Week of March 24 - 28

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

• Kindergarten: We learned the difference between living and non-living things.
• 1st grade: We learned about bats' extraordinary senses of smell and hearing by playing a "Mama Bat" game and testing our echolocation skills.
• 2nd grade: We learned more about wind and made anemometers.
• 3rd grade: We continued our investigation over simple machines by focusing on the inclined plane and the wedge this week.
• 4th grade: We investigated circuits by making our own with our shoulder buddy.

Special Thanks:

• Family Science Night: Our amazing PTO funded our first ever "Family Science Night," and I am so happy to report that it was a great success! Family Science Night was hosted by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; the museum had various science stations available for students to explore between 6-8 pm. All families that attended received 2 adult passes and 2 child passes to enter the museum for free. In addition, the Fort Worth Astronomical Society set up giant telescopes in the playground area and helped students and their families pick out the constellations and various other objects in the night sky. A big thanks goes to each of these organizations for providing a fun time for us! Here's a video with some pictures of the evening:

Week of March 17 - 21

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

• Kindergarten: We explored magnets by making magnet kites and having a magnet race.
• 1st grade: We learned about the parts of a plant and dissected a flower.
• 2nd grade: We showed off our knowledge of weather and how it determines what clothes we wear, what transportation we take, and what activities we participate in.
• 3rd grade: We started our three week mini-unit over simple machines by studying the lever.
• 4th grade: We learned about insulators and conductors while making circuits.

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.

Week of January 6 - 10

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

• Kindergarten: I didn't see my kinder friends this week because they were still enjoying the winter holiday break. :) I'm excited to see them next week, though!
• 1st grade: We learned more about clouds and made models of them out of cotton balls. 
• 2nd grade: We continued our investigations over force and motion by conducting an experiment to see if a plane's design affects the way it moves.
• 3rd grade: We learned more about the our solar system and its components by playing some space games.
• 4th grade: We started a 2-week investigation about matter and mass by dehydrating fruit to see how much of it is liquid.

Upcoming Events:

• February 4th: 4th graders will do a special STEM program. A company called All About Learning will come to our school and teach students more about wind energy and wind turbines. Thank you to our wonderful PTO for providing this opportunity!
• February 19 - March 4: StarLab is visiting OUES. Please make sure your student wears socks during on Science Lab days during that time. Younger students may wish to wear slip-on or Velcro shoes, as we will need to take our shoes off before we get into the tent. 
• March 27: Our amazing PTO funded our first ever "Family Science Night" this year. 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!

Week of December 16 - 20

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

• Kindergarten: We reviewed the 4 seasons and Earth's patterns.
• 1st grade: We learned more about what animals do in the winter before making a bird feeder to take home.
• 2nd grade: We finished our mini-unit over pendulums. Be sure to ask your 2nd grader what affects the swing of a pendulum!
• 3rd grade: Because of "Kids Rule the School," 3rd grade had a special teacher -- Miss C. Miss C. taught our 3rd graders more about weather, played a weather game, and read a book. 
• 4th grade: We investigated a mystery matter called "Oobleck." Ask your student if this matter was a solid or a liquid.

Upcoming Events:

• January 7th: 4th graders are doing a matter activity that involves different kinds of fruit: grapes, plums oranges, apples, pears, grapefruits, peaches, and strawberries. We will not be eating the fruit, but we will be touching it. If your child needs to avoid any of the above-mentioned fruits, please contact me. 
• February 4th: 4th graders will do a special STEM program. A company will come to our school and teach students more about wind energy and wind turbines. Thank you to our wonderful PTO for providing this opportunity!
• February 19 - March 4: StarLab is visiting OUES. Please make sure your student wears socks during on Science Lab days during that time. Younger students may wish to wear slip on or Velcro shoes, as we will need to take our shoes off before we get into the tent. 
• March 27: Our wonderful 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!

Have a fantastic winter break! See you in January!

Week of December 9 - 13

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

• Kindergarten & 4th grade: We didn't have school on Monday and Tuesday this week, due to a surprise snow day!
• 1st grade: We made wind vanes and learned how to use them to find out how hard the wind is blowing.
• 2nd grade: We started a two-week project over pendulums. Ask your second grader what the investigation question was this week.
• 3rd grade: We concluded our two-week volcano project today by building volcanoes and making them "erupt."

Upcoming Events:

• December 17: 4th graders will investigate a "mystery substance" during Science Lab. If your student is allergic to cornstarch, please contact me ASAP. Thanks!
• January 7th: 4th graders are doing a matter activity that involves different kinds of fruit: grapes, plums oranges, apples, pears, grapefruits, peaches, and strawberries. We will not be eating the fruit, but we will be touching it. If your child needs to avoid any of the above-mentioned fruits, please contact me. 

December 17 - 20

We had a great last week of school in 2012 at Old Union! Check it out:

• Kindergarten: We learned a little about constellations before constructing our own constellation with white crayons and star stickers. Students were able to work on their presentation skills when they told the class about their creation. Students also learned more about the three types of clouds: Cirrus, Stratus, and Cumulus.
• 1st grade: We learned a little about snow, weather, and animals' winter habits today. We made "snow" with my special "snow powder," compared its mass to that of plastic bear weights, and drew snowflakes of our own. Finally, we talked about what animals do in the winter and how they get food. We decided to construct a simple, yet effective, animal/bird feeder out of Cheerios and pipe cleaners.
• 2nd grade: We did an investigation about friction and movement patterns today. We had 3 different surfaces to test: cardboard, wax paper, and sand paper. Each table was assigned one of the three surfaces and was instructed to conduct 3 different tests with each one. We wanted to know how quickly a toy car would race down the ramps of different surfaces when the ramps were held at different heights above the table, and we wanted to know what movement patterns these cars would exhibit, based on their surface on which they raced.
• 3rd grade: This was "Kids Rule the School" day, and I was supposed to be the teaching assistant of the fabulous Miss B. on this day. Unfortunately, I had to stay home sick with the flu on both Wednesday and Thursday, and the Science Lab was cancelled altogether on Thursday. I'm looking forward to making up that day and having a new "teacher" in my room, though! :)
• 4th grade: We experimented with a "mystery substance" today called Oobleck. I pre-made the Oobleck due to time constraints, but students were responsible for trying to figure out if it is a solid or a liquid -- it was tricky, and I think it's still up for debate! 

I'm not including any "home extensions" in this post because I want you to take these next two weeks to relax and spend time with your families. Learning is always important, of course, but families are much more important.

Thank you to all who stopped by this week to wish me a merry Christmas or to drop a little something on my desk. I feel truly blessed to be a part of such a loving and generous school and community. 

I wish you and yours the happiest holiday of them all. See you in two weeks!

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!

December 3 - 7

Wow! I cannot believe it is already December! We are having such a blast in Science Lab that time has been flying. :)

Before we get to the weekly update, I just wanted to say an extra THANK YOU to all of those that helped or supported OUES's first annual Super Science Sale last week! It was a lot of fun and a great success! 

Here's what we did this week:

• Kindergarten: We learned about temperature this week. We studied how the temperature changes through the year, how temperature impacts our lives, and how to measure temperature. Home extension: If you don't already, start having conversations with your student about the daily temperature, and let him/her decide what to wear, based on the weather.
• 1st grade: We learned all about air this week. We learned that wind is moving air, and we did an investigation to figure out how much wind it takes to move certain objects. Home extension: Ask your child about the wind investigation and allow him/her to re-create it at home with random, household objects.
• 2nd grade: We learned more about sound energy this week. We saw how sound waves look by modeling them on an slinky, we made "clucking chicken" noises with sponges and cups, and then we made our own cup telephones. It was fun to observe the vibrations and the way sound travels. Home extension: Fill various-sized glasses with water and allow your student to tap them with a spoon to create sound.
• 3rd grade: This was week 1 of our volcano exploration unit! Students learned all about volcanoes and made a model volcano on paper. We are so excited to create model volcanoes with soil and sand next week...and even more excited to make them explode! Home extension: While your driving for errands or the holidays, ask your student to look out the window and identify as many landforms as possible. There probably won't be any volcanoes where you're going (), but we've learned about other landforms, too, that your student could be on the lookout for.
• 4th grade: This was our first week into our matter unit, and we kicked it off with a fun investigation about making potatoes float. We got to conduct an experiment with our table groups to see if potatoes will float in salt or sugar water, and, if so, how many spoonfuls of sugar or salt it takes to make the potatoes float. Home extension: Allow your student to try a variation of this experiment at home by taking something that doesn't usually float and adding salt or sugar 1 spoonful at a time to see if you can make it float. Your 4th grader is an expert at this, so let them show you how it works! 

Green Thumb Club members, if you and your child would like to attend the Tuesday, December 11 meeting at Calloway's Nursery, please arrange transportation for your child. We will begin the meeting at 3:15 pm. If your child can't attend, no worries! We will gladly welcome him or her back at our next meeting on Tuesday, January 22.