Learn how to make a kaleidoscope in this fun STEM/science activity and craft for kids. It’s such a fun way to explore light, reflections, and symmetry! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! *This post was originally published 2/2/16 and has since been updated. Last week I made these super fun kaleidoscopes with my …
Very few plants can actually trap their own food and none can go grocery shopping so plants need to make their food by themselves if they want to eat!
Setting up opportunities for your child to explore science doesn’t have to be complicated or time consuming. Here are 1o of our favorite science activities for kids that are super easy to set up at home! Follow our Science for Kids Pinterest board! Have you ever seen the look of pure joy and excitement on …
so remember how i hoard jars...well i've decided to do something with them! the first round was all about painting....(you can go HERE) this round is all for kids....... You might have seen this lava
WOW kids with this easy dancing raisins science experiments for kids teaching about chemical reactions between baking soda and vinegar.
First of all...I SOO greatly apologize for being M I A for over a month! Wow! I guess that just explains how crazy this beginning of the sc...
Our favorite 2nd grade anchor charts for math, language arts, and beyond. You'll definitely want to use some of these in your classroom.
See how paper clips defy gravity and fly into your hands using a magnet. Experiment to learn about the properties of magnet and gravity.
How can sound be waves? It is a hard concept for kids. Try these 7 science experiments for kids to SEE sound. Learn the 5 senses with STEM activities.
October 12, 2016 Although commonly associated with psychiatric disorders, healthy people can also have visual hallucinations after taking drugs, being sleep deprived or suffering migraines. Credit: Shutterstock A new method for inducing, modelling and measuring visual hallucinations in healthy individuals suggests these complex experiences share a common underlying mechanism with normal visual perception, UNSW researchers say. Although commonly associated with psychiatric disorders, healthy people can also have visual hallucinations after taking drugs, being sleep deprived or suffering migraines. These involuntary experiences are thought to arise when spontaneous changes in the brain temporarily hijack visual function, but the exact causes and underlying mechanisms aren't fully understood. "We have known for more than 100 years that flickering light can cause almost anyone to experience a hallucination," says UNSW Associate Professor Joel Pearson from the School of Psychology. "However, the unpredictability, complexity and personal nature of these hallucinations make them difficult to measure scientifically," he says. The content of these visions – including colours and forms that appear and how they move around – are constantly changing over time and are inherently subjective. "Previous studies have typically relied on drawings and verbal descriptions, but these don't provide us with a way to precisely identify the mechanisms in our brain that cause hallucinations," says Pearson. One of the grand challenges in the field has been inducing hallucinations in the lab that are stable and identical for all people. Now, thanks to Pearson and his team, this is possible. It means they can scientifically measure the strength of hallucinations without relying on subjective descriptions. Using a flickering white light against a black backdrop, the UNSW team was able to induce visual hallucinations in a number of healthy volunteers, causing them to 'see' pale grey blobs. It is recommended that anyone with a history of migraines, epilepsy or psychiatric disorders refrain from watching the video below. You should see pale grey blobs appear in the ring and rotate around it, first in one direction and then the other. "With our technique we get rid of the unpredictability. People don't see windmills, lines, or different colours; they just hallucinate grey blobs. Once the hallucination is stable like this, with just the blobs, we can start to objectively investigate the underlying mechanisms," says Pearson. "Nobody has been able to do this before, because they haven't been able to overcome this key challenge. Understanding how Parkinson’s patients experience visual mental imagery is providing hope that their uncontrolled hallucinations can be treated. Credit: defeatparkinsons.com Using new techniques, they were able to measure the strength of the hallucinations, and pinpoint that the hallucinations were arising inside the visual cortex – the region of the brain that processes visual information and allows us to see. "The induced hallucinations also seem to obey many of the same laws and properties as normal visual perception," says Pearson. The team's results are published today in the journal eLife and comes as Australia marks Mental Health Week. Pearson says the next step is to investigate whether the experimental methods can be used to model hallucinations produced by psychiatric disorders. The team has begun working with people with Parkinson's disease. "Not everyone who gets Parkinson's has hallucinations," says Pearson. "If we can use these models to study their hallucinations, we can find out what might be causing them, and hopefully learn more about other symptoms that accompany natural hallucinogenic states." Healthy volunteers reported seeing pale grey blobs appear in the ring and rotate around it, first in one direction and then the other. Credit: Joel Pearson "It will help inform us about what is happening pathologically in the brain during hallucinations, and ultimately help us develop new treatments." "As we mark Mental Health Week, this study highlights the urgent importance of translational science for understanding and developing new treatments for mental health. "The World Economic Forum has predicted mental health care will cost around six trillion a year by 2030, so we urgently need new methods and laboratory models to understand mental illness," says Pearson. Flickering lights and a pale grey blob – how the scientists induced and measured hallucinations The volunteers were university students with no history of migraines or psychiatric disorders. The students watched an image of a plain white ring flicker on and off up to around 130 times per second against a black background. To measure the hallucinations, the team placed a second ring marked with permanent grey blobs inside the white ring. By stating whether the hallucinated blobs were lighter or darker than the real blobs, the participants were able to communicate how strong the hallucination was. Credit: Joel Pearson All individuals reported seeing pale grey blobs appear in the ring and rotate around it, first in one direction and then the other. To measure the hallucinations, the team placed a second ring marked with permanent grey blobs inside the white ring. By stating whether the hallucinated blobs were lighter or darker than the real blobs, the participants were able to communicate how strong the hallucination was. Using behavioural science techniques, the team was able to demonstrate that the hallucinations were arising inside the visual cortex, without the need for MRI scans. They did this by showing volunteers two flickering-lights – one for each eye, displayed out of synchrony. These lights were flashing about 2.5 times per second – a relatively slow rate, which normally doesn't induce strong hallucinations, explains Pearson. But the volunteers were experiencing hallucinations consistent with lights flashing about 5 times per second. "They were combining the signals from the two eyes. This really only happens in the visual cortex, not in the eye, or other initial processing areas of the brain," says Pearson. Working with mathematicians from the University of Pittsburgh, the team developed neural models of the visual cortex to try to understand what was happening. Pearson likens these models to the vibrational phenomena known as cymatics, where sound frequencies can be seen pushing sand grains into geometric patterns. "Rather than a metal plate and sand, we're talking about the visual cortex, where we see these reverberating, self-organising patterns of activity. We think this could be how the brain is creating the hallucination, and it might also help to explain normal consciousness, and our experience of what's happening around us every day." Provided by: University of New South Wales Video:"http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-breakthrough-door-hallucinations-scientifically.html http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-10-breakthrough-door-hallucinations-scientifically.html
These five senses activities help kids learn about our senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell and taste. They are suitable for kids in kindergarten, first
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
Our next activity was to recreate a tsunami. In a flat pan, the kids built up a sandy beach (sand, corn flour) and built little houses. Then they added water and created an earthquake. It didn't work when the kids hit the table with the bat, but when the table was given a good shake the tsunami hit fill force. Click here to save this activity for later on Pinterest: Every few years, we circle around to cover basic material again. We have a new Natural Disaster's Packet that you might be interested in. It has notebook pages and lapbook pieces. Our Natural Disasters Packet has notebook pages and worksheets as well as some hands-on activity ideas covering the following events: Flooding Mudslides Tsunami Tornado Hurricane, cyclone, typhoon Blizzard Heat Wave Drought Wildfire Sinkholes (This is currently free over at our new location, homeschoolden.com.) Our Earth Science Unit also touches on Tsunamis in the Volcanic Hazards section: Ocean Unit -- Marine Habitats, Tides, Ocean Wave Phases, the Ocean Zones, water form words (bay, strait, fjord, etc.), Features of the Ocean Floor, Deep Ocean Creatures, Bioluminescence You may be interested in the Earth Science Unit we did more recently -- and be sure to check out our Earth Science Unit Study Packet! It includes worksheets about the solar system, the layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, the ring of fire, earthquake activity and volcanoes. I also included more than a dozen hands-on activities we did with this unit including activities about plate tectonics, using a compass, earthquakes, volcanoes, instructions on how to make a shake table and more! Earth Science Packet: See how to make a shake table here: See our Gelatin Volcano Earth Science Activity here: Se our Tissue Paper Volcano Activity here: Hope you visit our new location at homeschoolden.com (the links above take you there!) or come visit us at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page. :) ~Liesl P.S. We have lots of other units. Here are the links to check those out Characteristics of Animals - Vertebrates and Invertebrates Unit Simple Machines Skeletal System Digestive System Unit A Study of Cells Civics and Government States of Matter- Changing States of Matter Unit Solids, Liquids, Gases Animal Unit Biology Unit Ocean Unit Packet You might also be interested in this FREE Resource Guide: How to Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum: K, Gr. 1 See you again soon at our new website location, homeschoolden.com, or at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter! ~Liesl
Finn has had such a passion for volcanoes over the last few months, that we decided to turn his obsession with volcanic eruptions into a sc...
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Complete tutorial showing how to do an SC (single crochet). With written lessons and videos! Everything about crochet doll, basic amigurumi stitches, and patterns. #amigurumi #crochet
Et pourquoi ne pas apprendre tout en passant un moment agréable ? Faites-leur découvrir la science et la physique grâce à 10 jeux amusants
Introduce kids to binary code by teaching them to code their names - in jewelry!
How strong is spaghetti? Challenge kids to invent a way to find out! This STEM challenge is a lot of fun, and you won’t need much in the way of materials! Here are the materials we used: 1 package of spaghetti 2 sheets of styrofoam – purchased at Hobby Lobby Books Wooden blocks We started our […]
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
Our next activity was to recreate a tsunami. In a flat pan, the kids built up a sandy beach (sand, corn flour) and built little houses. Then they added water and created an earthquake. It didn't work when the kids hit the table with the bat, but when the table was given a good shake the tsunami hit fill force. Click here to save this activity for later on Pinterest: Every few years, we circle around to cover basic material again. We have a new Natural Disaster's Packet that you might be interested in. It has notebook pages and lapbook pieces. Our Natural Disasters Packet has notebook pages and worksheets as well as some hands-on activity ideas covering the following events: Flooding Mudslides Tsunami Tornado Hurricane, cyclone, typhoon Blizzard Heat Wave Drought Wildfire Sinkholes (This is currently free over at our new location, homeschoolden.com.) Our Earth Science Unit also touches on Tsunamis in the Volcanic Hazards section: Ocean Unit -- Marine Habitats, Tides, Ocean Wave Phases, the Ocean Zones, water form words (bay, strait, fjord, etc.), Features of the Ocean Floor, Deep Ocean Creatures, Bioluminescence You may be interested in the Earth Science Unit we did more recently -- and be sure to check out our Earth Science Unit Study Packet! It includes worksheets about the solar system, the layers of the Earth, plate tectonics, the ring of fire, earthquake activity and volcanoes. I also included more than a dozen hands-on activities we did with this unit including activities about plate tectonics, using a compass, earthquakes, volcanoes, instructions on how to make a shake table and more! Earth Science Packet: See how to make a shake table here: See our Gelatin Volcano Earth Science Activity here: Se our Tissue Paper Volcano Activity here: Hope you visit our new location at homeschoolden.com (the links above take you there!) or come visit us at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page. :) ~Liesl P.S. We have lots of other units. Here are the links to check those out Characteristics of Animals - Vertebrates and Invertebrates Unit Simple Machines Skeletal System Digestive System Unit A Study of Cells Civics and Government States of Matter- Changing States of Matter Unit Solids, Liquids, Gases Animal Unit Biology Unit Ocean Unit Packet You might also be interested in this FREE Resource Guide: How to Create Your Own Homeschool Curriculum: K, Gr. 1 See you again soon at our new website location, homeschoolden.com, or at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page! Don’t forget to Subscribe to our Homeschool Den Newsletter! ~Liesl
Elevate your project management skills with this comprehensive guide to the scrum framework and agile planning.
ISO 9001:2008 International Standard promotes the adoption of a process approach and PDCA cycle when developing, implementing and improving the effectiveness of a quality management system, to enha…
Finn has had such a passion for volcanoes over the last few months, that we decided to turn his obsession with volcanic eruptions into a sc...
Love this post? Then pass it on!
Complete tutorial showing how to do an SC (single crochet). With written lessons and videos! Everything about crochet doll, basic amigurumi stitches, and patterns. #amigurumi #crochet
We've got a secret. Not many people know this but a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away... we worked for Darth Vader (DV). We were doing some Scrum coaching to help rebuild the Death Star and to do it right. In our discussions with DV, we asked him, "Why Scrum?" He confided in us that while...
Et pourquoi ne pas apprendre tout en passant un moment agréable ? Faites-leur découvrir la science et la physique grâce à 10 jeux amusants
Introduce kids to binary code by teaching them to code their names - in jewelry!
This series of questions is a quiz to see just exactly how much you know about Agile, and which House of Cards you are in …
Project managers are in charge of overseeing every aspect of a project, while Scrum masters ensure that their teams adhere to Scrum standards.
How strong is spaghetti? Challenge kids to invent a way to find out! This STEM challenge is a lot of fun, and you won’t need much in the way of materials! Here are the materials we used: 1 package of spaghetti 2 sheets of styrofoam – purchased at Hobby Lobby Books Wooden blocks We started our […]
Hi teacher friends, Ancient Civilizations has to be my favorite curriculum to teach. I find the ancient world fascinating, with all the different traditions, inventions, rituals, building structures, gods and goddesses. I could probably spend the whole year just focusing on Egypt alone, with its pyramids, their social hierarchy with pharaohs, and interesting
The debate about the overlap between Scrum Master and Project Manager roles continues. Many commentators and bloggers strongly advise against combining the two roles, yet many role descriptions and j
The activities below are available for free download, and are to be used in educational and/or private settings. They may not be used elsewhere or for other purposes (such as for profit) unless exp…
Balloon rockets, naked eggs, and biodomes ... so many hands-on ways to learn!
Image 12 of 15 from gallery of Nordahl Grieg High School / LINK arkitektur. Photograph by LINK arkitektur
