2nd Graders Design Tops

2nd grade has moved from balance to motion. After watching the classic tops film by Charles and Ray Eames (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ-VFMymEiE) however, we quickly realized that objects that have motion still need balance!

The challenge was to design a top that spins long and design a top that spins fast using two different sized disks and one shaft.

A goodspinner!

Does the weight need to be low for the top to spin?

And it kept spinning on the floor!

It can be hard to get the shaft through the disk sometimes.

A contained spin.

The finger technique for getting the top to spin.

Under the table!

Surprisingly, the top does spin on the rug.

The hand technique for starting the top to spin.

Does the size of the disk change the way the top spins?
Does the size of the shaft change the way the top spins?

5 disks?  Does it spin?

Our next investigation was to look at spinning designs.  Does the design change when it spins?  What happens when you add color?

Our last investigation into making tops is experimenting with 3 different types of disks (cardboard, plastic lid and CD) while using 3 different types of shafts (crayon, pencil and marker).  Most agreed that the plastic lid was too light to spin properly-there wasn't enough weight- and that the cardboard and CD made a good top especially with the marker.

A marker with the plastic lid.

The marker and the CD left an amazing trail!

Releasing the Trout!

I was so excited to join Mr. Lieber and Ms. Voelker's class (3-207) yesterday to release the brook trout!  I had heard all about this incredible program from Ms. Vanegas, the upper grade science teacher, and often went to peek at the fish in her classroom.  The eggs were laid in mid-November and hatched in January.

The trout in the classroom.

We boarded the coach bus early on Wednesday morning and headed up north. The trout, snug in a cooler at the front of bus, arrived safely!

The water temperature was kept at
around 48F.

The water is being aerated after the trip.

Two of our guides during the trip explaining how we would
release the trout in the Cross River stream.

We had to find out the temperature of the stream water.
It had to be within 3 degrees of the water temperature
in the cooler.

Releasing the trout!

Ms. Vanegas releasing some trout.

Getting the last trout!  Everyone named it Carroll.

Singing Happy Birthday to Carroll!

Looking at macroinvertebrates from the Cross River.

Crayfish!

Drawing what the trout habitat looks like and comparing it to
what they thought it would look like.

Two fishermen fishing for trout.  They told
me that they release the fish after they catch them.

Safe journey!

A quick picnic lunch.

The last part of the trip was a hike!

The trees are damaged from a tornado a few years ago.
There is a hawk flying by!

It was a little muddy on our hike.

Until next year!

What a wonderful trip!  The kids had a great time being out in nature and releasing their trout.  Thanks for having me!

1st Grade Investigates Liquids in Containers!

Does each container have the same amount of liquid in it?  That is what the 1st graders are wondering!  First, measure one small vial of water in each container: bottle, cup, vial, 1/4 liter container.  Then they drew the level of liquid in all four containers in their journals.

Next they had to make a prediction about where they thought a second scoop of water would reach in each of the four different containers.

 Now to test the prediction!

Once they finished measuring water from the small vial into all four containers, they thought about what they did for this investigation and looked at their observations to answer the question....Does each container have the same amount of water?  Why do you think that?

Most classes had a mixture of responses.  They all reiterated that liquids take the shape of the container they are in.  Some thought there were different amounts of water in each container, while others stated they added water from the small vial each time so each container had the same amount of water in it, even though it doesn't look like they do.