Mountain Views News          Saturday, February 15, 2014

Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 15, 2014 7EDUCATION & YOUTH Mountain Views-News Saturday, February 15, 2014 7EDUCATION & YOUTH 
TIPS TO GET KIDS EXCITED ABOUT SCIENCE 


(StatePoint) Sometimes it 
can be hard to convince 
kids that learning is fun. 
While parents can’t necessarily 
control how exciting 
the school day is, they can 
make off-hours learning 
more fun and exciting -- 
especially when it comes 
to a potentially hands-on 
subject like science. 

It is particularly important 
to foster an interest in science 
at an early age. Not 
only does an understanding 
of its principles mean 
a greater understanding of 
how the world works, the 
need for experts in scientific 
fields is on the rise, according 
to Labor Department 
statistics. 

If you’re not too up on 
the subject yourself, don’t 
worry. You don’t need to 
be Sir Isaac Newton to put 
a spotlight on science, say 
experts. 

“Children are natural explorers. They want to roll over rocks to see what critters are hiding below, and take apart gadgets to see how they 
work. It’s important to encourage that. We don’t want our kids to just consume technology - we want them to design it, build it, and be 
innovators,” says “Science Bob” Pflugfelder, an elementary school teacher and co-author of the “Nick and Tesla” book series for kids. 

Here are a few ways to get started: 

Experiment 

Make your home a laboratory. In order for your experiments to be safe and successful, be sure to follow instructions. There are plenty of 
free online resources that parents can turn to for science fair and experiment ideas -- and complete instructions. For example, to build 
your own fog tornado or make your own rock candy, you can visit www.ScienceBob.com for step-by-step guides. 

Think Fiction 

An exciting work of fiction can be inspiring. Expose your kids to entertaining movies and books that feature the application of science 
in action-packed scenarios. 

For example, the “Nick and Tesla” series, by Pflugfelder and writer and journalist Steven Hockensmith, follows the adventures of two 11 
year-old siblings who use science and electronics to solve mysteries. 

Narratives are peppered with blueprints and instructions, so young budding inventors at home can follow along. Information about their 
latest book, “Nick and Tesla’s High-Voltage Danger Lab,” as well as the other books in the series can be found at www.NickandTesla.com. 

Take a Trip 

One thing that most museums have in common is signs that say “do not touch.” But at a science museum, it’s all about interactive fun. 
Take the kids to learn more about their favorite subjects, from animals to outer space to volcanoes. 

Remember, science is all around us, so you don’t necessarily need to go somewhere special to get kids thinking about it. Turn a regular 
day of errands into one of scientific discovery. Encourage your kids to note their observations on paper and discuss what they’ve seen 
and what it means at the end of the day. 

Just because the school bell rings, doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. Take steps to make science a bigger and better part of your kids’ 
day. 

Photo by MichaelJung - Fotolia.com 


Alverno High School200 N. Michillinda Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-3463 Head of School: Ann M. Gillick 
E-mail address: agillick@alverno-hs.org 
Arcadia High School180 Campus Drive Arcadia, CA 91007Phone: (626) 821-8370, Principal: Brent Forseebforsee@ausd.net 
Arroyo Pacific Academy41 W. Santa Clara St. Arcadia, Ca, 
(626) 294-0661 Principal: Phil ClarkeE-mail address: pclarke@arroyopacific.org 
Barnhart School 
240 W. Colorado Blvd Arcadia, Ca. 91007 
(626) 446-5588 Head of School: Ethan WilliamsonKindergarten - 8th gradewebsite: www.barnhartschool.org 
Bethany Christian School93 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 355-3527 Principal: James LugenbuehlE-mail address: jml@bcslions.orgwebsite: www. bcslions.org 
Clairbourn School 
8400 Huntington DriveSan Gabriel, CA 91775 
Phone: 626-286-3108 ext. 172 
FAX: 626-286-1528 
E-mail: jhawes@clairbourn.org 
Foothill Oaks Academy822 Bradbourne Ave., Duarte, CA 91010 
(626) 301-9809Co-Principals Nancy Lopez and Diane Kieffaberinfo@foothilloaksacademy.org 
preschool@foothilloaksacademy.orgFrostig School971 N. Altadena Drive Pasadena, CA 91107(626) 791-1255Head of School: Chris Schnieders, PhD 
Email: Jackykn@frostig.orgThe Gooden School 
192 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-2410 Head of School: Patty Patanowebsite: www.goodenschool.org 
High Point Academy1720 Kinneloa Canyon Road Pasadena, Ca. 91107 
Headmaster John Higgins 626-798-8989 
website: www.highpointacademy.org 
LaSalle High School3880 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 
(626) 351-8951 website: www.lasallehs.orgPrincipal Bro. Christopher Brady, FSC 
Monrovia High School325 East Huntington Drive, Monrovia, CA 91016 
(626) 471-2800 Principal Darvin JacksonEmail: schools@monrovia.k12.ca.us 
Odyssey Charter School725 W. Altadena Dr. Altadena, Ca. 91001 
(626) 229-0993 Head of School: Lauren O’Neillwebsite: www.odysseycharterschool.org 
Pasadena High School2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. Pasadena, Ca. 
(626) 798-8901 Principal: Gilbert Barrazawebsite: www.pasadenahigh.org 
St. Rita Catholic School 
322 N. Baldwin Ave. Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024Principal Joan Harabedian (626) 355-9028website: www.st-rita.org 
Sierra Madre Elementary School141 W. Highland Ave, Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 
(626) 355-1428 Principal: Esther SalinasE-mail address: salinas.esther@pusd.us 
Sierra Madre Middle School 
160 N. Canon Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024(626) 836-2947 Principal: Garrett NewsomE-mail address: newsom.garrett@pusd.us 
Walden School 
74 S San Gabriel Blvd 
Pasadena, CA 91107 (626) 792-6166www.waldenschool.net 
Weizmann Day School1434 N. Altadena Dr. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 
(626) 797-0204Lisa Feldman: Head of School 
Wilson Middle School 
300 S. Madre St. Pasadena, Ca. 91107 
(626) 449-7390 Principal: Ruth EsselnE-mail address: resseln@pusd.us 
PASADENA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
351 S. Hudson Ave., Pasadena, Ca. 91109 
(626) 795-6981 Website: www.pusd@pusd.us 
ARCADIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
234 Campus Dr., Arcadia, Ca. 91007 
(626) 821-8300 Website: www.ausd.net 
MONROVIA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
325 E. Huntington Dr., Monrovia, Ca. 91016 
(626) 471-2000 Website: www.monroviaschools.net 
DUARTE UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 
1620 Huntington Dr., Duarte, Ca. 91010 
(626)599-5000 Website: www.duarte.k12.ca.us 
SCHOOL DIRECTORY 
THE REEL DEAL: by Ben Show 
THE MONUMENTS MEN 
After hearing about this movie 
for months and seeing multipletrailers, my expectations for ‘TheMonuments Men’ were pretty high. 
With an amazing cast and GeorgeClooney at the helm (starring in, directing, 
producing, and writing the 
screenplay), combined with one of 
the most tumultuous times in history, 
this movie was sure to be great,
right? Right?

Frank Stokes (George Clooney) 
gets together a ragtag band of 
artists and architects to go into NaziGermany in order to rescue priceless 
pieces of stolen art. Along theway, they meet Claire Simone (Cate

Blanchett), a feisty French womanwho works at one of the museums where art if being stolen from. 
Together, they work to reclaim as much art as possible before theNazis wipe out much of Europe’s cultural history.

Everything about this movie was done wrong. The cinematography 
was amateur, the directing felt almost nonexistent, 
the acting was boring, the screenplay even more so, and even thescore was dreary. All in all, it feels like a long, boring history filmthat you would watch when you have a substitute in your HighSchool history class. No one should waste their time or money onthis worthless piece of junk.