States of Matter

A recent science unit of study explored the question, "Is it a solid, a liquid, or a gas?" The students learned about these three states of matter and did a great job sorting different items -- air in a balloon, water, juice, or a pencil for example -- into the correct category. We also did some super fun experiments to illustrate how temperature can affect an item's state.

The easiest way to show this is to freeze water. Ice is a solid because it has its own shape, while water is a liquid because it takes the shape of its container. What better way to demonstrate this by making kool-aid popsicles!

Mrs. Viall was out the day we ate our solid concoctions, so there aren't any photos, but trust me, the kids all reported they were delicious! 

We also changed crayons from a solid to a liquid, and then back to a solid. We filled silicone snowflake molds with peeled crayon pieces, and then heated the molds up in the microwave. We observed the crayons turning to liquid as they heated up, and then saw them turn back into a solid as they cooled. But now we had swirly snowflake crayons instead! Each student chose one to take home, and we have several here at school in our classroom. 

Wonderful Washingtons

Can I share a secret with ya'll? I love craft projects! Usually I eschew plain old crafts in favor of something more traditionally educational (Christmas and Easter being the exceptions), but sometimes I just can't help myself! And really, there are benefits to even simple craft projects: they encourage creativity, hone fine-motor skills, foster self-expression and confidence, and improve hand-eye coordination.

This week I decided we were going to pair our social studies unit about Washington and Lincoln with a good old-fashioned craft session. So without further ado, we present the most wonderful Washingtons you've ever seen!

They have really impressed me with some of their questions about the presidency and our country's history, and also with the amount of information they remember! Who knows, a future president might just be in one of these pictures! 😊

Gone fishin'

During a recent science study on magnets, we had a lot of fun playing with magnets and testing various items in the classroom to see which were magnetic and which were not. We learned about the two poles on a magnet, and we learned the fancy words "attract" and "repel" (and got to see these words in action as we explored our magnets).

We combined our study of magnets with the Bible lesson about Jesus calling His disciples. "I will make you fishers of men," He told them. So we went fishing! I cut out a bunch of paper fish, then attached a paper clip to each one. Rulers and pointers made for good poles, and I tied ribbon to each, along with a magnet at the end. Students got to walk through the room and "catch" fish by touching the magnet at the end of their poles to a fish's paper clip.

 They loved this activity, and it was fun to do a little cross-curricular learning. 😊  The more we can integrate, the better they learn!