vehicle designs, investigating how sounds travels through different materials, designing hamster habitats, and designing toy box organizers.
We invite you to get involved this quarter, too! Talk to your children about what they are exploring and learning in the classroom, try out some of our At Home Activities and Family Field Trip ideas. Maybe your child will be inspired to participate in our upcoming science fair. You can help with that, too!
STEM quarter 2 overview
STEM Family Gathering
What: Sandhill Crane Migration Viewing
When: This Saturday evening, November 20.
What time: Leave from BME at 3:00 p.m.
Where: Jasper Pulaski Wildlife Refuge, Sandhill Crane Viewing Area, 5353 County Rd 1650 W, Medaryville, IN 47957
Bring: Very warm clothing (hats, gloves, coats and scarves); snacks or a picnic for the car trip; binoculars if you have them.
Our caravan of BME families will leave from the Boone Meadow front parking lot at 3:00 p.m. for the 95 mile, 1 hour 40 minute drive to the Jasper-Pulaski Wildlife Refuge. We will get to observe thousands of Sandhill Cranes during their yearly migration. Nightly, just before sunset (5:27 p.m.), the cranes fly overhead and land in front of the viewing platform for their nightly congregation. Last year at this time, more than 20,000 cranes gathered. This is a truly amazing wildlife spectacle to observe right in our back yard! Connect this to our science content of energy and motion by discussing the flight of the cranes, the quality of their sounds, and how the sound travels. Learn More Here
Quarter 3 - Science Fair
Click here to join the meeting
Interested in the first ever Boone Meadow Science Fair? All students in grades K-4 are invited to work on projects at home and share them with our school community in January. Project proposals are due December 13th. Fourth grade students will also have the opportunity to submit their projects to the central Indiana region of the state science fair that will take place in March. Attend this virtual meeting with Mrs. Benson to find out more and get your questions answered. Request a paper copy of our information packet here.
Family Field Trip Ideas...
Family Field Trip Ideas – Field trips can provide context for understanding the content students at school. While it’s cold outside, check out some of these indoor opportunities. (All three museums have reduced price, $2 admission, for qualifying families through the Indiana Access Pass program.):
FREE – National Geographic Live – View From Above – Tuesday, Nov. 16th , 7pm at Butler’s Clowes Hall; Hear from former International Space Station Commander Terry Virts about the coolest parts of being an astronaut. Use promo code EDUCATION for free tickets.
Rhythm Discovery Center in Indianapolis explores the physics of sound combined with music.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – museum, track tours, and $2 admission for qualifying families
Wonderlab Museum of Science, Health, and Technology – You may have spent a lot of time at the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, but have you been just down the road to Wonderlab in Bloomington?
At Home Activities –
Feedback and Partnerships Requested:
We want to hear from you! Do you have expertise in a physical science field or engineering that you (or the company you work for) could share with our students? Do you have other field trip ideas or suggestions for at home activities to try? Do you have questions about our program that you would like us to answer? Email Mrs. Benson directly or record your thoughts in this simple FORM.
Contact Us
Email: thundley@zcs.k12.in.us
Website: https://bme.zcs.k12.in.us/
Location: 5555 South Main Street, Whitestown, IN, USA
Phone: 317-873-2226
Twitter: @ZCSBoone_Meadow