Scientist in the School: Simple Machines

Ash class had so much fun during our Scientists in the Schools workshop. We learned all about Simple Machines! We learned about Wedges and Edges, Wheels and Axles, Levers, Gears and Inclined Planes - all using hands on activities led by Kathy and our expert volunteers!

                                 
                                          Did you know that a clothespin was a lever??!!

Snow all around

The children are naturally curious, especially about things outdoors. They decided to bring in snow and watch how long it would take to melt. They made many predictions and observed what happened over the course of the day.

They came up with their own experiments with the snow once we brought it inside over the next few days. For instance, they wanted to see what happens when they put different things on the snow, such as, salt or soap or put the snow in different places, such as on the table, radiator or fridge. Again, they observed over the day to see what happens. Then we compared what happened to each. 

We asked lots of questions, made predictions and observations

We pretended we were making snow pictures with snow, but weren't actually using snow. We mixed epsom salts with water in varying amounts and painted with it. Here is what we did:

Cool ?!!?

We also created our own snow scenes. I call it...... "The Reveal"........ 

White drawings with white pastel on white watercolour paper

Watercolour wash..... and Presto, their image is revealed! 

We also created snowflakes using a variety of shapes  - this was a lot of fun and the children created all different snowflakes which was perfect as we learned that rarely are two snow crystals alike! This integrated so well with our learning about shapes.

We continued to play in the snow - roll, build, and bury

Here are some things we wondered about snow:

And here are some things that we learned: