Teacher News from DCI
Anne Church
Teacher Updates from the Discovery Center
October 4, 2011
Teachers Night Out
Teachers Night Out at the Watershed on September 22 was a great success. We enjoyed seeing so many of you there – and hope you enjoyed our tasty Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream! Please remember that our Outreach team is ready to bring exciting science programs and activities like that right to your school. Call Outreach Coordinator Tori Powers at 287-4235 for more details.
October at the Discovery Center
Students intrigued by robotics will enjoy the free Boise ‘Bot Competition on October 8, from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. They can borrow a kit to design a robot to compete, or just watch the fun—and see the Boise Police Department put its Bomb ‘Bot through its paces at 2:00 that afternoon! Robotics classes are offered throughout the year, listed on the DCI website. Then “Halloween Night at the Museum” offers your students and their families a chance to enjoy all the traditional fun of Halloween with none of the fright. We’re brewing up an evening of tricks and treats, costumes and prizes –added to all of our usual interactive exhibits. The fun lasts from 6-8 pm on Monday, October 31, and costs just $4 each/$12 per household – with Discovery Center members admitted free!
Field Trips
Planning a field trip to the Discovery Center? Just email a.ch...@scidaho.org with the date and time you prefer, and the grade level and number in your group– or call Anne Church at 287-4236. Admission for groups of 10 or more is just $2.50 per student, and free for Title 1 schools. Through December, our lively 20–minute demonstrations are also free for all groups. In October, we present “Simple Machines,” and “Matter & Molecules” takes center stage in November and December. From January–March, demonstrations cost $25. January features “Sound FX” and in February, “Volts & Jolts.”Our April-May presentation, “All about Nothing,” costs $35.
Calling all inventors!
Two exciting, upcoming events will give creative, innovative students a chance to showcase their talents. The first is the Kids Invent! Tinker Challenge that runs through October 16. For details, just follow this link: http://www.kidsinvent.com/tinker01.asp . The Tinker Challenge is a great way for them to hone their skills and prepare for the Discovery Center’s traditional, annual invention contest. Now including a science contest as well. In recognition of its redesign, our contest has also been renamed – The Tournament of Innovation. The information below provides details you will need to help encourage your students to take part in this exciting, rewarding event, with the complete packet available at: http://dcidaho.org/TofI .
(Formerly “Invent Idaho”)
Summary Information
REGIONAL COMPETITIONS
Schools, districts and solo competitors register for the Regional Tournament of Innovation in their area. Competitors submit projects in one of three categories and compete against students in similar grade levels. Winning projects are selected from the Regional to move on to the Finals. Home-school groups and virtual schools may also participate as a school. Please review the Participation Form for details; deadline December 1, 2011.
GRADE LEVEL DIVISIONS
K-2nd 3rd & 4th 5th & 6th 7th & 8th 9th – 12th
Competitors in 9th – 12th grade, contact your regional coordinator for additional information for your grade division.
CATEGORIES (Grades K – 8th)
WORKING INVENTIONS
This category includes projects where students have produced a prototype of the invention that actually functions, in addition to accomplishing the stated goal. Competitors in this category must state a problem and then build their solution. This could be a new idea or an adaptation of an existing idea.
NON-WORKING INVENTIONS
This category is for inventions that would be too large, expensive or technical to build. Entries in this category must be more than just a drawing; each entry must include a “blueprint” as well as a three-dimensional model or sample. Inventions in this category can be new ideas or adaptations; they can be realistic or fantastical. Future space ideas are included in this category.
SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS
Entries in this category demonstrate the student’s knowledge of a particular topic in the fields of science, technology, engineering or math. Students must pose a question and then provide their conclusion by presenting independently researched data to support/refute their hypothesis.