Category: Science

In the fall Div 8 and 9 students planted daffodil bulbs that were donated to us by the BC Agriculture in the Classroom Foundation (BCAITC). Through the Planting a Promise program students gained hands-on gardening experience while exploring the life cycle of a plant and what it needs to grow. They were able to connect positively with nature and learn science through observation. Also the cheerful, yellow daffodil blooms that greeted the students when they returned from Spring Break, gave them a sense of pride in contributing to their school and community.  As the daffodils continue their lifecycle they will continue to beautify the school grounds year after year.

Right before Spring Break Div 9 students planted their seed potatoes.  When they returned to school after the break they were amazed by how much the potatoes have grown. Today they learned about the hilling process and how to check if their potatoes need water.  Students then hilled the soil around the young potato seedlings so that only the top leaves were sticking out of the ground and gave them some water.  They will continue this process every 2-3 days as the potato sprouts grow taller.  The hilling process will force new tubers and new potatoes to grow under the new mound of soil hopefully yielding more potatoes when it comes time to harvest them in June.

Before Spring Break Div 9 students had lots of fun playing in the dirt while they planted their seed potatoes.  After the break  we will continue to tend to the potatoes and observe their lifecycle before harvesting them in June.

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This week Div 8 and 9 students removed the mulch from our garden of daffodils.  Many of them were surprised that the daffodil stems have already pushed through the soil and are preparing to bloom.  Over the coming weeks students will track and document the growth of the daffodils, review the life cycle of daffodils, and investigate factors that can enhance or hinder growth.

What:  Popsicle Stick Bridge Contest event is organized by Engineers & Geoscientist BC for the 18^th time this year as part of the National Engineering & Geoscience Month (NEGM).

Why: to promote engineering and geoscience in our community, especially to the youth.

When: Sunday, March 4th, 2018 from 11 am to 2:00 pm.

Who: Kids from grade 1 to 12 will compete in their own grade category in building the strongest bridges.

How:

1- Get your Bridge Building Kit from me or “KidsBooks” bookstore at 3040 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver, BC V7R 2N4, Tel: 604-986- 6190

2- Register online: http://goo.gl/Fa6P1k

3- Read the rules

4- Attend a free Training Workshop organized by “COWI” on Tuesday, February 6^th at 6:30 pm at 101-788 Harbourside Dr., North Vancouver, V7P 3R7. Register for the workshop here: http://goo.gl/wCnLsA

5- Build your bridge at home and bring it to the Event on Sunday, March 4^th at 11 am at Capilano Mall Atrium in North Vancouver

How Much: Free!

For more information you can also check out the EGBC website:

https://www.egbc.ca/Events/Events/2018/SS1MAR18

Have you ever blown up a balloon and let it go? The air rapidly escapes the balloon making it fly away.

Students were challenged to harness this energy and design their very own car that could be propelled forward using a single balloon.

Engineering Design Constraints

1. The car must be propelled forward by the air escaping the balloon.

2. The car must be sturdy and not fall apart when in use.

3. The car must travel at least five feet.

4. The car must travel in approximately a straight line.

Materials Suggested

 Power: One latex balloon

 Car body: Plastic bottle, plastic cup, or cardboard

 Wheels: CDs, bottle caps, empty rolls of tape

 Axles: Wooden dowels, wooden skewers, plastic straws

 Other materials: plastic straws, hot glue, tape, paper clips, scissors, rubber bands

Math Connection

During the testing phase students were asked to calculate the average speed of their balloon cars. The equation they used to calculate the average speed of their car

was:

𝑎𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = 𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒/𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

Recently Div 8 and 9 students began their Planting a Promise project.  They learned about daffodils and what they need to grow. Then they planted daffodil bulbs knowing that they hold the promise of beautiful flowers in spring.

In the spring when the bulbs begin to sprout and bloom, we will observed and measure their growth. Then in June, as the daffodils enter their dormant stage we will explore how they are readied to start the daffodil life cycle all over again.

Throughout this unit students will explore the following concepts:

• Plants are diverse in the way they grow. They are different in their appearance, in their use and in their life cycle.
• Seasonal changes happen in plants as well as animals.
• Plants have basic needs (air, water, soil and light) that must be met in order for them to grow.
• Air, water and soil have different physical characteristics that can affect the growth of plants.
• Personal choices have environmental consequences that can affect living resources, like plants.

During our matter inquiry students learned a song about matter and learned how to categorize various types of matter as liquids, solids or gases. They also explored how like items (eg. a chair) may have different properties even though they are both solids.

Also, as we were exploring the concept of matter, one Div 9 student posed a very good question: If something is light will it always float and if something is heavy will it always sink? To answer this question we conducted an experiment. Students soon discovered that weight alone is not the only factor in determining whether or not it will float or sink. As they were testing out their predictions they quickly discovered that objects sinking or floating in a liquid depends mainly on two factors: density and buoyancy.