From feed mill to the Science Mill: a brief history

Did you know that the Science Mill is housed in a historic 1880s feed mill in Johnson City? The mill, originally established as a steam grist mill and cotton gin by J.P. Johnson, had a significant impact on the economic development of the town, and has served as a community landmark for decades.

In transforming the building into the Science Mill as it is today, much care and attention was given in ensuring that much of the original structure was kept intact. This is the Science Mill’s way of honoring the history it is proud to build upon.

The silos that used to store grain now serve as unique spaces for one-of-a-kind exhibits like the Light Loom, Dig In!, and Cell Phone Disco.

Once separate structures have been artfully connected with walkways that create a sense of cohesion while retaining the distinct energy of each studio, giving visitors a smooth but dynamic experience.

Learn about the building’s history through the A Mill in Time exhibit. Science enthusiasts and history lovers will surely find the Science Mill a worthwhile visit! Come drop by the museum from Wednesday to Sunday!

The Science Mill, only an hour from Austin or San Antonio, is a high-tech science museum in Johnson City, Texas, Established in 2012, the museum is home to over 50 interactive exhibits, and has helped provide high quality, accessible STEM programs for children all over the state. Learn more about the Science Mill’s impact here.

How to make Flores de Papel

¡Feliz Cinco de Mayo! There are many ways to celebrate this occasion - one way we're doing so is by learning how to make Flores de Papel, or paper flowers, which is a form of Mexican folk art. Try it yourself!

What you need

• Tissue paper (5-7 sheets; any color you like!)

• A piece of yarn, around 4 inches long (alternative: pipe cleaner)

• Scissors

Procedure

1

Gather your tissue paper and stack them neatly.

With your scissors, carefully cut them into squares. 4x4 or 5x5 is a good start, but you can make them in any size!

2

Pile your squares up neatly.

Starting from one edge, make an accordion fold down the length of the squares until you reach the other side.

3

Using your piece of yarn (or pipe cleaner), tie the folded sheets together at the middle. Take care not to tighten it too much. You can trim the excess.

4

Cut the ends into a half circle.

5

Very gently pull the sheets apart and spread them into petals. Be careful not to tear the paper.

Fluff the sheets until you get the shape you want, and you’re done!

You can make as many flowers as you want - feel free to play around with different colors and sizes!

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The basics of rocket science

The idea of traveling space has inspired the minds of writers, artists, and inventors for centuries.

While the discoveries and innovations in this field remain endless, rocket science has greatly advanced since humans first imagined it. It is, indeed, a challenging but exciting field, but the fundamentals of rocket science can be understood through Newton’s Laws of Motion.

First, what is a rocket? Technically speaking, a rocket is any vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. It can be as large as the space rockets created by NASA, or as small as something launched from your own backyard!

Here’s how the three Laws of Motion play a role in rocketry:

Newton’s First Law

Objects at rest remain at rest and objects in motion remain in motion in a straight line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. What does this mean for rockets?

Scientists have to figure out how an object at rest, such as the rocket, can be moved with enough exertion in order to lift off. For lift off to happen, the force exerted must be greater than the force of gravity. This force is called thrust. In sending rockets to space, figuring out how to generate enough thrust to quickly propel a large amount of weight against gravity is incredibly challenging!

Newton’s Second Law

Force equals mass times acceleration (or f = ma). In rocketry, this means that the force or thrust produced is as great as the amount of propellant or fuel (m) used and the acceleration (a) of the combustion products out of the nozzle. In other words: the more propellant and acceleration, the greater the force or thrust, which is important in successful launches.

Newton’s Third Law

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. The combustion of propellants when rockets lift off is the action—the reaction is the rocket moving in the opposite direction. Upon lift off, while the propellants accelerate rapidly, the rocket itself slowly accelerates, which may seem like an imbalanced or unequal reaction. What is happening here can be explained by another Newtonian law: the Law of Inertia, which states that it takes a force to change the motion of an object. The greater the mass, the greater the force required to move it. Since the mass of the rocket is much greater than that of the gas, smoke, and flame produced by the propellant, more force is required.

Of course, actual rocket science is much more complex, as there are numerous other factors to consider like:

• The weight of the rocket in relation to the force or thrust that can feasibly be produced

• The materials used as propellants

• The purpose of the rocket in relation to the size

• Its safe return

• Its environmental impact

• And many more!

Learn more about the basics of how rockets work by visiting the Science Mill! This month’s Homeschool Day will focus on activities exploring rocket science, and you can check out the museum’s rocketry exhibit from Wednesday to Sunday. Learn more about admission here.

Benefits of outdoor exploration

Move your body and your mind will follow 🏃

Did you know that moving and going outside is associated with higher brain function? Allowing kids the time to explore and be creative while being out in nature helps build physically healthier bodies and stimulate cognitive development - not to mention, great for their health and happiness!

Here are the top 5 benefits of encouraging children to explore outdoors:

1. It improves executive function
   Executive function refers to the skills that help us plan, prioritize, troubleshoot, negotiate, and multitask. Researchers at Harvard have linked going outdoors to an improvement in these abilities, which play a big role in their success as adults. How? When children are allowed to spend time outdoors, especially with other kids, they exercise creative and critical faculties as they learn to make up their own games, socialize with others, solve small problems, and entertain themselves.

2. It supports their mental health
   It’s no secret that nature is great for one’s mental health. Children who spend time outdoors, breathing in fresh air and getting plenty of sunshine, are less likely to experience severe stress or depression, and are better equipped to regulate those emotions.

3. It improves their sensory skills
   Being outdoors exposes children to an incredible amount of stimuli—all sorts of textures, shapes, scents, sounds, and sights. This multisensory stimulation helps them develop observational skills and spatial awareness as they are able to learn and interact with the world using all their senses. In contrast, those who learn primarily through a computer screen engage only their sight and hearing, which can negatively impact their other perceptual abilities.

4. It develops their immunity
   Sunlight doesn’t just feel great, but it actually plays a vital role in human health! For instance, sunlight helps stimulate the pineal gland which helps keep our immune system strong. Regular exposure to the many non-harmful microorganisms that keep our environment alive also helps “train” our immune system so in the event of a pathogenic infection, our bodies are better equipped to respond. Being in a completely sterile environment for most of the time actually weakens the immune system as it becomes unable to determine what is and isn’t safe. Occasionally getting your hands muddy is as beneficial as it is fun!

5. It builds physically healthy bodies
   Aside from immunity, regularly spending time outdoors is a great form of exercise! It helps with their motor development, sense of balance, and bone strength through getting a healthy dose of vitamin D from sunlight. Who knows, this play may lead to an interest in sports as well!

There are plenty of ways to encourage your kids to spend time outside (if they don’t already demand it!), which include biking or walking together as a family, scheduling outdoor playdates, or regularly enrolling them in summer camps like the Science Outside Summer Camp!

The Science Outside Summer Camp 2023 is a week-long camp that includes lots of exciting, engaging time at the Science Mill and field trips to Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center, Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, and one overnight at Bamberger Ranch Nature Preserve. Activities cover Environmental STEM topics such as: Conservation and Land Stewardship, Water Resources, Wildlife Biodiversity and Resilience and Geology!

This year, the summer camp will take place on June 19-23, 8am-3:30pm each day. Register now while slots are still available!

This summer camp is part of the Science Mill’s year-long Science Outside! Program. Developed for 3rd-8th grade students in the Hill Country region of Texas, the Science Outside! program is focused on exposing kids to outdoor based STEM skills, tools and careers, within the realm of environmental science and ecology. Science Outside! is a combination of community outreach, Saturday family engagement workshops and a 5-day summer camp designed to get kids interacting with their families outside in nature. Students learn through inquiry-based exploration at the Science Mill and at partner locations in our community. Learn more here.