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. :)