Lea's Saturday Science Program

For 6 weeks in January and February (of 1998) a group of ten students (April, Christina, Han, Khahlil, Melissa, Marshall, Nashonda, Randy, Tia, Tomas --- last names witheld) from the 5th and 6th grades at the H. C. Lea public school spent Saturday mornings doing some hands on biology. "Saturday Science," as it was called, was a chance to see and experience some parallels between aspects of human biology and microscopic critters. For example, they listened to their own hearts and took their heart rates before and after jumping up and down, then examined the model of the heart and watched the heart beat of the tiny Zebra fish and the effect of caffeine on the heart of the tiny water flea Daphne under the microscope.

Because "Saturday Science" was held in the well equipped laboratory of Community College at 47th and Chestnut St., the students could each use a microscope (not yet available at the Lea school but see below!) and do some experiments more difficult to arrange at school. A video microscope (donated by the U. Penn. Medical School) also allowed all to see together and try to time the water flea heart--that heart rate was very, very fast!

"Saturday Science" was planned and led by Drs. Vivianne Nachmias and Fred Stark. "Dr. Fred," as he liked to be called by the students, is a faculty member of Community College and also teaches at the University of Pennsylvania, and "Dr. Vivianne" is on the faculty of the School of Medicine, also at the University of Penn. The project was made possible by Mr. Bruce Bogdanoff, Principal of the Lea School, with the organizational support of Ms. Barbara Fleming, the Science Coordinator and the help of Ms. Laura Newton, mentor to the students. Deanna and Melinda (last names witheld), students at the U. of Penn., gave superb assistance in the laboratory. Community College made the laboratory available, Penn Community Partnerships gave financial support and encouragement, and the Garden Court Community Organization generously donated money for T-shirts for all the students and teachers. These sported a new logo, which featured an eye and a microscope within a border asserting: "Saturday Science Everyday" crafted by Sylvia Barkan, a graphics art designer who, with her husband, founded the Community Organization in the 1960s. Special Effects Silk Screen Printing brought the logo alive in purple for the eye and microscope and green for the border.

On the last morning, the students gave demonstrations to parents and relatives (including a grandmother and several brothers and sisters) of three of their most popular projects. The first showed how you could stain cells gently scraped from your inner cheek, and make a slide for the microscope, enlarging the cells 400 times to show the blue nuclei, where the DNA is located. In the second demonstration, the students showed that how long a candle can burn depends on how much air it can get, and how to put the flame out by making carbon dioxide and letting it fall on the flame. In the third demonstration, they showed that some dyes change color when you add acids or bases, and that the color change is reversible. Then the dyes were used to show that when you breath out, you breathe out some acid - this could be shown to be carbon dioxide.

After the relatives had looked over the interesting models of the heart, eye, lungs, bones, fossils and aquarium, all retired to the next room for refreshments. The party featured a magnificent cake donated by a parent and grandparent with trick candles which lighted again after being blown out which intrigued some of the younger set. Some good photographs were taken. Saturday Science may have a future as an adjunct "hands on" relaxed activity to 5th and 6th grade science at school. We are planning to continue Saturday Science this spring and summer, looking at how plants grow and doing some practical gardening. We are delighted that a garden plot for student use has been lent by the Community Garden group, whose president is Robert Duncan.

We found out that the H. C. Lea school does not have microscopes for the middle school science program (Grades 7-8): these are badly needed to teach modern day biology. We have a unique opportunity to obtain excellent used binocular microscopes and are hoping to be able to have one per student. We do not have enough money to buy supplies for using the microscopes creatively, and some of the microscopes may need minor repairs. Anyone who would like to donate towards the repairs or the purchase of slides, coverslips, stains and living cultures so the students can do some experiments, please call Vivianne Nachmias: (215) 748-4689 evenings, (215) 898-3162 daytime for further information.

For the Plant Science and Gardening project, we need 2-3 neighborhood gardeners who would enjoy working outdoors with students aged 11-13. If you could help out on a few Saturday mornings this spring or on other days during the summer, please call Vivianne Nachmias at either of the numbers above or email: vtn@mail.med.upenn.edu. It's bound to be fun, and you might win a perfect apple! We have 2 apple trees that produce never sprayed, organically grown delicious eating apples (blue ribbon at the Horticultural fair last year), and we plan to raffle some off come August!

"Saturday Science": 6 mornings of biology for Lea school students.