Session 2
April 18, 2017
Today students tested their engineering skills. They were tasked with building Eiffel tower using only newspaper and tape!! We studied the building structure and talked as a class about how many columns they would need, how strong the foundation would have to be and how they would replicate it using paper. The students worked in two groups. Both the groups decided that a roll of newspaper would be stronger. They made rolls of different sizes and even though we did not have enough time to complete the project, they managed to create a base and one group even managed to create the top (third level).
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April 11, 2017
Today students learned about density. They learned that mass is amount of matter in a substance and volume is the amount of space occupied by the substance. Density is mass divided by volume.
Students performed an experiment using eggs. They noticed that egg sinks in water since it is denser than water. When we increase the density of water by adding sugar (or salt) the egg floats. We also tested the density of various materials (honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, water, rubbing alcohol, lamp oil and vegetable oil).
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March 28, 2017
Today students learned about Newton's third law which states that "for every action there is an equal, but opposite reaction." They learned that this is the science behind why rockets fly - as the fuel burns and fire pushes down, the rocket is pushed up.
To see this in action, the students created a model using thread, straw and balloon. As the air releases from the balloon, the balloon moves forward in the opposite direction.
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March 21, 2017
Today students learned about atmospheric pressure. They learned that the pressure exerted by air is called atmospheric pressure. They also learned a bit about surface tension.They learned that air is all around us and even though a bottle might look empty - it is not; it is filled with air. When we fill the bottle with water, air is pushed out and water takes its place. When bottle is tilted, water comes out and air takes its place.
The students made tiny holes, using a push pin, into water bottle. They noticed that water leaked when the bottle was open, however, there was no leak when the bottle was closed. This is due to the fact that the air outside the tiny holes do not create enough pressure to push the water out. Additionally, the water molecules are attracted to one another (surface tension) and they form a seal that stops water from escaping.
PS: I forgot to take videos today. Hopefully you got to see your child's creations and got to enjoy it.
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March 14, 2017
Today students learned about centrifugal force. They learned that it is an imaginary force that acts outward on a body moving in a circle. They also learned that this is the science behind many amusement park rides such as roller coasters and gravitrons.
The students then created a sprinkler that used centrifugal force to spray water outward.
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March 7, 2017
Today students learned about sedimentary rocks. We first discussed the difference between weathering (the process of breaking up of rocks) and erosion (the actual act of rocks being taken away). Students also learned that the sediments (broken rocks) are compacted to form sedimentary rocks.
The students created their own "crayon sediments" by weathering and eroding crayons. We then piled the crayon sediments on top of each other to form sedimentary layers. This pile is now left to compact under heavy box and in a few weeks we should have a sedimentary crayon rock!!
Today students tested their engineering skills. They were tasked with building Eiffel tower using only newspaper and tape!! We studied the building structure and talked as a class about how many columns they would need, how strong the foundation would have to be and how they would replicate it using paper. The students worked in two groups. Both the groups decided that a roll of newspaper would be stronger. They made rolls of different sizes and even though we did not have enough time to complete the project, they managed to create a base and one group even managed to create the top (third level).
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April 11, 2017
Today students learned about density. They learned that mass is amount of matter in a substance and volume is the amount of space occupied by the substance. Density is mass divided by volume.
Students performed an experiment using eggs. They noticed that egg sinks in water since it is denser than water. When we increase the density of water by adding sugar (or salt) the egg floats. We also tested the density of various materials (honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, water, rubbing alcohol, lamp oil and vegetable oil).
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March 28, 2017
Today students learned about Newton's third law which states that "for every action there is an equal, but opposite reaction." They learned that this is the science behind why rockets fly - as the fuel burns and fire pushes down, the rocket is pushed up.
To see this in action, the students created a model using thread, straw and balloon. As the air releases from the balloon, the balloon moves forward in the opposite direction.
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March 21, 2017
Today students learned about atmospheric pressure. They learned that the pressure exerted by air is called atmospheric pressure. They also learned a bit about surface tension.They learned that air is all around us and even though a bottle might look empty - it is not; it is filled with air. When we fill the bottle with water, air is pushed out and water takes its place. When bottle is tilted, water comes out and air takes its place.
The students made tiny holes, using a push pin, into water bottle. They noticed that water leaked when the bottle was open, however, there was no leak when the bottle was closed. This is due to the fact that the air outside the tiny holes do not create enough pressure to push the water out. Additionally, the water molecules are attracted to one another (surface tension) and they form a seal that stops water from escaping.
PS: I forgot to take videos today. Hopefully you got to see your child's creations and got to enjoy it.
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March 14, 2017
Today students learned about centrifugal force. They learned that it is an imaginary force that acts outward on a body moving in a circle. They also learned that this is the science behind many amusement park rides such as roller coasters and gravitrons.
The students then created a sprinkler that used centrifugal force to spray water outward.
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March 7, 2017
Today students learned about sedimentary rocks. We first discussed the difference between weathering (the process of breaking up of rocks) and erosion (the actual act of rocks being taken away). Students also learned that the sediments (broken rocks) are compacted to form sedimentary rocks.
The students created their own "crayon sediments" by weathering and eroding crayons. We then piled the crayon sediments on top of each other to form sedimentary layers. This pile is now left to compact under heavy box and in a few weeks we should have a sedimentary crayon rock!!
Session 1
February 28,2017
Today students learned two different concepts - atmospheric pressure and surface tension. The students made tiny holes, using a push pin, into water bottle. They noticed that water leaked when the bottle was open and there was no leak when the bottle was closed. This is due to the fact that the tiny holes do not create enough pressure to push the water out. Additionally, the water molecules are attracted to one another (surface tension) and they form a seal that stops water from escaping.
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February 14, 2017
Happy Valentines Day!
Today we looked at our sedimentary rock. The crayon sediments had compacted and formed a rock (there were some sediments that had not compacted, possibly because I did not compress it properly). We used this sedimentary rock to create metamorphic (not really, because we didn't use pressure) and igneous rocks.
It was a whole class experiment since there was only one rock. We used hot water to partially melt the crayon sedimentary rock to create metamorphic rock and we melted it completely to create igneous rock. The students were able to see the differences in the crayon particles of the rocks.
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February 7, 2017
Today students continued their study of rocks by focusing on fossils ( usually found in sedimentary rocks). They learned that fossils are classified into four categories - trace, cast, mold and true form.
Students then created their own trace, cast and mold fossils using playdough, leaves, and some toy dinosaurs.
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January 31, 2017
Today students learned about sedimentary rocks. We learned the difference between weathering and erosion. We learned that sediments get compacted to form sedimentary rocks.
Students weathered and eroded "crayon rocks" to form "crayon sediments". We then layered the sediments on top of one another and compacted them. (We will compact it slowly over the next two weeks by putting heavy books on top).
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January 24, 2017
Students learned about electricity. They learned that flow of electrons creates electricity and materials that allow the electrons to flow through them are called conductors.
After learning the symbols for power source(cell) and for bulb the students made their own circuits. They then placed copper tape (a conductor), LED bulb and battery to bring their circuits to life.
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January 17, 2017
Today Students learned about energy. They learned that energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be change from one form to another. We learned about potential energy (stored energy of an object) and kinetic energy (energy due to motion).
Students made a origami frog which had potential energy. The frog legs were bent and formed into a spring which gave it this potential energy. They realized that when they pressed the frog its potential energy transferred into kinetic energy.
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The first session will start on Tuesday, January 17th.
You can expect your child to learn about weathering, erosion, rocks and electricity.
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