Christine Rains

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!

Science Investigators

Ages: 9-11

Homework: Occasionally

Type of Class: Standalone. 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.

Science Investigators is a 3 year program that offers hands-on experiments and activities designed to learn 9 different topics in science! Your child can take this class for 3 years and never repeat a subject! After completing this series of science classes, your child is ready for our suite of Middle School science classes!

Fall 2025: All About Energy!
Quest in Science proudly presents, “All About Energy”, a hands-on science course that will stimulate 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
̄ Using a solar oven and examining the effect of the Sun’s energy on temperature
̄ Experimenting with different ways that matter can change
̄ Combining chemicals and observing the energy of chemical reactions
̄ Assembling and racing a solar car

Children 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 enrichment course will stimulate your child’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm about science.
Winter 2026 - 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 2026 - 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.

PREVIOUS YEARS!

Fall 2024: Matter and Its Mysteries

The purpose of this exciting class is to stimulate curiosity and interest in science and build an understanding of matter and all its mysteries. Students will examine matter’s defining characteristics, learn about subatomic particles, investigate the structure of the atom, understand the arrangement of the Periodic Table, go on an element hunt, find out what properties separate the metals from the nonmetals, experiment with physical and chemical changes, and conduct a chemical reaction to create new substances. Throughout the quarter, students 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. By the end of the quarter, students will use their science knowledge to develop their own experiment to investigate a question by applying the scientific process.

Winter 2025: Climate & Atmosphere

This quarter, students will become Junior meteorologists as they study Earth’s climate, atmosphere, and weather patterns. By using hands-on investigations, such as creating and testing parachutes, examining convection currents in water, measuring temperatures on different surfaces and elevations, building solar houses, and charting and predicting weather patterns, this course will stimulate curiosity and interest in science and provide a better understanding of our Earth.

Throughout the quarter, students 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!

Spring 2025: Web of Life

Spring is here and there is no better time to study our wonderful Web of Life! In this exciting hands-on Quest in Science course, students will become Jr. Ecologists as they are introduced to the Earth’s biosphere, the thin, fragile shell of life that surrounds our planet. Students will study the biosphere by breaking it up into ecosystems and explore the complex relationship between the biotic and abiotic factors that exists within them. Students will experiment with photosynthesis, model energy flow in a food web, examine the food chain by dissecting an owl pellet, and study decomposers both macroscopically and microscopically. Throughout the quarter, students 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!

Our Science Investigators Series has 3 cycles, with each series occurring every 3 years.

Each year we offer a Physical, Earth and Life Science, along with numerous other choices!

Series 1 (2024-2025):

Fall: Matter & It's Mysteries (Chemistry Based)

Winter: Climate & Atmosphere

Spring: Jr. Ecology (Web of Life)

Series 2 (2025-2026):

Fall: All About Energy!

Winter: Jr. Geologists

Spring: Life from Cells to Systems

Series 3 (2026-2027):

Fall: Forces & Engineering,

Winter: Space!

Spring: Marine Bio and Oceanography

Contact

Christine Rains

questinscience@gmail.com