Solids, Liquids, and Gases: Learning about the Phases of Matter

15 May, 2018

Last class we got to learn about the 3 main Phases of Matter: SOLID, LIQUID, GAS. We discussed the properties of all 3 phases, and what makes something a solid, liquid or a gas. We also explored the world of atoms, and how all matter is made up of ATOMS, including us! This lead us to our discussion of what phase(s) we could use to describe humans, and realized we are made up of all three! How amazing!

Next, we are starting with Liquids and did a fun experiment to see how Viscous different liquids are. First, we learned what viscous meant after discussing what the properties of liquids are. Viscousity is how sticky a liquid is, and the slower it flows, the more viscous it is! The faster a liquid flows, the more fluid it is.

We tested: shampoo, water, glue, and oil! First we made our predictions, then we put the liquid on a plate, and turned the plate upright to see how many seconds it took for the liquid to reach the bottom of the plate! We predicted that the order of liquids from the most fluid to the most viscous would be the following: water, oil, shampoo, glue. Then, we tested the liquids:

We realized that the order of liquids from the most fluid to the most viscous is: water, oil, glue, shampoo. We couldn't believe the shampoo was more viscous than the glue! This helped us see just how important it is to test, and that there is always something more to learn! We then also discussed that if we had a different type of shampoo, the results could be different as well. We love experimenting in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Can you create the STRONGEST bridge out of the materials?

7 May, 2018

Since we have been working so hard learning how to identify the many Properties that Materials have, Ms. Gillis wanted to put our new knowledge to the test by using the Maker's Space. Our challenge? To create the STRONGEST bridge we could using the material: Wood. First, we decided what the designs should be. For example, we can't just build a solid wall! Bridges have pillars and beams placed to help distribute the weight and support the bridge.

After figuring out the design of our bridge with our partners, we got to building and creating the strongest bridge possible! Take a look at some of our amazing creations below:

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Create a New Invention Using "Bouncy Glass"!

3 May, 2018

Students became Inventors tasked with creating a new invention using the futuristic material: BOUNCY GLASS!

First, we discussed the properties Bouncy Glass might have. We decided the Bouncy Glass was probably somewhat flexible, had bouncy, is see through, and is strong so it will not break if tested. After discussing the properties we got to creating our Inventions! We came up with some very creative and inventive ideas. We are so imaginative! Take a look:

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Next Up: Testing Flexibility!

1 May, 2018

Now that we are becoming experts when it comes to experimenting, we are going to move in to testing a new property: Flexibility!

We decided to test the following items: licorice, pencils, pipe cleaners, yarn, crayons, and paper clips. But how would we all measure the flexibility of the objects as we tested with our table? Ms. Gillis told us we are going to find out how flexible each material is by trying to tie them in a knot! Based on how well we were able to tie a knot, if we were at all, we rated the material on the following scale: very flexible, flexible, somewhat flexible, not flexible. Then, when we were all done testing, we rated the materials in order of Flexibility, with number 1 being the most flexible material! We had a lot of fun! Take a look:

We decided in the end that BLANK was the most flexible and would be used when it comes to tying a knot or securing things together, like our shoes to our feet! Now that we have all this information about the properties of materials, we are going to put our Engineering caps and design an invention for a made up material: Bouncy Glass!

We can't wait to see what we come up with!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Materials and their Properties

23 Apr, 2018

In our 2nd Grade class we got to conduct a fun experiment testing two different properties of materials. The first, how ABSORBENT materials are. We tested this by using the four materials: paper towel, wax paper, tin foil, and a sponge. We submerged the material in a bowl of water, then quickly squeezed out all the water the material absorbed in to a homemade Graduated Cylinder for us to measure our results. This was also a great practice in working on our predictions based on what we already know about our materials! Take a look at our work:

The second, was how STRONG materials are. In this experiment, we tested the strength of the materials by placed counting cubes on the material while it was suspended between 2 cups as a bridge. We placed as many cubes as we could before the material broke or fell between the cups.

At the end of both experiments we got to discuss the properties of a materials that are Absorbent and of materials that are Strong. We used this knowledge to determine which material is best suited for an intended purpose. For instance, a paper towel may not be a strong material, but it is an absorbent one, so we would use that to clean up a spill over a piece of wood (which is a strong material). We had a lot of fun!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Jump back in to the S.T.R.E.A.M.!

12 Apr, 2018

After a restful Spring Break we were ready to jump back in to S.T.R.E.A.M. and learn all about Materials and their Properties. We started our exploration but finding a random item that we learned how to describe. We discussed and found that we can describe and classify materials in multiple ways! Such as:

Color

Texture

Size

Shape

Mass

and more!

We each got a random material and took our time to describe the object, included what material it is made of! Then, Ms. Gillis gave each table a bag with a material inside. Without looking, we used our sense of touch to feel the material and guess what it was using it's properties! Some were little statues from Ms. Gillis's desk, or a role of tape without the dispenser to be tricky.

Take a look:

and

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Have A Great Spring Break!

23 Mar, 2018

Since our Parent/Teacher Conference Week is next week, we will not have any more Enrichment Wheels until we return from Spring Break!

Stay Safe and Keep Exploring!

Ms. Gillis

Preventing a Landslide

14 Mar, 2018

For our next experiment in 2nd Grade, we are using all that rich knowledge we have been learning about Erosion, Weathering, and Deposition to prevent a Landslide from happening to our mountains!

This time, we are going to use Corn Meal to create our mountains instead of Sand. Why? Because the consistency of corn meal will be a little trickier when it comes to preventing the erosion from occurring on our mountains. Take a look:

We got to choose from materials such as: tooth picks, cotton balls, paper towels, and pieces of aluminum foil to prevent our land slides from happening when we make it "rain"! Some students put the aluminum foil or cotton balls right on top and it worked well, or the cotton balls fell right off when it started to rain, so students realized they needed something to help hold the cotton balls in place, etc.

So much fun!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Let's Make a Canyon! - Experiment Results

9 Mar, 2018

We had so much fun making canyons with our teammate and our parents during the Walk Through the Wheel Week! Check out some of our results:

Next, we are going to learn more about how changes to the land can occur quickly or slowly, all thanks for erosion! How are we going to do that? By seeing the cause and effect of a quick change, land slides!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Let's Make a Canyon!

7 Mar, 2018

Since our 2nd Graders have been learning all about the world of water and the affect it has on the land around us, it is time to put all that knowledge in to an experiment!

First, to get ready for this experiment, we explored how a canyon is created by looking at the Grand Canyon. At first, we had all different thoughts about what could create a canyon such as: earthquakes, lightening, water, or animals! To see if we were right, we had to explore a little deeper. We started by looking at the path created at the bottom of a canyon, and the first thing we noticed is that it has twists and turn, just like rivers! We also saw how when it rains and water accumulates (gathers) at the bottom of the canyon, it is moving and flowing, changing the landscape around it!

To see how much water can change the landscape, we decided to make our own mountains out of sand, and will test to see if we can create rivers, and canyons, by making it "rain" at the top of the mountain! We can't wait to see what happens next!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Erosion and Weathering All Around Us!

5 Mar, 2018

Since 2nd Graders have been learning all about how rivers flow, it is time to explore how nature affects the world around us! We started by trying to take this new knowledge we have been learning and see if it can help us solve another puzzle, "Where sand comes from and how it ends up at the beach?".

We got to focus on a particular beach in Central California that has purple sand! We explored and discussed all the possibilities of where the sand came from and had some great answers such as:

"From the ocean!"

"The cliff and rocks on the beach are purple on the outside".

"The sand turned purple because of something from the water or the sunlight changed the color".

and more amazing answers!

Then, when we found out that there were purple rocks found miles away on a mountain, we realized Rivers must have carried the rocks to the ocean! But how did they get so small? We learned that as the rocks are flowing in the river towards the ocean, it bumps and hits all different things along the way, breaking it up in to smaller and smaller pieces. We then got to practice our new found knowledge with a friendly competition in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! Take a look:

We moved the rocks down the river, breaking it down as we moved from section to section so we could watch the small pile of paper rocks turn in to huge pile of paper sand!

Next up, we will explore and discover different types of Erosion, and how much water changes the landscape around us!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with Kindergarten in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

River Flow Experiment!

23 Feb, 2018

After learning and discussing how Rivers flow and why, we get to put our new knowledge to the test! How? With an experiment of course!

What did we do?

With a partner, we created a mountain range by crumpling 2 sheets of blank paper. Then, we drew with a dark marker on the highest parts of the mountain range, (where the rivers may start on the mountain!). Last, we got to take our experiments outside and spray them with water to see what happens! We concluded that we should spray the water instead of pouring the water, because the spray is closer to what real precipitation and rain would be like falling on the mountains.

After spraying 5 times, we looked to see what was happening on our mountain ranges before continuing to spray. We learned that it is important to watch the process, and not just spray for results! Look at what happened to our mountains!:

After we saw the ink from our markers start to form unique lines and paths, we realized this is how rivers form and flow down to the bottom! We loved seeing how if our mountain ranges were real, that these might be the rivers it creates! Getting to really explore what we are learning is so fun!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

What is one way our Habitats are created? Let's take a look!

14 Feb, 2018

As we keep exploring the Habitats in the world around us, we are starting to explore what things in nature help shape the landscape of those habitats! First thing we are starting with is answering the question, "Why does a river flow?". We came up with great answers like, "The wind helps it move!", "There is a current!", "It is moving around objects in the water like rocks and fish", and "It is moving because animals get in the water and drink the water making it move.".

After really giving this question some thought, Ms. Gillis showed us a map of North America's rivers, with arrows pointing in the direct the river is flowing.

We began to notice a pattern that all rivers end in the ocean! If that is where all rivers end, then where do they start? Finding out where rivers start gave us some insight in to our question, "Why does a river flow?". When we learned that rivers start on mountains, we immediately began to think of new answers. We said amazing things like, "Maybe it is the snow melting on the mountains and rushing down to the bottom making it move," or "If it starts high up, it has to come down, so maybe gravity makes it move". We really are incredible thinkers and explorers!

Next, we will get to conduct an experiment to test our theories!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with Kindergarten in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Let's Go on a Habitat Hunt

9 Feb, 2018, No comments

Now that we are learning all about Habitats, we got to do a "Habitat Hunt" around the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! What does that mean? Ms. Gillis put pictures up all around the room, with a picture of the Habitat, and a definition describing each for us to record in our Habitat Journals. We also got to identify other helpful words like "Environment". We are finding a lot of fun ways to describe the Earth around us!

Next, we will dive in to answering questions about each Habitat as we become researchers. Let's use the Ocean habitat for example. We will answer questions like: "Tell Two Interesting Facts About Oceans", "Describe what it's like there, including climate and weather", "List 5 animals that live there", "Where is it located?", "Draw a picture of something you might see there", and more!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Hurray for Habitats!

30 Jan, 2018, No comments

As we dive in to the world of habitats there is one big concept that is becoming clear. Not all types of the same kind of animal will live in the same habitat! For instance, we wouldn't find a Polar Bear in the same habitat as a Black Bear! But the needs of bears remain the same, such as: food, water, and shelter!

We will take a look at all 10 habitats in the world: Grasslands, Savannas, Wetlands, Deserts, Rainforests, Woodlands, Polar Regions, Mountains, Oceans, and Tundra!

We can't wait to start learning about what habitat we live in, and what habitat our favorite animal lives in!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

What makes that Habitat Unique?

25 Jan, 2018

Our Grass Heads are growing like, well, Grass! It is so fun to check in and watch how they plants will seek out the sunlight!

Next we will start to learn about the plants we can find in different habitats and why! Why do some habitats have huge trees and are very green? Why are some habitats snowy and cold, or dry and hot? Why do those plants live there?

Then, we will stay on this track and start to explore the animals we also find in these unique habitats too! We will also explore the unique traits they have developed in order to help them survive and thrive in those habitats. For example, did you know that Camels have TWO sets of eyelashes? Because they live in a sandy habitat (in Asia and Africa), they use their two sets of eyelashes to help keep the sand out of their eyes! This is also why they have a hump to store water in this dry and arid habitat to make sure they never get thirsty.

We are gathering all this new knowledge to help us with our next Research Project. Since our 2nd Graders already got to focus on an Animal and learn all about their habitat, we will get to turn it around and research a habitat and all the plants and animals we might find there!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Seed Dispersal with Wind, Sea, and Animals!

23 Jan, 2018

Now that our Grass Heads are growing we are going to focus on Seed Dispersal! What is Seed Dispersal?

Seed Dispersal is the movement or transportation of seeds away from the Parent Plant.

What does that mean? Let's start by taking a closer look at all the ways seeds can travel: wind, sea, and animal! For example, coconuts are the seeds of Palm Trees, and as they drop they might get swept up by the ocean. Since coconuts can easily float, they will float till they are washed up on shore and will start to possibly grow where they land! Other seeds are built like gliders with pods surrounding them that help pick up the wind and help them ride the wind to get far away! Last, when animals eat seeds (by eating the fruit of a tree/plant, for example), they typically travel away and by the time they need to "do their business" they are dispersing the seed away from the parent plant! We are fascinated with learning about how nature has created so many ways to thrive and survive!

Next class we will get to create our own Spinner Seed Pod and Rotocopter Seed Pod and have a competition with who can get their seed to travel the farthest. This will help give us a fun activity in which we get to control how a Seed is Dispersed, and we can explore how to be the most effective in our Seed Dispersal!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Do Plants need Sunlight to Grow?

16 Jan, 2018

As we are learning all about the world of Plants and Animals we started to take a closer look in to why plants need sunlight to grow! What did we find out?

We found out that all a seed needs to sprout roots is water, but to survive, it needs sunlight too! We saw how a sprout kept in the dark will grow tall, trying to find the sunlight, and if it can't, it will not survive. A seed grown with sunlight, however, will thrive and survive! We also found out that is why some trees grow so big and tall, they are trying to get as much sunlight as possible! We also got to see how plants will grow more leaves with the more sunlight there is because the leaves help them collect the sunlight and turn it in to food!

Last, we got to conduct an experiment and make Grass Heads! This experiment allows us to practice how plants grow in the direction of the Sun and will search for the Sun through out the day! Now, we learn patience as we watch them grow!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Animals and Plants

16 Jan, 2018

Last week we came back from break ready to explore the world of Plants and Animals!

First, we discussed what the needs of plants and animals were, and then made Venn Diagrams to see which needs are the same for both! We started to realize how everything is dependent on each other. The plants help give us oxygen, we give plants what they need to breathe (Carbon Dioxide)! We also saw how the needs of Animals are similar to the needs of Humans (since we are animals too!) such as: water, food, shelter, air, etc..

Since it was also our turn to go in to the Maker's Space, we put on our Engineering hats and built real shelters we think animals would use to protect them and help them survive. We could build a nest like birds do, build a burrow underground like rabbits and gophers, or try to build a tree/cactus with a hole like an owl might live in!

Next stop, we are exploring if plants need sunlight to grow and to survive!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

Snow, Tornadoes, O My!

18 Dec, 2017

This week we are finishing learning about the Water Cycle by conducting experiments observing different weather in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab! Since the Water Cycle is an important part of weather we are going to make Snow in a Bag and Tornadoes in a Jar! As we learn how to be Scientists we are learning the importance of recording our materials and procedures, formulating our Hypothesis and always including a Conclusion after completing our experiment.

Best part? We get to have a snowy winter this year, even if it is just inside the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab!

Have a fun and safe Winter Break!

Keep Exploring,

Ms. Gillis

Check this blog out to learn about what is happening with 2nd Grade in the S.T.R.E.A.M. Lab throughout the year.

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