This week, we’ve been taking virtual ‘trips’ to amusement parks and carnivals by investigating the Science behind some of our favourite treats!

We learned about the process of making cotton candy, and investigated the appearance, scent, taste, ductile (stretchy), malleability (easily shaped), and dissolvability of cotton candy! Did you know that cotton candy is mostly made of air, sugar, and colour/flavour? Check out the video above to learn about the strange invention of cotton candy!

Today, we discussed renowned athlete and activist Billie Jean King. King was a very successful tennis player who proved gender stereotypes about women in sports wrong. She spoke out about inequality in regards to women being paid less than men in sports. She founded many clubs that supported women in pursuing sports as a career. She was also an ally for women of colour who wanted to play tennis, including a young Black athlete named Althea who became a very influential tennis star.

King was outed in the 1980s. This meant that a journalist found out that she was a lesbian and spread the news across the world. When someone is outed, it means they did not agree to share this part of their identity about themselves. Because King was outed, many people targeted her and she faced lots of homophobia and even threats against her. King then became an activist for LGBTQ+ rights as well, and has participated in many Pride parades.

Some possible discussion questions:

1. Why do you think Billie Jean King had to fight harder to be respected and accepted as an athlete?
2. How can we be allies to people who experience racism, sexism, or homophobia?
3. Would you consider yourself to be an athlete? Why or why not?

Today, we explored how clothing can either break or enforce gender stereotypes. We discussed what clothing makes us feel confident and comfortable. We learned that many fashion designers are creating gender neutral clothing that can be worn by anyone (see the video of H&M’s denim collection, which features a male and female model wearing the same articles of clothing).

Our class will be designing their own item/items of clothing that can be worn by anyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, etc.  Stay tuned for our designs!

On Friday, we tested our waterslides! The guidelines were: the waterslide must have an incline (angle), must have a pool at the bottom, must be as safe as possible (no collisions or passengers flying off), and must be as fast as possible. Students used tin foil, cardboard, tape, dish soap, etc. to create their slides! Then, we sent our marble ‘passengers’ down the slides.

Amazing work, engineers!

In honour of Pride month, we discussed representation of LGBTQ+ people in the media. We noticed that there are only few movies, books, TV shows, etc. that feature characters that are part of the LGBTQ+ community. We discussed how we can make our school an inclusive, safe, and supportive place.  Then, we watched Out, a Pixar SparkShort that represents the struggle that some LGBTQ+ people feel when deciding to stay ‘in the closet’ or to ‘come out’ to their family.

In Out, the main character (Greg) struggles to tell his parents that he has a boyfriend. We discussed the many reasons that some LGBTQ+ people may not be ‘out’ or open about their identities (fear of judgement, safety concerns, unsupportive friends/family, etc.).

Feel free to watch the ‘behind the scenes’ video about the making of the short film:

Some possible discussion questions at home might be:

1. Why is it important to feel safe and proud sharing your identity with others?
2. What are some reasons why a person might feel they have to hide their identity from others?
3. Why do we celebrate Pride month? Why is it important to be an ally?

Today, we began exploring the complex history of gender and clothing. We learned that fashion has changed over time, and that often gender marketing effects what we buy and how we view clothes.  We also read My Shadow is Pink, a story about a boy who feels excluded because his identity is different from his friends and family.

Check out the videos below for a short overview of girls and boys fashions over the last 100 years:

Today, we created a blueprint for our own method of transportation. Our ‘cars’ must have wheel(s), must be able to roll down an inclined plane, and must protect the egg ‘passenger’ when there is impact.

Humans have not always used cars to get around! Check out the video below for some inspiration on the weird, wonderful, and wacky ways that humans travel!

Hey, Scientists! Hopefully, everyone has had a chance to go through their Student-Led paperwork. You will notice I also sent home a bubble wand and some information about the ‘science behind bubbles’. Check out this bubble artist, below, who uses bubbles to create mesmerizing performances!

This week, we will be building our own model shelters to test our survival skills. Our challenge is to try to survive in the Great Bear Rainforest. This environment is very unique, and has a lot of plants and animals that are only found in this biome!

This month, we are celebrating the numerous contributions made by people of Asian and Pacific Island heritage! Today, we learned about Duke Kahanamoku, who popularized surfing in Australia. Feel free to check out the video below!