Balloon Skewer

This investigation has been one of my favorites due to all the learning and the excitement/nerves of popping balloons. I know you all had so much fun as evidenced through your laughter and eagerness in your voices. It is great to see that even though we think one thing, through learning we can change our minds about understandings we have and revise them as we learn and experience new things.

Learning is Power--Power is Learning

Water Planet

I love this unit! There are so many things to learn, lots of academic language, and many investigations. Here is a list of some tasks we have done so far and I will continue to update as we go along:

1. Sorting & classifying the planets by their composition

2. Putting the planets in order (inner-terrestrial planets & outer--gas giants)

3. Planet experts-reading informational text, making a learning poster & presenting to the class

4. Planet Foldable--placing the planets in order and writing important facts about each one

5. Gravity & Isaac Newton-Took a look at one of Newton's laws of motion---objects travel in a straight line and at constant speed UNTIL something exerts gravity (push/pull) on it

6. Pendulum & Galileo Galilei--learned about his solar system observations with the telescope and how reaffirmed Copernicus' observations that the Sun is the center of our solar system and that earth (and the other planets) orbits the sun.

Remember to review your notes often so that they become permanent in your schema. :)

It was great to SUM-UP our learning with a trip to the CA Science Center to see the Shuttle Endeavour up close. I was speechless and in awe at its size and exterior. It was great minds working together that were able to accomplish such feats.

Hard work, patience, perseverance, and imagination can lead you anywhere.

"Vomiting" Pumpkins

Friday's science lesson was super cool! We were able to measure, estimate, and carve out our pumpkins. We also saw how when you combine baking soda (NaHCO3) with vinegar (CH3COOH) they react to produce H2O, sodium acetate, and CO2 which is what causes the fizzing.

NaHCO3 + CH3COOH = H2O + Sodium acetate (CH₃COONa) + C02

 It was so cool to see the different colored "vomit" coming out from the pumpkins' mouths. This is a great activity for you to try again at home with your family. Try different combinations of baking soda and vinegar to figure out which one gives you the best "vomit". Let us know your results.

Digestion in the Small Intestine-Part 1

Part 1
We are shaving so much fun learning about our amazing bodies.  Today we looked at the role and function of the digestive system. We discussed how once the bolus leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine, it is the the consistency of a smoothy, therefore easier for the the blood stream to absorb nutrients. We then did the following activity:

This activity really helped us "see" that nutrients without the assistance of water just stay there. Once we added the water, it was very easy to see how the nutrients left the small intestine and are transported into the blood (the inner cup). Amazing!

Here is a picture of before we added water and after we added water.

We even added capillaries!


Tomorrow we will be doing another activity that helps to explain the breakdown of fats and proteins in the small intestine with the assistance of the liver and pancreas. Will post those pictures too.

Remember you can try the activity at home and explain it someone. The best way to remember and keep it in your schema is to teach it to someone---so go ahead and be a great teacher!