Simply Marvellous Machines

Students demonstrated how we use wheels and axles every day. They discovered how wheel size makes a difference.

Students conducted an experiment and discovered that it was easier to make bubbles using gears rather than spoons. They also created their own gear train.

Students learned how to predict which objects would slide and which would roll on an inclined plane. They tested different factors that help an object move (e.g., weight of object and height of ramp).

Students tested a lever to discover how it lifts heavier objects. Then they created their own levers.

Students ran a comparative experiment in which they tested which machine was best for the job. They learned to show which objects are wedges.

An Exciting Discovery

Today the students discovered that one of our snails laid tiny white eggs in a hole in the soil! We did some research to confirm our discovery. We learned that snails can lay up to 40 eggs in each hole. Baby snails will hatch in four weeks!

    

Life Cycle of the Mealworm (Darkling Beetle)

Students continue to show great interest in learning about living things. We introduced some mealworms into the classroom to observe their life cycle. The life cycle of a beetle is four stages  - egg, larvae (mealworms), pupa, adult beetle. In this time lapse recording of our classroom mealworms,  you will see the pupa transforming itself into an adult beetle. The beetle emerges white, then turns dark brown, then almost black. It is an amazing metamorphosis!

Sunflower Seeds Time-lapse

Students are learning about living things. To determine if something is living or non-living, we have been asking some questions:

Does it move all by itself?
Does it grow and change?
Does it breathe or need air?
Does it need food and water to survive?
Does it reproduce (make more of itself)?

When sunflower plants began to sprout in our snail terrarium we realized that the children must have accidentally dropped some seeds (from our bird feeder project) into the soil. We watched in wonder at how quickly the plants began to grow.

We used the questions above to discuss whether the sunflowers in our classroom were living or non living. There was some debate as to whether the sunflowers met the first criterion - Does it move all by itself? We decided to conduct an experiment to test this.

We recorded the sunflower plants and then created a time-lapse video. The results are amazing! Students could clearly see the sunflower plants moving and reaching for the sun. We could see the leaves opening up, and the roots moving and growing.

Students agreed that, yes, sunflowers are living things. They can move all by themselves!

The Nest Project

Recently the children and I (Miss Jen/ECE student) have been exploring and investigating nests and birds. The project came about when I brought in a nest that had fallen out of a tree in my backyard. The children were very curious and had quite a few questions such as "I wonder why there are so many white things in the nest", "I wonder what birds eat," "I wonder what kinds of birds lived there," and many more.

To help answer the children's questions, we created a chart together to brainstorm ways to find the answers. Some of their responses were "read a book," "take a walk and observe nests and birds," and "research on the class iPads."

In order to answer our first question of what the white things were in the nest, we decided to take it apart and explore the materials the birds used.  We began first by making a few predictions. The children predicted we would find "a bird," "eggshells," "feathers," and more. Once predictions were made we came to find the nest contained a lot of interesting things such as paper, a plastic garbage bag, cotton, dried grass and mud. 

We concluded that birds use many materials to make their homes. We also discussed how birds build their nests by using their beaks.

Making Our Own Nests

After exploring the materials the birds used to create their nests, we decided to create our own nests. Before making our nests we would need to first collect materials, so we went for a nature walk to the forest. The children did a wonderful job collecting many materials such as twigs, mud (used like glue to keep everything together), paper, grass and so many more things. 

Once the materials were collected we took them back to school to sort and make our very own nests.

The children worked very well together in small groups sorting their materials, then using their hands to mold their nests together.  

Making More Nests

Since their was so much material left over from our nature walk, we decided to use it up by making our very own nest in a different way. Some of the children created their own individual nests by gluing the material on paper. The children selected many different materials to use and discussed why they choose them. Some of the reasons were "I think I'll use paper because it will be cozy for the birds," and "I like to use sticks because it's strong for the bird."

Making Bird Feeders

To help answer the question, "what do birds eat?" we decided to read a book. After reading the book Egg to Robin, we learned that birds like to eat worms and berries.  We also discussed that birds like to eat bird seeds, so together we decided to create some bird feeders to hang outside our class window so we could hopefully observe what birds the feeder would attract.

Hanging our Bird Feeders

After creating our bird feeders, we hung a few on the tree branches out back and a few more just outside the classroom window.  We are hoping to attract many different kinds of birds to observe from the window.