Come Dissect a Frog!

When people find out that I am a biology teacher, the one question I have gotten more than any other is have you ever done a frog dissection (frog  Of course I have, it is one of my favorite topics to teach.  It is a unique experience that people always seem to remember vividly.  I particularly enjoy seeing the look on kids faces when they find out they are going to dissect frogs.  For most, it is a look of excitement, but there are always a few kids who are nervous at the idea but most of the time, they come around.  For the school that came into the Science Museum of Long Island this week, they couldn’t have been happier to dissect the frogs and went away with a great experience.

dissection?).

Our afterschool programs are a great way to give your child a similar experience.  In December, there are some exciting programs including Fur, Scales, Snouts, and Tails for kindergarten, Wiggly Wonders for 1^st and 2^nd grade, Exploring the Earth for 3^rd and 4^th, and Advanced Forensics for 5^th and up.  These are sure to be exciting programs so don’t miss out.

Dan

Outreach Programs

Anyone who is familiar with the Science Museum knows we do programs here for schools, after school workshops, birthday parties, holiday programs and scout badges.  A lot of people are surprised to learn that we do programs off site as well.

Over the last few years we have really expanded where we go with our classes.  I personally enjoy getting to bring science to groups of students who may not have gotten the chance to see and learn all the exciting lessons we do if not for our outreach programs. 

We do after school programs at the Sid Jacobson JCC, Guggenheim JCC, Roslyn and even school districts further away like Baldwin and Oceanside.  Of course we are always looking to bring our science classes to new places and districts.

With my class this session at the Guggenheim JCC after school we have covered exciting topics like Kitchen Chemistry, Reptiles and Slime, Goo and Ooze.  I think one of their favorite lessons so far was about air since each child got to take a turn riding on our homemade Hovercraft.  The children seem to really enjoy science being able to come to them. 

We know there are many districts and nursery schools that are not able to get bussing to come here.  So instead, we go off site and bring our lessons to them during the day.  In my nine years at the Science Museum, I have seen teachers travel to schools in Queens to all the way out to eastern Suffolk County.  We have even made treks to Manhattan, the Bronx and Eastchester just to make sure children all around the area would be able to experience the fun, hands on science we have to offer. 

Take a look around your neighborhood.  You may see our Science Museum van driving around town or pulling up to a school near you.

-Jennifer

Summer in November?

Now that the building has been de-spookified, we teachers here at SMLI have been busy prepping for one of our busier times of the year. Our November board is packed with school field trips, scout overnights, holiday programs and more.  But, amongst all of that, we’ve also been taking lots of time to prep for our truly busiest time of the year; summer! It may seem crazy to be thinking about summer camp 2015 so soon, but we like to be prepared. Multiple brainstorming sessions have helped us enhance and design some exciting new themes for next summer! Make sure to look out for our summer camp brochure when it’s finally completed.

                  Some of you might know that I teach the nursery program here at the museum. Children starting as young as 3 can join us once a week for some exciting scientific exploring. Each class involves an activity related to a specific science topic, a short snack-time, as well as creating a craft to take home! Probably the best thing about our nursery program is our flexibility. Families that are interested in a specific days and times can gather their friends together to create a class that works perfectly for them. Our Winter Sessions begins in December, so make sure to call Rosemarie, our registrar, to look into setting up a class, or joining an already existing one.

Meet Casey our new Science Educator

Hello, Hello!

Greetings to all! For those of you who don’t yet know me, my name is Casey and I’m the newest teacher here at SMLI.  I enjoyed meeting many of our members during summer camp and look forward to an eventful and fun year ahead.

Frankie from our Halloween Family Fun Party

This was my first Halloween with SMLI and I had a blast.  It was so much fun to see all the costumes and I loved the spooky walk through the preserve.  Halloween is after all one of my absolute favorite times of the year! I really hope everyone else had a great holiday weekend as well, but don’t eat too much candy. J  

Speaking of candy, I’m excited for our upcoming Holiday programs. On November 11^th we have Candy Chemistry! Come learn all the fun you can create with candy. We also have lots of wonderful holiday programs scheduled for December. 

I’m really enjoying working in such a beautiful setting and encourage everyone to stop by and admire the 36 acre preserve as all the trees are breathtaking in their brilliant fall colors.  Soon everything will be covered with a light dusting of snow and it’ll be like a whole new place.  One of the beauties of living where we do is getting to see the change of the seasons and I’m eager to see it all here with you!

  

Come visit soon!