Where is Spring?

We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of some warm, sunny and dry weather so we can get outside. The garden needs to be readied for our spring planting of pumpkin seeds by JK and 3rd graders. JK is also waiting to discover what has happened on the nature trail in the last few months. April showers do bring May flowers, but it needs to warm up soon. The first graders are still studying the weather (a year-long unit)so this month brings up a lot of questions. What is normal weather? How long will this last? When will the flowers start to bloom? Can we see our shadow on a day like today? Next week the first graders will be up in the lab to explore the water cycle and discover what makes it rain (or snow, or sleet, or hail). Maybe we can do a "sunshine" dance to make the clouds go away. The second graders celebrated their return to school after spring break with a delicious pancake breakfast, featuring our own USM maple syrup. We collected 20 gallons of sap from our 4 maple trees, and that boiled down to 2 quarts of thick, amber brown syrup. It was the best crop yet, and was a fun learning experience for all the second graders. The 3rd graders are finishing up their space travels. Just before break, they studied what happens to astronauts' bones while on long space flights. They designed an experiment to see how bones can be made stronger. They tested their designs using 3"x5" index cards, a little tape, and some gravel. Their bone models supported at least 4-5 reams of paper (about 20-25 pounds of weight). The 3rd graders will finish up their year with a unit on mass and volume. The 4th graders are busily preparing for the annual science fair, which will be held in Mellowes Hall on May 1st. They are very excited about preparing a poster session which they will be able to share with everyone on the 1st. The students are also getting ready for the 4th grade Wisconsin trip, which will bring to life their studies of caves and glaciers. Lastly, on Wednesday night, April 10th, some 4th graders and their families will participate in the first-ever S.T.E.M. Family Night. The families will be given an engineering challenge to be completed together. So, you can see that there are lots of activities going on throughout Lower School science. Stay tuned to this blog to find out more.