The Grade 5 and 6 students have spent the last few weeks thinking about the forces acting on a falling object and what can be done to mitigate them. Their task was to create some sort of safety capsule to protect their group's tomato from a 4 metre drop onto concrete. They were only allowed to use materials that would otherwise be going into a landfill or mixed recycling bin. There were a variety of designs, some bigger than others. There was a 30x30x30cm size restriction in place and a limit of one parachute if they chose to use one. All students did a fantastic drop with 25 out of 25 tomatoes surviving the fall. A few of the tomatoes did experience some trauma, as evidenced by their slightly split skin but overall a fantastic job! (And the slow-cooked bolognese sauce that Miss Augello made that weekend was just heaven!)
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Grade 1 and 2 have been thinking about the forces acting on different forms of transport. They spent a couple of weeks thinking about the physics of boats and why they float even if they are so heavy. Of course, this meant that we had no choice but to engage in some water play and sort out the issue for ourselves using cups, bowls, pebbles, aluminium foil... A good time was had by all, even if we did have to clean up some puddles when we were done. The G1 and G2 students have been looking at how factors such as weight and size change how far a ball rolls down a ramp. So far they have discovered that most important factor is the weight - heavier balls roll further. The Grade 3 and 4 students have been thinking about forces. They have talked about several different kinds - push, pull, gravity, electrostatic, magnetic, buoyancy and friction - and have been playing around with them in the classroom. The Grade 1 and 2s have been talking about evaporation. They made puddles outside and traced them using chalk so they knew how big they were when they started. At the end of the session, they checked on their puddles to see how much they had evaporated away. The Grade 3 and 4s have been experimenting with insulation. They tested out how they slow down the movement of heat energy. Some students used insulators to keep hot water hot, others used them keep cold water cold. They tried out bubble wrap, a tea towel, a thermos and a drink cooler/stubby holder.
This week, Grade 1/2s started to 'look' at sound energy. While we can't see the vibrations travelling through the air, we can see things like musical instruments vibrating or feel vibrations from a loud speaker. We had lots of fun using the slo mo function on the iPads to film a rubber band vibrating back and forth after we plucked it like a guitar string. Prep had fun this week thinking about coloured light. They used coloured lenses to see how things look different. We enjoyed looking pretty silly!
This term, the Grade 5s are participating a program called Light Moves. They are working with an industry group called Skunk Control to create an art installation of oversized flowers made from cardboard and plastic optical filters. This structure will use the properties of light to create interesting effects. Students have been learning all about light and how it behaves so they understand how the sculpture works. There is also some interesting maths involved that they are investigating in the classroom. Week 1 showcased many demonstrations involving light energy and in week 2, students started constructing their the leaves for flowers. We are looking forward to seeing the finished product! The Grade 5s and 6s are looking at light this term. They have been using lenses, mirrors and light boxes to examine how light interacts with the real world. We have been talking about how light can be reflected, refracted or absorbed. |
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February 2022
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