Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain - Challenge 4

Your challenge is

Is safer-at-home making you feel like you need more space?

Look up! There’s plenty of space there! And this week there are meteor showers!

Check out these websites:

https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html

https://earthsky.org/?p=4478

The annual Lyrids meteor shower runs from April 16 to 28, and will peak in intensity on Wednesday, April 22. The best viewing time will be between midnight and dawn on Wednesday, with fewer meteors on the mornings before and after. The Lyrids can produce up to 18 meteors per hour, with occasional fireballs. A nearly new moon will leave the skies nice and dark for this year's shower.

There are three planets up before dawn this week: Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. Enjoy them while watching for meteors.

What to do: Stay up late (or get up early) at least once during this week and observe the sky. Prepare ahead of time by visiting the websites above and making notes about where to look based on where you live. Learn about the meteor showers. This is a fun family activity!

How to submit: Report on what you saw. Were you able to see a meteor? How many? Have you ever seen a meteor before? Tell me what you learned about the Lyrids meteor shower. Were you able to see Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars?

DEADLINE: Saturday, April 25 at 11:59 PM

Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain - Challenge 3

Your challenge is

Learn about the different types of bridges by watching this short 

and fun video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C3VG0RdNPo

and by doing the quick, online PBS bridge challenge

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/bridge/challenge/index.html

Now, build a bridge out of materials you find around your house. 

Recycling bins are a great source of materials, but  be sure to 

follow all COVID-19 precautions.

Take a picture of your bridge and share it. Be sure to say what type of 

bridge you built.

DEADLINE:  Wednesday, April 15 at 11:59 PM

Essay Contest for Grades K-3

My former student Gitanjali Rao facilitates and organizes a Kindness Essay contest every year on behalf of Children's Kindness Network  moozie.org . 

Children in grades K-3 are encouraged to use their creativity and write an essay on "What kindness means to them."  

Exciting changes this year: Added 4 separate categories this year from K-3rd grade. The contest winning prize has been increased significantly. The contest is free to enter as always. 

  

Details of the contest can be found here

https://moozie.org/kindness-essay-contest/  

What better way to spend time during these unknown times thinking about kindness, spreading kindness, and sharing it with everybody!  

Deadline is May 15, 2020.

Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain - Challenge 2

Your challenge is

Interview 2 people.

The first person must be someone within your residence. 
Guess what? Your parents had lives before you were born! Try to find out something about a parent that you didn't know.

The second person can be anyone.
Is there an elderly person you know who would really enjoy a phone call, or a neighbor down the street you haven't been able to see lately? 

You can conduct your interviews over the phone, using Skype or another digital platform, or in person . . . from at least 6 feet away. Do not violate local, state, or federal orders and guidelines for social distancing. Remember, the CDC now recommends face coverings when you are in public.

What kinds of questions will you ask?
Ask interesting questions and you will receive interesting answers. 

After your interviews...

Prepare a written report of your interviews in whatever format you like; or

Prepare a video report of your interviews in whatever format you like.

DEADLINE:  FRIDAY, APRIL 10 at 11:59 PM
HOW TO SUBMIT: Via email and post in the comments section below that you completed the challenge

Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain - Challenge 1

Your first challenge

Find a product in your home that you or someone in your family uses most every day.
Examples: detergent, cosmetics, deodorant, hand soap, toothpaste. Be sure your product has a visible list of ingredients.

If possible, take a picture of your ingredient list to share with Ms. Jennifer.

Now, do one or more of the following to complete this challenge. 

(1)  Alphabetize the ingredients. Count how many letters are in each ingredient. For younger students or reluctant learners.

(2) Find the average (mean), mode, and median of the number of letters in your product’s ingredients. Need help? This website covers all three math terms in an understandable way.  For the math-lovers.

(3) Research one of the ingredients in your product. What is that ingredient used for?
Why do you think the ingredient is in your product? Answer this question by writing a paragraph. For the curious minds.


DEADLINE: MONDAY, APRIL 6 at 11:59 PM
HOW TO SUBMIT: Via email and post in the comments section below that you completed the challenge

Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain - How It Works

Watch for a Challenge
Every few days, I will post a challenge on this blog.
Each challenge will have a deadline.
The challenges will span all kinds of topics.
Each challenge can be adapted to meet the age, interest level, and attention span of a child. For younger students (grades K-3), parents probably will need to assist.
Most of the challenges are best suited for students in grades 4-8.
Older students who want to participate should feel free to do so, and take the challenge in the direction it leads them. I'm particularly interested in posting quality content by older students to give them a safe, creative outlet.
Students are not required to complete every challenge.

Now What?

When you complete your challenge, share your work product with me via email.

Then post in the comments section below that you have completed the challenge.

How do I get points?

Every time you complete a challenge, you earn 1 point.

I will be keeping a running total of points earned.

I will give extra points for exceptional work. 

Sometimes there will be Instant Challenges and other surprises.

Students with the most points will win prizes when the world gets back to normal.

Overlap with 4-H Stay at Home Bingo
If you are a student in one of my 4-H classes, some of the Stay at Home Bingo challenges will overlap with these challenges. (Hey, I'm only one person, and I still have a full-time law job to do!)  But the good news for you is that your efforts will count twice towards different sets of prizes.

Introducing Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain Challenges

We are in unprecedented times.

Like everyone else, my normal schedule is out the window. I'm lawyering from home. All six of my classes have been cancelled or postponed for the foreseeable future. I miss my students, and I miss seeing their families before and after classes.

Most of my students have not attended their regular schools in nearly a month, and they have not had any formal online learning through the public school system. Some students have fallen into the habit of gaming or watching Tik Tok videos for hours on end and, to some degree, I'm ok with that. This new normal is a lot for all of us to handle, and kids need to process in their own ways.

At a certain point, however, we need to encourage our children to engage in some intellectually enriching activities. Many of you are doing that already, and you are amazing! However, if you haven't been able to make that happen on top of finding toilet paper, avoiding humans while obtaining grocery items, pushing down the panic, and working from home (if you're lucky enough to still have a job), don't beat yourself up. No judgment on this end.

I want to help, and I want to connect with my students. Starting this week, I will be posting Ms. Jennifer's Just Use Your Brain Challenges for my students or for any kids anywhere who want to participate. What does that mean? Every day or so, I will post activities for students, including contests. What are the prizes? I have no idea; we'll figure that out when we aren't all hoping the prizes are Chlorox Wipes and a better stock portfolio.

I will post the challenges on this blog every few days. I plan to post activities spanning many different subjects and ages.

Stay safe, and I look forward to hearing from your wonderful children soon.

"You create your life, and you can recreate it, too. In times of economic downtown and uncertainty, it's more important than ever to look deep inside yourself to fathom the sort of life you really want to lead and the talents and passions that can make that possible."

-Sir Ken Robinson