Grandparents and Special Friends Day was an exciting time in the science lab. When the students and their guests came into the lab, they found Dixie cups full to the brim with water. Everyone made a prediction as to how many more drops of water could be added to the almost overflowing cup. Guesses ranged from one drop to about 30 drops. After the prediction was made, students, and some of the special guests too, started adding water, drop by drop. It was simply amazing to see the dome of water grow to almost a quarter inch above the cup rim without overflowing. Most of the students were able to add at least 150 drops, if not more before spilling. There were many who even made it above 250 drops. This was a great way to demonstrate some of the properties of water, like surface tension, and cohesion.
The last part of the special lab had the students and their guests making paper cups by folding a square piece of paper. Many took the directions home to amaze their friends and families at the dinner table on Thanksgiving. It also saved a little on washing dishes.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Time for a Change
As you can see, the fall season is in full swing. The weather is changing daily, and snow is in the forecast for the northern part of our state. The first graders have been keeping track of the daily temperatures and I'm sure they can tell you what's happening with the temperatures and maybe even give a few good reasons why.
The second graders are finishing up their study of "Living vs. Non-Living, using brine shrimp as their observation models. They set up a controlled experiment (keeping all conditions alike, except for one)and observed changes occurring in the two containers. Students reviewed what makes something "alive" and also what makes something an "animal". The conclusion is that living organisms don't have to look or act alive throughout their whole life cycle.
Right after the Thanksgiving break, the second graders will begin their study of sound. So, plan on hearing lots of "good" noises coming from the science lab.
The 3rd graders have completed their unit on plants, and are looking forward to the spring when they can plant the pumpkin patch with their SK buddies. All the pumpkins you see in front of the Lower School came from our very own pumpkin patch. We hope to plant enough this spring that next fall's SK students will be able to pick their own pumpkin right here on our USM Campus.
The third graders next unit of science will start right after winter break. They better rest up during the vacation, because they will be heading to Mars and space.
The 4th graders have completed their study of food webs, predators, prey, and what an apex predator is. They reconstructed skeletons from the bones found in their owl pellets and from that evidence could describe the transfer of energy from the producer level up to the apex predator level. Their skeleton reconstructions will be on display shortly in the 3rd floor hallways.
After a short break to take the ERB's, the 4th graders will take an in-depth look at Lake Michigan and the alien invaders that live there. This unit is called, "Aliens Aren't Always Green", and has the students following the real scientific research of Drs. Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar from the Great Lakes Water Institute and JASON Project host researchers. These two scientists will also take time out of their very busy schedules to spend some time working with the 4th graders, discussing alien species like the Quagga and Zebra mussels. We'll keep you posted about our invader investigations.
The second graders are finishing up their study of "Living vs. Non-Living, using brine shrimp as their observation models. They set up a controlled experiment (keeping all conditions alike, except for one)and observed changes occurring in the two containers. Students reviewed what makes something "alive" and also what makes something an "animal". The conclusion is that living organisms don't have to look or act alive throughout their whole life cycle.
Right after the Thanksgiving break, the second graders will begin their study of sound. So, plan on hearing lots of "good" noises coming from the science lab.
The 3rd graders have completed their unit on plants, and are looking forward to the spring when they can plant the pumpkin patch with their SK buddies. All the pumpkins you see in front of the Lower School came from our very own pumpkin patch. We hope to plant enough this spring that next fall's SK students will be able to pick their own pumpkin right here on our USM Campus.
The third graders next unit of science will start right after winter break. They better rest up during the vacation, because they will be heading to Mars and space.
The 4th graders have completed their study of food webs, predators, prey, and what an apex predator is. They reconstructed skeletons from the bones found in their owl pellets and from that evidence could describe the transfer of energy from the producer level up to the apex predator level. Their skeleton reconstructions will be on display shortly in the 3rd floor hallways.
After a short break to take the ERB's, the 4th graders will take an in-depth look at Lake Michigan and the alien invaders that live there. This unit is called, "Aliens Aren't Always Green", and has the students following the real scientific research of Drs. Russell Cuhel and Carmen Aguilar from the Great Lakes Water Institute and JASON Project host researchers. These two scientists will also take time out of their very busy schedules to spend some time working with the 4th graders, discussing alien species like the Quagga and Zebra mussels. We'll keep you posted about our invader investigations.
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