October 20, 2017
The events due to dry weather/lack of precipitation caused schools to cancel last Friday, but we are back this week with more exciting science experiments.
We discussed properties of water, condensation, evaporation, convection and the water cycle in nature. We did a simple experiment to demonstrate convection and looked at the globe to locate ocean currents. We talked about the formation and the classification of the clouds, and children designed their own clouds with cotton balls and glue.
We discussed states of matter and melting/freezing points of water. Students played with ice, measured the temperature of water as the ice melted, and enjoyed creating snowflake artworks (either cut outs or drawings). Stop by the lab to see their artwork on display!
We introduced air pressure with a couple of simple experiments (experiment 1 and experiment 2 (start at 4:08)). We talked about movement of air in nature, and students had a blast inflating balloons with pumps and watching the balloons’ trajectory as they floated above a large fan.
Play: Start a weather notebook. 1) Look up at the sky and identify the clouds you see. Keep a sketchbook of clouds. 2) Record daily outside temperature. Convert from Fahrenheit to Celsius. 3) Measure and record amount of daily precipitation.
Read: Chapter 2 of Nature Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of the Natural World by Julia Rothman
Watch: The Weather Channel
For Parents: NOAA monthly global climate report
Photo credit: Anya Bosina