Modeling Martian Craters

The third grade has just about completed their voyage to Mars, the Red Planet. As their space craft hovers over the crater-marked surface of the 4th planet from the sun, they wonder what could have made all those craters. So, they decided to run some tests. They made impactors out of clay, and dropped them from a measured height into a pan of flour and paprika which represented the surface of Mars. Students noticed how far the "ejecta" flew from the site of impact, and how deep and wide the crater was. The students also designed a second experiement where they manipulated varibles and determined what affect there was on the crater size and shape. This investigation helped the students understand some of the factors that changed the surface of Mars.

Frog "Hoppinings"

The second graders are into their second week of observing the life cycle of a frog. On Feruary 4th, they came up to the lab to observe some frog eggs that were only 5 days old. One week later, the students came back to see that the egg had changed into a small, wiggly, tadpole. The students discussed the changes that had occurred, and remembered that the process of changing was called "metamorphosis". The students will continue their observations and measurements over the next several months. We are all hoping that we will see the complete metamorphosis take place.