- Lab safety
- Science tools and their uses
- 3 types of matter
- How to measure matter using a spring balance and a pan balance
- The scientific method (we had a Tic Tac race and a bubble gum investigation for this!)
- How heat can change matter
- Which items float v. which items sink
- Demonstration of how mixing lots of things together can create something new (we made ice cream for this!)
- Observing properties of matter: watching Styrofoam v. cornstarch packing peanuts in water
- Observing different kinds of rocks and learning that there are 3 main types
- Testing rocks to see which ones sink and which ones float, which ones fizz under vinegar, and which ones are magnetic
- Pendulums: does the length of the string or the mass of the pendulum affect the number of times it can swing in 30 seconds?
- Paper airplanes: how does the design affect its flight pattern?
- Ramp races: what happens to the speed and directions of a car when placed down a ramp? what happens if we change the slope of the ramp?
- How to make a compass with a needle, a bowl of water, and a packing peanut
- How vibrations are used to produce sounds
- The steps in the water cycle and how to make it "rain" inside a baggie
- Different places around the world experience different types of weather, which affects how people travel, what we wear, and what we do
- Both Greek and Chinese constellations in StarLab
- How wind can be both harmful and helpful, and how to figure out the speed of the wind with a homemade anemometer
- Watched a super-cool ocean IMAX movie (thanks, CEF!)
- Beach stations: what might you find on the beach? What might you find in the water?
- Ocean animal research: how do ocean creatures depend on their environment? What do ocean food chains or webs look like?
- Recycling: why it's important and how one man took ocean pollution very seriously with Plastiki
- There are tons of different types of sand and shells in our world -- what do they look like up close? How can we compare and contrast them?
- Butterflies: life cycle, body parts, and needs
- Insects: Texas insects, unusual insects, body parts, and needs
- Plant parts: how does the stem carry water to other parts of a plant?
It is my hope that every student goes into summer break knowing that science is everywhere and that it can be FUN!
Keep asking questions and exploring over the summer, Scientists! See you in August!