HuckleBerry
Center for Creative Learning
Awesome Science 1 & 2!
Age: 6-9 and 9-11
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Prereqs: Must be able to read and write to be successful in this class.
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Each term will focus on a different aspect of science: Fall term – physical science, Winter term – earth science, and Spring term – biological science.
Awesome Science 1 - ages 6-9
Fall: Measure that Matter
Ice cream, liquid layer cakes, and bubbles are just the beginning of this exciting science class! We will engage in fun activities to explore matter in the solid, liquid and gas phases. We will make observations, ask questions, and conduct experiments to gain a better understanding of matter and the process of phase changes. We will combine different substances to create mixtures and new types of matter. We will also learn how to use science tools so that we can successfully measure our observations. This hands-on class will be both enjoyable and educational!
Winter: Rockhounds
Where do rocks come from? Where do they go? What are rocks made of? How do we describe and classify rocks? Where can we find rocks on Earth? In this course, students become rockhounds to tackle these questions and more! We investigate the layers of the earth and learn how to read maps using scales and legends. Students observe and manipulate a large variety of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. They describe and then classify them according to their properties. Students observe a sediment cylinder and find the layers and the sediments in the cylinder. Using sand, shells, and rocks, students make their own sediment. Students dissolve and create crystals and observe different crystal shapes in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. They learn the different ways that fossils can form and create their own simulated fossil. Students will learn about soil and test the properties of soil, sand, and rocks. They study how water, wind and ice affect rocks and create different landforms. Each day, our busy rockhounds work together in small lab groups to perform experiments and make observations. They maintain a record of our adventures together so they will never forget how to be a rockhound!
Spring: Biomes and Insects:
This spring quarter, Quest in Science offers the exciting hands-on learning science course, Biomes and Insects. This is a two-part course that first emphasizes a broad look at biomes and explores the relationship between the physical environment and animal survival. The second half offers a more specific study of adaptations as we investigate the world through the eyes and mouths of insects. We learn how to correctly identify an insect by examining various characteristics and investigate the many benefits insects provide. With this course, we hope to provide not only a greater understanding of our living world but a greater appreciation for it as well. Some of the fun, hands-on activities that the students will enjoy this quarter are beaver dress-up day, blubber hands, kaleidoscope bug- goggles, mealworm adoption and much, much more!
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Awesome Science 2
Ages: 9-11
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This is a standalone class. Students that attend this class and do the homework do not need to do additional learning outside of the class to learn this subject.
PreReqs: Must be able to read and write to be successful in this class.
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Each term will focus on a different aspect of science: Fall term – physical science, Winter term – earth science, and Spring term – biological science.
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Fall- All about Energy
Quest in Science proudly presents, “All About Energy”, a hands-on science course that will simulate your child’s curiosity and interest in science through exciting experiments and activities. This class will focus on Energy and Matter and how energy affects matter's behavior.
Students will examine the many different forms of energy, such as kinetic, potential, heat, chemical, solar, and electrical. Some of the activities they will experience are
- observing convection, conduction and radiation
- creating different kinds of electrical circuits
Ì„- Using a solar oven and examining the effect of the Sun’s energy on temperature
Ì„ Experimenting with different ways that matter can change
Ì„ Combining chemicals and observing the energy of chemical reactions
Ì„ Assembling and racing a solar car
Students will work together in small lab groups to perform experiments and make observations. Your child will maintain a folder of our adventures together. Please encourage your child to share what they are learning with you and your family. It is our hope that this course will stimulate your child’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm about science.
Winter- Junior Geology
This exciting hands-on Quest in Science course by will turn students into junior geologist as they explore the Earth’s crust, rocks, minerals, and landforms. Our goal is to inspire your child’s interest in science and to introduce them to the fascinating study of geology.
In this course, your child will...
• Investigate the layers of the earth
• Classify igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks and learn how they are formed
• Learn procedures for testing mineral properties
• Identify a variety of minerals through experimentation and testing
• Examine crystals and study how they are formed
• Study landform creation through weathering and erosion
• ... and much, much more
Students will work together in small lab groups to perform experiments and make observations.
In addition to class experiments, students will be responsible for a presentation assignment on
an earth mineral of their choice explaining the mineral’s properties, benefits and uses. They will
keep a science folder for all their work related to our studies in geology.
Spring- Life from Cells to Systems
This spring term, your student will be taking the exciting, hands-on science course by Quest in
Science, Life from Cells to Systems. This stimulating course will explore topics in Biology by
- learning to use a microscope,
- examining plant and animal cells,
- conducting respiration experiments,
- simulating food digestion,
- observing how body systems work together in organisms and examining the life cycles of organisms.
Throughout the term, students will work together in small lab groups to perform experiments,
test hypotheses, and gather and record data. They will keep a science folder for all their work
related to our science studies that will go home with them each week and can be used for their
evidence of science for your records! Please have them share with you what they learn. Also,
please have them bring their folder back to class each week, along with a pencil and, if possible,
a box of crayons.
Our Awesome Science Team!
Donna Connolly
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Donna Connolly taught for several years with LAUSD teaching ESL and with Burbank Unified School District where she had the opportunity to teach many subjects and grade levels. After the birth of her first son, Donna left the workforce to become a full time mom. For three years, Donna sat on the Scholarship Board at Mission College and worked briefly as the Executive Director and fundraiser. She has volunteered in the field of education and with community organizations, writing posts for education blogs and Letters to the Editor. Donna decided to pull her children out of public school and homeschool. It's been an exciting and wonderful new adventure. As a homeschooler, Donna has taken her love of learning, teaching experience and passion for learning and developed many courses for HuckleBerry! She is a UCLA graduate with a degree in Philosophy, and believes the number one goal of any instructor is to instill a love of learning in the students he or she is honored to teach.
Christine Rains
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Christine Rains, co-owner and instructor of Quest in Science, is an experienced teacher who brings science to life for her students and creates a fun classroom atmosphere by promoting questions and discussion. Christine earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Scripps College in Claremont, CA (where she became life-long friends with fellow Physics student and HuckleBerry teacher Debbie Walker!) and a master’s degree in Geophysics from California State University, Northridge. She also has a bachelor’s
degree in Music Performance from CSUN. She has been teaching elementary through college for many years, and currently teaches physics and astronomy at several local community colleges. She also spent several years working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, on the REASON instrument on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that is heading to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. She has been working with Quest in Science since the early 2000’s teaching hands-on science to elementary school children throughout Los Angeles and became co-owner in 2011. In 2018, she welcomed her good friend and colleague Debbie Walker onto the Quest team as co-owner. At Quest in Science, we are passionate about providing quality science education to young learners. Quest in Science lessons encourage students to observe, measure, collect and analyze data, make hypotheses, and draw conclusions. Hands-on science to us means teaching based on activities that engage a student’s mind and hands to make science fun, interesting, exciting, and challenging. Christine Rains is excited to bring Quest in Science to the students and families of Huckleberry Center for Creative Studies and looks forward to a great year!