Today students had their heads in the clouds! Using exciting demonstrations, students observed what happens when warm and cold air meet. They learned that the Sun heats up surface air, which rises and meets with cooler air, causing water vapor to condense into droplets and form clouds. If a cloud …
Celestial Mechanics: Earth, Sun and Moon Today’s lesson focused on celestial mechanics, or the interactions between the Earth, Sun and Moon. We talked about the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite. Students investigated in-depth the 8 phases of the Moon and learned an easy mnemonic device “DOC” to help identify between …
Today we discussed the advantages of building prototypes as part of the engineering design process. A prototype is a way to test a concept or design quickly and cheaply, before investing a lot of time and money into building something that might not work. We tested different ways to construct …
Rover Restraint—Mission to Mars This week, students became NASA engineers as they designed landing gear for their Mars Rovers. Students thought about what challenges there are to landing a rover on Mars. We then presented students with their mission: landing a raw egg “rover” on the surface of Mars (the …
Introduction to Light: An Illuminating Day! Students were very busy this week exploring the nature of light. They studied reflection, transmission, and absorption of light, the differences between transparent, translucent, and opaque objects, and the spectrum produced by white light. Students then saw colors seem to disappear when viewed through …
Eye Dissection Today’s lab was a student favorite: an eye dissection. After reviewing the structures of the eye, students worked in pairs or individually to dissect a sheep eye. After identifying the optic nerve and trimming off excess muscle and fat from the outside of the eyeball, students cut the …
Not so simple machine Today the class learned about the six fundamental simple machines: (1) the inclined plane, (2) the wedge, (3) the screw, (4) the lever, (5) the wheel and axle, and (6) the pulley. We learned that any mechanical device is made up of one or more of …
Not so simple machine Today the class learned about the six fundamental simple machines: (1) the inclined plane, (2) the wedge, (3) the screw, (4) the lever, (5) the wheel and axle, and (6) the pulley. We learned that any mechanical device is made up of one or more of …
e-Trashing our Future Amazed at how quickly the newest technological gadget gets replaced with an even newer model? Outdated equipment building up in your closets and basement, while cords, chargers, batteries, and old cell phones take up space in your junk drawer? Today’s lesson highlighted one of the fastest growing …
Sustainability: Fishing for Answers Today, students learned all about sustainability. We explored the Tragedy of the Commons in a game where students were grouped together in villages that survived by fishing. Inevitably, villagers who caught the maximum number of fish allowed each year ended up not leaving enough fish in …
