Happy Holidays, Everyone.

This will be the last post for the 2012 year. My, how time flies. The 4th graders wrapped up their study of the water cycle and invasive species with a visit from a water specialist at the Great Lakes Water Institute, Dr. James Lubner. Dr. Lubner is a professor at UWM and teaches in the School of Freshwater Sciences. He talked about Lake Michigan in particular, and demonstrated how the water cycles through the lake as the seasons change. He also had some preserved specimens of invasive species from the Great Lakes. The 2nd graders are winding up their study of sound. The last thing they tested was to make sounds louder and softer. Since it was the holiday season too, the children used the BoomWhackers to play "Jingle Bells". They did a wonderful job! Happy holidays to everyone and I'll see you all in the new year. Magnets and more simple machines, rivers and caves, rocks and minerals, and many winter hikes coming up in the months ahead. Stay tuned!

I'm Back!

Hello everyone. Mrs. Z. is back in the swing of things again. I had a little setback and missed 3 weeks of school. I can't believe it is the middle of December and almost winter break time. First grade has been very busy observing the weather, clouds and shadows. Students have been noticing that as the days get shorter, their shadows are getting longer. So long in fact, we had to borrow a 50 foot tape measure from the Phy. Ed. department. We are also graphing our results, and our predictions too. Very eye-opening experiences for the first graders. Science lab has been very busy and very noisy. The second graders have been exploring sound, pitch and volume, and have actually played a tune using BoomWhackers. These are plastic tubes of different lengths that make different notes. We are hoping to try "Jingle Bells" right before the break. Students have also been playing the water glass xylophone, rubber bands and sound boxes, PVC pipes, plastic bowls,and tub (dishpan) basses. Lots of great noise coming from the second grade labs. The third graders are investigating simple machines now. They have built levers and tried positioning loads to see where work becomes easier. Students were even able to figure out how to use a lever with only two fingers to lift their classroom teacher completely off the ground. Amazing! Next, the students made inclined planes to test and see how much work was done to move a load. To finish the first half of the Simple Machine unit, students were challenged to design,build and test a Mars Rover that uses a wheel and axle simple machine and the challenge was: "Can the rover scramble across the floor?" Wish us luck. The 4th graders are writing a story that depicts their travels as a drop of water. Through a lab experience, they traveled as a water droplet to many different places, discovering how and in what forms water can exist. When they come back from winter break, they will explore more with water, using river tables, and investigating the effects of salinity, temperature, and pollution on water movement. Students are also beginning to think about the spring science fair that will take place in late April/early May. Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and a relaxing and safe winter break. See everyone in January. Watch for some exciting, new family science activities for the Lower School. Take care.