Fun Links - Lower School Science

Burke's Science Projects

Invention Convention - links to Invention Convention information and photos from last year's convention

Fun Science Webpages

Symphony of Science - science music videos!
A series of videos created by musician John Boswell, who has mixed and set to music clips of various famous scientists such as Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, Jane Goodall, Richard Dawkins, and Bill Nye. The scientists' voices have been auto-tuned to turn their speech into song, then linked together along thematic lines. The videos are taken from a variety of documentaries, interviews, etc. They are both visually beautiful and philosophically inspirational, drawing out an emotional response to science and speaking to why science matters to humanity.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
Every day brings a new, gorgeous astronomy photograph or image, accompanied by a brief explanation written in everyday language by a professional astronomer. 

Science News for Kids
This website, run by the same organization that publishes the biweekly magazine Science News, features articles about what's new in science. There are also weekly brainteasers, hands-on activities to try at home, and more.

The Exploratorium's "Explore" website
The well-known San Francisco science museum has a lot of fun information and activities on their website. 

Science Museums in the Bay Area

Here are some of the many science museums in the Bay Area. This list is not complete - if you know of other science museums, email Ms. McDonald and she will add them!

California Academy of Sciences - Recently reopened in Golden Gate Park, this museum houses a planetarium, an aquarium, a tropical rainforest, and a variety of other natural history exhibits.

Chabot Space and Science Center - This East Bay museum not only has a multitude of space exhibits, a planetarium and a dome-screen theater which shows educational films, it also houses three telescopes: "Nellie," "Rachel," and "Leah". Weather permitting, visitors may view the Sun, Moon and Venus on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and view the night sky (free!) on Friday and Saturday nights from 7:30 - 10:30 pm. 

Exploratorium - A very hands-on museum with exhibits about physical and biological science, human perception, and art and science. 

Randall Museum - The highlight of this free museum (donations are of course appreciated) is the animal room, home to over 100 rescued animals, which, either because they were born in captivity or because they have been injured, cannot survive in the wild.

San Francisco Zoo - Near the Great Highway, the zoo includes animals from all around the world. One unusual feature of our zoo is the Insect Zoo, which may be of special interest to kindergartners! The lemurs and the penguins are also favorites, but Ms. McDonald has to admit that she likes the capybara best of all.

The Tech - This San Jose museum features a variety of exhibits about the impact of technology on our lives and the potential it has for the future. The Tech also shows a variety of educational movies in its IMAX theater.

Parks and Other Adventures

More outdoorsy places to check out with your young naturalist. Again, email Ms. McDonald with your suggestions to add to this list!

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve - This special beach is the permanent home to a colony of harbor seals, but it's better known as the destination for the fourth grade tide pool field trip. The tide pools are of course only visible at low tide, so check a tide chart to plan your visit at the best time to see some amazing animals!

Marin Headlands - The third graders enjoy an overnight trip in May at the Headlands Institute, but anyone can visit the Headlands and enjoy the wildlife there! There are many things to see there--the Marine Mammal Center where rescued seals and sea lions are nursed back to health, the historical Point Bonita Lighthouse, Rodeo Beach with its "rainbow sand," and miles of hiking trails. 

Muir Woods National Monument - Just north of the Golden Gate Bridge is this world-famous redwood forest. The parking areas can be crowded on weekends or during the summer (arrive early if possible to avoid the parking crunch), but even on busy days, hiking a short distance away from the visitors' center leads you to a majestic, peaceful setting. If you want a less-travelled but equally beautiful redwoods experience and don't mind a bit of a drive, check out Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

San Francisco Botanical Garden - These beautiful gardens, free to the public in Golden Gate Park, are not only lovely but also educational. A variety of biomes are represented, from Australia to Africa to the cloud forest. Third graders may especially enjoy the California native plant area, where visitors can see many of the plants that the Ohlone Indians depended upon. Dinosaur fans should also visit the Primitive Plants garden to see what stegosaurus might have munched on.