Archuleta County 4-H

YOUR PLANET NEEDS YOU!

Check out “Flip N’ Flow,” a brand-new, interactive online game featuring Nickelodeon’s animated boy-genius Jimmy Neutron. The game is in support of 4 H’s Science, Engineering and Technology communications campaign to spark youth interest in science and Nickelodeon’s “Big Green Help” environmental awareness campaign.

PBS KIDS

Safe site for kids cloverbud age and younger. Parents, check out the Parent Link for advice on tough kid questions. Read the latest kids book reviews and learn about tv programs to enhance their development.

The Kids’ Science Challenge is a nationwide competition for 3rd to 6th graders. Kids are encouraged to learn about four fun scientific fields and then submit a question, problem, or experiment to be solved, working together with a scientist or engineer. The scientific fields are: flavor science, water quality, skateboard engineering, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI). Winners will receive a trip to visit the scientists to work collaboratively on their question, problem or experiment, and will be featured on Pulse of the Planet radio programs and podcasts.

The Kids’ Science Challenge is providing a variety of educational resources to encourage kids to learn about the scientific fields, to help them in preparing an entry for the competition. The web site (Kids Science Challenge), includes scientific backgrounds, downloadable science projects, lesson plans for classroom or after-school use, fun videos and educational games. At imbee.com kids can sign up to join a group to discuss their ideas online, and at Whyville.net they can participate in live chats with the scientists and engineers. Links are provided on the Kids’ Science Challenge web site.

The first 1000 kids to enter the competition will receive free science activity kits (a portion of these have been set aside for 4-H applicants). These hands-on kits include a fingerboard skateboard, water test strips, flavor tasting strips, and a CD with a secret coded message from “aliens.” Complete instructions are included.

As a special incentive to 4-H group leaders, the mentors for the next ten team entries to the competition will receive a free Hach water testing kit for additional science learning activities, and each kid on the teams will receive an individual bonus prize! The Challenge begins on October 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM EST and expires at 11:59 PM EST on January 31, 2009.