Recently our Kindergarten students have been learning about how the sun warms the earth. In Science Lab, they each built a tail for a cardboard cat, using special beads that change color in the sunlight. Then they got to design and built shelters to protect the cats from the sun, and test them by looking for the color change. I love watching students do a project like this, where they get to create a solution to a problem. Their ideas never cease to amaze me.
In the Science Lab, we sometimes get creative. Designing and building things helps us understand how the world works, and helps us learn how to solve problems. Here are some of the activities we’ve been doing lately in the lab, many of which develop creative problem-solving skills. Plus they’re really fun! Recently our Kindergarten students have been learning about how the sun warms the earth. In Science Lab, they each built a tail for a cardboard cat, using special beads that change color in the sunlight. Then they got to design and built shelters to protect the cats from the sun, and test them by looking for the color change. I love watching students do a project like this, where they get to create a solution to a problem. Their ideas never cease to amaze me. First graders built models of the Sun, Earth and Moon. Their models are small, but accurately show how the Moon moves around the Earth and how the Earth moves around the Sun. Building models is a great way to learn about big topics like astronomy. Second graders have been learning about solids, liquids and gases, and will be exploring their properties more soon. Some of these activities will get messy, much to their delight. Third graders built anemometers to measure wind speed, since they are in a Weather unit. Fourth graders continue their study of Energy by transferring kinetic energy from one object to another - or, in other words, crashing Hot Wheels cars in one another. Fifth graders created food chains - they are studying Ecosystems in preparation for their upcoming field trip. Sixth graders are learning about atoms. Each chose an element and designed an Element Superhero, with appropriate superpowers. Again, a chance for them to learn through creativity, and a chance for me to learn just how creative they can be.
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May 2022
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