SCIENCE SCOOP!
For the past month in first grade we have become scientists and have been learning about sound and light and how they work! With the help of a website called Mystery Science, we have been exploring, questioning, experimenting and learning about these topics. From creating our own sound effects, to making our own stained glass, and creating shadows we have really developed a love of science and finding out how things work! Feel free to check out the website, mysteryscience.com and do some of your own exploration at home with your kids!
SOUND
We first learned that all sound is made through vibrations. We learned how sound effect artists create sounds for our favorite cartoons and movies. Then we got to be sound effect artists and created the sounds for a strong rain storm! Check out the link to the videos below.
We then used our rulers to make the sound of a bouncing ball. We experimented changing the sound by making the ruler shorter and longer on the desk. The kids discovered that the shorter the ruler was the faster the vibrations were. Then we had to match the sound with a bouncing ball that we watched on the SmartBoard. It was harder than it looked!
LIGHT
Next, we began learning about light. We made predictions and discussed where light comes from. We answered questions like: what would it be like in a world without light and why is it important to have materials that let light shine through? From this we learned about three different types of material: transparent, translucent and opaque. We discussed how important glass and transparent materials are in our every day life. We then got to make our very own stained glass with tissue paper and press and seal plastic wrap!
SHADOWS
The most fun we had was when we learned about shadows! Our initial hypothesis was that shadows can only move when living things move. We did not think that the shadows for structures like houses, buildings and statues could move. This brought us to our next experiment with Willy, the gnome. First, we placed Willy in a sunny window, traced his shadow and marked down the time. We went back to check on Willy 20 minutes later and were shocked to see that his shadow had moved! Our hypothesis was wrong! We concluded that the light, which comes from the sun moved, which in turn caused Willy's shadow to move!
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| Willy the gnome, helped up learn about shadows! |
Lastly, we played with shadows some more by using flashlights and shadow patterns. The kids took turns moving the light of the flashlight to match the shadows of Willy at four different stations. The kids used trial and error and had a blast as they worked together to get the flashlight at the perfect angles to match each shadow!
Next up we will start our Social Studies unit on Maps! Be on the look out for the next special "Scoop" blog!
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