The science behind this amazing phenomenon is photo catalysts. These chemicals react to the wavelengths in sunlight. There are some that react to ultraviolet light but the trick was finding something you could coat clothing with that would react with sunlight. The chemicals they came up with are titanium dioxide (a key ingredient in white oil paints and interestingly tattoo ink) and silver iodide (used to seed clouds in early weather experiments). Titanium dioxide reacts with ultraviolet light and the Silver iodide reacts best with sunlight and is a catalyst.

 All these chemical are safe in most circumstances but there is a danger. Inhaling titanium dioxide is a hazard. That means that the researchers have to find a way to make the chemical stick and stay through thick and thin, wind and snow, play and sleep, well you get the idea. Since cotton clothing is made of individual woven fibers they can coat the fibers and if this coating sticks it may just be the new wave of clothes cleaning.

 The titanium dioxide works best in ultraviolet light and the silver iodide seems to speed up reactions in sunlight. We call a chemical that speeds up reactions a catalyst. These mighty chemicals speed boosters are useful in all sorts of manufacturing and even in reactions within your body.

 Chemicals need a certain amount of energy to react, like combustion (reactions between a hydrocarbon and oxygen). A catalyst lowers the energy needed to get the reaction started. This energy is called activation energy. So, if you wanted the sunlight to react with a chemical and clean clothing you would benefit from a catalyst that would let that reaction start even with minimal sunlight.

 There are cases where a catalyst only provides a surface for the reaction to happen on. The key is that in all of these reactions the catalyst is not changed. It remains the same where the two reacting chemicals form new compounds. The researchers did not report if the titanium dioxide gets depleted after a while and needs to be reapplied. Who knows, maybe a little bit goes a long way.

 I remember an old social studies video that showed folks in Brazil cleaning clothing by beating them against rocks in a local river. That beating allowed the soap and water to penetrate the individual cotton fibers and I can imagine it is a bit exhausting. My grandmother used an old wringer washer where the washer agitated the clothing doing the same thing as the rocks and then two rollers wrung the water out of the clothing.

Letting the sunlight do the work sounds like science fiction.

Still it is intriguing to think that I could hang out my clothing and have the stains, dirt, smells and any bacteria be chemically whisked away by the sun.

A link to the research is below:

http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/2012/01/self-cleaning-clothes/

By actively engaging with new experiences, children deepen their knowledge about the world and, in addition, expand their vocabulary and understanding of previously acquired words and knowledge. Not all experiences are created equally, however, and an important component of a quality early childhood literacy program is to include a variety of experiences that children can engage in throughout the year.

While every experience a child has contains the potential to deepen their knowledge, it is not enough to simply expose a child to new experiences. It is essential to immerse and ground these experiences in conversation.

Hart & Risley (1995), in their landmark study on vocabulary differences amongst children, talk about the concept of “parent talk.” “Parent talk” is when “a parent defines and labels what children should notice and think about the world, their family, and themselves and suggest how interesting and important various objects, events, and relationships are.”

In this same vein, it is important that teachers engage in this kind of “discovery talk” with young children. It is not enough to have a block corner in the classroom or to take a class trip to a museum without first helping children identify and understand the experiences they will have or help them label the work they have created.

Have conversations with children about what they might experience. So many times, we give children instructions and expectations about their behavior, but we don’t take the time to talk about what the child might see, hear, or touch. If you add a new art material to the classroom, take time to brainstorm with the children about what kind of magical objects they might create!

Help children talk about their experiences. Whether they choose to spend choice time at the sand table, or you’re heading out as a class to the local science center, each experience has specific words that help the child build a better understanding of what is occurring. They’ll also be able to better anchor the experience as a reference for the next time it occurs.

A variety of experiences will help children learn new vocabulary, give them practice talking about new things, and help to connect their thoughts in meaningful ways so they are able to interact with parents, with other adults, and with other children.

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Krystyann Krywko specializes in education research, and focuses on literacy, and on hearing loss and the impact it has on children and families. She holds an Ed. D in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University; where she was a Spencer Fellow for the 2005 cohort. She has more than 10 years of early childhood teaching experience.

LEGO Education was started in the early 1980s as a consolidation of previous efforts to use LEGO materials in support of education. By creating a separate division dedicated to the improvement of student learning, the LEGO group became one of the leading multinationals companies to show a serious commitment to social responsibility. LEGO Education set about its mission by creating a learning philosophy based on learners acquiring knowledge through active participation in their own learning experiences. LEGO has produced a series of integrated curriculum materials that serve as an excellent resource for teaching STEM concepts.

The LEGO Education learning philosophy is built on the “four Cs” concept:

Connect – Construct – Contemplate – Continue

Connect.
Learners are given an open-ended task that allows them to find their own solution to the challenges placed before them. The active engagement of students in problem solving encourages them to connect to their own interests and motivations. Students are encouraged to ask questions and explore ideas to connect their newly acquired learning to their existing knowledge and areas of interest.

Construct.
The core of every LEGO task involves building. By actively learning through tactile experience, students construct knowledge in their minds. Students also construct knowledge with others in group settings, where collaboration extends their learning even further.

Contemplate.
Students are given the opportunity to consider what they have learned through the construction activities. Through contemplation, students ask reflective questions about both the content and process of their learning. These questions are designed to help learners gain awareness of the process in which they are engaged, and to encourage exploring new ways to go about finding solutions to the challenges set before them.

Continue.
Every LEGO task ends with a new task that builds on what has just been learned. Thus, students are encouraged to continue their exploration and extend the experience beyond the classroom.

The LEGO Education curricula provide students a unique combination of challenges and hands-on experiences designed to their particular skill level. Students are given the chance to build meaningful artifacts with their own hands both individually and in group settings. By using the LEGO Education materials, students become motivated and excited to learn.

LEGO Education materials can also help promote effective teaching of STEM subjects.  All the units are developed in close collaboration with teachers and education experts, with a focus on the need for comprehensive solutions to make learning interesting and motivating  – while also adhering to the national core standards for science, technology, engineering and math.

Interested in exploring the opportunities to teach STEM subjects through LEGO Education material? I would suggest checking out the following websites:

• http://www.legoeducation.us/
• http://www.legoengineering.com/
• http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/previews/nxt_products/robotics_eng_vol_1/robo_eng_1_print_preview.htm

Perhaps the most significant attribute of the LEGO Education programs is the students’ own motivation to participate in the learning experience. Most children know LEGO from playing at home, and although LEGO Education’s products are different from LEGO commercial products, students enter the education environment aware that using LEGOs is fun. This makes them motivated even before they begin.

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Solomon Menashi spent the first part of his professional life running a highly-successful, high-tech manufacturing firm. For the past 10 years, he’s been working in education — teaching, leading, and learning. He is founder and Executive Director of Mindsurfers, which focuses on building the confidence, skills and enthusiasm of underserved students in the fields of science, technology, math and engineering. Solomon holds an Ed.M from Harvard University Graduate School of Education. You can also follow him on Twitter at #mindsurfers.

For the young child, this usually means that language and literacy need to grow through interaction with people and knowledge tends to be acquired both experientially and aurally (through listening).

Research suggests that children spend up to 75 percent of their day engaged in listening activities. However, as Lois Heymann suggests, in her book The Sound of Hope, children are never taught this essential skill of listening. Ms. Heymann states, “Children need years of practice to develop the ability to listen to instructions, absorb and make sense of spoken and heard information, and follow directions. They are expected to enter kindergarten already able to use these skills.”

So how can parents and educators help young children learn how to listen?

First of all, there needs to be an understanding of the differences between hearing and listening. Hearing is a passive activity. It is simply the act of perceiving sound, and if you have typical hearing, you don’t have to do anything. It just happens.

Listening, on the other hand, is an active activity. It is something that you need to make a conscious effort to engage in so that your brain is able to process, and distinguish, between sounds, words, and sentences.

The good news is that you don’t have to rush out and buy a prepackaged program to help young children learn to listen. You most likely already have all the materials you need either at home, or in your program.

Shake Up Story Time. Reading to young children is one of the best activities to build vocabulary and gain an understanding of story language and structure. However, relying on picture books allows them to tune out for awhile and then “catch up” by looking at the pictures.

To help develop active listening skills, try listening to books on CD. Vicki Parker, Ph.D, SLP, cautions that active listening is a skill that needs to be developed in many young children. “Take your time when you are first starting out. Watch to see if the children are engaged with the story. If they’re not, simply turn off the CD and try again another time.” The first listening session might only last five minutes, but the next time might be longer.

Play Your Way to Bigger Words. Research shows a strong link between vocabulary and successful readers and writers.

When you think about vocabulary building, forget about reaching for those flash cards. Make it fun for young children. Use words they already understand and go from there.

If you come across a new word during story time, don’t hesitate to stop and explain the word (you might want to plan where to stop in advance). Try using the word a couple of times during the day, and the next day, as well. This gives young children the opportunity to hear the word in different contexts, which helps “deepen the use and meaning of these words.”

Don’t be afraid of using big words. Children often comprehend a new word before they try it themselves. Besides, young children love learning big words.

Mind the Gap. The more children know about their world, the more background knowledge they will have to access. A knowledge gap begins to grow between those children who understand basic concepts and those who have not had prior exposure. The more opportunities they have to explore using all five senses – touch, hearing, sight, taste, smell- the more familiarity they will have with the world around them.

“It’s all about exploration at this stage,” says Darla Hutson and Tracy Hitchins, co-directors of the Preschool Toolbox, in Illinois. “And the best thing is you don’t even need fancy materials to provide these opportunities.” Think funnels and strainers for water or sand play, or going on nature walks to collect materials such as leaves and stones that can be sorted.

Help children label their discoveries. Describe how objects look and feel. Compare differences in size, shape, color, and texture. Talk about the steps that are involved in an activity so they gain a better understanding of sequencing and organization.

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Krystyann Krywko specializes in education research, and focuses on literacy, and on hearing loss and the impact it has on children and families. She holds an Ed. D in International Education Development from Teachers College, Columbia University; where she was a Spencer Fellow for the 2005 cohort. She has more than 10 years of early childhood teaching experience.

Resource – Hey, Back Off! Tips for Stopping Teen Harassment        
available at Amazon.com and at Barnes and Noble stores
(optional, but will greatly reduce your research time)

Duration: 5-7 50 minute class periods (depends on amount of
discussion)

Day 1:

Objective:   Students will know the types of harassment,
bullying, sexual harassment, stalking, hazing and cyberbullying, and realize
when they have been the victim as well as when they have been the bully.  (Teen Section 1 – Hey, Back Off!)

Materials:  What is
Harassment? PowerPoint Presentation

Procedure:

Before the PowerPoint presentation, have students draw a line down the middle of a piece of notebook paper. One side should be labeled, ‘Felt It’, and the other side, ‘Did It.’  *Make sure students know they will not be turning this in.

This is a self-analysis exercise. Present the PowerPoint and have students write what has been done to them and what they have done to others on their piece of paper.If students are willing, discuss what theylearned from the presentation because many teens don’t realize that what theyare doing or experiencing is harassment, and they have a hard time with theconcept that harassment is determined by the victim.

Day 2:

Objective:  Students will know the harassment policy in
their school district as well as the state laws in place to protect them
against harassment.  (Teen Section 2
- Hey, Back Off!)

Materials:  A quiz about their opinion of how harassment in handled in their school (it should be a quiz that is quickly measured, there is one you can use in Hey, Back Off!), a copy of your school district harassment policy or the student handbook, an understanding of your state laws regarding harassment, an understanding of the legal definitions of severe, persistent and pervasive harassment.

Optional: A copy of The Rights of Personhood as outlined in The Constitution of the
United States, Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of The Education Amendments,
and Americans with Disabilities Act.

Procedure:Give students the quiz on their opinion of how harassment is handled in the school and quickly tally the results.  Quiz answers should be anonymous.

Optional: Discussing where harassment laws come from and why harassment is a violation of personal rights. Present the definitions of severe, persistent and pervasive.  Students should understand this is not only when harassment is against the law, it is also when harassment should be reported to an adult. Discuss the school district policy in place in the district (students usually get a watered down version in their handbook, so with older students you may want to use the actual district policy).  Discuss consequences not only within the school, but through the law as well. Make sure students know they need to reportharassment to an adult when it is severe, persistent and pervasive.If time, discuss as a class the consequences of harassing others.

Day 3:

Objective:  Students will know what it means to be a passive personality (the victim) and an aggressive personality (the bully).  (Teen Sections 3 and 4 of Hey, Back Off!)

Materials:  However you wish to present this information is up to you.  There is a quiz available in Hey, Back Off! to give to students to help them determine whether they are a passive, aggressive or assertive personality.

Procedure: The passive personalities are those who are targets for bullies. Let others make decisions for them. Believe their thoughts and feelings don’t count. Put themselves last. Fear the loss of approval. Are sometimes loners, sometimes followers. Hate conflict. Fear responsibility.

The aggressive personalities are those who are the abusers, harassers and bullies of the world.Are loud, abusive, sarcastic, bossy and gossipNeed to win and see life as a competition. Need to control others. Their own needs come first. Don’t know what respect is (believe fear = respect). Fear appearing weak or losing control. They are egotistical. They are angry. Do not know how to be responsible.

Discuss these two personalities as class – set boundaries with the class. They cannot use names or situations everyone would know.  The purpose of this is to educate, not to make anyone feel badly or to propagate bullying in your classroom.

Optional:  a personal writing exercise about their own personalities and situations where they are passive and/or aggressive.

 Day 4:

Objective:  Students will know what it means to be an
assertive personality, why an assertive person is not the bully or the target
of a harasser, and how passive and aggressive personalities can become
assertive.

Materials:  SMART goal templates, however you would like to present this information

Procedure: Assertive personalities are those who are not harassers, nor are they victims. Act in their own best interest without hurting others.Know their rights and stand up for themselves. Proactive. Honest in their expression. Give and get respect. Have self-confidence and self-respect. Have healthy relationships. Have a sense of belonging. Experience less anxiety and stress.

Becoming assertive if you are passive or aggressive — Admit you are passive or aggressive. Set SMART goals – start small, don’t try to do it all at once. The way you look — Eye contact – have some, but don’t stare. Tone of voice – speak normally, don’t whisper, don’t yell or speak in a steely voice. Posture – not trying to disappear or appear big and tough.

Goals for passive personalities – Make a decision. Express a thought or a feeling – use ‘I’ statements. Put yourself first.

Goals for aggressive personalities — Make an attitude adjustment. Realize fear is not respect and you have to earn respect. Be proactive – think about consequences. Take responsibility – stop playing the blame game. Manage your anger.

Maintaining an assertive personality — Deal with stress. Deal with anger. Check your attitude. Keep friends and family close – maintain relationships. Remember others are watching. Fall in love with the win-win feeling of assertiveness.

Day 5:

Objective:  Students will know what to say and do in
order to deal with harassers participating in a variety of harassing
behaviors.  (Teen Section 7, Hey, Back Off!)

Materials:  Either lecture, create a PowerPoint or create a handout of the information.

 Bullying

What to Say:

I want you to stop…

I don’t like it when…

I feel like you’re trying to get a reaction out of me.

I don’t understand why…

I’m going to get help.

What to Do:

Be assertive—remain calm, but be direct.

Walk away (calmly, assertively).

Tell the bully how s/he makes you feel and what you want him or her to do.

Have a safety plan in place.

Report severe, persistent or pervasive bullying behavior.

Sexual Harassment

What to Say:

I want you to stop…

I feel very uncomfortable when you…

I am offended when you…

I don’t think that’s funny because…

I’m going to get help.

What to Do:

Be assertive—remain calm, but be direct.

Walk away (calmly, assertively).

Tell the harasser what you want him or her to stop doing and why.

Have a safety plan in place.

Report severe, persistent or pervasive sexual harassment incidents.

Stalking

What to Say:

II feel like you’re following me.

I see or hear from you too often.

I feel uncomfortable when you say or write…

I think you pay too much attention to me and it makes me uncomfortable.

I’m going to get help.

What to Do:

Be assertive—remain calm, but be direct.

Report the harasser’s actions.

Make sure your safety plan is in place.

Change your phone number, get a new e-mail address, block the stalker from your online social networks.

Change your routines where you can.

Involve law enforcement.

Hazing

What to Say:

What are the requirements for membership?

Is there an initiation? What does it include?

What is the purpose of the initiation? What will it prove about me as a potential member?

I want to join an organization that doesn’t require hazing.

What to Do:

Be assertive—remain calm but be direct.

Have the courage to stand up for your right to have dignity.

Report hazing or planned hazing to school officials.

Cyberbullying

What to Say:

Nothing, unless you can say it in person.

What to Say, Face-to-Face with an Adult Present:

I want you to stop…

I don’t like it when…

I feel like you’re trying to get a reaction out of me.

What to Do:

Be assertive—remain calm but be direct.

Report the incidents of harassment.

Make sure your safety plan is in place.

Change your phone number, get a new e-mail address, block the stalker from your online social networks.

Do Not:

Do not post or send anything that you don’t want others to see.

Do not forward anything that could be offensive to or hurt another person.

Assessment:

I have never written a final test, assigned a paper or really anything else for a grade for this unit.  What I do expect, however, is that the bullying issue becomes better in my classroom and my school.  This is done in several ways:  students can no longer plead ignorance,  students are reporting severe, persistent and pervasive incidents of harassment, students are no longer bystanders, students see the value in becoming assertive and are doing so.  If the harassment epidemic is going to get better, it has to start with the students themselves.

Increased evidence illustrates young children who have challenging social and emotional behavior are more likely to experience early and persistent peer rejection, increased disciplinary contacts with teachers, negative family interaction patterns that are difficult for all family members, and school failure. On the other hand, children who are emotionally and socially well-adjusted have a greater chance of early school success.

This evidence suggests social and behavioral competence in young children may have a primary effect on academic performance in the early grades, over and above cognitive skills and family background. For this reason it is important that early childhood teachers are aware of the range of behaviors exhibited by children who may be at risk for challenging social and emotional behaviors. The earlier these behaviors are identified the sooner children and families are able to benefit from appropriate intervention.

What is healthy social and emotional development?

Healthy social development is measured by the ability to form and maintain healthy relationships with others, along with knowledge of social rules and standards. The ability to communicate appropriately with others, engage in fantasy and interactive play, and the acquisition of toileting and dressing behaviors are all part of healthy social development.

The feelings an individual has about their self and others, is the focal point of healthy emotional development. These feelings span the range of positive and negative emotions, as well as the ability to monitor and control feelings in culturally appropriate ways. The development of self-worth, self-confidence, and self-regulation are all important aspects of healthy emotional development. Emotional health also encompasses areas such as successful separation from the family and learning to follow routines and home and at school.

What does “red flag” behavior mean?

According to Scott G. Allen, Executive Director, Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Red flags should serve as a warning for potential delays and disabilities where developmental milestones focus on what a child can do by a specific age.” A red flag is any behavior, or changes in behavior, that alerts teachers, parents, or caregivers there might be atypical development in a particular child.

While red flags indicate there is developmental delay they are a not a cause for panic, or a definitive sign of a more pervasive diagnosis. Instead, a red flag simply signals a need for careful observation of the child. It is important to look for either triggers that might lead to observed behavior, or patterns of behavior in the child’s development; one missed milestone does not indicate that the child is developmentally delayed.

How to Communicate Observations with Parents

Once a red flag behavior is identified it is important to discuss any observations with parents and other professionals as needed. Dr. Alexandra Klein Rafaeli, a clinical psychologist specializing in social and emotional development, believes the key to working with parents in addressing atypical development in their children is best approached by open and honest communication. “My experience has been the more communication with parents the better. If parents are helped to understand specific reasons of concern and are provided close continual follow-up they almost always appreciate it and feel they are learning along the way.” Dr. Klein Rafaeli also warns that it is critical to stay away from any labels or prognosis concerning the child. Instead, focus on concrete observations of behavior. It is important to be very specific when describing the behaviors you observe in the classroom.

Girls are different in some cognitive ways from boys. We are not sure if that is hard wired or cultural. Regardless, it is a difference. We have been trying to get more girls involved in science for decades. The tight job market is helping but the age old structure of many science classes is not.

Think about junior high years. Boys are in a physical growth spurt that takes most of their energy. Some researchers think that boys are not expanding their thinking skills as much as their height due to the energy drain by physiological growth and changes. Girls by that age have generally finished their growing spurt and are ready for thinking challenges. Our curriculum in math and science for those years is generally aimed at keeping the concept load steady and the real thinking challenges are held off until 9^th grade. I believe that by the time the 9^th grade year rolls around girls are bored to death or are comfortable with the no growth model and when hit with the challenging tasks in both math and science they shy away expecting more of the same from 7^th and 8^th. Lots of my female high school students will tell me that science is boring and that they are not very good at it.

To counteract this female brain drain in the middle years many agencies have cranked up the content in free units aimed at girls and training for teachers to target the specific needs of these young women in school science classes. A good place to begin is with the USDE site on “What Works.” It includes a practice guide that is a great tool when redesigning lessons.

I went through my lessons and activities this past summer and discovered way too many that needed revision. Most were simply not as connected and interesting as they could be. For these, I revised them to start with a high-interest activity, and a few contained stereotypes I should have caught earlier. Most fixes were easy. I looked for compelling stories with strong women in science roles or careers. I revised feedback to praise effort and build confidence. It involves more than finding examples from areas we think generally interests girls.

I know we all know that the girls in our classes are interested in more than hair, nursing and makeup. However, you could not tell that we do from many of our lessons. My female students were drawn to any medical connections in chemistry. They were also quite interested in forensics and materials science. Yes, not many wanted to learn from a hunting analogy but cooking now grabbed the attention of boys and girls especially if it involved a lab. Sports science and nutrition in particular was interesting to all.

I teach in the Midwest and many of my students are involved in 4H and have agricultural tasks at home. Farming and soil related connections to science are interesting but more so if I make use of their already deep knowledge of farming and ranching. What they seem to want is an expanded world of interesting “stuff”. For me, the world of science is full of that.

I thought that by opening up the creative side of the science activity world I would attract more girls into science classes. That did work but it also worked for the boys. Activities where I ask the students to construct models had a strong appeal for girls and a big payoff in understanding for the guys. Requiring the students to defend and explain their model was interesting as well. The boys did not do as well as the girls with the first model. In the second model building activity (on atoms) the boys had learned a bit about the power of evidence in their explanation and did better. However, the girls as a group had much richer explanations and evidence for why they constructed their models as such and how those decisions related to the key understandings about atoms.

These models had a second benefit to girls. Research on girls in science indicates that girls are not exposed to enough spatial reasoning. They do not do well when asked to imagine an object in three dimensions and rotate it to a new view. This skill which is critical in most engineering fields is not directly addressed in many science classes with enough depth for females. Models, which are three-dimensional, help. I also use a variety of modeling tools on the web that allow students to rotate molecules or shapes and structures for different views. It all seems to help. One engineering task several years ago was followed by a presentation by a female architectural engineer. The questions from the class were richer in the class that had completed the spatial reasoning tasks in building models.

I may not be creating the next generation of engineers but I am certain that the changes I am making in my teaching and the activities in my classes are helping all my students understand key science ideas better. If I make the class more accessible to all and remove some of the roadblocks I did not notice before, that is a huge step forward.

I watched a special on a program here in my area that provides emergency services to homeless teens. There are on any given weekend over 250 teens in my metropolitan area who do not have a home. Many sleep in shelters, barns, under overpasses and in parks. The idea that some of my kids could be in that situation troubled me. On the way home from a meeting this weekend I saw a sleeping bag carefully tucked under a bridge on the edge of town. It made me wonder who slept there in the 15 degree night time.

I have been cleaning out my closet and donating clothing each winter and summer for years. This year I donated more than usual. But, it made me think what if I was not donating the materials that are most in need? How would I know? That is an opportunity to get my class involved. I asked my students to find out what materials are most needed. Five kids took on the challenge that day and called the shelters and food banks and got some surprising answers.

Money is so much more efficient than canned goods as the food banks can buy 5 cans of food for the cost of one we donate. The shelters always need bedding, layers of warm clothing in all sizes, coats, warm socks, hats, mittens, and shoes or boots. The emergency youth service agency says they often have to hand out sleeping bags to kids on the streets who will not go to shelters. My kids asked, “So how do they stay warm?” That is a great question.

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Brad Pitt had architects and engineers design simple, low cost, and green houses. The designers took into consideration the materials and the insulation factors, wind, water and a host of engineering principles from STEM fields. I wondered if we could do that for homeless folks who just need a warm place or a warm outer garment.

My challenge is to ask what we could design that could be handed out to the homeless that would be low-cost and effective at keeping them warm on colder days and nights. I am thinking that some kids will come up with something like the “snuggie.” But this challenge goes further than that. It begs the question, what is the most efficient insulating material? What is light enough to carry around and insulates well enough to help stave off hypothermia? Is it more energy efficient to build new structures to help these folks or to use existing structures in different ways? What kind of coat is the best from a thermodynamic standpoint?

One enterprising school in Texas followed on the idea from a church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that hosted “warm water Tuesdays.” The church put in a group of showers in their basement and every Tuesday they invite the homeless into their church to get a warm shower, clean up and have a hot meal on them. The school started with the hot showers and then the foods classes joined forces with the local shelter and offered soup on Wednesdays to anyone who needed a meal.  There were lots of students who ate one of their few evening meals at the school on those nights. We could help out with some creative use of facilities like this or weave science into the making of soups. The ways to help are numerous. All we have to do is find one that connects.

The social studies classes will participate and we will certainly take more than our fair share of side trips on this one. The application of good science to solve a social problem is a good way to involve a wide range of students on an adventure that just might help someone in the next desk.