What Sciencey Fun Are You Up To? I miss you!

Calling all scientists! Are you working on anything interesting? Maybe you are designing experiments about how long you can hold your breath in the pool or how long you can stand on your head! Maybe you are making observations about your new fish that you won at the fair! Maybe you learned an interesting new fact or got the chance to explore some amazing place! Please share! We want to know!

Find the Science

For our last class, we will create a Domino Topple and find connections to all of the science we have explored this year!

Everybody S.C.R.E.A.M.!

 I spy energy!

Science Happenings: Last week we had a great time hunting for potential and kinetic energy. We also started to play with energy in our ice cube lab. The challenge was to come up with 3 different ways to melt an ice cube as quickly as possible. I saw our scientists wrap them up and sit on them or put them in their shirts. One group put it in their mouth. A couple groups used the lamp. Several kids used tin foil sunlight and magnifying glasses. One duo held it on their neck and then ran around. A few tried to break it into tiny pieces. Brilliant! Later this week, we will take some time to think about the forms of energy involved in all of these efforts.

Energy explorations will continue with the light up bouncy ball lab and the clucking chicken. I will be introducing the S.C.R.E.A.M. T.ogether acronym to help us wrap our minds around the different forms of energy.

S- Sound (vibration of sound waves)

C- Chemical (fuel, gas, wood, food)

R- Radiant (Light! Like lightbulbs, coils in a toaster, and sunlight.)

E- Electrical (Energy produced by electrons moving through a substance. We mostly see electric energy in batteries and from the outlets in our homes. Electrical energy lights our homes, run motors, and makers our TVs and radios work.)

A- Atomic (is produced when you split atoms. A tremendous amount of energy is released when this happens. Examples: Atomic bombs, nuclear power plants, nuclear submarines, and the sun.)

M- Mechanical (Moving energy. It is the form that we most see around us. All moving objects produce mechanical energy. The movements within machines are also mechanical energy.)

T-Thermal (heat)                                                                                                               Ogether!

At Home: Here is our favorite potential and kinetic energy song! Ole!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vl4g7T5gw1M

Hunting for Energy

This week we will go hunting for potential and kinetic energy which will lead to a lab about forms of energy with light up bouncy balls.

Desalinating Salt Water- An “At Home Try IT” for the Long Weekend Ahead

(By Popular Demand)

 Many countries around the world are experimenting with desalination processes(changing saltwater into freshwater) in order to make more water available for them to use. Desalinating water is a very costly and difficult process, but here’s one experiment that you can do to see how the process works.

You will need the following materials: 2 large bowls, a spoon for stirring, a small drinking glass, tape, plastic wrap (such as Saran wrap), a rock, water and salt.

Directions: Add salt to a bowl of water — stirring until it is dissolved. Taste a drop of water to test the salt level. Next, pour the water into the second bowl until it’s 5 cm (or 2 in.) deep. Put an empty drinking glass into the center of the bowl. The glass should be tall enough to sit higher than the water but short enough so that it is lower than the height of the bowl. Stretch the plastic wrap over the entire bowl so that it is pulled tightly and seal it with tape. Now place the rock on top of the plastic wrap, above the empty glass. Place the whole thing outside in the sun (or on a very sunny window ledge or radiator) for several hours, a whole day or a couple of days. The longer you leave it, the more water you will collect. When you are ready, remove the plastic wrap. There will now be water in the glass. Taste the water again to determine the salt level in the water.

Consider observing the experiment daily and keeping a record of your observations.

 

Water Molecule Madness

The water molecule journey was not what they were expecting! It did not match the traditional water cycle diagram (see image). They did not move in a nice neat predictable pattern. Some of our molecules did nothing but evaporate and precipitate between the mountains and clouds. Some were trapped endlessly between the ocean and the clouds. Others were traveling through various watersheds and eventually transpiring through plants. Although there was a great deal of molecule madness, they had a great time and learned a lot!

Your water molecule is now creating a presentation about their unique journey using their favorite modality. A modality is the way you like to show what you know. Students ranked dance, music, art, building, writing, and theater in order from favorite to least favorite. I am already seeing some amazingly brilliant creations. A group of builders set up books to look like mountains with mini wipe boards as streams. A theater group is doing an interview of one molecule’s particularly tragic adventure and the interpretive dances are awesome!

I also hope to start thinking about who has water, who doesn’t, and why?

Water Ways

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!!!

Science Happenings: Early in the week we will make qualitative and quantitative observations of our evaporation experiments. We will then become water molecules and journey through the water cycle. We will also start to think about who has water, who doesn’t, and why?

Mathy Science: It is Quick Chicken time. Reading to follow directions, problem solving, probability, graphing, and measurement will be assessed.

Home Connection: Here is an AT HOME TRY IT just for fun!

Make a Water Cycle Bag

Overview: Witness evaporation, condensation and precipitation by enclosing water in an airtight bag and leaving it in a warm area. Construct a model water cycle; recognize that water changes from one state to another; and observe the stages of the water cycle.

Materials:

• Gallon-size resealable plastic bag
• Permanent marker
• Plastic clear cup
• Water
•  Blue food coloring
• Duct tape

Procedure:

1. Fill a clear plastic cup half full with colored water and mark the level of the water in the cup (with a marker on the side of the cup). The cups of water represent oceans, rivers and lakes.
2. Place the cup in the bag, taking care not to spill the water into the bag. The bag represents the atmosphere and air.
3.  Seal the bag, leaving some air inside.
4.  Using a piece of duct tape affix bag to a south-facing window (or near a heat source) with the cup nested upright in the lowest corner.
5.  Observe over time! Thoughts? Conclusions? How would you draw and label a diagram of the water cycle on the bag?

Questions: Stop by after school any time to have your scientist share their work! By Friday, you are also more than welcome to become a water molecule with your child and take a trip through the water cycle!

 

Water as Art

One of our labs today was a water scavenger hunt and one of the challenges was to find an example of water as art. Thanks to Mr. Dan, we found this!!!! The kids have NOT seen this yet but we talked about it!!! Check it out!

 Barbican’s Rain Room: it’s raining, but you won’t get wet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkvazIZx-F0

London anyone?

Can you find other examples? (I love it when science and art collide!)

Go With The Flow

What’s Happening: Our Friday labs about surface tension and the properties of water will continue!

Home Connection: Check out this 5 minute video about bubble artist/scientist Keith Johnson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eV6Wh-KX3bY&feature=player_detailpage

Bubbles Galore

      

Lab Happenings: STAR testing begins for our Elementary Multiagers. We will be testing in the mornings Monday-Wednesday. But we WILL get to have some science on Friday! It will be an Open Lab exploring the properties of water.

In the meantime…… here is a fun At Home Try It!

At Home Try It: Bubble Observation

bubble on a table / photo credit Chymist

Explore color and light by viewing an amazing soap bubble up close and personal with this awesome experiment from Beakman and Jax! By holding the flashlight underneath the bubble, the bubble will illuminate with squiggly lines of a variety of colors covering the entire bubble.

Materials: flashlight, clear plastic lid, soda straw, liquid dish soap, water

How To: Mix 2 tbsp of soap into 1/4 cup of water. Go into a dark room (as dark as possible!). Stand the flashlight pointed upwards. Place the lid upside down on top of the flashlight. Pour enough solution to cover the bottom of the lid. You should have soap solution leftover. Wet the straw into the extra solution. Turn the flashlight on. Then, blow one large bubble on the lid with your straw. Be prepared to be AMAZED!

Visit Exploratorium for the scientific explanation.