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North-Central Section - 49th Annual Meeting (19-20 May 2015)

Paper No. 1
Presentation Time: 8:05 AM

GIRL SCOUT SCIENCE DAY AT NORTHWEST


BEATTIE, Lisa A.1, SCHULTA, Rachel2, BUNSE, Emily G.1 and JOHNSON, Aaron W.3, (1)Department of Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University Dr., Maryville, MO 64468, (2)Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University Dr, Maryville, MO 64468, (3)Natural Sciences, Northwest Missouri State University, 800 University Drive, Maryville, MO 64468, S509656@mail.nwmissouri.edu

Girl Scout Science Day is a program directed by Northwest Missouri State University’s chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon every year in the spring for young girls. Girls ages 5-18 are invited to campus to spend participate in hands on activities to introduce different areas of science. All girls are eligible to attend, even if they are not members of Girl Scouts. When girls first arrive on campus at 7:30 am or 1:00 pm, they are placed into different rooms in the science building according to their Girl Scout group. Exercises vary by group. Daisies (grades K-1) make their own fossils, explore the water cycle by making rain in a bag and building a model water well. Brownies (grades 2-3) investigate science by using household materials to make dinosaur snot, explore static electricity, inflate balloons without using their lungs, and using rock salt to lower the melting point of ice while making ice cream. During the evening, Brownies can learn basic astronomy. Juniors (grades 4-5) can go Geocaching, learn entomology, explore paleontology, and spend the evening learning basic astronomy. Cadettes (grades 6-8) explore mineralogy and gemology. Seniors (grades 9-10) and Ambassadors (grades 11-12) learn to identify rocks in hand sample and receive an introduction to the petrographic microscope. Every group receives a tour of the Earth Science Museum. Every exercise is led by student members of the Epsilon Theta Chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon. Members create the exercises, procure supplies, work with girls and their parents, reserve rooms and work with Girl Scouts of America to publicize the event. This program began when the faculty sponsor of Northwest’s SGE Chapter had a daughter in Girl Scouts. The initial event was open to girls from the local community and expanded in 2013 to include the entire 47 county NE Missouri-NW Kansas service unit, an area that includes more than 34,000 Girl Scouts and 9,000 volunteers. To date, 272 participants have earned 332 science badges and patches since the program began in 2012.

Session No. 26

Teaching and Learning Earth Science: K–16 Educational Pedagogy
Wednesday, 20 May 2015: 8:00 AM-10:05 AM
Hall of Ideas H (Monona Terrace Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 47, No. 5, p.75
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Back to: T19. Teaching and Learning Earth Science: K–16 Educational Pedagogy
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