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We are still spending more time at home these days (*sigh*), but Family Science and Family Engineering have always encouraged families to explore and become aware of science and engineering happening in their everyday lives. When we really start looking, science and engineering are everywhere!

So, here are a few ways that science and engineering showed up at my house in April 2021.

Spring – The flowers are in full bloom around here, and after this particular winter, they are so welcome. The changing of the seasons is an easily observably phenomenon that brings wonder and beauty, but also great questions about why the seasons change.

Vaccines! –­ I finally qualified, and I’m now fully vaccinated for SARS-CoV-2. The development of this vaccine broke all previous records for speed. Pfizer alone tested their vaccine on over 43,000 people. It really is a “moon shot” kind of story for STEM.

Birds – We are bird fans around this house. We have a hummingbird feeder, a suet feeder and two water sources for the birds. We love the changing menagerie of bird visitors we see. (This photo is a particularly funny look at our suet feeder one morning – it looks like a face!) What was really exciting was a visit to our neighborhood by a Bald Eagle. I took this photo with my phone through our spotting scope, but he/she was really close…just one house away! Take some time to get to know your local birds by putting up a feeder or water source (or both!) and visiting a local nature center or Audubon Center.

Garden –­ We also like to garden and work in our yard, so spring planting happened in early April. We planted the cool-season plants that grow best in our area and yard like strawberries, snow peas, snap peas, carrots, radishes, and greens like lettuce, kale, and chard. Now it’s time to plan the warm-season planting of green beans, tomatoes and squash. The real stars of our garden though are the chickens. I cannot recommend them enough if you have the time and space for them and your municipality allows them. However, please educate yourself before launching into caring for any live animal. (Chicken Keeping 101!)

Now it’s your turn! What science & engineering showed up in your life in April 2021?

Share your experiences on Instagram or Facebook with #familystemathome!