Summer SAVY, Session 4 Day 5, Water and Weather (1st – 2nd)
Greetings!
I am so sad that the time has gone by so quickly! I must say, this group gets the distinction of performing the most experiments in one week of any class I have ever taught! They did so well, though! I was able to go over so many advanced concepts and hands-on experiences with them because they needed that hands-on learning!
Today, we learned about clouds. We tried to make our own clouds and learn about types of clouds! We had to take our cloud experiment and try it several different times to make it successful, and I love that the kids are no longer expecting everything to work correctly immediately but are learning patience and how to think critically and problem-solve! We used ice and observed how it melted and moved as we studied glaciers. We tracked the melt, which would be our underground water sources and rivers, and we measured the temperature – 0 degrees Celsius! They have learned to read thermometers – the older kind! Not digital! After trying several approaches and observing the effects of placing ice in sunlight, we had limited success in producing water vapor. Eventually, we discovered that placing ice on top of a jar filled with warm water, sealing it, and adding a particulate source created clouds.
We learned about storms and how the temperatures of the air and water help create the wind and weather we experience. We even learned that people vacation here to see tornadoes, which seems crazy to us, but they don’t occur all over the world like they do here! We also looked at weather forecasts and maps, and how to read them. I sent home the symbols and a map that we analyzed. Let them use their symbols guide to see if they can read weather maps on television or on the apps! One thing we ran out of time for was satellite imaging and weather. It would be great if you could talk about how your GPS in your phone or car works and continue the conversation about satellites and how they can monitor the weather on Earth!
I sent home directions on how to build a filter so that you can do it at home if you would like. I drew a line through the charcoal and any other materials we didn’t use, but of course, you can use whatever you would like. Let them help you design the experiment! Let them test, make changes, and test until they get the results they are working on! They have learned that a hypothesis is an educated guess or a guess from a knowledge base, and they have also learned that sometimes the lesson isn’t about getting it right, but learning from what you did wrong! Perseverance is one thing scientists must have to be successful!
Have a wonderful summer and thank you for letting your precious child be a part of my class!
Dr. Mall