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!

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 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!