Are you a racing enthusiast? Whether you were built to race or built for long distance ocean travel, you were built for speed. Here at the California Academy of Sciences, we are super excited for our next exhibit, Built for Speed, running May 10-September 29, 2013 in the Piazza. You and your family will be able to explore some of the ocean’s fastest animals and their fascinating adaptations such as streamlined body shapes and torpedo-shaped bodies.

Walk out of the piazza towards the swamp and feast your eyes on a suspended 45ft. long catamaran and wingmast from ORACLE TEAM USA. This catamaran has sailed with a competitive edge. Take a look below at some of the highlights from our exhibit.

The Orca Lab
Witness museum staff and volunteers assemble an orca skeleton. This juvenile orca washed ashore in Northern California, and long before this, researchers knew him as Orca 0319. In fact, it is an offshore ecotype, a type of orca that isn’t too well known. Watch and learn how this finding led researchers and scientists to save the skeleton.

Take Action
Plastic waste, waste water pollution, and unsustainable fishing are three major threats to the health of the oceans today. Learn what you and your family can do to help our oceans by visiting several Ocean Action stations. And just as a quick reminder, download your Seafood Watch card now to help you choose ocean-friendly seafood the next time you’re at the grocery store or out for dinner.

Visit the Naturalist Center on Level 3
Speedy Species is this summer’s theme for Specimen Spotlight (Saturdays @ 2pm; May 9th through September 28th). Discover what makes toothed whales, sea otters and sea lions swiftly swim, twist and turn. And don’t forget to check out a mini display on The Problem with Plastics, by the Digital Learning Youth.

Speed in Space
Learn about the fastest things in the Universe- human-made or otherwise! From Apollo to asteroids, subatomic particles to light itself. Things in space move quicker than we can imagine here on Earth. Come join us and explore the farthest, fastest frontiers in this live, 15-minute program, hosted by our planetarium presenters in Hohfeld Hall at the Morrison Planetarium (runs two weekends May 11 – 19 and beginning May 27 will run weekdays only).

Discover a miniscule world where materials exhibit unexpected, special properties! Gold, for example, exhibits unexpected colors such as red or green when seen at the nano scale! Just to put things into perspective, one meter equals one billion nanometers!

During March 30th-Arpil 7th, the Academy will be celebrating the itsy bitsy, super duper small world of nano. Join the Naturalist Center for an exciting hands-on program each day at 1:00pm and at various times during the week. Build a giant nano puzzle, explore how 3D-imaging helps scientists work on the nanoscale, and do a variety of other activities on your own throughout the Naturalist Center (located on Level 3). Stop by to make a special nano “Naturalist Center Craft” on Sunday, March 31st and April 7th, 12:00pm-4:00pm.

NanoDays is a nation-wide festival of educational programs about nanoscale science and engineering and its potential impact on the future. It engages people of all ages in learning about this emerging field of science, which holds the promise of developing revolutionary materials and technologies. Who knew there was so much to learn about this itsy bitsy world of nanoscience! I know I just did. Get your nanoscience on!

Have you thought about what your kids will be doing this summer? Why not join the summer fun at The Presidio! Check out the Open House on Saturday, March 2nd, from 9:30am-12:30pm at the Presidio Dance Theatre. Plan for a great summer by visiting Presidio organizations and register your children at the event! Organizations such as La Petite Baleen, Presidio YMCA, SF Recreation and Parks, and more will be waiting to meet you and your children!

San Francisco families with children of all ages are invited to the Summer Resource Fair on Saturday, March 9th from 10am-2pm. Get information about summer classes, teen programs, and camps. The Resource Summer Fair will take place at Everett Middle School located on 450 Church Street.

But wait, there’s more! As most of you may know, The Exploratorium is making its move to Pier 15, April 17th. They will be on the road, Sunday, March 10th from 11am-10pm at three different locations for On the Move: An Exploratorium Roadshow. Times vary in location. Visit them at Embarcadero across from Pier 15 in partnership with Sunday Streets, in the Bayview at Bayview Opera House Ruth Williams Memorial Theatre, and in the Mission at Buena Vista School. There will be dissections, food, filmmaking, performances by Los Chiles Verdes,and much more! Enjoy!

Ever wonder where our ancestors lived and what they looked like? Now you have the opportunity to interact with them as well! Come check out the new Human Odyssey exhibit, in African Hall, located on the first floor.

At the new Human Odyssey exhibit, you’ll be able to learn about when and where the first human predecessors walked the Earth in an upright fashion. In addition, see how fossil skulls can tell the story of how a specific individual lived his or her life. Then, witness how Academy researchers and engineers have recreated what a fleshed out version of the skull might have looked like.

Come visit Lucy, a modern chimp and a close relative of humans, and see how she has been able to help us understand how early locomotion worked for humanoid species.

Also check out an interactive touch screen map, which helps us understand where human migration began and how many years this migration took.

Lets learn more about us!

At the Academy Uncover the history of humans their ancestors:

• Learn more about how scientists use fossil exploration, DNA analysis and modern technology to uncover the history and mystery behind fossils on Saturdays and Sundays at 11:00 am at the project lab.
• From Monday through Friday at 11:00 am, you can learn more about how we are similar or different compared to our ancestors at the African Hall.

• Also, visit the Naturalist Center to learn more about our human family tree!
  In our Naturalist Nook, you’ll discover the history of the human body. From goosebumps to ear wiggling, check out the direct links to our animal relatives!

  At the program “Specimen Spotlight” (2 pm on Thursdays and Sundays), you’ll unearth the amazing stories behind some of the most famous fossils. Learn what brings researchers to Africa, what they find there, and what it tells us about our origins.

  Cairo to the Cape: Explore photographs from the 1925 expedition that was the first to travel the entire length of Africa as a single journey. Related specimens such as zebra and lion skulls are also featured.

  The Naturalist Center is located on Level 3 across from the Planetarium exit.

On the Web Here are some other great resources to learn more about how we became the modern human!

• Debunk some myths and misconceptions of humans and their ancestors right here.
• The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History helps us understand what it means to be human.
]]> http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?feed=rss2&p=3910 0 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3944 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3944#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:30:18 +0000 rockprogram http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3944

Plants are an important part of our everyday lives. Spend some time taking a closer look at the plants that help us survive by making a field journal of all the plants you encounter. Sketch, take notes, and observe like a plant scientist, known as botanists. Plants provide materials for the places we live in and medicines we might need, but they are also one of the greatest sources of food.

At the Academy:

• Step into the shoes of a botanist by visiting the Naturalist Center on the third floor to inspect plant specimens from the Academy’s collection.
• Visit the Living Roof and observe the densest concentration of native plants in San Francisco with 1.7 million native plants!
• Head to our exhibit, Rainforests of the World, and observe plants that grow in a rainforest environment? How are they similiar or different to those you observed? Is the temperature the same as it was outside on the Living Roof?

At Home:

• Take a field trip to a local farmers market to find seasonal fruits or vegetables and you can thank the plants and the people who help grow them. You might even have the chance to talk to a local farmer about how different produce grows and learn about the farm where it comes from. Visit California Certified Farmers’ Market to find one in your area.
• Not only can seasonal vegetables be used to cook a delicious meal, they can also make great works of art. Use turnips or brussels sprouts as stamps to decorate paper or make your own vegetable dye paints from red and yellow beets.

Knowing more about plants, and specifically how our food is grown, can help us make choices that are more sustainable for the environment and healthier for ourselves. There are great benefits from buying local. Buying local produce reduces the distance food is transported and often the amount of packaging needed by reducing the amount of fossil fuels burned and carbon emissions emitted into our air. Our food didn’t travel hundreds or even thousands of miles to get to you.

In return, not only are you are helping to protect our environment but you also receive the freshest produce, picked just hours before. Local food may also be more nutritious because it is picked at the peak of ripeness. Fruits and vegetables that travel long distances are picked before they are ripe and lose nutrients the longer they are separated from the plant. In addition, many local farmers grow their crops using organic fertilizers (like composted manure) rather than chemical fertilizers. Organic fertilizers release nutrients in the soil gradually over a period of time, allowing plants to absorb them for longer. Enjoy your trip to your Farmers’ Market in your neighborhood, today.

Learn the top ten reasons to shop at a farmers markets near you.

]]> http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?feed=rss2&p=3944 0 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3678 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3678#comments Sat, 01 Dec 2012 12:00:06 +0000 rockprogram http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3678 Para español haga clic aquí
如果想讀中文, 請按這裡



The days are getting shorter, the sun sets earlier, nights are colder, that means it’s time for science! This season we’re studying animals in winter and how the unique environmental conditions of winter in the Northern hemisphere – darkness, cold, snow and ice – have led to some remarkable animal adaptations and behaviors.

At The Academy

Inside our snowman theater you can learn more about what causes the seasons, by seeing the earth and sun from outer space, in our new show, Season of Wonder. It runs throughout the day, every day, and lasts 7 minutes. Some animals migrate as the seasons change. Can you think of some that live in California? At 1:30pm in our piazza, we’ll have Holiday Migration Quest, a fun game show featuring gray whale and monarch migrations, both of which happen right here in California. Our friendly reindeer are back again this season in the East Garden. Be sure to go say hello and learn more about their migration patterns. Plus we have a new program, Saturday Safari, which meets in African Hall at 11 am. Each week over the holidays we have a different topic about animals in winter, with storytelling, songs, props and specimens. We’ve got much more happening at The Academy for the holidays and you can check it all out here.

At Home

What do you think the seasons sound like? Antonio Vivaldi created four violin concertos with each named after a season. After watching Season of Wonder, you could listen to Vivaldi’s Winter. You can also check the recording out from the library, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi . Then you can head outside as a family to make scientific observations of winter in your neighborhood. You can use the video camera or voice memo app on your phone to make recordings of the special sounds of this season. What does it sound like when you sit outside your house? when you walk through fallen leaves? the sound of falling rain? can you catch the sound of the geese flying by? You could then make your own music as a family to describe winter, hibernation and migration. Phillis Gershator’s rhyming text in Listen, Listen also explores the sounds of nature in each season. (Available in Chinese, Vietnamese and English at the San Francisco Public Library) How would you change her story to reflect the seasons in the Bay Area?

Revisit your observations in the spring and summer to see how life around you changes with the seasons. Then you can make more music to complement your spring and summer sounds and compare them to Vivaldi’s Spring and Summer.

 

Los días se hacen más cortos, el sol se pone temprano, las noches son más frías, eso significa que es tiempo para la ciencia! Esta temporada estamos estudiando animales en invierno y cómo las condiciones ambientales únicas del invierno en el hemisferio norte – oscuridad, frío, nieve y hielo – han llevado a algunas notables adaptaciones y comportamientos de animales.

En la Academia

Dentro de nuestro teatro de muñeco de nieve, usted puede aprender más sobre lo que causa las temporadas, viendo la tierra y el sol desde el espacio, en nuestro nuevo show, Season of Wonder. Se ejecuta durante todo el día, todos los días y tiene una duración de 7 minutos. Algunos animales migran cuando cambia la temporada. ¿Puedes pensar de algunos que viven en California? A la 1:30 pm en el Piazza, vamos a tener Holiday Migration Quest, un programa de concurso divertido presentando la ballena gris y las migraciones de la monarca, que suceden aquí en California. Nuestros amistosos renos están de vuelta otra vez esta temporada en el jardin oeste. Asegúrese de ir a saludarlos y conocer más acerca de sus patrones de migración. Además contamos con un nuevo programa, sábado Safari, que se reúne en African Hall a las once de la mañana. Cada semana durante los dias de fiesta, tenemos un tema diferente sobre los animales en invierno, con la narración de cuentos, canciones, puntales y muestras. Tenemos mucho más sucediendo en la Academia para los dias de fiesta y puede revisar todo aquí.

En la Casa

¿Como crees qué suenan las temporadas? Antonio Vivaldi creó cuatro conciertos de violín con cada nombrado después de una temporada. Después de ver Season of Wonder, usted podría escuchar L’invierno de Vivaldi. También puede tomar a prestamo en la biblioteca, la grabación, The Four Season by Vivaldi. Luego puede ir hacia fuera como una familia para hacer observaciones científicas del invierno en su vecindario. Puede utilizar la cámara de vídeo o aplicación memo de voz en su teléfono para ser grabaciones de los sonidos especiales de esta temporada. ¿Como suena cuando usted se sienta fuera de su casa? ¿Cuando uno camina a través de hojas caídas? ¿el sonido de la lluvia? ¿Puede coger el sonido de los gansos volando? A continuación, puede hacer su propia música como una familia para describir invierno, hibernación y migración.

¡Diríjase para dentro para unos cuentos! Comience con El invierno por Tanya, para obtener una idea de cómo los animales, las plantas, y las personas se adaptan durante esta temporada. A continuación, vea el cuento, Llegó el Invierno-El invierno de Vivaldi, una historia acerca de cómo el genio de invierno se queda dormido y es despertado para comenzar el invierno. En la primavera y el verano, pueden revisar sus observaciones para ver cómo la vida que los rodea cambia con las temporadas. Entonces usted puede hacer más música para complementar sus sonidos de su primavera y verano y compararlos con la primavera y el verano de Vivaldi.

 

白天越來越短。太陽開始越早落山。夜晚開始變得越冷。這個季節，我們研究動物怎樣適應在北半球獨有的冬季環境條件 – 黑暗，寒冷，冰和雪 – 已導致了一些顯著的動物適應和行為方式。

在科學館

在科學館的雪人戲院內，你們可以了解更多關於季節的變化。每天請收我們最新的節目，本季節的奇蹟。當季節開始變化，一些動物就會遷移。一些遷移動的物還住在加州裡。下午一點半,我們在廣場會玩一個有趣的遊戲關於灰鯨和帝王蝶的遷移.其中發生在加州。我們友好的馴鹿再次在東花園出現。記得去拜訪它們，並了解更多關於他們的遷移模式。另外，每個星期六的上午11時在非洲館會有一個新的節目叫星期六野生動物園。這個假期，我們將使用歌曲，動物標本和工具，去探討動物如何面對冬季的挑戰. 這個假期，學院會有更多的活動。你可以找到更多關於這些活動的信息在這裡.

在家裡

你認為什麼是季節的聲音呢？安東尼奧維瓦爾為一年四季作了四名小提琴協奏曲。看完季節的奇蹟之後，你可以聽維瓦爾第為冬季而作的小提琴協奏曲。您也可以從圖書館借出維瓦爾第的四季。然後你就可以在你家附近一起進行科冬季的學觀測。您可以使用在您手機的攝像機或語音錄應用程序去記錄本季節的特殊聲音。你的房子外面聽到什麼？當你走過落葉？雨聲的聲音？大雁飛過的聲音？然後，你可以和家人一起製作形容冬天，冬眠，和遷移的音樂。Phillis Gershator的押韻書，聽聽，聽著還探討每個季節的自然聲音。你會如何改變她的故事，去反映在灣區的季節呢？

在春季和夏季重溫你的意見去體驗季節的變化。然後你就可以作出更多的音樂來配合您的春季和夏季的聲音。同時間你也可以比較您的春季和夏季聲音和維瓦爾第的春季和夏季。

]]> http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?feed=rss2&p=3678 0 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3867 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3867#comments Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:32:55 +0000 rockprogram http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3867
Looking for a fun and free family activity this weekend? This Sunday, December 2nd from 1pm-5pm, grab your family and head on over to Exploration Station at the Moscone Center in the south side of the building. Exploration Station is a program of activities organized by several groups from American Geophysical Union. They are excited to interact with you while sharing their exhibits and hands-on activities before they meet for their annual conference.

They have many wonderful exhibits lined up for this year’s Exploration Station. Does your child enjoy the ocean? Do they like to get their hands wet? Learn more about the ocean with hands on activities led by Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence(COSEE). How about those aspiring rocket scientists? Your little ones can make and launch rockets at the Kid Science Fun Zone exhibit. For those of you curious about Mars and Curiosity, join Mars Education Experts to learn what makes Mars interesting. Join scientists working with Curiosity during their Public Lecture immediately before and next door to Exploration Station. This is just to name a few, but there is something for everyone! Have a spectacular time!

]]> http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?feed=rss2&p=3867 0 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3576 http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3576#comments Wed, 17 Oct 2012 19:22:53 +0000 rockprogram http://www.calacademy.org/teachers/families/?p=3576 Sharks! Every October, the Bay Area recognizes this month as Sharktober. It is a time of the year where we get to learn more about these misunderstood and mysterious creatures of the ocean. These fascinating creatures have special adaptations for surviving, hunting, and thriving in the ocean. Come check out our Reef Lagoon and California Coast exhibits to observe our living collection.

Although sharks are generally regarded as terrifying creatures of the deep, only 10 out of the 465 species of Sharks reach lengths of over 13 feet. In fact, human activities over the past century have become a greater threat to the existence of these animals. So come on in and learn what you can do to help sharks and ocean life.

Come explore the Mystery!

At the Academy Come explore the wonder about these underwater beauties in the following ways:

• Get up close and personal with shark specimens during Specimen Spotlight on Thursday October 18 at 11:30 am in our Naturalist Center.
• Our littlest visitors can join the Science Story Adventures on Sunday 21st in the Naturalist Center as well.
• Bring your crafty skills to participate in the Family Nature Crafts Program on October 29th at 10:00 am to create your very own paper plate shark and more!
• Come separate the fact from fiction with Steinhart biologists during scheduled feedings at the Reef Lagoon every Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30 pm.
• Talk with a biologist about our Sharks on Saturdays at 12:30pm at Science in Action.

At Home Explore the science of sharks and their conservation at home by trying out any of the following:

• This fun game uses commonly found kitchen items to explore how fishing affects sharks.
• The Seafood Watch Program helps families choose fish to eat that are caught sustainably.
• Make shark lawn ornaments! Not only are they amusing, they can convey important messages too.

Outdoors in the Bay Want to explore sharks in their home environments? If so, take a trip to any of these awesome places:

• Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary will be conducting shark dissections.

On the Web Get your shark fix by taking the time to explore these amazing shark videos and web cams!

• John McCosker, one of the Academy’s Science Heroes, explains how he got into studying white sharks.
• Try to glimpse a white shark, or other local critters in the wild using this Farallones Island Web Cam.
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The North American Association of Environmental Education (NAAEE) is dedicated to building leadership and excellence in environmental education, and inspiring people to learn, care, and act to create a more just and sustainable society. This year Oakland is hosting the NAAEE’s annual conference in Oakland and NAAEE would love to celebrate with you and your family! Gather your family on Friday, October 12th and Saturday, October 13th for two fun-filled events.

Begin by making Friday, October 12th, movie night! If you love chimpanzees, or all things ape, you’re in for a special treat. Reserve your seats, as space is limited, for a special screening of Disneynature’s Chimpanzee at the Oakland Convention Center.

On October 13th, from 3pm-6pm, continue your family outing at the Oakland Convention Center. You’ll have a festive time! Join NAAEE for their first-ever family festival, Rockin’ with EE! There will be music, art, exhibits, prizes, live animals from Oakland Zoo, and more! So don’t hesitate, join in on the fun!

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