Sticky Science

Return of the Black-footed Ferret (page 3)

Classroom Link: Biology

Students may enjoy watching a video of the ferret release in Grasslands National Park. More about the ferrets and Grasslands National Park can be found here.

This site includes several classroom activities on black-footed ferrets and ferret recovery programs.

Buried Bonanza (page 4)

Classroom Links: Archaeology

Students may enjoy this news clip on the discovery and this slide show of several of the objects discovered by Mr. Herbert.

Note: Regulations regarding ownership on discoveries such as this vary from location to location. In some places, a discovery of this nature would become the property of the state. Students should understand the importance of contacting authorities if any artefact is discovered. It is best that archaeologists excavate materials in situ so they can derive context from the objects’ location.

Super Duper Dino Feet (page 5)

Classroom Links: Science

Have a class discussion on what you can learn from animal tracks. Think of a dog on the beach. For example, you can tell if the dog is running, where it travels, and see if it meets other animals.

Mind Games (page 5)

Classroom Links: Math

Have students create their own 16-square sudokus using four different letters, numbers, or symbols. They should test their game and then swap it with a partner.

Drums (page 6)

Classroom Links: Music, Science

Activity: Set up the You Try It! in a classroom if students have not done the activity at home. Students could also construct small drums out of a plastic yogurt container with a “drum” of waxed paper or plastic wrap, held in place with an elastic. Use a chopstick as a drumstick. Experiment with how the sound varies depending on the tautness of the drum, where you strike the drumhead, and the size of the drum.

Your Heart (page 7)

Please note that there are errors in this article and illustration. Please download a correct version here

Classroom Links: Biology, Health, Math

Activity: Have the students learn to take their own pulse as shown in the You Try It! Count for 10 seconds with you giving the signal to begin and end counting. Have students take their pulse before and after doing 30 seconds of jumping jacks.

For a math activity, have students find their resting heart rate and then calculate the number of beats in one minute, one hour, and one day.

This site provides more information and animations on the heart.

Rhinoceros (page 8)

Classroom Links: Biology

You can find several activities to do with children, including origami, information cards, and a teacher’s guide at this site.

Theme Section:
Sticky Science (pages 9 to 16)

Slimy Mucus, Sticky Goo! (pages 9-10)

Classroom Links: Biology, Chemistry

Animal slime, like the slime released by slugs, is hydrophilic. (Students may be familiar with the word, phobia, which is fear in Greek. Philia is the opposite, it means attraction.) Hydrophilic is the opposite of hydrophobic. Slugs have a hydrophilic slime — it attracts water. If you get slug slime on your hands, washing it in water will only make it worse. Instead, rub the slime off on a dry cloth or other dry material.

This video shows a hagfish creating slime.

Students may enjoy making their own slime at home or in the classroom.

Stick With It! (pages 12-13)

Classroom Links: chemistry

The Home Lab on pages 18-19 reinforces many of the ideas presented on these pages. You could make and compare other types of glue as well. There are many recipes on-line such as these.

Check out the close-up image of a Post-It Note on page 22 of Issue 6 (Nov./Dec/ ’06) of KNOW. The Great Moment in Science cartoon on page 17 tells the story of Post-It Notes. For more, go to the 3M company site.  

KNOW It Alls (page 16)

Classroom Links: Biology