November 30, 2012

Another big day in the science lab.
The seventh grade completed an investigation into the amount of sodium bicarbonate required for a complete reaction with acetic acid in vinegar.  They were introduced to chemical formulas, chemical equations, moles, molar mass, pH, acids, bases, and how to write a lab report.  They hypothesized what the best amount of sodium bicarbonate would be for a complete reaction with the acetic acid in 25mL of vinegar.  The results based on the gas produced were not too accurate but the pH test of the resulting solutions were right on for most groups.  They were assigned to complete the lab report for Thursday, December 6.

The first grade came in to prepare their pumpkins for mummification.  The cleaned out the "guts" of the pumpkin and saved the seeds in their canopic container to represent the organs.  The pumpkins were filled with a mixture of salt, baking soda and kitty litter to facilitate the process of drying.  The pumpkins will sit covered in the mixture and newspaper.

After school students who came for the STEM Club were working on a number of ideas. One group was building LEGO cars and using magnets to make them move.  Another group was building a paper airplane model.  Some students were working with the Mindstorm LEGO Robotics set.  A large group of younger students were making crystals with the help of our high school volunteer, Tate Hammersly.  One student was working on building the KNEX roller coaster. Green Team members were also present, working on up-cycled crafts for the CRAFT FAIR this Saturday.

Also this week, eighth grade students used the motion detectors and LabQuest interfaces to learn about acceleration and velocity.

Ms. Brunning did not make it out to lunch recess today to meet with students about their science research projects. She will be out for lunch recesses all next week until she has connected with everyone. The deadline for Assignment 2 that was Dec 3 will be extended to Dec 6.

One last note, OMSI will be offering LEGO classes over the holiday and winter break.
For information go to :  http://www.omsi.edu/classes