Media Media 1234

Serving Central and Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island

Serving Central and Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island

High Touch High Tech is...Science Made FUN!

Center Elementary Fourth-Graders Study Machines (From the Chelmsford Patch)

Jupiter Johnny and Comet Christine helped explain how machines work.

Fourth grade students at Center Elementary kicked off a study of the physics of simple machines with Jupiter Johnny and Comet Christine from High-Touch, High-Tech of New England’s “Finally Fun Machines” program. Students were first introduced to the vocabulary of simple machinery, and quickly found examples all over their classroom, from the pencil sharpener to the window levers and roller blinds. Then, using a plumber’s threading die, students each turned a carrot into a screw. Fourth grade students at Center Elementary kicked off a study of the physics of simple machines with Jupiter Johnny and Comet Christine from High-Touch, High-Tech of New England’s “Finally Fun Machines” program. Students were first introduced to the vocabulary of simple machinery, and quickly found examples all over their classroom, from the pencil sharpener to the window levers and roller blinds. Then, using a plumber’s threading die, students each turned a carrot into a screw. Rulers with cups on each end were used to investigate how a fulcrum functions, and students loaded up the cups and adjusted the placement of the fulcrum to see if they could get it to balance. “What makes a good fulcrum? What’s the difference between a fulcrum and a platform?” asked Comet Christine, encouraging the students to explore the materials they could find in their desks. In the last exercise, students were given a bag of parts, and working in groups, tried to build a compound machine that used a wheel and axle, pulley and lever. Teams of students worked together enthusiastically, testing pieces and parts until they figured out how to make it work. Beaming groups then showed how they could pick up objects with the hook on their pulley system.

High Touch, High Tech Scientists Discuss Fossils, Jurassic Time

Scientists visited Elmwood School’s 2nd grade classrooms again last week. This time they were there for a High Touch, High Tech enrichment program about Jurassic Time and Fossils. Students learned how DNA is the instruction booklet on how to build a person, and that everyone’s DNA is unique to them. Everyone, that is, except for identical twins, as a smart boy from Mrs. Ferkler’s class was able to tell us. Students built DNA strands from Twizzlers and toothpicks. Mrs. Prior’s 2nd grader, Andrew D’Alleva was fascinated with the fossil portion of the program. He told us how there are two kinds of fossils: an imprint and a bone. Students were able to recreate an imprint with impressions in clay. Andrew also cited the merits of dinosaur poop saying, “It helps scientists learn what dinosaurs ate.” Fascinating… This reporter thought the fossils were really cool, but when asked what the kids’ favorite part of the program was, almost all of Mrs. Ferkler’s class exclaimed – “Making the DNA!” Linnea Pappas-Byers summarized with, “I love High Touch, High Tech. I want to be an astronaut.”

St. Ann's School celebrates Earth Day

QUINCY - A group of children crowded around as "Rocket" Ryan Paskow showed them how to create a tornado in a soda bottle. He shook the bottles filled with colored water and glitter in a circular motion. The children watched in awe as a spiral appeared in the water.

Rocket Ryan and his company High Touch High Tech performed science experiments as part of the Quincy Environmental Network's Environmental Festival: An Earth Day Event, held on Saturday at St. Ann's School in Quincy.

READ FULL ARTICLE Delicious Discoveries: Kids get a tasty science lesson DEDHAM - As Tain Leonard-Peck, 9, Max Malamut, 8, and his sister Barbara Malamut, 6, sampled different starchy foods, Ryan Paskow of High Touch High Tech explained that marathon runners eat lots of starches and carbohydrates the night before a race. READ FULL ARTICLE HPTA Program Shows Science Does Matter HOPKINTON - Remember when the annual science fair was about the best part about science class? Well, things have decidedly changed along the way, and the volume has been turned up to make learning the basics of scientific principles not only interesting, but a lot of fun too. READ FULL ARTICLE Plympton Students dive into Earth sciences WALTHAM - Erupting volcanoes, creating tornadoes and dissecting the Earth's layers were just some of the endeavors that made science exciting for Plympton Elementary students yesterday. As part of then High Touch High Tech in-school science workshop, fourth-graders took part in a variety of hands-on lessons. READ FULL ARTICLE Science Experiment Video Clip at Plympton School in Waltham