Passing this along....
Siemens: We Can Change The World
Age Range: 10-13 (Designed for middle school students, but don't let that deter you from exploring this site with children of all ages.)
Siemens Foundation has teamed up with Discover Education to sponsor the "We Can Change the World Challenge" that is open to all middle school students (including homeschoolers). Now through March 15, 2009, homeschoolers can team up and enter the contest by creating a positive, measurable solution to a local environmental problem or issue using scientific methodology.
Prizes for students and teachers include recognition, cash and an appearance on Discovery's Planet Green Television Network. Details on how to enter the contest are at today's website. (This contest began in the fall of 2008, but the press release I received today indicates they want more response and that there's plenty of time for more "Eco-Heroes to help save the planet.")
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE...
As explained in the publicity release: "The Challenge is entirely web-based and provides a robust collection of resources for students and teachers from interactive labs to lesson plans...and you can even take a quiz to measure your own environmental IQ!"
I found the "Virtual Labs" to be a terrific resource that stand alone as a great supplement to learning science � and they are the focus of this review. When you get to the site you'll see a menu of eight interactives that will help your students learn about topics such as:
Windmills
Environmental Footprints
Fossil Fuels
River Flow
Biodiversity
Click on any one and a new page opens where the science animation begins. It provides an introduction, instructions on how to proceed with an investigation, and interprets the results of your online virtual lab experimentation.
The labs are free, and may inspire your kids to enter the contest.
