Experiments

You are learning about healthy nutrients!
Click here to learn more about nutrition labels

Plants can provide many of the vitamins and minerals essential for growth. Each plant in the Greenhouse Classroom provides a different amount of nutrition. The following list explains the importance of each vitamin or mineral, along with the recommended daily allowance (RDA). The RDA listed for each nutrient is appropriate for a fifth grade student. > energy is properly produced for the body. > absorbing and storing iron. > not treated. > it can lead to developmental delays.
 * Calcium is necessary for muscles and blood vessels to contract and for nerves to transmit. Most of the body’s calcium is found in the bones and teeth, but the calcium necessary for daily living is found in the blood, muscle and other tissues.
 * RDA: 1300 mg per day for children and teens 9–18
 * Phosphorus helps keep body fluids at a normal pH, and it helps to store and transfer the energy from metabolic fluids.
 * RDA: 1250 mg per day for children and teens 9–18
 * Magnesium is found mainly in the skeleton, where it helps to maintain intracellular levels of potassium, sodium, and calcium. It helps to make sure that
 * RDA: 320 mg per day for an adult woman
 * Vitamin C is a water soluble antioxidant that is present in high levels in the tissues. It protects the body, helps to restore other antioxidants and assists in
 * RDA: 75 mg per day for an adult woman
 * Vitamin E helps to lower the risk of some chronic diseases. It is an antioxidant that protects lipids.
 * RDA: 15 mg per day for an adult woman
 * Vitamin A is vital for vision, reproduction, growth and immune function. A Vitamin A deficiency can lead to night blindness, and permanent blindness if
 * RDA: 700 μg per day for an adult woman.
 * Vitamin K is a coenzyme important for blood coagulation and bone metabolism.
 * RDA: 90 μg per day for an adult woman
 * Iron helps to bring oxygen to body tissues. It is a component of hemoglobin and other proteins and enzymes. Anemia is a result of iron deficiency and
 * RDA: 18 mg per day for adult man
 * Zinc is an important part of 100 enzymes in the body. Deficiency in zinc can lead to problems with immune deficiency and growth.
 * RDA: 8 mg per day for adult woman

Did you know that there are people who are hoping to live on Mars in 10 years? Read this articleto hear about one colony selection process. From the 200,000 applicants, only 24 were chosen. Read about Mars One here Click here to find out what NASA astronauts have to say about living on a volcano to simulate mars living Super cool, right? Well it may or may not happen, because there are problems to overcome. **Humans need a variety of healthy foods, exercise, and rest in order to grow and maintain good health**. Right now there is not enough oxygen to breathe, and it is too hot and too cold to survive. However, there is evidence of water! There is no food growing, and the food cannot be grown in the nutrient-free soil. Hydroponic greenhouse anyone!?! More problems have to do with the human body. Since the gravity on Mars is only 38% of that on Earth, astronauts subjected to this environment for extensive periods of time are likely to suffer severe reduction in muscle strength and bone density: part of the reason a return to Earth would not be feasible, since the body would no longer be able to cope with a stronger gravity. Not to mention the extremely low temperatures and erratic radiation levels that the Martian surface is known to bear. Read a travel brochure to Mars =Project: Design a colony on Mars= You must include how humans will eat a variety of healthy foods, drink clean water, You will probably plan on designing a greenhouse that could be built on Mars. Make sure you consider all the needs of plants and people to make this new environment. Remember, plants need air, sunlight (or an artificial sun lamp), carbon dioxide, nutrients, water, and space.

Work in a group of 3-5 students and create a project to show your design. You may wish to create a travel brochure, a travel blog, a video of the Mars Reality TV show, a blueprint of the colony, an infomercial, a Mars newspaper, a poster, or you may write a persuasive essay. If you have other ideas you should just ask. You only have three sessions to work on this, so get started!!

__**You may show your ideas in any way, but you MUST explain how**__
 * __**Humans will satisfy their thirst and hunger needs**__
 * __**Plants will make food**__
 * __**Humans will create living structures with adequate air, heat, and shelter**__
 * __**Humans will engage in good health habits such as personal cleanliness, adequate sleep, and exercise**__
 * __**Colonies will work together for the good of the population**__

Articles on Mars is there water on mars? Water might have existed 4 billion years ago on mars Is It Safe To Live on Mars? Water on Mars Can Astronauts Survive on Mars? Advanced explanations of how to terraform Mars Advance info on Mars rocks samples Projects:
 * Radiation may cause brain damage
 * Greenhouse design for mars from NASA

Climate Change!
===Today you will read this page from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and then click on at least 2 links to learn about effects of climate change. === ===Then you will add a comment to explain about one effect that interests you. Make sure you are signed in to the wiki page. If not, click on sign in, and then my sign in will appear. === ===When you are finished commenting, you will begin to design an experiment that will test how climate change is affecting plants. You may work alone, with a partner, or in a group of 3. Plan our your experiment together and write about it in your notebook. Next week you will implement the experiment. IF you need to gather any materials, write yourselves a note. IF you need materials from me, write me a note. ===

Did you have fun using the [|Manahatta Project map from 1609] to compare how our school block looks today compared to how it looked in 1609?

Today you will go to the Experiments page to describe your project