Time Traveler: Using the Past to Explore Key Concepts

If you could go back to any time in the past, when would it be? This is a question students will explore this month in YouthQuest with the theme: Time Traveler.

“Much of what we know today was discovered in the past,” says Cheryl Adkins, program director of YouthQuest. “In one activity, students will learn how discoveries made by ancient civilizations influenced the technology we have today.”

Other activities include:

• Using various ingredients to simulate accelerating time on metal to create a patina.
• Creating ice cores by freezing different layers of liquids to simulate the study of ice by glaciologists.
• Simulate scientific digs to discover artifacts from different time periods.

To extend learning at home, parents can:

• Encourage students to pay attention to time. Ask students to guess how long it took to complete something that is fun versus something that is monotonous. For example, 30-minutes of play time or a 30-minute car ride. This demonstrates how time can seem to go by faster or slower but ultimately is the same.
• Go to the Flint Public Library and check out the collection of local historical documents and artifacts.
• Visit Crossroads Village & Huckleberry Railroad and take a step back in time. Learn about Flint’s history and discover what it was like in the past.

YouthQuest is made possible through the generous support of the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation and 21st Century Community Learning Centers.