Science

Foundation children have been investigating what Living things need to stay alive, and comparing what we need and what we need to provide for our pets. We have also delved into the world of our senses, and this last week have been ‘getting active’ to increase our heart-rates and observe what exercise does to our breathing and the impact on our bodies.

Grade 1/2 have been exploring Living things in our schoolyard. We have been on a couple of schoolyard safari and mapped out where living creatures can be found at school. We even found some humans on one of our walks! We have been looking closely at earthworms, snails and ants, and developing a fact file about these interesting creatures. 

Grade 1/2 children looking closely at ANTS!

Grade 3/4 have been developing their knowledge about Australian eucalypt trees, and how they adapt to their environment, how they flower and reproduce. 

We are trying to germinate some eucalypts (thank you Park Lane Nursery for your kind donation of the seeds to do this) to see if the amount of light, the type of soil and the effect of extreme heat on the seeds impacts on their germination, so we currently have have 100 pots in the science room, and 100 eager students awaiting signs of life!

Grade 3/4 children preparing to plant eucalypt seed under different conditions.

Grade 5/6 have been looking at Primary Production in Australia, with particular interest in plants/crops. We are currently investigating and comparing different ways of watering plants for the best results, and this week will set up a second investigation to look at how salt in the water impacts the growth of plants, as Australia often struggles with salinity. 

We will soon have up to 100 lettuce also growing in the Science room!