Eighth graders Evan Stroh and Eric
Laurent both play Little League baseball.
So, they thought that sport would
provide a good subject for their movie
contest entry.
Their movie, "All About a Curveball,"
was a first-place winner in the 2007
Show Me A Movie contest sponsored
by the Greater St. Louis Cooperating
School Districts.
Evan and Eric both live in Ballwin
and are students at Parkway Southwest
Middle School. Their movie was judged
best in the Show Me Something New
category for middle school students.
The two boys play on different baseball
teams in the Chesterfield area. Both
are pitchers and it was natural for
them to think about that position
when looking for a movie plot.
Recent health rule changes by Little
League officials on pitch-counts and
limits on curveballs by young pitchers
made their movie timely. Both of them
said they don't throw curveballs because
of stress on their still-growing bodies.
The new Little League rules limit
both the number of pitches in any
game and how long a kid has to rest
between games.
One key scene in their movie involves
a film clip of former St. Louis Cardinal
pitcher Jeff Weaver throwing a curveball.
Fourteen-year-old Eric said, "The
film clip was in slow-motion and was
at a perfect angle to show how he
turns his wrist to throw a curve.
You can see exactly what he is doing."
He said they were able to download
the clip for free from an Internet
resource called "pitchclips.com."
Evan, who is also 14, said, "Our
movie explains the physics involved
in throwing a curveball." He said
the Weaver clip shows the stress put
on the arm when making the ball spin
to get the curving action.
The movie also shows the effect of
air resistance in making the ball
curve.
Their movie was 2 ½ minutes long
but had 12 different scenes, including
both the title page and the film credits.
Contest rules say the movies can't
be over three minutes long.
The boys shared all facets of the
writing, filming, acting and editing
of the movie.
Eric said, "We both wrote, depending
on which of us was in which scene.
We were pretty much equals in terms
of who was shown in the movie."
Evan said, "When one of us was in
a scene, the other was filming."
Both of the kids said they weren't
nervous while acting in the movie.
Eric said, "Both of us have done school
plays."
Other scenes in the movie showed
close-ups of how a pitcher holds the
ball and their different arm positions
during the pitching motion.
Evan said they ended up with much
more material that was used in the
finished movie. "We had to shoot some
scenes four or five times before getting
it right," he said.
Eric said, "Some scenes had to be
re-shot because there was background
noise we didn't want."
He said he considered getting a satisfactory
ending to the movie to be one of the
biggest problems. "We had to explain
each of the scenes on the credits
page," he said.
They said they had about 15 minutes
worth of material ready before the
editing started. That meant they used
only about 20 per cent of available
material in the final version.
Both mentioned the extensive paperwork
involved in getting their entry ready
for the Show Me A Movie contest. Evan
said, "The contest paperwork was the
hardest."
The kids used Apple Computer's "IMovie"
software to do their editing. They
did all their work on the movie as
part of an accelerated program, taught
by teacher Terri Moore.
They said they were surprised by
the amount of time involved in the
whole movie-making process. Eric said,
"The time and effort that it takes
to make a movie was something."
Asked about any changes they'd make
if they did the movie over, Evan said,
"I'd condense the transitions between
scenes." He said he thought the special
effects they used in transitions took
too much time.
Both of the boys said their favorite
subjects in school were math and science.
Evan said he hopes for a career in
aeronautical engineering. Eric is
looking at architecture because of
his interest in building design.
The star of 13-year-old Kasey Hancock's
award-winning movie is her American
shorthair cat named Snickers. It's
a story of what a cat does when
the family leaves her at home alone.
The movie, "Snickers' Winter Vacation,"
was a first-place winner in the
2007 Show Me A Movie contest sponsored
by the Greater St. Louis Cooperating
School Districts.
The movie was judged best in the
Show Me Your Community division
for middle school students. The
finished film was 2 minutes and
35 seconds long.
Kasey lives in Pacific, Mo. But,
the 7th grader attends LaSalle Springs
Middle School in the Rockwood district.
Kasey can attend the school because
her mother teaches at Rockwood schools
in both Eureka and Wildwood.
Snickers turned out to be Kasey's
second choice to star in her original
movie.
Kasey said she originally planned
to make her movie about how a school
gym was transformed into a theater
for a school play. Her mother, Karen
Hancock, teaches theater for 6th,
7th and 8th grade students.
Kasey was going to feature the
custodial staff as they prepared
the gym for the performance.
"But, I didn't have the idea until
the school production of "Annie
Jr." was over and my mother didn't
want to make the custodians do the
transformation again," Kasey said.
So, it turned out the cat was called
on to star in the new movie script.
Actually, Kasey changed her idea
about the cat script also. "At first,
I was going to do a movie about
how to take care of a cat. But,
that sounded pretty boring so I
changed it."
About her cat as a star, Kasey
said, "Snickers is pretty much a
princess. She'd look right at the
camera, although she didn't like
it if the camera got too close."
The movie starts with Snickers
watching the family drive away,
leaving her alone.
The scenes in the movie show Snickers
watching TV, jumping on the bed,
looking-but not fishing--at the
family's fish tank, looking for
milk at the refrigerator and taking
a nap.
About the TV scene, Kasey said,
"Snickers has a cat video that she
likes to watch."
While Snickers was a pretty good
actor, Kasey didn't leave anything
to chance.
She found some gloves that pretty
well matched Snickers' fur color
and pattern. "When you put on the
gloves, you could hold her in position
and the gloves were just about invisible
in the movie," she said.
She said her mother was in charge
of positioning Snickers while Kasey
did the filming.
Kasey also wrote the script and
dubbed in the voiceover. "The voiceover
was what the cat was thinking during
the time she was home alone," she
said.
She thought one of the best scenes
was when Snickers was looking face-on
into the camera while the voice
over said, "I miss my Mommy." Kasey
said, "Snickers looked right into
the camera with wide eyes and even
cocked her head at the end."
"At the beginning of the movie,
we show Snickers looking like she's
anxious to see the rest of the family
leave," she said.
Kasey said she had to hurry to
finish the movie because she used
so much time planning the gym-conversion
script. "We had two months to do
the movie but I used six weeks on
the first movie idea," she said.
One thing that did work out was
that she was able to use the sound
background from the first movie
idea to be the background for the
Snickers' movie.
She used music from a "superdoopermusiclooper"
CD. That allows the moviemaker to
lay down the music as background
one instrument at a time. "And,
you can mute individual instruments
part way through if you want," Kasey
said.
Kasey said she also might salvage
the first movie idea if she enters
the Show Me contest next year. Since
she's a 7th grader, she'll still
be eligible to compete next year.
"I'd just have to get started
earlier and film the movie when
the custodians are converting the
gym for next year's production,"
Kasey said.
Kasey made the movie in the gifted
program taught by teacher Cindy
Hefling.
Kasey said she's thinking about
a career as a nuclear pharmacist.
She described that as a person who
administers nuclear medicines to
help cure illnesses.
Asked about the idea, she said,
"My mother mentioned it as a career
with high demand and you make lots
of money."
Show Me A Movie,
Part III
Kids make movie
about Character Council
Eleven-year-old Clayton
Newburry's experience on his school's
Character Council provided the idea
for an original movie that won a
first prize in the 2007 Show Me
A Movie competition.
Clayton teamed with
5th grade classmates, 10-year-old
Miles Thies and 11-year-old Adam
Sindecuse-Hayden, to film "Character
Council." The film finished first
in the Show Me Your Community category
for elementary school students.
The contest was sponsored
by the Greater St. Louis Cooperating
School Districts.
The Central Elementary
team drew up a list of 10 possible
ideas for their movie. They then
made a unanimous choice of the Character
Council idea.
At the St. Charles
County school, outstanding 4th,
5th and 6th grade students are picked
as council members. They provide
services around the school, such
as running the recycling program,
raising the flag daily and serving
as hosts to students who come in
at mid-term.
Adam said each member
would write a section of the movie
script and then the others would
do the copy-editing. When it came
to acting, each kid played the part
of a council member.
In some scenes, the
actor would give the explanation
by talking to the camera. But, in
others, the actor would show the
activity and another team member
did a voiceover that explained what
was happening.
Adam said, "I liked
the acting and the clip editing
the best." Miles said he liked the
writing and "working with the computer."
Clayton said he liked the film editing.
Their movie was just
short of 2 minutes long and had
10 different scenes.
As part of the research
for the movie, they conducted interviews
with two Central Elementary teachers
who supervised the Character Council.
The boys said there
were six kids in their gifted class
that participated in the movie-making
contest. Ms. Becky Wegener was their
teacher and the boys and girls divided
into two three-member teams to enter
the contest.
The boys all had previous
movie-making experience before the
Show Me competition.
Adam said he made
an earlier movie on the subject,
"Why does your body continue to
work when you're sleeping?" He said,
"The medulla in your brain continues
to regulate the body even when you're
asleep."
Miles said his earlier
movie sought to answer the question,
"Why is the sky blue?"
Clayton said his
movie sought to answer the question,
"Why can't you smell your own breath?"
But, asked if the movie provided
an answer, he said, "No."
Adam said the team
didn't get any outside help in making
their Show Me movie. He said they
used IMovie editing software and
used "garageband" archives for the
background music. Both are Apple
Computer programs.
Miles said they also
used scenes from a "self-control"
movie the school had produced. One
of the central themes of the Character
Council was to teach the kids how
to act responsibly in dealing with
other people.
He said they used
only about 10 seconds of the "self-control"
movie but had to strip out the special
effects and background music from
that previous film. Then, they added
their own music and effects.
He said eliminating
old sounds and adding new for that
one clip was the toughest part of
the movie-making process. "And we
only used a few seconds of it in
our movie," he said.
Miles said they used
a variety of special effects to
mark the transitions from one scene
to another. "We did fade-ins, fade-outs
and used whirlpool effects. We also
used one special effect where we
pushed one scene off while another
came on," he said.
In all, they had
about 15 minutes of filmed material
that had to be condensed into just
2 minutes for their final entry.
The three boys have
worked as a team on other special
projects. One called for them to
design and build a bridge with toothpicks
and glue. In that project, Miles
designed the bridge, Clayton built
it and Clayton was the project accountant.
They won "strongest
bridge" in the school competition.
All the kids listed
math as their favorite subject in
school. Their career choices reflect
that interest in numbers.
Adam wants to be an
investment banker while Miles hopes
to become an architect.
Clayton said, "I'd
like to be an engineer of some type.
I'd like to work in electronics
and with airplanes."
2007 Show Me
A Movie winners
There were winners in categories
in elementary, middle and
high school divisions.
The winners were:
Elementary Division
-
Show
Me A Story: movie title,
"Confidence;" student,
Morgan Garner; teacher,
Dawn Lynn; school, Willow
Brook Elementary; district,
Pattonville.
-
Show
Me Something New: movie
title, "Teamwork Time;"
students, Abby Urnes and
Naomi Urnes; teacher Michelle
Braungardt; school, River
Bend Elementary; district,
Parkway.
-
Show
Me A Challenge: movie
title, "The Granny Getaway;"
students, Cole Lazarus,
Collin Horn, Jake Workman,
Josh Metje, Jessie Yates,
Olivia Smith, Betsy Klausen,
Katie Coonce, Kadie Clark,
Mikayla Alvarez, Logan Peterson,
Megan Bishop, Holly Neece;
teacher, Gail Bush; school,
William Yates Elementary;
district, Blue Springs.
-
Show
Me Your Community: movie
title; "Character Council;"
students, Clayton Newburry,
Miles Thies, Adam Sindecuse-Hayden;
teacher, Becky Wegener;
school, Central Elementary;
district, Francis Howell.
-
Show
Me A Story: movie title,
"Famous Chemist Series:
Louis Pasteur;" students,
Andrew Haag, Gene Sendin,
Alex Spellicy; teacher;
Rebekah Kirchhofer; school
Bernard Middle; district,
Mehlville.
-
Show
Me Something New: movie
title, "All About The
Curveball;" students,
Evan Stroh, Eric Laurent;
teacher, Terri Moore; Parkway
Southwest Middle; district,
Parkway.
-
Show
Me A Challenge: movie
title, "Global Warming-The
Dillion and Dillion Show;"
students, Zooey Brewer,
Andrew Dickinson, Alex Fredette,
Dillion Kalbfliesch, Garrett
Waage; teacher, John D.
Horton; school John B. Lange
Middle; district, Columbia,
Mo.
-
Show
Me Your Community: movie
title, "Snickers' Winter
Vacation," student,
Kasey Hancock; teacher,
Cindy Hefling; school, LaSalle
Springs Middle; district,
Rockwood.
-
Show
Me A Story: movie title,
"Capturing Time," student,
Alex Leonard; teacher, Bob
Storts; school, Francis
Howell Central; district
Francis Howell.
-
Show
Me Something New: movie
title, "How to Crimp
and Test a Cat 5 Professional
Network Cable;" students,
Mitch Luther, Dan Wehner,
Tegan Wilbank; teacher,
Carla Hegre; school, South
County Tech; district, Special
School.
-
Show
Me A Challenge: movie
title, "Arrive Alive;"
students, Kyle Knight, Robert
White; teacher, Michelle
Hoch; school, Washington
High; district, Washington,
Mo.
What's a "didgeridoo"? Or a "tubulum"?
The garage band called Cyclic
Redundancy likes to play what
members call "experimental" music.
But, they also like to play experimental
musical instruments.
The band is made up of seven
kids from Eureka High School.
They play standard band instruments
like the fiddle, bass guitar and
keyboard.
But, bandleader Ben Conley wasn't
satisfied. He wanted new sounds
and decided to make some new instruments
out of wood and PVC pipe.
Thus, the "didgeridoo" is made
out of a hollowed-out tree root
and you get the music by blowing
through it. The "tubulum" is made
out of PVC pipe in lengths from
6' to 12' and produces a very
low sound when hit with mallets.
Probably the most complicated-looking
instrument is titled simply "PVC."
As the name implies, it's made
of PVC pipe and looks something
like a cross between a souped-up
car engine and a pipe organ. You
get music out of it by hitting
the upright pipes with a cross
between a mallet and a ping-pong
paddle.
Ben is a 17-year-old junior from
Eureka. He's both the bandleader
and the chief instrument maker.
The band usually performs with
five members. There are two subs.
They fill in if regulars are doing
other things, like wrestling for
the school team.
"We use 15 different instruments
and six of them are ones I built."
Ben said.
Other regular members of the
band are Derek Dunwiddie of Wildwood,
Ben Roberds of Wildwood, Zack
Miinch of Wildwood, and Jim McLarty
of Eureka. The two replacement
musicians are Max Schroeder of
Wildwood and Morgan Tarbox, of
Eureka, the only girl.
The band debuted last winter
at Eureka High's Variety Show.
That showcases various student
talent. Acts include singing and
musical groups and an occasional
monologue.
But, Ben said, "We're probably
the most unique."
The band was one of the acts
to perform at the 2008 Variety
Show.
But, the kids also have performed
around town. For instance, they
produced a CD album of music they
played at the Solid Rock Café
in Eureka last November.
Ben said the school variety
shows have provided the biggest
audiences. The show draws up to
1,000 in two nights of performances.
But, he said, "The Solid Rock
had the most people in the smallest
space. People were really packed
in."
The band members have fairly
conventional musical backgrounds.
Derek had six years of piano
lessons. And he plays the bass
drum in school band.
Ben Roberds plays in the school's
regular and jazz bands. He plays
the tuba in the regular band and
the bass guitar in the jazz band.
Bandleader Ben has played the
fiddle for eight years. He uses
the term fiddle instead of violin
to separate him from classical
music.
But, how does he typify the music
played by the Cyclic Redundancy.
"I usually call it 'experimental'
with some classical, some Irish
and some tribal elements."
Ben said the group gets some
of its inspiration from the popular
Blue Man Group. That touring group
also plays unique music on unique
instruments.
Besides the aforementioned "didgeridoo,"
"tubulum" and "PVC," Ben has built
a unique gong, a "drumbone" and
the "backpack."
The gong is a metal shelf built
into a wooden frame and hit by
mallets. The "drumbone" is two
pieces of PVC pipe, one inserted
into the other. Different sounds
are achieved by lengthening and
shortening the combined length
while hitting it with a mallet.
The "backpack" is a huge instrument
built into a wood frame that hangs
on the musician's back. Curved
arms extend over the player's
head and the music is produced
by hitting the arms with a mallet.
"We don't use the 'backpack'
much anymore. It causes too much
chaos," Ben said. "Besides, it's
pretty heavy to carry."
The Cyclic Redundancy has been
playing together for about 1½
years. Ben Conley and Derek were
the first two members. They've
been adding new members and new
instruments ever since.
But, the kids aren't sure what
will happen after they graduate
from high school. Their college
plans call for them to be spread
across the country.
Ben Conley plans to go to engineering
school at UM-Rolla. He said he
plans a career in electrical engineering.
Derek said he's likely to be at
Truman State University in northern
Missouri, where he'd like to study
to be a fiction writer.
State Skating Championships
Planning a career
in figure skating
Amanda Kennedy of
Hillsboro has been figure skating
for 10 years since she started at
age 5. Now, she's beginning to plan
how to make a living out of skating
once she's older.
Amanda talking about
her plan while competing in last
month's Show-Me State Games at the
Webster Groves Ice Arena. She competed
in six different figure-skating
events during the three-day weekend,
Jan. 11-13.
The Hillsboro High
School freshman practices her skating
either six or seven days a week.
But, she doesn't expect to become
a professional figure skater.
Rather, she said,
"I'd like to open up my own ice
rink."
And, she's trying
to convince her friend, 14-year-old
Allie Rosemann of Webster Groves,
to join her in business.
Allie is another girl
who's been skating for 10 years.
She said she started skating at
the Webster Groves rink at age 4
when she was in pre-school.
Like Amanda, Allie
has a heavy practice schedule. She
takes lessons five days a week and
usually competes on the weekends.
Allie belongs to the
Metro Edge Figure Skating Club in
Webster Groves. Her team was the
host for the Show-Me State Games.
The games had events
for skaters ages 4 and up which
included both individual and team
events. The Games ended Sunday with
a family exhibition along with synchronized
team events.
Amanda and Allie skated
in several individual events and
then paired in the 2-person jump
and spin events Saturday evening.
Some of the most colorful
events were those teams participated
in synchronized skating.
Allie skated with
her Metro Edge club while Amanda
represented the Creve Coeur club.
The synchro teams
have 13 kids on the ice at once
going through planned maneuvers.
Asked if team members ever run into
each other, both smiled and said,
"Sure."
Bumping-and even falling-happens
especially among the "tot" teams,
with skaters as young a 4. But,
the kids didn't get discouraged.
They just jumped up, caught up with
the rest of the team and finished
their routines.
Of course, the skating
gets better and the routines more
complex with the older skaters.
The synchronized skating
is getting increased attention worldwide.
For instance, synchro teams will
put on exhibitions in the next Winter
Olympic Games in Italy in 2009.
That should mean the
event should become a regular Olympic
event in the 2013 games.
And, skating officials
feel synchronized skating will allow
some skaters to extend their competitive
skating life. Skaters can continue
in synchronized skating beyond the
time when they are no longer skillful
enough to vie for individual titles.
Amanda and Allie are
about halfway up the skill ladder
for individual and team meets.
At the State Games,
Amanda skated as a novice while
Allie was ranked as an intermediate
skater. Allie said she hopes she'll
be ready for novice skating next
year.
They are into such
things as double lutz, double loop
and double toe loop jumps. Next
will come the double axel and triple
soulcow maneuvers, which are standards
in televised figure skating competitions.
(For complete results
of last month's Show Me State Games
figure-skating event, you can go
to the Metro Edge club's website
at www.metroedgefsc.org.)
Allie said her best
skating experience so far has been
competing in regional figure-skating
events in Cedar Rapids, IA, and
Minneapolis, MN. Amanda listed her
best skating experience as competing
in the World figure skating in Chicago
last year.
Asked about her worst
experience, Allie listed the 2005
State Games of American event. She
said, "I went up for a jump and
fell. The blade of my skate came
down on my wrist and I got a cut
that required seven stitches." You
can still see the stitch marks.
Amanda said her worst
experience was at a regional competition
where she "singled" about every
jump that was supposed to be a double.
About the future,
Amanda said she wants to get a degree
in parks and recreation at the University
of Missouri-Columbia. That would
prepare her for opening the skating
rink.
She wants Allie to
join her. But, the Hixson Middle
School student said she's more interested
in becoming a manager of political
campaigns.
AAU boys basketball
Local team seeks
another national berth
Coach Matt Brobeck
is making sure his Vetta Maverick
12&under team doesn't think it'll
be easy to qualify again for the
National AAU Boys Basketball Tournament.
One way he avoids
complacency in his players is to
schedule local games against top-notch,
older competition.
Coach Brobeck's team
finished 7th in the 2007 AAU national
division-II tournament for 11&under
boys teams.
The 2008 team has
many of the same players and is
hard at work preparing for qualifying
tournaments in April and May. This
year, the Mavericks move up one
age grade and will be entered in
Division-I play.
Coach Brobeck keeps
his kids focused by scheduling games
against teams with older players.
For instance, the opponent at a
game last month was a local team
of 13&under kids who also had placed
well in national competition last
year.
A one-year difference
in age between 12 and 13 often translates
into a big height differential in
boys. For instance, over half of
the members of last month's opponent
were taller than any of the Maverick
players.
At first, the Mavericks
broke their opponents' pressing
defense with speed and sharp passes
that led to numerous lay-ups. At
halftime, the Mavericks trailed
only 32-25.
But, the height and
experience took effect after halftime,
when fatigue set in. For this game,
the Mavericks had a short bench
and played only five kids for the
whole game.
After the game-which
the Mavericks lost by 30 points-Maverick
point guard Eric McWoods of University
City was asked what he learned in
the game.
He said, "Don't try
to pass over tall guys." He admitted
Coach Brobeck reminded him during
timeouts of the need for bounce
passes, rather than lobs.
Eric is 4'11" and
was usually facing opponents well
over 6 feet tall. The lob passes
stayed in the air too long and let
back-line defenders move in to intercept.
After the game, Coach
Brobeck downplayed the loss and
focused on what the kids need to
improve for the next game.
Twelve-year-old Evan
Booker of Kirkwood is one of the
taller Mavericks. But, at 5'8",
he still was at a height disadvantage
under the boards. He said one of
the things he needs to do better
is "boxing out opponents under the
boards for rebounds."
Evan and Eric are
two of the new members of the Mavericks
team.
Kids who were on the
team that placed well in last year's
AAU nationals included Austin Sottile
and Andy Bauer, both of Ballwin;
Aaron Pangan of Chesterfield; Mason
Brobeck of High Ridge and two players
from Waterloo, Ill., Danny Gardner
and Shane Lenhardt.
The other team member
is Sam Rudnick of Des Peres. Sam
wasn't on the team that played in
last year's AAU national meet. But
he had played for Coach Brobeck
in the past. The coach said, "He
took off last year to play baseball
but he's back now."
Coach Brobeck said
he's always on the lookout for players
who can help his team.
He said one thing
that helps him in recruiting is
that he's the basketball director
of the Vetta Sports Clubs. The company
runs all-purpose athletic and sports
clubs in the St. Louis area.
"It helps with recruiting
when you have a place to play basketball,"
he said.
Also, Brobeck is an
AAU director for boys and girls
basketball.
Besides the high placing
in last year's national AAU tournament,
his team has been a winner in two
Show-Me Games competitions.
Mason Brobeck said
last year's AAU tournament was his
best basketball experience.
Most of the kids on
the Mavericks started played basketball
at a young age. Eric McWoods and
Evan Booker said they started when
they were in kindergarten. Mason
said he started when he was in 1st
grade.
When asked about
the Mavericks' current won-loss
record, Coach Brobeck said he doesn't
put emphasis on winning and losing
in the regular season. Whether the
team will qualify for regional and
national play is determined by the
April and May tournaments.
From the start of
the season in November until tournaments,
the emphasis is on giving the kids
a variety of learning experiences
to make them better, individually
and as a team.
For the Mavericks,
that means played as many good teams
as possible, even if they are made
up of older, taller and more experienced
kids.
Coach Brobeck said,
"When we play kids our own age,
we do pretty well."
Minority Scientists' Showcase
Magic introduces
kids to science principles
Kids visiting the
Minority Scientists' Showcase last
month got a chance to pick up some
good magic tricks that they could
do at home.
The St. Louis Science
Center holds the annual Showcase
to give minority kids and their
families a chance to see some of
the science careers available at
local companies.
This year's 16th annual
Showcase was held Saturday, Sunday
and Monday, over the Martin Luther
King holiday weekend, Jan. 19-21.
Many of the Showcase
exhibitors had staff members to
explain scientific processes used
to make the group's products. But,
many booth demonstrations also showed
simple scientific experiments that
make good home magic tricks.
The Science Center
also had a group of its YES students
on hand to show other magic tricks
to visiting kids.
Adrian Lindsey is
a sophomore at Parkway North High
School and a volunteer member of
the Science Center's YES Corps.
That stands for Youth Exploring
Science. The feature of Adrian's
booth was a demonstration of "anti-gravity
coins."
Everyone knows that
if you let go of a coin it'll fall
to the floor. Adrian showed kids
that wasn't always the case.
The trick was to take
a small paper cup and attach a string
through the bottom of the cup, using
a paper clip. Then, you put a coin
inside the cup. But, instead of
dropping the cup, you swing it around
in a circle over your head.
The coin doesn't fall
because the centrifugal force of
the spinning keeps the coin stuck
to the bottom of the cup, even when
it was upside down.
Another YES booth
invited kids to compete in a "soda
can race." You made the cans move
without touching them. You used
a filled balloon that has been given
a negative of static electricity
by rubbing it with a soft cloth.
As the balloon got
close to the can, the balloon's
negative charge attracts the metal
can, which has a positive charge.
Therefore, the contestants could
pull their cans toward the finish
line without touching them.
Sigma-Aldrich Corp.
had a whole pamphlet available that
gave directions on how to do a number
of different magic tricks using
science. The pamphlet was titled,
"What does a Scientist do?"
One of the simple
experiments that kids could do at
home involved making "silly putty."
In addition, the company had some
jars of "silly putty" made up that
kids could take home to use.
The "silly putty"
formula includes a cup of white
glue, such as Elmer's; a cup of
liquid laundry starch and a plastic
container. You put the glue in a
plastic container and slowly stir
in the liquid starch.
You continue to stir
in the starch until the mixture
gets smooth and rubbery. Presto,
you have "silly putty" that you
can shape into a ball that bounces
and stretches.
Another experiment
listed by Sigma-Aldrich was how
to clean pennies and other coins
with a mixture of 3 tablespoons
of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of
salt with some water. That mixture
becomes a diluted hydrochloric acid.
The pennies become
dull when oxygen in the air combines
with copper to make copper oxide.
The hydrochloric acid cleans off
the copper oxide and fresh copper
shines through.
The pamphlet also
explains how fireflies give off
light. The light is caused by an
enzyme in the flies' belly is exposed
to the oxygen in air to give off
a bluish light. This light is different
in another way; the light doesn't
have any heat attached to it, like
light from an electric bulb.
So, the fireflies'
light is "cool" in two ways, both
"cool" as "wow" and "cool" as in
non-heat "cool."
(Another feature
of the Sigma-Aldrich handout was
a grid puzzle that helps kids expand
their scientific vocabulary. See
below.)
Monsanto's booth had
an experiment where kids could test
the pH of red cabbage juice.
Rawlings Sporting
Goods had some neat samples to show
how both wooden and aluminum bats
are made. Also, the booth had cutouts
of baseballs, showing how both major
league and kids baseballs are made.
The company has a
technical development facility in
O'Fallon, Mo. The firm has the exclusive
contract to make all the baseballs
used in major league games.
Although most kids'
baseball teams use aluminum bats,
the City of New York has banned
metal bats because of concern the
bats make the balls go too fast
and can cause injuries. The Showcase
booth also had a sample of how a
wooden bat is made from a piece
of ash wood.
Another controversy
in baseball is whether lighter,
drier air in major league parks
at higher altitudes such as in Denver,
cause the balls to fly further.
The Rockies keep all balls in a
humidor that keeps the temperature
at 72 degrees F and humidity at
50%.
Asked whether that
changes the balls flight, the attendant
said, "I can't answer that."
This month's
book reviews
The story behind
the sightings through the years
of the Loch Ness "monster"
The story begins
in March of 1930. It was on
the west coast of Scotland and
just after a big storm. Kirstie
and her younger brother, Angus,
along with Grumble, their grandfather,
were walking on the beach to
see what the waves might have
washed up on shore. Kirstie
saw it first - a large egg covered
with moss and seaweed. They
dropped it in the bag along
with other stuff they were collecting.
When they got
home, the kids put their find
in a bucket of water. Since
the bucket wasn't quite big
enough, after their evening
baths, they put the egg in the
bath tub, where it could be
completely covered. The next
morning to their astonishment,
they found a creature about
the size of a kitten swimming
in the tub. It didn't look like
anything they had ever seen
before. It had a long neck,
a head like sea horse, and a
body like a turtle, only without
the shell.
When the strange
creature swam around and made
a chirping sound, Angus realized
the creature might be hungry.
He had already decided that
it looked like a sea monsters
pictured in one of his books.
It was just a baby monster,
that's all, and not a monster
monster. What kind of food to
feed it? Sardines from a can
in the kitchen pantry!
While the kids
were trying to explain to their
mother about the little sea
monster, Grumble found it in
the bath tub. He was fascinated
by it immediately. He told the
kids it was what legend described
as a water horse. He had always
wanted to see one, but, of course,
never did, until the kids found
this one. He had come to believe
that the stories were just stories,
and that water horses did not
really exist. He cautioned the
kids not to let anyone else
know about the creature. They
had to keep it a secret.
Well, as you can
guess, the creature began to
grow rapidly. Angus came up
with the name "Crusoe" for the
water horse, short for Robinson
Crusoe. Soon Crusoe could no
longer be kept in a bath tub.
The problem became where could
they keep him until he might
become big enough to turn lose
in the sea.
The rest of the
story is concerned with the
adventures that Crusoe and the
kids get into. They had to move
Crusoe from location to location
without anyone else finding
out about him. As Crusoe became
bigger and bigger, their problems
with him became increasingly
difficult. They loved him like
a pet, and he was careful not
to hurt them, since he saw them
as part of his family. Still,
how do you keep an animal happy
that is becoming bigger than
an elephant?
"The Water Horse,"
written by author Dick King-Smith,
has been a popular kids' book
in Britain and in Australia
and New Zealand. The author
also wrote "Babe, the Gallant
Pig," which had been made into
a popular movie. Now, playing
in theaters, is the movie "The
Water Horse, Legend of the Deep,"
based on the book we are talking
about here. The movie has a
lot more action and is scarier
than the book. If you have a
choice, you probably should
read the book before you see
the movie. However, both are
very entertaining.
Two friends deal
with labor problems in the mills
of early 1800's England
The story in "Trouble at the
Mill" is told from two differing
points of view. Lizzie Sprott,
a teenager, worked in the cotton
mill for sixty hours per week.
Her younger brother, although
only nine, worked fifty hours
per week in the same mill. Their
father had been an engineer in
the mill and had been responsible
for running the heavy boilers
that powered the equipment used
to make thread and cloth from
the cotton. However, he had been
fired recently because he had
dared to make some remarks in
support of workers who were protesting
the harsh working conditions.
The family, like all the other
workers, lived in a cottage that
belonged to the mill owner. They
paid rent to the owner and were
forced to buy groceries from stores
operated by the mill owner. Not
only were the workers forced to
work long hours for low pay, but
their employer took back their
earnings through charging high
rent and high prices for food.
There were no schools for children
of the workers, even before they
started working at the mill.
Josh Grumstone was the son of
the mill owner. He was just six
months older than Lizzie. When
they were much younger, the two
had met out in the fields around
the village. They played together
and, over the years had become
friends. Josh had a secret hiding
place on land that was part of
his father's large estate. The
two of them had sometimes played
together there. Naturally, their
families knew nothing of the friendship.
Especially, Josh's father would
have never allowed Josh to associate
with a member of a worker's family.
These events were taking place
during a period called "the Industrial
Revolution." People who had supported
themselves on small farms over
the previous centuries were now
working in the newly-developing
mills. They were forced to live
in villages close to their workplaces.
There were no labor unions and
workers had to accept whatever
conditions were imposed upon them
if they wanted to earn a living.
Gradually, a movement called "the
Chartist movement" began to try
to develop laws to help protect
the workers from the greed of
the mill owners.
Lizzie Sprott and Josh Grumstone
represented two opposing sides
in the struggle. Lizzie was trying
to see that her family could work
reasonable hours and have a decent
place to live and enough to eat.
Josh had been sent away to boarding
school. He was being groomed by
his father to protect the mill
owner's income, accumulating property,
and claims to high social status.
In reading, first, Lizzy's account
and, then, Josh's account, a reader
comes to understand the feelings
of people at both extremes of
this historic struggle for economic
justice. Interestingly, this struggle,
although it takes differing forms,
continues even to this day not
only in England but in America
as well.
A boy travels
to the Amazon to help his dad
study
and protect jaguars
Fourteen-year-old Jacob Lanza
was thrilled when his father,
"Doc" Lanza, sent airplane tickets
for him to fly to Brazil. Jacob
knew his dad was part of a group
that was trying to establish a
preserve deep in the Amazon jungle
to help save the large cats called
jaguars from extinction. Jacob
certainly would rather be down
there with his dad than left behind
to attend school while living
with his grandfather in a residence
home for old people.
Although the visit was only supposed
to be for a few days, events dictated
that Jacob would be allowed to
go with his father on a river
trip far into the jungle. The
original boat that the party was
to travel on had been blown up.
An important member of the group
had been killed and Jacob would
be needed to help if the trip
was to leave as scheduled. Luckily,
a mysterious stranger named Jay
Silver had offered to take the
group up the river when he heard
their boat had been destroyed.
The researchers had planned to
use a light aircraft to fly over
the jungle and keep track of those
animals that the group was able
to attach electronic signals to.
Their flyer had been crippled
in the boat explosion, so Jacob
was to be trained to take his
place and fly the aircraft.
It was pretty evident that someone
was trying to sabotage the expedition.
The blowing up of the boat was
just the beginning. So young Jacob
would not only face the normal
dangers of such an undertaking,
but also would have to be alert
to outsiders who were willing
to commit murder in order to cause
the expedition to fail.
In spite of the book's title,
"Jaguar" by author Roland Smith,
it was clear very early that it
was not the large cats that offered
the biggest threat to Jacob and
his friends, but unknown persons
who did not want to see a large
tract of the Amazon jungle turned
into a nature preserve. You need
to read the book to see if Jacob
and his conservationist father
could stand up against those who
wanted to exploit the jungle for
their own profit.
A New England
girl reluctantly experiences
the California gold rush of 1849
Twelve-year-old "Lucy" Whipple's
real name is California Morning
Whipple. When she is forced to
move to California from Massachusetts,
after the death of her father,
she insists that she be called
"Lucy." She hates California so
much when she gets there that
she certainly doesn't want it
as her name. She couldn't understand
why anyone would want to leave
a warm comfortable home in Massachusetts
and loving grandparents to go
live in tents in hot and dusty
California. Her mother was the
adventurous type; happy to be
a pioneer on a new frontier, but
Lucy certainly was not.
Lucy's mother and her small family
found out pretty quickly that
the gold that brought so many
to California was not all that
easy to come by. Long hours of
digging a mine or panning for
gold in rivers might or might
not lead to any gold at all. However,
fixing meals and running a boarding
house for those who were arriving
to hunt for the gold did promise
a fairly steady income. So that's
what Mrs. Whipple did. For a salary
and a place to live, she took
a job running a boarding house
for Mr. Scatter, one of the mining
town's business men.
Early on, of course, the boarding
house was just a large tent with
divided rooms. The Whipple home
was just a tent also. It took
a while before actual wooden frame
buildings could be built for businesses
or homes to live in. Naturally,
the Whipple kids, including Lucy,
were expected to help out in any
way they could. Lucy worked hard,
but she was not happy at all.
She dreamed of saving enough money
to move back to Massachusetts
with her grandparents and aunts
and uncles.
One of the things Lucy missed
most was books. She loved to read
and her best moments were when
packages arrived from the East
with books in them. She finally
accumulated enough books that
she would loan them out to some
of the miners who were hungry
also for something to read.
One who reads Lucy's story comes
away with a much better understanding
of what life was really like for
those who moved to California
in the middle 1800's. It took
a lot of hardships for Lucy to
endure and a long period of time
and slow changes in her attitude
before she came to the point where
she did not want ever to leave
California.
Math Mania
seeks relationship answers
Ms.
Math Mania has come up with
a series of clues that can help
you figure out the seating chart
in an imaginary classroom. Whether
you find the correct relationships
between the various clues will
determine whether you solve
the February Math Mania.
Remember, each clue gives only
part of an answer. You need
to put the partial answers from
each clue together with others
to find where each student sits
in the classroom and how they
scored on the test.
Ms. Amy Ruzicka is Ms.
Math Mania. The math
teacher at St. Gabriel's School
in south St. Louis has come
up with a Math Mania Challenge
that helps develop logical thinking
to solve a case of seeming chaos.
That's a valuable ability when
it comes to solving math problems
that seem to have too many undefined
numbers.
The Math Mania Challenge
is open to kids throughout metro
St. Louis on both sides of the
Mississippi River. The Challenge
rules and an entry blank are
listed below.
If you answer all the math
puzzles correctly, you'll have
a chance to win a Borders book
certificate. Depending on the
number of correct entries, YSL.com
will up to five $10 certificates.
To enter the February contest,
fill out the attached entry
form and give answers to the
questions. Be sure to follow
instructions when completing
the entry form.
In the March edition of YSL.com,
we'll publish the answers to
this February puzzle and name
any winners.
- Print out the following
entry form.
- Fill out your name, address
and telephone number.
- Identify the kids, their
seat assignments and their
scores on the test.
- Put your completed entry
into a stamped, addressed
envelope.
- Be sure to print
the entry form so we can be
sure of the spelling.
- Mail the entry to:
Math Mania Contest
Young Saint Louis.com
813 Rotherham Dr.
Ballwin, Mo. 63011
(All entries
must be postmarked by the
15th of the month to
be eligible.)
-----------------------Clip
here to make entry form-----------------------
Entry for
February 2008, Math Mania
Contest:
Name: __________________________________
Age: _____
Address: _________________________
School: ___________
City: _____________________
State: ______ Zip: __________
Contact phone:
(_____) _____________________
