Dry Ice and the Science Behind It

Why are so many people fascinated about dry ice? That was the focus question dealing with today's science lab. In forty-five minutes the class investigated many properties of dry ice and learned all about sublimation (going from a solid directly to a gas), that it is the solid form of CO2, and that dry ice is -109 degrees F. Later today, we used what we learned and made a batch of root beer to drink at our party. The CO2 of the dry ice will carbonate the drink all day and the cold temperature of the dry ice will surely keep it cold for us!

Breaking Yeast our of its Dormancy

Science this week involved a lab of trying to break yeast, a fungus, out of its dormancy. Through a two-day lab, students realized it takes warm water and sugar to break it out. Our evidence involved the amount of CO2 that was its waste product.

Celebrating Book Fair Week

Our class has really gone all out with being a part of the celebrations that Mrs. Fischer has set up for our school. Yesterday was "wear a winter hat day". That, along with Monday's "wear your PJs to school day" were the two days with the largest participation of our class.

Class Scarecrow is Complete

Our scarecrow is complete and set up. It is a beautiful day for the Scarecrow event.

Building Scarecrow

Last week we democratically voted for which book we wanted to turn into our class Scarecrow. We selected "Big-Enough Anna". This week we began putting all the parts together. We had 6 different stations where students build components of our Scarecrow. Tomorrow, Thursday, our annual Scarecrow Festival takes place from 3-6:00. We hope you can all join us.

Composting with Red Worms

This week we began studying decomposers, starting with the grinders. Small groups selected 20 red worms and placed them in a mini ecosystem jar they created on Tuesday. We made observations, took photos of the current materials in each jar, and will now observe changes from week to week.

Day 3 of Journeys Outdoor School

The final full day of camp was cooler than previous days, but again, it didn't get the kids down. After lining up for breakfast at 7:45, and signing our morning songs, we headed inside to eat breakfast. After filling our stomachs, students headed out into the forest. Today some hiked up to the quartz outcrop and really got to explore the crystalline structure of the quartz. Others did archery and challenge course. The majority spent some good time down at the pond doing pond ecology. It was a good day catching organisms, as many groups had buckets full. One group washed a small water snake slide across the stream. One group spent time learning how squirrels build shelters and then spend time collecting food, often from other squirrels. Each group had build a "squirrel" shelter and then had to try to steal nuts from other groups' shelters. The students really enjoyed this learning experience, as it was a game, but also learning at the same time. Lunch was delivered to the groups in the forest today. The afternoon continued the different various stations. During community time, over half of the students played Gaga-Ball, some played football, and others just relaxed. The sun was starting to break through the clouds a little. During dinner it rained again, but we were inside filling our bellies. During dinner many students helped teach a lesson on all the energy and steps required just to get the food from the land to our camp, from planting the seed, to harvesting it, to transporting it, to washing it, etc., etc. A big part of the meals is for students to learn to choose to not be wasteful. After dinner we had the night experience. Taking no flashlights, each group headed into the forest. I went with a group who walked across the meadow into the trees on the other side. The clouds had cleared and the stars were amazing! We even saw a satellite and the Milky Way. Each group's night experience was different than another group. Ours focused on diurnal, nocturnal, and crepuscular animals. Students imitated deer by putting their hands to their ears as the leader went out ahead and whispered, "Little deer, little deer, can you hear me?" It was impressive how far he got and the kids could still hear him. The fog was rolling in as we returned to campus. Another successful day of learning.