Weekly Science News 5/6 - 5/10

As our last full unit, all of the grades began a new and hands on unit this week - Electricity and Magnetism!  Already this week, we've built a circuit and sent a current through water to light a bulb, completely knotted our hair making static electricity to light up a CFL and move a ping pong ball, as well as play with magnets, iron filings, and paperclips.  This unit helps fill some of the last holes in the 7s and 8s curriculum studies.  Watching their faces and expression this week, it seems to me the students are really enjoying the exploratory nature of these topic thus far!

All students need to bring in two 5" by 7" pieces of cardboard for their circuit projects next week.  I will also take any of your old, broken Christmas lights.  You know the kind - where one bulb is burnt out but you don't want to take the time to figure out which bulb is making the whole set not work - yeah, I want those.  Let me take them off your hands and cut them to pieces.  You'll see why in next week's Weekly News!  For now, check out some of the fun things we did this week: