Week of January 14 - 18

Here is what we did in the lab this week:

• Kindergarten: This week, we did a magnet exploration. Students were able to rotate to test a variety of objects for its magnetic ability. Home extension: give your student a magnet from the refrigerator and allow him/her to explore the magnetic objects in your home. {Students have already been cautioned to keep magnets clear of computers and other electronic devices, so there should be no worries!}
• 1st grade: This week, we worked on observing and recording changes in the moon. Since our Science Lab lessons take place during the day time, we had to use a couple of videos to show how the moon changes its appearance. We practiced making each moon shape in a pie plate filled with sugar, and then we played some moon games. Home extension: once it gets dark, take your student outside to "moon watch." See if he/she can identify the shape of the moon in the night sky. I've encouraged my first grade friends to keep a moon observation journal at home to document what they see!
• 2nd grade: This was week 2 of our pendulum investigation. We have been studying ways objects move, so we were testing our pendulums this week to figure out if the length of our pendulum affected its swing. Home extension: during daily activity or errand-running, ask your student to be on the lookout for pendulums in everyday life. If you ask your 2nd grader about pendulums, he/she should be able to give you a list of examples of pendulums we see every day.
• 3rd grade: We completed week 2 of our planets in the solar system investigation. This week, we reviewed the planets and the order they appear in the sky. Then we used ratios and our measuring skills to make models of the planets; we demonstrated how far each planet is from the sun. Home extension: ask your 3rd grader to show you how far away the planets are from the Sun and to explain astronomical units (AUs).
• 4th grade: We started our force, motion, and energy unit this week by talking about conductors and insulators. Students were able to use strips of foil, D Cell batteries, a light bulb, and various random items to see which materials are conductors and which materials are insulators. Home extension: If you have some aluminum foil, a D Cell battery, and a light bulb at your house, your can allow your student to demonstrate how some objects are conductors and some are insulators. Ask your student to pick 5 of each and show them to you in a presentation.

Green Thumb Club members: our next meeting is Tuesday, January 22. Hope to see you there!

Week of January 8 - 11

Hello, everyone!

Our first week back to school went so well. Here's a look at what we did in the lab this week:

• Kindergarten: Because of our Teacher Work Day on Monday, I didn't get to see my kinder friends this week. I'm looking forward to seeing them next Monday, though!
• 1st grade: We learned about clouds this week. Specifically, we learned about the different types of clouds and what they look like. Home extension: go outside with your student and "cloud watch" with them. Allow your student to try to identify the types of clouds in the sky.
• 2nd grade: We started week 1 of our two week project on pendulums and how things move. This week, we answered the question, "Will the mass of a pendulum affect its swing?" Home extension: ask your student to tell you about week 1 of our pendulum project and describe some ways that objects can move.
• 3rd grade: We started week 1 of our two week project over planets in the solar system. This week, we learned more about each planet and how big each planet is. Home extension: With your student, research why Pluto is not considered a planet anymore, and have your student tell you about each of the 8 remaining planets.
• 4th grade: We investigated mass and density by measuring various liquids' mass, and then adding them to our "density tower." Students were able to predict the layers of the tower based on physical properties, and then they had an opportunity to change their hypothesis after they learned the masses of all the liquids. It ended up looking pretty neat! Home extension: if you have any of the liquids or materials listed on this experiment page, feel free to try this investigation at home. Because of time constraints in class, we didn't have an opportunity to investigate all of the materials listed on Steve Spangler's experiment page, so... try it at home!

December 10 - 14

I guess the countdown is officially on for winter break; I heard lots of kids remind me that next week is the last week until "next year." :)

Here's our weekly update:

• Kindergarten: We learned more about the patterns in the Earth, specifically focusing on the seasons and the patterns of day and night. Students brainstormed some fabulous ideas about what special things happen in each season, got to add a picture to a part of our season mural, and played a game that involved reading and thermometer and dressing a teddy bear appropriately for the weather. Home extension: Pick out a tree near your home, and "adopt" it with your student. Allow your student to observe the changes of the tree over the course of a year. Students could even write or draw their observations in a home notebook.
• 1st grade: We studied weather and air this week. We read a book that taught us more about various types of weather and discussed how weather affects our lives. Then we learned about weather vanes and how they help people make predictions about the weather. Afterwards, we made our own weather vane to take home. Home extension: Allow your student to use his/her weather vane in your back yard at home. He/she can keep a log of the direction of the wind and the temperature for the day; then, he/she can use those patterns to try to start predicting the weather.
• 2nd grade: We created 3 different types of paper airplanes and tested them to see which model flies the furthest. We also observed the ways that airplanes moved in the air and tried to come up with reasons why certain designs flew better than others. Home extension: With your supervision, allow your student to Google paper airplane directions and make a few different kinds. He/she can conduct a similar investigation to this week's lab lesson at home.
• 3rd grade: This was week 2 of our volcano project. On this day, we constructed volcanoes out of soil, sand, water, toilet paper rolls, and baby food jars. We made our volcano models look as lifelike as possible before we activated "eruptions" in each one. Home extension: this website not only tells how to make a "volcano eruption," but it also gives variable suggestions so that students can make this into a true experiment. You may want to allow your student to conduct these experiment extensions in the back yard, due to mess. :)
• 4th grade: We continued our matter investigation this week with a foil boat competition. Each team was challenged to make the strongest boat possible out of 1 foot of aluminum foil. (We measured the strength of our boats with hexagram weights.) Students were able to experiment with boat shape and surface area to see what design would hold the most weight. Home extension: If you have a small, plastic tub and some foil, your student could recreate this investigation at home. He/she could experiment with different lengths and widths of foil and use pennies to measure the amount of weight the boat can hold.

See you next week!