Summer U Newsletter
Science Explorations: Session 2, Week 3
June 28, 2013
Weekly Update
This week in Science Explorations, students have tried many new experiments and science challenges! Students have continued to come up with their own experiment variations by changing one variable of their choice at a time to extend the experiment. Here are some of the experiments students will have completed this week and next week:
- Paper Airplane Explorations
- --> Students explored paper airplane designs using templates and their own designs. They tested their designs outside.
- Inflating Balloons using Baking Soda and Vinegar
- --> Students poured baking soda and vinegar into a bottle, placed a balloon over the top, and watched it inflate!
- Inflating Balloons Experiment Variations
- --> Groups of students chose one variable to change: they either changed the baking soda to alka seltzer or the vinegar to lemon juice, and they compared the results
- Balloon Speakers
- --> Students put inflated balloons to their ears and listened to how it amplified sounds around them due to the compressed air that was caused by inflating the balloon
- Static Electricity
- --> Using the inflated balloons, students explored static electricity through positive charges on their bodies and negative charges on the balloon attracting
- Tornado in a Bottle
- --> Students used water, dish soap, and food coloring inside of a closed water bottle to manually spin the bottle and create a mini-tornado inside!
- Pepper, Liquid, and Soap Variation
- --> Students chose a new liquid to try to pepper and dish soap experiment with: either lemon juice, vegetable oil, or vinegar. They then compared the results to the initial experiment using milk.
- Coke and Mentos Geyser
- --> Students observed as Mentos mints were placed into a large bottle of Coca-Cola. A geyser was created due the reaction of the mint and the soda!
- Bouncy Balls (next Monday)
- --> Using simple materials, students will create a goopy substance that they will then roll into bouncy balls!
- Oobleck (next Tuesday)
- --> After reading the story, "Bartholomew and the Oobleck" by Dr. Seuss, students will create goopy oobleck and explore the non-newtonian fluid (it acts like a liquid when being poured, but like a solid when a force is acting on it). You can grab the substance, and then it will ooze out of your hands!
Students have also worked on classifying items in a category using a dichotomous key. I have enjoyed working with the science students this summer! They have worked very hard, and are very inquisitive and fueled by science! We have had a great time exploring science together.
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Reminders:
- The last day of Summer School Classes is TUESDAY, July 2.
- Please report any Summer School absences by calling the South Middle School front office at 847-398-4250 or by emailing SummerU@sd25.org
- Parents: Please take the Summer U Parent Survey to give us feedback from this summer! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDJYSEh2OEh3cHU4QlJsVG5UQ1FlUFE6MA
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