Element of the Day - Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

Who am I? I am a dull, bluish-gray, non-magnetic metal. I am the fourth most common metal in use and am used to coat steel to prevent rust and corrosion. I am also used in the alloy brass. In addition, I am used in some batteries and compounds of me are also used in deodorants and sunscreens. Small amounts of me are necessary for the human body. Pennies made after 1981 are made of of mostly me with just a thin copper coating.

Element of the Day - Monday, June 13th, 2011

Who am I? Under regular conditions I am a dark-purple/dark-brown solid. I am primarily used in medicines to clean and disinfect wounds, photography, and in dyes. Table salt is often fortified with me. I am rare in the solar system and Earth's crust, however, compounds with me in them are very soluble in water and I am concentrated in seawater. I am necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland in the human body.

E-mail me with your answer at:
dwilliams@reading.k12.ma.us
Include the element's chemical symbol in your answer.
Image taken from: http://www.bridgat.com/food_additives-b803_8.html

Bird of the Week - XXXV - Monday, June 13th, 2011

The last "Bird of the Week" is the Eastern Bluebird. It is not a common bird in Reading. As a matter of fact, I saw my first Bluebird in Reading in April of 2008. We just don't have enough of the necessary habitat to attract a lot of Bluebirds. The Male Eastern Bluebirds are vivid, deep blue above and rusty or brick-red on the throat and breast. Blue in birds always depends on the light, and males often look plain gray-brown from a distance. Females are grayish above with bluish wings and tail, and a subdued orange-brown breast. Blue tinges in the wings and tail give the grayer females an elegant look. Eastern Bluebirds sing a fairly low-pitched, warbling song made up of several phrases.

You can find Eastern Bluebirds in open country with patchy vegetation and large trees or nest boxes. Meadows, old fields, and golf courses are good places. Bluebirds typically sit in the open on power lines or along fences, with an alert, vertical posture. When they drop to the ground after an insect, they make a show of it, with fluttering wings and a fairly slow approach, followed by a quick return to the perch. Eastern Bluebirds eat mostly insects, wild fruit and berries.
Eastern bluebirds nest in cavities (holes). These holes may be in old trees, old fence posts, etc. They take readily to nest boxes erected in the proper habitat. The male Eastern Bluebird displays at his nest cavity to attract a female. He brings nest material to the hole, goes in and out, and waves his wings while perched above it. That is pretty much his contribution to nest building; only the female Eastern Bluebird builds the nest and incubates the eggs.
Eastern Bluebirds typically have more than one successful brood per year. Young produced in early nests usually leave their parents in summer, but young from later nests frequently stay with their parents over the winter.
The best place to see Bluebirds in Reading is at the Bare Meadow Conservation land off of Pearl St. Two years ago, a pair raised 3 broods (families)! I observed 1 male bird there this spring.
Photos from All About Birds.

Element of the Day - Friday, June 10th, 2011

Who am I? I am a colorless, oderles, non-toxic gas that is much lighter than air. I am the second most abundant and second lightest element in the known universe and am one of the elements believed to have been created in the Big Bang. I am used in balloons and blimps.

E-mail with your answer at:
 dwilliams@reading.k12.ma.us
Include the element's chemical symbol.
Image taken from: abbmoonwalks.com

Element of the Day - Thursday, June 9th, 2011

Who am I? I am a hard, slivery-white, grayish, magnetic metal. I have been used since ancient times. 30% of the world's supply of me comes from Canada. I am used in alloys, coins, magnets, some kinds of batteries, and plating (covering) other metals. E-mail me with your answer at:
dwilliams@reading.k12.ma.us

Include the element's chemical symbol.

Image taken from: wholesalebatteries.us

Element of the Day - Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Who am I? I am a colorless, inert gas that, while common in the universe, I am rather rare on Earth. I am used in advertising signs and lights.

E-mail me with your answer @
dwilliams@reading.k12.ma.us

Include the element's chemical symbol.
Image from: global-b2b-network.com

Element of the Day - Tuesday, June 7th, 2011

Who am I? I am a strong, gray, magnetic metal used in the construction of buildings, steel, and machines. My density is 7.87 g/cm3. E-mail me with your answer at dwilliams@reading.k12.ma.us

Include the element's chemical symbol.
Image taken from: mesh-wirecloth.com