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!
Science Explorers
Science Explorers is an introductory science course that will help our very youngest learners explore the physical world around them with curiosity, analytical thinking, and hands-on lab experiences. Science Explorers 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: Students should be able to read and write to be successful in this class, but 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 those accommodations so that we can have them ready from Day 1!
Fall - Forces & Simple Machines
May the Force(s) be with you! Our “Forces and Simple Machines” course is an age-appropriate introduction to physics designed to stimulate curiosity and interest in science and build an understanding of how forces move objects and do work. They will learn about inertia, gravity, and other forces. Children will do work with inclined planes, levers, pulleys, and gears to investigate how simple machines make our lives easier. At the end of the quarter, students will create their own machine invention to present to the class.
Winter: Astronomy
The “Astronomy” course takes learners beyond the sky to explore our solar system, with its planets, moons, asteroids, and spacecraft, before moving into the wider universe. Students will learn to use astronomical tools like a telescope, scale models, 2- and 3D models, and star maps. Students will learn about each planet in our solar system, discovering their moons and unique properties. Students will then explore the stars, constellations, and other astronomical phenomena that exist beyond the solar system. They will learn to recognize constellations, track how they move, and record their view of the sky. At the end of the quarter, students will compete in a fun, friendly game day of guessing what wacky space objects belong where in our universe!
Spring: Our Green World
How do you know if something is alive? How can you keep something alive? “Our Green World” is a basic biology course that helps young scientists discover what "alive" means by studying simple plants and animals. Students will examine how living things vary in size, shape and needs. They will experiment to discover what plants and animals need to survive and grow and the different ways they have to meet those needs. Students will experiment with seeds, learning first-hand how a plant develops and what factors can help or hinder that process. Students will also perform insect identification, learning along the way that some insects are helpful to humans and some aren’t so helpful. At the end of the quarter, students will be able to grow a “Green Guy” at home and demonstrate basic bug skills like identification and care.