Greetings to all, and welcome to a new year of Science Specialist Blog. This is where I keep you informed about what has happened during Science Time.
For those of you new to the game (like, say, the entire Kindergarten), the centerpiece of Science Time is the Question Box. Any student who thinks of a science question – any question – at any time – is invited to write it down on a card and stuff it in the box. This includes questions that have baffled your parents at home, as well as questions that you think of during school time.
On Fridays we open the box and your very own Science Specialist tries to reel out a compelling answer. This usually requires something between a single word and three weeks' topic development.
K class:
To get warmed up this week, I introduced the stereomicroscope. Here's my favorite link on stereomicroscopes: Making the microscope loom large in a child's life.
So we looked at some seeds such as these Queen Anne's lace seeds (the ones that stick to your socks)
A few kids got practice using the focus knob. The idea is that ability-to-focus should spread like a mind virus in the classroom and everybody should be using the microscope all week to look at bugs, twigs, sand, fingernails, dust, and so forth.
Elementary:
The plan was to talk about the pond near my house, which is being overwhelmed by duckweed:
and then consider going on to research about "what on earth can we, or should we, do about this? With consideration to these before/after photos
There was, however, a lively interest in whether you can have yourself frozen and then wake up 200 years in the future - - there's a good demonstration waiting to happen here - - stay tuned. (By the way, I usually prepare demonstrations rather than experiments for the class. If I already know what's going to happen, it's not an experiment).
Every science class is better if there is something to smell, too; so I brought in this houseplant which had conveniently blossmed and has a powerful aroma.
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