Science Olympics

Students in the Bair's Den and students in Mrs. Towsen's class spent three days last week learning how to use a variety of scientific tools by participating in a variety of events we called the Science Olympics.

Having spent a day in the lab getting introduced to the tools, what they looked like, and why we used them, the kids got down to business and practiced using these tools to complete a series of tasks. These tasks included:

• The Standing Long Jump (practiced measuring length with a meter stick)
• Estimation Distance Challenge (practiced measuring distance with a trundle wheel)
• The Discus Throw (practiced measuring length with a ruler)
• The Big Head Contest (practiced measuring circumference with a measuring tape)
• The Right-Handed Marble Grab (practiced measuring mass with a balance and grams)
• The Dictionary Pull (practiced measuring friction and force with a spring scale)
• The Left-Handed Sponge Squeeze (practiced measuring volume with a graduated cylinder)

As you can see from the pictures in our slideshow, the kids have a great time participating in these different events.

More than having fun, though, the students in our classes really developed an understanding with the tools, how they are used and what they are used for during scientific experiments. Every student in the Bair's Den passed their quiz on the tools! When we talked about it the class overwhelmingly agreed that the time they spent actually using the tools helped them understand the meanings in our student guide and gave them the background knowledge to be able to think about other jobs you can do with those tools.

We're looking forward to planning and doing many more experiments using these tools throughout the year!