THE CHILDREN’S SCHOOL JANUARY 2017

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KINDERNEWS

With the snowy and rainy winter upon us, the kindergarten classroom couldn’t wait to begin our wet and wonderful exploration of H2O. Students began by learning about the properties of water, exploring water’s attraction to itself (cohesion) and how water molecules create a “skin” or surface tension, allowing things, such as a water spider, to float on top of water. Discussing and recording the students’

interests and knowledge of water, such as wondering why some liquids don’t mix well with water, inspired many exciting inquiries, one being the creation of density bottles. We layered honey, maple syrup, oil, dish soap and alcohol and, from the resulting layers, discovered which liquids are lighter or heavier than water. As our exploration continued, students tested how salt water changes an object’s ability to float, how water changes the consistency of chalk, along with testing many fun and interesting ways to melt an ice cube using the Ice Cube Game (a kindergarten favorite). As we continued, we focused on the water cycle, learning that “All of the water in the world, is all of the water in the world.” To help understand how water cycles itself through the earth, students created a water cycle to take home. Using a plastic bag, water and sunshine, the students prepared an environment that would demonstrate evaporation,

condensation and precipitation. Students also learned the importance of perseverance and problem solving; through boat and bridge building, H2O experiments and exploring the science behind bubbles, ultimately discovering that science experiments don’t always go as planned. With all the hands-on explorations and water play, this unit was definitely a favorite amongst the students!

Wonderful Water

Students test absorption using tinfoil, wax paper, cardboard and tissue paper.

Isaac, Owen, Robin and Ksenia sail on the

S.S. Kindergarten.

Our Kindergarten Water mural.

Betsy and Hiroto explore with H2O.

Painting inspired by Claude Monet.

Carlos

Leeza makes a density bottle.

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Just as when a person wears a raincoat or uses an umbrella when it’s raining, or a house has a roof as protection from the elements, some materials are made to withstand absorption or be impermeable. As our discussion about water continued, we began wondering “When do we want water to be absorbed?” Students began brainstorming objects that absorb water, suggesting flowers, trees, dirt and even fruit. The friends became interested as to what materials found around the classroom would absorb water. Students’ curiosity was sparked from our daily observation that paper towels absorb the water when cleaning the tables and drying our hands. We

tested various materials by using an eyedropper to add water, then sorted the materials based on their ability to absorb. We concluded that construction paper, fabric, cork and cotton balls would absorb the water, while tinfoil and plastic wrap were impermeable. After discovering that granulated sugar would dissolve when mixed with water, the friends wondered what would happen when you added water to a sugar cube, much larger in size. Using food coloring (to help our observations) and water, the friends added H2O to their sugar cube tower. They began to notice the sugar cubes absorbed the colored water. Although some friends quickly

discovered as you add more water, the sugar cubes become saturated, slowly dissolving and breaking down in shape. Even as the water unit came to an end, students were continuing to make connections with objects that

WHAT WILL DISSOLVE?

Ben, Mao and Penelope play the Ice Cube game.

Malena explores absorption using sugar cubes.

Students learned that everything on earth is made of particles that are always moving. When a solid is mixed with the right liquid, it forms a new solution, demonstrating the process of dissolving. With this understanding, we experimented and found that salt, sugar and coffee will dissolve in water (they are soluble). Pepper, sand and flour would not dissolve, which means they’re insoluble. After exploring as a whole group, our dissolving experiment raised additional questions. Students became scientists themselves, choosing their own solid material from home to test, “Will my material dissolve in water?” Students shared their selection with classmates, added water and waited. After observing the test tubes for several days, commenting on indications of absorption and dissolving, we emptied the contents and recorded our observations. Just a few observations we noticed included that cocoa powder, crackers, and sprinkles dissolved, while black beans, rice and barley absorbed the water.

Mao and Grace explore what happened to each solid material.

Isaac, Max, Betsy, Atticus and Grace examine their test tubes.

Friends played the Ice Cube game, discovering the different ways to melt an ice cube. Players rolled a die and had to complete the correlating task, such as adding salt or dropping it down their shirt!

ICE CUBE GAME

Owen and Norah test different materials for absorption.

EXPLORING ABSORPTION

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SINK AND FLOAT As we continued our exploration with water, the friends brainstormed why they think an object would sink or float based on their previous knowledge. The friends predicted that both the size and weight of an object would influence the results, as heavier objects generally tend to sink in

water. After testing an orange (which is heavy in weight, but smaller in size), the friends concluded that weight may not be the only factor, as the orange floated. To continue our exploration and test our hypothesis, we tested a large wood log. The friends thought if a small piece of wood floats (a popsicle stick), perhaps a large piece of wood would sink. We quickly discovered that a large log floats too! As the friends continued to investigate sinking and floating using various materials

from around the classroom, they began to rethink their initial theory. The friends discovered that several factors, displacement, shape and mass, impact an object’s ability to float. Displacement occurs when you place an object in water and it moves the water out of its way, making the water level rise. An object will sink if it weighs more than the water it displaces, and an object will flow if it weights less than the water it displaces. The amount of air inside of an object can also help an object float. The friends discovered that boats can float despite their heavy and dense materials, due to the large amount of air inside the hull. We also found that objects with tightly packed molecules are more dense than water and will sink, like a penny or a key. In contrast, objects with more loosely packed molecules (leaving more space between the molecules) are less dense than water and will float, like a wood branch or a cork.

After exploring what makes an object sink or float, the students’ curiosity was piqued. Using materials we had already tested, the friends were challenged to build a boat that would not only float, but support the weight of their family. Each friend spent time designing and testing their boats, then redesigning if necessary. If their boat floated, they would then place their family (one plastic bear per family member) onto the boat. The friends quickly

discovered the role of a scientist involves lots of trial and error when trying to solve a problem. We encouraged the students to become thinkers who learn by doing. By reflecting on which materials we knew worked well, those that floated, the friends had the knowledge to use these materials together, to create a sturdy boat. Once we mastered boat building, the friends used the same method of exploration and inquiry (learning by doing) to build a bridge strong enough to balance between two blocks, while supporting the weight of a toy car. Throughout both activities, the kindergarten friends discovered how to bring an idea to fruition and learn from their mistakes.

BOAT AND BRIDGE BUILDING

Katharina, Ksenia and Owen test sink and float.

Carlos, Max, Norah, Morgan, Marina and

Robin build boats.

Katharina takes her boat for a test float.

Isaac experiments with an aluminum foil boat.

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The Science/Discovery Area has continued to be a busy place in the kindergarten classroom! We have explored several experiments involving the basic properties of water, cohesion, surface tension, and absorption.

Water Drop Cohesion I wonder...how many drops of water can stay on a penny at one time? I think...the children worked with Mrs. Blizman to make some predictions about how many drops they could fit on a penny. Some friends predicted: “Only one drop will stay on the penny.” “The drops will pile up and make a large pile.” and “I think 15 water drops will fit.”

I learned... when you place water drops on a penny, three important forces are tugging on the water molecules: gravity, cohesion, and adhesion. Gravity flattens the droplet, cohesion holds the droplets together, and adhesion holds the drops on the surface of the coin. The cohesive force is the pull of the water molecules on themselves. Water molecules are attracted to other water molecules. Each successive drop sticks to the water that’s already on the coin, hence being able to drop over twenty droplets onto a coin at one time before gravity wins.

Gummy Bear Experiment I wonder...what will happen when we submerge gummy bears and water beads into water?

I think... “The gummy bears will shrink in the water.” “They will stay the same.” “The bears will grow really big, as large as the bowl.”

I learned... the gummy bear candies are porous and can therefore absorb a lot of water. When the gummy bears are added to water, the water molecules will move into the bear. After the bears

are enlarged with water and left out, the opposite of absorption will take place, dehydration. The gummy bears will lose water (through evaporation) and return to their original size.

Surface Tension I wonder...what will happen when we add pepper in a bowl of water?

I think...The children made predictions about what will happen to the pepper. “The pepper will sink to the bottom.” “I think the pepper will float to the top.”

I learned...that the pepper will rest on the surface of the water, but when you add dish soap, the “skin” breaks, causing the pepper to sink to the bottom. Surface tension is the name we give to the cohesion of water molecules at the surface of a body of water. The cohesion of water molecules form a surface “film” or “skin.” Some substances (dish soap) may reduce the cohesive force of water, which will reduce the strength of the surface “skin” of water.

KINDERGARTEN DISCOVERY AND EXPLORATION

Norah explores cohesion.

Javi counts drops of water and Jovie uses dish soap to break the “skin”.

Jordan explores absorption.

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WATER TABLE EXPLORATION When learning about any subject, one of the best ways to build understanding is through hands-on exploration. Students had the chance to explore water in many ways, including building a fountain using plastic champagne glasses, observing how water moves using funnels, tubing and a milk crate, and learning how a material absorbs water. By providing numerous materials, our environment conveyed the importance of exploring water. We challenged the students to think, “How can I move water through the tubes? Will an object sink or float when placed in water? How will connector pieces change the flow of water?” What interesting discoveries they made!

SNOW AND BUBBLE EXPLORATION After a heavy snowfall, the kindergarten friends were

eager to explore how snow is made. We discovered that snow is formed by water vapors in the air. Before the vapors turn into water, they freeze and form crystals of ice. These crystals are formed from bits of dirt in the air, with each snowflake containing up to as many as 200 crystals. Using snow, we

experimented with how quickly snow melts and whether the volume of snow changes depending on how it’s shaped and/or once it melts? Since snow is mostly a combination of snowflakes and air, as the snow melts, the trapped air is released. Thus, the volume of the snow is greater than the volume of the liquid water it forms when melted. The friends also explored water in

another form…bubbles!A bubble is just air wrapped in soap film. Soap film is made from soap and water. The outside and inside surfaces of a bubble consist of soap molecules. A thin layer of water lies between the two layers of soap molecules, sort of like a water sandwich with soap molecules for bread. They

work together to hold air inside. The friends explored how to create bubbles using straws, bubble wands and pipe cleaners. They even discovered a way to touch a bubble without it popping. Be sure to ask them how!

Friends use watercolor paint to create with snow.

Penelope, Marina, Robin, Betsy and Grace used funnels, tubes and pitchers to move water.

Penelope and Malena explore with bubbles.

Isaac creates a bubble mountain.

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Grace places numbers in order.

JANUARY CHALLENGES

Norah adds to our water mural.

Ksenia draws an Arctic Seal.

Ben and Jovie match the beginnings sounds.

BODIES OF WATERAnnika uses

kindergarten spelling to label the mural. Pretend you are an astronaut gazing down on Earth;

the first thing you would notice is that most of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Water covers nearly three quarters of the world’s surface. The kindergarten friends spent the month learning how water is distributed through the geography of the planet in various forms and shapes, called bodies of water. Ocean, sea, lake, river, gulf, bay, lagoon, straight, and waterfall are just a few. Working together, the friends drew, painted and labeled a mural showing each body of water. The friends then added detailed illustrations of the different animals that live in each habitat.

The kindergartners have eagerly continued with their classroom challenges, often asking for “more of a challenge!” This month we focused on recalling number order, letter recognition and beginning letter sounds. During the first challenge, students were asked to type the letters of their first and last name using a typewriter. During the second challenge, students had to organize popsicle sticks with the numbers 1-20 in the correct order. Each week in the month of January, friends were given a different set of letters and pictures. They were asked to identify which pictures began with the same beginning sound as the letter on the card. For example, Pp-pig, pie, pants and horse would get 3 markers for the P-words, but not one for horse.

Atticus completes the typewriter challenge.