Science

In science, students are learning about the earth and the forces that shape it. So far they have explored the layers of the earth, the different ways heat is transferred from one object to another, and how convection currents inside the earth’s mantle cause plates to move and shift. Currently the students are puzzling the earth’s land masses together to recreate the ancient continent of Pangaea (one land). This will lead us into our studies of earthquakes and volcanoes.

In celebration of Thanksgiving and winter break, the class also did some fun holiday themed labs.

WHAT MAKES THE BEST EARTH MODEL?

Lab teams dissected and analyzed four different foods, kiwi, apple, hardboiled egg, and milky way, to determine which one they felt made the best model of the earth. For each one, they drew a diagram and listed the model’s strengths and weaknesses. Students also made their own paper models and learned some interesting characteristics about each layer.

EARTH CONSCIOUS HOLIDAY GIFTS

The class made gift bows out of newspapers and old magazines. Students also learned how to make beeswax food wraps and sewed gift bags from burlap sacks.

TOY DAY LAB

The class practiced the steps of the inquiry cycle (scientific method) by developing their own testable questions and subjecting their toys to experiments. Which toy will fall of the swings first? Which toy can roll down the ramp faster? Which toy will hit the ground first when dropped from the top of the play structure?