SCIENCE EXPO 2011

Saturday, June 11 was a rainy day, but that didn’t slow down the interest in science! The Science Expo was held in the Middle School Gym from 1:30 to 3:30 and featured science displays from 20 classes from all three elementary schools, as well as displays sent in from individual K-6 students.

Approximately 250 people attended the expo. As one attendee commented,  "Science is alive in our district!"  And someone else added, "There was a fantastic variety of well-done projects...it’s great to see student excitement for learning."

THE BUBBLE SHOW

The Bubble Show stole the show. Jeff Boyer, science entertainer, taught while he totally captivated his audi- ence. We learned why bub- bles are different colors, what holds them together, and how they interact with wet medi- ums. But mostly, we basked in the magic of bubbles.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EXPO...

-- A tinker-toy trebuchet set up to discover if a light or heavy ball would go further (Kindergarten.)

-- A mural of the planets (1st grade.) A working lemon battery (2nd grade.)

-- An experiment examining if plants grow differently when ex- posed to classical or rock music (3rd grade.)

-- Experiments with different growth mediums for plants (4th grade.)

-- An experiment on the effects of root systems and leaf layers on erosion (6th grade.)

-- Two interactive displays from SUNY New Paltz Professors Aaron Isabel and Thais de Cuny inviting kids to make their own bouncy balls and to observe crickets up close.

Afterschool Science Bubbled with Life

This spring, Parents for Innovation decided to offer a fledgling science afterschool class. Our desire is to see more science programming, and more challenging, authentic science projects for students in grades K-8. But we started small — just a modest afterschool class in Rosendale Elementary School, for one month.  We limited the class to 12 students. In one week, 25 signed up. Rather than turn anyone away, we split the group into two, with each section attending for two weeks only. It’s just a taste and it’s not enough — but it’s a start.

In the first two weeks, the students experimented with bubbles, moving drops of water, and mixing oil and water. Each class was built around observation, discovery, precision & questioning. For example, students measured their bubbles and recorded their results. We asked, "Did the kind of soap used change the size of the bubbles? What else did you notice?"

The next week, students rubbed water and then oil in their palms and recorded their observations. They said that  "Water is liquid; it flows; it slides out of your hand".  Oil is "thicker, slipperier, smelly".  They noticed that water droplets attract each other and decided that was connected to the fact that water flows. (We talked about the fact that you don’t see a bunch of water drops in the ocean, you just see WATER.) They noticed that oil sank in the water, and surmised that this was connected to what they had noticed about its "thickness". And after an hour of discovery with oil and water, it was time to stop but they asked if they could please do more. YES; WE WILL DO MORE!! This is only the beginning of what we can -& should– do!

Other classes explored air and the human body. As Aaron Burke said, "These kids have some great teachers because they are coming in with a ton of prior knowledge."

The class was taught in alternate weeks by Aaron Burke, Dana Fulmer, and Ingrid Frengle-Burke. Carol Covas, Frannie Hertz, Kyra Sahasrabudhe, & Kelley Iacoboccio also generously joined in.

What would YOU like to see hap- pen with science? Some of the ideas that we have heard include having a theme-based science competition; having a more indepth science afterschool program; part- nering with local universities; and partnering older & younger stu- dents. Send your ideas into us at RondoutPFi@gmail.com.