Another STEM-tastic year of Homeschool Days!

Another STEM-tastic year of Homeschool Days is coming to a close! We are already prepping for the 2019-2020 school year (registration for the STEM Scholar Program is open!), but thought we’d take a moment to celebrate all we learned this past year.

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We kicked off the 2018-2019 school year by exploring careers in chemistry during our September Homeschool Day. Students experimented with Oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid, and played the Rainbow Chemistry game.

We kicked off the 2018-2019 school year by exploring careers in chemistry during our September Homeschool Day. Students experimented with Oobleck, a non-Newtonian fluid, and played the Rainbow Chemistry game.

October’ s focus was earth sciences, with special guest Paul Yura, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio. Activities included studying the water cycle, making our own wind socks, and creating topo

October’s focus was earth sciences, with special guest Paul Yura, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio. Activities included studying the water cycle, making our own wind socks, and creating topographic maps.

We focused on technology trends in November . Special guest, Suzanne A. Pierce, founder of Pixel Profundo, told us about her augmented reality application. Students made 3D drawings and explored the environment with Creek Quest by Science Augmented

We focused on technology trends in November. Special guest, Suzanne A. Pierce, founder of Pixel Profundo, told us about her augmented reality application. Students made 3D drawings and explored the environment with Creek Quest by Science Augmented.

December was all about inventors. Dan Patterson, the CEO of PMFocus, joined us to talk about how his lifelong curiosity and ingenuity led him to become a globally recognized entrepreneur. The building was filled with budding inventors, all creatin

December was all about inventors. Dan Patterson, the CEO of PMFocus, joined us to talk about how his lifelong curiosity and ingenuity led him to become a globally recognized entrepreneur. The building was filled with budding inventors, all creating one-of-a-kind marble runs, their own musical instruments, and even unique creatures.

In January , we kicked off the New Year with a focus on careers in mathematics. Our guest speaker was master jeweler, Susan Oliver Heard. She told us how a love of math and the arts made for a unique career path. Future mathematicians spent the day

In January, we kicked off the New Year with a focus on careers in mathematics. Our guest speaker was master jeweler, Susan Oliver Heard. She told us how a love of math and the arts made for a unique career path. Future mathematicians spent the day making cityscapes by graphing the numbers in Pi, discovering how the Pythagorean theorem can be used to create snail shells, and making their own Mobius strips.

Engineering was the name of the game in February . We learned about recording engineering from special guest, Justin Douglas, the owner of King Electric Recording. Activities included using Strawbees to make unique creations, launching pom poms wit

Engineering was the name of the game in February. We learned about recording engineering from special guest, Justin Douglas, the owner of King Electric Recording. Activities included using Strawbees to make unique creations, launching pom poms with custom-designed launching systems, and engineering our own mountain rescue litters.

We kicked off our final three Homeschool Days of the year with a focus on careers in biology in March . The Science Mill’s own Bob Elde presented a discussion about understanding our brains better. Students made models of neurons, learned about sid

We kicked off our final three Homeschool Days of the year with a focus on careers in biology in March. The Science Mill’s own Bob Elde presented a discussion about understanding our brains better. Students made models of neurons, learned about side dominance in our bodies, and experimented with optical illusions by creating thaumatropes.

Environmental sciences were the focus in April . Corey Batson, the Executive Director of Urban Interface, brought a great horned owl and a peregrine falcon for a discussion about wildlife rehabilitation and environmental interpretation. Earth-focus

Environmental sciences were the focus in April. Corey Batson, the Executive Director of Urban Interface, brought a great horned owl and a peregrine falcon for a discussion about wildlife rehabilitation and environmental interpretation. Earth-focused activities, like traveling through the water cycle and learning about bird beaks, were on the schedule.

The 2018-19 school year is wrapping up with a focus on careers in Coding for May . Jennie Kam from Cisco will speak about cybersecurity, and Cisco employees will be on hand for a special game of Pitching Packets. The game demonstrates how networks

The 2018-19 school year is wrapping up with a focus on careers in Coding for May. Jennie Kam from Cisco will speak about cybersecurity, and Cisco employees will be on hand for a special game of Pitching Packets. The game demonstrates how networks function, and what kinds of things can make them better or slow them down. Students will also examine binary code (while making cool bracelets!), and program our robot, Botley.

The 2018-19 school year is wrapping up with a focus on careers in Coding for May. Jennie Kam from Cisco will speak about cybersecurity, and Cisco employees will be on hand for a special game of Pitching Packets. The game demonstrates how networks function, and what kinds of things can make them better or slow them down. Students will also examine binary code (while making cool bracelets!), and program our robot, Botley.

 The Science Mill’s inaugural group of STEM Scholars graduates on May 9, too! Read more about this unique program, and register for 2019-2020 STEM Scholars now!

Create a Butterfly Destination

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After a record wildflower bloom this year, Texas is now expecting unusually high numbers of monarch butterflies. This is the perfect year to plant that butterfly garden you’ve always wanted.

 Monarch butterflies travel through central Texas two times every year, on their way to Mexico for the winter and again when they return to Canada for the summer. On the Texas A&M website, Craig Wilson, director of the USDA Future Scientists Program, notes that the migrating monarch population has increased by 144 percent in the past year. He is estimating that we could see 300 million monarchs pass through the state, and that’s encouraging after several years of declining numbers.

 In an article from the Monarch Watch blog, Chip Taylor outlines some of the factors that influence monarch population sizes. Thanks to a healthy winter in Mexico with low mortality rates, and good weather over Texas and Oklahoma during the March-May migration time, numbers are projected to increase at the highest rate in several years.

 “Some consider this year to be a throwback monarch migration, potentially with trees covered in monarchs,” said Lisa Keys, Science Mill Animal and Plant Care Technician. “I've already seen more butterflies out in the garden this year compared to previous years, which is really exciting."

 Attracting monarchs and other pollinators requires the right kinds of plants. Central Texans can expect to see the monarchs anywhere there are milkweed plants, a monarch favorite. Our home state boasts large swaths of milkweed. The butterflies lay their eggs under the leaves, and feed off of the plants. 

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When planning the Science Mill’s brand new butterfly garden in our Science & Art Park, we learned that not all milkweed is good for monarchs. It’s important to get native plants that are in sync with with our local seasons. This goes for other varieties of plants in your garden, too. Encouraging healthy pollination locally can have a global impact.

 “Butterflies are not only fun to watch, but they serve a critical purpose as well,” said Zac Zamora, Science Mill Creative Director. “Butterflies and other pollinators, including bees, moths, birds, and bats pollinate over 75% of the world’s flowering plants.”

 To attract pollinators, our Science Mill garden includes these plant varieties, all available at local nurseries (listed by how much sun they need, from full sun to shade preferred):

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Once your garden is in, you can be part of this year’s historical monarch migration by reporting sightings and following their journey to Canada on the Journey North website.

You can check out our Butterfly Garden at the Science Mill! We would love to see pictures of your visit to the Science Mill’s butterfly garden and of your own garden. Share them on social media and tag the Science Mill! You can find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

First Time Visitor Q&A

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Q: I've never been to Johnson City or the Science Mill before, where are you and how much time should I allow for my visit?

A: Johnson City is conveniently located on 290, an easy drive from Austin, San Antonio, and Hill Country locations! Need directions? Click here!

Once you're here, allow at least two hours to explore the Science Mill (though you could easily spend much more time experiencing all of our hands-on, minds-on exhibits!).

Q: Do you have food?

A: Lady Bird Lane Cafe is located on site, and the food is fantastic! Hours are Wednesday-Saturday, 10am-2:30pm, and Sunday, Noon-2:30pm

Q: What time is the 3D movie?

A: Check here for times. Please note: times are subject to change, so confirm at the front desk when you arrive. 

Q: Can I see what kinds of exhibits you have before I visit?

A: You bet! Visit our website for a look at all our our incredible exhibits. Many of them are designed and fabricated on site, making for a completely unique experience!

Q: What if my child falls in love with the Science Mill when we visit, and wants to have their next birthday party at your museum?

A: We feel pretty confident that your kids will fall in love, and we would be honored to celebrate their birthdays! Here's the information about parties.

Q: I know it's still March, but I'm already thinking about summer plans. Do you have camps?

A: Yes, we do! Registration for summer camp is open now.

We also have a free Science Outside program that just started. There are still a few spaces left!

Q: Speaking of summer, I know a lot of people. Do you offer group rates?

We are booking summer group visits right now! Bring your scout troop, church group, neighbors, extended family, play group, or camp group (10 or more people qualifies for the group rate).

Make your own DIY home aquaponics kit!

Make your own DIY home aquaponics kit for less than $100!

Consuming locally grown food continues to soar in popularity, and the use of aquaponics to do so has also become popular. Benefits include using less land by growing food vertically, water conservation, the ability to grow food organically, fewer pests, and the potential of scalability. Aquaponics is a more economically and environmentally sustainable method of food production.

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We’re pretty jazzed about aquaponics here at the Science Mill! So much so that we’ve recently opened a 1000-square-foot working aquaponics greenhouse exhibit where visitors can see how fish, plants and microbes work together to create healthy food.

What is aquaponics?

Most simply, aquaponics is the intersection of aquaculture (raising fish) and hydroponics (growing plants in water without soil). Fish eat fish food, their waste provides an organic food source for the plants, and plants filter the water.

The invisible component of this ecosystem are microbes or nitrifying bacteria. These bacteria convert ammonia from the fish waste first into nitrites, and then into nitrates. Nitrates are the form of nitrogen that plants can uptake and use to grow. By combining aquaculture and hydroponics, aquaponics eliminates the drawbacks and takes advantage of the benefits of each system. 

You can do this at home!

Making your own home aquaponics kit is surprisingly simple. You just need the right components, most of which can easily be purchased at local hardware and pet stores. You can pull all of this together in just a few hours, and for under $100!

Check out the video below for easy to follow instructions. What will you grow? Be sure to share your progress with the Science Mill using #sciencemilldiyaquaponics and feel free to contact us at info@sciencemill.org with any questions. Good luck and happy growing!

Supplies

10 gallon aquarium $22.30
PVC Pipe (1-1/4” x 2’) $3.24
Clear Vinyl Tubing (5/16” inner diameter x 7/16” outer diameter x 10’) $8.29
Submersible water pump $8.99
Net Pots $12.99
Peat Pods $10.74
Grow Light $23.99
Fluval Foam Filter Block $6.65

 

Tools Needed

Drill
Chop saw or PVC cutter
Table or hand saw
Small drill bit
Step down bit or Forstner bit
Tape measure
Orbital sander or sand paper

 

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