November Happenings

We just had to do some cooking in the science lab during the month of November. All classes got to see what yeast does in baking and the best part was tasting the yumminess of the cinnamon raisin bread baked in small wax cups in a skillet. Who would have thought a person could bake under those conditions? Students compared bread made with and without yeast and were amazed at the fact that yeast is actually a living organism related to the fungi family!

October Happenings in the Lab

Students met Mel for the first time - she is a miniature dachshund puppy that will be visiting the lab from time to time.

Kindergarten students participated in activities that centered around similarities and differences of living organisms, to include themselves. First grade students had fun working with magnets. Second grade worked on solids, liquids, and gas activities and even got to make butter. Third grade learned the job of a paleontologist by locating fossils using a coordinate map and making replica fossils of mold, cast, and trace fossils. Fourth grade played the part of weathermen and made cloud cover graphs, anemometers, barometers, etc. Finally, fifth grade developed an understanding of animal classification and even created their own dichotomous keys.

November is going to be a great time, as well. We will be doing group building activities and see who can build a spaghetti tower taller. Students will also understand the importance of yeast (living organism) and how it is beneficial to us. Students will make bread with and without yeast.

Finishing up September in the Lab

I have to start with a BIG thank you to Liberty Elementary School's PTO who bought a super-duper nice microscope for the kids to use!!! Second, a big thank you to the school's science committee for their untiring dedication to not only the school's first ever Science Night, but to their untiring dedication to implementing a love of science chool-wide.

We have been busy this month in the lab. We have played the parts of meteorologists predicting weather and astronomers charting the stars. Second grade changed a liguid to a solid making butter, and at the same time learning how hard it was to live a long time ago. ...And in case you haven't heard, I started bringing my puppy to school-a 9 week old miniature daschund. Her name is Mel and she is fitting right in!

Keep those box tops coming in-all monies received from box tops helps to fund the science lab!

Week of September 4

This week, students in kindergarten are up and about moving like living organisms. First grade students are making wind pictures and second grade students are using gases to make works of art. Third grade students will continue to explore rocks and minerals, and understand that soil is made up of rock. Fourth grade students are counting the stars using scientific sampling techniques and fifth grade continues to look for things they can't see. It is going to be a great week!

Week of August 20, 2012

This week, fourth grade students are learning to plot ordered pair coordinates on a grid map to make constellations. Second grade students are doing inquiry activities on properties of solid objects. First grade students are learning about thermometers and making thermomemeter models. Students in third grade are taking soil samples around the school and recording where the samples are found. Kindergarten students are idenitifying living and non-living things. Finally, fifth grade students are exploring the 'unseen' world by looking through microscopes.

The First Couple Weeks in the Science Lab

Well, the first couple of weeks of school are behind us now and I am excited about this school year! It's going to be a great year of science...I mean school. During the first couple of weeks of science lab, students have learned the rules and procedures, expectations, and emergency procedures. I demonstrated a bit of science magic the first time they saw me by crushing a soda can without touching it. Your child may have come home asking to do this with you. I have posted the directions for this simple experiment under the science experiments tab. The students and I also attempted to answer the BIG question - just What is science? Students cut out pictures and words in magazines and newspapers to show what they thought the answer might be.