Kids Konnect March/April 2023

Melanie Busch

Brenda Donahe-Stevens

Mary Hawkins

MaryAnne Higgins

Allen Huang, M.D

Jean Krause

Darla K. Lager

Thomas Meagher, PhD

Sarah Reichert

Mary Urch

Hooray for Hoppy!

by Tim Hopgood

Farrar Straus Giroux © 2016

When Hoppy the rabbit wakes up on the first day of spring, he discovers a world full of wonderful things! But after he’s sniffed the fresh air, listened to the singing birds and tasted the fresh green grass, he starts to feel a little lonely. And so he finds a way to wake up his friends so they can enjoy the sights, smells and sounds of spring all together. (Amazon)

Q: What goes up when the rain comes down? A: An Umbrella

Q: How excited was the gardener about spring?

A: So excited he wet his plants.

When Spring Comes

by Kevin Henkes HarperCollins ©2016

Before spring comes, the trees are dark sticks, the grass is brown, and the ground is covered in snow. But if you wait, leaves unfurl and flowers blossom, the grass turns green, and the mounds of snow shrink and shrink. Spring brings baby birds, sprouting seeds, rain and mud, and puddles. (Amazon)

Q: Why are frogs so happy? A: They bugswhatevereat them.

First Notes of Spring

by Jessica Kulekjian Bloomsbury ©2022

Juniper can’t wait to audition for the First Notes of Spring, the orchestra that melts away winter and wakes up spring with its melodies. (Amazon)

Q: Who is an herb favoritegardener’s singer? A: Elvis Parsley

999 Frogs Wake Up

by Ken Kimura NorthSouth ©2013

Wake up—it’s springtime in the swamp! As 999 young frogs awaken, they panic to find that all the other animals are still asleep. (Amazon)

Quiet Bunny’s Many Colors

by Lisa McCue

Sterling Children’s Books ©2013

Quiet Bunny loves the bright colors of spring: the yellow ducks, green frogs, and blue jays—everything but his own mousy brown fur. It takes the help of a wise old owl for Bunny to realize that it’s the rainbow of colors—including his own— that makes the world so beautiful. (Amazon)

Owatonna Public Library

First Day of Spring or Spring Equinox

When does spring start?

In 2023, the official first day of spring is Monday, March 20th. The word equinox is a Latin word which means equal night. On this day, everywhere on earth sees about 12 hours of daylight and darkness as the sun passes over the equator. This only happens twice each year on the spring equinox and the fall equinox. In the spring equinox we’ll see longer days with warm sunlight and shorter nights. Plants begin to bloom, animals come out of hibernation, and this is a time of when birds begin to chirp. This is also a time when gardeners begin to start seeds to be planted in flower beds and baby animals are born on area farms.

What signs of spring have you seen?

Snow drifts are melting, puddles are forming in parking lots and sidewalks, the warmth of the sun makes even a cool day seem warm. As we move toward summer, take a walk outdoors or go to a park. Come take a walk at the Village ofYesteryear and look at the historic buildings. In the front of each building is a plaque which tells about the structure, when it was built, and in area of Steele County the building was located. The plaque also tells when the structure was moved to the Village of Yesteryear. This is a great way to learn about history while enjoying the great outdoors!

Build a better lunch box

S T E A M

+ + + + +

Thomas Meagher, PhD (known to Owatonna students as “Dr. M”) is the STEAM Coordinator for the Owatonna Public School District.

STEAM’in WITH “Dr. M”

Let there be light!

Spring is a time when the days get lighter and we feel the warmth of spring sunshine. As the earth receives more light in the northern hemisphere and days get longer our environment and life is impacted on this increase in energy! Let’s explore the energy of light, how it works and what we can do with this new STEAM knowledge.

Watch videos featuring Dr. M on his vimeo channel:

https://vimeo.com/user14319854

How does light work?

What is light? Light can be described as a form of energy and the ability to do things. There are lots of forms of energy, like heat, sound, motion, chemical reactions and electricity.

Light is a form of electromagnetic energy that travels in waves at almost 300,000 km per second or 186,000 miles per second!

Light can pass through some materials, like glass or water, these are called transparent materials. Light can be stopped by other materials, and these are called opaque materials. When some light passes through matter and some is absorbed, this phenomenon is called translucent

Light travels primarily in straight lines and strikes objects, it bounces off these objects which allows us to see images. So whatever the source of light is, the energy travels forth in straight lines in all directions striking objects, bouncing off in other directions until the light runs out of energy, and the light fades.

Reflection and refraction

When light interacts with different objects and materials some really cool things can happen. When light “bounces” off something it’s called Reflection, and there’s different levels of reflection based on how much light is absorbed by the material, or if light is scattered the the surface of the material.

Most objects scatter light when they reflect the energy, this is called diffuse reflect, a mirror on the other hand has 100 percent reflection in the same angle as the light source, this is spectacular reflection. There are few naturally occurring materials that produce spectacular reflections,, still water on a bright day is one of them.

The invention of the mirror dates back to over 6000 years ago from evidence of polished stone tools. Modern mirrors use both polished metals and glass to create almost 100% perfect reflection of light. Since we’re looking at an image of ourselves, we see light reflecting off a surface so when we raise our right hand our image raises their left. This means we see the opposite side of our bodies moving and working.

Perception of light

We see images all around us based on how light is reflected off the surfaces of the materials and objects around us. When light enters our eyes it meets a host of cells in the back of the eye called the retina. Cells of the retina are composed of two types, rods that allow us to see shape and movement while cone cells allow us to see color.

The shape of our eye affects how we see as well, if our eyes are more oval in shape we might have near sightedness or far sightedness.

Glasses help shape light by bending the beams, this is called refraction. If we’re nearsighted we can see things that are close to us, so we need light waves to spread out more then we can see things that are far away.

If we’re farsighted, we see things that are far away more easily, so our glasses need to bring light waves closer together and we can then see things that are close to us.

How do we use light?

Harnessing the energy in fire is considered one of the first technologies human beings invented. Fire provided two forms of energy, heat and light. Survival depended on our ability to cook food, defend against predators and helped us see in darkness.

Over time as our cities grew and we used fire to generate steam in the industrial revolution using fire to heat and light our homes became dangerous. This led to Thomas Edison inventing the electrical light, where electricity passing through a tungsten wire created bright light without the danger of fire.

Light energy could now be used anytime and our society and culture changed forever! As the world population grew the demand for electric light energy increased and new technologies produce light using less electricity than ever.

Light Emitting Diodes (LED) technology now can be found almost anywhere in the world. The new technology produces an immense amount of light with very little electricity. These new LED are used in many different tools we use every day, from cell phones, to TVs, to street lights,, computer technologies, to anything we need illuminated.

LED technology has become one of the most important sources of light energy in the world today. Search around your house, see if you can all all the different LED lights sources in all the different technologies you use every day.

Let’s build a our own LED flashlight lantern night light

LED technology is amazing, these tiny electrical circuits produce very strong light with only a small amount of electricity. LED flashlights can shine white light very brightly in a straight line which is helpful when searching or walking in the dark. However, there are times when a direct beam of light can make seeing in the dark actually difficult because areas in the light beam are bright while areas outside the beam are dark.

Diffuse light reaching in many directions can make seeing more areas easier in the dark since more light is scattered with less intensity. That’s why common light bulbs are made with translucent glass or plastic surrounding the light source. When light is emitted from the LED, or tungsten wire in other bulbs, it hits the translucent material and scatters in all directions making the bulb appear to “glow” instead of shooting a beam of powerful light.

So, let’s use our knowledge of transparent and translucent materials to create a night light using only a small LED flashlight, glass or plastic bottle, white glue, a small piece of aluminum foil, small piece of clear plastic wrap, and tape.

Clean a small bottle, it can be a glass or plastic bottle, with soap and water and remove the label from the outside. Hot soapy water works great to get the label and glue off the bottle. Cut a small piece of aluminum foil that’s the size of the bottom of the bottle. Then cut a small piece of clear plastic wrap that will cover the opening of the bottle.

Fill the bottle with water and add 3-4 drops of white glue. Shake the bottle until the water appears “milky” or “cloudy”. The glue will make the water translucent so light beams will scatter in all directions when the flashlight is

shined into the bottle. Cover the opening of the bottle with the clear plastic wrap and gently insert the flashlight into the bottle. The plastic wrap will protect the flashlight from getting wet and seal the bottle to prevent the water from spilling. Use tape to set the flashlight in place and seal off the opening of the bottle.

Turn the flashlight on and see how bright your night light glows! You can experiment with adding a drop of food coloring to water and change the color of night light. You can also try adding glitter to the water and watch as the small reflective particles scatter the light even greater and the bottle not only glows but shines light like a “disco ball”!

What is color? This depends on whether we are talking about light or about pigments. Light as a form of energy has many different wavelengths, there are only seven wavelengths that our eyes are able to see, these are the colors in a rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. Infrared light is produced by heat, which we can’t see, but many insects like mosquitoes and some reptiles like snakes can see this color.

Image of a girl seen through infrared.

What a mouse looks like in the dark, to a rattle snake that can see the infrared heat of its body.

put another way 500 Megapixels (500Mgp). See how the different lights mix to create even more colors? What color do we get if we mix all the colors of light together?

Look at this image close up, what do you see? Now move far away form the image, now what do you see? This is how your brain makes sense of pixels, the smaller the pixels the greater the detail of the image.

Ultra violet is a high energy wavelength of light we cannot see either, but many insects like bees and birds like American Kestrels can see this color.

We see a starling with white light on the left, how birds see the UV colors of each other on the right.

Pigments are paints or inks that have unique colors. We see the different colors because the material that makes up ink or paint absorbs the colors of light except the reflect of the color we see. For example, if we see someone wearing a red shirt, the pigment in the shirt is absorbing all the other colors of light, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet, but Reflecting Red.

When lights of different wavelengths mix we see a huge amount of different shades of color. The amazing thing about light is with red light, green light and blue light, we can create any combination of color and image. This is how we use current screens, they’re called RGB screens, Red, Green, Blue. It’s by increasing the number of tiny RGB light sources (pixels) that we can create images with so much detail it’s becoming very difficult to tell the difference between an image and something that is real! This phenomena is called resolution, the human eye can see over 500 million pixels or

So when we paint a picture, we’re mixing materials that are absorbing some colors of light and reflecting other colors. This means that when the pigment in paints we mix, they are absorbing each other’s light colors.

We need to be careful how we mix pigments because if the pigments are absorbing each other’s light, what do you think will happen if we mix all the different colors of paint together?

How much energy can light produce?

Light energy can be measured a few different ways, the old way was called “candlepower”. This was the amount of light produced by a standard 75g candle for 1 square foot around the candle itself.

LED light technology is usually labeled in lumens, since the amount of electricity needed to produce light is much lower. For example an old fashioned 100 watt light bulb used 100 W of electricity to produce 1,600 lumens of light. This is a really bright bulb and can hurt your eyes if you’re too close to the light bulb.

Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to produce a standard amount of light from a single candle, since burning a candle can produce lots of different colors, sizes and intensity of light. A more accurate way to standardize light is to measure the brightness of a light emitted from a tungsten wire with a set amount of electricity. This unit is called a “lumen”, or the amount of light emitted in a 1 meter sphere.

Light bulbs used in the house are often labeled with the amount of electricity they use to produce the brightest amount of light, these are measured in Watts. A 100 watt light bulb is much brighter that a 50 watt light bulb, but is also uses twice the amount of electricity.

But, to produce 1,600 lumens of LED light uses only 15W of electricity, that’s less than one sixth of the electricity to produce the same amount of light! By switching to LED technology your family can cut costs to 1/6 on their energy bill. That means if an electrical bill cost $300/month, switching to LED light bulbs will drop the cost to $50/month and save your family $250 every month!

Explore you house and record how many light bulbs are being used in each room, and write down if they are standard light bulbs with watts or LED light bulbs. Add up the amount of watts being used in the house and use the chart below to see how many LED light bulbs are needed to produce the same amount of light.

Bright futures need shades

BY ALLEN HUANG, M.D

They are more than just a fashion statement. Sunglasses protect your eyes and the skin around your eyes from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light. They are an essential accessory for kids like you because your eyes are still maturing and can’t filter out the harmful UV rays as well as adults.

UV light damage can build up over time. As you get older, it can cause your vision to blur, dull the colors you see and even cause serious eye conditions, like cataracts and macular degeneration.

Too much UV light can cause temporary “blindness” called photokeratitis. This happens when the UV rays reflect off the sand, water or snow. It also can happen if you stare into the sun (don’t do that!). Photokeratitis is like having a sunburned eye. Sunglasses can protect your eyes and help you see better when you are outside.

Here’s what you and your parents should look for when picking out the right pair of sunglasses:

• Consider UV protection. The pair you select should follow the American National Standards

Your Hometown Heating & Cooling Experts for 40+ Years

Institute’s guidelines for UV and impact protection. Choose sunglasses that block 99% to 100% of both UVA (long-length) and UVB (short-length) rays. Look for large, wraparound-style sunglasses that cover a lot of skin. If you wear glasses, you can get lenses that automatically change from clear to dark when you are in the sun. These offer 100% UV light protection.

• Make sure the sunglasses are durable. Broken sunglasses aren’t fun or useful. Find a pair that is made of impact-resistant polycarbonate and have scratchproof lenses. The frames should be bendable but not break.

• Think about your activities.

Do you play sports or like to go fishing? Sunglasses with amber or green lenses can increase contrast and make it easier to see on bright days.

• Match your personality. Do you like superheroes, neon colors or sports? Odds are that you will find a style to fit your personality. Plus, you are more likely to wear your shades if you like them. Sunglasses come in many colors, shapes and sizes, so find a pair that matches your individual style.

• Pay attention to fit. Sunglasses shouldn’t slide down your nose, move when you shake your head or pinch your ears. They should feel comfortable to wear all day if needed.

Once you find your perfect pair of sunglasses, ask your parents where you should keep them when you aren’t wearing them. It’s important to keep your shades safe and ready to grab when you head outside to have fun.

Allen Huang, M.D., is an ophthalmologist at Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna, Minnesota.

Huang

Most kids get to spend a lot of time outside. You may have recess at school, play sports or play outside in your yard. It’s fun and helps make you healthier and more creative.

Don’t forget this vital piece of equipment as you head out the door – sunglasses.

Step 1: Cut and Glue Foil To Tubes. Cut squares of foil large enough to wrap around the end of the paper towel tube. You want to make the foil about 3-4 layers thick. Glue the foil in place and then secure it by wrapping masking tape around the end of the tube.

RAINBOW WAND

SUPPLIES NEEDED:

Paper Towel Tubes

Craft Paint

Craft Glue

Foil

Rice

Black Glitter Foam

Gold Bells

is the right size to be wrapped around the end of the paper towel tube. Glue the black glitter foam in place. Next, cut a circle that’s the right size to cover the end of the paper towel tube, then glue it in place.

Step 5: Paint Rainbow Colors on Tube.

Next, use a paintbrush to paint a rainbow pattern towards the other end of the tube, following the order of the colors of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Indigo (or in this case, pink).

St. Patrick’s Day Kids Craft

Gold Pipe Cleaners

Cotton Balls

Chunky Gold Glitter

Scissors

Paintbrush

Masking Tape

foam. Sprinkle your gold glitter all over the glue and allow the glue to dry completely (I like how chunky glitter looks a lot like gold coins).

Step 2: Add Rice to Tube. Measure 2-3 tablespoons of rice and add it to the inside of your paper towel tube.

Step 6: Create Cloud Ends with Cotton Balls.

Step 8: Add Gold Bells. Finally, string several gold bells onto a golden pipe cleaner. Wrap the pipe cleaner around the painted tube and glue in place at the top of the piece of black glitter foam.

Step 3: Seal Tube. Seal the other end of the tube with foil and masking tape, just like in step 1.

Step 4: Cover Tube Ends with Black Foam. Cut one strip of black glitter foam that

Once the paint is completely dry, it’s time to glue cotton balls onto the end of the tube to look like clouds at the end of a rainbow. Rip the cotton balls apart a bit and fluff them up so they look more like clouds and less like cotton balls.

Step 7: Add Gold Glitter. Place some glue all the way around the tube just above the black glitter

Step 9: Play with Rainbow Shaker Wand.

Once everything is dry your colorful Rainbow Shaker Wand is complete and ready to play with. Source:

UPCOMING DATES

March 23 - End of third quarter

March 24 - No school, teacher work day

March 27-31 - No school, spring break

April 7 - No school, district closed

April 10 - Washington Spring Concert

April 11 - Wilson Spring Concert

April 13 - McKinley Spring Concert

April 15 - Fun Run at Lincoln

April 18 - Lincoln Spring Concert

April 29 - Fun Run at McKinley

May 2 - Lincoln Track Meet

May 3 - Washington Track Meet

May 9 - McKinley Track & Field

May 10 - Wilson Track & Field

May 17 - All-City Track Meet

May 29 - No school, district closed

June 2 - Last day of school

Stay Connected!

Celebrate our students, our staff and our schools by following us on social media. If you like what you see, be sure to share it with others.

Together, we are #OwatonnaProud!

PHONE NUMBERS

Preschool/Early Childhood

Owatonna Education Center (OEC)

Office: 507-444-8040

Roosevelt Community School Office: 507-444-7900

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS

Lincoln Elementary Office: 507-444-8100

Attendance: 507-444-8105

Nurse: 507-444-8106

McKinley Elementary Office: 507-444-8200

Attendance: 507-444-8205

Nurse: 507-444-8206

Washington Elementary Office: 507-444-8300

Attendance: 507-444-8305

Nurse: 507-444-8306

Wilson Elementary Office: 507-444-8400

Attendance: 507-444-8405

Nurse: 507-444-8406

#OwatonnaProud

Earth Day Dirt Pudding With Worms

Ingredients

Instant Chocolate Pudding

Milk

Whipped Cream (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

Follow the instructions on the box to prepare the chocolate pudding.

Combine the chocolate pudding with a scoop of whipped cream, depending how light you want the dirt. (This is optional!)

Oreos

Gummy Worms

Clear Plastic Cups

Next, crush about 10-15 Oreo cookies in a plastic bag. Start layering the chocolate pudding and Oreos in a clear plastic cup. Save some of the Oreos for the top layer of “dirt”.

Finally, add the gummy worms on top!

Source: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/107094/5-earth-day-treats-kids-will-love/

Gingivitis (Bleeding Gums)

Symptoms

*bleeding while flossing

*bleeding while brushing

*swelling and redness around gums

*painful gums while eating, brushing, flossing

Cause

Blood contains cells that fight and kill bacteria, Whenever the body senses foreign objects it will send blood to the site of the foreign object (food, bacteria etc) Causing redness, tenderness and swelling.

The most common cause of bleeding gums is food and bacteria build-up next to and under the gums. This is called plaque. Brushing can miss these areas causing the body’s immune system to store blood inside the gums. The gums then become red and swollen. Flossing and brushing will cause the stored blood to leak out. This looks like bleeding.

Let’s Smile, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization based in Steele County since 2013. Dental services are provided to children & adolescents with MA, SCHA, or no dental insurance at no cost to families. See us in the Community Pathways Building or at your school-based dental clinic!

Cure

The most common cure for gingivitis is to remove the cause of the symptoms which is plaque, tarter, bacteria and/or food. This can be done with a professional cleaning, followed 2-3 times a day at home. Using an antibacterial mouthwash is also recommended.