I wonder if any of my kindergarten scientists will be a Foley artist. This lab may have steered them in that direction! We began our time together by repeating three part patterns using movement and sound. This is a fun way to learn how to follow multi-step directions.

Did you know that you can amplify the sound on your phone by just placing it in a cup? As I pulled my phone in and out of the cup below, we could hear the volume increase and decrease. You can also make speakers from recyclable materials. Click here to learn how to make your own speakers. This is a fabulous at home engineering challenge that solves a real problem! How would your results change if you varied the size of the cups or used cups that were made from different materials? What happens to the sound when you use a longer tube?

I shared some of my favorite sound makers – bike horn, train whistle, sound hose, and duck call. Click here for more information about sound hoses. My scientists were amazed at the sound created by the air twirling inside the hose.

Sound was also amplified in the thunder tube. Click here to find out how to make your own thunder tube. Sound cups also demonstrate this concept. This would be a fun at home project too! Click here for directions on how to make “talking cups.” The smiles below testify to how much we enjoyed this investigation. I wish you could hear the sound track! Will changing the size or material of the cup change results?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We struck tuning forks and could see them vibrating, but when we touched them, the vibrations stopped. When we placed the handle of the tuning fork on our lab tables, the sound increased because sound travels easier through solids. Then we placed our ears directly on our lab tables and the sound from the tuning forks was even louder! At home, ask your child to place his/her ear on the table. Then tap the table with different objects. Is the sound louder with your head on the table?

Six years ago, I purchased 30 roly polies. They have multiplied over the years, and we continue to use the offspring of those first pill bugs in the science lab for investigations. Look very closely and you will see baby pillbugs. Some of them are very tiny! The female pillbug carries the eggs in a brood pouch under her body.

Click here to learn more about pill bugs which actually aren’t bugs at all!

Kindergarten chemists used the Scientific Method and hypothesized what might happen if we placed Skittles in water. My scientists thought they might sink or float, break into pieces (like cookies), grow larger (absorb the water), melt, dissolve, lose their colors, combine colors, or explode.

Why don’t the colors mix? Why do they move toward the center of the plate?

Scientists often think of new questions after they perform an experiment. What would happen if the Skittles were in the center of the plate or in the shape of a cross? Would we have the same results with another candy? What if we tried another liquid, such as milk or Sprite? Try this experiment at home and change one of the variables. Click here for more information.

I introduced third grade’s vertebrate labs with a lesson about the backbone. All vertebrates have an internal skeleton and a backbone. We learned that the human backbone or spine consists of 33 interlocking vertebrae with different functions. Discs made of cartilage (flexible connective tissue) lie between the vertebrae to prevent them from rubbing against each other. They also serve as natural shock absorbers. The singular of vertebrae is vertebra.

The spine lets you twist and bend, and it holds your body upright. It also protects the spinal cord, a large bundle of nerves, that sends information from your brain to the rest of your body.

We made a make and take model of a backbone by threading a straw onto a pipe cleaner. We realized that this was not a desirable backbone because it did not bend. So, we cut the straw into pieces and put them on the pipe cleaner. Now, the backbone could bend, but the vertebrae were rubbing against each other. Finally, we placed beads (discs) between the vertebrae to cushion the vertebrae. A simple activity that illustrates the functional design of our backbone.

After reviewing the parts of an egg, we placed a raw egg in cups of vinegar, orange juice, and coke. Third grade biologists hypothesized what they believe will happen to each egg. Check back next week when we analyze our observations.

My students often bring me science treasures and new items for our lab. These treats arrived the first week of school. Appreciate their thoughtfulness!

This was a gift from the High School Prefects and the One Association at the end of our first week of school! Such a fun surprise!