A Day in the Garage

Bubble. Pop. Electric.

Science is around us everyday at all times.
We just have to take the time to notice it.

This week we are doing a Family Science Night at the school we have been placed at this semester.
Family Science Night is a time where parents can come with their children to learn and explore more about science in everyday life.  This night gives families an opportunity to engage in educational fun with one another as well as grow together while building fun and memorable experiences and memories.

Ms. Smith and I are in charge of the Bubbles exhibit.

 

We get to teach the kids how to blow bubbles, and how to know exactly when they will pop.

 

You can tell when the bubbles will pop by watching the colors change in the solution and where the black spots end up throughout this movement.

In the garage where I belong

"As a part of design technology, students plan, research, design and construct solutions that lead to a product or a process," (Koch 282).

Ordinary things can be wonderful representations of science.  The garage is a perfect place to find all sorts of technology and scientific processes that are occurring and we easily forget about it.
Cars have electric currents running through them. Science.
Garage door opens through a pulley system powered by electricity. Science.
The washer and dryer use water, heat, and electricity to run. Science.
The lights have an power source that gets them to shine. Science.
Batteries always have some sort of current running through them, hence how they power so many things in our world. Science.
Bringing these elements into the classroom allows students to practice their critical thinking skills, engage in exploration of unknown scientific processes, and create solutions to the problems at hand.


Shine Bright Like A Diamond

 Today in class we were given a strand of lights and told to light them up.  At first we knew to strip the insulation from the wire to expose the metallic underwire, but we still had no power source.  We were then given a battery to use as a power source.

We tried every which way to try to make the lights turn on but no use.
We decided to stick with one battery and apply both metal tips to either side of the battery to connect the circuit and see what happens.

 

We discovered that we were able to light up the two lights, but both did not shine very bright.  They were dull and dim because the energy had to go to both lights instead of one.  From here we wanted to know if we cut one of the lights out, would the other shine brighter because the energy would no longer be divided?

Our hypothesis was correct!  The light shone brighter when there was only one thing needing the energy on the circuit!  

What other things in the garage can you find that has to do with science?

Take a look around and see what you can find!

Come back next week to see what happens in the great outdoors of the forest!