CHRISTEPHI

We are nearing the end of Calvert 1st grade, so we decided to knock out the last two chapters in our science book with a dedicated Science Week!  So far we have explored  position and force  and  simple machines and magnets .  Then we started investigating the different types of energy: first heat and then sound . It's the last day of Science Week!  Just as heat and sound are types of energy, so is light!   Light is the form of energy that allows us to see. Some materials let a lot of light pass through them. Other materials block out light completely.  Miss M tried a few materials to see what lets light through and what doesn't. Plastic wrap, waxed paper, aluminum foil, an empty paper towel tube, and a rubber band. First she covered one end of the tube with plastic wrap and tried looking through it. She could see light!  Then she removed the plastic and covered the end of the tube with waxed paper.  She could se...

We are nearing the end of Calvert 1st grade, so we decided to knock out the last two chapters in our science book with a dedicated Science Week!  So far we have explored  position and force  and  simple machines and magnets .  Then we started investigating the different types of energy, beginning with heat . See also  Day 5 . Welcome to day four of Science Week!  Yesterday we learned about heat, one of the forms of energy.  Today we investigated another type of energy: sound.   Sound is a form of energy that is made when an object vibrates.  The bigger the vibrations, the louder the sound: like a thunder clap!  The smaller the vibrations, the softer the sound: like the sound of a marker swiping across a piece of paper. To experience sound, we made a simple musical instrument with a plastic bowl and some rubber bands. Carefully stretch a rubber band around a bowl or box. Miss M strummed the rubber bands and listened to t...

We are nearing the end of Calvert 1st grade, so we decided to knock out the last two chapters in our science book with a dedicated Science Week!  So far we have explored  position and force  and simple machines and magnets .  See also  Day 4  and  Day 5 . Welcome to Science Week day three!  The rest of the week we will be learning about different types of energy.  Our activity today involves energy and heat . Energy is the force makes things work or change.  Heat is energy that makes things warm.  Today we filled a mug with steaming hot water.  We filled another mug with ice-cold water.  Heat can be measured with a thermometer.  It was fun putting the thermometer in the hot water and watching the red line shoot up!  Our water was very, very hot!  It was over 140 degrees Fahrenheit!  If you do this experiment, please be careful not to get burned. Once we recorded the temperature of th...

We are nearing the end of Calvert 1st grade, so we decided to knock out the last two chapters in our science book with a dedicated Science Week!  On day one we explored position and force .  See also  Day 3 ,  Day 4 , and  Day 5 . Welcome to our second day of Science Week!  Today we investigated simple machines and magnets .  A simple machine is a tool that can make it easier to move things. First we tried to lift a textbook with one finger, but it was too heavy!  So we built a simple machine using a marker, a ruler, and some masking tape. First, tape a marker to the table. Second, balance the ruler on the marker. Third, place one end of the lever (ruler) under the textbook. We learned that lever is a bar that balances on a point.  Our ruler became a lever by balancing on the marker.  We were able to lit the heavy textbook with one finger using the help of the lever! Next Miss M tried to pick up and carry a hea...

We are nearing the end of Calvert 1st grade, so we decided to knock out the last two chapters in our science book with a dedicated Science Week!  See also  Day 2 ,  Day 3 ,  Day 4 , and  Day 5 . Welcome to the first day of Science Week!  Today's topics are: Position and Force .  Position is the place where something is located.  We took turns hiding this little magician's assistant in the other room to demonstrate position and to practice using words to describe position.   Under , beside , right , left , near , and far are some of the words that help us tell someone the position of things. Next we learned that motion is a change in an object's position.  A ball's position can be changed by rolling it across the floor.  We raced bouncy balls and timed them to see how long it took them to travel two meters. Racing bouncy balls Any time we get to use the stop watch is a good day in Miss M's mind!  Force is th...