<![CDATA[Science Explorers, Inc. - Blog]]>Tue, 21 May 2019 19:48:14 -0500Weebly<![CDATA[glow in the dark]]>Thu, 02 Nov 2017 01:56:09 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/glow-in-the-darkPicture
This week we were teaching a slime class where the students made and experimented with Glow Slime. We used their slime to explore states of matter, learn about polymers and, of course, why some objects can glow in the dark.
The students loved their glowing slime. They also found it very funny and a little gross how, in 1669, it was first produced (read below under Facts/Science/History for more information).

If you would like to experiment with glow powder, visit our online store. We have a packet available for purchase.

The glow powder we use in our classes is phosphorescence zinc sulfide.
  • Phosphorescence is a type of light emitting substance. The light given off is not caused by combustion or heat. When phosphor comes into contact with the sun's rays or any other form of light, it absorbs the photons and later in the dark, it emits these photons. The photons thus released a phosphorescent glow. This process is known as photoluminescence.
  • Zinc sulfide (ZnSO4) is an inorganic compound and dietary supplement.  Not all zinc sulfide glow, but this one does! It is a luminous zinc sulfide.

Suggested Uses for Glow Powder:
  • In art projects. Add to glue and place glue dots on a space picture for glowing stars.
  • Add into slime to make Glow Slime. Make sure that the slime is a light color. A dark color will mask the glow powder.
  • Sculpt an object with air dry clay. Allow to dry then paint. Once the paint is dry, add glow powder to some glue and brush the glue over the object. The glue will give the object a nice shine and then at night, the object will glow.
Facts/Science/History of Glowing Objects:
Phosphorus and its various compounds are phosphorescent (materials that glow in the dark).

Before knowing what phosphorus was, its glowing properties were reported in ancient writings. Dating as far back as 1000 B.C. observations were made in China regarding fireflies and glow-worms.

Phosphorus was first isolated in 1669 by German physician Hennig Brand. Brand was an alchemist who was attempting to change metals into gold when he isolated phosphorus. Brand started with urine and let it sit around for two weeks. Then he boiled it for 24 hours. Brand saw a glowing gas rising from the boiling urine. After the gas cooled, it formed a solid that kept glowing. This weird concoction burst into flames when it touched air. Brand didn't know what he had made, but he had made phosphorus.

"Glow in the dark" falls under several different sciences including:
  • Photoluminescence by definition is the emission of light from a molecule or atom that has absorbed energy: examples include fluorescence and phosphorescence materials. The glow in the dark plastic constellation kits that you stick on your wall or ceiling are an example of a photoluminescence based product, just like glow powder.
  • Chemiluminescence is the emission of light without the emission of heat as the result of a chemical reaction (for example glow sticks).
  • Bioluminescence is light emitted by living organisms using an internal chemical reaction (think deep sea creatures).
  • Radioluminescence is created by the bombardment of ionizing radiation.
Chemilumenescence and Photouminescence are behind the majority of glow in the dark products. The main difference between the two is that with Chemilumenscence a chemical reaction has occur. Think of a glow stick, when you "crack it", chemicals mix together to create the glow. During photouminescence, light is released without a chemical reaction, think of a TV clicker, the buttons will glow in the dark after a day of absorbing light rays from the sun and/or light bulbs. 

Thank you for visiting!
​Science Explorers

<![CDATA[Pumpkins!]]>Mon, 23 Oct 2017 19:47:00 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/pumpkins Picture
October is pumpkin month, from pumpkin spice everything (bread, cookies, cereal, lattes--you name it, it probably comes in pumpkin spice flavor), to giant pumpkin cotests, to getting gooey up to your elbows carving that perfect jack-o'-lantern. But as familiar as the orange globes are to most of us, here are some pumpkins facts you might not know.
  1. Pumpkins are a fruit, not a vegetable. Although pumpkins are widely used in both sweet and savory dishes, science is clear on this one. Pumpkins are a fruit because they contain seeds--botanically, a fruit is the plant part that carries the seeds.
  2. There is no practical difference between pumpkin and squash. Pumpkins, zucchini, summer squash, acorn squash, and spaghetti squash are all different varieties of the same species Curcurbita pepo.
  3. Pumpkins belong to a family of plants called curcurbits--their cousins include not only all other squashes, but also melons, cucumbers, gourds, and loofas.
  4. The canned pumpkin that so many of us use to bake pies actually doesn't contain pumpkin! Instead, canning companies use richer tasting, less stringy squashes, such as butternut or hubbard.
  5. Pumpkins are native to the Americas. They are an ancient crop, dating back to about 7,500 years ago in Central America or Mexico.
  6. Jack-o'-lanterns have been made at Halloween for a very long time--the name comes from an Irish myth. In the British Isles, people would carve hollowed-out lanterns from turnips, beet, or other root vegetables. When settlers from the area came to America, they found that pumpkins worked even better!
If you're making a jack-o'-lantern this year, why not do some science at the same time? Here are a few ideas:
  • Just have the awesome sensory experience of digging through pumpkin innards. If you want to keep the fun going after you clean up, put the goop and seeds into a zipper plastic bag and seal it up. An instant sensory toy for your preschooler. 
  • Plant a few pumpkin seeds and watch your seedling grow--all you need is a small pot, some dirt, and a sunny window--remember to water your plant regularly!
  • Study the process of decomposition. Leave your jack-o'-lantern outside and observe and photograph it daily. How long does it take the face to disappear? How long until it's just a puddle of goo? Did the squirrels eat it first (that's what happens at my house).
Above all, have fun, and enjoy pumpkin season!

<![CDATA[Fog Breathing Humans]]>Tue, 12 Jan 2016 20:59:52 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/fog-breathing-humans
 As my husband and I watched the Vikings game this Sunday, we sat shivering under blankets in our inefficiently heated apartment. If any of the players or live fans at that game would have traded positions with us, I’m sure our apartment would have felt more like a tropical paradise, no matter how inefficient the heating! As the players braved the cold, we watched as every movement was captured by their foggy breath, coming from warmed lungs into the cold air surrounding them. 
With wind chill temperatures well below freezing over the past few days, any occasion you have had to go outside has resulted in this type of visible, foggy breath too. So, why can we see our breath on cold winter days? Why can’t we see our breath when it is warm outside?
When we exhale, our body is eliminating carbon dioxide waste from our bodies. Along with this carbon dioxide, we are also releasing water. Our breath collects moisture as it travels through our lungs, mouth, and other breathing passages. Inside our warm bodies, the moisture is in the form of gas or water vapor. The warm environment of our bodies provides energy for the water molecules to move very quickly and stay in their gaseous form. As soon as our breath is expelled into the cold, the molecules of water vapor slow down quickly and “huddle together” instead of spreading out as they do as gas. This slowing down of molecules results in what we call condensation, or the changing of a substance from gas to liquid form. The cold may be uncomfortable but it allows us to see this process of condensation right before our eyes as we breathe! 
<![CDATA[Frozen Fun]]>Sat, 25 Jul 2015 02:29:27 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/frozen-fun
It's hot out! Cool off with some frozen fun! This activity will not only help you beat the summer heat, but it will educate your children about the properties of ice and water. They'll explore what substances work best to melt ice!

What You'll Need

  • Freezer safe containers                                                                         (i.e. ice cube trays, freezer safe Tupperware/glassware)
  • A variety of small toys and knickknacks
  • Water
  • A variety of tools to break ice apart                                                    (i.e. play tools, a wood mallet, spoons, forks, etc.)
  • A variety of solid/liquid materials to be used for melting the ice                 (i.e. vinegar, water, lemon juice, salt, sugar, baking soda) 

What To DO

1.     Drop your small toys/knickknacks into your freezer safe containers.

2.     Pour water over the toys/knickknacks in the containers with water, filling them all the way.

3.     Place the containers in the freezer. Depending on the size of your chosen containers, you will need to leave them in the freezer for a few hours or overnight.

4.     Gather your “ice-picking” tools and chosen materials to use for ice melting.

5.     Remove your containers from the fridge. Pop them out of their containers onto cookie sheets or into bins.

6.     Take all your materials outside to eliminate clean-up indoors.

7.     Have your children explore and try to save all the toys from their entrapment in the ice! Allow them to explore using different materials like salt, sugar and vinegar to see if adding them to the ice will help it to melt more quickly!

<![CDATA[The Jurassic World -                                                                       What exactly is a Dinosaur?]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2015 17:06:38 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/the-jurassic-world-what-exactly-is-a-dinosaur
At Science Explorers, we teach a Dynamite Dinosaur class to pre-school aged children. Just this week in fact, I was assisting in a dinosaur class. The children were learning about the different types of eaters: carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores. In response to the question, “Name an animal is an herbivore,” one boy responded, “Brachiosaurus!” In response to the question, “Name an animal that is an omnivore!” another responded “Gorilla!” And finally, in response to the question, “Name an animal that is a carnivore,” another boy replied matter of factly, “A teacher!”            
With the recent popularity of the movie Jurassic World, it is fun to revisit what life might have been like for the creatures that existed so many years ago. Scientists posit based on fossil records that animals like the dinosaurs lived in the Mesozoic Era. During this era was the   Jurassic period which took place roughly between 200 and 150 million years ago. The big names of the Jurassic period include creatures like the tyrannosaurus rex, the brachiosaurus, the triceratops, and the pterodactyl. As tempting as it may be to gather other creatures of that era and place them into one category – the dinosaur category – this would not be accurate. In fact, even a pterodactyl is not truly a dinosaur. While dinosaurs may have been dominant in their time, there were a myriad of other creatures that, though similar in habitat and appearance, are actually not as related to the dinosaurs as most would think.

The word “dinosaur” was first coined in 1841, by biologist and paleontologist Sir Richard Owen.  It is derived from two words: dienos – meaning “terrible, powerful, and wondrous” and saurus – meaning ”lizard”. Put them together, and a dinosaur is a terrible, powerful and wondrous lizard! It’s no wonder with this name that we tend to label so many of the Jurassic creatures as dinosaurs. 
Scientists today use special category of science called cladistics to determine which animals are the most related to one another. For living animals, this task is easy. Scientists can take use the building blocks of an animal, housed within something called DNA. For animals that are extinct, like dinosaurs and other Jurassic creatures, the task is more difficult. Scientists rely on evidence found when comparing the fossil remains of these creatures.

For example, pretend that all birds were extinct. If, as a scientist, you had never seen a living bird, you would rely on fossil remains to categorize them. When you discovered that there was a group of animals that all have feathers in their fossil remains, you might place them into one category and call them birds on this basis.

So, what links all the dinosaurs together? It’s probably not what you might think. All dinosaurs were reptiles – cold blooded, egg laying creatures. Some walked on two legs. Others walked on four legs. Some were very large. Others were quite small. Some ate leaves. Others preyed on other dinosaurs. What all dinosaurs had in common was actually their hips! At the place where a dinosaur’s thighbone (or femur) connects to its pelvis, there is a hole. Dinosaurs have open hip sockets!

<![CDATA[Miss Muffet's Milk]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2015 20:36:28 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/miss-muffets-milk
I’m sure that many of us are familiar with the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme. What some of us may not know is what exactly Little Miss Muffet was eating. What on earth are “curds and whey”?

Curds and whey are both formed from milk. Try out the experiment below to make your own curds and whey. Learn how to make sculptures out of milk!

Curds and Whey - Making Milk Sculptures

What You’ll Need:
  • Microwave-safe glass bowl
  • 1 ½ cups skim milk
  • 4 tsp white vinegar
  • Strainer
  • Plate
What To Do:
  1. Pour the milk into your microwave safe bowl. 
  2. Add the white vinegar and stir thoroughly.
  3. Microwave the milk/vinegar mixture for 2 minutes. 
  4. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. You should now notice two separate substances. The solid substance is called the “curd,” and the liquid substance is called the “whey.”
  5. Pour the contents of the bowl into a strainer. (Make sure you have another bowl beneath the strainer to catch the liquid).
  6. Once the curd has cooled, pick it up. It will feel rubbery and will be moldable! Shape it into a curd sculpture! If you would like, let it air dry. If you let it air-dry for several days, it will eventually harden into a plastic-like form.

What's Going ON?

  • Milk contains carbohydrates (lactose), fats, proteins (casein), vitamins and minerals, and enzymes.  
  • When vinegar (acetic acid) is added to milk it causes the protein (casein) in milk to clump together into solid masses. The molecules of the protein are very similar to the molecules in plastic. For this reason, the appearance of the solid curd as it hardens if very similar to plastic. 
  • This process of turning the casein protein in milk to curd is known as coagulation. It can be achieved using a variety of edible acids. For a twist on the experiment, try using lemon juice or another type of vinegar instead of white vinegar. 
  • Fun Fact: The coagulating process is actually the very first step in cheese-making!
<![CDATA[Melting Marbles ]]>Fri, 22 May 2015 18:52:32 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/melting-marbles
Happy Memorial Day Weekend! For most of us, this weekend will be filled with family time, grilling out, picnics, lawn games, and as much time outdoors as the weather will allow. As you spend some time outside with your family, take the opportunity to do a small experiment with your younger children!

Melting Marbles

What You’ll Need:
  • Ice Cube Tray(s)
  • Water
  • Other liquids (optional)
  • Marbles
  • Small plastic cups (large enough to hold a single ice cube)

What to Do:
The goal of this experiment is to introduce your children to two of the states of matter – solids and liquids. They will observe how water turns from solid (ice) to liquid (water). 

  1. Several hours before you wish to begin your experiment, fill an ice cube tray with water. Plop one marble into each compartment. Freeze.
  2. After the ice cubes have frozen, take each cube and place it in a separate cup.
  3. Go outside with your child and have them place the cups in various locations around your yard. Have them place the cups in a variety of different locations. (For Example: #1 Under the shade of the oak tree. #2 On the deck rail in the sun. #3 In a planter under some leaves.)
  4. Every 5-10 minutes, have your child check on each cup. As they go around the yard observing the ice cubes, have them watch to see which ice cubes begin to melt first. You can even have them guess (make a hypothesis) about which ice cube they think will release the marble first!
  5. Have your child continue checking the cups until all the cubes are melted and all the marbles are released.
What Happened?
  • Ask your child why they think certain ice cubes melted first and why some melted last. All of the ice cubes were made of the same ingredient – water. However, the locations of the ice cubes were all different temperatures based on sun exposure. Ice cubes in the sun heated up the cups and melted those ice cubes more quickly than ice cubes in the shade. 

 Extension for Older Children:
  • As an extension of this experiment for older children, freeze a variety of other liquids in ice cube trays. (Make sure to label them if they are the same colors!) Have your child place cups of these cubes around the yard. 
  • For example, in each location, place one cup with juice cubes, one cup with water cubes, and one cup with soapy water cubes.
  • Have them check the cups every 5-10 minutes or so to determine whether or not certain types of liquid will melt more quickly from solid to liquid form! 
Happy Memorial Day! Have a wonderful weekend with your family!
<![CDATA[A Mother's Day Bouquet]]>Sat, 09 May 2015 20:13:01 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/a-mothers-day-bouquet
Snow Trillium
Virginia Bluebells
In our own backyards, among the first of the flowers to bloom are bulb plants like daffodils, lilies, and tulips. Has your child ever wondered why some plants pop up again in the spring every year, while others need to be bought at the store and planted again? There are two common terms we use to distinguish between plant growing cycles: annual and perennial. Perennial plants include many of the spring ephemerals in the forest as well as the bulb plants in our yards. Perennial plants live two or more growing seasons, so they go dormant over winter and begin growing again each spring. Annual plants on the other hand include marigolds, pansies, petunias, sunflowers, and many others. These plants put all of their energy into flower and seed production because they only survive for one growing season. They will need to be planted over and over again every year if you wish to have them in your garden. 
Spring is in full swing, and flowers are finally popping up in our yards! Among the first to bloom are spring ephemerals, wildflowers that bloom early spring and last only through the early part of summer. These include flowers like Virginia bluebells, snow trillium, and Dutchmen’s breeches. To see these flowers, you need to take a little hike through a wooded area. They are able to survive in the conditions of low light on the forest floor. 
Dutchmen's Breeches
In honor of our Mothers today, I would like to share a bouquet of facts about some of my favorite spring flowers – tulips.

  • There are 150 species of tulips, with over 3,000 different varieties. 
  • The word tulip comes from a Persian word meaning turban. Tulip flowers are similar in appearance to turbans, and at one time it was fashionable to wear a tulip in your turban.
  • Tulips are perennials (grow for multiple growing seasons). They are native to mountainous regions of Central Asia and Turkey and require a period of winter dormancy called vernalization in between growing seasons. 
  • If you ever want to plant tulip bulbs, the best time of year is in the fall, right before winter dormancy. 
  • The Netherlands is the country best known for its tulips. In 1593, Flemish botanist Carolus Clusius planted tulip bulbs at a botanical garden. He began experimenting with different varieties and before long tulips were blooming all over the country!
  • Tulips became so popular in the 1600’s, that bulbs were used as a form of currency! Certain special bulbs sold for 10 times more than the annual income of a skilled worker! 
  • During the Dutch famine of WWII, tulip petals were eaten because of the food shortage. 
  • Tulips remain a popular flower in the Netherlands today. They produce around 3 million bulbs annually. The bulbs in your backyard likely originated there!

Garden of Tulips Craft

If you still need to come up with a mother’s day gift, or if you would like to continue honoring your mother in the coming week, check out the innovative tulip project below:

What You’ll Need:
  • Washable paints
  • Paintbrushes
  • White construction paper or canvas
  • Forks (3-pronged works best)

What to Do:
1. Clear a work space and put on a paint shirt. You should be using washable paints, but an extra layer of protection is always a good idea.

2. On your white sheet of paper, using your paint brush, paint tulip stalks and leaves all along the length of the paper. Make sure to leave enough room for the tulip flowers on the top! Tulips typically have one long stalk with one large prominent leaf on either side of it.

3. With your pain in a tray, dip the flat part of the fork prongs in the paint. Make sure it is completely covered. Use the painted fork to make a flower imprint on the paper at the top of a tulip stalk. Repeat with other colors to finish off all the other stalks.

 4. Let dry and you will have a beautiful garden to give to your mother to show how much you care!

5. Make sure to clean up so your mother does not have to!

<![CDATA[Before You Squish . . .]]>Fri, 01 May 2015 18:55:58 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/before-you-squish
As I was sweeping my kitchen this morning, I gathered quite a pile of dirt and crumbs on my floor. The amount did not surprise me. Living on the main level of an apartment building, you inevitably track things into your kitchen.  And considering it had been two weeks since I’d last swept, I could hardly expect anything less. I was finishing the last section, but there was one piece of dirt that wouldn’t cooperate. It kept sticking to my broom, never quite making it to the pile where all the rest of the dirt was lying so obediently. Frustrated with my vain attempts, I finally stooped down to put it in its place, when to my surprise it began to crawl away! That was no ordinary piece of dirt. In my sweeping, I had gathered more than the crumbs on my floor. I had unearthed a spider from beneath my cupboards.

I love nature, but admittedly my first impulse is to squish spiders whenever I find them in my apartment. There’s something about those 8 wiggly legs that is very unnerving. Who cares if the spider is only as small as a piece of dirt? Well, today, I let the spider live. Perhaps it was because I started to think about all the amazing characteristics of arachnids like that spider. Or, perhaps it was because when I came back with my dust pan to sweep up that particular pile of dirt the spider had already crawled away to safety. 

THe Amazing SPider

Nonetheless, spiders truly are amazing creatures. And I would like to give a hats-off to the spider who now lives safely under my cupboards. In letting him go, I’m sure I will now have far fewer other critters roaming around on my kitchen floorboards.

Why are spiders so amazing? For starters, if you live on the Zuckerman family farm and have a friendly pig named Wilbur, you may also have a literate spider who spins words in her web. Not many of us have such privilege. However, did you know that many spiders do spin secret signals into their webs?

Spiders are able to secrete thin silk threads made of proteins out of glands in their abdomens. Spiders often have several different glands that each secretes a different type of thread. When building a web, spiders will first secrete a dry thread with which they will spin and form the framework of their web. After the framework is complete, they then secrete and spin with a sticky thread that will be placed over the framework. This sticky thread will later serve to trap unsuspecting insects. Finally, some spiders have the ability to secrete a special ultraviolet thread that they use to “decorate” their web. We cannot see ultraviolet light but many insects can. The sticky frame of a web is a material that does not reflect ultraviolet light very well. It is essentially invisible unless it is closely inspected. When spiders spin with the ultraviolet thread, they create a design in the web that insects can see. Not only do insects see the thread, but they are tricked into thinking that it is some tasty treat, like a flower, so they come to inspect it immediately….only to SPLAT…become stuck! Now, the spiders have their own tasty treat for later. 
According to the Smithsonian Institute, at any given time, there are approximately 10 quintillion insects on the earth. That’s 10 with 18 zeros after it! Many of us do not appreciate the spiders in our homes. However, if I saw a line of ants crawling across my kitchen floor, I think I would appreciate that even less. For now, the spider will stay. 

With Your Children

  • Ask them what they would do if they saw a spider? 
  • Explain the benefit of spiders to your children. Help them understand the good things that spiders do. 
  • Talk about a spider’s unique characteristics (eight legs, two body segments, members of the arachnid family, etc.).
  • Next time your child sees a spider, encourage them to be curious! Have them watch and observe the spider’s behavior instead of squishing it.
  • Go on a nature walk and look for spider webs! If you go early in the morning, you may find them more easily. Look, for dew drops on the webs. 
<![CDATA[Getting Your Kids Outside]]>Fri, 24 Apr 2015 18:25:12 GMThttp://www.science-explorers.net/blog/getting-your-kids-outside
Are you looking for ways to get your kids outside? Allowing your children to explore in the great outdoors is a fantastic way for them to engage with their natural curiosity about the world around them.

 According to Children and Nature Network, only 6% of children age 9-13 play outside on their own. By contrast, research from the Kaiser family foundation shows that children and teens age 8-18 spend an alarming average of 53 hours each week using entertainment media.
In my own experience, I have very fond memories playing outside for hours on end. I couldn’t get enough of outdoor exploration. Much to my mother’s dismay, my curiosity about the natural world did not even end when I set foot indoors.   

One day when I was about 8 years old, my friend and I found a small field mouse in my basement. I’m guessing that most children would shriek and run upon finding such a discovery in the room they only hours before had been using as a location for a slumber party. However, I was thrilled to find this new friend. We trapped it in a bucket, named it Mr. Ruggers (I don’t recall why), and took it down to a local park to play with it. That is likely not a mouse’s idea of a fun excursion, but we  had a grand time pushing it on the tire swing, going down the fire pole with it, and sending it down the slides.

In telling this story, I am not encouraging children today to treat a mouse like I did. Little did we know it at the time, but I’m sure we traumatized the poor thing a great deal! However, I will say it seems that today’s generation of children has lost some element of its curiosity and interest in the natural world. And as educators and parents of these children, it is our job to spark that curiosity once again.

Inspiring OUtdoor Play

So, what can you do to inspire an interest in the outdoors in your children? Nature scavenger hunts and free exploration time are both engaging ways to get a child interested in exploring outside. They are fun for children already familiar with the outdoors, but can also be an excellent way to introduce children who are less familiar and have more aversion to it.

Guided Nature Bingo for Young Children:
If you have preschool or early elementary-aged kids, print out the following spring nature bingo sheet. Go on a nature walk with your children. Explain to them that you are going to be naturalists for an hour. A naturalist is a scientist who explores nature by directly observing it. See if your children can help you find five items on your bingo sheet in a row! If they are enjoying your exploration, then give them the added challenge of “bingo blackout,” where they find all of the items on the sheet. Bring along a crayon or marker for them to cross off items as you walk. When you get home, make sure to ask them about their favorite item on the list!
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Free Exploration for Older Children:
Challenge your children to be naturalists. A naturalist is a scientist who studies nature by directly observing and recording what they find. Naturalists almost always carry a special notebook where they record all their observations. Make naturalist notebooks by folding copy paper in half and tying the middle together by hole-punching along the edge and tying yarn through the holes. Repurpose a brown grocery bag for the cover and have them decorate it. Allow your child to go outside and explore and take notes or make drawings of anything interesting they might find. If this sounds too much like school work to them, make it into a game. Have them pretend they are brave explorers discovering a brand new land. Nobody else has ever seen the plants, animals and other natural elements that they will be discovering. If multiple children are participating, have them go out on their own with the challenge to discover as much as they can about their new land. When they return together as group, they can share all that they found and determine how they can live in this new land with the plants/animals/other elements that they discovered!