October Science Blog
Date: 24th May 2023 @ 2:38pm
Welcome to our October Science Newsletter!
Do you love learning about the world around us? If so, you will love our Science Blog!
Each month you will:
- Learn about a famous scientist and their work
- Find out what to look out for in nature this month
- Discover fun facts about different areas of science
- Have a go at a scientific investigation
- Test your knowledge in our Quiz
We hope you have fun!
Scientist of the month
CAROLINE HERSHEL (1750-1848)
Caroline Herschel was the first woman to discover a comet, the first woman officially recognised in a scientific position to receive a salary and the first woman to receive honorary membership into Britain’s Royal Society.
She made a huge contributions to the field of astronomy in her lifetime, both independently and alongside her brother William Herschel.
What to look for in nature in October
Changing colours
The transition from summer to autumn brings with it a change of colour in the foliage that surrounds us. Green trees turn varying shades of brown, red and gold as the colder months draw in, and berries emerge from farmland hedgerows and garden bushes, providing essential food to birds and other wildlife over the late autumn and winter.
Caching critters
Have you ever wondered how birds and other animals ensure they have enough food to survive the winter? Autumn is a time of abundance, and many creatures will take advantage of the excess food supply by storing it for the colder months, when it is harder to come by. Coal tits have learned to spread their caches over a number of different sites to reduce theft from other species, and sightings of jays increase significantly in autumn, as they amass and collect as many as 5000 acorns to save for a rainy day.
Birds
After spending spring and summer in the UK, many warblers make the journey to their wintering grounds. In autumn, their diet consists mostly of berries, as insects become gradually less abundant. This makes hedgerows and trees a great place to look out for willow warblers, chiffchaffs and other birds on the move. We’ll also see the arrival of blackcaps from Europe, whose UK wintering numbers have been growing in recent years.
Invertebrates
‘Silver Y’ moths migrate to the UK each spring to breed and remain here over the warm summer months. However, they are largely unable to cope with our harsher winter weather, and therefore make the southerly journey back to North Africa and southern Europe come autumn. Their numbers often quadruple as young emerge throughout their breeding season, and it is estimated that this migration can amass as many as a billion moths each year.
Fun Facts!
HUMAN FACTS
Your brain has around 100 billion nerve cells.
ANIMAL FACTS
Naked Mole Rats can live for up to 30 years, making them the longest living rodents.
FUN SCIENCE FACTS ABOUT BONES
Humans have 206 bones!
EARTH SCIENCE FACTS
Oceans help spread heat from the Sun around the world.
WATER SCIENCE FACTS
Water freezes faster when it’s warm not cold!
FACTS ABOUT THE SUN
If you flew to the Sun from the moon in a normal plane it would take about 20 years!
FACTS ABOUT THE WEATHER
A moonbow is a rare night-time rainbow!
Try this at home:
Have a go at this month’s investigation, “Fizzy Potions”.
Fizzy-Potions-Instructions.pdf
Why not share what you do in the Kid Zone on the School Blog?
Science Quiz
How much do you know about weather?
Here are 20 questions to test your knowledge.
The answers will be on October’s Science Blog.
1. A thermometer is a device used to measure what?
2. Stratus, cirrus, cumulus and nimbus are types of what?
3. What country experiences the most tornadoes?
4. True or false? A rainbow is a spectrum of light that appears when the Sun shines onto water droplets in the air.
5. Blizzards feature low temperatures, strong winds and heavy _______?
6. Breeze and gale are common terms used to describe the speed of what?
7. Earth’s recent temperature rises which have been linked to human activity is known as global _______?
8. True or false? The highest recorded temperature on Earth of 57.8 °C (136 °F) was recorded in Tirat Tsvi, Israel.
9. What is the name of a scientist who studies weather?
10. What is the driest desert on Earth, the Sahara, the Kalahari or the Atacama?
11. True or false? The lowest recorded temperature on Earth of 89.2 °C (−128.6 °F) was recorded at Vostok Station, Antarctica.
12. Balls or irregular lumps of ice that fall from clouds (often during thunderstorms) are known as what?
13. An avalanche features the rapid descent of _______?
14. True of false? The most rain fall ever recorded in one year (Cherrapunji, India) is more than 30 meters.
15. What is the name of a weather instrument used to measure atmospheric pressure?
16. An anemometer is used to measure what?
17. At what temperature is Centigrade equal to Fahrenheit?
18. Trying to predict the weather is known as weather _______?
19. The area of central USA that features many tornadoes is known as Tornado _______?
20. True or false? You see lightning and hear thunder.
Here are the answers to the Animal Quiz from September’s Blog:
1. Bamboo
2. False - Captive mice live for up to 2 and a half years while wild mice only live for an average of around 4 months.
3. Arachnophobia
4. The tiger, weighing up to 300 kilograms (660 pounds).
5. True - They often sleep with their mouth open to cool down.
6. Yes
7. Cows
8. True
9. Antarctica
10. True
11. The cheetah (it can reach speeds of up to 120kph – 75mph).
12. A female deer.
13. False - They are carnivores.
14. Prides
15. Yes
16. The elephant - The largest on record weighed around 12,000 kilograms! (26,000 lb).
17. False - Snakeskin is smooth and dry.
18. Africa
19. 2
20. The Gorilla
Need even more Science?
Starters for STEM are 10 activities that parents can use at home to help children develop their science, technology, engineering and maths skills. These activities are easy to resource and provide children with the stimulus to talk about the world around them. If you see a link, you can explore how to extend these activities, you will need to sign up, for free, to access these materials.
