ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain

Near the end of winter before spring has sprung, something special happens in the woods of Vermont. Come learn about the exciting process of making maple syrup while Elizabeth Nuckols, ECHO Youth Programs Manager, reads the book, Sugaring, by Jessie Haas. 

Maple Sugaring

Flying south seems like a good strategy for dealing with our harsh winter weather, but some birds stay in Vermont all winter long. What determines if they stay or if they go? Come and explore this question with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, during this week’s Science and Stories Online.  Featured book is: Round Robin by Jack Kent. Published by Prentice Hall.

Migration

When you mix things together and they make something new… that is Chemistry in action! What will we get if we start with butter and mix in a few other ingredients from the kitchen? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Group Programs Manager, as we investigate where our ingredients come from and discover the delicious result of their chemistry. In partnership with Cabot Creamery.  Featured book is: A Cow, A Bee, A Cookie and Me by Meredith Hooper and Illustrated by Alison Bartlett. Published by Kingfisher Publishing

Kitchen Chemistry starring...Dairy!

Calling all engineers … Do you like to make, tinker and create new things? Join Elizabeth and together we will practice our engineering skills as we build, test and improve our designs. Will we get it wrong sometime? Yes we will! Will we give up? No we won’t!  Featured book is: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. Published by Kids Can Press, Ltd.

Engineers At Play

We learn so much about the world around us by using all of our senses. Join Elizabeth, ECHO’S Youth Programs Manager, to explore your sense of hearing as we go on a listening adventure and practice listening closely. Featured book is: The Listening Walk by Paul Showers and Illustrated by Aliki. Published by Harper Collins Publishing

Sound Detectives

Can you make a round bubble? Sure you can! How about a square bubble? Explore bubble shapes with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, during this week’s Bubble Science episode. Featured book is: Bubble Magic by Mercer Mayor. Published by Carson- Dellosa Publishing

Bubble Science

The snow is melting and the rivers are running high and fast. It is a great time of year to go fishing! But what do you need for a good day fishing? Join us for Science and Stories to find out and share stories about the one that got away! Featured book is: A Good Day Fishing by James Prodsek. Published by Simon and Schuster Books

A Good Day Fishing

Who sank the boat? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, to find out as we explore the sink and float properties of different objects. Can you design your own boat that will float even when loaded with heavy cargo? Featured book is: Who Sank the Boat by Pamela Allen. Published by the Putman and Grosset Group.

Sink or Float

Do you have a special rock? Join Elizabeth and learn about the steps you can take to find your very own special rock. We will investigate how rocks are made and how they weather away!  Featured book is: Everyone Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor. Illustrated by Peter Parnell. Published by Aladdin Publishing.

Everybody Needs a Rock

Have you ever seen an owl? Join Eizabeth for Science and Stories to help solve a backyard mystery and gather all the things you need to go on an owl prowl of your own.  Featured book is: Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Illustrated by Patrick Benson. Published by Candlewick Publishing

Owl Prowl

Winter animals can be very secretive. But, they leave clues in the snow that tell us about their secret winter lives. What do you think we can learn from the tracks and traces animals leave behind? Share your ideas with Elizabeth as we explore tracks in the snow together.  Featured book is: Tracks in the Snow by Wong Herbert Yee. Published by Square Fish Publishing

Tracks in the Snow

Join us for an icy story that will warm your heart. We will explore the chilly properties of ice and Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, will show you how to create a cool craft.  Featured book is: Stella Queen of the Snow by Marie Louise Gay. Published by Groundwood Books.

Ice is Nice!

Bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds and even flies carry pollen between apples blossoms, strawberry blossoms and, well, ALL kinds of blossoms. What would happen if there were no more pollinators? Join Elizabeth as we explore this question and celebrate our local pollinators. In partnership with Cabot Creamery.   Featured book is: Bee Written and Illustrated by Britta Teckentrup. Published by Doubleday Books for Young Readers

Pollinator Party

Bears have been hungrily eating berries and nuts all summer and fall, packing on the pounds in order to get ready for a long winter’s nap. Do bears really sleep all winter long? Bring along your favorite Teddy Bear and join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, as we explore this question and more during this week’s Science and Stories Online.  Featured book is: Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming Published by Square Fish Publishing.

Sleeping Bears

Many of our Vermont trees stand all sticks and bones in the winter time, but not the evergreens. They provide us with color all winter. Join Elizabeth Nuckols, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, for Science and Stories online as we learn more about these majestic trees.  Featured story: The Sheltering Tree: A Felt Board Story by Linda Meuse retold by Elizabeth Nuckols

Winter Trees

Do you know the ingredients of a pond? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, as she mixes one up and together we will stock it with the creatures that call the pond habitat their home. Featured book is: Little Turtle’s Big Adventure by David Harrison. Illustrated by J.P. Miller. Published by Random House, Inc. 1969.

Explore the Pond

We are embracing and celebrating Vermont’s fifth season. How do you mix up the perfect batch of mud anyway? Elizabeth, ECHO Youth Programs Manager, will read Mud by Mary Lyn Ray and illustrated by Lauren Stringer. Join Elizabeth in muddy research, testing out some muddy recipes and having lots of muddy fun! Book published by Harcourt, Inc. 1996.

Calling all engineers! Do you like to build and create? Join Elizabeth as we look for inspiration and then get ready to build your own roller coaster thrill ride!  Featured book is: Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. Published by HMH Books for Young Readers, 2006.

Roller Coaster Challenge

Wind can be as soothing as a summer breeze or as biting as a winter snow squall. Explore the power of wind with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, during this week’s Science and Stories Online.   Featured book is: Gilberto and the Wind by Marie Hall Ets. Published by Puffin Books.

The Power of Wind

Did you plant a pumpkin in your garden last spring? What happened after you planted the seed? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, as she explores the life cycle of a pumpkin with some messy pumpkin fun.  Featured book is: The Listening Walk by Paul Showers and Illustrated by Aliki. Published by Harper Collins Publishing

Pumpkins!

Monarch Butterflies have been busy all summer sipping nectar and laying eggs. It is time for the young Monarchs to prepare for their long journey south. Where do they go? How do they know? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, for Science and Stories as she investigates the mysteries of the Monarch. Featured book is: The Butterfly by Anna Milbourn and Kathy Shimmen. Published by Usborne Publishing Ltd.

Marvelous Monarchs

Join Elizabeth for a virtual trip to the seashore! We will hunt for sandy treasures and investigate the creatures that make them. Close your eyes, put your feet in the water, dig your toes in the sand and breath in that sea breeze. Featured book is: Seashells by the Seashore by Marianne Berkes. Illustrated by Robert Noreika.

Beach Treasures

A seed holds all the promise of a colorful field of flowers, a bountiful garden or a big oak tree. Where can you find seeds to plant if you can’t get to the store? They are in your kitchen cabinet, in your yard, in your compost! Plant some seeds today with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, and feel the joy as they take root, sprout and grow. Featured book is: I’m a Seed by Jean Marzolla. Illustrated by Judith Moffatt. Published by Scholastic.

Seed Science

How do you help take care of the earth? Celebrate Earth Day with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Program Manager, as she thinks about ways we can help take care of our planet all year long and why it is so important that we all lend a helping hand. Featured book is: The Trouble with Dragons written and illustrated by Debi Gliori. Published by Walker and Company, 2008.

Celebrate Earth Day!

What are you doing to get ready for winter at your house? Have you pulled out your winter boots? Have you put snow tires on your car? Have you stocked up on comfort food? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, as she investigates the ways our outside animal neighbors are getting ready for the long winter ahead.   Featured book is: Animals in November by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Jill Katstner. Published by HMH Books for Young Readers.

Animals in November

Have you ever noticed that shadows can make things seem a lot bigger than they really are? And sometimes you can’t find a shadow at all. What makes a shadow anyway? Join Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager, to explore this question and have some fun with shadows.   Featured book is: Moon Bear’s Shadow by Frank Ashe. Illustrated by Frank Ashe. Published by Aladdin Books

Shadows

There is nothing more beautiful than a maple tree in the fall. And nothing more fun than jumping into a big pile of leaves once they have fallen off the tree. Come jump into the science and fun of fall leaves with Elizabeth, ECHO’s Youth Programs Manager.  Featured book is: Going on a Leaf Hunt by Steve Metzger, Illustrated by Miki Sakamoto. Published by Cartwheel Books.

Fall Leaves

Is it Spring yet? How will we know when it’s finally here? Share the signs of spring you have noticed and we will celebrate the small changes together as we head into the new season. Elizabeth Nuckols, ECHO Youth Programs Manager, reads the book, North Country Spring, by Reeve Lindbergh. Paintings by Liz Sivertson. Published by HMH Books for Young Readers, 1997

Signs of Spring

Where have all the colors gone? As the Vermont winter lingers things begin to look a bit drab. It is time to bring a burst of color into our lives. Join us in reading White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker. Come investigate and experiment with all the colors of the rainbow with ECHO Youth Programs Manager, Elizabeth Nuckols. 

Color Mixing

During Science and Stories young scientists are introduced to a science bag with a mystery object inside. Elizabeth talks about working like a scientist and using all of our senses to investigate, make predictions, ask science questions and research to find out more. Next she reads a story and offers a simple art and or science activity that can be done at home.

Resource Kits

Object Library

Museums

Science and Stories

Maple Sugaring