A Day in the Kitchen

Science is a Journey:

I remember liking science in Elementary school, surviving through dissections in Jr. High, and experiencing science first hand in High school.  Science has always been a subject that I have been intrigued by, but the second math enters the premises I automatically feel my attitude beginning to change.  Higher levels of math were a continuous struggle for me and when those struggles overflowed into science I remember liking it less.  Teaching science at first look seems messy, overwhelming, and out of control.  Through my student teaching experience I have learned to loosen the reigns a bit on science experiments.  One of my personal goals is to become fully confident in teaching any subject, even science. 

I Want To Start Their Journey And Continue Mine:

 I want to create a love for science amongst my students so that they will be encouraged to explore and want to know more about the world around them.  I would like to experience more of science myself so that I can be more familiar with the material I will be teaching my kids.  The world that we are a part of is saturated in electronics that occupy and entertain our youth.  Science gives children a chance to learn how to play again, explore, discover, think, and create.  I want to be there when my class learns how to function beyond the social media and expand their minds in the world around them.

For My Students:
The biggest question that the subject of science poses is why?  I want for my students to use the knowledge they have, tools they are given, and experimentation to discover the answers they are looking for.  My goal is for students to stay engaged in the material, explore the experiments and world,  explain to others what they are discovering, elaborate even further for themselves, and evaluate their results.  "Science is a process, a set of ideas, and a way of thinking," (Koch p.4).  I yearn for my students to start thinking outside of the box and step into the world of unknown possibilities and answers; I want for them to walk out that door wanting to know more.

 

Soup's On!

In class today we were able to play and experiment with our own soup.  The ingredients consisted of: raisins, shells, popcorn kernels, a blue liquid substance, a yellowish powder, all poured into a pink liquid.  

Our job was to figure out what the mysterious ingredients were and to see what kind of reactions they could give.  

We tried tasting the powder 

 

and discovered that it was extremely bitter.

When we poured in the blue liquid it changed the color of the soup and made the ingredients fizz.  Popcorn kernels floated up and down.

The soup with all the ingredients had the power to put out a match!

 

Eventually we found out that some of the mystery ingredients were vinegar and baking soda.  When these two ingredients were mixed together it released carbon dioxide.  This reaction took away the oxygen and thus blew out the match.

I really liked this activity--it kept me engaged and it was fun! It taught me that science is a social subject--one can most definitely learn with and from others during experiments.  I can only imagine how it would work in a elementary classroom.  

Stay tuned to see what happens next week!

-Ms. V.