I love Science!
I love using Science experiments in the classroom. Not only do experiments keep the students engaged it is also so easy to incorporate Math, Reading and Language Arts. Math can be incorporated through data collection, charts, graphs, adding subtracting, multiplying and dividing results/data. Reading can be incorporated simply by reading an informational book or article about the topic of the experiment or a story that has something to do with the topic. Language Arts is also easy to incorporate by having the students write about their predictions of what will happen in the experiment, what they did or took place during the experiment, explanation of the results or how they might change the experiment to achieve a similar or different result. The options are limitless with science. Please post a comment of a simple experiment we may be able to perform in out elementary school classroom.
A simple science experiment that can be done in the elementary school classroom is creating lava lamps. You can teach the students about mixtures, what mixes and what doesn't mix. You can explain about how oil and water doesn't mix. Then you can have students create a lava lamp by mixing oil, water, food coloring, and Alka seltzer in a water bottle. The food coloring helps kids to see that oil and water doesn't mix. The Alka seltzer gives the appearance of an eruption creating a colorful lava lamp. The students could write about how to create a lava lamp or write about what they learned. Incorporating math, reading, and language arts into this science experiment is easy.
ReplyDeleteThis experiment sounds super fun and super easy! I think the kids would love to create their own lava lamp. Your also right about other disciplines could easily be incorporated with this experiment. Thanks for the experiment idea!
DeleteOne science experiment I clearly remember from school is the Glo Germ Experiment. We were asked to rub the Glo Germ liquid on our hands. We would then place our hands under a blacklight and discover all the bacteria had become illuminated. Our teacher would then ask us to wash our hands the best we could with antibacterial soap and water. After we had washed and dried our hands, we checked our hands under the blacklight again. To everyone's surprise, our hands were still bacteria filled. People tend to forget to scrub around their nails, so the nails were a breeding ground for bacteria! Yuck!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to google Glo Germ liquid. I don't think I have heard of it. That is gross but I think that is what would make is fun for the students. Especially the younger boys. Maybe they will remember the experiment like you do and pay more attention to washing their hands too even when they reach adulthood.
DeleteOne science experiment that all children and adults enjoy is oobleck. It is part corn starch and part water that creates a substance that is a liquid when you run it through your hands, but a solid when you hit it. Dr. Seuss even has a book called Bartholomew and the Oobleck that can be read to the students to help introduce the lesson. The kids have so much fun playing in it and they can even take their own oobleck home in a plastic bag when you are done with the experiment.
ReplyDeleteThis experiment sounds like so much fun. I remember doing something similar when I was in school. Its great to know Dr. Seuss has a book that will go along with the experiment too! Everyone loves Dr. Seuss so, I think its a great idea to begin the lesson with that book. I need to go ahead and order it to make sure I will have it when I am able to make Oobleck with my students. Great idea! Thanks!
ReplyDelete