Adam: Reflections

Day 1: The first day of the week on Monday, May 26, 2012, we went to the academy of science museum. On that day we met at Daly City Bart at 8am. I was almost late that morning because my alarm was set on 7:20pm instead of am. Luckily I woke up at 7:38am. I rushed showering and getting dress and getting to the Daly City Bart. We took two busses that lead to our destination. We arrived a bit early so we had to wait outside for a bit. When we finally entered, we looked at some sharks and fishes. Then went to see the pendulum, and then went to the rainforest. It wasn’t time to head into the rainforest yet so we went to go visit Claude, the albino alligator. The other alligator bonnie, also an albino alligator, died a few years ago.  After killing a few minutes, we went to the rainforest. We waited in line for about 10minutes. When we got to the front of the line, we entered this gate. The temperature was very humid. We were in this dome filled with many creatures. They varied from insects to amphibians, to ground animals, to birds, to animals from the sea or fresh water. After coming from the rainforest, we went to grab some lunch. The prices for their for in the cafeteria was ridiculous. It was way overpriced. So what happened was, was that Katherine Montenegro and I decided to split a lunch. We chose the gumbo rice and chicken. After eating, we went to go check out the penguins. After seeing the penguins we regrouped and left the place. We tried to enter the museum across the street named De Young Museum. But we found out that they were not open. My girlfriends dad works there, and I asked him on Wednesday night why they weren’t open. He told me that they do not open on Mondays. So we had a little free time for a bit before we left to head back to Daly City Bart.

Day 2: On Tuesday the 27^th, we went to the Exploratorium. That day I also woke up late because I forgot to turn on my alarm on this time. But luckily again I woke up, but was also almost late again. But I made it on time before the class left. We took the same bus we took on Monday to get to our destination. That day was very windy and cold. When we arrived to our bus stop, we had time to spare before they opened. So what our class did was explore around some buildings and domes around the museum. Then we headed to the place already because the kids were complaining that it was cold and wanted to be somewhere warm. While some of the kids went in, some of the kids stayed out and got to the swans and ducks. There were two beautiful swans. One swan swam close to us, so I stuck my foot out. The swan kept biting my foot, it was pretty funny.  Then we all went inside with the rest of the group. We waited in line for them to open. The first place we went to was the tornado. This was the spot we all met at. Mr. Gould talked to us for a bit before letting us go and do whatever we wanted in the Exploratorium. I went around the whole place just playing with things. To be honest, I was really bored. I felt like this was only fun for little kids because I was not enjoying it, and there was a bunch of elementary kids running around having fun while a few of my friends and I were just chilling in the jukebox room because it was that boring. Then after about 2 hours, it was lunch time. The food there was also overpriced. It was expensive. I didn’t want to buy anything because nothing there was not worth my money. After we ate we had about 30 minutes of free time, then we left. Took bus home, and split from Daly City Bart.

Day 3: Went to Daly City Bart at 9am. We bussed to the aquarium at pier 39. I saw many sea creatures, none that caught my attention. I wanted to see rare, deep sea creatures, but they just had the general sea animals. After going through 3 floors of sea animals, we left. Then we had free time for an hour to explore and grab lunch.  My friends and I stopped at McDonalds, and when we walked in, there were four ladies dressed all fancy like they were going to a fancy dinner. They also brought their own table cloth, brought their own utensils, own plate, and their own vase filled with water and flowers. I wanted to ask what the occasion was, but they had left before I got to ask. Then we gathered at a certain area so we could hop on the street car and take muni back to Daly City Bart.

Day 4: As always we meet at Daly City Bart in the morning. Our plans for that day were to go to the San Francisco zoo. We took one bus and walked a block. We saw many animals we would never see around this area. It was interesting to see animals from different places around the world. They didn’t have my favorite animals though, a turtle. We had lunch at the cafeteria; stay for about another 30minutes, then left to head back to Daly city.

Ellis: Reflections

Science Museum: Reflections

           For our first trip, we went to the Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Its exhibits are of general sciences but they are mostly about life. We rode transit to the edge of the park, and then walked to Shakespeare’s Garden, a remnant of the old park that used to occupy the area. We entered the museum, and even though I had been there, it was still as awe inspiring as the first time I went. When you walk in, there is a huge replica of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and many other eye catching exhibits, like the fountains that spit to each other simultaneously. We walked from each exhibit, first the shallow pool of cartilage fish, the Filipino Coral reef, and the flooded amazon forest. Others along the way, most of which were great, came in vast numbers. My only disappointment was that they wouldn’t let us into planetarium, as we were a school group.

            On Tuesday, we ventured to the Exploratorium, a large science museum in the Palace of Fine Arts. The exhibits in this museum are even more random than the academy’s. None are specifically large, but there are hundreds of them. My favorites were the xylophone room, a room of xylophones, the response computer, a conversation machine that recycled your own vocabulary, and the game of chance, a probability machine that explained how chances affect outcomes. We also went into a sound column, inside the palace. Inside, sounds in good pitches reverberated off the walls. The middle of the palace also reverberated sound, causing echoes to be sent back to their source.

            Next we travelled to the Aquarium of the Bay, located on Pier 39. At first we just walked around the pier, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the city. We had little time before we had to go to the aquarium. The aquarium was small but had a good amount of exhibits. Although most were about marine life, there were still many exhibits about land creatures. My favorites were the tunnel aquariums, filled with sharks and sturgeons, and the touch pools, which had tons of baby rays. After finishing the museum, we walked around pier 39 some more, enjoying clam chowder and the local shops.

            Lastly, we went to the San Francisco Zoo adjacent to the Great Highway. The zoo is a very casual attraction, but has tons of animals in areas that combine their native and local environments. For example, the storks and kangaroos lived in enclosures with native trees. As we walked around we saw penguins, lions, lemurs, and tons of other animals. My favorite exhibits were the lemurs. Each lemur looked straight out of a cartoon or a weird dream. They were all diverse and extremely crazy. They also caused a huge commotion for ten minutes, which was actually quite amusing. We also rode the old carousel and petted tons of goats. It was one of the better days of the trip.

Katarina: Reflections

Katarina Pepe

3/30/12

Interim Science Museums

The first day of our interim journey started off at the San Francisco Academy of Sciences. There I saw the Foucault Pendulum, sea horses, and the rain forest dome. In addition, I was able to dine at the finest restaurant where I was served a delicious sandwich with a side dish of salad. Also, we took a short trip up to the roof where I saw different types of birds and I turned a crane and heard bird sounds.

On the second day of Interim Week we visited the Exploratorium. Here, I had the opportunity to learn about science concepts by actually performing hands-on experiments. This greatly enhanced my understanding since I wasn’t just reading and learning about science phenomena from a textbook, but rather learning by participating in the activity myself. For instance, I could touch a tornado and see what it feels like. Also, in the Hysteresis Motor experiment, I discovered that magnetic forces spin the wheel of this motor at a precise speed. Another interesting experiment was called the High Voltage Electric Flame where I got to experience electricity jumping through the air. In the Catch a Falling Spark experiment, I was able to catch glowing sparks in my hands without getting burned. The Anti-Gravity Mirror was fascinating because you stand on a step, move your right leg, and it simulates that you are flying. With the Satellite Orbit Simulator, I learned how planets orbit around Earth. In the Strange Attractor experiment, magnets in the pendulum and disks transfer energy back and forth, making the pendulum swing in unpredictable ways. These are only some of the amazing hands–on activities awaiting visitors to the Exploratorium in San Francisco.

Third, we visited the Aquarium of the Bay where I saw a chinchilla and was able to go inside a dome with starfish and sharks. This was an interesting experience since I was actually able to see these creatures up close. Later in the day, I was able to walk around Pier 39 with my friend and go shopping at gift shops. Also, I ate lunch on a bench overlooking the ocean and saw sea lions at the same time.

Lastly, on Thursday I went to The San Francisco Zoo. Here I was able to see meerkats, a zebra , rabbits , giraffes , an owl, and penguins and learn about them. For instance, I learned that the penguins at the zoo live an average life span of about 30 to 40 years.  I also discovered that each of the penguins are assigned a number so that they can be easily distinguished. Overall, this week was a rewarding and educational experience!

Ysabel: Reflections

Day 1: Academy of Sciences
My favorite memory here was the rainforest dome. Even though it was really humid, all the different varieties of animals made up for it. The designers got every imaginable detail right when creating the atmosphere: the types of trees, the temperature, and the animals made it feel like I was actually in the rainforest. The thing that amazed me most was a butterfly that looked like moth on the outside of its wings, but when they began to fly, it was so different. The outside of the wings had a beautiful pattern of many different shades of vibrant blues. I probably took a million pictures just of that one species of butterflies.
Day 2: Exploratorium
               This week was the first time I had ever visited the Exploratorium and it was amazing. Everything there is a hands-on activity, so you’re having fun while you’re learning. I really enjoyed the monochrome room. I couldn’t tell which colors were which until I shined a light on it. Also, we got to go inside one of columns of the Palace of Fine Arts.  The sound caused by hitting different keys on the xylophone were really loud, but it doesn’t affect our hearing in any way.  I thought it was amazing how if you stand at a certain level for each key, the sound waves cancel out at that certain point and you aren’t able to hear it that easily.
Day 3: Aquarium of the Bay
                On Wednesday, we went to Pier 39 and the Aquarium of the Bay.  I haven’t been there since I was really small and I forgot how cool the underwater tunnels were. As soon as you step in the tunnels, you are surrounded by all different kinds of ocean life. I wish that I was able to the giant octopus, but it was squeezed in between two rocks. All I was able to see where a few tentacles sticking out. I also got to pet a bat ray. I was surprised about how slimy they are compared to the rough skin of a tigershark. After the aquarium, my friends and I ate clam chowder in bread bowls. It was the absolute perfect way to end the day.
Day 4: San Francisco Zoo
                I spent most of my time at the petting zoo where there were goats and sheep. After leaving, I realized how much I want a pet goat now.  They are so adorable and would follow me everywhere. They would even nudge my arm to try to get me to pet them. The sheep weren’t nearly as friendly, though.  Whenever Ellis would go near a sheep, they would run away from him. The sheep had really gross fur; it seemed like hair that has never been washed before. It was really greasy and pretty disgusting. When I saw a meerkat, I couldn’t help but start thinking about “The Lion King” and the meerkat Timon.

Paloma: Reflections

Reflection Day 1- Academy of Science We went to the Academy of Science for our first day. My favorite part of the museum is the food because they have a lot to choose from and it’s very delicious. There also was a bunch of different things to see like, aquariums, displays, and touching real insects. It was fun because after we got to walk around outside by the fountains which I thought was nice. My friends I got to play around and enjoy the trip. Day 2- Exploratorium The next day, we went to the Exploratorium. It was very interesting and had a lot to look at. The outside was already very marvelous and very eye catching view.  Jared, Dana, and I walked around and looked almost everything that had. Dana and I sat in a big cement round seat and if you talk you can hear the other person from across the room. We also got a little tour inside another room that had an echo which was pretty interesting. But my favorite part was the bus ride because it was fun because I sat with all my friends. Day 3- Aquarium of the Bay On the 3rd day we went to the Aquarium of the Bay at the pier. The aquarium was nice because I liked how they had the fish tank as a tunnel you go through. There was also a place where you can touch some see animals like, sharks, stink rays, and starfish. My favorite part was walking around to the different stores and going to the mirror maze for a long time. The food there was really good if you like sea food. But yeah I had the most fun on this trip out of all of them. Day 4- San Francisco Zoo Our last day we went to the zoo and it was barely crowed and not a lot of animals were there but eventually they all came out. We watched the penguins get feed and the grizzly bears. We also went to the petting zoo and fed the goats and sheep. We also played around a giant web you could climb on. But my favorite part was looking at the monkeys. They were really interesting and fun to look at.

Jennifer: Reflections

Jennifer La

Mr. Gould

Interim

March 30, 2012

The Academy of Sciences was really interesting. Once we walked in the door, we immediately noticed stingrays and fish. Everything in the Rainforest Dome was really beautiful! There were spiders, butterflies, and many other interesting creatures. Despite being very humid, the scenery was amazing. I am very scared of flying creatures, so when a butterfly came near me, I screamed in terror and ran. That was definitely an experience to remember. In addition, we went on the roof and noticed that the roofs were made of grass. There were many different types of birds on the roof, and by turning a crane, we could hear bird sounds! The trip to the Academy of Sciences was very memorable.

The next day, we went to the Exploratorium. Near there was the Palace of Fine Arts. The buildings were very professionally built and many monuments were there. By standing in the middle and clapping, six to eight echoes were created. There were also many beautiful flowers. Once we went into the Exploratorium, we noticed many exhibits that required hands-on experiments. An exhibit that was interesting in particular was the Hot and Cold Coils. Feeling the sides of the coils, the coil was cold. But, once I felt the middle, my hand immediately felt hot. Other exhibits in the Exploratorium also caught my eye. Later, we went to the Music Room in the Palace of Fine Arts. The room was triangular, and there was an instrument in the room. I learned that sound can be detected without using the ears. A balloon even vibrated with the sound waves! It was really weird how the sound from the instrument drowned out once we ducked to a particular spot. I learned many different things in the Exploratorium.

On the third day, we went to the Aquarium of the Bay at Pier 39. We went through a tunnel where different kinds of fish surrounded us. I noticed two fish that were familiar. They looked like the same type of fish in Finding Nemo! I saw “Nemo” and “Dory”, and that was really interesting. There were also jellyfish and sharks. We left the Aquarium of the Bay with paper hats. Because of the extra time, we were free to roam for a while in Pier 39. I went to different kinds of stores, such as a candy store and a sock store. Everything was really unique there. I even got to see the sea lions. The third day was definitely a fun-filled day.

Lastly, we went to the Zoo. In the Zoo, we saw tons of adorable animals, such as penguins and ostriches. I also saw an eagle, an owl, and a grizzly bear.  I got the chance to see the cutest animal in the world, a meerkat. The meerkat was perched on a rock, and it looked amazing.  Never in my life had I seen an animal as cute as that. Then, I went to the gift shop and saw cute stuffed animals. I am glad that my interim ended with going to the Zoo, and I know that this was an incredible experience.

Jeriden: Reflections

Jeriden Villegas

Science Museum in the Bay Area Interim

Day 1 - California Academy of Science

Day 2 - Exploratorium

Day 3 - Aquarium of the Bay

Day 4 - San Francisco Zoo

In the first day, March 26, 2012 the group went to the California Academy of Science. It was my first time being in the California Academy of Science and being there in the first time of my life was such a great experience. Seeing how it really is being in the rain forest, how it’s so humid and hot and how beautiful it is to be in the rain forest. It was also a great experience seeing different reefs, fishes, and everything that you don’t normally see in everyday life. My favorite part of the trip was just seeing everything that I haven’t seen before. My least favorite part of the trip was the transportation. I never really taken the bus before and I will never use public transportation.

            In the second day, March 27, 2012 the group went to the Exploratorium. For me I think Exploratorium was the best place we went to. We got to try out stuff that people discovered and we got to be in places where people can’t be in. We got to be in the sound room and hear different types of sounds and how it makes the sound.  My favorite part of the trip was the café in the Exploratorium because it was good but it was too expensive. My least favorite part of the trip was again the transportation because it was too crowded and people really smelled.

            In the third day, March 28, 2012 the group went to the Aquarium of the Bay. It was great to see different types of sea creatures and be able to touch them. Though the Aquarium of the Bay was small, it was great to just be in there. After we went to the Aquarium of the Bay, we had ourselves free time so we just roam around Pier 39 and Fisherman’s Wharf. The people I was with went all the way to Fisherman’s Wharf and looked for food. We bought ourselves Onion Rings and Chips, Calamari and Chips, and also especially McDonald’s. My favorite part of the trip was basically just roaming around and doing our own stuff. My least favorite part of the trip was again the transportation. The bus we were in was crowded, an old lady rolled in my foot and didn’t care at all, and people I was standing with or sitting with smelled.

            In the last day, March 29, 2012 the group went to the San Francisco Zoo. The last time I’ve been there was elementary and being back in Zoo felt really different. Everything changed in the Zoo and they had more animals. We got to see every animals in the Zoo and we got to feed some of the animals. My favorite part of the trip was seeing the monkeys. There was a pack of black monkeys and we saw the monkeys looking at each other’s butt. We saw one of the mom of the monkeys picking its sons butt for lice or for poop and the mom started eating the thing it found in the butt of its son.  My least favorite part of the trip was again the transportation. I will never ever use public transportation. That is why I drive but I can’t for this interim because im a student! -.-‘

McCaine: Reflections

Reflections

McCaine Lacsamana

Day 1: Academy of Science

            When we went to the Academy of Science I wasn’t really excited. But when I went in I saw some really interesting things like the huge whale skeleton. I never saw one until then it was amazing. The best part of the Academy of Science was the rainforest, even though it was really hot in there I experienced how it is to actually be in a rainforest. It was somewhat funny to see the butterflies land on people and they would get scared. Overall I think that the café topped it off, the food there was just fantastic, even though it was really expensive, it was still so good. I had spaghetti and then chicken n chips. The rest of the day we went to the Africa part. I liked seeing all those animals. I didn’t expect them to have live penguins in there. I felt sad because they have no space to swim around. When we traveled all the museum we explored outside and had free time. Me and my friends just walked around until we had to meet up by the fountain. It was a really chill day.

Day 2: The Exploratorium

            I’ve been to the Exploratorium once but that was a really long time ago. Before we even went inside the Exploratorium, we explored the giant dome outside. In the middle of the dome was where you can get up to 6 echoes. We took turns on making echoes in the middle; I haven’t heard that many echoes before. Once we got inside the Exploratorium, I started to remember everything. I remember the tornado like I went there yesterday. But this time, it was a little different, because last time I was there you were able to run in a circle then the tornado would appear but now the tornado is already there. I really liked the sand part of the museum, because it’s fun to play with sand. I also remember the cow eye dissection. It wasn’t really that gruesome to me. The other thing that I found interesting was the room where it was all black and white. I kept questioning myself why it had no color. I looked at my shirt which should’ve been red and black, turned into black and white. The Exploratorium was unexplainable.

Day 3: pier 39 the aquarium of the bay

            I really wanted to go to the aquarium of the bay because it’s in pier 39 and I have always liked it there. But since it opened at a later time, some of us went to Noah’s Bagels and some of us went to Starbucks just to kill time. I went to Starbucks and got a double chocolate chips frap, it’s my favorite drink in Starbucks. After we all got our drinks and bagels we went over to catch the bus that goes to pier 39, that bus was really crowded. When we got in the museum I remember touching the sting rays and the sharks and starfishes. I remember how weird they felt like. They felt slimy and gross. After looking at all the fishes we had free time to walk around. Me and my friends went to the mirror maze and had lots of fun. After lunch we started to walk back. This was the best day of the whole week in my opinion.

Day 4: The Zoo

            I was really excited to go to the zoo, but not too excited about the smell of the zoo. I expected it to be really gross smelling. First we went to the penguins because Mr. Gould wanted to see them feed them. I wasn’t looking forward to waiting on them but it was okay. After Mr. Gould gave us a meeting point, I, Dana, Paloma, and Jared went to see the monkeys first because they were closest. It was interesting to see how many different kinds there are. Then while we were watching the monkey, some worker at the zoo started to explain how one of the types of monkeys uses their tail as a hand. I saw it, and it grabbed onto the fence and started climbing everywhere. I also saw some monkeys picking off the bugs of each other, kind of like cleaning their fur. After that we went to the petting zoo because Dana wanted to go there. I kind of did but not really wanted to. The only animals that were touchable were goats and they were somewhat gross looking so I didn’t want to touch them. After that we met up at the meet point and had lunch. The zoo wasn’t that fun for me.

Jared: Reflections

Jared Villanueva

3/30/12

Reflections Of The Week

Day 1: Academy of Science

One of my favorite parts of the museum was going into the rainforest because even though it was really humid I still had a great time there. As I was going to the top of the rainforest and seeing all the butterflies it seemed as if there was an endless supply of butterflies, also all the different types of insects and frogs it was really interesting and I got to learn a lot. I also really liked the food there was such a variety I couldn’t decide what I wanted but I ended up getting the chicken with fries it was delicious, one of the best meals I’ve had in a while. Overall had a really good time that day it was filled with a lot of fun and excitement.

Day 2: Exploratorium

This day was an ok day it was supper windy and it almost broke my umbrella but it was still a fun day. One of the things that I liked was playing with the black sand, no matter how much I moved it or pulled it; it still stayed in one piece and didn’t fall apart. I also liked playing the meteor orbiting around the earth arcade game. the objective was to orbit around the earth without leaving its atmosphere and the more you stayed in the more points you get. I was glued to it I played for 20 minutes until we had to go. There were so many things to do I couldn’t even get to all of it and I found a lot of them interesting one last thing that I found really interesting was a booth were you hear a sound and you have to guess what it is, some of them sounded familiar but ended up being something else.

Day 3: Aquarium of the Bay

This was the best day out of the whole day it was really sunny and really fun. The one thing that I liked about the aquarium was the touch pool it was the first time I got to touch a sting ray and a shark they felt really slimy but it was still really cool and  got to feel starfishes some of them were really squishy and some were really hard. But the best part of the whole trip was going to the mirror maze at pier 39 it was really fun and really cheap. I went with Dana, paloma, and McCaine we were playing hide and seek for most of the time and after that we went to go eat at a seafood restaurant and had a great meal. The last thing we did before we left was go eat mini doughnuts they were delicious and it was a great way to end the day.

Day 4:  The Zoo

The last day was an ok day too. First we went to go watch the penguins being fed and its cool how they can swallow an entire fish. Then after we got to walk around and I stayed mostly where the monkeys were, some were just laying around and others seemed like they were doing gymnastics. Then after we went to go eat lunch even though I didn’t have money my friends were kind enough to share food with me and it was really good.

Erin: weeklong reflection

            The museums that we visited as an interim group this week are all places that I have been to during my childhood; however, there was something different about the trips this time.  These four adventures were accompanied with a new sense of freedom.  It isn’t surprising that boredom seemed inevitable through the eyes of teenagers, but what is surprising is the fact that we did have fun this week.  There were experiences at each location that made this year’s interim worthwhile.   
            We started the week off at the Academy of Science.  I hadn’t seen the museum since the original building was destroyed by an unfortunate fire, so I was excited to see the remodeled version.  The rainforest was everything that people said it would be.  A spiraling walkway into an entirely new environment.  A piece of paradise in the middle of San Francisco.  The humidity was warming on that cool Bay Area day. 
            Although the new additions to the Academy of Science were interesting, I was glad to see some of the old pieces of the museum included in the new design.  The seahorse railing reminded me of the walkway to the interactive tide pool that I used to run down during my childhood visits to the museum.  And the tide pool itself still existed, which was a relief to see and feel.  And of course, the pendulum still swayed in the lobby.  Overall the Academy of Science offered extraordinary new attractions, and comforting old ones. 
            The next day was much gloomier than Monday but exciting nonetheless.  We started the day early on our way to the Exploratorium.  After leaving the bus we were greeted by the towering Palace of Fine Arts.  Then we entered the museum.  It was much more interactive than the Academy of Science, and there was something there for everyone to enjoy.  Personally I enjoyed the bubble station, and some of the miscellaneous attractions.  It was enjoyable to walk around where we wanted, and to see the attractions that we liked best.
            Wednesday was the day that took the most types of transportation.  We took one bus, one train and one street car, all to end up at Pier 39.  Once there, the Aquarium of the Bay awaited us.  It was relaxing to walk through the aquarium.  The tunnels were chilly, yet inviting.  Watching the fish swim above our heads was a unique experience.  And ending the tour through the interactive tide pool section was fun.  The day was simple and the transportation alone was a new adventure.
            The last place that we visited this week was somewhere that I have been many times in my life-the San Francisco Zoo.  Despite my familiarity with the location there was something different about this visit.  I usually visit the zoo with the toddlers in my family, small cousins, distant relatives, etc.  This time was a day for me to see the animals or exhibits that I wanted to most.  I took my time strolling through the wildcat area, watching the tigers as they paced.  I didn’t spend as much time in the primate section that I would have had to if I had visited with family.  And, I enjoyed the sun on the one nice day (weather-wise) of the week.  It was a fun, and simple way to end the week. 
            Each museum that we visited this week offered something new and different to be experienced.  Some more interactive than others.  Some more relaxing than the last.  Each with its own singularity and uniqueness.  It was an enjoyable week full of learning and free of stress. And luckily, the two late-start days were an extra treat included in my last interim week of my life.