Oct.

5, 2012 5 8 pm

When and Where? Plant Science Family Night is October 5, 2012 at Ventana Vista School located north of Sunrise at 6085 N Kolb Road from 5 - 8pm. The amazing night of SCIENCE is FREE.. except dinner which needs to be pre-paid! Use the order form at the bottom of this page.

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a r ne . S ustr s st Play with wiggly worms, learn the life cycle, explore vermiculture & plant composting nge rt with shas on help u co Explore your nutritional choices with food labels and plant parts. B ING comfoa lesson in a Jimmy Stewart Weather Bus d to Plants need water, plants are impacted byK weather.. take s at the hea R our e in A HOT PEPPERS. You bet youe P learn from the best Arizona DirtiFarmer d use ng a th can 5at or design ooocean Phytoplankton. d to Sneeze . Ri h an l b plann Learn about Pollen: Nothng :1 voi i candy c Extract DNA fromA fruit, build l 8 model s DNA, and for basic DNA t labels, he discover u exploreof seeds/beans/cereals 45food eet t and k yo the value Make healthy snacks, : 5 read M Magnify those giant spines, twisted roots an awesome blooms of our desert cactus ts. Th and Take action.. learn lo Water Conservation in our desert or start your own Community Garden about ise. Observe the cells of plants to r Sun better understand the living organism

o r p Our Theme this year is Feeding the 9 Bon nover 30 he c helSCIENCE Centers! i illion O f t hands-on

What is Plant Science Family Night? Plant Science Family Night is hours of engaging, hands-on fun exploring plant sciences. As a family, your K-5 children will work with University of Arizona scientists and Tucson community experts in the fields of genomics, agriculture, chemistry, optics, and botanical sciences to explore m fro to observe, DNA, cells, plants, nutrition, survival and adaptations of plants. There are numerous opportunities g in stop compare, analyze, and create you can design a microbe, build DNA candy, non- will ark extract DNA and you p even d ur lb Caf from a plant. The evening is open to all CFSD families and friends. Except un your dinner (Createan and for in es r oFUN!o of Ko Jamba Juice) the whole evening is FREE to participants. JOIN THEttl i r u SCIENCE n t h !

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You are invited to join the fun with your family!

Build a Cactus to learn about our desert plants, parts of a cactus, functions of the parts and focus on survival in our ecology. Design a microbe or phytoplankton, make an Earth Bracelet or build a cactus.. it is all fun while learning about plants! Herbivores are everywhere.. animals need plants and plants need animals.. systems are interaction. Take home to grow a live cactus, win a tour of the UA BIO5 labs, or other free gifts Discover how could DNA research about rice or maize can Feed the World Our thanks in advance to the over 50 University of Arizona researchers, scientists, Tucson community experts, CFHS Honor students for their E3 (energy, expertise, efforts) and time to make PLANT SCIENCES come ALIVE and oh oh oh so much FUN!

Our thanks to Dr. Rod Wing and NSF for encouraging and supporting our PSFN. To volunteer or ask questions, please contact Caryl Jones at cjones@cals.arizona.edu

 The doors open at 5 p.m. Here is a general map of the 30 hands-on science activities and other areas of interest at PSFN on October 5th from 5-8pm at Ventana Vista. You may want to plan ahead your choices. Two areas have limited seating and tickets will be available at the front gate when you arrive. Jimmy Stewarts Weather Bus (5pm, 6pm, 7pm) and Dr. Uwe Hilgerts presentation (6:30pm) Is there DNA in Baby Food? will help you understand the mysteries of DNA.

 Plant Science Family Night (PSFN) will: Cultivate and sustain a community informed by the content of science, inspired by its wonder, convinced of its value, and prepared to engage with its implications for our future.
Engage your family in science. Families will enjoy the freedom of learning together. PSFN is organized around plant science concepts, knowledge and scientific skills. The awe and wonderment of plant sciences is enhanced with an organization that is designed to help students discover answers to these questions: What is a plant? How do we use and enjoy plants? How do plants reproduce and grow? How do plants interact with animals in nature? How do plants adapt to different and changing environments? Inspire exploration and learning. PSFN will provide a structured learning environment where families have the opportunity to explore their understanding of plant science concepts. Stations are organized with professional expertise, clear instructions and ample materials to enhance the family's learning experience. Center formats are presented in hands-on, demonstration or lecture. Students will be given SCIENCE NOTEBOOKS to record their ideas, observations and what they've learned during the evening. Connect with classroom instruction. PSFN provides an environment where students can enhanced their understanding of plant science content and important process skills by applying their knowledge in a "laboratory-type" environment. The centers connect to our CFSD and Arizona science curricula and to the 12 Principles of Plant Biology. Encourage positive attitudes about science. Plant Science and the scientific thinking process are part of our daily life. Show your children "science" in everyday life. Discover the mysteries of plant DNA and build a model of DNA, learn about farming and the economy in Arizona- cotton and chili peppers, explore the parts of plants and their functions, observe bees - our important pollinators, build your own saguaro cactus and uncover what each part does to help survival, dig into soils from around the world and test the chemistry of soil, compare seeds so small you need a microscope and seeds so weird they do not look like seeds, examine the nutrition labels on food boxes, identify the taxonomy of plant families, understand the interdependence of plants and animals, classify leaves of plants to understand our Tucson trees, observe the tree rings in trees many hundreds of years old, explore the nature of wiggly worms, see how gravity influences plant growth, observe the impact of light/optics making a difference and discover Mastodons are herbivores - are you? Native Plants in Tucson. So much to do so little time. Arrive at 5:00, pick up your SCIENCE JOURNALS, plan your schedule on the map. Get going with SCIENCE! Invite your friends and families. This is a CFSD community event supported through an NSF grant awarded to VV Parent, Dr. Rod Wing, University of Arizona Genomics Institute and Ag Department. Thank you to our other essential sponsor Ventana Vista FFO. Questions: cjones@cals.arizona.edu