Did You Know We Didn’t Know, But Now We Do (Maybe)???
Who hasn’t debated the question, “which came first the chicken or the egg?” It’s an age-old riddle that has perplexed generations. In 2010 British scientists at Sheffield and Warwick universities claim to have finally come up with the definitive answer: the chicken.
The scientists found that a protein found only in a chicken's ovaries is necessary for the formation of the egg. The egg can therefore only exist if it has been created inside a chicken. The protein speeds up the development of the hard shell, which is essential in protecting the delicate yolk and fluids while the chick grows inside the egg, the report said. "It had long been suspected that the egg came first but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first," said Dr. Colin Freeman, from Sheffield University’s Department of Engineering Materials.
But wait, it might not be so simple. Dr. Freeman went on to tell CNN that the result was not as conclusive as it seemed. "I would argue that the concept of an eggshell came about way before the chicken, it's a dinosaur or even pre-dinosaur thing.” So where did the chickens come from? Who knows, maybe their ancestor came from some sort of unknown dinosaur called a chickosaurus or rooster-rex! That’s another discovery for another set of scientists—maybe your children or students—on another day.
Here’s another science breakthrough to ponder. Why does hair turn grey? The answer to that might save many of us thousands of dollars! (More Science Mysteries)
Meet Blanca Irene Taboada: A Teacher Making A Difference!
May 8 is National Teacher’s Day and it seems appropriate to give a Quirkles shout out to one very special new teacher, Blanca Irene Taboada. A student teacher at Zaffirini Elementary School in Laredo, Texas, she and her supervising teacher, Mrs. Ana Fuentes, decided to take matters in their own hands to help us create a Spanish version of the Quirkles. It has always been on our to-do list, but between digital books, reprints and other Quirkles products, we just hadn’t tackled the translations yet. And the fact that there is a phonemic element too, makes it a bit more complicated. That didn’t deter Blanca though. Here is an excerpt of an email sent to us.
Hello. I am a student teacher doing my final block of student teaching and hopefully will be graduating this May. Mrs. Fuentes and I have been speaking about how amazing it would be to provide translations for these books. As a student teacher, I have been able to observe that my ELL students enjoy Friday Science Day and the fact that these books have been translated [helps them do so]. I do understand that some words cannot be translated for example: "H-for Hallie Heat" but I try my hardest to resemble at least the meaning of the word, for example, "Hallie Caliente," Caliente meaning 'Hot.’ I am looking forward to finishing the translations for the other books. We plan to record and send you all the video, so you all can see how excited and engaged the students are when it comes to learning about science. It makes me even wish we had these when I was growing up…Science is a subject that is difficult to teach but these books are exceptional!!!! I want to be of use to you all because these translations can plant the seed for ELL students to LOVE science!
Blanca’s work has been reviewed by a consultant working with us and her translations have been deemed exceptional. Hopefully, thanks in large part to her hard work, and a supervising teacher who took steps to contact us, a Quirkles version in Spanish will be available in the near future!
Let’s face it. Children are fascinated by volcanoes and love any and all types of experiments and activities that model a volcano eruption. The Quirkles Vinnie Volcano is a favorite as students read the adventurous story and create eruptions using a variety of materials. But there is obviously a very serious side to volcanoes and older students in particular can learn much from the real life story of Mount St. Helens. While that fateful day is ancient history to them, many parents and grandparents remember much about the incredible power and fury of nature that was demonstrated that day.
On May 18, 1980, at 8:32 PDT, Mount Saint Helens erupted, the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in the history of the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, Mount St. Helens, Washington, is the most active volcano in the Cascade Range. Its most recent series of eruptions began in 1980 when a large landslide and powerful explosive eruption created a large crater, and ended six years later after more than a dozen extrusions of lava built a dome in the crater. Larger, longer lasting eruptions have occurred in the volcano's past and are likely to occur in the future. Although the volcano seems to have returned to a period of quiet, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and University of Washington Geophysics Program continue to closely monitor Mount St. Helens for signs of renewed activity. Learn more about the Mount St. Helens volcano here.
On a lighter note, here’s a delicious way to teach young children about magma using chocolate. (Click here for another fun science experiment). Take it even a step further and make your science lesson more inquiry based by trying “Vinnie Volcano’s Chocolate Meltdown” with different types of chocolate—dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate. Measure the differences in melting time. What might impact this?
Volcano Eggs…Another fun Science Activity
Still trying to get rid of those last few eggs you bought for Easter? How many eggs did you really think you would decorate? This may be just your answer. Follow Quirkles co-creator Terri Johnson as she demonstrates how to make volcano eggs with KOLR’s Rob Evans.
Want Free Stuff?
Download the free Quirkles coloring page and activity sheets featured in May.
