Family Science Night Freebies

Hello darlings! We just recently had our annual Art and Science Explosion at our school.  I am the Science Fair Coordinator, so I am in charge of running all the science stuff.  My cohort, Pam, is in charge of all the Art Displays and she does an amazing job!  I really just have to deal with all the Science Fair Projects, but a few years ago, I decided to add in a hands-on experiments element to the night.  I thought it would be fun for families to complete experiments together, instead of just coming to check out the Science Fair Projects and the awesome art.   It turned out to be a big hit!

Here are some pics of the night.  Even if your school doesn't do a Family Science Night, you can still use these experiments in your own classroom.  I am including all of my science and question stem cards for free since I like you so much!

Crime Scene Investigation

Materials: hot chocolate powder, large makeup brushes (dollar store), CLEAR plastic cups, non-latex gloves, ink pad, magnifying glasses

My third grade teamies ran this booth.  We each fingerprinted a cup and then a sheet of paper, and kiddos had to use magnifying glasses to match our fingerprints to our cups. They had to wear non-latex gloves to hold the cups so they wouldn't "corrupt the evidence".    We also had another section where kiddos touched their own cup and then used a make-up brush and hot chocolate powder to find their fingerprints.  It really does work!  I was amazed too!

 Marshmallow Towers

Materials: mini marshmallows, thick spaghetti noodles, plates

Students had to construct the highest tower possible using just two materials, spaghetti and marshmallows.  We even had parents creating towers!

Piloting Paper

Materials: paper, paperclips,  paper airplane books

Kiddos used paper airplane books from the library to try to create an airplane that would fly the farthest. They used paperclips to experiment with weight.

Moon Craters

Materials: flour, large trays with ridges, different size and shape balls, chair for standing on, table cloth or butcher paper for clean up

Students were testing how the size of a meteorite effects the size of the crater.  They also experimented with the distance that they meter traveled.

Money Magic

Materials: assorted coins, droppers, water, cups for water, paper towels for clean up

Families investigated surface tension.  They tried to see how many drops of water could be dropped on a penny before the bubble of water burst.  They did this with other coins as well and compared their results.

Here is just a sampling of our Science Fair Projects!  We had almost 100 projects this year!

Here are the table signs and the question stems.  Enjoy and please pin and rate!

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Blessings!

Scientific Method and Science Fair

Hello darlings!  Our third graders are required to complete a Science Project every year and I am the Science Fair Coordinator at my school, so it works out nicely!

For the past two years, I have made it easy on myself and completed the same science experiment with my class to model the scientific method and model the project that they are required to do at home.  The experiment is all about chocolate, so of course they are extremely engaged!

Our Question:
Will chocolate melt faster when held in my bare hand or when I hold it in a glove?

Research:
-human body temperature
-melting point of chocolate
-insulators

I purchased about 12 pairs of gloves when they were on sale last year (around $.25), and I just wash them and reuse them.  The gloves will melt the chocolate, just not as quickly.  Of course it melts more quickly in a bare hand, but don't tell anyone I told you! =)  It is a great lesson to talk about human body temperature and to talk about insulators.  Many kiddos think that the glove will melt the chocolate faster because they associate it with warmth.  They learn that a glove is an insulator and traps the heat inside the hand instead of letting the heat escape to the surface.

Kiddos love testing their hypothesis, and then eating the results!

We went through each step of the Scientific Method together.  I usually break the project up over a week so that kiddos aren't overwhelmed with all of the writing at once.  They have to fill in their Science Journal as we go so that they have a guide to take home to help them (ahem...the parents) understand each step.

 Once completed, we learn how to set up the Science Fair Board by making a miniature one with each part.

I love getting to see the students' finished projects from home!

I do make sure to make a big deal about THEM putting the board together.

If you would like to save yourself some time, click below to get all the resources in my unit! I even included a completed answer key journal for the Chocolate experiment!

Good luck on your Science Adventure! The first person to comment with their email will get this unit sent to their inbox for free!  Don't forget to follow us on Bloglovin to make sure you are in the loop with these freebies!

Real Tornado and other happenings...

Hello darlings! Well if this wasn't the wackiest week ever!  To top it all off, I woke up this morning and sincerely thought it was Saturday!  How sad THAT realization was!  Tuesday we had Tornadoes here is Missouri.  We are supposed to let out of school at 3:30pm and of course the Tornado sirens go off around 3:15.  So here we are, duckn' covern' in the hallways, and the time keeps on ticking away.  Our principal comes on the announcements and says the kiddos can sit up now, but that we are still under a Tornado Warning.  I illegally duck inside my classroom and grab some Time For Kids Magazines and start handing them off to my scared kiddos, trying to keep their minds busy.  That lasts for all of ten minutes and kiddos are starting to get super hot, whiny, and bored.  It starts to feel like an oven with all the doors and the emergency hallway doors closed.  Those little bodies put off a lot of heat.  Teachers are fanning kids, consoling crying kids, trying to keep their kiddos occupied.

A little kindergartner says to one of the teachers in a very authoritative voice, "Aren't they going to call the parents?"  She tells him the parents know and they will get to go home soon and he gets very concerned and says, "But I'm going to miss my DINNER!"  Cute!   I run in my room again (which now feels like the glorious Arctic) and grab paper and crayons.  At least now they could play tic tac toe or something...  Needless to say, I feel like I am in the middle of a rock concert with the noise level of k-3 all in one hallway and the principal comes on again and says the warning will expire at 4:00pm.  Oh brother!   The minutes feel like hours as we try to prevent the domino effect of one kiddo asking to use the restroom. Finally the principal comes on one last time and says "All clear."  We get to go back in the room and wait until they dismiss us.  Tons of parents decided to come pick up their kiddos in the tornatic downpour and now we have to wait as they call names over the announcements.  I turn on Brainpop and we watch some fun science videos before bus riders are finally called.

Holy mackerel   What an afternoon!  Of course THE NEXT DAY we have SNOW!  No kidding!  It is even too cold for the kiddos to go outside.  Do you have wacky weather where you live?

 On to the fun stuff.  Take a peek at just some of the fun things we have been up to in Scientific Inquiry.

Force and Motion Experiment: Building a Card House

Water Molecules and atoms: Will he get wet?

Chemical Reaction: Baking soda and vinegar

Making Parachutes: How long should the string be to make it stay in the air the longest?

Yes, I let them stand on the desk.  It is worth it, look at his face!

Paper Airplanes: Where should we put the weight (paper clip) to make it fly the farthest?

 Creating a boat that can hold the most weight.

Measuring in centimeters

No laughing...this is the drawing I used to explain what to measure.

They had to create the outfit they were wearing today.

We had so much fun this week!

Thank you to all who commented last week about my Scientific Method Unit Resources!  Here are the three lucky winners that will get the unit for free!  Check it out here.

Stephanie at 3rd Grade Thoughts

Andrea Morelli

Katie Smith 

Congrats ladies!