Week of March 3 - 7

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

• Kindergarten and 4th grade: We finished our last lessons of StarLab.
• 1st grade: I didn't get to see my first grade friends for a science lesson this week because of Dragon Day, but I'm excited to learn about the parts of plants after Spring Break!
• 2nd grade: We discussed the water cycle and started an experiment regarding evaporation. Your student will monitor the experiment for the next week with his/her homeroom teacher.
• 3rd grade: We made and experimented with foam flyers.

Upcoming Events:

• March 27: Our amazing PTO funded our first ever "Family Science Night." FSN is hosted by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The museum will have various science stations -- including a StarLab -- available for students to explore between 6-8 pm. All families that attend will receive 2 adult passes and 2 child passes to enter the museum for free. In addition, the Fort Worth Astronomical Society will set up giant telescopes in the playground area, starting at 6:30. Mark it on your calendar -- it will be a fun night! Find out more about it by clicking HERE.

Have a fun (and safe!) Spring Break!

Week of February 25 - March 1

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

• Kindergarten: We are still learning about energy, but this week, we focused on sound! We had fun playing various sound guessing games. Home extension: take your child for a walk or bike ride and allow him/her to vocalize his/her sound observations. Discuss how and why sound is important and can keep us safe.
• 1st grade: We learned about light energy this week by seeing which objects light can travel through. Home extension: give your child a flashlight and allow him/her to shine it on various objects around the house, seeing which objects are transparent.
• 2nd grade: We focused on the water cycle this week. We made our own mini-version of the water cycle in Ziploc baggies at our tables, and we even turned it into an experiment! Home extension: ask your child to share the observations of the mini-water cycle today. Was his/her hypothesis correct?
• 3rd grade: We started week 1 of our study on simple machines today. Today's focus was the lever. We learned the parts of a lever and how we can move the fulcrum to reduce our amount of work. Home extension: Ask your child to find examples of simple machines around the house. I bet you have tons!
• 4th grade: I didn't get to see all of my 4th grade friends today, due to Dragon Day. But I've got something exciting planned for them next week!

By the way: Dr. Johnston, Mrs. LeJeune, and I are hosting a mini-science camp over Spring Break this year! To get more information and/or sign up, please visit THIS link or scan the QR code below with your mobile device.

Week of February 18 - 22

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

• Kindergarten:We explored a different kind of energy today: heat energy! We performed a quick experiment to find out how heat affects hard and gummy lifesavers before playing a sorting game with heat source cards. Home extension: allow your child to join in the cooking fun with a meal that involves a microwave or oven. Seeing that heat helped transformed the ingredients into a delicious  meal will help solidify our knowledge of heat energy.
• 1st grade: We learned about heat energy in the form of friction today. We learned that rubbing our hands together creates friction, which creates heat. We tested various objects around the room to see which caused heat from the friction. Home extension: allow your student to continue this investigation at home by encouraging him/her to test various items for heat from friction. You can also play the mini-friction game we played online by clicking HERE.
• 2nd grade: We focused on light energy today and performed a series of activities to investigate it. You can view the activities by clicking HERE. Home extension: Play the Prezi presentation with your child close by, and ask him/her to describe the activities to you. Most can be recreated at home, which would be so fun!
• 3rd grade: We did an investigation about gravity today; we tested various objects to see which would fall first. We also learned a little bit about Isaac Newton and his 3 laws of motion. Home extension: allow your student to do some independent research over Isaac Newton to see how else he contributed to science. 
• 4th grade: We learned more about the water cycle, its source of energy, and the fact that water molecules are constantly moving through the water cycle by playing a game. Home extension: Ask your student to describe our water cycle movement game and what they learned. Do water molecules always follow the exact path of the water cycle? What makes the water in the water cycle move?

Green Thumb Club members: our next meeting is Tuesday, February 26. Hope to see you there!

Donations: We would greatly appreciate any Kleenex and/or empty syrup bottles that you could donate!

Week of February 11 - 15

Here's what happened in Science Lab this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about light energy by focusing on sources of light. We went on a "light scavenger hunt" to find things that provide light, recorded our findings in our notebooks, and played a "light charades" game. Home extension: go on a light scavenger hunt of your own at your home. Try to find as many light sources as possible -- even the smallest light counts!
• 1st grade: We learned a little more about magnets this week by going "magnet fishing." Using a magnet tied to the end of a string, students were able to "fish" inside a baggie filled with "little fish" (small paper clips) and "big fish" (large paper clips) to see which would allow them to catch the most fish. We graphed our results and then just did some "fishing" for fun afterwards. Home extension: Using a refrigerator magnet and a bunch of paper clips, allow your student to conduct a quick experiment to see how many paper clips their magnet can hold. Is the amount different, based on which magnet you use? Hmm. I'd love to know your answers!
• 2nd grade: We focused on the moon this week. We learned why the moon looks so small when it is actually quite large, and we learned more about how it rotates around our Earth and shows different "phases" along the way. Home extension: Allow your child to track the moon phases each night. Are there any patterns?
• 3rd grade: We explored magnets by making magnetic cars today! We had so much fun pushing and pulling our cars -- without even touching them! -- around the room. Home extension: the students were able to take home all parts of the car except the magnets. If you have a couple of magnets at home, you could recreate this activity in the kitchen or living room.
• 4th grade: We learned more about the water cycle by creating an actual water cycle inside our room. Home extension: ask your child to describe our water cycle model from today, and see if you can figure out a way to recreate it using items in your house. Talk to your student about how this model mimics the real water cycle. 

Week of January 21 - 25

Here is what happened in the lab this week:

• Kindergarten: I didn't get to see my kindergarten friends because of this Monday's school holiday, but I can't wait to see them next week! We are going to have a blast.
• 1st grade: We learned about magnets this week by seeing what a magnet can attract and what it doesn't attract. Home extension: Give your student a magnet off the refrigerator and allow him/her to walk around the house, exploring magnetic capabilities. {Students have already been instructed that magnets are harmful to electronic devices and should be kept away from them!}
• 2nd grade: Since I had the flu on our special Teacher of the Day back in December, we rescheduled it to allow my new "teacher" to help in the lab on this day. Miss B. helped the second graders learn more about magnets, focusing specifically on compasses. Students were able to make their own compass in class before participating in a small "cardinal direction treasure hunt" with their shoulder buddy. Home extension: If you have a straight pin, a piece of Styrofoam, and a magnet, you could allow your student to make a compass at home. Hide a "treasure" for your student somewhere around the house, and allow your student to use their homemade compass to find it while you give them instructions about which direction to turn.
• 3rd grade: We explored the water cycle this week. Students were able to see a demonstration of a water cycle right in our Science Lab while we simultaneously made a cool, sliding craft to help remind them of the water cycle. Home extension: Ask your student to describe the water cycle demonstrate he/she saw in the Lab this week, and brainstorm a way to recreate this demonstration -- using different, household materials -- at your home.
• 4th grade: I was unable to see my 4th grade friends this week, due to Dragon Day, but I definitely look forward to seeing them next week!

**Notice: StarLab is coming to Old Union, starting next week! It will be in the Science Lab from January 28 to February 8. If possible, please allow younger students to wear shoes that don't tie (Velcro, slip-on, etc.) on their Science Lab day. Older students may consider bringing a clean pair of socks. Since no shoes are allowed inside our delicate StarLab, socks are required to go inside. I can't wait!