Alpha

This week in Our Big Backyard… We Alphas knew that Austin-soil depends on our native grasses and forbs to build it up, as well as to HOLD ON TO IT with its long root systems to prevent it from eroding. We knew that grasses produce seeds – and so do forbs – and in fact – that’s one of their big purpose in life – to reproduce! We remembered that when we went and collected the Lindheimer Muhly grass seed, the grass grew up and out like a fountain, with the seeds at the top. That’s because when it’s ready […]

This week in Our Big Backyard… We began with the Blackland Prairie imagining the sea of native grasses that grew in this area we now know as Austin. We took a look at how tall the grass stood from 3’-10’…taller than most of us (we measured). But what was astounding is that their roots reach down 10 or more feet (we measure that too!) to create an amazing interweaving of roots. We learned that grasses and their roots were and are what keeps the soil in place. Native grasses created soil so rich it was black and full of minerals,

Alphas are prepared for anything! This week in Our Big Backyard… We started with ice. As ice melted we saw that it became liquid and as it got warmer it transformed into vapor! And presto! We learned the 3 states of water. We talked about how heat and cold affect the different states by speeding up or slowing down those tiny little water molecules. We created droplet art and left the drops on tables. When we came back the next morning the droplets were gone! Where did they go? Some of us thought that they had been absorbed into the

This week in Our Big Backyard… The questions we had this week were…What’s under the soil? What’s down deep? We went way back in time when our sun was newly formed and space dust and debris swirled around it which slowly gathered to make planets and our earth. We learned how all of those minerals and materials can still be traced to everything around us. A peach looks a bit like inner earth! We talked about how, although we don’t have the tools to travel down too deep (and it’s too hot!), scientists have created other ways to “see” what’s