NHCS After School Program: Science Stories

In anticipation of the GNL's Summer Reading Program (details to come-watch this space!), we have tweaked the format of our outreach to the Project Promise Program at the New Hampton Community School. Rather than the StoryCrafter's format of a picture book and a craft, for the remainder of the year, I'm presenting a chapter or two of a juvenile novel and a science project or an experiment.

This week, I read the first chapter of a wonderful new book, The Year of Billy Miller, written by Kevin Henkes, who has authored many popular picture books for kids. This story tells about Billy Miller, who is worried about being smart enough to start a new school year and is also learning to be more responsible to his family. This book was awarded a 2014 Newbery Award. It's entertaining and funny and is sprinkled with Henkes' black and white drawings.

Our project involved flight. We began by trying to make a plastic straw fly through the air, with no success. We briefly talked about ways to make it work. Finally, we cut index cards into strips and make a large paper circle and another smaller one. We taped them to the ends of the straw and flew them again. What a difference it made! We decided it must have something to do with the air passing through the circles!

Here's a video to explain the science and so that you can see the creation in flight - or make one of your own!