Week of April 22 - 26

Here are this week's Science Lab activities:

• Kindergarten: In honor of Earth Day, we learned more about recycling this week. We learned about what items are okay to recycle, and which are not. We also played a recycling sorting game where we sorted recyclable material into bins: paper, plastic, and glass.Home extension: Ask your student to help you sort trash from recycling items.
• 1st grade: I didn't get to see my 1st grade friends this week because of the STAAR exams I helped monitor. But I have something exciting planned for them next week, and I can't wait to see them again!
• 2nd grade: We learned about a super-cool boat made entirely out of recyclable materials called Plastiki. We also brainstormed ways to help our ocean's pollution problem. Home extension: Ask your student to tell you his/her plan for encouraging others to use less plastic and to recycle more.
• 3rd grade: I didn't get to see my 3rd grade friends this week because of STAAR makeup exams, but I have something exciting planned for them next week, and I can't wait to see them again!
• 4th grade: We not only learned about the solar energy this week, but we also learned about the importance of sun screen! We tested various types of sunscreen against UV-reactive paper to figure out which piece of paper got the hottest and/or changed colors due to the UV rays. It was definitely a lesson to remember! Home extension: Help your student pick out sunscreen to wear every day -- clouds or shine! He/she can explain which SPF worked best in our investigation, and why wearing sunscreen is important.

Earth Day Celebration

Ladybugs are said to be friends of gardens because they help get rid of unwanted pests and their eggs. Today, to celebrate Earth Day, OUES students released ladybugs into the air around our school in the hopes of helping our gardens, forests, and the rest of the environment.  Below is a video of the event (special thanks to Mrs. Loomis and Mrs. McArthur for taking pictures, and to Mrs. McArthur for putting together our Animoto video!). 

Happy Earth Day!

Week of April 15 - 19

Here's what happened in the Science Lab this week:

• Kindergarten: My kinder friends and I explored pillbugs (more commonly known as roly polies) this week. We got to observe them, learn more about roly polies and their lifecycle, and make a little roly poly craft to take home. Home extension: We talked this week about what roly polies eat; allow your student to use this informaton to help them keep a roly poly pet in a jar for a little while!
• 1st grade: This was week 2 of our seed investigation. This week, we observed 6 different kinds of seeds and sorted them before planting our own seed to take home and nurture. Home extension: allow your student to place his/her plant in a sunny windowsill, and remind him/her to water it every day. You could even give your student an extra challenge: measure the plant's growth every day to see how quickly it grows!
• 2nd grade: We got to share our animal research information today to the rest of the class. It was so much fun learning new information about every animal! We'll use this information later to create our own ocean food chain during Science Lab. Home extension: Ask your student to share facts about 2-3 animals they heard about from classmates today.
• 3rd grade: This was week 2 of our owl study, and it was messy! Students were able to dive right into dissecting their owl pellet this week. Students worked for almost the whole hour to uncover bones and clean them off for next week's project. Home extension: Do a Google search for "live owl webcam." There are several to choose from online; they provide an opportunity to watch barn owls in action 24/7!
• 4th grade: We tested the effects of gravity and air resistance with a challenge today: we had to build our own parachute with the most "hang time." Students had to work with their team to decide on appropriate materials before constructing and testing their parachute. Home extension: provide students with some string and a grocery sack or piece of tissue paper and allow him/her to continue the investigation at home.

 Green Thumb Club members: our next meeting is Tuesday, April 23. Hope to see you there!

Earth Day: Earth Day is April 22, but we'll be celebrating it all week long in the Science Lab next week! We'll start on Monday morning with a ladybug release -- all students will get to release a ladybug into the wild. Ladybugs are considered a garden's best friend (acting as a pest control) so we know they'll do wonderful things both for OUES's garden and for surrounding neighbors' gardens! If you're interested in playing a super-cool, online recycling game, check out Recycle City's Dumptown Game.

Week of April 8 - 12

Here's a review of our Science Lab activities for this week:

• Kindergarten: We worked on our sorting skills again today; this time, we sorted plants and other objects we found after taking a walk through the playground. Students had to come up with a "sorting rule" at their tables -- I was so impressed with their work! We also looked at how baby plants and animals look like their parents. Home extension: Take your student on a walk and allow him/her to collect random items. When you get home, ask your student to find a sorting rule so that every item has a specific group.
• 1st grade: First graders are spending two weeks learning about seeds! Today, we looked at the parts of a lima bean and compared them to the parts of a red bean. We soaked the seeds in water so we could dissect them more easily. Home extension: Ask your student to summarize this investigation at home, and then recreate it using different seeds.
• 2nd grade: We focused on learning more about marine biology this week by researching a little about sea creatures. Each student received an informational sheet about their animal and a realistic replica; students could work with a partner to find out more about this animal. We're going to share our results with the rest of the class next week. We are so excited to learn more about the ocean's food chains! Home extension: Ask your student about their assigned sea animal.
• 3rd grade: This was week #1 of our three-week project over owls. Students got to learn more about owls --  specifically, the barn owl -- and their pellets. We examined the outside of the pellets and prepared to dissect them fully next week. Home extension: If your student is excited about dissecting the pellets, allow him/her to practice with a virtual dissection. {Click HERE to access the virtual dissection.} He/she could practice identifying bones!
• 4th grade: We learned about electromagnets before conducting an investigation about electromagnets: does the number of coils make a difference? Home extension: Ask your student to summarize the electromagnet investigation from today. If you have a nail, a battery, and some wire at home, he/she could even recreate it to show you how neat an electromagnet is!

Week of April 1 - 5

Welcome back! I hope you enjoyed the 3-day weekend; I sure did!

Here's what we did in the Science Lab this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about plant lifecycles before planting our own [green bean] seed. Most students took the planted seeds home, but I think that at least one classroom teacher had the seeds stay in the classroom so she could help her students watch the plants grow daily. Either way, when the planted seed comes to you, please remind your student to place it in a sunny spot (like a windowsill) and water it every day. When the plant gets bigger, you can transfer it to a bigger pot or to an outside space where it has more room to grow. Enjoy your green beans! Home extension: if you have a garden, allow your student to help plant, weed, and water. If you don't have a garden, letting your student plant 1 seed of his/her choice to keep and nurture in his/her room would be great!
• 1st grade and 2nd grade: I did not get to see my 1st grade friends this week, due to the STAAR writing exam that I helped monitor. I can't wait to see them next week, though!
• 3rd grade: We reviewed measurement methods today by participating in some measurement centers. We reviewed area, perimeter, length, and width. Home extension: There are lots of opportunities to practice measurement at home! Make up a problem that requires measurement, and allow your student to solve it for you. For instance, maybe you need a rug to fit the living room; your student could measure the length and width of the room to figure out how big of a rug to buy. They could also calculate how many square inches or feet of fabric you'd need to buy if you were going to make the rug yourself.
• 4th grade: We made electroscopes today, and each student got to take home their creation! Home extension: Ask your student to dig their homemade electroscope out of his/her backpack and show you how it works!

 Green Thumb Club members: our next meeting is Tuesday, April 9. Hope to see you there!

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs

If you're free April 7th, here's something you and your student might be interested in attending: