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!