"Cell"ebrating Science!

We are wrapping up our unit of study on plant and animal cells. Since we can't create an actual cell in class, we created cell cookie models! Not only was this a highly enjoyable and informative activity...it was also delicious. We constructed our cells while completing a labeled diagram of the different parts of cells. We never thought we would have so much fun talking about cytoplasm and chloroplasts! If you would like to recreate this activity at home the list of supplies needed are:

1 sugar cookie (animal cell)
1 pop tart (plant cell)
frosting (cytoplasm)
Pull-n-Peel Twizzlers (cell membrane)
green M&Ms (chloroplasts)
Raisinets (nucleus)
pretzel rods (cell wall)
Hot Tamales (other organelles)

Can you remember which parts are only present in plant cells? Check out the "Cells Alive" link under Science Rocks! for more fun with cells!

Money, Money, Money, Money...Money!

We are really getting the hang of working with money! Check us out doing all sorts of activities with change. We will no longer be confused by decimals! We were given $100 to buy as many books as possible for a classroom...no problem. We purchased items from a classroom grocery store and had to provide accurate change for one another...piece of cake. We played a card game coming up with various combinations of change totaling $1.oo...child's play! Ask us to help you estimate your grocery bill at the store or total at a restaurant! Decimals, beware...we are masters of money! Check out the money games in the Math is Cool sidebar for extra practice.

Mighty Magnets!!!

How can we learn about the strength of our magnets by dipping them into a pile of paper clips? That was the question we asked ourselves prior to our lab. The general concensus seemed to be that the more paper clips a magnet picked up the stronger the magnet. We dove right in with our experiment and boy, did we enjoy ourselves! Who knew picking up paper clips could be so much fun!?!
Students conducted ten trials and then determined the mode of their data. Then we compared our results as a class. Some of us had magnets that could pick up ten more paper clips then our classmates' magnet. We talked about why our magnets, which are all the same size and brand, may have differing strengths. Some of had very worn and battered magnets which may have been dropped a lot, causing them to weaken, we also aren't sure that the magnets were purchased at the exact same time and some may have been used more than others. At the end of the day, we figured out which magnets from our class set were the strongest and which were the weakest! Well done scientists!

What Will I Do With All My Spare Time?

Is that the question you've been asking yourself these past few days?!? Have no fear...I am about to share an opportunity for you to practice math and earn a reward upon your return to school. Under the Math is Cool heading in the sidebar, click on Winter Holiday Fun and you will be whisked away to the Winter Packets page where your fun awaits. Scroll down to Fourth Grade and click on the "4th Student Packet" link under Math. Download, print, and complete the packet for an automatic "lunch-bunch" celebration. You may also notice there are Reading and Science packets...feel free to complete those as well! The science will earn you success tickets! This is an awesome way to keep your brain active during the break! I can't wait to see how many of you take advantage of this opportunity!

Circuits at Work!

No matter how you choose to celebrate your winter break...you cannot deny the awesomeness of this display. Can you imagine how much time went in to setting this up!?! This fits perfectly with our discussions in science about series vs. parallel circuits. We know that nowadays, lights are typically arranged in parallel circuits. Think about how many wires must be involved in this display. I thought you might enjoy seeing circuits at work in real-life settings. I just hope the lights aren't arranged in a series circuit!!!

Amazing Grace Techno - Computer Controlled Christmas Lights from Richard Holdman on Vimeo.

Energy Transformations

Energy is the ability to do work. We learned that at MOSH on our field trip. We also learned that it cannot be created or destroyed. Over the next few days, we will be discussing the ways that energy can be transformed (changed) from one form to another. For instance, did you know that you observed a transformation of energy when you built your circuits last week? Well, it's true!

The battery contained energy in chemical form. It works like this. Inside the battery is a metal rod surrounded by a special paste inside a zinc casing. The rod has a chemical reaction with the paste and chemical energy is released. When you connect the wires in a closed circuit, the chemical energy is transformed to electrical energy (inside the battery) that flows through the wires and is transformed again into heat and light energy in the bulb.

Can you think of other examples of energy being transformed from one type to another? If you're having trouble thinking of some on your own, check out the "Energy Transformations" link under "Out of Sight Science Sites." It has a cool game where you can transform energy to power a robot, a city, or a farm. Enjoy!

P.S. If you thought the diagrams we drew in class of Series and Parallel Circuits were complicated, check out this diagram used to design the circuits in a motor.

P.P.S. Just click on the circuit diagram to zoom in and take a closer look. :)

We Did It!!!

We earned our first Gumball Goal! As a class we choose a goal we would like to work toward. Every time our class is "on the ball," whether it be in the classroom, hallways, or at resource we receive a gumball on our chart. When the jar is full...we get our reward! Well, it took us some time, but we earned our Show-and-Tell Party. We heard about one of our classmates being a descendant of Abraham Lincoln, saw one classmate's dedication to creating a huge collection of sharks' teeth, got a close-up look at fishing poles, and even saw a stuffed monkey that helps a friend with her homework! Check out a picture of us reaping the benefits of our "on the ball" behavior. Stay tuned to see if we earn our next goal!!!