This week in the lab...
kindergartners continued learning about magnets! Students learned that magnets are only attracted to objects that have iron in them. This is why some metal things like screws and nails are magnetic, and other things like aluminum foil and pennies are not magnetic. Students also learned that each magnet has two sides, or "poles"- a north pole, and a south pole. Opposite sides are attracted to each other and pull together. Like sides repel each other and push apart. Students learned about 4 different types of magnets: ball, donut, bar, and horse shoe magnet. Students tested each magnet to see which had the strongest magnetic force. They did this by sticking a paperclip to the magnet, and then making a paperclip chain down from that magnet until the weight of the paperclips was stronger than the magnetic force. Then, they counted how many paperclips each magnet held and determined the winner!
First graders began learning about germs. We watched a video that discussed the difference between viruses and bacteria, and then we learned about how germs are spread. Students made a list of the top 10 places on campus they thought had the most germs. Then, they collected germ samples from each of these places by rubbing a piece of bread on the surface. Each slice of bread was then placed in a ziplock bag. Next week, we are going to compare the slices to bread to find out which area on campus has the most germs! Students also learned about the proper way to wash their hands. This is a very important process because it helps to stop the spread of germs and keep all our Casita kids healthy! During tech lab, first graders finished typing their animal adaptation sentences into their PowerPoints. Next week we will get to add pictures to our PowerPoints!
Second graders learned about the life cycle of the butterfly. Students have already been observing this life cycle in their classrooms since Ms. Phillips ordered 25 butterfly larva for each room. The larvae made their chrysalises about two weeks ago and should be ready to hatch our as butterflies any day now! Students watched a brainpop video about butterflies, and then made a butterfly life cycle diagram out of various types of pasta. During tech time, students continued working on their interactive inference games.
Wednesday night was the K-2 Star Party here at Casita! It was a wonderful event, with a great turn out! We met on the field at 6:00 and were able to see the Space Station flying over at about 6:20. At 6:30 we began our rotations, which included a visit to the Star Lab Planetarium, creating a take-home constellation chart, and viewing various constellations through Casita's high-powered telescopes which were set up on the field. A huge thank you to Mrs. Cerelli, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Spacher, Ms. Lee, Mr. Karpinen, and Mrs. Bowidowicz who all helped Ms. Phillips with the event.
On a personal note, this was an exciting week for Ms. Phillips because she got engaged!
Well, that's the