Reader Rock Garden

Yesterday, we walked to Reader Rock Garden. It is SO beautiful there! We took time to do scientific sketches of some of the flowers. There were so many different types of flowers; you could take two steps and see ten different kinds. We saw a big variety of flower colours, a huge bee, and a caterpillar. The caterpillar was on its way to become a beautiful moth. Everyone should visit the Reader Rock Garden this summer!

"It was impossible to not see one flower colour." ~ Oliver

"My Grade Three teacher Ms Harris said that nature is never just one colour and I believe it!" ~ Cora

"More than half the garden is just flowers." ~ HC

"We had a lot of fun and I noticed that the caterpillar was soft and smooth." ~ Ekagra

"I observed that none of the flowers looked the same. Some had jagged leaves, some had smooth leaves, some had simple petals and some had compound petals." ~ Wynn

"Everywhere I walked, there was flowers everywhere. You couldn't walk anywhere without seeing so many different kinds." ~ Effie

"Everywhere you go, there was wildlife: mosquitos, bees, and more." ~ AA

"The caterpillar that we found had fluff that makes you itchy and it's supposed to protect the caterpillar." ~ Gillian

"I had so much fun looking at the flowers but I got like 20 mosquito bites and now I'm very itchy." ~ EF

"I noticed that an ant crawled out of a small hole so I'm guessing there was an ant colony." ~ Viaan

"My favourite part was the waterfall." ~ Davyd

Back at school today, we sorted our visual journal sketches into different categories based on the features of the plants. For example, we came up with sorting rules like: petal colour, smooth and jagged leaves, value of the colour of the leaves, simple and compound leaves or flowers, and thorns/no thorns.

In all, this was a great final Community Walk!

Optional Homework

Today, we discussed the parts of the plant. We identified examples of parts of plants we eat (ex: asparagus are stems, kidney beans are seeds). 

Our Optional Homework Challenge (for fun) is to try to eat one of each of these plant parts before next Wednesday: seed, root, leaf, flower, stem, fruit. 

Students are also encouraged to retell the story we read in class, Tops and Bottoms.

Animal Field Study

Yesterday, we used our scientific skills to identify what the creatures are that are on our hillside. Ms Elder showed us some information about the differences between groundhogs, gophers, and ground squirrels. We had to use our observation skills to determine which they are. 

If we sat quietly on the hill, we could see the animals more easily because they weren't scared. We observed in our journals. We drew scientific diagrams and added information to help us identify them. We have concluded that these animals are: ground squirrels!

We know because they have thin, furry tails with a black tip. Also, you can't see their teeth sticking out of their mouths. We can see their necks. Ground squirrels have lots of entrances and exits, which we could see. They are very social; you will see many together. We also measured the size of their entrances and exits to determine which rodent they were. 

"We came up with a new name for the ground squirrels: g.s.'s." ~ AA

"Most of the holes were 11 cm wide. It helped us figure out which animal it was." ~ Viaan
"Everything looked the same until we figured out how big or small they were." ~ HC
"At the beginning, we thought they were gophers but using all of our information, we figured out they are ground squirrels." ~ Oliver
"They were so cute and they have human like ears and that freaked me out but overall amazingly cute." ~ EF
"THEY ARE SO ADORABLE!" ~ Cora
"I was observing a hole and one ground squirrel popped out and ran away." ~ Jackson
"It took me a while to find a ground squirrel that would stay. Once I finally found one, it stayed for a really long time." ~ Gillian
"They hypnotized me!" ~ Wynn

More Magnets!

We have continued exploring magnets in Science. We tested objects to see if they are magnetic or non-magnetic. We learned that magnetic materials are made out of cobalt, iron, or nickel. 

We also tested the strength of the magnetic force by measuring the distance objects needed to be from the magnet to attract. We used our rulers to measure the distance in millimetres (mm). 

  

Today, Ms Elder gave us the challenge of trying to make a paper clip float. We used magnetic force to make it work!

Then, we tested the strength of magnetic force by putting objects in between the paper clip and the magnet. We first predicted whether the paper clip would "fall" or "float" and then we tested!

We will be having a Quiz on magnets on Thursday, May 21. There are videos we can watch and games we can play on Google Classroom under "Science" if we want to practice at home.

"Everything is possible except a big thick book between the magnet and the paperclip." ~ HC

"It was really fun experimenting to try to make the paperclip float with Oscar." ~ Jackson

"When we were testing, I thought it was crazy that you could put your hand through and it would still float." ~ Effie

"If you put a piece of thread and taped it up, then tie the paper clip, and then get any kind of magnet, it will start floating. It's just like Science" ~ Ekagra

"If things aren't magnetic, you can put a magnetic field around it and it can stick to other magnetic things." ~ Cora

"When we started this unit, I thought we were going to be sitting and writing notes but instead, we had a lot of fun experimenting and stuff." ~ EF

"I really liked experimenting because it's trial and error and when you fail, you can try it again. When you get it, it's so rewarding!" ~ Wynn

"I like how there's so many different ways to make your paperclip float. I like experimenting." ~ Gillian

"I thought it was bizarre how strong the magnets are." ~ Oliver

"When me and my partner were putting the paperclip in the cup, and then we were moving the cardboard, the magnet was spinning." ~ Fatima

"You get the thing you want to go through, then put the magnet on top, and then take the paperclips out so you don't have to shove it through." ~ Davyd

"Some magnets are really weak while some are really strong." ~ Viaan 

Magnet Exploration

Today, we started our new unit in Science: Energy! We started by discussing the difference between contact and non-contact forces. 

A contact force is when an object pushes or pulls another and it starts moving. The two objects have to touch. Some example are: kicking a box, pushing someone, throwing a ball, or pulling a rope. 

A non-contact force is when something moves without being touched. Non-contact forces are invisible. Some examples are: a black hole, wind, gravity, magnets.

We will be focusing on magnets for the rest of our unit. We got to explore magnets by testing them around the classroom to see how they worked. 

"Some magnets are stronger than others. A non-contact force is 'the force.'" ~ EF

"I saw how that blue magnet was holding up six magnets." ~ Viaan

"I know that magnets are a part of physics and that it's really fun to play with magnets. The reason they're magnetic is because they're made of iron." ~ Oscar

"Today, when we were exploring magnets, I learned that magnets can be very strong. They can affect how electronics work." ~ Effie

"Sometimes, it can be bizarre, like a magnet connected to a hat." ~ HC

"I observed that all objects that are magnetic are either made of iron or metal." ~ Wynn

"I learned that some magnets can not stick on to the object but only you could feel its pull." ~ Cora

Rover Building!

In Science, we have been learning about Space with Ms Elder. We researched Mars and learned about its conditions, like it is very hot and also very cold, it has big winds and dust storms, and it is rocky. We split into groups and learned about rovers scientists have sent there. Then, we got to design and build our own model rovers!

Our rovers needed to have: wheels to move, an arm to collect samples, and a compartment to put the samples in. 

We planned first on our own, and then Ms Elder paired us up and we had to collaborate to make a new design. Here are pictures of us building and of our final products!