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By: Selena Littrell
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Linda Book, songwriter and musician, will make a special concert appearance at
Explorit Science Center during its Holiday Sale and Craft Shop tomorrow at
1:30 p.m. Linda has been delighting listeners of all ages since 1982 with
songs that cover a wide range of issues, from the funny to the
thought-provoking. Though her songs are written with children in mind, adult
listeners may find themselves singing along as well.
This is the second Saturday Explorit will offer its Holiday Sale. Last week, Explorit visitors received discounts on fun, novel, and educational gifts for their family and friends. Giving gifts from Explorit is a wonderful way to encourage children in exploration and investigation. Proceeds from Explorit store sales benefit Explorit programs; your purchases show support!
While parents shop at the Explorit store, children can create their own gifts to take home in the Craft Shop. Last Saturday, children enjoyed making decorative gift tags and experimenting with designs for hexagonal snowflakes.
Saturday's Craft Shop and Linda Book's performance will be free.
Saturday, December 2 is also the first day of Explorit's next exhibition, "Chaos." This subject has been a challenge for Explorit's staff to prepare. The result is a fascinating and stimulating exhibition of hands-on investigations to introduce this relatively young theory to our visitors. Models of chaos including dripping faucets, pendulums, and magnets will illustrate the surprising existence of chaotic systems.
Girls and boys in grades 3-6 are invited to join the World Explorer's Club and explore topics in biology, chemistry, physics, geology, and other science related subjects. Club members are asked to call Chris Mau at (916) 753-8612 to confirm Saturday's meeting time. For more information, call Explorit at (916) 756-0191.
Explorit Science Center is located at 3141 5th Street, Davis and is open Saturdays 11:00-4:30, Sundays 1:00-4:30, and Tuesdays-Fridays 2:00-4:30. Excluding Saturday, December 2, admission is $3.00 per person. Members, teachers, and children under 4 are free. Visit Explorit's World Wide Web site: http://wheel.dcn.davis.ca.us/GO/EXPLORIT/
Explorit's 1995 Winter Vacation Classes start Monday December 18. Children enrolled in vacation classes find that time out of school can be not only entertaining but also a chance to learn something new and special. Classes are filling quickly, but we still have spaces in several classes, including the following:
"In a Fog: Valley Weather" for grades 4-6 will investigate the cause of the eerie yet mystical fog that creeps across the Valley this time of year. Beth Post, who will teach this class, will ordain her students "Weather Makers," who will learn how to create weather indoors. Students will make clouds, control winds, and cause air to rise and fall. A homemade hygrometer will be theirs to take home.
"Why a Dye?" for grades 4-6 will spark questions about and offer solutions to queries in the science of dyeing procedures. Barbara Fall will define "mordant" and teach students how it is used to fix dyes in fabrics and paper. Without a mordant, dyes bleed, fade, and rinse out. Experimenting with dyes that they make from kitchen chemicals and plants, students will be surprised at the range of unusual sources for natural dyes, even oak galls!
Students enrolled in "Festive Geometry" for grades 4-6 will use both the left and the right sides of their brains. Susan Taylor will encourage students to be both creative and investigative in geometry as they observe phenomena in everyday examples such as a popping balloon. Students will investigate spatial geometry by experimenting with Möbius strips, topology, and geometric fractals. Students may take home their geometric art.
Students in the final class for grades 4-6 will learn how animals are "Keeping Warm" this winter by investigating characteristics of different animal furs. Many animals go through changes in the winter to keep out the cold. While sea otters use their thick coats as protection, sea lions and seals depend on their blubber to compensate for a lack of fur. Students will learn how animals use fur, feathers, color, and blubber to survive the winter cold.
If you have not received a class list and registration form for the 1995 Winter Vacation Classes, visit or call Explorit Science Center at 3141 5th Street, Davis, (916) 756-0191. The class schedule and registration forms are also available from the Explorit Web site. Class fees are $9.00 per class; members pay $8.00 per class.
Congratulations to Harriet Murav and Bruce Rosenstock who recently bought a home in Davis through Lyon & Associates Realtors agent Jalé Kavvas. As a house warming gift, Jalé Kavvas provided them with an Explorit membership.
The 1995 Science Adventure Drive and Drawing is still running and presents not only a chance to win a fantastic prize, but the perfect opportunity to receive Explorit membership benefits. Membership benefits include free admission to Explorit; free admission to over 180 museums that participate in the Reciprocal Free Admission Program of the Association of Science-Technology Centers; "Science-Centered," Explorit's quarterly newsletter; discounts at the Explorit store; and discounts on vacation classes. Your support is vital to the production of quality science education programs.
Thank you to everyone who has recently joined or renewed their Explorit membership. The Drawing will be held December 16 (you need not be present to win). Good Luck!