Tulip Garden Update: November 10, 2000 Today's Report Includes: A Growing Number of Gardens! Warm-Region Reminder Predicting the Arrival of Spring (Again and Again!) Massachusetts Students Accept the "Microclimate Challenge" Challenge Question #2 A Growing Number of Gardens! Another 89 Journey North Gardens have been planted! After adding today's data to your map you'll have a grand total of 107 gardens. Link to This Month's Garden Data You can read all the wonderful comments these gardeners have sent (press the "owl button" and follow instructions), but here are a few. As you can see from the date, these UK students must have planted their garden last night while most of us were sleeping! 11/10/00 Croyden, United Kingdom (51.2 N, 0.2 W) "It has been very wet in England this autumn. Some places have had their highest rainfall for 400 years and are flooded. One of us lives on Longitude 0 the Greenwich Meridian." (bob.milburn@cwcom.net) 10/31/00 Washington, DC (38.91 N, -77.01 W) "Twenty five third graders planted 25 tulips in the shape of the USA. We are located 4 blocks SE of the United States Capitol in Washington, DC." (cbrown@chds.org) 11/02/00 Cranston, RI (41.77 N, -71.43 W) "We found some big worms in the dirt. That is good. It means the dirt will have lots of oxygen in it. We learned a lot of science while planting our bulbs." (smart028@ride.ri.net) 11/02/00 Aplington, IA (42.60 N, -92.85 W) "We planted the tulips by a school sign that says Aplington-Parkersburg Middle School and Elementary. The soil was soft, brown, and black. We told the bulbs, 'Goodbye, see you next spring!'" (bsammons@apl-park.k12.ia.us) We're eager to hear from you as soon as you plant your garden! (If you've planted your garden and haven't reported it yet, please do so right away so we can include you in the study. You'll find today's data at the end of this report.) Warm-Region Reminder Here's an important reminder for all schools in southern states (Zones 8-11) from their friendly neighbors in Alabama and South Carolina: Remember to chill your bulbs--and remember to report NOW if you plan to plant a garden in January 2001. (We will make a map of all participating gardens for the December 8th update. This is why we need to know who plans to participate now.) Birmingham, AL (33.51 N,-86.80 W) "Our tulips have been ordered and should arrive any day. We will put them in the refrigerator and will plant during the first week we are back in school in January. The whole school is looking forward to participating in this wonderful project." Fourth Graders at Greystone Elementary (mmackay@hoover.k12.al.us) Charleston, SC (32.77 N, -79.93 W) "The first graders at Stiles Point Elementary School on James Island will plant their tulip bulbs on Jan. 4. What a great way to start off the second half of the school year!" First Graders at Stiles Point Elementary (kellyfort@aol.com) See these special Planting Instructions for Warmer Regions Predicting the Arrival of Spring--Again and Again! The Earth continues its annual tour around the sun, and now the northern hemisphere is entering the deep chill. Soon voices everywhere will be asking, "When will it be spring?" Prediction is an important science skill. As you learn more and more about seasonal change, geography, and climate you'll become more skilled at predicting spring's arrival. The lesson "Predicting the Arrival of Spring" guides you through a cycle of research and prediction. As the school year progresses, predict when you think tulips will bloom at Journey North's 13 "Original" Garden sites. (Note: The 13 "Original" sites were selected because they represent different climatic regions across the northern hemisphere. You can think of them as designated observation posts where spring's arrival has been monitored each year since Journey North began.) See Lesson: Predicting the Arrival of Spring Begin now with the seven research questions in the lesson. (Helpful resources needed for research are provided.) You can record your predictions throughout the school year on the "Prediction Chart" that's included. Make a new prediction each time you complete one of the 7 research questions. When Journey North begins in the Spring, continue to revise your predictions each month, as you analyze data from hundreds of school gardens across the hemisphere. Massachusetts Students Accept the "Microclimate Challenge" In last month's update, we challenged you to test your skills at designing an experiment. Your challenge: Cause two tulip bulbs to bloom as many days apart as possible. Mrs. Dempsey's Second Grade Class at Dunning School in Framingham, MA stepped forward: "We wanted to see what would happen if we planted some tulips in deep shade, where there is never any sun, and in a sunny spot in the courtyard. Some children think the ones planted in deep shade will not grow at all," they said. Read the Massachusetts Students' example Design your own experiment. See instructions: The 1st Annual Microclimate Challenge Then tell us how you responded to the Microclimate Challenge... Challenge Question #2 "Where did you plant your two "Experimental Journey North Gardens" for the Microclimate Challenge? Describe your experiment, and explain why you chose the sites that you did. Finally, predict how many days there will be between the blooming of tulips at your two sites." How to Respond to Today's Challenge Question: 1. Address an e-mail message to: jn-challenge-tulip@learner.org 2. In the Subject Line of your message write: Challenge Question # 2 3. In the body of the message, answer the Challenge Question. The Next Tulip Garden Update Will Be Posted on December 8, 2000 Copyright 2000 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form