Scientists Make Dinosaur Find at NJ Construction Site

Scientists Make Dinosaur Find at NJ Construction Site By MICHAEL HOROWICZ   Here’s one that will get kids and scientists all over the world very excited. A well preserved fossil of a dinosaur footprint was just found at a construction site in Clifton, New Jersey.  Three big toes of a dinosaur from the Jurassic era can be seen on the rock that's about the size of a small car.  The foot fossil will be removed from the site of the new Four Seasons at Great Notch residential complex, currently under construction in the Woodland park section of Clifton, later today by volunteers and taken to the Museum of the State of New Jersey. It will be examined by scientists at a museum facility in Trenton.  Doug Fenichel of developer K. Hovnanian Homes, tells NBC New York that his firm is working with the museum “to strike a delicate balance between preserving our history and the progress of a new community.”  Both groups plan to hold a news conference to show off the fossil before it is taken to Trenton.  Dinosaur footprint is discovered at Clifton construction site 

Liberty Science Center classes

November 17, 2010 Homeschool Residency Programs
Locomotion Commotion
All aboard for an exciting adventure on trains and motion! In this exciting workshop, young scientists will engage in activities that help them understand the physics behind trains. How do they move? Why do trains need to ride on tracks? Join for this moving workshop and discover the answers to those questions and more.

Program Times: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, Lunch from 11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Age Requirement: 3 - 8 years old and caregivers

Program Price: $24.00 per pair


Astronomy
Take a journey through our galaxy and learn about the stars and solar system. Participants will enter our digital planetarium to learn about celestial navigation and the mythology of constellations. Students will also explore the concept of scale relative to our universe and help identify a "mystery star."

Program Times: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, Lunch from 11:45 am - 12:30 pm

Age Requirement: 8 - 10 years old

Program Price: $24.00 child


Everyday Chemistry
Matter and Reactions! Learn basic concepts in chemistry that deals with everyday "stuff". Students will take part in activities that explain why chemistry is all about changes and participate in "messy" hands-on activities that explain concepts such as polymers, acids and bases, mixture and compounds, and many other themes.

Program Times: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm; Lunch from 11:45 am - 12:30 pm

Age Requirement: 11 - 13 years old

Program Price: $24.00 child


Outbreak: Infection and Disease
What causes people to get sick? Explore the tiny worlds of disease-causing microbes in this program. Participants will perform some tests to identify bacteria, look at the causes and symptoms of some major diseases, and learn about the ways in which we can prevent infections.

Program Times: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm; Lunch from 11:45 am - 12:30 pm

Age Requirement: 14 - 16 years old

Program Price: $24.00 child

To register, please contact our Reservations Department at 201.253.1310. Please sign up quickly. Space is limited!

Walking Tour of the AT&T “Pole Farm”: 10/23/2010

Free Historical Walking Tour of the AT&T “Pole Farm”
Lawrence & Hopewell Townships, Mercer County
by Lawrence Historical Society ( http://www.thelhs.org/ ) Saturday, October 23, 11a.m.

This is a free event but pre-registration is required. To register, visit http://bit.ly/d4NMyu.
This is expected to be 1-2 hours, 1.75 mile.

The 800-acre "Pole Farm" section of Mercer County Park Northwest began the 20th century as farmland, but then was converted by AT&T into what
was for several decades the world's largest shortwave transmitting station, with more than 2,000 poles supporting antennas carrying phone
calls to cities around the world. However, by the close of the century it had reverted to open parkland set aside for passive recreation, one
of the few major 20th century industrial sites in New Jersey to have vanished almost completely. Join Lawrence Township Historian Dennis
Waters for a walking tour to learn about this important story in the history of communications and to visit several locations where traces
of the past can still be seen.

About the walk: We will meet at the "pole" near the Federal City Road entrance to the park at 11:00 a.m. sharp and walk to the parking area
near the Keefe Road entrance. This will be a leisurely 1.75-mile walk on well-maintained trails over generally flat terrain, though you
should be prepared for possible wet or muddy spots and there is one small stream crossing. We may wander a short distance off the trail
once or twice. Plan on two hours, but longer if you need to walk the 1.75 miles back to your car. If you do not want to walk back, you are
encouraged to carpool and leave a car at each end. Please note that there are no restroom facilities at the park.

The rain date is Sunday, October 24th, same time.

Fall Annual offerings

Hay rides & corn mazes too!

1. early October Poetry. http://www.dodgepoetry.org/ (13th annual was October 7-10, 2010) part of NJPAC and Newark's Downtown Arts District to Host the Festival
   
   
2. Gingerbread Wonderland - (Registration mid-November, only 250 entries were accepted in 2007 so register early.) Gingerbread creations crafted by families, individuals, school classes and scout groups exhibited for about 2 weeks after Thanksgiving. This event has become a holiday tradition in Morris County. Time: 10 am to 5 pm daily, 8 pm Fridays. Admission: Free. Location: Frelinghuysen Arboretum, 53 East Hanover Avenue, Morris Township. For more information: 973.326.7601 www.arboretumfriends.org
   
   
3. Virtual Field Trip - Use your computer to attend the HHMI Holiday lectures webcast, 4 lectures (2 a day) in the first week in December, starting at 10 a.m. Often 1st weekend in December. On demand viewing available within a week in you missed it. In 2010, "Viral Outbreak : The Science of Emerging Disease," watch two leading virus reasearchers explain how they use both simple and sophisticated technologies to detect and fight infectious agents. Infectious diseases are a serious threat to world health. In 2008. Making Your Mind: Molecules, Motion & Memory. In 2007 you'd have heard about the Evolution of an Epidemic. You can order (free) DVDs of past lectures on their website.
   
   
4. Rutgers Faraday Children's Lecture. (3 identical shows ~1 hr. 15 min. length), Usually first weekend in December, Friday, Sat., & Sunday, at 7:00 PM. (double check the location though, may be: The Physics Lecture Hall: 136 Frelinghuysen Road Busch Campus in Piscataway.)
   
   
5. and of course, registering students for the SAT if that is what they need.
   

METC: Educator Hours!

METC Educator Workshop in Madison, NJ
Thursday, October 21st 4 PM - 6 PM
The Museum will host a workshop for educators, which will provide teachers with two hours of Continuing Education Units and will feature crafts and history-based lesson ideas for the classroom. Advanced registration required, call 973-377-2982 x12. $10 Admission, fee waived for the first 10 who book an educational program.
Educators are requested to RSVP; however, drop-ins are permitted on a first-come-first-served basis.

RSVP to Meg Wastie, Education Coordinator,
at (973) 377-2982, ext. 12 or by email to schools@metc.org.

More to Field Trip List - 2010

2009-10 "school year" field trip dates, continued from current/main Gryphon Academy Field Trip List, return there for earlier dates. I am not sure when your "school year" begins and ends, but these are fall dates already out:

1. January 6-17 "Nearly Lear" buy tickets through New Victory Theatre (Manhattan) but at the Duke on 42nd Street, 65 minutes. Grades 9-12 / Ages 12 & up: Susanna Hamnett plays the Fool – and every other character – to tell the story of King Lear in an original, mischievous and poignant adaptation of the Shakespeare.
   

   I enjoy going to shows where there is a question period with the actors afterward - or a related workshop, especially if I have to travel far for the event. Workshops for "Reinventing Shakespeare's Nearly Lear" at New Victory Theatre on January 15th, at noon or 4:30pm ($17). For ages 11 & up. Since it has become so difficult as homeschoolers to attend New Victory's "one school time" schows. that may be the way to go.
   

2. January 19 - Printmaking. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
   
   
3. February 10 - Mixed Media. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
   
   
4. February 26 - March 5: Colonial Williamsburgh (VA) Home Educator Days / Homeschooler Experience. Fall focus is on government & politics & ... For more info, visit their site or read the flyer. Next dates: September 10 - 25, 2011.
   
   
5. Skellig. March 3,4,8,9,10,11 11am; March 2 (4:30pm). New Victory Theater • 2 hours with Intermission. Based on the multi-award winning young adult novel, David Almond’s stage adaptation is a moving tale about family, friendship and the connections between us all. Contains some serious themes. Live music. Grades 4-8.
   
   
6. March 16 - Portrait Painting I. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
   
   
7. April xx - Portrait Painting II. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
   
   
8. Apri l 11. Princeton free Lecture. Larry Gonick and Randall Munroe Larry Gonick, author of The Cartoon History of the Universe; Randall Munroe, creator of xkcd Topic to be announced.
   
   
9. April 6,7,8, 13,14,15, 11 am. Boom Town (Las Vegas) Circus at New Victory Theatre (NYC) • 90 minutes/No Intermission. Cirque Mechanics. A rollicking rodeo of colorful characters, crazy contraptions and astounding acrobatics. Rip-roaring cowgirls and dynamite prospectors defy gravity in this awesome aerial adventure, setting off a stampede of wild and zany events. Grades 2 - 12.
   
   
10. The Tragical Life of Cheeseboy Apr. 27, 28, 29* (10:30am) Apr. 27 (4:30pm), May 3, 4, 5, 6 (10:30am). Recommended for Grades: 3 to 8 at The Duke on 42nd StreetTheater (Buy tickets from New Victory Theatre) • 60 minutes/No Intermission. Two performers invite audiences into their tent to hear the story of Cheeseboy’s quest to find his missing parents. Enter a world of inventive storytelling and charming illustrations to sail sea and sky with Cheeseboy as he discovers what to do when his planet turns to fondue.Told through projections, shadow puppetry, illustrations and intricate tabletop sets. Bench seating. Maximum audience of 140.
    
    
11. May 18 - Landscape Watercolor. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
    
    
12. June 9 - 3D Design. Montclair Art Museum Homeschool days (ages 4 - 13) are Thursdays, HOMESCHOOL DAY, 12 – 2 pm (Ages 4 – 13), $6 per child. Adults $12. (FREE for ADULT members). The Montclair Art Museum invites you and other Homeschooling families for a fun and educational afternoon. These two-hour programs will include a gallery tour and studio art project led by a Museum educator. Please RSVP to bbalsimelli@montclairartmuseum.org or (973) 259-5167.
    

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Weekends - Morris County Parks

Cooper Gristmill

à Saturday, October 16^th, Celebrate Apples
Visitors can assist with cider pressing as it was done in 1880s Milltown/ Chester. They can use a hand-cranked apple peeler, and decorate an apple. Time: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Location: Cooper Gristmill. Cost: FREE. Donation appreciated.

à Saturday, October 30, A Miller’s Halloween
For a fun-filled afternoon, enjoy spooky storytelling at 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Come in costume if you’d like! Create corn husk dolls, color pumpkins, and play old time games. Time: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Location: Cooper Gristmill. Cost: FREE. Donation appreciated.

Fosterfields Farm

à Saturday, October 16, “Amaizing” Corn is Popping
Come to the Farmhouse and help make popcorn. Vintage utensils and the wood burning stove will be used. Lean about the different types of corn (maize). Time: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. Location: Fosterfields. Cost: Admission.

à Saturday, October 23, Cider Pressing: A “Must” See!
Watch the apple cider press in action as it produces the popular drink called “must.” After seeing the demonstration, enjoy a sample of non-alcoholic cider. Time: 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Location: Fosterfields. Cost: Admission.

à Sunday, October 24, Family Activity Center: Pumpkin Decorating
Families are invited to select and decorate a pumpkin with natural plant materials to take home. At the farm, play old-fashioned games with a Halloween theme. Parental supervision required. Time: 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Location: Fosterfields. Cost: Admission.