Submit your idea for the Signature Cocktail for UNCORKED!

Calling all Mad Scientists & Mixologists...

Do you have what it takes to create a signature cocktail for UNCORKED, the Museum of Discovery's annual wine and beer tasting fundraising event on October 21, 2010?

This year's party theme is MAD SCIENTIST MASH and we envision serving the cocktail in test tubes (clean of course!). The winner will be given the opportunity to serve his/her cocktail at the event!

To be considered, email Katie McManners kmcmanners at amod dot org:

REQUIRED:

Name - Email Address - Phone number - Your birthdate - Name of drink - Ingredients/Instructions

OPTIONAL:

Photo of you and your drink - Museum of Discovery Member Number

DEADLINE: August 1, 2010

Abracadabra… It’s Magic!

Harry Houdini was a Hungarian-American magician and escapologist, stunt performer, actor and film producer. One of his most famous publicity stunts was to escape from a nailed and roped packing crate after it had been lowered into the water.

Houdini first performed the escape in New York's East River in July 1912. Because the police would not allow him to use a local pier, Houdini hired a tugboat. He invited members of the press on board. Houdini was locked in handcuffs and leg-irons, and then he stepped into a crate. The crate was nailed shut and ropes were wrapped around the crate. The crate was weighed with two hundred pounds of lead and lowered into water. Houdini escaped in fifty-seven seconds!

Houdini swam back to tugboat and when he arrived at the pier, he was fully dressed in his street clothes. The crate was pulled to the surface and found to still be intact with the handcuffs inside. Houdini would perform this escape many times, and even performed a version on stage, first at Hammerstein’s Roof Garden (where a 5,500-gallon tank was specially built), and later at the New York Hippodrome.

Want to know more about the magic behind magic? Come to the Museum of Discovery’s special event ABRACADABRA, July 1-3, 2010. Local magicians will perform at (look up showtimes on website).

The Science of Fireworks

Happy Independence Day, America!

To celebrate the Fourth of July, here is some fun information about fireworks.

What are fireworks made of? In their simplest form, fireworks consist of black powder, or gun powder, wrapped in paper, with a fuse.

What makes the fireworks go up so high? The amount of black powder and the length of the “time fuse” fuse determines how high the shell will go and when it will explode. What makes the fireworks explode? When the firework reaches the desired height, the time fuses lights the bursting charge. This releases the fine metal powders of the stars in all directions based on the way the shell was packed and this charge lights the outside of the stars, which begin to burn with bright showers of sparks.

What makes the fireworks light up? The bright white light is given off by the chemical element, magnesium. This happens when the magnesium is suddenly exposed to oxygen which causes it to burn. Other elements can be used such as aluminum, titanium, zinc, or iron. The electrons in these metal particles become hot and excited, giving off light, called photons. Different metals give off different colors of light.

Why are fireworks so loud? There may also be chemicals that make crackles or whistles. After bursting, the display may last for about 5 seconds. The tremendous booms that you hear are made of the rapid release of energy into the air. This air expands faster than the speed of sound and produces a shock wave called a sonic boom. Flash powder makes the noise.

Who knew something so magical could so scientific?

Happy Father's Day!

This Sunday is Father’s Day.
Let's all cheer for fathers.
It's the 100th anniversary of their day!

Like Mother’s Day, Father’s Day has a modern origin. The idea came to Mrs. John Dodd as she listened to a Mother’s Day sermon in 1909. She proposed to the Spokane Ministerial Association and the YMCA that they celebrate a “father’s day.”

The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910, in Spokane, and soon other towns had their own celebrations. Father’s Day became a permanent national holiday in 1972.

Contributed by Angela Burgess, former employee of the Museum and still a friend of the Museum of Discovery! Thanks Angi!

Fireflies, by McKenzie

Fireflies
Bright fun
Flying, glowing, loving
My hands for them
Lightning bugs.
-McKenzie

Reaching the Key

Look for a fun activity called "REACHING THE KEY" in the June 2010 issue of LIFE IN CHENAL. Below are some follow-up activities linked to Reaching the Key

Questions to Think about and Ask:• How is the building of this structure similar to the building of a real structure?
• Do you notice any similar shapes in the various structures created by the class?
• What surprised you as you were building?
• What strategies seemed to work best for building the structure?

Career Connection:
Structural Engineers design and construct large buildings called skyscrapers. Wouldn't it be exciting to see a building you designed as a structural engineer towering above you in New York, Chicago, or San Francisco?

Assess What Happened:
What are the different ways to solve Alice's dilemma of being too small to reach the table?

Curriculum Connection:
"The [science and technology] standard includes abilities of technological design; [students] identify a simple problem, propose a solution, implement proposed solutions, evaluate a product design, [and] communicate a problem, design, and solution." (NSES Standard)

VISIT ALICE'S WONDERLAND...going on NOW at the Museum of Discovery!

Favorite Homeschool Field Trip

The Museum of Discovery has been named 'Favorite Homeschool Field Trip' by the Homeschool Buyers Co-Op!


We have several day-time programs that many students do not get to take part in, but fortunately, since summer is just around the corner you and your child can experience the programs also!

Visit http://bit.ly/9DUwXi to learn more about our summer camps!

Mr. Boll Weevil by McKenzie

Mr. Boll weevil, do you think you could win
Fighting a roach in a boxing ring?
Before the fight you might give him a fright.
With your beady eyes before the first ding,
Do you think you're mean like a fighting machine
With a one, two punch and a kick?
Or are you just rotten from all the cotton
The farmers are trying to pick?
That roach may be bigger than you'll ever be
But you've got that needle head
Before you know it the fight will be over
And one of you will end up dead.

-Olivia, Monticello Intermediate School

Alice is Coming!

This 2,500 square foot exhibit opens May 31, 2010! Stay tuned for more information...

Celebrate the 11th annual DINO DASH, with this super easy crockpot recipe for "DINOSAUR EGG STEW." Important: use canned potatoes--fresh potatoes will break apart and you won't have your "dinosaur egg." Send pictures to marketing@amod.org of your family making the recipe and we may post them!


DINOSAUR EGG STEW

INGREDIENTS & EQUIPMENT
5 quart or larger crockpot
Can openers
Pan and spatula to brown the meat
A chopping knife
A stirring spoon

1 pound browned hamburger (can use turkey or omit for a meatless recipe)
2 cloves chopped garlic (can use 3-4 if you really love garlic!)
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced Italian seasoned tomatoes
1 can corn, drained (Katie omitted this in her recipe for B98)
2 cans whole baby potatoes, drained (unless you can find a great big can of potatoes)
1 can tomatoes with green chilies
1 can Ranch Style beans (with the baked beans in the grocery store)
1 cup water
sliced jalapeno peppers for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Brown the hamburger with the chopped garlic cloves on the stove top. Drain the fat. Let sit in the pan for a bit to cool. (If you don't mind the fat, try crisping a slice of peppered bacon for extra flavor, then browning the meat.)

Open all of the cans. Drain the corn and the potatoes then put in crockpot. Add all the contents of the other cans (including their liquids).

After adding all of the can contents, add the browned meat and a cup of water. Stir with a spoon to mix.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-5. Soup and stew tastes better the longer you cook it, so opt for the longer cooking time if you can.

Garnish with sliced jalapeno peppers, if desired.

Recycle your cans!

Thanks to A Year of Crockpot Cooking for this recipe!