This Month:
This month, we are focusing on what matter is and what matter is not, the scientific method, how heat can change matter, and how objects can be change and/or combined to make something new.
Home Connection(s):
- Find opportunities to apply the scientific method into daily problems. In class, we talk about how everyone uses the scientific method -- they just might not call it that. For instance, a doctor sees a patient with a specific list of symptoms (question). He/she must then make a prediction (hypothesis) about what is wrong with the patient. Often, the doctor prescribes 1 medicine (variable) to help (test) the patient (hypothesis). The patient sometimes comes back -- if the medication didn't work -- and the doctor tries something else (another variable, and testing multiple times). I also give the example of a mechanic who tests different parts of the car to figure out what's wrong. Anyway - when your child has to solve a problem in his/her life, give him/her the opportunity to figure out how each section of the scientific method applies to his/her problem solving process.
- Need to use the microwave, stove, or oven to cook dinner? Let your child help and observe! He/she can compare and contrast the properties of the food prior to heat application vs. the properties of the food after heat application.
- Need a rainy day activity? Give your child some craft materials and encourage his/her imagination to run freely. Afterward, help your child discover how he/she changed those craft pieces (bending, folding, cutting, twisting, etc.) to help make the finished project.
Upcoming Events:
- The submission deadline for the first annual Old Union Science Fair is on November 7. Please click HERE for more information.
This month, we are focusing on what matter is and what matter is not, the scientific method, how heat can change matter, and how objects can be change and/or combined to make something new.
Home Connection(s):
- Find opportunities to apply the scientific method into daily problems. In class, we talk about how everyone uses the scientific method -- they just might not call it that. For instance, a doctor sees a patient with a specific list of symptoms (question). He/she must then make a prediction (hypothesis) about what is wrong with the patient. Often, the doctor prescribes 1 medicine (variable) to help (test) the patient (hypothesis). The patient sometimes comes back -- if the medication didn't work -- and the doctor tries something else (another variable, and testing multiple times). I also give the example of a mechanic who tests different parts of the car to figure out what's wrong. Anyway - when your child has to solve a problem in his/her life, give him/her the opportunity to figure out how each section of the scientific method applies to his/her problem solving process.
- Need to use the microwave, stove, or oven to cook dinner? Let your child help and observe! He/she can compare and contrast the properties of the food prior to heat application vs. the properties of the food after heat application.
- Need a rainy day activity? Give your child some craft materials and encourage his/her imagination to run freely. Afterward, help your child discover how he/she changed those craft pieces (bending, folding, cutting, twisting, etc.) to help make the finished project.
Upcoming Events:
- The submission deadline for the first annual Old Union Science Fair is on November 7. Please click HERE for more information.