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	» September 2007 » August 2007 » July 2007 » June 2007 » May 2007 » April 2007

·       Fri 2 – TOT DISCOVERY DAY: SENSORY SCIENCE, 10:00am-12 noon, free for members/$10 per parent/child combo for non-members and additional children $2 each.

·       Mon 5 – Eugene Astronomical Society presents two lectures:  “Telescope at 40,000 Feet,” astronomer Alfred Mikesell will talk about the challenges of making observations from a high-altitude balloon gondola, and “Comets: Hairy Stars, Harbingers of Doom, or Just Dirty Snowballs,” amateur astronomer and telescope-maker Jerry Oltion will share knowledge of comets. Free to the public, 7:00pm.  Suggested donation, $1.

·       Wed 7 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 3): Migration, first of three-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $30 members/$40 non-members for series.

·       Wed 14 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 3): CELLS, second of three-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $30 members/$40 non-members for series.

·       Sat 17 – CAVALCADE OF CRAWLING CREATURES, join experts from the Oregon Herpetological Society to learn about frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles and more and have the chance to touch some of these intriguing creatures, 12 noon-4pm.  Event included in admission price, $4.

·       Tues 20 – EAT PIZZA AND SUPPORT THE SCIENCE FACTORY, proceeds from your order at Roaring Rapids Pizza Company help support the Science Factory.  5 – 9 PM at 4006 Franklin Boulevard , Glenwood.  Merry-Go-Round, Player Piano and familiy activities.  Please mention “Science Factory” when ordering.

·       Wed 21 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 3): THE MOON, third of three-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $30 members/$40 non-members for series.

SPECIAL EARLY HOURS DURING SPRING BREAK!

·       Wed 28 – SPRING BREAK SCIENCE ADVENTURES  – “B” SCIENCE DAY: BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES, 10am-4:00pm, event included with museum admission cost, or free to members.

·       Thurs 29 – SPRING BREAK SCIENCE ADVENTURES  – “B” SCIENCE DAY: BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES, 10am-4:00pm, event included with museum admission cost, or free to members.

·       Fri 30 – SPRING BREAK SCIENCE ADVENTURES  – “B” SCIENCE DAY: BEAUTIFUL BUTTERFLIES, 10am-4:00pm, event included with museum admission cost, or free to members.

·       Sat 31 – SPRING BREAK SCIENCE ADVENTURES  – “B” SCIENCE DAY: BOBBING BUBBLES 10am-4:00pm, event included with museum admission cost, or free to members.

IN THE MUSEUM

Exhibit Hall:

·      Small World exhibit continues through March 19 – Awaken your sense of discovery and see the world that exists beyond our perception. This exhibit from New York features winning entries of the Small World microscopic photography competition. For more information about the competition and winning entries, visit http://www.nikonsmallworld.com/.

·       Bone Up On Bones – Did you know you have over 206 bones in that body of yours? Visit our current exhibit, Bone Up On Bones, to find out what they do, why they’re important and how to keep them healthy and strong. 

Planetarium:   

·      Saturdays and Sundays, 1pm – Up in the Sky

·      Saturdays and Sundays, 2pm – Hubble’s Universe

Gift Shop: Looking for gifts for kids? Learning toys, science kits, and specialty items inspire and entertain for hours. All proceeds support the museum.

Membership: Trust us, it’s worth it! Free admission to Exhibit Hall, Planetarium show and entry into over 240 museums nationwide. A bargain at $50.

Birthday Parties: We have parties down to a science! Party themes include Bubble-ology, Fossil Finders, Rainforest Fun, Detective Science and our Planetarium Show. Parties include instructor, Exhibit Hall play time, private party time and birthday gift.

Donations: Always accepted. Always appreciated. Always put to good use.


THE NEWS SCOOP

KEEP YOUR KIDS LEARNING EVEN WHEN SCHOOL IS OUT!
Hey, parents – Spring Break Science will knock your socks off from March 28-April 1.  We’ll be opening the museum early at 10 AM, just so you can get an early jump on your day’s activities.   Youngsters in grades one through five will learn about survival skills of local butterflies, how to blow the best bubbles, and balloon principles like propulsion and static electricity. Free, as always, to Science Factory members.  Non-members, $4.  Hope to see you more than once, as our activities are changing to encourage just that.


ORDER RESERVED PARKING FOR DUCK FOOTBALL
Reserved Science Factory parking spots are getting scooped up every day for the 2007 season of University of Oregon football.   Make sure your season is hassle free with a reserved parking spot at each Duck home game.  Remember that your parking dollars help support all Science Factory programs, so please encourage fellow football fans from out-of-town who might know of this asset to use our lots.   Season rates start at $250. For more info, call 682-7888.

EUGENE MARATHON WILL BENEFIT THE SCIENCE FACTORY
The marathon makes a grand return to Eugene with the Eugene Marathon on April 29. In addition to the marathon, local runners can do a half marathon or 5K, and there is a Kids’ Run, and proceeds from the 5K and Kids’ Run benefit the Science Factory. We’ll be there at the finish line to cheer on all the runners!

SPONSOR BIKE DAY!
We’re looking for financial sponsors at all levels for our 3^rd Annual Bike Day event on Saturday, June 2. Support alternative transportation, good health and fun, and your support earns benefits and positive recognition for your organization.  Bike Day promises to be a celebration of biking, a gathering point for bike enthusiasts, a promotion of the science of sustainability and more!  We’ll  have FREE Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, a marimba band, a bike obstacle course, bike decoration and awards for science fair winners in our schools. 

Sponsor names will be published in Science Factory publications and on the web site, in addition to receiving benefits available including free museum rental, parking passes for University of Oregon football games, and passes to the museum. To sign up in support of Bike Day, contact Laura Highsmith, Sponsorship Coordinator, at 510-9971.

EMERALD EMPIRE KIWANIS DONATE DIGITAL MICROSCOPE
Kids (and adults) will now have the chance to use our new 400 times magnification, digital microscope. This high-caliber microscope is amazing! With it, kids can view cell structure and microcircuitry and do digital imaging. This microscope has user-friendly software, and images can be projected on to a computer monitor and printed or saved to files. The microscope will have a permanent home in our new classroom, and it will be used in the Magic School Bus class on cells taking place March 14.  Many thanks to Emerald Empire Kiwanis Club for this wonderful new addition to our science inventory.

SUMMER CAMPS SIZZLE IN 2007
We’re simmering up a veritable stew of activities for your kids this summer.  Look for our camp schedule to be posted on the website by the end of the month.  We keep adding and improving to our summer camps to make sure that both kids and parents are happy! 

New! New! New!
This summer, we’ll be offering after-care for working parents with a wonderful U-O Physics student, Megan Briggs leading the helm.

We’re also kicking off brand new tot camps with our Investigators program, aimed at kids ages 2 – 5 years old.   Investigators will be meeting twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 – 11 AM.  Activities will include a snack, outdoor fun, creation of your own “make and take” and more! 

Children still in diapers must be accompanied by a parent.  Topics planned include:  Dino-mites, Cool Colors, Down & Dirty, Oceans of Fun and Splishin’ n Splashin’.

Current camps being planned for the older set include:  You’re on the Air, Adventures in Babysitting, Advanced Digital Photography, Kitchen Chemistry, Castles and Catapults and more!

We think we have a winning program and we hope for all of our campers to return and tell their friends about the fun they have had here in previous years.

Watch for more info about this and the many other camps happening this summer.

ENGINEERS DAY A BIG SUCCESS
Our Three Cheers for Engineers event was a popular success! Special thanks to City of Eugene civil engineers who taught kids about constructing with a budget, and another big thank you to PSC computer engineers for their electrifying lessons on robotics. Larry Raines, Warner Mitchell and Gary Lane , led by Board Member Ken Check should all be thanked for volunteering their time and energy to this wonderful annual event.


METAMORPHOSIS: UPDATE
The remodel of our classroom is in full swing! The room has now been painted, and the new cabinets, shelving and flooring have been installed. A child-friendly sink and other improvements are coming soon. Thanks again to those who donated over $78,000 in donations, with special thanks to our Partnering Sponsors, SELCO Community Credit Union and the Ann and Bill Swindells Charitable Trust.  

We continue to thank the many donations and supporters of the project along the way:

Jerry’s Home Improvement, Bi-Mart, Chuck Bailey, AIA, McKenzie Commercial, Twin Rivers Plumbing, Gale Roberts Construction, Rubenstein’s Contract Carpet, Country Coach, Gibson Steel, Singer Foundation, ATEZ Asbestos, Triton Electric, Liberty Bank, Boles Concrete, Weyerhaeuser, Dari Mart, Lithia Chrysler Dodge of Eugene, Sanipac, Oregon Community Credit Union, Forrest Paint, Advance Cabinet Designs, K Ridley Technology, Pacific Source, Monaco Coach Corporation, Authohaus, FedEx/Kinko’s, Central Print, Forefront Designs, Pacific Continental Bank, West Coast Bank, Alice Parmen, The Top Shop, Larry Culop, Saul Wold.

We could not have done this project without all of you who support us!

Look for more details in the coming weeks about our opening party in April.  Hope to see you there.

YOU’RE NEEDED
We’d love for you to be a part of our team because we know your help will make our events, classes, and programs run smooth and easy. Download a volunteer application form. 

BECOME A MUSEUM GUIDE
A docent program is being created for museum exhibits, and you can be a part of it!  Want to be part of the docent program and be a museum guide? Other volunteer positions are also available. For more info, contact Kristen Anderson by sending an e-mail to  info@sciencefactory.org .

STAFF CHANGES
The Science Factory’s new Marketing Manager is Daniel Moret, Dan brings considerable experience in non-profit marketing to the Science Factory, where he will be half-time, and he is also an accomplished fine art photographer with work at local galleries (to see some of his photographs, visit moretphotography.com). Welcome, Dan!


SCIENCE WEB SITE OF THE MONTH
What do ketchup and quicksand have in common? They are both made up of tiny solid particles suspended in water that chemists call a colloidal suspension. If you’ve ever made Oobleck by mixing corn starch and water, then you have created a colloid. To see a cool video of Oobleck and how it reacts to different forces, visit http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20070228/LZActivity.asp.


COMING IN APRIL

• Sun 1 – SPRING BREAK SCIENCE ADVENTURES continue with “B” SCIENCE DAY: BOUNCING BALLOONS 10am-4:00pm., event included with museum admission cost, or free to members.
  
• Wed 4 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 4): BUTTERFLIES, first of four-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $12 members/$15 non-members per class or $40 members/$50 non-members per series.
  
• Fri 6  –  TOT DISCOVERY DAY: TREES, a casual drop in program for hands-on learning for ages 5 and under, 10am-noon, $10 for parent/child, $2 each additional child, free for members.
  
• Sat 7 –NEW PLANETARIUM SHOW OPENS: “DIFFERENT LIGHT,” admission.
  
• Wed 11 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 4): COLOR, second of four-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $12 members/$15 non-members per class or $40 members/$50 non-members per series.
  
• Fri 13 –BUSY BRAINS NO SCHOOL DAY – YES/YEA: [is it Rain and Weather?] RAIN AND WEATHER, a fun-packed daylong camp full of games, stories, inventions, and art led by Oregon scientists and artists, for grades one through five, bring a lunch and outdoor clothing, 8:30am-4pm, $30 members/$35 non-members.
  
• Wed 18 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 4):STARS, third of four-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $12 members/$15 non-members per class or $40 members/$50 non-members per series. 
  
• Wed 25 – MAGIC SCHOOL BUS (SERIES 4): EARTHQUAKES, fourth of four-part series, fun and leaning for grades K-2, 2:30-4:30pm, $12 members/$15 non-members per class or $40 members/$50 non-members per series.
  
• Sun 29 – EUGENE MARATHON, HALF MARATHON, 5K AND KIDS’ RUN, The Science Factory is a beneficiary for the 5K and Kids’ Run, so sign up for the race and support this inaugural event and The Science Factory.