Let's take an Up and Down Walk

Wow, how do you like the rising and falling temperatures this winter? One day it feels like Seattle. The next day it feels like Minnesota. So I think we should take an Up and Down Walk. You don't need any hills for this.

Step into your backyard and see how many things you can find that go up and down. Start with the obvious. Are there any birds in your backyard? How does a squirrel move when it crosses your yard? If there’s a breeze, what does it cause to go up and down? Do any plants grow upright and then droop over a little?

Does the sun go up and down? Hmmm. You might want to think about that one. But when you have sunshine, you have shadows. Have you ever watched a shadow creep up or down a tree trunk? And what’s going on in that tree trunk, inside the bark? If it’s not sunny, is it raining? Rain soaks into the ground or flows into a creek or storm drain. But what if there’s a puddle and the sun comes out? What happens to that water? Oh, and what about the ground? Did you know there are kazillions of microorganisms living in the soil? Do you think the soil just sits there, or is there constant movement going on in that soil, up and down movement on a really tiny scale?

Lots of things are going up and down all around us. Send a comment below, and let us know what else you thought of!

(Okay, who’s thinking “Economy”? Yeah, well, we’re all feeling the up and down of that, which is why I’ve added a shiny new Donate button to the right. Consider giving it a test run. You’ll enable Homewaters Project to continue providing free science inquiry programs in Seattle and Shoreline schools, and you’ll help students’ grades go up -- and up and up!)