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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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 DNA, cells, plants, nutrition, survival and adaptations of plants. There are numerous opportunities to observe, compare, analyze, and create you can design a microbe, build DNA candy, and you will even extract DNA from a plant. The evening is open to all CFSD families and friends. Except for your dinner (Create Caf and Jamba Juice) the whole evening is FREE to participants. JOIN THE SCIENCE FUN! Our Theme this year is Feeding the 9 Billion Over 30 hands-on SCIENCE Centers!
Play with wiggly worms, learn the life cycle, explore vermiculture & plant composting Explore your nutritional choices with food labels and plant parts. Plants need water, plants are impacted by our weather.. take a lesson in the Jimmy Stewart Weather Bus HOT PEPPERS. You bet you can learn from the best Arizona Dirt Farmer Learn about Pollen: Nothng to Sneeze at or design an ocean Phytoplankton. Extract DNA from fruit, build candy model DNA, and explore basic DNA Make healthy snacks, read food labels, and discover the value of seeds/beans/cereals You are invited Magnify those giant spines, twisted roots and awesome blooms of our desert cactus to join the fun Take action.. learn about Water Conservation in our desert or start your own Community Garden with your family! Observe the cells of plants to better understand the living organism Look carefully at the live bees, our important plant pollinators 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

Oct. 5, 2012 5 - 8 pm

PRE-PAID Dinner Reservations Order Form

Orders must be received in your CFSD School Office by October 1st at 9 a.m.
Dinners made by Create Cafe..... none profit to our event and very reasonably priced for participants.

$5 per dinner per person. Drinks not included

A. Turkey and Cheese Wrap with baked chips and a piece of fresh fruit. or B. Caprese Wrap (fresh mozzarella, pesto, basil, tomato) with baked chips and a piece of fresh fruit.

Family Name ___________________________ CFSD School ________________ Phone or email address ________________________________________________ Number of dinners requested: _____ Turkey _____ Caprese Cash or check to VVFFO enclosed for $__________

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