Education Station Feb. 2008

Hello again, Ventura County Teachers!

Here is our first science newsletter for 2008. We have just returned from the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show. The theme this year was North American Minerals. The Tucson Show is the premier show in the entire world with guest and displays from all over the world. I will attach some pictures for you. They are truly awe inspiring. We truly have some of the very best world class mineral locations in our country.

Red White & Blue case from Huston Club (Note: largest specimens are more than a foot wide.)

The Ventura Gem and Mineral Club’s Show is coming up in a couple of weeks, March 1 & 2. I spoke to the organizer of the educational area last night and he said they have several things for you. They have Obsidian and Magnetite as rock samples. The first fossils are also going to be available—fossil whalebone and fossil shells from our local area. I will be there with the Earth Science Kits, as well as a sign up sheet for Mineral Information Institute’s five teacher packets. (If you have gotten the newsletter very long you know this is one of my favorite education sites!) The show will have lots of activities for kids—fossil kits to paint, mineral and fossil coloring stations, sand sifting for stones and sharks teeth. Look for the Diamond Dan publications. They don’t have a lot left and YOU might enjoy them as much as the kids. Lots of fun activities for the kids and if a little science sneaks in with it, even better! The Ventura club is known for their fossil expertise and Junior Education. If you have questions on where to find your own fossils or what something you have found is—that is the place. Their show cases are among the best in California and admission is free. There are free polished rocks for the kids and free rock samples and posters for you. It is in the produce building at the Fairgrounds.

Nest of baby dinosaurs at one of the dealers booths

Ventura is the home club of Jim Brace-Thompson who wrote our Teacher’s Manual and is Junior Education Chairman for California and American Federations. He has written the Junior Rockhound Program for all the Clubs to use. If you have a child who is interested in rocks or fossils, catch up with Jim at the show to ask about the program. It is set up in a similar manner to the boy scouts merit badge program with the kids earning badges after each accomplishment. It is a marvelous program and just added 6 new badges. If you know or are parents that home school, this is a great way to teach geology so that the kids don’t realize all that they are stuffing in their brains!

California Gold display (Note;” Dragon” specimen in center is about a foot tall.)

Another gem show to keep an eye out for is the California Federation Show that will be at the fairgrounds in June. This is a statewide show put on by all the clubs in the state and will have lots of education advantages for you. More on this in later newsletters.

Florissant minerals for sale at Tucson (under black light)

I have some good websites for you too.

http://pwrengineering.com/educational/space_exp_page2.html

This first is a website from Pratt Whitney who makes space craft engines among other things. This page has games in the middle of the page that have space themes—on the bottom are fact sheets, bookmarks, a space “cube” and lots of things to print out—but the best thing is on the right side of the page there are four sets of free screen savers (can also be used for desktops) of space pictures, seven sets that are somewhat commercial but have some great pictures, and last but not least, are four nature sets. All 15 sets have 10 or 12 pictures in each set. They are beautiful for classroom use and I bet you end up with at least one set on your home computer!

http://volcano.und.edu/

Volcano World is one of my favorite sites also. You can spend a whole day wondering around this site. I am putting you in at the homepage, but they have links that go to partners everywhere—USGS and the Smithsonian to mention a couple. They have rock pictures, vocabulary, pictures and info on every volcano you can imagine! Here are some links from their site that I recommend.

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/vwlessons/monroeville/monroeville.html Sixth grade class project on building volcanos

http://volcano.und.edu/vwintl/vwintl.html New eruption pictures

http://hvo.wr.usgs.gov/gallery/kilauea/volcanomovies/ Dramatic volcano videos (need advanced Quicktime viewer for this one but well worth it if you have it)

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/current_volcs/ikonos/ikonos.html Views of volcanos from Space

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/kids/legends.html Some Volcano legends

http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/kids/art/newart.html Kids Volcano Art

If you have a section on volcanoes and the kids draw volcanoes, put the pictures on this website (10 at a time). Don’t have the time or equipment? Call me (647-8762) and I will pick the pictures up and put them on. There aren’t many from California on there. I would love to see some from our kids. Also have the kids check out the kids pages. They have some good stories- Rocky’s Adventures that sneak some geology.

These next three sites are for earthquake curriculum. All good info.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/states/california/history.php Thumbnail History of Ca. significant Earthquakes from the first felt in 1769 by Portola’s Expedition to the 1952 Kern Co. Earthquake.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/hazmaps/products_data/images/nshm_us02.gif Earthquake hazard map for the entire U.S. (note the Mississippi River or New Madrid “loading” fault zone)

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/qfaults/ca/lax.html Map that shows the significant faults in our area

Geode from Brazil at dealer in Tucson

If your school is waiting for an Earth Science Kit, I have good news for you! We have 90 kits in various stages of being finished at the moment. So, many schools will be delivered soon, some by the end of this school year and many beginning when you get back from summer break. Due for the next 30 kits will be Ventura’s Middle and High Schools, Somis schools, a couple of Camarillo Schools that got in early and the beginning of Oxnard’s schools.

Some of the mineral specimens for sale at one dealer in Tucson

It will soon be time for the Science Fair. Be sure to stop by Ventura County’s Mineral Socities booth in the commercial building. We will be there.

Goodbye till the next newsletter!