"Why do some leaves change colors?" That was the question that was asked by some of my students after we had gone outside to observe nature around us. In the previous post, you saw the students conducting research and finding facts. This week, we had the opportunity to conduct 3 different science experiments. To start the week, Mrs. Daniel and I created our own informational video to show the children what they would be creating throughout the week to come. Below is the link to our video:
After viewing our video, the kids were SO excited to start our first experiment. We began by discussing the purpose of the wax coating that helps Evergreen Trees keep their green color all year. The class used 2 cups and filled them with the same amount of water. We then covered one with wax paper and set them both out in the sunlight for two days. As we observed, we noticed that more water stayed in the cup with the wax paper. Below is a picture from this experiment.
Sage and Emma were using their fingers to determine the difference in the water levels.
Next, as we continued discussing the purpose of the wax coat, we decided to try and stop a leaf from changing colors. Our class took two sheets of wax paper and by using an iron, pressed a leaf between them. We had such a fun time with this experiment.
This is one of our finished products. We will continue observing this leaf over the next couple of weeks to see if our experiment was successful.
Lastly, we conducted a third experiment to try and pull the colors out of the leaves and onto the filter paper. The link below will take you to the video of Mrs. Daniel and I performing the experiment beforehand.
The students watched our video first and then had the opportunity to conduct the experiment themselves. While we were waiting, everyone formed their own hypothesis about what they predicted would happen. Please enjoy a few photos below from our experiment.
We are now in the process of making our very own informational video about everything that we have learned the past two weeks. I will post that video as soon as we finish it! Thanks for taking the time to view our blog!
Joshua has loved this science unit! He has told me all about your activities in the Wonder Room (step by step directions on how to do the wax paper leaves :)). Thursday afternoon, he came home, picked up a leaf out of our yard, and did some tracings with his crayons. I am so impressed that he knew the words "chlorophyll" and "deciduous!" Thanks for making learning fun!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you took the time to describe the lesson! I love that your students are able to use such big vocabulary to describe their learning. Our "All Stars" are quite smart! I cannot wait to see their informational videos! Thank you for providing these WONDERful, AWEsome experiences for our students!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that Joshua has enjoyed our science unit about leaves! We had so much fun conducting the experiments. I am blessed with a very smart group of kindergarteners! We had so much fun recording our informational videos. I will post those shortly!
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