Did you know that dinosaurs are related to birds? Or that the biggest dinosaurs had hollow bones?

Spark your thinking!

1.  Set up your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page: #69: Dinosaur Facts

2. Dinosaurs are a group of reptiles that have lived on Earth for about 245 million years. In 1842, the English naturalist Sir Richard Owen coined the term Dinosauria, derived from the Greek deinos, meaning “fearfully great,” and sauros, meaning “lizard.” Dinosaur fossils have been found on all seven continents! Record the bolded information on your recording page.

3. There are all kinds of fun facts about dinosaurs! And, there are so many types of dinosaurs scientists are learning about! Choose a dinosaur fact page to read about at National Geographic Kids. Record the name of the dinosaur and 3 facts from the article.

4. Watch and learn fun facts about dinosaurs. At the end of the video there is a review. Pause the video and  write the answers on your recording page then unpause your video and check your answer.

5. Share your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page with your teacher or EY Coordinator.

Did you that there are two digital badges about dinosaurs? Check them out at the EY website.

For this Early Enrichment Mini Spark challenge, create your best snow person/people or creatures. No snow required.

1. Set up your Early Enrichment Mini Spark recording page: 68: SNOW + ENGINEERING = FUN

2. Learn about the engineering behind snow building. Record 5 details on your recording sheet.

3.  Watch these kids creating on snow people that are built out of paper, tape, plastic bags, and newspaper. Did you like the final project? Explain why or why not.

4. Build a snow creature. You can build it out of snow if you are doing the mini spark while there is snow on the ground, or you can build it out of materials. Do not buy anything, use materials you have around the classroom or your house.  If you build your snow creature out of materials, if doesn’t have to be as big as the examples in the video unless you want it to be.

5. Take a picture of your project ½ way through and then at the end. Add your pictures to your recording page.

6. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Spring is in the air! Learn about the blooming power of flowers and then do a hands-on activity creating a blooming flower and card to give to someone special.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page: #67: Flower Power

2. Watch this Mystery Science video about how flowers bloom. Record 3 things you learned on your recording page.

4.  Make a colorful paper flower and a greeting card to give to a special person. When placed in water, the paper flower will unfold, appearing to move and bloom in front of your eyes! You may want to use this as a Mother’s Day activity, but you choose who will receive the card, so it can be for anyone special.

Gather needed materials to complete the card making activity

• Crayons
• Scissors
• Dot Stickers or Tape
• Plastic Paper Plate or Bowl
• Print this template single sided. Ask your teacher for help if needed.

5. Follow the step-by-step instructions on the paper.

6. When you give your card, explain that you will need to your place the flowers in water and you can watch them bloom together!

7. Share your STEAM mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

This summer was HOT!! There were even stories about eggs frying on a sidewalk. This makes you think….what ordinary items might melt in the sun? Do an experiment to find out.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page: #66: What Melts in the Sun?

2. Ask your parent or guardians permission first before you start.

Experiment steps

1. Set up your recording page with three columns and 12 rows.

2. Put a title at the top of each column

Object           Do you think it will melt?               Did it melt?

3. Find a muffin tin.

4. FInd 12 ordinary household items that make you ask….”Does this melt in the sun?”

5. Take a picture of your tin.

5. Write those items down on your recording sheet.

6. Decide if you think the item will melt. Write YES or NO for each item.

7. Choose a day where the temperature is at least 85 degrees.

8. Put your muffin tin with the items in the full sun and wait at least 20 minutes.

9. I know it’s hard to wait 20 minutes, but you can do it!!! After the 20 minutes is up, go check on your results!

10. Fill in the column with the results of your experiment.

11. Take a picture of the tin and the items.

12. Now, for the most important step:  CLEAN UP AND PUT THINGS BACK!

3. Share your science mini spark recording page and your project pictures with your teacher/EY coordinator. We can’t wait to see it!

Lesson adapted from: https://frugalfun4boys.com/simple-science-experiment-for-kids-what-melts-in-the-sun/

Learn to sign letters in this mini spark.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your Early Enrichment mini spark recording page: #63: Learn your ABCs

2. Watch this video and practice all of your letters. On your recording page record the 5 letters that are the most difficult for you to remember.

What do you know about earthquakes?  Let’s find out!

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page # 64: Earthquake Lesson

2. Read this teaching page written by an earthquake. If a word is bold, record it on your recording page.

Greetings! I am an Earthquake.
I usually occur at the edge of tectonic plates, which are the outer layer of the Earth. Made of rock, these plates are constantly on the move.

My Trigger: Getting Stuck!
I happen when the tectonic plates get stuck but continue to try to move. As they remain stuck, pressure builds up until I can finally break free with a sudden movement!

Foreshocks: My Warning Signals!
Before I make my grand entrance, I sometimes send foreshocks your way. These are smaller earthquakes that occur before the main event, which is known as the main shock. Scientists can use these signals to predict when I might arrive.

Aftershocks: My Echoes!
Once I’ve made my appearance, aftershocks usually follow. These are smaller earthquakes that occur after the main one, as the Earth’s crust adjusts to the changes I’ve caused. They can be very dangerous, especially if buildings are already damaged from my initial impact.

My Seismic Waves!
The shock waves I create as I move through the ground are called seismic waves. They are strongest at the center of my occurrence and travel to the surface, causing the ground to shake and leading to destruction.

Measuring My Strength!
Scientists use the Moment magnitude scale to measure my strength. This scale accurately measures the energy I release. In the past, they relied on the Richter scale, which measured the size of my seismic waves but wasn’t as precise.

My Birthplace: The Hypocenter!
I always start somewhere underground, and that place is known as the hypocenter. It’s the hidden origin of my power.

The Epicenter: My Surface Spot!
The point directly above my hypocenter on the ground is called the epicenter. The difference is clear: the hypocenter is underground, while the epicenter is above, where the effects are felt most.

My Record-Breaking Event!
The strongest earthquake ever recorded was in Chile in 1960, measuring 9.5 on the Moment Magnitude scale—an extremely high value! I lasted for a full 10 minutes, leaving a significant mark.

My Frequent Home: Japan!
I tend to occur most often in Japan, located within ‘The Pacific Ring of Fire,’ which sits at the edge of the Pacific Ocean where tectonic plates meet. Other countries affected by my presence include the Philippines, the United States, Chile, and more.

3. Which of these 10 facts surprised you the most?

4. Write a 5 question quiz about earthquakes. Make an answer key as well.

5. Share your early enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.

Check out the Natural Disaster Reporter Badge at the EY Website.

Comets are large objects made of dust and ice that orbit the Sun. Scientists believe that comets are made up of material left over from when the Sun and the planets were formed. They think that about 100,000 million comets orbit the Sun. Some comets orbit the Sun like planets. Their orbits take them very close to and very far away from the Sun.

Spark your thinking!

1. Set up your early enrichment mini spark recording page #62: Comets

2. As of 2021 only about 4,584  comets have officially been cataloged, a number that is steadily increasing as they are discovered. However, this represents only a tiny fraction of the total potential comet population, as the number of comet-like bodies in the outer Solar System is estimated to be one trillion. That’s a LOT!  Write the number one trillion on your recording page.

3. Learn more about comets by watching the video below. Write 3 facts about comets on your recording page.

4. Go to this link and watch a short video to learn more about comet tails. Draw a picture of a comet tail on your recording page.

5. Share your early enrichment mini spark recording page with your teacher/EY coordinator.