HuckleBerry
Center for Creative Learning
Christine Rains
Christine Rains, co-owner and instructor of Quest in Science, is an experienced teacher who brings science to life for her students and creates a fun classroom atmosphere by promoting questions and discussion. Christine earned a bachelor’s degree in Physics from Scripps College in Claremont, CA and a master’s degree in Geophysics from California State University, Northridge. She also has a bachelor’s degree in Music Performance from CSUN. She has been teaching elementary through college for many years, and currently teaches physics and astronomy at several local community colleges. She also spent several years working at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, on the REASON instrument on the Europa Clipper spacecraft that is heading to Jupiter’s moon, Europa. She has been working with Quest in Science since the early 2000’s teaching hands-on science to elementary school children throughout Los Angeles and became co-owner in 2011. In 2018, she welcomed her good friend and colleague Debbie Walker onto the Quest team as co-owner. At Quest in Science, we are passionate about providing quality science education to young learners. Quest in Science lessons encourage students to observe, measure, collect and analyze data, make hypotheses, and draw conclusions. Hands-on science to us means teaching based on activities that engage a student’s mind and hands to make science fun, interesting, exciting, and challenging. Christine Rains is excited to bring Quest in Science to the students and families of HuckleBerry Center for Creative Studies and looks forward to a great year!
Awesome Science II
Awesome Science II is an introductory science course aimed at building exploration, critical thinking, and analytical skills in young learners. Awesome Science II will cover three quarters, with a different topic to explore each quarter. Children will work together in small lab groups to perform experiments and make observations. Your child will maintain a folder of our adventures together that can be used as their evidence of science in your records; please encourage your child to share what they are learning with you and your family.
Homework: Occasional
Type of Class: Students that attend this class and do the homework do not need to do additional learning outside of the class to learn this subject.
Prerequisites: To get the most out of this class, participants should be able to read long numbers, decimals, and fractions, and do basic math calculations including addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; students should also be able to read and write at a paragraph level. Accommodations are available for students who are just learning these skills; please let us know at the start of the term if your child may need these so that they can be provided from Day 1!
Fall - Matter & Its Mysteries (Chemistry Base)
Our “Matter and Its Mysteries” course is an age-appropriate introduction to chemistry designed to stimulate curiosity and interest in science and build an understanding of matter and all its properties. Students will start with the basics, examining matter’s defining characteristics, learning about subatomic particles, and investigating the structure of the atom. They will learn about the Periodic Table, go on an element hunt, and find out what properties separate the metals from the nonmetals. Building on this base, students will experiment with physical and chemical changes and conduct a safe chemical reaction to create new substances. Throughout the quarter, students are learning how to perform experiments, test hypotheses, and gather and record data; by the end of the quarter, students will use their new science knowledge to investigate a question, apply the scientific process, and develop their own experiment.
Winter - Climate & Atmosphere
In “Climate and Atmosphere,” students will explore the world of air, heat, and movement that exists above their head–and just below their feet! Students will begin by mapping the different layers of the atmosphere, learning that there is more to the sky than meets the eye. Students will learn about gasses, what makes them visible or invisible, and how they function in the atmosphere. Students will investigate the connections between local weather and larger systems that traverse the globe. To understand how different factors affect the state of the atmosphere and the weather we experience, students will create convection currents, investigate air pressure, and experiment with solar heating. At the end of the quarter, students will create a group poster about a topic they studied and present their findings to the class.
Spring - Junior Ecology (Web of Life)
Spring is here and there is no better time to study our wonderful Earth and the amazing, diverse forms of life on it! In “Junior Ecology,” students will be introduced to the Earth’s biosphere, the thin, fragile shell of life that surrounds our planet. Students will study the biosphere by breaking it up into ecosystems and exploring the complex relationship between the biotic and abiotic factors that exist within them. Students will experiment with photosynthesis, model energy flow in a food web, examine the food chain by dissecting an owl pellet, and study decomposers both macroscopically and microscopically. During the second half of the course, our focus will be on life systems, both plant and animal. At the end of the quarter, students will design a portfolio cover that depicts the activities and information learned throughout the unit.