Lessons in Life Science

After a week of sitting in a warm, dark place, we examined our petri dishes to see if any bacteria had grown. We saw lots of different amounts of growth depending on the areas that were swabbed. One thing we found very interesting was the fact that our trash can actually had less bacterial growth than our soccer ball! Pretty gross!!!

Another thing we learned was to differentiate between mold and bacteria. By looking closely at our dishes, we could see some black areas where mold had grown. Did you know that mold actually kills bacteria? In other areas not infected with mold, you could see the bacteria were thriving. Some had even turned an orange color. One student's bacteria sample had taken on the shape of a star!

Some students put antibacterial gel in their petri dishes. We found that it did help in reducing the amount of bacteria that grew, but it didn't kill it completely. We think the best way to use hand sanitizer is to squirt it in your hands, rub it in, then wipe the gel off with a clean paper towel.

After studying our bacteria, we learned a short lesson about how chemicals have been instrumental in medicines and keeping us healthy. Mrs. Owen asked how we would get rid of the bacteria and mold. The simple way to kill it: BLEACH and WATER!

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Now, for the surprises in class. Paden brought in a snake skin to share with the group. Each student got to feel the skin of the snake, and Paden told us a little about where it came from. Mrs. Bergschneider happened to stop by during this time, and she decided she would share a special friend with us: Houdini, her class pet (a.k.a. her albino corn snake)

Mrs. Owen held Houdini while each student got to come by and gently pet him. While Houdini was visiting, we made some observations of him. We talked about how he is a reptile. We then learned the characteristics of reptiles (most have scales, lay eggs, cold blooded, etc.) We talked a little bit more about snake anatomy, how they sense things, and snake safety.

So... Just How Dirty is Mrs. Owen's Classroom??

The students got to test the classroom yesterday to see how much bacteria is actually growing in there (Mrs. Owen probably doesn't want to know the results of this activity!) Within their groups they tested different surfaces around the room. One person in each group squirted hand sanitizer in their petri dish to see if it really does kill bacteria the way the commercials say.

We will let them sit in a warm, dark place for the week and see what grows!

Not Quite What We Had Planned...

Well, our lesson last Tuesday was supposed to be growing bacteria. Unfortunately the nutrient agar Mrs. Owen ordered did not make it to class in time. Of course, it was delivered to the school shortly after our club had met. Go figure!

Instead, we occupied our time by seeing if we could make bubble bounce! We tried a solution of dish soap and water, then tried to use another solution of dish soap, water, and glycerin. We blew bubbles using both solutions and tried to bounce them in our hands. It didn't work!

So, then we decided to put on a cotton glove. We tried both solutions again. We found we were able to bounce the dish soap and water bubbles a little bit, but they weren't very strong. The solution that contained glycerin was MUCH better! We were able to blow large, strong bubbles and bounce them for longer periods of time.

The reason we were unable to bounce the bubbles in our bare hands was because of the oils our hands contain. This causes them to pop. A clean cloth like a glove, or even your shirt, keeps the bubble clean and prevents them from popping. Try it at home! It's a simple magic trick to show your friends and family members!

Welcome!

Welcome to our Spring session of Savvy Scientists! I am so happy your child has joined this wonderful, enriching club! Be sure to follow our blog! Pictures and information will be posted here regularly. This is your chance to have an inside look at what your child has learned each Tuesday! You can also look at the activities/experiments the Fall class did. Some will be the same this semester, where a few will change. Check out the cool science links, and definitely go to Steve Spangler's website! This is where a lot of our experiments come from and he has many many more awesome things your child can try at home!

Volcanic Eruptions

We created our own volcanic eruption in a bottle this afternoon. We used hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and a little bit of food coloring to make it even cooler. We then added yeast that had been dissolved in warm water to the mixture and that's when the magic happened! The mixture of chemicals created a chemical reaction and the mixture foamed and exploded.

After we had finished our own personal volcanoes, Mrs. Owen showed us a bigger eruption using high powered chemicals we were not allowed to touch. (The high grade of peroxide she had could burn our skin, so we had to watch!) The eruption was even bigger than the ones we had created in our bottles! A lot of heat was produced in both experiments. Why is this? When a chemical reaction occurs, it creates energy. As more energy is produced, heat is created. Check out the photo album below to see pictures from our volcanic adventure!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Creating a Replica of the Moon

Today, we created a moonscape out of plaster of paris. In order to make the plaster of paris look like the moon's surface, we had to create some dimension to it. We did this by dropping marbles into the plaster of paris as it became solid. This created deep holes.

The marbles represent comets, asteroids, and other things that have crashed into the moon's surface. Just think, scientists recently crashed a satellite into the moon to find water! The holes created in the plaster of paris became "craters" in the moon's surface.

Blast Off!

Today, we got out the goggles and created our own ROCKETS!!!! We took film canisters and filled them with clear soda and Alka-Seltzer tablets. We popped the tops back on the canisters real fast and shook up the mixture. We threw the canisters in the air and they exploded right before our eyes! We tried it again, but put the canisters on the ground this time. We watched to see how far up in the air they would shoot and they went really high! We found out that the CO2 in the soda and the Alka-Seltzer cause a lot of pressure to build up in the canister. Because of this, it pushes the top off rapidly, causing it to pop and fly up into the air.