Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

5th Grade Discovery Center

Today the 5th grade investigated topics of interest. 

Here are some of the explorations that took place:

* Identifying and classifying rocks and minerals

* Researching elements and putting together the 1000 piece periodic table puzzle

* Observing and learning about the monarch, viceroy and swallowtail butterflies

* Understanding what makes food "organic" and if organic food or locally grown food is better for the environment

* Researching climates of the world

* Making sense of the physics equation for acceleration

* Researching penguins and pandas

* Learning about holograms

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2nd Graders Meet the Worms and Dig Up Facts

Worms loosen soil and are called, "Nature's Plowers."

Worm poop is called castings.  Castings help fruit and veggies grow bigger and better.

Worms are invertebrates. 

Worms are annelids.

Worms can eat newspaper. 

An adult worm can have 120-150 segments. 

Each segment of the worm has small hairs called, setae (see-tee).

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How do the mass, volume, and denisty of unpopped popcorn compare to that of popped popcorn?

4th graders compared the mass, volume, and density of unpopped and popped popcorn.

Adam, Daisy, Simone, Sidney and Isha shared their conclusions.

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Take Home Challenge #2: HCES Pigeon Watch

In the wild, all members of a species usually look similar. Robins, for example, all have gray backs and red-orange breasts. All crows are black. But the pigeons we see around the world are a different story. They show remarkable color variation, just like cats and dogs. Why? They are all descended from the blue-bar Rock Pigeon (see “color morphs” page).  For hundreds of years humans bred pigeons just for their colors, homing instincts, or racing abilities. 400 years ago many of these special breeds escaped into the wild and became the ancestors of the pigeon flocks that we see today.

Wild pigeons adapted to life in cities, in parks, on beaches, and on farms, and their populations continued to have individuals of many different colors. 

Click here to download:
Pigeon_Poster_Take_Home_Challenge_2.pdf (6.68 MB)
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Take home challenges are completely optional and we invite anyone to participate.  Anyone who completes all of the challenges this year will receive a special science prize.  The challenges can be found hanging on the science room door!