The Edge: speech and debate club

The Edge, a speech and debate club in Upper Marlboro, is hosting an informational meeting on June 2 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. Come listen to a few speeches, talk to the coaches, and find out how your homeschooled children ages 8-18 can learn public speaking skills. The meeting will be held at First Baptist Church of Upper Marlboro (7415 SW Crain Highway, Upper Marlboro, MD). For more information call 410-474-3108. Please RSVP to TheEdgeSpeechandDebate@gmail.com by May 31.

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center - May Events

Please make sure to register for programs requiring registration at 301-497-5887.  Thanks so much!

Below you will find May reminders and upcoming June happenings.

May Reminders:

1. Great news!  The registration deadline for the May 10th Photography workshop with award winning artist Sol Levine has been extended!  See details at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/FTP/2014_05_workshop.pdf.

2. There are a lot of activities occurring at Patuxent during the month of May as the Friends of Patuxent "Adopt a Whooper committee" hosts Magnificent Whooping Crane Month at the National Wildlife Visitor Center.

 See our website for more details.

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/FTP/2014_05_whooper_month.pdf

3.  Please remember to stop by the Visitor Center to see the Hollingsworth Art Gallery's featured May Artist the North Carolina Artists' Society and Alice Webb will be featured in June. For more information about the Hollingsworth Art Gallery artists visit http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/vcgallery.html.

June happenings!

1. Daily Wildlife Conservation Tram tours will begin on June 23rd, 2014.

 Tours are weather permitting and space is limited.  Please see our website for tour times and ticket info to plan your visit at http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/tram.html

2. Please be advised that the National Wildlife Visitor Center will be closed until 1:00 pm on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2014.

3.  June Programs below or online at

http://www.fws.gov/northeast/patuxent/ntedu.html

To Register for a program:

All programs are FREE, however, donations to The Friends of Patuxent are greatly appreciated!  Note: These public programs are designed for individuals/families.  Programs DO require advance reservations and may be subject to changes or cancellation due to weather or low participation.

Please call 301-497-5887 to make your reservation.

Please notify the refuge of any special needs so that you may be accommodated.

Patuxent.fws.gov <http://patuxent.fws.gov/>

Programs Held at the National Wildlife Visitor Center

The Visitor Center is located on Powder Mill Road between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Rt. 197.

Whooping Crane Observatory Tour

Sunday, June 8th, 1:00-2:30 pm, Ages 14+ Enjoy a guided tour to the Whooping Crane Observatory at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center to observe a pair of graceful and endangered adult whooping cranes. Find out more about the Whooping Crane population recovery program. Arrive early, as tour will leave on time. Space is very limited.

Registration is required.

Bird Walks

Wednesday Bird Walk: June 11th, 8:00-10:30 am, Ages 16+

Saturday Bird Walk:  June 28th, 8:00-10:00 am, Ages 8+

Search for birds in several refuge habitats on this guided hike.  Field

guides and binoculars recommended.   Registration is required.

Nature Tots: Devoted Dads

Thursday, June 12th, 10:30-11:30 am & 1:00-2:00 pm, Ages 3-4

Introduce your preschooler to some of nature’s most devoted Dads that help protect and care for their babies.  Registration is required.

Pollinator Power!!

Friday, June 20th, 1:00-2:30 pm, Ages 5-7

What’s the buzz about bees and other pollinators?  Find out why pollinators have the power to produce the many yummy foods that people and wildlife love to eat! Registration is required.

Tiny Tots: Nature and Music

Sunday, June 22nd, 11:30 am-12:15 pm, Ages 18-42 mos.

Monday, June 23rd, 10:30-11:15 am, Ages 18-42 mos.

Come learn about the wildlife at the refuge through songs and rhyming.

 Parental participation is required. Registration is required.

Programs Held at the North Tract

The North Tract is located on Rt. 198 between the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and Rt. 32.

Bird Walk

Saturday, June 21st, 8:15-10:15 am, All Ages

Search for birds in several refuge habitats on this guided hike.  Field guides and binoculars are recommended.  Registration is required.

Night Hike

Saturday, June 21st, 8:00-9:30 pm, Ages 5+

Discover the nighttime world of the refuge as you look and listen for nocturnal animals on this guided walk. Registration is required.

Herp Search

Saturday, June 21st, 1:00-2:30 pm, All Ages

Join a refuge naturalist on this guided search for reptiles & amphibians.

Registration is required.

USA Science & Engineering Festival

REMINDER – Sign up to Volunteer for USA Science & Engineering Festival NOW

Volunteer shifts are filling quickly, but we still need your help as volunteers for the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 24-27, 2014 at Walter E Washington Convention Center.  We have volunteer opportunities for two unique events - Sneak Peek Friday & X-STEM Symposium – as well as the Finale EXPO.  We have a critical shortage on Thursday, April 24^th   (X-STEM) and Friday, April 25^th (Sneak Peek Friday) – and need HOMESCHOOL volunteer support!

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2014-volunteer-at-the-usa-science-and-engineering-festival/opportunities.html

The USA Science & Engineering Festival is a national grassroots effort to advance STEM education and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.  Our exhibitors, performers, speakers, partners, sponsors and advisors are a who-is-who of science and engineering in the United States: from major academic centers and leading research institutes and government agencies to cutting-edge high tech companies, museums and community organizations. 

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:

Sneak Peek Friday 4/25- The entire Finale EXPO will be open exclusively for students on Sneak Peek Friday.30,000 students are expected for the largest celebration of science.  Individual and Groups of Volunteers are needed as Ambassadors and at the Metro stations for this event.  Please contact volunteer@usasciencefestival.org for information about Group Volunteer opportunities. Volunteer opportunities for the Magic School Bus, Book Fair, and Festival Ambassadors and more.

X-STEM Symposium 4/24 - The X-STEM Symposium is a unique opportunity for students interested in STEM to get up close and personal with science and technology role models in a conference-style setting. X-STEM attendees can attend talks and workshops from 60 STEM mentors and industry leaders.  Volunteers are needed for positions: registration, ambassador, stage production, information booth and volunteer management.

Finale EXPO 4/26-27 -  The Finale EXPO is the largest celebration of science encompassing 2.3 million square feet of meeting space in Washington, DC with exhibits and stage shows. Every meeting room and exhibit hall will be filled with hands-on activities for students K-12 and science lovers of all ages.  Volunteers are needed in registration, information booths, merchandise assistants and more.   

To register for specific jobs, shifts and times, use this link:

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/2014-volunteer-at-the-usa-science-and-engineering-festival/opportunities.html

Youth 13+ and older can volunteer independently, youth 10-12 need an adult volunteer.

Please contact Carol Klatt at volunteer@usasciencefestival.org if you have questions.

SISTER Program - Career Awareness

SISTER

The SISTER program is designed to increase awareness of and provide an opportunity for female middle school students to be exposed to and explore nontraditional career fields with GSFC women engineers, mathematicians, scientists, technicians and researchers. The objectives of the program include introducing young women to a technical working environment; acquainting students with GSFC missions; providing an awareness of educational programs and internships available during high school, undergraduate and graduate study; providing observations and experiences with real hands-on projects researched and developed by women at GSFC. The SISTER program components include such activities as women scientist, engineers, technicians, researchers, and mathematicians as mentors; women speakers in various fields at GSFC; women entrepreneur role models; multicultural experiences; a tour of facilities; building and launching rockets; hands-on science experiments; and written communication experiences; and interpersonal and human relations skills building.

The program takes place this Summer, July 14-18, 2014, Monday-Friday from 8:30am to 4:00pm at GSFC. It is sponsored by the Equal Opportunity Programs Office and The Education Programs Office.

Application website:     http://education.gsfc.nasa.gov/sister/apply.html      

Completed  Application  sent to this address:    GSFC-SISTER@mail.nasa.gov

National gallery of Art - This week

April 23 at 1:00 p.m.

Dragons in Art

Bela Demeter (50 minutes)

West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Children's Audio Tour: West Building Highlights (ages 7–12) This free, self-guided tour gives children an opportunity to get "up close and personal" with some of the world's greatest paintings, on display in the West Building. Group reservations for audio tours (ten or more), call (202) 842-6592. West Building Main Floor, Rotunda www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/visit/tours-and-guides/audio-tours.html MOBILE APP Your Art Discover highlights of the National Gallery of Art collections with Your Art app for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad and on Google Play for Android. The app focuses on paintings and sculpture from the 13th to the 19th centuries on view in the West Building. Available free in the iTunes App Store and Google Play. www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/visit/tours-and-guides/mobile-app.html (Additional Information) itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-art/id600049768?mt=8 (iTunes App Store) play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=gov.nga.yourart (Google Play) GUIDED TOURS Through April 30 - Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday at 1:30 p.m.; Sunday at 2:30 p.m. American Collection West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30 - Monday-Friday at 3:30 p.m.; Saturday at 10:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m.; Sunday at 11:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. Early Italian to Early Modern: An Introduction to the West Building Collection West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30 - Monday-Saturday at 12:30 p.m.; Sunday at 3:30 p.m. French Collection: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30- Tuesday, Thursday at 11:30 a.m. Glimpses of 17th-Century Life West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30- Monday-Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; Sunday at 1:30 p.m. Italian Renaissance Collection West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30 - Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 11:30 a.m. Points of View: The Painter's Choices West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30 - Monday, Wednesday, Thursday at 1:30 p.m.; Saturday at 11:30 a.m.; Sunday at 12:30 p.m. The Sculpture Galleries West Building Main Floor, Rotunda Through April 30 - Friday at 12:30 p.m.; Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Sculpture Garden (weather permitting) Sculpture Garden, Pavilion Cafe www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/calendar/guided-tours/introductory-tours.html Events are free and open to the public. Seating is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. Registration is not required. NGA Public Wi-Fi service is currently available in the Cascade Cafe, the East Building library reading rooms, and the main floor of the West Building in the Information Room, the Founders Room, and the Rotunda. www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/visit/public-wifi.html The National Gallery of Art provides access to lectures by well-known artists, architects, authors, curators, and historians. iTunes | www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/audio-video.html National Gallery of Art 6th Street & Constitution Avenue NW Washington, DC 20565  Hours: Mon-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-6pm Admission is always free

History Channel Educational programming - April

H2 PROGRAMMING

History of the World in 2 Hours

Wednesday, April 16 at 8/7c

History of the World in 2 Hours gives viewers a rapid-fire history of our world, from the Big Bang to the world as we know it today. This program gives students a framework for understanding major transformations in the history of the universe through a "big picture" chronology that traces key turning points in the development of our planet. From basic concepts such as the interaction of matter and energy to specific historical changes that took place during the Stone Age, the Industrial Revolution and in modern world history, this program helps students make connections between the past and present. Teachers may want to use segments from this program as a visual companion to course units and lectures on a range of world history topics. Curriculum Links: This program would be useful for World History, Global Studies, Social Studies and Earth Sciences courses. It is appropriate for 7th grade students and above.

View the classroom guide » CLASSROOM PROGRAMMING The Mexican-American War (2 parts) Monday, April 21 & Monday, April 28 at 6am/5c This program explores the Mexican-American War, from the first days of conflict through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Students will learn about the causes and consequences of this conflict, key turning points in the war, and its implications for both the U.S. and Mexico. The Mexican-American War combines interviews with historians, primary source documents, and dramatic recreations to explore the circumstances before, during, and after this key turning point in U.S. and Mexican history. Curriculum Links: The Mexican-American War is appropriate for middle school and high school students. It would be a good companion to United States History, Mexican History, Social Studies, or Politics classes. Learn more about the Mexican-American War »

History Classroom Contest

Kid Pickers Pick and Tell  National Student Contest HISTORY® invites students ages 7-13 to participate in the Kid Pickers Pick and Tell National Student Contest Each week on American Pickers, viewers tune in to watch Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz search through flea markets, barns, basements and other remote locales looking for interesting historical items. HISTORY® invites students ages 7 to 13 to search for and tell us about unique historical items, collectibles or pieces of memorabilia in their community. Students are asked to write short essays of 500 words or less describing an item they have picked and the history behind it. Students could win up to $10,000 in scholarship prizing and a trip to Mike Wolfe's Antique Archaeology store in Nashville, Tennessee and to visit the Tennessee State Fair! This is a great family project, and an excellent and fun way for students to learn more about the past. Contest deadline: all essays must be postmarked by May 29, 2014. Submit your entry » OFFICIAL RULES