Month:

What’s My Question – Math Patterns

• September 9

We discuss starter questions related to the math theme of patterns, ways that things behave at regular intervals and increments in the world around us. Join us as we demonstrate our own pattern-related questions we were inspired to ask while at the Dallas Zoo! This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily... CONTINUE READING

What’s My Question – Estimation, Quantity, and Scale

• September 9

Estimation, quantity, and scale help us understand aspects of the world around us that we can’t always interact with directly – these tools help us understand large objects and numbers, and ways to represent them. We discuss the questions students at the St. Philip’s School and Community Center posed within this math theme to show just how intuitive this can be! This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant DRL 2115393. Any opinions, findings, an... CONTINUE READING

Welcome to the Girl Scouts STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars

• September 9

Camp Director Shane Woods welcomes you to this walking tour at the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas’ STEM Center of Excellence at Camp Whispering Cedars. Girl Scouts are known for their commitment to empowering young women by providing unique and opportunities to engage with STEM. This tour was supported in part by the High Tech High Heels nonprofit organization. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING

How Many People Can Fit on the Observation Deck?

• September 9

At Camp Whispering Cedars, Girl Scouts climb a winding series of steps to reach the top of an observation deck, where they can stargaze or have meetings. We wonder how they might estimate exactly how many people could have fun stargazing sleepover party on the deck! Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/tal... CONTINUE READING

What is the Slope of this Staircase?

• September 9

We explore how to use slope, the ratio of height to horizontal distance, to better understand how stairs are designed based on international building codes to keep us safe. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkstem-activity-guides/ We invite all interested groups to reach out and find more informat... CONTINUE READING

What is the Highest Point on the Swing?

• September 9

Scouts love visiting Camp Whispering Cedars for its amazing ropes course – great for bonding and pushing new boundaries! The course features a zip line, ropes bridge, climbing wall, and a towering three-person swing. The swing made us wonder – exactly how high is someone pulled to start the swing? In order to figure this out, we use shadows and similar triangles. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING

What Size is the Sports Field?

• September 9

We visited the Staubach Sports Field to determine if other teams could use the field for a regulation sports game. We use non-standard units of measurement, like arm span, to estimate the length of the field. Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkstem-activity-guides/ We invite all interested groups... CONTINUE READING

What Volume of Water can the Rain Barrels Hold?

• September 9

At the Crystal Charity Ball Exploration Center at Camp Whispering Cedars, where Girl Scouts can marvel at plants growing on the building, you might notice from the video that the roof is sloped. Gravity pulls rainwater toward the front of the building, where the water falls into the gutters. From the gutters, the water is moved to plastic rain barrels, at the corners of the building. What an amazing example of sustainability and conservation efforts at work! We consider exactly how many toilet f... CONTINUE READING

How Big is the Pool?

• September 9

Ever look into a pool and think, “Wow – that’s a lot of water!” This thought prompted us to consider exactly how many showers one could take using water in the pool at Camp Whispering Cedars. We started by measuring the surface area and perimeter of the pool before determining volume, using the formula, Volume=(Area)(Height). You’ll be amazed at what we discovered! Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here:... CONTINUE READING

How to Measure Change in Musical Pitch?

• September 9

We love playing the xylophone at the outdoor Soundscape. It's both fun and also a great opportunity to really understand what we mean by frequency or pitch. Also, we wondered if there is a mathematical relationship between length of bars and pitch. Finally we got to explore what happens to pitch when we played xylophones made of different materials! Supplementary Activity Guides for this video to extend student learning for K-12 grade levels are freely available here: https://talkstem.org/talkst... CONTINUE READING