This blog, if you have been reading it, has been my 

companion throughout my year of documented learning.  

We have studied clear out to different galaxies and then all

the way back to the center of our Mother Earth.And this blog 

has stayed with me. Well, now it's time to part. So what 

has our year looked like? Take a look.

Our first unit was astronomy. The great unknown.... 

well kind of unknown. We learned about the great life

of stars, like our sun. Other galaxies so far away it's 

unimaginable. Black holes that suck everything in.

Other solar systems and our own. The Gas Giants 

and the terrestrials like our own wonderful Earth. Oh,

what a wonderfully amazing place we live in. The part 

I loved most was the lunar cycle. What the phases

are called and eclipses. I also loved learning about the 

Big Bang theory. How amazing right?

Take a step out of our solar system right back into our Earth's atmosphere. All of the layers protecting us from the sun's violent rays and heat. I personally found this subject kind of boring and dry. I know that if we didn't have these layers, life on Earth would not exist but I found astronomy far more interesting. I did like learning about how the atmosphere shields Earth like a life giving blanket. Providing us with oxygen and protecting us from radiation for the most part. I also enjoyed learning about the different types of fronts. I enjoy watching weather come in from my window. A great view up the pass. Big thunderheads dark and heavy with sweet rain, thunder, and lightning.

Next, we studied geology. What a contrast from the great, vast universe. Learning exactly why and how volcanoes erupt. Plate tectonics. Fault lines, why there are earthquakes. I found many parts of this unit very interesting. I really loved learning about Pangaea. The thought of all of these separate continents together. The proof that all of the continents were together. What would it be like if the continents had stayed together? Would we have a more peaceful world with less pollution or a war plagued planet? A thought to ponder.

Our Mother Earth is a constantly changing planet. Weathering and erosion are the reasons our planet is always changing. I found this a dry unit as well. It was just something that I had some knowledge about already. I did enjoy learning about the different types of weathering. Chemical: acid rain. Acid from plants. Mechanical: movement of animals. Freezing and thawing. Just interesting to really look into how rocks are broken down. Our amazing, ever changing Earth.

What makes Earth so unique and life giving is the fact that is has water in it's liquid form. Providing life on Earth with delicious water. But only 3% is fresh water. I found this section somewhat interesting but very important. We must educate ourselves about the need to help people get fresh water that don't have a clean supply and protect the water we do have from pollution. It is our life source.

So I will leave this blog post as a final thought. I will leave it for others to discover and maybe learn from. I will check it every so often. But here is the final addition to my year of Earth Science. Enjoy.

-Emma Z. B.

My blog

This blog, if you have been reading it, has been my companion throughout my year of documented learning. 

We have studied clear out to different galaxies and then all the way back to the center of our Mother Earth. 

And this blog has stayed with me. Well, now it's time to part. So what has our year looked like? Take a look.

Our first unit was astronomy. The great unknown.... well kind of unknown. We learned about the great life 

of stars, like our sun. Other galaxies so far away it's unimaginable. Black holes that suck everything in. 

Other solar systems and our own. The Gas Giants and the terrestrials like our own wonderful Earth. Oh, 

what a wonderfully amazing place we live in. The part I loved most was the lunar cycle. What the phases 

are called and eclipses. I also loved learning about the Big Bang theory. How amazing right?

Take a step out of our solar system right back into our Earth's atmosphere. All of the layers protecting us from the sun's violent rays and heat. I personally found this subject kind of boring and dry. I know that if we didn't have these layers, life on Earth would not exist but I found astronomy far more interesting. I did like learning about how the atmosphere shields Earth like a life giving blanket. Providing us with oxygen and protecting us from radiation for the most part. I also enjoyed learning about the different types of fronts. I enjoy watching weather come in from my window. A great view up the pass. Big thunderheads dark and heavy with sweet rain, thunder, and lightning. 

Next, we studied geology. What a contrast from the great, vast universe. Learning exactly why and how volcanoes erupt. Plate tectonics. Fault lines, why there are earthquakes. I found many parts of this unit very interesting. I really loved learning about Pangaea. The thought of all of these separate continents together. The proof that all of the continents were together. What would it be like if the continents had stayed together? Would we have a more peaceful world with less pollution or a war plagued planet? A thought to ponder. 

Our Mother Earth is a constantly changing planet. Weathering and erosion are the reasons our planet is always changing. I found this a dry unit as well. It was just something that I had some knowledge about already. I did enjoy learning about the different types of weathering. Chemical: acid rain. Acid from plants. Mechanical: movement of animals. Freezing and thawing. Just interesting to really look into how rocks are broken down. Our amazing, ever changing Earth.

What makes Earth so unique and life giving is the fact that is has water in it's liquid form. Providing life on Earth with delicious water. But only 3% is fresh water. I found this section somewhat interesting but very important. We must educate ourselves about the need to help people get fresh water that don't have a clean supply and protect the water we do have from pollution. It is our life source. 

So I will leave this blog post as a final thought. I will leave it for others to discover and maybe learn from. I will check it every so often. But here is the final addition to my year of Earth Science. Enjoy.

-Emma Z. B.

Where in the world does our water come from?

Where does our precious drinking water come from? Well, heres what I have found out.

In Colorado Springs, 75% of our water comes directly from snow-melt from the Continental Divide. This snow-melt is first melt snow-melt, which is extremely pure. The snow-melts that occur on the Continental Divide primarily happen on the western slope. The eastern side is where we get our water. Quite a few years ago, water systems were created to provide water to the Colorado Springs area. This was vitally important because Colorado Springs is one of the few cities that does not have a river that runs through it. The consumers of the water of Colorado Springs, many of these people are first time users which means that most of the water has not been primarily treated and consumed. This also means that our water is pretty much free of chemicals and pollutants. So overall, those of is who live in/near Colorado Springs are really lucky.

Water Cycle

What is the water cycle?
The water cycle is a continuous pattern where water moves through the environment.
Does the water cycle have a beginning or end?
No because a cycle is like a circle with no beginning and no end.
Starting with a puddle on a sunny day, describe how water might move through the water cycle and eventually fall back as rain.
On a sunny, summer day a little puddle has no chance in staying on the ground. The sun will heat the water causing it to evaporate. This evaporation then condenses in the clouds. The clouds will soon become too full of precipitation to stay up. The water soon falls as rain cooling the hot day off with a nice thunderstorm. Creating another puddle...

Annotated Biblyography

 http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e55/55a.htm

From this website I got information on exactly what acid rain does to plant life, though very abbreviated. Some information I got was how acid rain affects needles and leaves, young and small plant buds and shoots, damage to bark and wood, and how it affects plant growth. Also, acid rain travels quickly, spreading the blessing of acid rain to everyone. I used this by describing acid rain's effect on plant life.

http://library.thinkquest.org/CR0215471/acid_rain.htm

This website provided a wealth of information on acid rain and its affects on plant life. I learned that acid rain can prevent a plant from going through photosynthesis. Also that it allows gas to take the place of water in the plant, causing it to die eventually. Acid rain also strips away valuable minerals and nutrients from the soil while leaving high amounts of aluminum, which is harmful to plants. I used this information by giving a more in depth explanation of what acid rain does.

http://www.epa.gov/acidrain/effects/forests.html

I learned that thicker soil has a higher chance of standing up to acid rain. This ability is called buffering.Thinner soil has a lower chance. Damage to the leaves creates a higher risk of the tree sustaining injury. Acid fog and acid clouds can sometimes cause more damage because the acid is more concentrated. Acid fog and acidic clouds bathe the leaves in acid moisture, leaving them extremely exposed. I have used this info to provide extra info about acid rain.

http://www.essortment.com/all/acidraineffect_rqmz.htm

This website basically refreshed my memory about life science and how all living things a connected. So if an animal on the lower end of the food chain is affected by acid rain, whatever depends on that animal will also begin to suffer. Also animals that live in or around water are greatly affected, as well as those who live in trees being affected. I used this info to provide information on how acid rain also affects animal life.

Acid Rain Comic Group #2

Acid Rain Group #2