Week 5

Investigations and Experiments of Magic Materials

“What happens when certain materials are heated/cooled/made wet?” 

In order to understand the properties of materials, our students became scientists this week. They observed, hypothesised, predicted, experimented and drew conclusions on the properties of a variety of materials and under different conditions. 

Testing materials in the DT Lab with Mr. Zobrist and Mr. Lundie

We tested the properties of plastic and wood using special machines. The children observed materials being bent, twisted, blown like a ballon and molded, using special machines. The transformations were amazing!

Testing materials in the High School Lab with Mr. Louie Barnett

The children looked adorable in their lab coats and goggles in the science lab. They listened carefully and observed Mr Barnett as he used heat, direct fire, steam, glycerol and gas on materials to demonstrate changes in materials. The children are now convinced that Mr Barnett is a magician because the experiments he conducted were “just like magic tricks!” 

Mr Carl Anderson visits K2PTh

We were very lucky to have Mr Carl Anderson, author and educator, in class, to watch students and guide us in the Writing Workshop. He conferred with a few students in class and gave them some strategies to nudge them as writers. Mr Anderson was very impressed with all the thinking and writing going on in K2PTh...he was full of compliments!

Mathematics: Counting and the Number System

The main focus in Kindergarten is counting, which is the basis for understanding the number system. Students have many opportunities to count sets of objects, along with matching and making sets of a given size. In doing so, they begin to see the importance of counting each object once and only once and of having a system for keeping track of what has been counted and what still remains to be counted. As students are developing strategies for counting accurately, they are also building an understanding of how numbers in the counting sequence are related (numbers before and after; bigger and smaller).Classroom routines such as the counting jar, calendar chart, daily attendance and tally charts are some of the ways K2PTh have been experiencing counting in class. 

More pictures from this week...

Some reflections from this week:

I loved the can experiment because the can popped!

The sprinkles experiment was like pixie dust.

Mr Barnett pretended to do magic.

I liked wearing the glasses and the coat to protect ourselves.

When Mr Barnett lit the fire in his hands, it was so cool!

It was magic when Mr Zobrist changed the materials.

When the can popped, all the air came out!

I looked at the outline of the test tube and I could see it in the liquid.

I loved going to the science lab and the DT lab! Wish we could go again.