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 Investigators
Quest in Science is proud to present Science Investigators, an introductory science course that teaches young learners to investigate the physical world around them with analytical minds, scientific eyes, and experiment-ready hands. Science Investigators 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 also 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!
Science Investigators is a 3 year program that offers hands-on experiments and activities designed to learn 9 different topics in science! Your child can take this class for 3 years and never repeat a subject! After completing this series of science classes, your child is ready for our suite of Middle School science classes!
Fall - Forces & Engineering
In “Forces and Engineering,” students will enjoy exploring what makes objects move and why. Newton's three laws will be investigated with hands-on experiments. Students will learn about inertia, unbalanced forces, acceleration, friction, equal and opposite forces and gravity. Students will also learn how these principles apply to the human-built world around them, harnessing different forces into age-appropriate engineering projects that solve a problem humans face. In the last few weeks of the quarter, the class will be given a new problem, and each group will work to apply the principles they have learned and design their own solution.
Winter - Air & Space
“Air and Space” takes young learners into the sky, focusing on the different forms of flight (airplanes, balloons, kites, and rockets) that humans can achieve and how we make flight happen. Students will begin with simple projects that explore inertia, lift, and other related concepts, building paper airplanes and gliders. Students will learn about the different levels of gravity and what is required to move from the Earth’s surface into its atmosphere. We will explore what it takes to survive in space and the demands of the space program on astronauts and spacecraft. Students will also study the history of space exploration and the technological achievements made so far. At the end of the quarter, students will discuss the planets of the Solar System, what it would take to inhabit them, and why humans live on Earth.
Spring - Marine Bio & Oceanography
In “Marine Bio and Oceanography,” students will investigate the interplay of powerful forces that shape the ocean shores and floors. Students will begin with an introduction to a watery world that’s completely unlike the land they know. They will move through the ocean zones, identifying life forms, observing specimens, and sorting marine creatures into scientific groups. Students will study the properties of water and the composition of sand, tracing the origins of different sand types and exploring how minerals from deep within the Earth end up in our oceans and beaches. Students will investigate the ocean floor and shorelines, learning how to map, measure, and change each feature. At the end of the quarter, students will demonstrate their understanding of SONAR and waves by creating ocean floor dioramas.