Barb,
Great to hear about the Pringles camera obscura experience.
I did the "Bums to Gums" demonstration for the grade 5 class. I made lots of poo, just before lunch. There was lots of excitement and many of them are still talking about it, unfortunately I think a few of the students were a little squeamish and weren't able to enjoy the experience (or their lunch) as much as I wanted them to. Also, thanks to Brita, I demonstrated the length of our digestive system with her yellow fibreglass rope, with labels for the various sections. Very effective, and not at all gross (except for the "rectum" - no one wanted to hold that part).
I'm now working on a Harry Potter novel study, using a peer assessment rubric, trying to teach decimals and fractions and starting some lessons on heart health. I'll be using the homeostasis materials next week, if it's nice, to see how exercise affects heart rates. Today we used stethoscopes to determine our resting heart rates and completed an anticipation guide to raise some interest and awareness. Did you know that your heart will beat about 2.5 billion times by the time you're 80? That all your blood vessels laid end to end would extend 4 times around the world? Great cocktail party trivia.
I'm still thinking of a visit to the Model Forest. Any biology geeks who want to join me, send an email.
David