Available in Specialty, just in time for summer!

Two-part raffle tickets, plastic rainbow coil springs, modeling dough. Items priced $1.50-$.50, in San Jose and Redwood City RAFT locations.

RAFT Institutes (Math, Science, and Innovation multi-day sessions) will inspire and encourage you to engage in a variety of hands-on teaching methods through practical exercises using commonly found materials.

Thanks to generous donor support, the Summer Institutes are offered at no charge to RAFT members!

RAFT is holding a variety of workshops over the summer covering common core, curriculum support, and classroom skills at our San Jose and Redwood City locations.

7/13 Two Books by Two Gals: We will present two very different styles of mini books for classroom use. Both books will be variations of the greeting cards introduced in previous workshops. Students will used these basic books for reporting, story writing, illustrated poems, and/or scrap-booking.

7/20 Quilts for Classrooms: In this workshop instructors will cover the fundamentals of quilt making and the history of quilts in America. Teachers will learn how to use basic geometric shapes to achieve an array of design possibilities.

7/25 The Magic and Mystery of Magnets: Come learn ways to demonstrate and teach the basics, and more, about magnetism through a range of student engaging, hands-on activities. See how magnetism fits in the common core standards and in addition explore the unique properties of diamagnetism.

Register today at http://www.raftbayarea.org/workshops.

Our workshops are for educators of all types: preschool, TK-12th grades, home-school, after-school, and community groups. Earn credit and have fun in RAFT’s hands-on workshops! All RAFT workshops offer you the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from San Jose State University.

If you have any questions about our workshop program, please contact Vanessa at workshops@raft.net or (408)213-7209.

RAFT’s Teacher of the Year award recognizes the outstanding efforts of a science teacher using hands-on learning in their classroom. This award is made possible by visionary scientist, Robert Brownlee, a creative genius, whose inventions provided elegant solutions to complicated problems.

If you know a K-12th grade science teacher that successfully uses hands-on learning methods to engage their students and you would like to nominate them for this award or would like more information, please go to RAFT Teacher of the Year.

Group memberships-food for thought!

July is the perfect month to coordinate your group’s annual memberships.  Summer is in full swing, most teachers are on vacation, so you can beat the Back-to School frenzy that starts in August and be ahead of everyone else!

A group membership is 10 or more individuals joining together at the same time. They can be from one organization or several, the key component is submitting them together. Each membership is $20.00 when submitted this way. (1/2 the usual price)

RAFT Hands-On-Award Winners

RAFT honors members that exhibit the Best Practices in teaching. Each quarter a member is selected for this honor and their photos and bios are posted to our website and in our retail member centers along with how they use RAFT as a learning tool.

Who can be a RAFT Hands-on-Award Winner? YOU!  If you use RAFT activity kits or other RAFT products that excite and motivate young learners we want to recognize your hands-on teaching activities. Any member can be a winner. We welcome all submissions. Applications can be found at: http://www.raftbayarea.org/hands-on-award.

July 18^th 5:00 to 7:00 PM

Calling all new members and friends! Come to RAFT’s New Member Mixer for this summer and get a familiar with all the services RAFT has to offer you.

FREE Wine or Soft drinks and Snack Refreshments for all RAFT guests at either RAFT Bay Area sites:

• Tours at San Jose & Redwood City
• Demos on how to use the Green Room
• Demos on our newest Activity Kits
• Professional Development opportunities at RAFT
• New Members receive a free gift for coming
• Free $5.00 Bulk Bag Shopping Voucher on donated items
• Refer a Friend and get a $10 voucher good towards your renewal

The next new member mixer will be in the Fall.

Save the date!

Back to School is Coming!

RAFT Redwood City:

Friday, July 26 – Saturday, July 27

RAFT San Jose:

Saturday, August 3 – Sunday, August 4

Germinator

Create a reusable germinator from a CD case that gives students an unobstructed view of sprouting seeds.  Graph data, test environmental variables, or simply “enjoy the magic” as the seeds transform into growing plants!  This provides the perfect opportunity to discuss such topics as photosynthesis, germination, phototropism, geotropism, and experimental design.  The Germinator provides an enjoyable learning experience and is ideal for grades K – 8.

RAFT Activity Kits and Idea Sheets

Making STEM Connections! RAFT Activity Kit demos for Saturday, July 13th

• Reason Abstractly and quantitatively: Frack Jack
• Use appropriate tools strategically: Whimsical Wind Vane
• Attend to precision: Mini Magnet Wands
• Look for and make use of structure: Price a Piece of Pizza
• Construct viable arguments & critique the reasoning of others: The Germinator

Ask our RAFT mentors, Jeanne Lazzarini and Eric Welker, for clever ways you can use hands-on RAFT ideas in your classroom! You can join myRAFT, our online community, and ask questions regarding RAFT Activity Kits, demonstrations, or other hands-on education related topics.

The City of San José Go Green Schools Program

Solar Impulse

The Solar Impulse airplane will be flying across the USA this Spring/Summer (2013) starting in California (NASA Ames Moffett airfield). One of the principal objectives of the “Across America” mission is to educate, engage and give the young generation the opportunity to see for themselves what clean energies can achieve today. (please feel free to click on the link to watch the short clip below that presents our project) http://www.solarimpulse.com/videos_presentation/us_clip.html

With that in mind, the Solar Impulse team would has organized events for high school students and teachers to visit and see the plane at the NASA Ames Moffett airfield on Saturday, April 20th and between the 22nd and 26th of April.

This summer, the Astronomical Society of the Pacific is presenting two exciting professional development opportunities for teachers.  

The first takes place on the campus of San Jose State University on July 20-21. Galileo Looks Beyond to Other Worlds focuses on basic astronomy content with a content thread on exploring planets both in our own solar system as well as around distant stars.  Another thread explores using multicultural astronomy content to engage students from diverse and underserved populations in science through their astronomical heritage.  This workshop also provides a pedagogical thread on teaching earth and space science in the context of the Next Generation Science Standards.

The second opportunity is our longstanding Project ASTRO program.  Now in its twentieth year, Project ASTRO partners classroom teachers with volunteer astronomers to spark the interest and imagination of students with the wonders of the universe.  Teacher-astronomer partners together attend a workshop on August 2-3 in Redwood City, followed by the astronomer visiting the teacher’s classroom four times during the school year.

http://astrosociety.org/education/k12-educators/bay-area-project-astro-workshops/

Teacher grants are here and teachers can join the mailing list using the link:

http://www.venturesfoundation.org/programs/teacher-grants

Science Education Resource Center (SERC)

San Jose Go Green http://www.sanjoseca.gov/esd/schools/greening/recycling_supplies_form.asp

EPA http://www.epa.gov/pick5/

NASA Explorer Schools- Teach STEM? NASA Explorer Schools Can Help With That!

SOFIA Science Center

Artspiration